ofthespider

Title; In Which Mary Jane Leaves
Fandom; Marvel (Spider-Man/Daredevil)
Characters/Pairings; Peter Parker/Matt Murdock
Theme; 10. I'm Broken
Rating; PG
Canon; Sometime after Karen Page's death
Warning(s); Man snuggling?
Summary; Mary Jane files for divorce, and Matt's there to coddle Peter. Even if it's all Peter's fault and he probably deserves it.

Matt had ended up ... clinging to Peter, after Karen's death. Not physically, of course, but when he wasn't working, he always found some way of being close to Peter -- usually as Daredevil, alongside Spider-Man. It was probably slightly obsessive, but Peter didn't seem to mind, knowing Matt needed someone to keep him grounded in reality, someone who got it. He had Foggy, but ... the understanding of losing a loved one in such a brutal way just wasn't there. Peter had lost people. Peter had lost one girlfriend to superhero business, an innocent. He understood.

So it was no surprise that Matt was the first to know when Mary Jane filed for divorce.

It was just too much, Peter had said. It was all too much for her. Being kidnapped, being in danger, the fights, Spider-Man getting into everything, the unreliability. The isolation from the rest of the world, imprisoned by Peter's secrets. She'd wanted to be free. She wanted ... normal. Deserved it. She'd always love him but she just couldn't take it anymore.

Matt had come over, surprised when Peter wasn't in his suit already. She'd left because of Spider-Man, and at the moment, Peter wanted some distance. Just enough to sit at home and be upset, instead of swinging around in his tights and hating himself for doing exactly what had driven Mary Jane away. Matt didn't have to say anything; he just sat, touched Peter's back, his shoulder. Smoothed back his hair. Eventually, Matt pressed his mouth to Peter's shoulder, resting against him as a comforting presence. It didn't seem to occur to Matt that he was getting too close, and Peter was too upset to really care.

It took him a long time to cry, and when he did, Matt just waited it out, breathing evenly and closing his eyes, letting Peter be upset.

And then, eventually:

"I don't remember how to be alone."

Matt squeezed Peter's shoulder. "You don't have to be alone."




<- 1. Enough . 3. In Which Peter Is Coping ->