Yep…Marvel still owns them! Dang it!
Chapter 4: Some Explaining to Do
(Back at the compound)
Peter was sure that security was going to send them away. However, it wasn't long before one of the guards was on the phone. The man's demeanor changed in a way that let him know that they were about to be granted access. Sure enough, he came back to the car with directions for them to drive to the front entrance and meet Happy inside, where he would be taking them to a conference room.
May had the most triumphant look on her face. Peter continued to watch her face closely as they approached the massive structure of the compound. Her eyes were wide and filled with wonder. "Will you look at that?" She said as a plane took off. It reminded Peter of his first trip to the building, especially when she added, "You don't see that every day."
Another man met them out front, offering (more like insisting) to park the car. Peter and May exited the car. Peter briefly thought about the bags in the trunk, but he decided not to bring that up. Instead, he walked with May to the front where Happy was waiting for them. He didn't look particularly thrilled, and Peter refused to look the man in the eyes for fear of seeing disappointment. Surely Peter had broken some unspoken rule by guiding his aunt to the compound.
"So, you're Happy?" May asked. "That Tony better being meeting us. I have things to say to him, and he cannot hide from me forever!"
"I was asked to take you to the conference room, Mrs. Parker," Happy explained. "After that, Tony is on his own."
May gave him a skeptical look, but she followed him to the room. Peter followed with his head down, and he fought the urge to the climb the wall and hide in the ceiling vents.
It didn't look like a typical conference room. There were all different forms of Stark tech placed around the room, and the furniture looked more like what one would expect to see in a nice living room. Peter noticed his aunt's surprise upon walking into the space, but she quickly hid it away. She wouldn't want to give Mr. Stark any sign of being impressed.
"Mr. Stark is finishing a meeting with Ms. Potts, but he will be joining you momentarily." Happy informed them. "If you need anything in the meantime, FRIDAY will help you."
"How will it help that today is Friday?" May asked, genuinely confused.
Before anyone could explain, the AI answered for herself in her smooth Scottish accent, "I beg your pardon, Mrs. Parker. I am Mr. Stark's personal AI, called FRIDAY. I am available in every room. I am here to aid Mr. Stark's welcome guests."
May's mouth was agape, but she recovered quickly, "Of course. Thank you, FRIDAY." She sat on a chair with a table in front and crossed her arms stubbornly. "All I want right now is to give that Tony Stark a piece of my mind!"
For the first time, Peter looked over towards Happy. To his surprise, the man looked somewhat amused by May's behavior. He gave a nod to May before shifting his attention to Peter. When their eyes met, Happy said, "Good luck, kid." Then he was out the door.
"FRIDAY!" May said more loudly than she needed to. It was like listening to someone who spoke too loud on their phone. "How long are we going to be waiting for Iron Man to show his face?"
"Mr. Stark is currently getting off the elevator and will be joining you shortly. However, he will not be wearing his Iron Man gear. Will you be needing him to suit up, Mrs. Parker?" FRIDAY inquired.
"That might be safer." Peter muttered under his breath.
"NO!" May insisted, rising to a standing position and walking towards the door into the room. "Thank you, FRIDAY."
It was all too much. Peter sat down and put his head in his hands. He wasn't sure he would survive this meeting.
In the next moment, things happened rather quickly. If it wasn't for Peter's spider-sense, he may not have been able to register all that happened. First, the door to the room opened. Mr. Stark entered the room, seeing Peter first. May had been waiting for him by the door. Before he could fully turn to acknowledge her, May delivered a solid right hook to his face. Peter was up on his feet in flash.
"May, stop!" he yelled. He quickly placed himself between the two before she could take another swing.
To Tony's credit, he took it in stride. He had actually somewhat expected the hit. He just didn't expect May to deliver it with such force.
"Small contusion detected. Will you be needing assistance, Mr. Stark?" FRIDAY asked.
"That will be unnecessary, FRIDAY. Thank you." Tony replied to his AI.
May looked up at the sound of the AI's voice before turning her attention back to Tony. Peter came to stand beside his aunt and wrapped her into somewhat of a hug, both to calm her and keep her in place.
Tony rubbed at his cheek before looking at his visitors as if nothing happened.
"Well, this is a pleasant surprise. Gosh, May…it's nice to see you again. Impressive right hook by the way. Very effective. I'm guessing Pete's filled you in on a few things since you are here." He walked towards the table and rubbed at his cheek some more. "With skills like that perhaps Aunt May should be an Avenger, huh Pete?" Tony gave Peter a look that indicated he was looking for him to say something in explanation.
May beat him to it. Before Peter could open his mouth, May was throwing her words at Tony. "About that! What is the matter with you?! How could you endanger him like this? How could you keep this from me? I am his guardian. I am responsible for him. You had NO RIGHT to involve him without talking to me and telling me what was going on! You arrogant, self-interested SON-OF-A-BI…."
"Aunt May, please!" Peter cut her off. He spun her around to look at him. "Enough! Please. I tried to explain to you. Just let me explain…to…Mr. Stark. Um, Mr. Stark…"
Peter began to stutter nervously. He looked to Tony, who kept an appearance of being completely unfazed. "Please, Pete…do explain something. I'd hate to, you know, say something that will cause your aunt to take another shot at my face."
May was breathing deeply and glaring at Tony. If looks could kill, his days as Iron Man would be over.
Peter took a breath and gave Tony the briefest and quickest explanation he could. His words tumbled out quickly. If Tony weren't so used to spending time with the kid already, he may not have been able to catch the words as they spilled out.
"Mr. Stark. I am so sorry. I promised her answers. She insisted on coming here. She practically kidnapped me…ok that's an exaggeration. I'm sorry, May. Ton…ugh…Mr. Stark, Aunt May discovered me in my suit, she knows the truth. I've been explaining things to her. She deserves the truth now, Mr. Stark. I tried to explain your help, but she…you know…she blames…errr she thinks, I mean…"
"I WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON! I WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHY YOU GOT YOURSELF INVOLVED IN MY KID'S LIFE. AND I WANT TO KNOW WHY THE F#(% MY KID FEELS THE NEED TO PUT HIMSELF IN HARMS WAY USING A STARK-BUILT SUIT!" May screamed. She was so upset that she was shaking.
Tony just blinked at her, and he now looked mildly fazed.
"I think we should all sit down. May, Peter…please sit. Would you like something to drink? I think I need something to drink." With that, Tony walked over to a cabinet and took out some scotch.
"You know what, Stark." May said, "I would like a drink. Fill her up, "She said pointing to the glass in Tony's hand.
Tony nodded, filling a glass for each of them. "Water, kid?" Tony asked.
"No…uh…thanks." Peter mumbled out. He and Aunt May were sitting now.
Tony walked over, handed May her glass while she glared daggers with her eyes. However, the rest of her body language showed that she was just plain exhausted. Peter and May were quiet, and Tony realized that he would need to break the silence.
"Let me make sure that I understand." He looked at May. "Pete told you that he is Spider-Man. He told you why I really came to your house the first time, and he told you about becoming connected to the Avengers?"
May only nodded. She really was exhausted. She would remain calm so long as she was getting an explanation.
Peter cut in, "I explained that you needed help in Germany. Of course, she saw the footage that was reported on the news. She knows all about what Spider-Man has done, and she is…" Peter cleared his throat, "less than thrilled that I was the one doing those things.
"You could have died!" May's voice was small and came out as a choked whisper. She took a swig of the scotch before continuing with a little more strength in her voice. Her next words were directed towards Tony. "You knew he was putting himself in harm's way, and you didn't even have the decency to tell me! He's a kid! Don't you of all people know the science behind the risks that boys his age are willing to take? He needed someone to reason with him! Help him make good choices…stay safe! And YOU encouraged him to take those risks. He is all I have left. I want to know what makes you think that you have THE RIGHT to make that decision?"
"Aunt May..," Peter started, only to be cut off by Tony.
"No, kid. This one's on me." He took a swig of his own scotch before pulling his chair closer to May and continuing. "I'm not…" He sighed. He hated when he had to be so serious. "I don't always make the best decisions." He cleared his throat. "I've been known to only think of myself at times…not fully thinking through how things will impact others." He was thoughtful for a moment. "Which is why I probably decided to sign the Accords. I need to be accountable for the decisions I make…because I'm a flawed individual who makes flawed decisions. Right now, I'm accountable to you, May"
Tony suddenly stood up and paced a little. He looked like he was battling his own thoughts.
Peter tried again, "Mr. Stark, I can…"
"Adults are still talking, kid." Tony stopped him, and Peter snapped his mouth shut. "I owe you an apology, May. I know that. The thing is…that kid right there" Tony nodded his head towards Peter, "He impressed me. God, he was so earnest that first day I met him. I could tell his heart was in the right place. He hadn't told a soul what had happened to him. He didn't tell ONE PERSON about what he was able to do." Tony smiled, "You may recall that I announced my superhero status to the world."
May raised her eyebrows and laughed without any real humor, "Who could forget? I am Iron Man!" She mimicked.
"Yeah…" Tony agreed. "So, you can imagine my surprise when I find a kid with more power than me, and he keeps it to himself so that he can help people."
Peter listened closely, not sure if he was really hearing this. "Is Mr. Stark saying that I impressed him?"
May was quiet and looked thoughtful, she ignored that Iron Man found her kid to be more powerful. "Why leave me out?" She finally asked. "Why not clue me in?"
"He asked me not to tell you. He insisted on protecting you." Tony winced a little. "I didn't protect my mom. I failed. Who was I to tell this kid how he should protect you? I thought maybe he was right about waiting to tell you. I told the world about my identity, and the people closest to me have been at risk ever since." He looked May right in the eye. It was so intense…so sincere…that she had to look away.
She glanced to Peter. She saw that he was looking at Tony. She couldn't quite place the emotion on Peter's face as he looked at Stark. Was it respect? May shook her head. "Damn it!" She exclaimed.
"I have to learn to live with this, don't I? I have to learn to be ok with all of it? Peter as Spider-Man? Working with Avengers?" She trailed off.
Tony was quiet, and Peter decided it was finally his turn to speak for himself.
"Listen…both of you! I didn't ask to be bitten by the spider! I couldn't control what happened. So much of what has happened in my life was outside of my control!" He looked at the two adults. They looked thoughtful, and he realized that they were giving him the space to continue.
"I couldn't control what happened to my parents! I couldn't control gaining these abilities! So now, it's about finding what I can control and learning how these strengths help me take control of my life. I lost Uncle Ben, and I realized that I could fight back… should fight back. I can help save people from experiencing losses like the ones I have experienced! No one gets to make that decision, but me! If I didn't really want to help Mr. Stark when he came to me, I wouldn't have helped him. I thought Cap was helping a criminal and making bad choices. I decided to help! Me! I made that choice."
He looked at them again to be sure they were still listening. May began to cut in and pointed at Tony, "But the suit…"
"That suit is amazing, Aunt May. It has serious upgrades. Upgrades that keep me safe. Remember what I told you about him saving me?" He continued without giving her time to answer, "He put everything in that suit. When I was in trouble, he was alerted and helped me. That suit helps me be a better Spider-Man, but it doesn't make me Spider-Man. I am Spider-Man with or without that suit."
May looked at Tony. Was it just her or did the man look proud?
"I think I helped him learn that," Tony said.
"Toomes dropped a building on me, and I lifted it off by myself without the fancy suit," Peter said. All at once, he realized what he just admitted, and his eyes went wide.
"What?!" Both adults exclaimed at once.
"Never mind. I'm fine. Clearly." Peter spoke quickly. "What I'm trying to say is that I am really strong. I can do this. I can be Spider-Man. You guys don't need to worry so much. "
"Of course, I do," May said.
"I'm gonna worry, kid." Tony said at the same time.
May and Tony looked at one another. An understanding passing between the two of them.
May finished her glass of scotch and set it down. "Listen, both of you." She looked at Tony, "You are Iron Man." She turned to Peter, "You are Spider-Man." Then she continued, "I know both of you…I know where you live and sleep. If you EVER lie to me again, no super-powers will be able to protect you from my wrath. Is that clear, Iron Man?"
Tony nodded (and Peter noticed he gulped).
"Is that clear, Spider-Man?" She was looking at Peter now.
"Aunt May, I promise to tell you things that you need to know. I won't intentionally lie to you, but you need to understand me when I say that I will not tell you anything that will put you in harms way. Deal?" He asked.
"For now." May agreed.
"So, this is settled?" Peter asked. "I'm not sure I can take any more of this. There is no sense wasting time on things that are already done and can't be changed."
"I agree with the kid!" Tony jumped in. "We need to focus on what happens next."
He took a breath and walked back over to the scotch to refill his glass. "I'm actually glad that you're here…both of you. Since the spider is out of the bag, we all have some things to discuss."
He took a drink and looked at May and Peter. "I'm afraid there is more to talk about."
"Oh, God." May said. "I think I'll take a refill before you continue."
Peter sighed and slumped down in his chair. There was no escaping this. His aunt knew the truth, and Tony was clearly ready to bring her in on whatever was happening next. "Stupid spider," Peter thought.