Sweet Chemistry

Bittersweet

      Peter had spent the next few weeks mentally kicking himself. He hadn't heard from Tony in nearly a month. He never got an answer when he called and, eventually, had to stop leaving voicemails because Tony's voicemail box was full. His texts went unanswered, and he had even tried to work up the nerve to visit Stark Tower. His grades were slipping, he wasn't sleeping, and it was all he could do to force himself to eat. He had finally come to terms with Ned's assessment of the relationship. Tony Stark was simply looking for a sugar baby, and when things went further than that, he ran.

       This was the fourth weekend in a row that Peter had ignored his homework and didn't bother to make plans. He sat at home, finishing off a beer after his shift at the bakery. "Maybe if I call...just one last time..." A knock on the door inturrped him. "Come in!" He called, not even bothering to see who it was, though a small part of him hoped it was Tony.

        May stepped through the hall, arms crossed as she stared down at the boy on the couch. "What in the hell has gotten into you?!" She huffed, tapping her foot. "Skipping out on seeing me, your grades are dropping, and your grades NEVER drop, and now I drag my ass over here to find you DRINKING?!" She shook her head.

     Tears welled in Peter's eyes "I know...I know Aunt May I'm so sorry... you deserve better than this.."

    May saw that he was obviously hurting and she frowned, leaning down on her knees in front of the couch where Peter sat and pulling him close. "Shhhh...it's okay...cmere. Whats wrong?"

    Peter wrapped his arms around the only parental figure he had, sobbing quietly. "I thought...I thought I finally found love...but I was wrong. I messed it all up and then I realized it wasn't love anyway..." He sniffed, clinging to his Aunt.

       "Well that's life, honey. Sometimes people aren't who we think they are..." She kissed his head. "C'mon, let's go get dinner. I'm in the mood for some Thai." She smiled and wiped his tears, kissing his forehead and fixing his hair.

    Peter smiled softly closed his eyes for a moment before standing up with her. "Thai sounds good, Aunt May." He straightened his shirt and followed her out the door. 

---

     It took another two weeks for Peter to finally get back on track, back to where he was before Tony had come into the picture. He had finally gotten past his depressive state and moved forward. He had brought his grades back up, and just in time for winter break. The bakery was thriving now that they had added more warm drinks to the menu, and everything had fallen back into place.

     Peter was running late for his shift at the bakery. It was all hands on deck tonight, this was their busiest time given that everyone was holiday shopping. He ran down the busy street, weaving through people and apologizing if he bumped into them. Thankfully he made it with a minute to spare. He stopped to catch his breath, walking into the warm store and sliding past a few customers to get into the back and get his shirt and apron on while May helped them.

     Nearing the end of the day, Peter stayed up front to take inventory while Ned and May cleaned up in the back. He hummed softly, cursing himself for getting those carols stuck in his head again. "12...that can't be right...Ned, Aunt May, how many macaroons did we sell today?" He asked, popping his head around the corner.

     "Out of the 70 that we made last shift? 56." May answered, continuing to mop.

       "Holy shit that's a lot." Peter's eyes went wide, but he shrugged "just wanted to make sure I was right. Thank you!" He finished up inventory and May came out to say goodbye, telling them to be safe before she went home.

     There were still about ten minutes until closing, but Peter decided to start to put away the leftovers early. He reached into the display case and pulled out the tray of crossiants. The door chimed and Peter looked up to greet the customer.

      His eyes widened and the tray clattered to the floor, pastries flying everywhere as Peter  stared as the person before him.Tears filled his eyes and he backed away a bit, hoping this was just a bad dream.