Raising Hybrid Puppies [a Starker coffee shop AU]

Chapter 13

"I'll email you my quote," Toomes tells Bucky once all pastry and beverage-related questions have been decided.

As he rises, the baker fixes Peter with a pointed look.

"Uh, yeah, I will, too. Or just, you know, uh, give it to you at the next Avengers meeting," Peter stutters. No way he'll ever get used to being a business man.

"Friends' discount, right?" Bucky smiles at them. "Since I'm gonna have to buy that Roomba myself and all."

Peter bites his lip but nods. Toomes's parting eye roll is neither here nor there, and a flicker of worry ghosts over Bucky's expression before the smile is back as he's checking his phone.

"Seventy-three likes already! Forget paying for it myself – when this wedding is over I'm gonna be Instagram famous and use the revenue from that!"

Dr. Banner's brow creases. "I'm afraid you're missing a number of followers for that to work in our version of reality."

"Your version of reality sucks, dude. Wait, how come you're so knowledgeable? Oh, right, your famous best friend. Who you're refusing to bring along."

"Whom," Bruce corrects before Peter has a chance to.

"Yeah, yeah, but see, you askin' him would totally help my second income!"

"Using Tony to get more likes is not a viable business model," Peter points out but Bucky waves him off, so he starts cleaning the first floor tables and then continues on the lower level.

Which is the only reason he catches Chandra and May mid-discussion.

Chandra is a voluptuous woman in her thirties with a wardrobe consisting of second hand clothing and a short afro that reveals the semi-colon tattoo behind her left ear. She's also Aunt May's best friend.

And apparently trying to convince May to go out to a bar with her and the rest of the self-help gang.

"Come on, we missed you in group on Wednesday already, M-doll! Don't you go slacking off on us now."

"I can't," May vows, and Peter suddenly feels like the worst nephew ever for failing to notice that, in addition to everything, May skipped a group meeting.

He knows why she's adamant about staying here, too: a pile of paper work is waiting in the office. For the past weeks, May has taken care of the books again to free up Peter's schedule, though without Tony in town, it's no use going to the workshop (and he doubts JARVIS would let him in if he tried).

In retrospect, he really should have said something sooner. He knows how important May's nights out with friends are for her well-being, and he's been a distracted idiot.

So he seizes the chance to remedy that. "I can handle the paper work, Aunt May."

May's frown lightens. "Oh no, honey, it's Saturday night."

"And I haven't got any plans," Peter rushes to say. "MJ's at a demonstration and Ned's gonna crack level five with the H-Net crew cause he thought I'd be, you know, at the workshop and, uh, my other friends are busy, too" Peter adds, feeling slightly guilty about dragging 'Eugene' into this. "I don't mind. You need to switch off, too. You've been working a lot."

"So have you." Yet despite her words, May looks torn.

"You're a good boy, Peter," Chandra jumps in with a grin. "Now you have to come. You need to look after your mental health, M-doll. You should know that by now."

The memories of what happened when she didn't are hard to keep at bay. As Peter and May's eyes meet he can see that she has the same problem.

"If you're sure, Peter?"