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Being a teen parent was overwhelming, but it was even more overwhelming when said teen parent is also Spider-Man. Peter was fifteen when he lost his virginity, and it just so happened that was also when he managed to get a girl pregnant. Parker Luck really knew when to hit where it hurt.
They weren’t dating when they had sex. He had seen her at school and thought she was pretty. She didn’t notice him until he stopped needing his glasses. She asked him out on a date, saying her parents weren’t home. It really was just an invitation for a hookup. When she told him she was pregnant, he wished he had turned her down.
After Mary Louise Parker was born, Peter found he couldn’t regret that night at all. She was beautiful, so small in his arms. He’d cried when she opened her eyes, so happy to see the life he created. Her mother did not want her, changed her mind right after giving birth, and Peter knew that although he was probably too young to be a father, the likelihood of Mary inheriting his powers was too great for him to give her up too.
As Peter turned to dust in Tony Stark’s arms on an alien planet at the age of 17, he hoped that Mary was safe and would be okay without him.
Except.
He opened his eyes and Doctor Strange told him that five years had passed. The team was waiting for them on Earth.
Ultimately, there wasn’t enough time before Tony died for Peter to ask what happened to Mary. He had to be told by Captain America that she hadn’t been one of the Vanished, and was staying with the Leeds family.
“Pepper checked on her when you and Tony didn’t make it back from space,” Steve told Peter on the way to the Leeds apartment. The man was driving him from the ruins of the Avengers Compound directly after everyone had a bit of a breather. Peter had taken off his suit, wearing the clothes he wore on his field trip to MOMA. “Your friend Ned had also Vanished, and his grandmother went to check your apartment to see how you and your aunt were doing. Mary was alone, so she took her.”
Peter was glad to hear that Mary had gotten to stay with family. Because that’s what the Leeds family are to the Parker’s. “That’s good,” Peter said. “She was taken care of, then,” he thought about what Doctor Strange had told him. Five years. Mary would be almost seven. Their age gap went from 15 years to 10. “She’s gonna be so big, isn’t she?” Peter knew he should probably reach out to May, but his priority was Mary.
Steve gave Peter a tight smile but didn’t answer.
They stood side by side as Peter knocked on the Leeds’ front door. Ned’s Lola opened the door. Her eyes landed on Peter and she inhaled sharply before pulling him into a hug. “Peter,” she said, “namis kita.”
“Lola,” Peter smiled as she stopped hugging him and put her hands on both his cheeks. He was glad that she thought of him, even though he was sad she likely mourned him.
Ned’s Lola looked Peter in the eyes with so much love that Peter felt like he could burst into tears. “Mahal kita higit sa mga salita at kilos,” she said.
“Mahal din kita,” Peter leaned into her touch. Steve cleared his throat and got their attention. When they looked at him, he raised his brows. Ned’s Lola tsked. Peter smiled at her, then turned to Steve. “She said she missed and loves me,” he told him. Steve nodded in understanding. Peter then turned back to Ned’s Lola. “Mary?”
She gestured for him to come inside. “Halika.”
Peter stepped inside, thankful for the sound of Ned’s voice, it was joined by May’s, and an unfamiliar voice. He followed Ned’s Lola toward the sounds. In the kitchen stood Ned, May, Ned’s parents, and a little girl. She had curly brown hair, pale skin, and brown doe eyes. He recognized her immediately even though she changed so much. As he entered the kitchen, the conversation stopped.
His eyes were only on Mary. “Hi,” he said to her.
She looked up at him with recognition. She was old enough to understand at least somewhat the way she grew up, and that people were returned. Peter had done enough research on development to know that an almost seven-year-old could understand a lot of things. “Hi,” she said.
Peter heard the sound of Steve’s footsteps following him and then coming to a stop. He approached Mary, then crouched in front of her. “Do you know who I am?” he asked. She nodded. He smiled, feeling his eyes start to water. “Can I hug you?”
Mary seemed to curl in on herself, glancing at Ned’s Lola, before she nodded at Peter. “Yes, dad,” she said.
Peter hugged her, putting her face in the crook of his neck as he cradled her head. He stood, and she latched onto him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his ribcage. She was strong, stronger than a six-and-a-half-year-old had any right to be. “You’re so big,” his breath hitched as he began to cry. “I’m sorry, baby,” he pressed a kiss on her head.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned, not letting go of Mary. May was tearing up, looking at him with sad eyes. She hugged him and Mary. Then, Ned joined the hug. “It’s okay, Dad,” Mary said quietly. “It’s not your fault.”
That just made Peter cry harder. She was so much older. The last time he saw her - that morning, yet five years ago - she was one and a half. 18 months old, now 6 and a half years old. She could form sentences now, but when he last saw her she knew less than 30 words. He would have fallen to his knees had it not been for May and Ned supporting his weight as they both held him.
“I love you so much,” he said to Mary. “I don’t ever want to leave you again.”
Mary pulled her head away from his shoulder and looked him in the eyes. Peter took in every detail. She had a new scar on her chin, meaning she either didn’t have healing powers yet, or she had gotten hurt that very morning. He wanted to know everything he missed, but he knew it was too much to put into words. He’d never get any of that time back. “I love you too,” she said, a small smile on her face. “Lola told me so much about you.”
Peter kissed her cheek and closed his eyes. He wished he had never gone to space. “That’s good,” he said.
And it was. Mary knowing about him, and knowing the Leeds family as her own was so important to Peter. He just wished he could have taught her those things.