These characters are amazing, and they still belong to Marvel.
Chapter 6: Saturday Morning
Peter awoke the next morning with a start. His enhanced senses screamed that something was different. Peter sat up in the bed and looked around wildly. Finally, he remembered the reason for which his senses were telling him that something wasn't right. This wasn't his bedroom. He was at the compound. Aunt May was there. She knew the truth. It was going to be a long ass day!
These thoughts fired rapidly through his mind, and he slammed his head back on the pillow before scrubbing hands over his face to wipe the remaining sleep from his eyes.
"Ugh…What time is it?" Peter wondered aloud.
"Good Morning, Peter. It is currently 7:18 A.M.," FRIDAY responded, making Peter jump slightly in surprise. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
"No…Nope, thanks FRIDAY. I'm…uh…yep…I'm good," Peter responded groggily.
There was no going back to sleep now. He stared at the ceiling recalling the events of the day before. School had been fairly normal considering what May had learned. Ned was supportive, and Peter was looking forward to filling in his friend when he saw him on Monday. He doubted May would give him back phone privileges yet. She was still upset over being lied to for so long. He imagined that the punishment could have been worse. "Maybe my punishment should be worse?" Peter mused. "If anyone has a right to lock me away in a prison, it's probably May."
At this thought, Peter's mind went to that of Ross. Some part of Peter felt the whole thing was being exaggerated. What was the big deal? Surely the man had better things to do with his time than to look for Spider-Man. After all, Captain America and the others who refused to sign were still at large. Shouldn't he be more focused on them?
Peter eased his mind by deciding this was all something that he didn't really need to think about right now. The pressing issue was going to be some kind of agreement with his aunt. He needed to help her feel comfortable with the news that he is Spider-Man. "She must see that it is part of who I am now, but how do I do that without making her worry more?" Peter was already getting a headache trying to figure this all out. He supposed what he needed was to get something to eat. He realized that his body was off because he never had a full meal the night before. He was so stressed about everything, he had only managed to eat some jerky in the car with May while driving upstate.
Slowly, Peter climbed out of bed. He pulled on some sweats and a t-shirt from his bag before combing his fingers through his hair. Making his way to the large bathroom, he took in his appearance. He guessed that it could be worse. He looked tired and perhaps a little pale, but he should feel much better after finding something to eat. Peter looked in the mirror and fixed his hair a bit more before exiting through the other door into the outer area that would allow him to exit into the hallway.
Peter stretched again in the hallway and looked towards his aunt's door. Slowly he made his way over. With a great deal of concentration, Peter listened for any sound from May. Finally, he could pick up the sounds of her light snoring. Peter smiled to himself. He was glad that his aunt was still sleeping soundly. There was no need for her to be up if she could get some much-needed sleep.
"Hey FRIDAY," Peter called softly.
"How may I help you, Peter?" The AI answered.
"Could you please make sure that my aunt isn't disturbed and let me know as soon as she wakes up?" Peter asked hopefully.
"Of course. Is there anything else I can do for you?" FRIDAY asked.
"Um…I need some breakfast," Peter said, feeling a bit foolish upon saying it.
"I believe you will find that food is usually available in the kitchen, Peter." He could've sworn he detected a bit of a snarky attitude from the AI with that response, but he decided to ignore that.
"Yeah…duh…silly me. Thanks FRIDAY." Peter made his way to the large kitchen which lit up the moment he stepped inside.
There were so many cabinets that Peter hardly knew where to begin. He decided the best bet was to start in the refrigerator. He was impressed to see that Tony had plenty of fresh food inside. "Did he send someone to fill this up when we got here? I doubt Vision needs to eat anything, and Colonel Rhodes isn't here right now," Peter wondered.
He thought about making some pancakes or eggs and bacon, but his stomach growled impatiently. He decided he didn't want to take the time to find everything he would need to do that. Instead, he grabbed some orange juice and milk and started to look for some cereal. He found plenty of cereal in the cabinet next to the refrigerator. The cereal was stored in fancy plastic storage containers rather than kept in the store packaging. Peter settled for the one that looked like Frosted Mini-Wheats. Next, he located a bowl and a spoon and made his way to sit over at the counter.
The entire floor was silent. His enhanced hearing could detect some sound from above, and he recalled Tony telling him that he and Pepper were up there. He shrugged his shoulders deciding that they were probably early risers. Peter enjoyed the quiet. At home, he had to focus in order to keep his senses from being over stimulated. He felt an odd sense of peace here, and he supposed it could be the calm before the storm.
Peter filled his large bowl with the cereal and added the milk. He ate a lot these days in order to keep up with his fast metabolism, and the meager food from the night before hadn't been nearly enough. He would need to eat a lot. Peter went to pour a glass of OJ, but he realized that he had forgotten the glass. He briefly entertained the idea of drinking from the carton, but he decided to get up and look for a glass. After locating the correct cabinet and grabbing what he needed, he noticed a glass dish with fresh-looking muffins and a basket of fruit. "How did I miss that?" He thought. Again, he shrugged his shoulders. This kitchen was so big that it was hard to take everything in at once. He grabbed what looked to be a blueberry muffin, and he snagged a banana from the basket before heading back over to his spot at the counter.
Peter stuffed the entire muffin in his mouth while filling up his glass with the orange juice. He used the OJ to wash down the rest of the muffin before peeling back the banana and taking a few bites. "Man, I really need to be more careful about missing meals. I'm starving!" Peter chuckled to himself as he continued fueling his body with the goodies he found in the kitchen. After eating 3 bowls of cereal, a muffin, and a banana, Peter was emptying the carton of orange juice into his glass. "I guess I should've skipped the glass after all," Peter thought.
As Peter began to clean up, he realized that he hadn't started any coffee for May. He always made sure that her coffee was ready on Saturday mornings, and he wouldn't let this be any different. Peter, himself, had no need for coffee. He made the mistake of drinking a cup with Ned not long after getting his powers, and he felt like a wild monkey with ADHD or something. "Maybe more of a Spider Monkey," Peter mused.
After cleaning up his own mess, Peter scanned the kitchen for a coffee pot. What he found looked more like something a Starbucks barista would use. Peter blew out a frustrated breath before grabbing another muffin. He took a bite, and while he was still chewing he asked, "Hey FWIYAY…How do I wor dis cawee mawchee?" Crumbs flew from his mouth as he spoke.
"I'm sorry, Peter. I didn't quite understand you? Are you in distress? I can contact Mr. Stark…"
Peter finished his treat quickly, swallowed and quickly cut in, "NO! No…I'm fine. Sorry! I should have swallowed first." He briefly wondered if the AI even understood that explanation, but he decided to just go back to the question that he was trying to ask in the first place.
"FRIDAY, I'm trying to understand how this coffee machine works. Can you help me?" He clarified.
"I am happy to assist you, Peter." FRIDAY responded. "I can make any kind of coffee you'd like. Do you have a preference?"
Peter sighed. "Of course Mr. Stark can't have a normal coffee maker!"
"Umm…Could you just make sure that the pot is filled with some strong regular coffee for Aunt May when she wakes up?" Peter asked.
"Which kind of regular coffee would Mrs. Parker like? I can prepare a nice breakfast roast, French roast, Columbian, Sumatra…"
"Ugh…the French roast should be fine." Peter interrupted with the first one the sounded familiar.
"Ok. I will be sure to have it brewing as soon as Mrs. Parker awakes. She still seems to be in a deep sleep at the moment, so I will likely wait for some time." FRIDAY explained.
Peter was happy to hear that she was still sleeping so soundly. "That's great. Thanks!"
Peter walked back into his room. As soon as the door closed, FRIDAY's voice filled the space saying, "Mr. Stark is asking for you to join him in the lab on the second floor, Peter. I informed him that you are awake, and he is eager to show you some ideas for your web shooters."
"What about Aunt May?" Peter asked. "I thought I was supposed to stay with her until Mr. Stark gave her more access."
"Mr. Stark took care of granting access to Mrs. Parker this morning. I will be happy to fill her in and direct her towards the lab when she awakes," FRIDAY mentioned.
Peter shook his head in amusement, "I shouldn't be surprised that Mr. Stark already managed to program the access for Aunt May."
Peter looked around at the room. He had been hoping to explore this space some more, but he supposed that he should meet up with Mr. Stark and not keep him waiting.
Peter started making his way back to hallway when FRIDAY stopped him. "Mr. Stark would like you to bring your suit with you, Peter."
"Can you see me?" Peter asked the AI nervously.
"I do not have visual access into the private quarters, Peter. Mr. Stark simply added the request for you to bring your suit with you," FRIDAY clarified.
Peter blew around a breath, glad that he and May had that privacy. He walked back into the bedroom and grabbed his suit. He was happy that May had put it into his bag. It was a little surprising that she hadn't packed it into her own. "Actually, it's surprising that she felt the need to pack it at all," Peter thought.
Peter took his Spidey-suit, slipped on a pair of sneakers, and made his way out of the room and towards the elevator. Peter paused as he walked by the kitchen. In a moment of decision, he quickly snatched one more muffin before hitting the button to call for the elevator. The delicious pastry was already gone before the elevator even arrived.
With a smile, Peter stepped inside as FRIDAY lowered it down towards the second floor.
"Maybe today won't be so bad after all." He thought cheerfully.
Tony was waiting for him on the second floor and walked with him towards the lab.
"How'd you sleep? Good?" Tony asked, but he didn't really give him time to answer and continued as soon as he saw the slightest nod from Peter. "Great. Listen, I would just as soon forget about that uncomfortable business with your aunt's fist and my face. We have more pressing things to worry about, so don't go fussing about that and apologizing for nothing, ok?"
Peter looked at him with surprise thinking, "How did he know that I wanted to apologize?"
Instead, Tony continued, "I've been thinking more about the Ross situation. I think it's important that you know how to best use your suit in order to protect yourself if necessary. Got it…"
Peter flinched, "Umm…" was all he got out
"…Good. This way." Tony directed him to the corner of the lab, and Peter was surprised to find a work space that seemed dedicated to the hardware for his suit.
"Mr. Stark…is this…" Peter saw a screen pop up with designs for what appeared to be his web-shooters. "WOW! I mean…you did all of this for…What I mean is…this is all for Spider-Man? For Me?" The look of wonder on Peter's face made him look more like an elementary kid than a high school genius.
Tony gave him a big smile that clearly said, "Look who you're talking to, kid" and merely shrugged his shoulders. "I have a curious mind. Sometimes I like to mess with something other than my own armor." He jerked his head towards another table. "I've got some arrows over there for Legolas…err well…Barton, but that's on hold seeing as he took a deal and is currently on house arrest."
Peter figured there was probably more to that story, but he wanted Tony to focus on his stuff right now. He had so many questions.
"Thank you, Mr. Stark. This is amazing." He looked closer at the graphic in front of him. "This doesn't have a place for the canister of web liquid." Peter noted with confusion.
Tony smirked, "Obviously we need to think about how to feed the liquid to your shooter without the need to refill it constantly." The man's brows furrowed a moment and he looked more serious. "We can't have you trying to web yourself to a plane high in the sky only to run out and fall to your death, now can we?" At this, he looked up towards Peter with an accusing look.
Peter gulped. Mr. Stark had a point. He had the parachute, but even that had proved unreliable. He almost died just getting tangled in it under the water. Peter noticed that Tony was still looking at him and waiting for a response, "Yeah…umm…no, that would be bad," Peter finally agreed.
Before Tony could continue, Peter asked, "What about the other suit?"
Tony raised an eyebrow at him, "You mean the one I showed you before?" He stood up straight, "I decided that one is the Avenger suit. You can have that one when you are officially a member of the team. I'm not sure you're ready for all the stuff that one can do yet anyway." Tony gave him a playful slap on the arm, "You haven't even mastered this one yet!"
Peter gave an embarrassed cough and responded, "I guess you're right. So, what do we do first?"
Tony gave him a smile and began to show him exactly what they needed to do. The men had no trouble busying themselves in the lab, working side by side.
May was comfortable. She took a deep breath and slowly blinked her eyes open. In a way that was not so different from Peter, she sat up quickly and looked around. Everything came flooding back to her. She looked around the massive room. It should have felt like a vacation, but these elaborate surroundings were more daunting for her. Her nephew was Spider-Man, and she was at the Avengers Compound trying to come to some kind of agreement about his welfare with Iron Man. May swung her legs over the side of the bed and placed her head in her hands. She looked up and around for a moment.
"Umm…Hello? FRIDAY?" She called loudly.
"Good Morning, Mrs. Parker. I have started some coffee for you in the kitchen at Peter's request. Is there anything else that you need?" FRIDAY asked her.
May smiled at the information about Peter making sure she had her coffee. He was thoughtful for a teenager. "What time is it?" May inquired.
"It is 10:51 A.M., Mrs. Parker. It was Peter's request to let you get some rest and not disturb you."
"Oh my God!" May burst out of bed and went for her bag. She was dressed quickly, and simply put her hair into a neat ponytail. She made her way into the bathroom to put on some finishing touches before leaving the room and making her way to the kitchen. She was surprised that Peter wasn't there.
Before she could even ask, FRIDAY's voice was heard once again. "I have informed Peter that you are awake, as he requested. He would like you to know that he is with Mr. Stark in the second-floor laboratory. You have been granted access and are welcome to join them after having something to eat and getting your coffee."
"He left me up here by myself?" May was a little hurt that he didn't wait, but she supposed that he was probably up much earlier, per usual. She realized he was trying to give her some space to rest and recover from the past few days. "That boy…when will he realize that I'm the one who's supposed to look after him?" May thought.
She found the freshly brewed coffee ready for her. After going through multiple cabinets, she found a Stark Industries travel mug. "Perfect! I'll take this coffee to go." She decided. Not far from the coffee, she saw a dish with muffins. She noticed that quite a few appeared to be missing and smiled knowing Peter probably helped himself. May didn't bother with cream and sugar. She was eager to find Peter and turned to go to the elevator. May paused a moment and looked back at the muffins. In a moment of decision, she turned and grabbed a blueberry one and started munching on it as she pressed the button. She must have been hungry because it was gone before the elevator doors could even open. She quickly wiped away any crumbs from her face, stepped inside, and made her way to the second floor to find her nephew.
A/N - Just keeping it light before the storm rolls in. Stay tuned. I'm trying my best to capture the characters for how they are portrayed in the films. I added the similarities to May and Peter because I feel like people pick up on similar habits after living together for a time. Anyway...reviews and feedback are welcome. Stay tuned for the next chapter!