Chapter Text
Then
“Peter Parker, who did that to you??”
May Parker froze as she exited the kitchen and saw her ten-year-old nephew walk through the front door. He had a black eye and a tear in his jeans, and his short mop of brown curls has flecks of leaves and dirt in them. The boy’s wide, brown eyes started to tear up and he bit his lip to keep from crying.
May immediately sprung into action, scurrying toward him. “Oh, Peter, it’s okay, it’s okay, honey,” she said soothingly, pressing him against her body. She could feel the boy’s small shoulders start to shake as he started crying, and she hugged him tighter, hoping that it would help ease his pain.
When her husband had informed her two years ago that they were going to have to take in his nephew after his brother died in an attack at the Stark Expo, she was terrified. She and Ben had just found out that they couldn’t have children themselves, and she had resigned herself to the fact that it would be just her and Ben. She was content with it being just the two of them, and was scared about how this little boy would affect their lives. But she remembered seeing the young boy at the hospital in a dirty white t-shirt and gray zip-up hoodie that had dust and blood on it, his bright brown eyes alight with the realization that he was now an orphan, and all she wanted was to hold him and protect him forever.
And now, he was standing there hurt, and she was angry. Not at him, but at whatever nasty little child hurt him. “Tell me who did this, now, Peter, I’m going to call the school, call their parents, I am going to raise so much hell that they won’t even know what’s coming for them!” She said, her voice getting shrill.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, what’s this about raising hell now?”
She looked up and saw her husband, Ben Parker, strolling out of his office, a pencil behind his ear, his blue checkered button down half tucked in, half pulled out of his pants. He looked tired as if he had been sleeping instead of drafting. The life of an architect. He observed May and Peter, his eyes stopping on the boy’s appearance. “Ah… I see.”
May ushered Peter over to the couch and sat him down. “Look at him, Ben! The nerve of these kids, I mean honestly!”
“May, why don’t you get some ice for him?” Ben replied calmly.
She gasped. “Ice, yes, God, why didn’t I think of that first!? Peter, I’m so sorry, I’m going to get you that ice, hold on…” she trailed off, still mumbling to herself as she ran into the kitchen to get some ice.
Ben stared after his wife and chuckled to himself as he sat down next to his young nephew. He took a breath and rested his hand on Peter’s back. “Peter, what happened, buddy?”
Peter was staring at his hands, refusing to meet Ben’s eyes. “He took Ned’s Lego jet and broke it, Uncle Ben. It wasn’t fair, and it wasn’t nice.”
“Who did?”
“This kid named Jason. He just started at school, and he thinks he ‘s better than everyone.”
“Hmm, I see. And what did you do when he broke Ned’s toy?”
Peter shrugged. “I didn’t try to fight him, Uncle Ben. I just yelled at him. Then when I went to pick up the jet, he pushed me on the ground and started punching me.”
“Did you fight back?”
“I…I… tried. He’s a lot stronger than me though. He’s in 7th grade.” Peter’s lip started to tremble again. “And his friends took the jet too.”
Uncle Ben curled his arm around Peter’s shoulders. “You did the right thing, Peter,” he said.
“Doesn’t feel like the right thing, it feels like my eye is going to hurt forever.”
He laughed. “Yeah, I’m sure it does. And I’m going to make sure we have a talk with this Jason kid’s parents too. But regardless, you stuck up for Ned, and I’m proud of you.”
Peter looked up at him for the first time during the conversation. “You are? But I didn’t win the fight.”
“Peter, you won’t win every fight. Sometimes, you’re gonna lose. But the important thing is that you are looking out for others, protecting those who may not be able to protect themselves.”
“Even if I can’t protect myself?”
“One day, you will. You won’t be ten forever, Peter.”
Peter grinned at him and wiped a tear from his cheek. “Thanks, Uncle Ben. Maybe I’ll be like Iron Man and make my own titanium alloy suit and fight off bullies that way!”
Ben ruffled his curls. “Peter, you’re a little genius; I’m sure you could build anything you want.” He flicked a piece of leaf out of his hair. “You should go take a shower, you’re really dirty.”
Peter rolled his eyes and groaned. “Fine.”
“Hey, hey!” Ben stopped him as he stood up. “Afterward, let’s watch Aliens.”
Peter’s eyes widened. “The sequel!!? Awesome!” he pumped his fist in the air and jolted down the hallway to his bathroom.
“You know I hate that you show him those movies,” May said from the kitchen.
Ben smirked and stood up, walking over to her. “Give the kid a pass, May, he got beat up today,” He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her softly. “Plus, Aliens is way better than the first movie.”
He then scooted around her and started rummaging the kitchen cabinets for popcorn. May watched him with admiration and frustration. “So, can I call this kid’s mom?”
Ben threw a bag of popcorn in the microwave and hit the popcorn button. “I love how protective you get over Peter, it’s really a turn on.”
“Oh, shut up. He’s ours and I don’t like seeing people pick on him.”
“He’s a smart, kind kid, May. They are the only kids that get picked on, unfortunately. But don’t worry about it. I think Peter is going to be stronger for it, in the end.”
Later, as May observed Ben and Peter huddled together on the couch watching Sigourney Weaver fighting the xenomorphs, she felt an overwhelming love for the man and boy in her life. She understood what Ben was saying, but she couldn’t help but worry for Peter. They were both precious to her, and made her feel whole. She wanted nothing more than to protect both of them for as long as she could.
Now
“What do you mean you can’t find him!?”
May Parker was standing in the middle of the living room in the Avengers compound, glaring at one of the strongest men in the world. He was looking back at her with a helpless stare, his blue eyes weary from years of fighting.
“Mrs. Parker, we are going to find Peter, I promise,” Steve Rogers said, placing a hand on her shoulder and patting it gently. “Nat, can you get Maria to,”
“On it, Cap,” the voluptuous red-headed fighter said, giving him a brief nod and jogging out of the room.
“Tony must have put some kind of tracking device in his suit, right? I mean, that’s a Tony thing to do,” the darker skinned man named Sam asked. “I mean, he loved to track everybody.”
“Uh… well, he used to have a tracking device in the suit?” Peter’s best friend, Ned, said, looking at the others guiltily.
“What do you mean, used to?” Stephen Strange, a taller man with dark hair and a goatee said, giving Ned a sidelong glance.
“Oh, um, two years ago, Peter asked me to remove the tracker because he wanted to spy on Liz’s dad… so we took it out….” he fidgeted with his hands.
“And this is why you losers should have told me Peter was Spider-Man sooner,” Peter’s girlfriend, Michelle stated with a sigh.
Strange groaned. “Of course, he did that. Jesus, Steve, what do we do now?”
May watched Captain America, America’s first avenger, as he searched his mind for a plan. She looked over at Doctor Strange, a man who had become her nephew’s mentor, as he paced back and forth. She looked over at his best friend, Ned, and his girlfriend, Michelle, as they both looked worriedly at each other. All of these people cared for her nephew as much as she did. All of them were brilliant in their own rights – brains, brawn – yet they were all seeming to come up short with a solution.
“Okay, if we can’t track him, then why don’t we think about the possible locations,” May offered. “Where would Harry take Peter if he wanted to…” she trailed off.
“Wanted to hurt him?” Strange finished for her.
She nodded silently.
Suddenly, Michelle spoke up. “I think I have an idea.”
May looked at the young girl that had so enamored her nephew. She suddenly remembered what it looked like to love someone so vehemently that it consumed your soul – she saw it in that moment in Michelle’s dark piercing eyes. She also saw the same fear that May felt in her heart every time Peter left the apartment – and it was devastating.
“Okay, MJ, let’s hear it,” Steve said and they all turned to hear her idea.
May watched as they all started discussing possible locations where Harry Osborn, Peter’s former best friend, could have hidden her nephew. As she watched, her mind thought back to ten years ago, when she was first told that she would have to take care of Peter. He was only eight, and he was so small. Now, he was 18 and had superpowers and super friends, and May felt completely helpless. She could only stand back, watch, and hope that these people before her could save her nephew now that she couldn’t.