"May?" I call out as I walk through the door, then shut it behind me.
May pokes her head out of the hall, holding a laundry basket. "Hey! Back already?"
"Yeah, Happy just dropped me."
Behind me, I hear. "Mrs. Parker." Which causes me to whip around.
How? He didn't take the elevator with me.
"Hi Happy." May waves, setting the laundry basket down abruptly. "Thank you for driving Peter."
Oh. She wasn't ready for guests.
"No problem. I just came up to see if you guys needed anything before I headed back." Happy explains himself.
Sure. Just like everyone else.
I hide my annoyance with a smile in Happy's direction, garnering only a passing glance.
"No. I grabbed everything we need for dinner. Unless you need anything Peter?" May says, shooting a look at me.
"Nope, I'm good. Thanks again Happy."
Happy graciously nods and smiles. "Great. Figured I should double check. Have a good night. Peter, I think the plan is once a month, but don't quote me on that."
"Okay. Thanks Happy." I smile before he gives me a friendly wave and slips out the front door.
A moment passes before May asks "Did you know he was there?"
"No." I answer, before May walks by in a tank top, shorts and no shoes.
Yup. Lazy Sunday laundry day clothes.
"I washed everything in your hamper. Should be sitting on your bed!" She called back to me.
"Thanks May!" I call back, walking through the living room and into my room, where everything is where May said it would be. I set my duffel bag beside the two piles of laundry and start unpacking.
Might as well. Otherwise I'll just set my bag aside when Ned gets here and remember it days later.
"Good weekend?" May asks, peeking past my open door as I hang up my shirts.
I nod and keep focusing on what I'm doing. "Yeah. It went well."
"What did you think?"
"Everyone was nice. Did Maria Hill tell you what the plan was?" I turn and ask May, grabbing another shirt.
May smiles. "Yeah."
"Why are you smiling?"
"She likes you."
Agent Hill?
She was exactly the same person she was after the Snap, with Friday night being the exception.
Weird night.
"What makes you say that?"
May replies "She's always giving me little updates, so I don't have to worry—"
"May!" I groan and turn to her. "I'm not doing anything crazy."
I'm trying NOT to worry her. And she's still acting like I was. I'm trying to be better.
That's what this weekend was really about.
"I know you're not." May continues. "But she knows I worry, and keeps me updated. That's not my point."
Okay.
I turn to May, expecting for her to continue. Finally, "My point is, she's always bragging on you. You remember how I said she's been over a few times?"
"Yeah."
Makes sense. She doesn't get out of the Compound much, and when she does, she and May hit it off well, so why not?
"She just likes you. Not just as the person she's trying to protect." May starts smiling again. "But as the massive dork, with a girlfriend that he keeps texting, and never tells me about!"
"She told you?!"
May reloads. "Of course she told me! You texted her for like an hour on a Friday night, and didn't make it seem like a big deal!"
I repeat myself for the hundredth time. "She's not my girlfriend."
"So? Spill! I'm fine with you having a girlfriend!"
Exasperated, I groan and close my closet door. "We were talking about chemistry. The homework this weekend was awful."
"I know, I heard you and Dr. Banner were up late last night figuring it out."
We were.
It's dumb to say, because he's one of the best minds ever, but if Maria Hill is allowed to like me, I can like Dr. Banner.
He keeps on making me call him Bruce.
He's super nice, never dismisses my questions, and is good at explaining things.
If he wasn't an Avenger, I can totally see him fitting in at a university, teaching the toughest class there is there.
He didn't give me the answers to my homework. I had to work on it.
I nod in May's direction, not really having anything else to say on the matter before I'm left with only my suit left.
"Ahh…" I hear her say, savoring it. "Glad you have it back?"
No. I don't think so, actually.
"It fits different." I try to explain to her.
Most of the daytime hours were spent getting readjusted to the suit. Walking me through a lot of functions, figuring out situations in which to use them, that sort of thing.
It feels tight. Really, really tight.
And everything is reminding me of Mr. Stark in there.
Everything.
"Like…tailored? You told them that right?" May looks to me, confused.
"Yeah, I did. They gave me a little more fabric this morning. But I still feel it." I try to explain.
I see it hit May, and her comprehension. In a snap, she's pulled me into a hug. "Did they tell you what I heard?"
I laugh reflexively, getting May to smile. "I don't know what you heard."
"It's not your 24/7 job to be Spider-Man. You can't save everyone. You have to think of yourself."
I know. Again, the point of the weekend.
I'm going to have a lot more help now. Karen will be used a ton on the police scanners, emergency services. If I'm suited up, Maria Hill will be on standby.
And if it's a quiet day, then I'll probably end up going home.
There won't be a schedule, any schedule is noticeable. But they are making me be flexible. It'll be a lot easier now with May knowing.
"Open up there, Spider-Man." May pretends to knock on my forehead. "Talk to me."
"I'm thinking I should have told you sooner." I explain. "It'll be easier."
She knows why. It was right before Ben. I couldn't do that to her. And she knows that too.
"I know." She kisses my hair.
"You're the best." I smile at her in return, before she smiles back.
"C'mon. Ned'll be here soon and I want the details."
I nod and walk behind her. "Did you hear about Karen?"
"Yeah, I like it. You don't mind, do you?" May looks to me.
"No, I love it. I'd just never thought of it."
Pepper had the idea, and told Maria Hill, that Mr. Stark used Jarvis, his original AI to manage everything. Pepper had access to Jarvis for years.
Why not do that with Karen and May? Make her life a lot easier and hassle free.
No more fighting with the government over my parents any more. Or Ben's retirement and benefits. No stress there.
Karen will take care about that. It's not even about the money. We were fine beforehand, and the way Mr. Stark's will was set up, May and I are going to be fine.
Better than fine. God I'm like May, this isn't the point.
"That security firm they're flying in from San Francisco is supposed to be here at the end of the week." I tell May as she digs in the fridge.
"Yup. Text Ned, ask if he want chips and salsa. I'm hungry but don't want to order yet." May tells me, and I pull out my phone.
"May's thinking snacks. Chips and salsa okay?" I fire off, then set my phone on the counter and move to grab a bowl for the chips.
May takes the bowl from me. "Maria also said you talked to Michelle last night too."
"Yeah. About that homework. Ned and I might end up video chatting her tonight if he's confused."
Not everyone has Dr. Bruce Banner behind them. And now that I can explain stoichiometry enough, I need to help them.
"Great! Invite her too! She can even stay for dinner if she's like."
Quickly, I pivot near the couch to look at her. "No."
"No?"
"No."
"I want to meet her!" May complains teasingly. "If she's important…" I hesitate to reply, and May seizes on it. "C'mon…"
It's not that.
"I'm just texting her like I do Ned. Everybody's making a big deal out of this when it's not."
"Maria said you text her so much more than everyone else."
"I'm not texting anyone!" I counter quickly. "I don't want to."
She said that if I don't want to talk, then don't talk. But I can always talk to her.
"Then why her?"
I shrug helplessly. "I don't know. She's been nice since I got back. She never was mean, just…more standoffish. I don't know. She's complicated."
"And you don't want her over."
"It'd be weird. All we talk about is decathlon and homework in our various classes together."
5 out of 7.
"Then find out what she likes. What interests her." May advises me. "I'm giving you great advice I wish I'd heard at your age kid!"
I groan, then fish out my phone.
"That'd be awesome. Maybe ask her to make a small thing of her ranch dip and carrots or celery? If you have it." – Ned
"Do we have stuff for your veggie dip?" I ask May as she digs in the cabinet for something.
May beams. "Yeah! I'll make some of that too."
"Thanks May." I smile, then relay the news to Ned.
"You're welcome. Invite Michelle."
"No." I reply to May as I switch messages.
"Hey, did you figure it out?" I send off, then look back to May.
Only for her to be looking at me. "Yes."
"No." I roll my eyes. "I don't want to scare her off."
I will scare her off. I'm afraid I'm texting her too much as it is, even about decathlon stuff.
My phone vibrates in my hand, and I glance down. "Yeah, I did. Thanks for the help. Now just working on Harrington's definitions."
Those weren't bad. Karen made me flash cards and printed them out. Studied them on the way back here.
"Mom just dropped me off." – Ned
"Ned's mom just got here." I inform May as she is chopping celery.
"Already?" She complains. "Dammit. Tell him the door's open. And come help me."
"Sorry." I apologize with a smile, then move into the kitchen and grab the chips.
The sound of the door opening comes about a minute later. "Peter? May?" Ned calls out.
"Right here Ned. Hi!"
"Hi!" Ned says cheerfully, shutting the door behind him. "Nice weekend?"
"Yeah, I could actually sleep in without this one here to make such a racket." May smirks back at me. "Do you know Michelle?"
"Oh come on!" I call out.
Ned laughs as he walks towards my room. "Yeah."
"Ned got a girlfriend." I reveal to May, causing her to spin around and face me, then whirl back to face Ned.
"NO." She begins beaming widely.
"Peter!" Ned looks to me, betrayed. "You said you'd let me tell her eventually."
"You just hung me out to dry about Michelle! We're even!"
Ned shakes his head and starts back to my room again. "We are so, so not even."
"What's her name!" May asks me.
"Betty."
"The girl from those inter school news segments? She's cute Ned!"
Ned?
Ned doesn't respond, instead silently in my room. I nervously look to May, as she peeks to see what he's looking at.
Oh.
"You got the suit back." Ned finally says, turning to look at me, and away from the folded suit on my bed.
I smile sheepishly.
Yeah. I did.