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The moment Peter met Dave, he felt his…as May affectionately called it, his “Peter-tingle.” Not strong enough to suggest danger was immediate, but enough to raise red flags as he sat on the couch in the apartment’s living room.
“Peter, this is Dave! He’s the one from the coffeeshop I was telling you about!”
The man rose to his feet, his height making Peter’s sense tingle just a little more, as he offered his hand to the teen. “So I finally get to meet the famous nephew!”
Peter’s heart jumped. “…famous?” Wait, did he know? His eyes flicked to May, trying to hide his obvious panic.
As if reading her nephew’s mind, May chimed in quickly, “it’s nothing to worry about, sweetie! I just happen to talk about you a lot, is all!” She gave him a gentle wink, putting Peter’s nerves to rest.
Or at least, most of them.
He forced a smile and shook the man’s hand. “All good things, I’d hope?”
Dave chuckled. “Of course! Straight-A’s, attending a brainiac high school, an intern with Stark Industries.” He released his hand and then placed an arm around May’s shoulders. “Your aunt’s got some bragging rights, kid!”
Something about how he called Peter kid made his stomach lurch. That was Tony’s term of affection- well, Tony and most of the other Avengers, but mostly Tony.
But he just kept his forced smile on his face. “Thank you.”
“Peter honey, we were just discussing dinner. Would you be alright if he and I went out, just us two? We’ll leave you some cash, maybe you could order some pizza for yourself-”
“Actually- actually, I was…ya know, go to Ned’s for dinner? We have a project due next week, and I just needed to grab some stuff from here.”
“As long as it’s okay with Ned’s parents.”
“Oh yeah no it’s fine, he checked with them already!”
She smiled, leaning forward to kiss Peter’s forehead. “In that case, we should get out of here. I’ll see you in the morning!” The two adults made their way for the door, his arm still around her.
“Love you!” Peter called out.
The door opened and closed, and peter was alone. His tingle calmed down and he allowed himself a breath before he took out his phone, pressing Ned’s contact as he made his way to his room.
Ned picked up. “Hey dude, I was wondering what was taking so long.”
“Sorry, I was…well, May brought a guy home and I-”
“Oh no, don’t tell me you walked in on a…bad moment?”
“What? No! No, no…nothing like that! I just got to meet the guy.” He took off his backpack, removed his suit from it, before grabbing supplies from his desk.
“You sound like you don’t like him.”
Peter placed the last of the supplies into his bag, along with a change of clothes, before zipping it shut. “Hang on a sec.” He slipped out of his current outfit, leaving it on the floor, and then donning his suit, shimming the backpack over his shoulders. Pulling the mask over his face, he rerouted the call to his HUD. “Okay, I’m headed to you. Karen, please set a course for Ned’s place.”
“Right away, Peter. Finding quickest route.”
He opened his window, slipping out and scaling up the side of the building. “It’s not that I don’t like him…he just made my…my senses go off a little.”
“Ohhhh…” was Ned’s understanding reply. “You think the guy’s trouble?”
Reaching the roof, Peter sighed. “I dunno. Maybe? You think my sense could be wrong for once?"
“...it's possible I guess...but what if it's not?"
"What could it be then?"
"...What if it’s like, that octopus dude, and he secretly know who you are, and he’s dating May to-”
“I think you’ve been watching too many cartoons, Ned. Dave’s a little off, but nothing else. I guess maybe I’m just not used to seeing May with another man since…ya know...”
“I get it.” Ned replied. “Look, just focus on getting here. Come to the door this time though, I don’t want to have to explain to my mom how you got in through my window.”
Peter snorted. “On it. See you soon. End call!”
Karen ended the call for him, and then displayed the route. Shooting off his webs, Peter forced Dave to the back of his mind before swinging off.
~~~~~
He didn’t give Dave much thought until a little over a month later. Happy dropped him off at home after his lab day with Tony. He bounded up the stairs to the seventh floor, opening the door to the dark apartment.
“May? You home?” he called out, unsure. He then spotted the light on in her bedroom, the door open. “May? Sorry I’m late. Mr. Stark and I didn’t realize the time-” He stopped when he saw May hurriedly dropping what looked to be a small makeup compact, shutting her dresser drawer.
“Oh hi, sweetie! I didn’t hear you come in!” She smiled at him.
Peter cocked his head in confusion. “Um…yeah, sorry I’m so late.”
She waved him off. “Ah, don’t worry. Tony texted me to let me know you were getting back late. I swear that man seems to think he coparents, or something.”
Peter laughed, still unsure about what he’d walked in on. “Yeah. I guess. Um, did you eat?”
“Oh! Oh yes, Dave just dropped me off after dinner at his house.”
His stomach lurched again. “Oh.”
“I brought some home for you, if you’d like. He makes a mean pot roast!”
The thought of eating anything that man had touched made Peter feel even sicker for some reason. “No thanks! Ms. Potts made dinner, actually. She kinda came down to the lab and made us take a break.”
May smiled, though it didn’t look genuine. “Glad to hear!”
They were both silent, an unfamiliar tension between the two of them.
“Well I guess I should…go finish my…homework?”
May nodded. “Good idea, baby!”
He nodded as well, waiting another few seconds, but then decided he wasn’t going to get any answers as to what had just happened.
~~~~
It seemed to become a pattern.
Things would go well for a week or two, and then something…off…would occur.
He’d caught her putting on makeup again- something she had never done before, to his knowledge.
“I’m getting older,” she said. “I gotta cover up these crows-feet, right?”
“May, you don’t look a day over 85!” He joked, his tone overcompensating for the unease he felt.
She chuckled. “Thanks, honey.”
She also seemed to get jumpy.
He came home from patrolling, slipping into his window, before pulling off his mask, tossing it haphazardly onto his bed, and heading into the kitchen.
It was dark, but he could vaguely make out May’s silhouette, shutting the freezer door. She turned around and jumped.
‘Oh! Oh, Peter it’s just you!”
“Um, of course it’s me…just got home and wanted to grab a snack…is all…” he reached for the light, turning it on to see May holding a bag of frozen peas to her face. “May? You okay?’
She sighed before slowly lowering the bag, revealing a nasty bruise underneath her right eye. “It’s nothing, I just had an incident at work!” she explained before he could even ask.
“Oh…um…” Peter’s brain felt like he forgot every word he’d ever learned. Well, except one word:
Wrong.
But May offered no more explanation, she just excused herself to her room.
These moments just felt weird. This was not like her.
Dave came by more and more, always seeming nice enough, always taking the time to ask Peter how he was, and check if he’d had dinner, and stuff like that. Peter would always have to answer while trying to ignore the tingle that only seemed to grow stronger by the day in his presence.
He would also hear her crying late at night when she thought he’d be asleep and unable to hear her sobs with his advanced hearing. He could tell by the muffled sound that she was hiding her face in her pillow, trying hard to keep the sound from reaching him.
But whenever he asked her about Dave, she’d just smile and tell him about how in love they were.
He didn’t believe it. He couldn’t let it go. But he just trusted her call and that she’d walk away if things went seriously south.
And then, three months later, it happened.
~~~~~
“Hey, Happy, do you think we could swing by my apartment?”
Happy heaved a sigh, looking at him in the rearview mirror. “You’re kidding, right?”
Peter smiled sheepishly. “Um, I wish I was…I kinda forgot my plans for my suit upgrade that I really, really wanted to show Mr. Stark today, and I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t feel like this wasn’t important, and-”
“Alright! Fine! I’ll just make an out-of-the-way detour at one of the busiest parts of the day! No trouble!”
He couldn’t help but smile wider. “Sorry, Hap… maybe take Queens Boulevard this time?”
Happy rolled up the divider.
Twenty minutes later, they pulled up in front of the building, and Peter got out of the car, Happy rolled down the window. “Hurry up, okay? And you’re gonna be the one to text Tony and tell him why we’re late!”
The teen saluted him before turning and hurrying into the building and up the stairs.
As he put his key into the lock, though, he froze. His senses were going haywire- the way they did before an imminent attack. He hurriedly looked around, listening as best he could, and only a split second later did he hear Dave’s angry voice yell, “you dumb bitch!” and a loud slap, followed by a crash.
Peter’s heart sped up and his hand shook as he tried to unlock the door, forcing himself to ignore the want to rip the door off its hinges, and he got it open.
In the living room was May, on the ground. A folding card table was collapsed on the ground nearby, shards of glass and stains of red wine around her. Across her face, an angry handprint was starting to form. Above her was a very angry looking Dave, his hand raised as if about to hit her again.
“Stop!” Peter cried out before he could stop himself, rushing to help his aunt to her feet. Before he could get there. Dave grabbed him by the front of his t-shirt. The teen didn’t even have to act meek- the shock of the moment got him to be still and stare at the man, who was glaring at him with fire behind his eyes.
“It’s very rude not to let your loving aunt know when you’re coming home unexpected, kid!” he said, spitting the nickname at him. “You never know when you’ll interrupt busy adults, right?”
Glancing at May, Peter nodded rapidly. “I’m- I’m sorry! I just... forgot my-”
“Oh no, Petey. You go get whatever it is you needed oh so urgently, that you had burst in here so rudely for, and you get right back out of here, and nothing ever happened.” He tightened his hold on Peter’s shirt, the teen hearing the quietest seam rip. “Got it? We wouldn’t want anyone to know about this…or else, May might have to face the consequences of raising a child with no manners at all! Capiche?”
He choked out a “…Yes, sir…” Dave released him, and Peter staggered back. His eyes fell upon May who looked up from her bleeding, glass-cut hands, and just shook her head rapidly.
“Peter…it’s fine. I’ll be fine.”
“…you…you sure?” He pointedly shrugged the shoulder his backpack was still hanging from, a signal asking if he should cut the scared boy act.
But she shook her head again. “It-it’s fine. Sometimes…sometimes things need to stay secret, right?”
He stared at her, the need to step in burning him up inside. But he didn’t reach for his suit. He didn’t even reveal the web shooter he always kept strapped to one wrist.
Maybe May was right. Maybe this guy wasn’t worth blowing his identity over…
But he knew he couldn’t let this go. Not this time.
Instead of getting the plans from his room, Peter turned on his heel and fled the apartment, running past the Audi and into the alley beside the building.
“Hey, where the hell are you going?” Happy yelled out the window. But he got no reply from Peter, who was hurriedly changing into his suit. Once he was changed, he shot a web up to the roof, thinking about how to go about this.
If I enter now, he’ll know something’s up… but if I wait, he could hurt her more…
That fact alone made dread sink into his stomach like a stone. She was already hurt. He’d let him hurt her. He left her alone with him! All for the sake of Spiderman!
His mouth opened, about to tell Karen to call Tony, but he stopped himself- how pathetic would it be for him to have to call Iron Man in for something that he should be able to handle himself? No way he would walk away from this with his suit still in his possession!
He ripped the mask from his head and sat on the roof, curling his knees to his chest. He felt frozen- how could he have let it get this far? He was a horrible nephew, and an even worse superhero!
The sound of repulsors getting closer drew him from his reverie. Soon enough, he heard the sound of an Iron Man suit touching down on the roof, as he cringed.
“Hey Spiderman. Got a call from Happy saying you just swung up here with no explanation.” Tony’s tinny voice came from inside the suit. Peter didn’t even look at him. After a moment, Tony’s tone shifted to something more concerned. “Kid? You okay?’
Something inside Peter broke; hearing that nickname from someone who didn’t have malicious intent was all that it took for the tears to fall. He buried his face into his knees, trying to hide.
He heard the suit opening up, and Tony’s footsteps hurrying to him. A hand gently fell onto his back as the man knelt down beside him. “Pete, you gotta talk to me. What’s going on?”
Inhaling and feeling humiliation course through him at the prospect of crying in front of his mentor, Peter just said, “he’s gonna hurt her more…and I’m too weak to stop him!”
“Whoa, whoa, back up a second- who’s hurting who? And what’s this about you being weak?”
Peter took another deep breath. He knew Tony wouldn’t stop until he had all the information. “May’s new boyfriend. Dave. She’s been acting really weird lately- wearing makeup, getting bruises and small cuts on her face, and she’s been all jumpy lately, and I just came in to see him having slapped her so hard she fell into a table, and I could’ve stopped him then, but she didn’t want me to reveal that I’m Spiderman, so I…I ran like a coward, and now I’m stuck because if I go in, he’s gonna know who I am, but if I don’t…” he trailed off. There was silence from Tony, and Peter braced himself for the evitable, “I wanted you to be better” speech, followed by him taking his suit away.
“Peter, we can talk about this later, and I can deal with the identity stuff after, but for now, go in. Web that asshole up! I got your back, kid!” When Peter didn’t reply, he added, “You are not weak. And I will not let this guy tell your secret. Now go show this Dave-douchebag how strong you are!”
~~~
This time, the door was ripped off its hinges, and Peter, fully-suited, wasted no time in webbing Dave to the wall.
He and May had been seated at the table. Dave’s chair flew back, the cheap chair leg snapping off on impact, as he was forced to the wall.
Peter, his heart pumping and his chest heaving with each breath, stepped slowly and menacingly towards him, looking him right in the eyes.
The man’s body trembled as he tried to fight against the webs as he looked from him to Iron Man looming by the doorway. “How…how the hell did you…” Dave’s look of bewilderment slowly turned to realization. “Wait…you’re…you’re May’s little shit, aren’t you?”
Peter didn’t falter, but instead webbed Dave’s mouth shut before pealing off his mask, keeping eye contact with him the whole time, and eliciting a worried gasp from May.
“I guess he’s not as dumb as he looks.” Tony commented. “But he’s still dumb enough to think he can get away beating his dates.” He stalked closer. “And hopefully he’s not so dumb that he thinks if he tells anybody about who Spiderman is, that he won’t have the entire Avengers’ team on his ass?” Dave’s eyes went wider, as if that were possible, and he rapidly shook his head. “Good. Pete, get May outside while I wait for the cops to take out the trash. The car is still there for you.”
Peter could only nod before turning away from Dave for the final time. He pulled his mask back on his head before going to May and helping her to her feet. The two of them walked out of the apartment and down to Happy, waiting anxiously with the Audi.
“May…” he gasped when he saw the woman, who waved him off. The driver opened the back door for the two of them, letting them inside before closing it.
Once they were alone, Peter finally let his shoulders drop and felt all the adrenaline leave him. Safe behind tinted windows, he again removed his mask. “May…I’m so sorry…”
She threw her arms around him and pulled him into the tightest hug he’d ever gotten. “No, baby, I’m sorry! I should’ve left him months ago…I should never have put you in this position!”
He raised his arms around her, returning the embrace. “I left. I left you alone with him, even after I saw what he was doing…Spiderman should not have been more important-”
“Honey, listen to me.” She placed her hands on his shoulders and gently pushed him back so she could look at him. “It’s my job to protect you, not the other way around. Even though you run around saving people, I’m still the one who saves you. That was what I’d signed up to do when Ben and I took you in.” She paused, reality seeming to hit. “And…I fucked that up pretty badly with having him around…what if he started hitting you too?”
“May, don’t think about that!”
“I have to! And I should’ve thought about that all this time!” He reached up to wipe away a tear that was falling from her eye, causing her to smile sadly. “Look. It seems like we both have a lot to apologize for…but maybe for now…we can just…just hug? I could use one right now.”
He nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, that sounds good!”
They stayed in each other’s embrace, even through the flashing red and blue lights outside. Even through Dave being hauled away in a police car, still covered in webs. Even through Tony giving remaining info to the police before letting his nanites retract, straightening his tie, and cautiously opening the car door. “Hey, room for one more?”
They looked up at him before May gestured with her head to the empty seat beside her. “We saved you a seat.”
The billionaire slid into the car and settled as Happy got into the driver’s seat. “Happy, take us to the tower. I’ll text Bruce and let him know we got a patient coming.”
“Oh, no, that’s fine. I’m okay!” May said simply as the car began to move.
“Are you sure you and him aren’t related by blood? Because that’s what he’s said about some more serious injuries.”
“Oh did he now?” She looked at her nephew, who sheepishly looked at the floor.
“Hey, this is not about me, Mr. Stark!” He then sighed. “Okay…well maybe it is sort of about me…”
“Pete, I’m gonna stop you right there before you wander any further down the pathway of self-hatred.” Tony interrupted. “Your aunt was looking out for you, you were looking out for her. Granted it’s not the ideal situation…” He paused. “But you know you could’ve just called me right away. Would’ve saved a few minutes of you stewing in guilt on the roof!
Peter felt his face heat up. “I…I thought you might think I wasn’t…cut out for this if I couldn’t handle it myself…”
“Oh kid. It’s okay to call for help when you need it. I mean, look at me, I’m the perfect example of why not doing that is the wrong choice!”
“He’s not wrong…” Happy grumbled from the front.
Ignoring him, Tony continued, “The important part is, you stopped him. And you bet your ass that if he breathes one word about you while in prison, I know of two former Russian assassins who care about you very much and would gleefully make his death look like a suicide!” When May raised an eyebrow at him, he quickly tacked on, “But that’s not gonna happen, because he’s not gonna say a word! But bottom line, both of you did what you needed to do for the other. And that’s the strongest thing you can do for someone you care about, no matter the circumstances.”
Peter exchanged glances with his aunt, who commented, “Ya know, if someone told me just six months ago that you’d ever say something that profound, Stark, I’d have had the doctors at the hospital hold them for a 72-hour evaluation.”
This got Peter to laugh, something that felt like it hadn’t happened in weeks. Tony hid a smile at the sound and groaned good-naturedly. “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, kiddie! Keep laughing and I’ll tell Thor where you hid your secret stash of Poptarts.”
Peter stopped laughing. “You wouldn’t.”
“Try me.”
“…maybe I oughta web you to the wall next time!”
This time, it was May who burst out laughing. “Oh, I’d wanna see that!”
Tony shook his head while dramatically bemoaning, “Everyone is out to get me!”
Peter looked at May, and they both smiled at each other. “No, we’re just…doing what’s best for each other!” and they both laughed again, while Tony couldn’t hide his grin any longer.