Disclaimer- I do not own Marvel Comics or any of the characters pertaining from it that appear in this, mainly Aunt May, Spider-Man, and Ant-Man. There are some OGs I've created for this.
CHAPTER ONE
The Offer
…
The sun rose over the mass of clustered houses like a shining star. Sunlight stretched into the dips of shade, making it lit from the outside perfectly. The home was just another place in Forest Hills, but it was unique in that it housed someone of individuality. A woman whose qualities made her a force to be reckoned with.
Behind the screen porch door, May Parker was working on the laundry. Out of all of her daily routines, this was by far easy. She folded her shirts into a pile, the pants on the hangers, and socks into a clumped bunch. When this was done, she silently put the basket behind the couch and sat down, her bones tired from the mild work.
She scanned the living room. Her television rested on the player, a basic remote next to the flyer advertising an exciting cable deal. She hadn't the time to waste on something like that. The stairs were vacuumed and properly cleaned, the windows free of dust, and kitchen offered a simple lunch. Without Peter or – Ben – she found she had more free time than normal.
It'd been some time since Peter had left for college, and even more since he'd graduated to work for the Bugle as a full-time photographer. These days were lonely, but May had occasional visits from him and her friend Anna Watson to cherish. Anna really was a sweet person; they both went on lively jogs twice a week down Central Park, saw plays, and gossiped about recent news.
Of course, when Peter wasn't working or seeing her, he most likely was playing hero as Spider-Man. It'd taken her some time to figure it out, but his absences and half-baked excuses eventually added up to him being the Wall-Crawler. When she found out, May was shocked; it was like her whole image of him shattered. But time went on, and she came to accept his calling as a hero, especially since he repeatedly dedicated using his powers to honor Ben.
It still stung at her. She missed him. But she understood that he was gone, and she had to enjoy how much life she had left. It must be worth something.
But what?
The doorbell rang, leaving May perplexed. She wasn't expecting any visits today, and all her money matters were paid through social security. Nevertheless, she slowly made her way to the door, opening it candidly. To her surprise, nobody was there except for a box at her feet. Peering to see if she'd mistaken the absence, May still couldn't find a giver and took the package inside.
She moved to the couch and placed the package on the table. She carefully opened it, finding Styrofoam bits inside. Another box was inside of this, black and sealed with tape. Her eyes vaulted to a smaller ball with a note attached saying "OPEN FIRST." May obliged by ripping the tape to shreds. In doing so, she found that she held a palm-sized walkie talkie. Who still used these?
Suddenly, a voice sounded from the newly-discovered communication device. "Greeting, Mrs. Parker."
May was taken aback by this. "Who is this? Is this a joke?"
"Oh, no," the voice said. "This is no joke, May. I'm here to make an offer to you. One that will change your world forever."
"You don't sound like a nice person," she replied cautiously.
"Look, I'm not here to hurt you or your nephew, even if he is a wall-crawling hero."
"What are you- "she was cut off as the voice sounded again.
"Enough. Just give me five minutes to talk. After that, do what you want with what I've sent. But hear me out."
"…Go on," May said.
The voice on the walkie talkie continued. "The world judges people like books. They see someone's shell and label it that forever. To many, you are a middle-aged woman. But I know you, as do others. You are strong, polite, and seek justice everywhere. You don't let your age keep you down. I like that."
"There are people who are in need, May. People whose battles have never been fought or heard of. I'm talking about Forest Hills."
"Forest Hills?" she didn't understand. "What are you getting at?"
"The crime rate here is publically misread. It's higher than the cops and politicians say it is, and nobody does a thing about it."
"If that's so, why don't go to the police or some hero?" May asked. "They could do something."
"No, they can't! You know this place. You've known it ever since you came years ago with your husband. I want change to happen here. I want life to be full of meaning, instead of stuck in the same routine day after day. And to achieve that, I want you to do something for me."
"What?"
"Open the box," the voice croaked.
May nervously eyed the box. She worried about something dangerous being in there, but her instincts told her it was okay. As a result, she clawed at the taped layer. The tape peeled off easily, and what was underneath the black paper shocked her.
It was a red spandex costume with black gloves and boots, to which she realized was her size. A belt of silver canisters lay in a spiraled loop. Next to that was a rotund silver helmet that held two twin antennas. Finally, an orange medication bottle with one white pill in it rested against the edge of the fabric bag.
The person wanted her to become Ant-Man.
"Are you serious?" she said in a shrill voice. "This has to be some joke, for real. I'm not about to play a superhero! I'm an old woman past her prime for heaven's sake!"
"Again, I'm not joking," the voice replied. "May, there needs to be someone out there keeping these streets safe. You could make a difference out there, helping others and unburdening their day. Imagine that."
"This is pure poppycock," she said. "I'm not doing it." She moved towards the mess of items, hoping to throw it in the garbage container.
"Wait! Just listen!"
"I'm not playing superhero!"
"Okay, please, just hear me out. You don't have to try it on. One last plea, and then I go."
May wanted him to shut up. She wanted him to stop getting into her personal life and try and get her to accept some crazy proposal. But something about what he had said made her want to hear him – even if it was off.
"Fine. What do you want to say?"
"Every day since Ben left you, what have you been? The pitiful widow? The aunt cheering on her spandex nephew? The woman helping out a local business? Those are small roles, and they never last. When did you ever do something that made you feel truly alive? With this, you could do something more than fold laundry and go out of this house once a day. This is your chance to make a contribution to the larger world. Think about it." The voice cut off, leavens static.
…
After a small dinner that evening in the kitchen, May walked upstairs and lay on her bed. The box laid on the table, untouched since the afternoon.
She thought about what the voice had said. Ever since Ben died, she had done those things. She'd felt a contribution towards society for them. But some small part of her just felt unsatisfied, perhaps because they weren't as big as an actual job or a successful career. All she really did was live on social security checks and keep in touch with her nephew, whose life was bound to be infinitely more exciting.
She needed a change.
May got up and looked at the mirror on her wall. The wrinkles in her face were visible, the white hair with streaks of silver laid bare upon it. But the eyes – they were unscathed by the years. The determination could still be seen there, and it made sense. She wanted to make a difference.
Slowly she worked her way down the stairs. She didn't care if the lights weren't on, she just wanted to do it. May walked to the box, opened the contents, and scattered them across the table. She turned towards the windows, which looked like they were all closed. By the looks of it, she could try this on without any attention.
She took off her garments and put them on the chair, leaving on her underwear and socks on. She slipped on the red bodysuit quickly, finding that it fit her frame well. The black gloves were easy to apply, as were the black boots on her feet. Next, she tied the belt around her waist, and all that remained was the helmet.
The elderly woman examined it tenderly in her fingers. Two eye slits and a space for her mouth, with a speaker piece, were there. It went on like a charm, and to her surprise, it was light on her face. Now she was complete.
She looked at the belt to see two canisters of gray. Deciding to try things out, she pressed the button on the left canister.
Nothing happened. Then May began to feel something. A tiny shock worked through her body, and soon her nerves were on fire. Things became enlarged as they devolved into darker colors, and then everything went black.
Hi, guys! This is my second fanfic, and my first Marvel "Original Idea" one, so I hope you all like this!
I got the idea to do this when I saw a "What if" where Aunt May became Ant-Man and was dubbed the "Astonishing Ant-Aunt." It seemed like such a good idea, I decided to integrate it into a fanfic. As such, I'm going to try and do May and others justice while making something original and unique.
Also, for those wondering, this fic is set in marvel comics continuity. Expect some modern legacy characters to have their original counterparts (ex. Captain America is Steve Rogers). Just FYI.