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Chapter 8: Making Plans and Heading Home

Peter felt exhausted as he made his way back to the third floor. He ran into Happy after training with Mr. Stark, and he learned that Aunt May had gone upstairs earlier. He decided it was about time that he made his way back upstairs as well, after thanking Mr. Stark for helping him with his suit and train.

He found his aunt sitting in the large lounging area, reading a magazine. As he walked closer, he saw her set the magazine down on the coffee table and stand to look at him. Peter noticed her giving him a quizzical look.

May raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, "What? No tights? I could've sworn I saw you swinging around in red and blue in the lower level earlier."

Peter froze and looked at his aunt with wide eyes. "Wait…what? You saw…uhh…sorry. Mr. Stark thought it would be important to run some tests and show me…"

May threw up her hands and signaled to Peter that he didn't need to explain. "It's…Peter, it's fine."

As Peter looked at her, he noticed that she had that playful twinkle in her eye.

"She was messing with me again," he thought, "That's a good sign, right?" He spoke up, "So…how much did you see?" he asked with curiosity.

"I saw enough," May said as she turned to walk around the couch towards Peter. "It was…" she met his eyes, "it was impressive." She smirked, "at least up until the moment Iron Man made you fall on your face."

Peter blushed furiously, "Uhhh…yeah, well…He was just trying to make a point about…"

"…I get it," She cut in. "Happy was able to let me hear the audio of your conversation with Tony. It was…eye opening."

Peter squinted at his aunt and cocked his head. He had no idea what that meant.

Before he could ask, May wrinkled her nose and took a closer look at him. "Why don't we discuss this more after you get a shower? Pepper called to ask if we would like sushi for dinner. Apparently, that's what she and Tony are having, so she naturally felt it would be nice to have that sent to us." Peter didn't miss the look of amazement on his aunt's face.

He wondered for a moment if she could get used to living like this. "Ms. Potts is really nice," Peter added.

May nodded her head. "Well, you're not having dinner with me like that, so go take a break and get cleaned up, ok?"

"Yeah…sure, Aunt May." Peter walked passed her towards his room.

He hadn't gone far before May called after him, "Oh! And just where is that fancy suit of yours? Don't think that I'm not going to want to keep an eye on that, Spider-Man!"

Peter stopped. A smile crept its way onto his face before he turned to answer her, "Mr. Stark took it. He said he was going to have it cleaned up before making some final tweaks. Happy was told to deliver it to you personally for "safe-keeping" or something. I think he's trying to get on your good side, Aunt May."

"Let him try," May thought to herself. She cleared her throat a little before responding to Peter, "That's…thoughtful of him, I suppose."

"Yeah…it's great. Everyone just loves treating Spider-Man like a kid," Peter commented. His voice was careful though, and the words held some humor to them. He turned and kept walking towards his room. He didn't miss May's quiet remark as he walked away.

"You're my kid, Spider-Man," he heard her say.

May watched Peter go into his room. "So, Tony is backing me up on keeping the suit from Peter for a while? Huh…maybe he isn't so bad." She laughed quietly to herself before returning to the couch and picking her magazine up again. "That, however, is something that I will never admit out loud."

Inside his room again, Peter took a steadying breath. This had been a weird day. It wasn't a bad day; it was just…weird. He didn't really know what he expected to happen if May ever found out the truth, but he was pretty sure that this wasn't it. He walked into the bathroom and took in his own haggard appearance. Removing his shirt, he saw a bruise from where he collided with one of the blocks while training. He touched it and only winced a little. He could tell by the color of the bruise that it was already healing, so he wasn't too worried. "I just can't let May see this," he thought.

As Peter started the water in the fancy and large shower, he wondered what his aunt meant when she referred to his conversation with Mr. Stark as "eye-opening." He shrugged his shoulders and finished undressing. He decided that he would likely find out after getting out of the shower.

The hot water over his muscles was soothing. He smiled to himself as he thought about working with Tony earlier. It was nice when they could just focus on science and technology together. His smile faded, however, when he thought about the reason behind Tony's eagerness to work with him. Tony had been seriously concerned about people approaching or coming after Spider-Man, and he wanted Peter to be ready to defend himself.

Peter finished his shower and reluctantly turned off the water. He stepped out and used his hand to wipe the fog from the mirror. He smiled when he saw signs that his bruise was healing more.

He wrapped a towel around his waist and exited into his bedroom to find something to wear. His stomach growled loudly as he searched through his bag. He pulled out a few items, and he decided he might snag another muffin before dinner. Pulling his shirt over his head and running his fingers through his hair, Peter grabbed his sneakers as he made his way back out to the kitchen.

May was standing up and putting some things on the table as he came back out. She looked up to see him leaning on the wall and pulling on his sneakers as he approached.

"Much better," she commented with an approving nod, seeing Peter looking more put together.

"Are you ok, Peter?" She asked, "You seem a little pale." She examined him more as he approached.

Peter made his way over to the dish of muffins and pulled one out. He looked over to her and offered a small smile. "I'm just hungry. I need to try to eat a lot to keep up with my fast metabolism," he explained.

May nodded slowly. "They called to say the food should be up shortly. It's a little earlier than we would usually eat at home, but I guess they know we're hungry."

"Uhh…yeah, I suppose." Peter agreed taking a bite of the muffin.

"Why don't you grab me one of those and sit with me?" May said.

Peter took out another muffin and made his way over to the table, after snagging an orange from the fruit bowl as well.

May smiled at him as he sat down. "I've been thinking, Peter."

He passed her the muffin and began peeling the orange nervously. "Thinking?"

"A lot of thinking," she nodded. "This is still a lot to take in…you being super-human and all. But I made a promise to take care of you, and I intend to keep that promise. I need to look after Peter Parker, and Peter Parker wants to stay on the ground and finish high school." May spoke with determination. She paused and took a bite of her muffin and looked up to make sure Peter was listening.

He nodded his head and indicated that she should continue.

"I saw Tony training with you earlier," she said. "I'm not so sure I can look after Spider-Man, and that worries me. However, Pepper mentioned earlier that I should focus on what I can do for you, Peter."

Peter gave her a confused look, but he figured he should still wait to speak.

May took a deep breath and set her muffin down. "The way I see it, we go home and let you finish high school in Queens. We continue doing our thing as Aunt May and Peter," she used her hand to point back and forth between the two of them, "with me keeping the teenager in line."

"Ok, but…" Peter started, but Aunt May cut him off and continued.

"As I said, I saw how Tony…er uh Iron Man... whatever! I saw how he worked with you, Peter. I heard him give you ideas on how to improve your skills and train you as Spider-Man, so…" May rubbed her head with her hand. "I can't believe I'm going to say this, but…I think you need Tony. I think Iron Man can help look out for the Spider-Man side of you."

Peter's eyebrows shot up and he gave his aunt a surprised look.

"Therefore…" she continued. "I am agreeing with what you proposed to us last night, with a few modifications."

They were interrupted by the elevator doors opening. There was a man in a chef's hat that smiled at them as he rolled a cart over to the table. Both May and Peter watched with amusement as the man unloaded loads of sushi, fish, vegetables, and other delicious-looking side dishes.

"Um…" May looked at the man in confusion. "I know Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts were supposed to have some dinner. Are you sure…? Um… what I mean is…"

Peter finished for her, "Is this all for us?" he asked.

The chef didn't really answer. He just smiled and nodded his head before wheeling the cart back towards the elevator. He smiled and waved to the two of them as the doors slid closed.

"Ok…" Peter said. "This looks amazing!"

May watched as Peter loaded his plate with the food. She shrugged and followed his lead.

After taking a few bites, Peter got his aunts attention back to the earlier topic.

"You agree that I should continue with my routine? Peter Parker the high-school student during the day, and spending time as Spider-Man after school?" Peter asked.

"Mmmm…" May replied. "Yes, but your time as Spider-Man will be more like practice and training. Nothing too dangerous! You should do what Tony suggested and focus on your enhanced senses or whatever."

"She really was listening earlier!" Peter realized.

"And we're going to talk to Stark about having you spend more time here," May added.

"Really?" Peter asked, perhaps a little too excited.

"I want you to get training in. Whether I like it or not, Tony has more experience with this. I think he, or other people that work here, can help you. It makes me feel better knowing that you aren't trying to figure out this Spider-Man thing alone." She looked at Peter and he noticed the fierce concentration on her face as she spoke.

"Wow…" Peter wasn't sure what to say. "May…I…"

Their eyes met, and Peter smiled at his aunt.

"I'm really lucky to have you, Aunt May." He finally said. "You truly are the best!" He meant every word.

She smirked, "I know, I know." Then she sighed, "I just hope Stark can still fit his head in that Iron Man helmet after I tell him I'd like to partner with him on this."

Peter gave a small laugh. "Yeah…"

"I think you should spend some of your winter break here… and your spring break as well. Probably a good chunk of summer vacation, too." She thought for a moment. "Hopefully that internship will be enough of a cover for your presence here." She went back to taking a few bites of her food.

Peter took a few bites of his own food before he spoke, "You know, my 16th birthday is over spring break."

"Yes, Peter. I know when your birthday is," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"You'll be here, right Aunt May?" he asked.

She looked up at him with surprise.

"I mean…I'll ask Mr. Stark if you can come. At least sometimes…he did give you access" Peter spoke quickly.

May smiled. "At least he doesn't want to get rid of me yet." She thought.

"Yes. We'll discuss this with Tony." She thought for a moment. "I'm not sure I can come every time, but…" She stopped and nodded towards the feast in front of them, "I think I can suffer through a few more visits here while you train."

Peter smiled again. "Cool! Yeah…I mean, I think this is a great plan!"

"There he goes again…looking like a kid on Christmas morning!" May thought.

Peter noticed that she grew quiet. "You ok, May?"

"Haha… yeah, I was just thinking." She said. "One minute you're this young-looking and innocent kid and the next moment you're this determined and fierce superhero. It's a strange juxtaposition, Peter. I'm still getting used to it."

Peter smirked at his aunt before adding, "Me too!"

May looked surprised for a moment. Then she nodded her head seeming to understand what he meant.

"Well, I think I've had enough of the Spider-Man side of you today," She said suddenly. "How about we stuff the rest of this food down and watch one of those movies together in your room before bed? I think we'll have to stay another night so that we can talk to Tony in the morning."

Peter gave her a huge smile, "Sweet! That sounds great."

"FRIDAY!" May called, surprising Peter with how comfortable she was becoming with these surroundings.

"How can I help you, Mrs. Parker?" the AI asked.

"Could you please inform Mr. Stark that Peter and I would like to talk with him in the morning?" she asked.

"Ms. Potts has time blocked off part of his morning schedule, and Mr. Stark is not to be disturbed until after 10:00 AM. Shall I inquire about a brunch meeting?" FRIDAY's voice was clear and smooth.

"Hmm…. that should be fine. Thank you, FRIDAY!" May finished.

"10:00 A.M.," Peter commented. "Looks like you can sleep in some more, Aunt May," he teased.

May gave him a look. "Watch it! You try getting a good night of sleep after learning that there are people who want to fight your kid because of his super-spider abilities or whatever."

Peter winced and looked guilty. "God, May. I'm sorry. I…"

"I'm giving you a hard time, kiddo. I'll sleep better now that we are putting a plan in place," she soothed.

"ok…" Peter looked doubtful.

May changed the subject. "Come on. Let's clean this up and go pick a movie!"

Peter gave a smile and nodded in agreement.

They spent the rest of the time working together to clean up without much talking. As they cleaned up, FRIDAY confirmed the mid-morning meeting with Mr. Stark. They went back to his room where Peter excitedly chose a film called "ALIENS." May didn't really care what movie they watched. She just needed this time with Peter, with her kid. They sat together on the sofa in his massive room. Peter put his arm around his aunt, and she snuggled close to her nephew. This was her kid, and she would soak up these moments. The moments when he was just Peter. The moments when she knew he was safe with her.

The following morning, May and Peter joined both Tony and Pepper for brunch. Tony agreed that their plan was a good one, and Pepper made a note to create credentials for Peter as an official intern with access to the compound.

May didn't miss the fond look that Tony gave to Peter upon hearing that he would be spending more time at the compound.

"I can't promise that I'll be here every time," Tony added. "Either Vision or Rhodes should be available while you're here though, kid." They didn't even need to ask if May could join him.

Pepper was quick to assure her that the same room could be available for her any time she wished to join Peter at the compound.

They all had a pleasant brunch together. They kept the conversation light and discussed plans for what would be Peter and May's next visit over his winter/holiday break. Both Peter and May would come up to the compound the day after Christmas and stay through New Year's. Tony also insisted that Happy would pick them up so that May didn't need to drive.

"My 16th birthday is over Spring Break," Peter added with excitement.

"Oh Hoh! Really?" Tony asked with interest. Pepper gave him a look. "We may just have to throw us a little shindig!" Tony added.

"That's not…" May started but stopped when she looked at Peter. He seemed interested in the idea. "Well…we have time to figure that out. Thank you, Tony."

He nodded at May.

Peter spoke next, "No offence, Mr. Stark. I appreciate everything you've done for us this weekend…" he looked at his aunt, "…but I think we should get going. I have a history quiz tomorrow, and I need to finish a paper for my English class. Plus, there's Spanish homework and a science thing to finish…" He trailed off and looked at the adults who were staring back at him.

Tony gave a laugh, "This kid! So worried about his homework all this time!" He offered Peter a wink, "No offense taken, kid. You have to keep your cover as Peter Parker, and he's a good student!"

"He better be!" May added. "The moment your grades start dropping, the less time you'll get in that suit!"

"That reminds me," Tony said. "Happy brought that expensive piece of spidey-wear back to you, right?"

May nodded her head. "Yes. It's in my bag to go home."

"Good. If your bags are packed, we'll have someone load up your car and bring it around," Pepper suggested.

"Yeah, we packed before brunch," Peter confirmed.

"Happy!" Tony called.

"Yeah boss?" the man asked stepping forward from the shadows.

"Take care of that for me, will you?" He said knowing that Happy heard that part of the conversation.

"Sure." Happy said with a small frown.

A short time later, Peter and May were getting in the car and bidding farewell to Tony and Pepper. Peter was anxious to get home, so it didn't take them long to get on the road. Peter noticed that it was a little after noon when they left the compound. He gave a sigh knowing that he would probably be up late in order to finish his schoolwork.

He looked over at his aunt. She had a relaxed look on her face as she drove, and Peter was thankful.

"Thank you, Aunt May," he said to her.

She looked at him for a moment. She didn't need to ask as she knew that he appreciated her understanding with everything that was happening.

"I'm here for you, Peter." She said, "Always."

They shared a smile before their attention was back on the road ahead.

May heard the sound of plastic next to her and turned to see Peter taking a muffin out of a plastic bag. She raised her eyebrows at him from the driver's seat.

Peter took a bite, "What?" he asked with crumbs dropping from his lips. "I took one for the road. Literally."

May shook her head and laughed. "Fast metabolism…" she noted. Then she gave a playful frown, "I'm just a little hurt that you didn't grab one for me."

Peter smiled and held up a second plastic bag containing a muffin for his aunt. She laughed out loud. Peter noticed it was a genuine and hearty laugh; one that he hadn't heard in quite a while.

She shook her head with a smile, "You eat it. I don't think I'll be able to eat until dinner. That brunch was huge!"

Peter shrugged at his aunt and had more to eat. He sighed contentedly from the passenger seat.

"We're going to be ok," he thought. "Everything will be ok."

He stared out the front window as they went along. If he had looked out his own window, he might have noticed the ominous clouds forming in the distance. The rain itself wouldn't be a problem, but it did represent the danger always lurking in the background.

A/N: I don't actually know when Peter's birthday takes place. However, his birthday over spring break will be an important part later in the story. Stay tuned, friends. Things are about to get interesting! The timeline is going to jump forward in the next few chapters, so get ready for things to speed up a little. Feel free to leave a review and share your thoughts. Any guesses as to how or when Ross might figure things out?