Chapter Text
Pepper was determined to do everything she could do make it easier for Tony. That meant delegating more at work, so that the two of them could spend more time together, and moving out to the countryside when it became clear that the noise and bustle of New York City were just too much for him to handle now. Most of it she didn’t mind; these were their lives now and she was ready to roll with the changes. And he’d already been through so much. So when Tony absolutely couldn’t bear to talk to the kid’s aunt, Pepper volunteered even though she knew it would be rough.
She didn’t love whatever it implied about herself, but she’d been expecting a sort of stereotypical spinster: steel-gray hair in curlers, shapeless floral housecoat, big eyes blinking myopically behind thick glasses. But the woman who opened the door was a genuine beauty, sexy as hell in a tank top and jean cut-off shorts, and Pepper felt immediately thrown off her guard.
May Parker didn’t seem to notice her surprise. “Did you find him?” Her voice held a combination of anger and fear.
Pepper shook her head. “I’m sorry, what?”
May scowled. “You’re from the police, right? Nice suit like that – you've got to be. Peter. Have they found Peter? And don’t give me any bullshit about a lot of people being missing. Peter went missing before everyone else disappeared. He was off with that Stark asshole; I know it. He was gone for days before the others vanished. So it’s different.” Her voice cracked just a bit, the fear overtaking the anger for a moment. “It’s got to be different.”
Pepper drew a deep breath. This was going to be even harder then she’d imagined. “I’m not from the police. Miss Parker... can I come in?”
Pepper had already thought, more than once, that when it came to heartbreak there really were only two kinds of people in the world. There were the blissfully ignorant of how bad things could get, and those who already knew to expect the worst. She had suspected that May Parker would be one of the second type and her response to Pepper’s news confirmed it. Yes, there was the shudder of pain, the agonized wail, the instant tears, but she clearly knew how to absorb the grief in the same way that a skilled boxer’s body understands how to take a punch. Surprisingly, that only made Pepper feel worse.
“He died a hero,” Pepper said as they sat on May’s sofa, surrounded by pictures of the boy in question. “He died trying to save billions of lives. I know that right now that might not help, but-”
“It helps.” May interrupted her with a wave of her hand. “It’s how he would have wanted to go. That stupid brilliant brave wonderful... idiot.” She blew her nose. “It’s better that I know. Thank you for coming to let me know.”
“Is there anything I can do for you?” Pepper suddenly wanted to give her a hug, despite not generally being the hugging type.
May didn’t look like the hugging type either. “No. I just need...” She sighed. “I don’t know what I need, but I don’t think you can help with it.”
That was permission to leave if Pepper had ever heard it, but she found herself oddly hesitant. “I’d like to come back, if you don’t mind. To check on you. I won’t drop in or anything; I’ll call first. If it’s okay.”
May wiped at her eyes. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to.” Pepper found that she genuinely meant it. “Let me do it for me. I’d really like to know that you’re all right.”