Work Text:
There was truly nothing like the view that lay before them.
It may not have been the first time into space for either of them, whether by choice, by gift, or by necessity. In Peter’s case, perhaps the less said about some of the times he’d been to space, the better. For Mary Jane, all she could think of was that night that he’d called upon the Silver Surfer for a favor. The things she had seen that night would stay with her for the rest of her life.
But this…this was something different.
They’d heard about the League’s satellite. Among the heroes of Earth, both in and out of the League, it had a reputation all its own. And that reputation was one of the greatest heroes not only of the world, but of the entire universe at large. It was a reputation that only the Avengers might have been able to compete with, if only in terms of prestige. Between the two, there almost lay an unspoken rivalry.
As much as Peter had been up and down with them over the years, a part of himself could only imagine how the news of the invitation both he and Mary Jane had received had gone over. Considering how that treatment had been at times? It made the decision just a bit easier.
For Mary Jane, the invitation had put everything she had done as Spinneret into an entirely different perspective. What had started as an extra measure of defense, as well as a way to help protect their children, had rapidly transformed into something far bigger than she ever could have envisioned the first time she’d donned the suit.
Even if it had meant bringing the suit out of retirement for a bit, the reception they’d both gotten on the satellite had been more than worth it. It had been one thing for Peter to receive one of the invitations to join. Almost expected in a way, given the times that other teams had tried to get him to join their ranks. But to know that one of them had been for her as well? She didn’t have any shame in admitting that it had thrown her for a bit of a loop when both invitations had first arrived.
“You’re sure about this?” Peter asked, reaching over to slip his hand into hers. The moment she felt their fingers entwine with one another, it was impossible for her not to give his hand a firm, but loving squeeze of her own.
“It’s a little late to reconsider, isn’t it?” she teased in response, along with a nod of her head towards the ID cards they both held in their opposite hands. If either of them still had any lingering doubts, they were well past the point where they could have turned things down.
“Guess it is.” Chuckling, Peter glanced at his own card. He’d had an Avengers card before, certainly. More than once, it had actually come in handy for certain things. But something about this one, and knowing just how many other heroes were on board the satellite held him almost in a sense of awe.
Getting a bit of money from the gig wouldn’t have hurt either, but the last thing he was going to do was complain. Out loud at least.
Slipping the card into his belt, he moved his attention back to MJ, already knowing from the look in her face that she had plenty on her mind, and not just about the view in front of them.
“Whatcha thinking about?”
“Besides this beautiful view in front of us?” MJ answered, gesturing with her head towards the view of Earth that lingered just outside the window. Somewhere down below on the surface lay everything they called their life together, as well as everyone that had ever crossed their paths. For better or worse. To have such a view and to know that they could be up here whenever they wanted?
Combined with the weight of now knowing they were part of the newly reformed Justice League? That…that was a lot to take in.
“You know Annie is going to be jealous of this, right?” Peter teased, already able to imagine the reaction their youngest child would have to such news. There were times that even just describing the places they’d been to was enough to set off that endless well of energy that one Anna-May Parker was capable of.
“I think they all will be.” With a knowing smirk, MJ arched a brow at her husband. She could already think of two other children that were going to absolutely lose their minds when they found out about all of this. But Peter was right, Annie especially was going to bounce off the walls and start demanding trips.
“You got me there.” Peter chuckled. Still squeezing her hand, he took another look out of the viewscreen, falling silent for a moment as both he and Mary Jane once again soaked in the impressive sight of Earth continuing to spin. Behind them, a few more of the seemingly unlimited number of heroes on the satellite continued to move to different parts of the installation. A few did a double-take at the sight of the two spider-themed costumes they wore, but if any were starstruck by the appearance of Spider-Man and Spinneret both, they kept that marvelling to themselves, rather than interrupt the quiet moment husband and wife were no doubt enjoying with one another.
“Seriously though…what do you think about all of this?” Peter finally asked, glancing over at her once more.
“It’s…definitely something that’s going to take some getting used to.” she answered honestly. “I didn’t exactly think this was going to happen the first time I put on this suit.”
“We could say that about a lot of stuff.” Peter teased with just as much honesty. And not just about the situation at hand, but purely about everything in their lives. If someone had told him about everything that had come after that simple spider-bite when he’d been fifteen, he never would have believed it for a second. In that way, he could imagine some of the things going through his wife’s mind. In some ways, they were probably much closer to his own than either of them could realize.
“You know what I mean.” Playfully, MJ gave him a shove as she fought back a snort.
“Oh, yeah? Tell me what you mean then. Words are how people communicate best, my dear!” Putting on the most outrageously exaggerated accent he could think of, Peter acted as though the shove had been a fatal shot through his heart. Just seeing the charade was enough to finally inspire a fit of laughter out of Mary Jane. Even despite the wealth of other heroes continuing to move throughout the satellite’s halls, it was a moment that made it seem as though they were only two people the other could see in the entire galaxy. Just as it always did, in the best of moments between husband and wife.
Continuing to share the laughter, both Peter and Mary Jane settled into one another’s embrace as they both gradually settled down. Marveling at one another, they eventually found themselves gazing attentively into one another’s eyes. As they marveled at one another, all of the nerves they both had been feeling all but evaporated. In its place, there could only exist excitement and the love they felt for another so strongly that it was hard to think at times. Even against the view outside, it was a feeling that had no equal.
“You earned this just as much as I have, MJ. Don’t think that you haven’t.” Peter finally spoke up, resting his masked forehead against hers. Even as hidden behind her domino mask as they were, there was no denying the excitement that was, no doubt, nestled in her green eyes. The worries and weight of being a member of the League were still there, deep down. But hearing such reassuring words from the person who it couldn’t possibly mean more from, those worries might as well have been whispers about the most trivial of things.
For now, at the very least.
“Keep that up, Tiger, and I’m going to start needing an adjective of my own.” MJ teased back, a small dose of red beginning to fill out her cheeks just below her mask. The moment he heard those words, Peter couldn’t help but grin just a bit wider. With all the ones he had picked up over the years, he was positive that he had heard every single one of them by now, and then some.
Surely, there was not only one to spare, but one that would perfectly fit Mary Jane.
“Hmm…” he pondered, as though the question was easily one of the most serious ones he would ever have to answer. And more than a few quickly sprung to mind. Some were intended to be serious contenders, and more than a few others were purely leaping at the chance to try and make MJ laugh.
“How about… the ‘Gorgeous’ Spinneret?” he opened with, flashing a smirk at her in accompaniment. Instantly, Mary Jane found herself snorting at the suggestion, knowing it wasn’t a serious one in the slightest. Just the same though, she knew every bit of it was backed with more than a helping of genuine intent in another matter.
“I’m sure no-one could misconstrue that one.” she giggled while playfully rolling her eyes.
“The truth hurts sometimes.” Flashing a grin in her direction, Peter was glad he’d rolled up the bottom of his mask enough for her to see it. Knowing he could come up with something better, he wasted no time, however, in moving onto the next suggestion.
“The ‘Stunning’ Spinneret? It's perfect for you!” As many times as he had seen that one attached to his wife’s name in different places of print, he didn’t doubt that she was more than familiar with it. Surely, that would be the one that would be right at home with her.
“Mmm, that does sound good, but maybe still a little too ‘on the nose’.” MJ quickly countered, before pecking his lips with her own. That left him with only one more chance to offer a suggestion that would truly knock it all out of the park. Anything beyond three options usually was asking for the conversation to draw on too long. And they did still have to pick up the kids from where the Richards were watching them at the Baxter Building.
As much as he would have been fine with her taking either of the previous offered adjectives as her own, he knew there was one of his own that would not only do the job infinitely better, but would be absolutely perfect for her altogether. And in more ways than one, it did that for her both in costume and out of it.
“The ‘Sensational’ Spinneret? How does that one sound?” Just the way it rolled off his tongue let him know the choice had been the right one. Everything about it just sounded ‘right’. As it wrapped around her ears, Mary Jane couldn’t hide just how much it did sound like a winner to her own ears. The way a smile spread over her lips even more made that proof hard to disguise.
“You know…I kind of like that one.” Looping her arms around his neck, MJ was already running the name through her head a few times, just to make sure it was, indeed, the right one. And from the way she could already see it somewhere in a headline? It not only sounded right, but it almost seemed as though it had always been connected to her moniker.
One couldn’t ask for a better feeling where adjectives were concerned.
“Perfect!” Peter answered, matching her smile with one of his own.
“An adjective and a Justice League membership in one day? I didn’t know that my birthday had come so early.” Clicking her tongue at the end of her sentence, she pecked his lips again, and then again. If the League had some sort of anti-PDA rule in effect on the satellite, it was going to be one being broken in abundance before too long.
Hopefully that wasn’t something that could be cause to have membership revoked…
“You deserve every bit of it!” Turning her head as a familiar voice interrupted her and Peter’s rapidly heating up conversation, Mary Jane was all too happy to see a trio of equally familiar faces walking towards them. Even without the signature emblems on the chests of their costumes, it would have been impossible to mistake the Kent family for being anyone else.
“Well, well, I was wondering when we’d bump into you three!” MJ was all too happy to greet the newcomers with the warmest of smiles. All things considered, it was becoming more and more obvious who had potentially vouched for their memberships. Or, at the very least, had played some kind of a role in it all.
Sometimes, it was good to have the friends they did. And today was proving that in dividends.
“Spidey!” As if the excitement throughout the satellite hadn’t already been infectious enough, Jon Kent rushed forward, still managing to remember that secret identities were still secret for a reason. Instantly, he wrapped his arms around both Peter and Mary Jane the best that he could. Chuckling, both of the Parkers all too quickly accepted the affectionate greeting as if it had come from one of their own children.
Considering all the super-powered playdates that had occurred between both Annie and Jon so far, there was more than enough precedent to do so.
“Long time no see.” Coming to a stop close to the Parkers, Clark’s smile couldn’t be interpreted as anything other than genuine. Recent events in both of their families’ lives might have been keeping them away from any non-costumed interactions, but the friendship between them was still plain to see. The same easily went for the costumed Lois standing beside him.
“You could say we’ve been busy lately.” Peter answered, reaching out to shake Clark’s extended hand.
“With the family you two have? I believe it.” Lois chimed in with a smile. “Makes sense you’ve been missing our coffee breaks then.”
“Hey, I told you that I had a good reason last time!” Playfully bristling, MJ knew that the Superwoman moniker was still a new development for her friend. But considering that she had known for a long time that Lois Lane was already a superhero in every meaning of the word, there was something about seeing her in a red and blue costume of her own that absolutely fit perfectly in Mary Jane’s mind.
“Sure you did.” Sticking out her tongue at MJ, Lois playfully smiled at the card still in the other’s hand. “How’s it feel to be playing in the big leagues?”
“How long have you got? Might be enough there for an interview.” Mary Jane quickly countered with just as much playfulness. Even though she had no doubts that it was very likely that Lois might just take her up on that. For someone who was the acting editor-in-chief for the Daily Planet, scoring an interview with a hero was almost a guaranteed sale or click for any institution. And with the kind of journalistic talents that Lois had? MJ already knew she’d never hear the end of it if she played hard to get for even a second.
Any chance of that offer actually being pressed, however, vanished with the unmistakable sound of an alarm ringing out through the satellite’s halls. As every head turned towards the source of the alarm, a voice soon followed throughout those same hallways.
“Minor alert! Destruction reported in lower Manhattan. Culprits reported as being known as Rocket Racer and Big Wheel.” At the mention of the two names, much of the tension that had instantly reared up in Peter all but evaporated just as quickly.
“And here I thought it might be something world-ending going on.” The quip was instantly on his tongue without a second thought, and without a single shred of regret. Despite the sideways glance from Mary Jane, he could already tell it was a sentiment that his wife agreed with.
“Deploying Spider-Man and Spinneret to the situation, given familiarity with culprits.” The voice of Red Tornado sounded out once more. Hearing it, Peter reached up to pull his mask down the rest of the way over his face.
“Guess that’s our cue to head home and make sure these two find their way back into a pit-box.”
“Want some help?” The question made him pause as he heard Lois speak it. As both his and Mary Jane’s heads turned towards their friend, neither of them needed to ask if the offer was a genuine one. The grins on all of the Kents made it clear it was. With just a simple look between them, the Parkers already knew what their answer all but had to be.
A trip to the Justice League satellite and a team-up with the Superman family? Peter and Mary Jane already knew they were never going to hear the end of it.
From any of their children.
