Babysitter Dilemma
Time skip, about 2 weeks later
Peter’s POV,
I was walking down the street with Jason on my hip. It wasn’t anything unusual though I was always worried that I might run into someone I know and my dads would find out that I never actually went to Europe and have been right here in the same city as them for the past 10 months or so. It didn’t stop me from doing it though as I had to get to Aunt May’s building somehow and I wasn’t slinging through the city with Jason with me because the last thing I needed was one of my enemies to see that Spider-man had a child that they could use against me. That’s why when Wade and I are both busy we give Aunt May puppy eyes until she agrees to watch him, and when she can’t watch him Wade takes him to a special day care for special children which I truly want to ask about but I’m scared to know the answer… Wade wouldn’t put Jason in harm's way though so I tried not to think about it much.
My phone starts ringing though and I pull it out of my pocket. “Hey May, what’s up?” I asked and shifted Jason on my side gently as I continued down the street. “I’m on my way to you right now.”
“Peter I’m sorry but work called and I have to go in earlier than expected today.” I heard over the line and stopped walking.
“What? How early?” I asked and moved to the side so I didn’t interrupt the traffic on the sidewalk or get bumped into, keeping Jason close as he made little raspberry noises to himself.
“How early is early? Like are you still able to watch Jason at all or that early.” I appreciated how much May did for us and it really helped a lot between patrolling and whatever else. I wouldn’t be able to still do all this without May as she is the true hero in this scenario.
“Peter, I'm already leaving the house. You know I would watch him if I could.” She tells me. “I’m sorry to do this to you with such late notice but I have to go in.”
“Yeah I understand.” I sighed but I did get it, “Thanks anyway May. Hope work goes easy on you today.” I tell her.
“Thanks Peter. Gotta run.” May hung up and I turned to Jason and looked down at the boy who was very much entertained by himself and the saliva drooling from his mouth and onto his chin.
“What am I going to do with you mister. Surely can’t beat the bad guys up with you on my side, ”As in I couldn’t risk Jason getting hurt or my enemies knowing that I have a child that they could potentially use against me. Wade had left last night for a mission though and I don’t really know where this day care place is so I couldn’t bring him there. “I can’t just not patrol either, the city needs me, not as much as you needing me of course I love you but we have just gotten into a sticky situation mister.” I told the cutie even though Jason was not paying attention to me talking at all, that was fine as I was just trying to think to myself anyway.
“I… Okay this probably isn’t a great idea but he always has good ideas.” I tell him and move to my contacts and bring up the only other person that I knew I could trust with my secrets but haven’t told yet. I listen to the receiver ring a few times before hearing his voice.
“Hey dude what’s up?” Ned asked. “It’s been like, a week since I heard from you last.”
“Hey Ned…” I pause for a minute. “Are you busy? I need to talk to you about something.”
“I can make the time. What’s up?” He asked again.
“I’m actually in New York right now. Can I come over?” I asked him.
“Dude I see you on the news everyday, of course I know you’re in the city. Just give me a couple minutes and then of course you can come over.” He tells me. “Is everything alright?”
I paused cause of course Ned knew I wasn’t in Europe, I feel pretty stupid trying to make him think I was in Europe the past bunch of months, I’m such a bad friend for lying to him like that. Ned is my friend and I should have just been up front with him.
“Helllooo? Peter? You still there?” I heard his voice again and I snapped out of it.
“Yeah I’m here. I’ll be there soon.” I hung up and put my phone away before turning around and heading in Ned’s direction.
~-~Woooo boring walking down the street stuff here~-~
I didn’t even get to knock on Ned’s door before he answered it. “Dude..? Where did you get a baby?” He asked without saying anything else.
I moved inside the apartment with Jason so we weren’t talking about him in the middle of the hallway. “Ha… haha… That’s kinda why I wanted to talk to you…” I tell him awkwardly.
He shut the door behind us. “Did someone just drop them on your porch or something… Wait a minute… let me see them.” Ned moved closer and carefully picked Jason up and held him so that my face and Jason’s precious baby face were side by side. “No… Is this your baby?” He asked me. “They look just like you. That’s crazy…”
“Yeah he’s mine.” I told him and watched as Ned brought Jason closer, staying close in case he needed help, but Ned seemed fine holding him, he wasn’t a pro but good enough. “I had him..”
Jason was staring back up at Ned with wide eyes, not fearful eyes but wide and curious about this stranger that I just let take him.
“Dude that’s crazy. Is that why you’ve been pretending to be in Europe for almost a year now? Cause you got someone pregnant and were raising a kid?” Ned asked and looked away from the staring child and back to me. “Wait weren’t you and that deadpool guy dating or something? Peter… You didn’t cheat on an assassian did you?”
“He’s more of a gun for hire but no.. no of course I didn’t cheat on him. I had him, physically...” I was definitely awkward while saying it, how do you tell your friend that in the past you got fucked in the ass by your immortal mutate/mutant boyfriend and somehow ended up being able to conceiving a child with no clue on how any of that worked or how it was even possible other than the fact that it did and Jason was now a living being. “Like he grew inside me and then popped out.. Don’t ask h-” I was cut off.
“What? How is that even possible.” Ned asked. “Is it some sort of new spider power that you’ve gotten as you’ve matured?”
I paused before shrugging, “I don’t think so but I guess anything is possible.”
“Was the spider that bit you female? You have spider powers from the spiders so maybe since the spider that bit you could have kids so could you.” He speculated and just tried to figure out how this is possible.
“I really don’t know. I didn’t really think and stop to ask the spider what their sex was. I screamed and smacked it off me cause spiders are freakin scary, man.” I sat down and ran a hand through my hair “But yeah for some reason I got pregnant, not by the spider. Which is fricken crazy and now I have a son, and he’s almost 5 months old and I’m hardly keeping it together and there is no time for anything and I have to keep going on patrol and making appearances and taking care of him and school and working and Ned I am really seriously freaking out. I have no idea what I’m doing or how to do it and and..” Wow okay… I didn’t even know I had that all built up. Ned seemed just as shocked as I was about my sudden outburst, as did Jason who was no longer babbling his baby nonsense. “I’m fine. Sorry, I don’t know what that was. I’m fine.”
Ned shook his head. “Peter I’m not a licensed therapist or anything, but I’m going to have to say that you’re not fine.” He comes and sits down next to me on the couch. “Have you ever considered just taking a minute to breathe, a day off or something?”
“I can’t take a day off Ned, there is to much stuff that has to get done.” He sighed, “Besides there is no taking a day off anymore. I have a kid now and my time off is caring for him and making sure he isn’t about to die or anything.” I told him. “I love him though and I love it but,” I sighed.
“But you’re exhausted. You need time for you. I get it, there isn’t anything wrong with that.” Ned tells him. “You can’t keep exerting yourself. You need to take a break from some of it for now.”
“I can’t just stop being Spider-man Ned. The city needs me.” I lean back into the couch and look over at him “I’m fine really, I just have to find a backup babysitter so I can still patrol when I need to.”
“Have you tried talking to your dads? I’m sure they’d be willing to help out with baby sitting.” Ned suggested and bounced Jason who was starting to get a little tired as he was young and all he does is sleep, poop, and eat.
“Are you crazy? I can’t just show up and be like, surprise I wasn’t really in Europe and I had a child! By the way I know you didn’t want me going into the business of fighting but I’ve been your protege this whole time. Think you can babysit for a while while I get the crap kicked out of me?” I groaned “This is just a mess. I should be patrolling right now, what if people are dead. People could be dead because I wasn’t out there to help them like I said I would be. Their potential blood is on my hands.”
“Dude, just take a breath for a second. No one is dead and I’m sure your parents would be more chill about it than you think.” Ned tells me “Take a second to cool down, then go on patrol if you have to. I can watch… wait what did you guys name him?” He asked as I hadn’t actually told Ned what I named my child.
“Jason… His name is Jason.” I relaxed a bit “Would you really be willing to watch him for a little while so I could patrol?”
“Yeah dude, but on one condition.” He looked back to me from Jason. “Just talk to me man. I’m your best friend. You know I’ve got your back with everything. Why do you think I keep telling your dads that you’re actually in Europe.”
“They’ve been asking you where I’ve been? Do they not think I’m in Europe?” I asked, getting back on edge once again.
“They’re just worried about you. I just assure that you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.” Ned tells him.”Just try to relax and do what you need to do.”
I nod and take a second before standing up. “Alright. Thank you, this really helps a lot.”
“And don’t think we are done talking about any of this because I have a million questions.” Ned got up too and grabbed the bag that was clearly Jason’s.
“I can assure you I probably only know half of the answers.” I gently pick Jason up and kiss his head. It was still hard for me to actually leave him but I had to go and patrol. I couldn’t not patrol, I had to keep the city safe, not just for the people but for Jason’s sake, I can’t have him growing up and big bads trying to blow up where we live every two months. “Alright. I’ll be back soon. I swear I won’t be out for two long. Just like a couple hours and then I’ll be back. I swear.” I hand him back over to Ned. “Thank you, you’re the best.” I quickly run out the door before he could possibly change his mind.