Work Text:
“…May… I-… I-I need to tell you something?” – Peter started hesitantly on a Thursday afternoon, couple of days after his encounter with… with his boyfriend now.
His hot and heavy encounter with his brand new boyfriend.
God...
Yeah, he could feel his ears starting to burn at that thought, so, better to just not go there with his aunt right in front of him.
“Sure Peter, go ahead. Let me just put the timer on, nobody wants a burned meatloaf again, right?...” – she replied distractedly, playing around the kitchen.
“It's, it's something important and I don't want you to freak out? So…” – he tried again to get her attention, playing nervously with his sweatshirt’s sleeves and gesturing at the other chair beside his own when May finally appeared again, taking away her kitchen gloves slowly and walking closer with a worried frown on her face.
“It's alright, sweetie, just tell me what happened and I promise you we can fix it, or at least try-…”
“Hey, heyheyheyhey, no, it's-… It's okay! Everything is okay, May… It’s just that… it's just that I’m-… I’mtotallydatingaguyandhe’swayolderthanmebutIreallylikehim and I-I-I don't want you to freak out, but I needed to tell you?”
“…What?” – she asked confusedly looking the exponentially panicky face of her nephew loose all the color he had when they started.
“May-…”
“Nonono, I'm serious, sweetie, I couldn't catch a word of what you said." – she tried again, laughing softly, seeing the boy deflate before her eyes in relief.
“I said I'm seeing someone...” – he replayed slower, eyes fixed on her face to gather her reaction.
“Yeah? Well, that's great Peter! Do I know her?”
“Yeah, but-, no, it's-it's a guy. It's a guy. I’m seeing a guy…”
“Oh. Well… I am surprised, sure, but that’s not a problem… You really thought I was going to freak out because you like boys too?”
“No… of course May…”
“So do I know him?”
“From-… Only from view, but yeah.”
“It's he a boy from school?” – she asked softly, taking one of his hands on hers.
“No… actually, from the work.”
“When you say “the work", you mean-?...”
“The Superhero stuff, yeah"
“…Please tell me it’s someone at least passably around your age, Peter, not, like- Dr. Banner or Dr. Strange.”
“Well…In a way he's definitely younger than that. I think he's around his late 20's or something? But he keeps freaking out about the fact that I'm so much younger and that you'll never be cool with something like that, but I really, really like him a lot and I don't know what to do and I need to know you'll be on my side, May."
“You “think he is"? You're going out with someone who didn't even told you his age?”
“He doesn't know for sure! I guess the math goes all wonky when you play with time, so…”
“Ok, I'll need you to do better than that, Peter. Who is he?”
“… You remember Sergeant James Barnes?”
It took a few seconds for her to be able to say anything about that.
“You kidding.”
“No, no, I'm not!”
“Peter, you're telling me you are dating an a hundred-something years old brainwashed ex assassin?”
“He's not 107-…” – he started heatedly, like someone who had that argument before many, many times, but stopped to take a deep breath before returning on a milder tone. – “Ok… ok-… He didn't ask for any of this, May. It’s not his fault he has been through so much crap and now has to live alone in a completely different time, on top of it. And he's actually really, really sweet when you get to know him, so, please don't judge him for his traumas?”
“I-… I don't know what to say. You're seeing a WWII national hero, “his traumas” and the shit ton of history with it aside! What am I supposed to say?”
“…In his defense, I jumped him, not the other way around."
“Peter!”
“Oh gosh, not- not like that! Sorry! Sorry… Could've definitely chosen my words better.” – he replied, mortified, covering his flaming face with both hands and trying to breath through the embarrassment. – “I’m so, so sorry… I just wanted to say that I was the one who took the initiative, that’s all... He was actually quite reluctant about the whole thing, even though I knew he liked me back. Took some time to wear him down.”
“Peter, dear-…”
“Please, May. I really like him a lot.”
“…You're going to go behind my back if I try to stop this, won’t you?”
“Honestly? I would, yeah. But he’d never agree to it. He’s already so conflicted about the whole age thing - even though I’m at age -, and for some ridiculous notion of me being too good for him, that if I don’t have your blessing, I’ll lose him for good.”
“Gosh…”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t know if I can see past the age gap too, Peter. I mean, 107?”
“He’s not 107. He wasn’t even breathing for the most of it! That really bad organization that Cap took down would just freeze him and shove him aside when they had no use for him.”
“Oh wow…”
“…Tell me about it…”
“Is he not… dangerous?”
“I think as much as I am, May. With a lot more baggage, sure, but with the way he’s dealing with it all? If anything, that makes him better, not worse than any of us, right?”
“He’s really a good guy?”
“He’s the best. He’s a total nerd in disguise, y’know? We like a lot of the same things. And he’s just, sweet. On a stupid, “hold the door open” kind of way, yeah, but also in a “I’ll listen intently to whatever you’re sayin’ like you matter and if I can help with anything, I’m here” kind of way. He was like that ever since I’ve first known him. That’s kinda why I like him...”
“…And because he’s hot.” – May finished for him, getting a squeak in return.
“May!”
“What? I saw his war pictures back in my History classes, you really think I didn’t notice that?” – she argued, raising her eyebrows at him until he shook his head, giving her this one. – “Didn’t knew he was gay, though…”
“Maybe he likes girls too, I don’t know. But I know he and Captain America had something at some point. He never really talks much about it, but it’s clear he loved him a lot. And now… he likes me too.” – he answered bashfully and smiled at nothing for a second. Like the besotted ass he was. - “Which is surreal. I mean, you said it already: just look at him! But he keeps sayin’ I’m good. That I have an inner light, kinda like the sun?... I don’t know-, can’t recall exactly, but it’s just sweet… You’d never guess from his face and demeanor alone how gentle he really is.”
“All right… Let’s do it like this: I want an assessment. I want you to bring him to dinner and I’ll talk to him, ask some questions and get a feel of this thing going on. But if I find anything off, it’s a no, Pete, I’m sorry.”
“Wait, you wanna meet him?”
“Yes. Yes I do.”
“OmyGod May, thank you! You’re gonna love him, I just know it! Aaah, I can’t wait to tell him that, he’s gonna freak out!” – he bursted in an excited blur of limbs, getting out if his chair with a thoughtless flip and rushing to his room.
“Hey, where you’re going?”
“To call him! He’ll never believe it!”
“Call him?” – murmured May to herself, stunned. – “God gracious, that’s way more serious than I thought…”
.