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.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
[WORD COUNT: 1425!]
Once you had disappeared into the shower and Peter had dropped in the towels and clothes, he had headed out to Bucky's room where he was able to shower. Although he had opted to wait for you, he needed to get out of the suit and the sticky adhesive wasn't helping his growing desire to be clean again.
After a long-awaited shower, Peter combed his hair back before ruffling it up again, changed and headed out of the bathroom. Just as he crossed the hallway heading back to his own room, he was met with Wanda outside her bedroom door, leaning against it, the hologram of a small bunny presented through her gamma.
"Parker, Stark wants you downstairs in the comms room" she smiled, her accent thick and breaking the silence as he passed. Peter cursed under his breath. He knew he had to go down, as Tony had instructed that he come back to his attention when he was finished ensuring you were settled in and all. But he just wanted to go back to the room and be with you, forget everything for the night and just see your smile, safe and sound beside him.
"Can't it wait, I'm pretty tired" Peter exaggerated as he yawned, stretching out his arms. But Wanda wasn't buying it.
"I don't know," she extended, "he looked pretty serious-"
"Fine" he groaned, folding his arms back down to his sides. He dragged his feet all the way to comms room, taking his time as he leisurely walked, trying to find something, anything to distract him.
Sure enough Tony was waiting for Peter in the comms room upon his arrival, appearing to have interrupted a conversation between himself and Happy as his attention was brought to Peter. Tony shooed his assistant away as Peter closed the door behind him, hearing the creak and click echo through the large room, "I can come back later if you're busy"
"No, no, it's fine. There is actually someone here to see you" Tony smiled, quickly pacing down towards Peter and placing a hefty hand on his shoulder. Peter nodded, walking alongside his mentor as they paced down to the end of the room where the other doorway was sat, leading through and down to the main entrance again. To Peter's surprise, his eyes caught sight of Aunt May sitting in one of the chairs beside the scaled window.
"Mr Stark, wait" Peter stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes fixated on his mother figure.
"What? What's wrong?"
"I... I'm not ready to talk to her"
Tony scrunched his brow, folding his arms over his chest, "and why not?"
"We left on a bad note, and if I'm perfectly honest my brains pretty fried. Please, can this wait? I just wanna go to bed" Peter whined, pouting his lips. Indeed, Peter was tired, and knowing that you were waiting for him just sent his cravings through the roof. It had been so long since he'd been able to hold you, squeeze you, touch you, kiss you, love you in all the ways he could think of.
"Kid, Y/N is gonna be here all night. Aunt May doesn't have that much time. She came all the way out here to see you, and you're just going to turn her down like that?"
"Well, she didn't have much of a hard time turning me down when Y/N was the topic of conversation. She didn't have a hard time pushing away the person I love when she knows I'm old enough to make my own god darn decisions" Peter shot back in a harsh whisper. The love he had for his Aunt May was unexplainable and it couldn't be topped, but he loved you too and it would be the same if it was the other way around. Aunt May overstepped a boundary and he wasn't about to go running back to her like nothing ever happened.
Tony scoffed, unfolding his arms, "If you so much as think that you're going back up those stairs without speaking to her tonight you have got another thing coming. If I was sitting in that chair right now knowing my nephew didn't even want to come and accept my apology I would be heartbroken. She loves you Peter and she did what she did to protect you. That woman has lost everything-"
"Yeah, and so have I!"
"You have your whole life ahead of you Peter, Aunt May lost the love of her life and it has broken her in ways she can't explain, and then she came to the thought that she was going to lose her nephew too? Imagine how she felt."
"I'd never leave her, she knows that"
"That isn't the point Peter. Now get in there, and talk to her" Tony instructed, he wasn't asking any more. With a sharp groan, Peter stomped forward, teeth digging into his cheeks as he marched down to the entrance.
To the sound of Peter's footprints, May lifted her head, eyes glossed over with tears as she stared up at her nephew. Soon she was bounding over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a tight hug. Peter wanted to object, but Tony's voice was ringing away in the back of his head telling him whatever he did, to never let go.
"I'm so glad you're okay" she whispered, hand tracing the back of his head gently.
"I'm fine, May" Peter mumbled in response, slowly unravelling her arms from around his neck, "I'll always be fine"
"I know you're mad at me, I'm sorry" she wiped her red cheeks as Peter tucked his hands into his pockets. "I... I don't have a good enough excuse as to why I did what I did, Pete"
"It doesn't matter now" Peter shook his head, "are you alright?"
"Yes, yes I'm okay now I know you're okay" she smiled, nodding her head profusely. Peter gave an awkward smile back, awkwardly rocking on his feet as silence filled the room.
Suddenly May reached down into her purse, rummaging through the contents, "I, um, I actually came here to give you something" she snivelled, pulling out a black velvet box.
"May- That's-"
"It's not much, but... Well, I guess you could say-"
"May that's your engagement ring" Peter pointed out, "I-I thought-"
"Look, it's not much, but... When you left the salon that evening I realised how much Y/N meant to you and how much of a silly aunt I had been. I want you to give this to her... Please" she shoved the box towards him, taking his hands and placing it into his palm.
"May- I can't take that-" he looked up at her with weary eyes, guilt suddenly filling his chest.
"Yes you can, and you will. For me, Peter" she smiled, making sure he kept the box in his hand before she moved to bring the bag further along her shoulder.
Peter didn't know what to say, how to say it and had completely forgotten how to move. Here he had been so selfish and stubborn as his Aunt passed down her engagement ring. Peter knew neither of you were ready to take a step as big as marriage, but it still meant something. You were both young and nieve, barely even able to establish a relationship without the chaos of the world-circling around you. But... It was still there. Sitting in the palm of his hand waiting to be re-opened again.
Peter pulled his aunt forward into the hug she deserved, silent tears falling down his cheeks.
"I needed to let you go at some point, Peter. I just didn't know when I was going to be ready. I'm sorry, I know you're ready for the world now" she murmured, placing a gentle kiss on his shoulder.
"Stop apologising, it's not your fault" he smiled, hugging her tighter than before. She slowly pulled away, just like before, looking down at the box still secured in his hand.
"You give that to her when you're ready. I know she'll treat you right" she nodded, "I have to go, but... Come and see me some time, please" she placed a hand on his cheek, gently caressing his damp skin. He nodded, pressing his weight into her palm and remembering her touch.
