Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Miles was the one who stopped by the most. As the newest addition to the spiderverse, the young hero needed all the help that he could get with being New York’s protector. Aunt May was more than happy to help out. Being Peter’s support system, she learned the ins and outs of the trade. When he died, a part of her died with him. She went from being busy with superhero work to nothing. Having Miles in need of guidance and tech gave her a reason to get out of bed.

It was amazing to have him around the house for visits. He carried the same spark that Peter did when it came to being a hero.

“And then! Like you wouldn’t believe it! There’s this dude barreling down in an 18 wheeler and I’ve got all these little kids like trapped in the street cause of this fire!”

She stirred her tea and sipped it with a knowing smile. “And what did you do?”

“You know, I did the whole PSH!” he pretended to throw out web. “PSH! PSH! PSH! I threw the kids up in the air into my web and I catch the 18 wheeler with my bare hands and then it’s like ‘I can’t hold this guy forever!’ But I can’t let him go cause if I do then the high rise is going to become a roman candle, man! So I go PSH, PSH, PSH!’ I hit him on all of his tires! He stops dead in the street! AND THE CROWD WENT WILD! Just “Aaaaahhhhh! Spiderman we love you!” And “Aaaaaaahhhh, Spiderman! You’re an inspiration!’”

The teen flipped from joy and stuck to the ceiling. He laughed and walked around. “I can’t believe it! People are going crazy for me! And that radar thing you gave me? Saved the day! I caught and stopped two dudes from robbing a jewelry store!”

She missed the enthusiasm that came from a successful day of crimefighting. The sheer joy that came from doing good was enthralling. However, like Peter, Miles’ role as Spiderman carried it’s own weight. The easygoing teen became a different person on the anniversary of his Uncle’s death. She heard his light steps on her roof and soon, she heard a very distraught teen crying.

May had gone through this with Peter when Ben died. She saw no reason not to go through it again with Miles. Ah, there was a hitch to her plan. She knew Peter and Morales was a teen of a different nature, a different generation (What was a vine anyway?) and her normal tactics could be proved useless if she tried them on him. Still, Morales was a kid (God, he was younger than Peter when he started) but she never knew anyone who could resist her famous hot chocolate.

Making the chocolate was easy, getting onto the roof was not.

She spilled it once or twice but the hot chocolate was in fine condition. Miles was perched at the very end. He shook a little but was otherwise perfectly still.

“Hey there,” she softly greeted.

The spider didn’t acknowledge her. He seemed to curl up in a little ball.

“It’s hard, isn’t it? Losing someone you love? It gets harder when you don’t have anyone to talk to about it.”

The spider didn’t move an inch.

“Come inside,” she said. “I made you hot chocolate.”

“…don’t want any…” Miles sniffled.

“It’s got whipped cream~” she tempted. “With rainbow sprinkles~”

Miles sighed and sniffled. “Maybe just one cup.”

That one cup of hot chocolate turned into two and a half cups, with one crying and consoling session. He was so young and had gone through so much in so little time. She made up her mind that moment that Miles Morales was now part of the Parker family. She was going to give him every bit of encouragement and support that he needed since she’d likely guessed that he hadn’t told his parents yet.

It would later turn out that the other spiders needed as much help. Somehow Peni managed to come up with a way for the spiders to communicate and eventually created stable portals so that they could all visit each other.

“We’re spiders! Who else is going to know what to do but other spiders?” she reasoned when questioned why she would experiment in such dangerous technology. On the surface, it made sense. Who else knew how to fight The Goblin, or the Vulture, or Kingpin? It was practical and just common sense to have the portal so that they could swap techniques and pre-ass kicking one-liners.

There was a deeper reason to it though. Who knew the emotional strain and pain that came with being Spider-Man than other Spider-Men. They needed each other. Some of them may have played the brooding and cynical hero (Noir and Peter B. were awful at that) but they needed a support system in their webs. The portal to the other universes was set up in the same place that all the spiders knew as a safe and welcoming place: Aunt May’s house.

She wasn’t surprised with the choice. She was always there for Peter and now Miles. She knew the strain that the job carried and if they felt safe with her at her house, she could not deny them that sanctuary. Most of the spiders, (Noir and Peter B. with a surprising amount of resistance from Gwen) loved the idea and as soon as she gave it her seal of approval, Peni set up the portal. Some of the spiders (again with Noir, Peter B. and Gwen) when they could enter through, wouldn’t stay for a visit. They would awkwardly come through the kitchen, wave and be on their way. May didn’t mind. She couldn’t make them stay but she could make sure that they were comfortable coming through.

And she would soon have her chance. Late on summer’s night, as she was cleaning up, a breeze passed through the kitchen. On instinct, Aunt May made a second cup of tea. She knew who her visitor was before they ever had a chance to remove their fedora.

“Will you step into my parlor?” she asked, turning around to see none other than Spider-Noir standing half-way through the kitchen’s threshold.

The black and white hero gave what she thought looked like a sad smile. It was difficult to tell with his mask but Spider-Noir did like his morbid humor. The slightly beat-up man crossed the threshold into the living room. He sighed  – it was bizarre to hear someone sigh the exact same way as her Peter did but she guessed that when that someone was an alternate universe version of Peter, it made a little sense.

“Tough day today?” she placed a hand on his shoulder.

The silent and reserved hero nodded. Then to her surprise, he sobbed. He hugged her as tight as he could and he cried.

“Oh, Noir. It’s okay…it’s okay,” she rubbed his back the way she did when Peter was inconsolable. “I’m here. I’m right here. You’re safe here.”

“Can I…Can I sleep here tonight?” he gasped between his hiccups. “I…I can’t go back to my universe. Not tonight.”

“Honey, of course you can. This is your home.” She hugged and sighed. “You can always come home.”

The 30s’ hero wanted to sleep out on the couch. He kept saying that he didn’t want to put her out although she had the guest room prepared for any wayward spiders.

“I’m sorry to burden you, Ms. -”

“I’m your Aunt. We’re family. This is your home,” she spoke in a tone that stopped any further protesting.

Noir’s arguments died before they ever had a chance to state his case. He took to the guest room. She heard him scream in his sleep and how he cried. It took her all of two minutes to reach the guestroom and rouse him from his panic-stricken slumber.

“Noi-“ she stopped herself. He wasn’t Noir. His name was Peter and he was her Peter. “Peter? Honey? Are you okay?”

The private eye shook uncontrollably. He never said what his nightmare was about. Instead, he said but three words: “I hate Nazis.”

“I know, honey. I know.”

She stayed with him the rest of the night. After that, Peter Benjamin became a frequent visitor to her home. He would stay and help with the dishes, sometimes he would work on a puzzle with her.

“Your house is yellow,” he said one early Sunday morning.

“What?”

“Yellow. It’s the color of warmth, safety, happiness. I like your house, Aunt May.”

“I like it too, honey.”

She’d gotten through to one of the “darkest” versions of her peter and yet for the man that had shown up to her home in sweatpants stayed away. She didn’t know it until Miles had informed her but Peter B. Parker had buried his Aunt May. She knew loss. She buried her Peter. May loved each and every single one of the spiders but it was Peter B. who held a special place in her heart. She was never going to see her Peter get older. She wasn’t going to hear his voice or his terrible jokes. And while she cherished the time she got to see Peter B., he shyed away once the portals were open.

Much like Peter Benjamin, May was content to let her spiders do as they please but she wished that Peter B. would stop by, chat, keep her up to date. She didn’t see him until months later. It was well after dark.

“AUNT MAY!” he shouted. “AUNT MAY!”

Oh…she knew that tone. That was the ‘Things have happened – things I might have done – the world is going crazy. I’m going crazy. Send help!’ tone. May grabbed her baseballs bat. More often than not, when Peter had that tone, some asshole was about to break in and start destroying things.

“AUNT MAY!”

Peter B. threw open her bedroom door, panting, looking scared out of his mind.

“Who’s coming?” she asked, preparing for the worst.

“MY KID!” he shouted looking absolutely distraught. “MJ’S and I’S KID! I’M GONNA BE A DAD! Oh god, I’m gonna be a dad. Holy fuck. I’m going to be a dad. Aunt May, I’m gonna be a dad.”

He collapsed onto the bed.

“Aunt May, I’m going to be a dad….” He gasped in complete disbelief.

It was when he stopped moving as frantic as a bumblebee that she was able to get a good look at him. He looked tired but less so. His sizeable gut was smaller than last time too. He was also no longer wearing sweatpants and back in his traditional and not torn suit.

“Congratulations, honey.” She placed a kiss on his forehead like she used to do for her Peter when he’d done something brilliant.

“Thanks Aunt May…” he barely whispered.

“Peter, honey, quick question, did you come here to tell that MJ is pregnant or that she’s in labor?”

His eyes got big and wide and softly but with damning realization, Peter whispered, “Fuck…”

He leapt from the bed and ran back out the bedroom door. May barely heard his rushed, “I’mgoingtothehospitalrightnow!I’llsendyouphotos!ILOVEYOU!I’llbebackassoonasIcan.”

True to his word, Peter B. did send photos of one tired MJ, a rollercoaster of emotions of himself, and a tiny brown-eyed baby with a tuft of red hair.

Chapter Text

For someone who was constantly kawaii and upbeat, Peni Parker was an incredibly lonely person. Sure, she was a brilliant hero, a gifted prodigy, and an all around badass but she was a still a child. She needed the stability of family and friends. However, when your main source of comfort was dead and her mecha destroyed, it was hard to find love in a world where people wanted you dead and everyone else didn’t understand you.

But there was one person who did understand without question or unwanted probing and that was Aunt May. In Peni’s universe, her aunt wasn’t really an aunt but her parent’s colleague who took her in after they died and showed her the ropes when it came to arming and using mecha for every occasion. But much like Peter B. Parker’s universe, she didn’t have her Aunt May anymore.

It was the Green Goblin who killed her.

The details were still vague but from what Peni could assess from the security feed, Norman had figured out that May was connected to the mysterious SP//DR and it’s user. He demanded to know who manned the machine and thwarted his plans. May refused to tell and paid for her silence with her life. Peni could never finish watching the footage. Once she heard her May scream, she had to turn away.

Three hours later, she was fighting The Green Goblin and only one person walked away from the battle.

After that, Peni resolved to not involve anyone else in her crime-fighting. It already took her father and her aunt. Why should she let it take anyone else?

But unlike her namesake, this spider was not a solitary creature. She needed other people who understood her, who wouldn’t talk down to her because of her age, or try to kill her for who she was. She found that love and acceptance in her fellow spiders. Plus, seeing Aunt May again, alive and well, and in no immediate danger was a like a dream come true.

Of course, it couldn’t last. Staying in Miles’ dimension was deadly to them all and they were forced to go back. The love and acceptance that she found was ripped away before she ever had a chance to enjoy it.

And she was alone again.

Peni hated being alone.

Which was why she came up with the idea to reopen the portals and rejoin her fellow spiders. It was risky. It was dangerous. It was also the single source of comfort she had as she was rebuilding her bot. The other spiders had experience. They knew what it was like to go through life being a spider. If anyone would know what she was going through, it would be her fellow spiders, right? Right! With that line of logic, surely they would be as happy to see her as she was to see them again.

Rebuilding the collider and finding the exact coordinates to Miles’ universe was one of the hardest things she ever had to do. It would all be worth it though, if she could see her friends again. Standing proud in her lab, Peni flipped the switched. The collider came to life with a mighty groan but soon it was up and running. The portal was stable. She could go.

Peni threw on her backpack, she took and deep breath, and then she ran headlong into the swirling vortex. She was gone in a flash. Through the portal, she saw all the spiderverses connected by beautiful stunning silk. She never wanted to stop looking at it, but as she was being hurtled through all of time and space, Peni didn’t have much of a choice.

She landed roughly in a backyard. It wasn’t the best landing but it wasn’t the worst one that she could have either. At least this time, her atoms were safe from decay. Peni stood up, her knees bruised and a little bloody and took a look around.

The shed looked the same. The house looked the same too but was it the right universe? Peni got her answer in the form of a shadowy figure coming up to the door with a baseball bat. May was prepared to use it but when she saw Peni she dropped the bat and went rushing over to her.

“Peni, honey? What’s wrong? What are you doing here?”

“I…” she choked on her words. How could she ever explain that she experimented with highly dangerous and experimental science just so that she wouldn’t be lonely anymore? Once she told this universe’s May that, she would be so disappointed in her. She would have her seal up the portal and have her go back home to her own dimension and then-

“It’s okay, sweetie. You’re safe.” she spoke in a motherly tone. “You can talk to me. Are you hurt? Did someone hurt you?”

Afraid to talk, she furiously shook her head. She was going to cry. She could feel the tears threatening to fall and once she did that she didn’t know if she was going to be able to keep herself from imploding from her loneliness. She needed someone. She needed her Aunt May.

But this universe’s Aunt May knew her better than she thought. She took one look at her and saw everything. It was like looking at her Peter and knowing that the pain he felt wasn’t physical but emotional and that he needed reassurance and a hug. Aunt May wrapped her arms around Peni and said very softly, “You could never disappoint me.”

“…I’m sorry,” Peni whimpered as fat tears rolled down her face. “I was so lonely and I-“ she sniffled and wept. “I didn’t know anywhere else to go and I missed you so much and-“

“And you wanted a visit?”

“I’m sorry! Please don’t be mad!”

Too wrapped up in her own emotions, all Peni could think of was Aunt May about to kick her out and send her back. Instead of a reprimand, all Peni got was a tight squeeze from her and these silly but comforting words, “I’m not mad, Peni, honest. I wish I knew you were coming over! I don’t have any of your favorite snacks right now. All I’ve got is some leftover Thai in the fridge.”

“You’re not mad?” Peni gasped.

Aunt May shook her head. “Of course, I’m not mad. I missed you. I missed seeing my little girl. How are you? Are you okay? You look tired.”

Tears streaming down her face, Peni bravely nodded. “I’m fine.” Ah, but Aunt May knew better. She always did. May picked up her niece and carried her inside.

“It’s okay, honey. You’re home now.”

Peni relaxed a little. Home. She was home.

“I love you, Aunt May.”

“I love you too, Peni.”

Winning Peni over was as easy as pie. The girl literally showed up on her porch wanting a hug. The same could not be said for Gwen. Once the portals were open and running safely, she did her best to stay away. She still kept in touch with her friends and helped out when needed but as for spending time with her? It never happened until one dark night.

It was the worst thunderstorm that the city had in ten years. Hail was pounding against the house. Aunt May, lying in bed, listened as the elements raged. She would consider herself lucky if the house didn't lose a window or - the sound of glass breaking informed her that she did in fact lose a window. Since she was losing her sleep, Aunt May got up and decided that it was best to take care of the best before water ruined her floor. As she reached the kitchen, sounds of the storm echoed through the house as did the sounds of quiet cursing. She flipped on the lights and in the kitchen, crouched on the floor was Gwen in her suit. Startled and wet, the spider grinned sheepishly as wordlessly started to pick up the pieces of broken glass.

“You’ll cut yourself,” Aunt May sighed. “Hold on, I’ll get a broom.”

“It’s fine. I’ve got it.”

“Uh-huh,” said May, getting the broom anyway. “What brings you here so late?”

Granted that while most of the spiders came over when it was nearly dark, visits at two in the morning were not common.

Once more, Gwen nervously smiled. “Well, see, I thought I got a distress call from Miles but hey! Guess what! It’s just the storm messing with my com. So, you know, I’ll just clean up and be on my merry way. Bye Aunt May!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait! What’s your rush?”

“Nothing’s my rush. But I AM Spider-Gwen and if I’m not in my universe fighting my city’s bad guys….things can go crazy.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to wait until it stops hailing? I could make you something to eat-“

“I’m not hungry.”

“Do you want something to drink? It’s pretty cold outside and –“

“No, I don’t want anything! I….” Gwen groaned and removed her mask. “Why are you being so nice to me?”

“Cause I’m your Aunt May and –“

“No! You’re not!” Gwen groaned again and again. “I don’t have an Aunt May. I have a father who I barely saved in the line of duty and a dead Peter in my universe. You’re his Aunt May, not mine.”

“So?”

Gwen stared at her in disbelief. “So in my universe, you and me, we don’t talk.”

“And that’s because?” She didn’t know where this was going but she did know that when it came to teenagers grieving, hot chocolate was the best remedy. Now, where did she put the good cups?

“Because I let Peter die!” Gwen cried out. “I didn’t do anything and he died. I can’t look my universe’s Aunt May in the eye anymore. How can I? I let Peter Parker die.”

“You did not let Peter Parker die,” Aunt May said sternly. “If there’s one thing I know about any of the spiders, it’s that you never let anything happen. You guys give everything that you have until it nearly kills you. I don’t believe you for a second that you let Peter die. I know that you did everything you could to save him.”

“But I didn’t save him! And Aunt May, I…I tried so hard and…the funeral was brutal. Cause he was my best friend and once everyone learned that it was Spider-Woman who killed him…” she rubbed her eyes. “My universe Aunt May hates me. She hates Spider-Woman.”

“Then to fucking hell with that version of me. Gwen, I’m so proud of you and I love you for taking up the mantel and doing everything in your power to save the day. I’m sorry that you didn’t save Peter and that you got stuck in a shitty universe where I don’t like you but things are different here. I know you and I know how much you put yourself into this job. The other me can go fuck off and if you ever feel bad or need a hug, come here, okay?”

Gwen sniffled and sighed, “Okay…”

“Wonderful. Now how about that hot chocolate?”

“I’d like that.”

As the life as the support system for the one and only Spider-Man, May had seen somethings that would have left people in shock and questioning their existence on earth. She learned roll with it. Nothing good with questioning the bizarreness of her life. It was just easier to go with flow. However, there were moments where she needed to take a pause when say, a cartoon pig was curled up on her sofa.

A single eyebrow was raised but not a comment was made. Instead, she sat down next to him and put a hand on his head. He looked up to her but didn’t say a thing. Peter curled up closer to her and sighed.

“How about we watch some cartoons?” she asked.

He didn’t protest. Aunt May turned on the television to a channel that provided that same quality jokes and entertainment that Peter Porker delivered both on and off the job. When the main character, a wolf, was chasing his would-be prey off a cliff. The clever prey zipped across the gorge without incident. When the wolf was about halfway out, his gait slowed until he stopped completely. The poor predator looked down and with soulful eyes waved goodbye to the audience.

“…That’s a hard gag to pull off…” said Peter Porker after a moment of silence.

“Is it?”

He laughed, a little bit sad, and answered, “It’s really hard. You have to have the right timing when you’re being chased or doing the chasing. You need to slow at just the right moment when you realize you’ve gone too far and then there’s a million other ways to fall so that the audience laughs the way you want them to laugh….” He groaned. “I fell off five cliffs today, Aunt May.”

“What? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. A couple of falls can’t really hurt me. All I get is a couple of birds, or mini-me’s, sometimes it’s stars…And boy am I seeing stars today. Everything hurts. It’s hard to be funny, Aunt May.”

“Wait right here. Don’t move,” she said, getting up.

“Me? Move. Why I’ll be as still as…as uh….something that’s really still.” Peter Porker groaned at his lame attempt at comedy. It was hard to be funny 24/7. Even he needed a break or two but in a universe where the law ran on Rule of Funny, he didn’t have much of a choice. If he wanted to go on vacation, he would end up at some butcher’s farm that was not so cleverly disguised as a hotel and run the risk of being eaten. If he saw a pretty girl that he wanted to ask out, he would have to go hoof to hoof against the bigger and stronger pig who liked her just as much as he did.

And that was just the non Spider-Ham episodes too.

On an everyday basis, he would have to fight the worst villains like his counterparts did but his was with an extra hitch: he had to be funny. Oh no, he couldn’t hit every foe of his with an oversized mallet or cram a giant barrel of TNT down their pants. Every time, it had to be something new and funny. He could stick with his shtick and even do callbacks but the comedy had to always be new and funny. Otherwise, he would hand the battle over to his enemies. Once the audience didn’t find him funny anymore, he was good as dead.

“Stick a fork in me,” he mumbled. “I’m done.”

“No dying,” Aunt May responded as she returned with two cups of tea and a blanket. “We’re going to stay home and relax.”

Relaxing was never as easy as people made it sound. “What’s the joke?”

Aunt May smirked and wrapped him up in the blanket. “That you’re a pig in a blanket.”

He snorted with genuine laughter. “That old sight gag?”

“It’s an oldie but a goodie. Like yours truly.”

“Oho, pretty quick, Auntie May.”

“Let’s just say that I hoof it when there’s a good joke to be made.”

“Ah, puns, the laziest form of comedy. My one true love.”

Aunt May played with his tuft of pink hair (fur?) and said, “Peter, if you don’t want to be funny, you don’t have to be. I’ll provide the jokes, okay?”

“Thank you, Aunt May!”

They stayed on the sofa and watched cartoons. Sometimes, Peter would comment on a piece of physical comedy or narrate how an episode would go but soon, he fell asleep. He didn’t snore over dramatically or moved the blanket up and down. Peter slept peacefully and contently by Aunt May’s side. And there wasn’t a joke, a sight gag, or a single piece of comedic commentary to ruin the moment.

Chapter Text

It was hard being any version of Spider-Man but it was even harder to be any version of Aunt May. She would always lose a husband, she would always lose Peter to the fateful spider bite, and in some universes, she would lose her life. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t easy. But in the universe of Miles Morales, Aunt May considered herself on the luckiest May’s in the spiderverse. She may have lost her Peter but she gained six wonderful versions of him and she loved them dearly.

However, as much as she loved them, there was no replacing what she’d lost. And so, on the anniversary of her Peter’s death, she went to the graveyard. Heaps of Spider-Man memorabilia filled Peter’s modest grave.

God, it was bizarre. She never wanted to bury her nephew but here she was; standing before his grave.

Every mask, card, letter was a testament to how much this city loved him. But there was the downside to it, people knew who Spider-Man was and it did things to people. Jonah Jameson nearly had a stroke at his desk and soon retired from the paper that he once used to slander her nephew from dawn to dusk. Mary Jane on the other hand, took to the public’s attention. She wouldn’t let Peter’s legacy die. She would make sure that his good deeds would live on and that people would never forget how much he loved helping people.

May appreciated everything that MJ did. After Peter died, she barely kept herself but somehow Peter’s fans found out where she lived and before she knew it, people were lining about around the block to see her: The Woman Who Raised Spider-Man. The fans were relentless. They didn’t know the meaning of no. The police weren’t much help either. The fans took the sidewalks which meant that they weren’t on her property so they technically weren’t trespassing.

Needless to say, it was a pain.

Also needless to say, people knew when to leave when she brought out her baseball bat. They didn’t call her May “The Slugger” Parker for nothing. Most people took the hint with the bat but then there were times like, in the cold and desolate graveyard that, people did NOT take the hint.

“You’re May Parker, aren’t you?”

May glanced back. There was a man about forty, maybe forty-five dressed in a heavy black coat and a grey beanie standing close behind her. He was heavy-set but clean shaven and he had cold-grey eyes.

He grinned when he saw her. “You are May Parker! Wow…”

“I’m not here to talk. I would like to be alone.”

“I just have a few questions to ask you,” the man insisted.

“I’m not talking to anyone. Now, please, if you have any respect for who-“

“I have plenty of respect for you Ms. Parker. But if you’d please, a few questions, a couple of minutes of your time-“

“My nephew was Spider-Man. He’s dead. What else is there to know?” She turned away, ending the conversation but the man wasn’t done. He wanted more. The man grabbed her shoulder.

“I’m not done,” he said.

May, like any self-respecting woman who lived in an absurdly dangerous city, retrieved her pocket knife from her purse and held it to the man’s face. “I am. Consider this your warning.”

He didn’t let go of her shoulder. In fact, his grip tightened. “I don’t want to hurt you but you don’t understand what I want.”

“I understand, I don’t want to talk you to. Let go of my shoulder before I stab you.”

“I have a gun.” The man’s hand shifted under his coat to reveal a shiny pistol. “Now, are we going to talk like civilized people or do I need to remind you who’s in charge?”

May took one look at the pistol and the knife in her hand. She hated guns. She hated everything to do with them. They were loud, noisy, and what’s worse, it’s how she lost her Ben. But, while she was overpowered, she knew how to use her knife. So, without further thought, May did the only sensible thing: she stabbed her would-be kidnapper in the face.

The blade went in deep into his face. He howled in pain and in his pain, he fired. The bullet found it’s home in May’s side. It hurt like hell but she wasn’t done. May retrieved her knife from the man’s face and stabbed him once more and then a final time for good measure. Her kidnapper fell to the ground, crying. She kicked the gun away as a precaution. She didn’t think that he would be able to use it but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Speaking of sorry, the bullet lodged in her side (Oh, God, it hit a rib.) was killing her both literally and figuratively. May put as much pressure on her side as she could as she left the graveyard. Of all the places where she could possibly die, she didn’t want it to be on Peter’s grave.

Oh, fuck, being shot hurt!

Her mind went to Ben’s last moments. Was it as bad for him as it was for her right now? She didn’t want to think about it at all.

“Don’t think about dying, May. Come on, don’t do this.”

All the pep talk in the world didn’t take away from the never-ending pain in her side. She looked down at the wound. Her jacket was covered in blood. Her hand was drenched in blood. It was simply too much blood to be out of her body.

“Tha…That’s not good.”

But keeping calm under pressure was one of her best qualities. As soon as she made it outside of the graveyard, she shouted and waved her single good hand that wasn’t keeping her alive. Part of her didn’t think that anyone would stop. This was New York after all. But thankfully, a cop car saw her and stopped.

“Help!” she gasped. “Please…”

Those were her last words before she fell unconscious onto the snowy sidewalk.

Aunt May didn’t remember much after that. Everything was a blur. There were flashing lights and an ambulance ride. There were people prodding her in her side. Questions were asked of her but she didn’t understand anything. Then there were loud voices and people were speaking frantically.

“-my aunt! I should have been called sooner!”

That sounded like Peter. B. Her eyes were closed but she knew that stressed as hell voice of his when things got really bad.  

“Listen here, dick, give me a nickel and I’ll get on the horn and fill this town with more spiders then you thought possible. My aunt was nearly killed tonight by some goon with a Chicago typewriter. We need answers now.”

Ah, that was Peter Benjamin.

“Did you just call me a dick?” an offended but kind voice said.

“You’ll have to forgive my friend. He’s a bit black and white. What he means is that our aunt was nearly murdered and that’s greatly upsetting to us.”

That was Peter Porker who sounded quite seriously.

“She’s your aunt too?” the now confused voice questioned. “But you’re a pig.”

“Excuse me, sir, but this is my aunt we’re speaking about. She is my and my fellow spiders emotional support aunt and we’d appreciate it if you took this matter as seriously as-“

“How many more of you are there?”

May opened her eyes and saw the scene before her. Peter Porker was standing on Peter Benjamin’s shoulder and pointing angrily at the officer in front of her bed. Peter B. on the other hand looked as though he was going to have a heart attack at any moment and was sulking in the bedside chair.

“There’s a lot of us,” Gwen said.

“Alternate dimensions,” Peni explained.

The officer, a tall, dark, handsome who held some resemblance to Miles - OH. It was his father.

“Okay then…where is my universe Spider-Man? I’d like to talk to him.”

“I’m right here, officer!” piped up Miles raising his hand, who between the older spiders and Peni’s Mecha, seemed to disappear altogether.

“Alright, my Spider-Man,” he sighed in relief. He knew this Spider-Man. He could talk to this one. “Can you explain what happened?”

Miles, still in his mask, shook his head. “I was going to my aunt’s house for dinner and –“

“She’s your aunt too?” Officer Davis groaned.

Miles nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“They’re all my nieces and nephews,” groaned May, fully coming to. At once she was descended upon by teary-eyed spiders. “I’m fine, I’m fine,” she shushed and wiped away their fears. “I’m a little tired but fine.”

“Ms. Parker,” Officer Davis cleared his throat. “I know it’s been a long night but I need to know what happened.”

May groaned. “I was visiting Peter’s grave when a man came up to me. He wanted to ask me questions and he wouldn’t leave me alone. He threatened me, showed me that he had a gun….and I stabbed him.”

The entire room went silent. It was Peter Benjamin who broke it with a tearful but proud, “That’s my Aunt May.”

“Actually, I stabbed him several times.”

“A woman after my own heart,” said Peter Porker, wiping away an over-sized tear.

She freely gave the details on her would be kidnapper and kidnapping. It took an hour to get all the details done and for Officer Davis to be satisfied (the fact that the spiders kept interrupting with minor fits of anger, worry, and fear) but once everything was settled and the hospital room was quiet, the spiders silently gathered around her bed. They were all tense and fidget at the machines and people outside.

“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about the man trying to kidnap me again,” spoke Aunt May. “I think he learned his lesson.”

“You nearly died…” croaked Peter B.

“But I didn’t.”

“Aunt May!” whined Peni, her eyes as big as saucers.

“This is serious! You could have died,” worried Gwen.

“But I didn’t. Kids, this isn’t the first time someone’s tried to kidnap me or kill me.”

This fact distressed the spiders so much more. If it had been a random attempt that would have been one thing but no…this was something she routinely faced.

“I’m fine. I’m sore but I’m fine and you know what? I’m alive. I promise you all that I have no intention of dying. I will be here for as long as I can. Do you know why?”

They shook their heads.

“Because I love you all very much. And I can’t wait to see how much you all will grow as people and heroes. I’m so proud of you all. Never forget that, okay?”

“Okay,” they said in unison.

“Good. Now let an old woman rest and get some sleep.”

“Yes, Aunt May.”

In all of New York, the block that Aunt May’s hospital room was in was the most protected part of the city. The spiders were sure to never let anything happen to her again. After all, there were alternate realities where Spider-Man exited but there was only one universe that had an Aunt May that cared and loved them unconditionally.