Chapter 28: Aunt May's House

You enter the living room, where two women are seated on the couch, while a girl runs around laughing with a fat cat trying to chase her from behind.

One of the women is your mother, Madeline, and the other is someone whose presence here surprises you.

"Here is my handsome nephew I was talking to you about," Aunt Cass announces as she puts the plates of cookies on the center table.

Your mother and the woman look up at you, and the woman gets up hurriedly.

"Hello, I am Maggie," she says, extending her hand nervously.

You recognise her immediately because she was also on your Index, though on a very low priority.

She was Maggie Lang, the wife of Scott Lang. Scott Lang is the person, who in comics and movies became Ant-Man.

"I am Lucas, it's a pleasure to meet such a beautiful lady," you say, shaking her hand with a smile.

She blushes at your comment and tries to straighten her clothes.

"What happened to my shy and awkward nephew?" Aunt Cass asks Madeline as she sits beside her.

"Don't ask me, this is new for me too," Madeline says, shaking her head.

You look beside Maggie, where the young girl who was just running around has stopped now and is looking at you with wide eyes. Mochi, the fat cat, is wheezing beside her.

"This is my daughter, Cassie," Maggie speaks up.

Well, you've recognized her too.

Cassie Lang, daughter of Scott Lang, and in the comics she will go on to become the Stinger or the Stature.

Basically another version of Wasp or Ant-Man.

"Hello, Cassie," you say, extending your hand with a smile.

Cassie seems to grab your hand with both of hers as she looks at you all dreamy-eyed. "I am Cassie ... I-I have started High school this year," she says with a red face.

Aunt Cass facepalms in the back while Madeline just giggles in amusement,

"Please don't mind her, she's just a kid," says Maggie with an awkward expression, grabbing Cassie's shoulder.

"I am not a kid, I'm 14 already!" Cassie speaks to Maggie with an annoyed face.

"My nephew has such a big charm, I should be careful around him now," Aunt Cass speaks aloud, looking in your direction.

"Ouch!" Aunt Cass yelps as Madeline slaps her exposed thigh with an accusatory face.

Aunt Cass shifts to the other end of the sofa, getting away from Madeline and rubbing at her thigh pitifully.

You smile amusedly at their interactions.

"Where is May? How has she not arrived yet?" Madeline asks aloud, ignoring Aunt Cass's hateful look.

"I will go and bring Aunt May and Penny," you propose.

"Alright, Mary has just messaged me, so she should be arriving soon too," Madeline says, grabbing a cookie from the tray.

"Cassie, Maggie, you should try these cookies I have made," Aunt Cass speaks out, breaking the mother and daughter's quarrel.

You take one more cookie and leave the room. As you're going out, you can feel the eyes of all four of them following you, but you pay them no mind and exit the house.

Crossing the street, you arrive at a similar house to Aunt Cass's. You've spent a lot of time here too, with MJ and Penny.

You ring the doorbell. "Coming," calls out a voice, and the door opens.

It's Aunt May, standing in front of you.

"Luke!" she says with a smile and gives you a hug.

Maybelle 'May' Parker was quite a famous character in your previous world as the Aunt of Peter Parker, the original Spider-Man, especially this hotter version who is hugging you right now.

Her story in this world is similar to the one from the MCU. She married Ben, but he soon died in a car accident, and now she is working for you as the Director of the Watson Aid Network. She is 39 years old and a widow.

"You didn't have to come here. We were just getting ready to come to Cass's house," she remarks, releasing you. "Come in, the chicken is going to be ready in just 10 minutes. We can leave once it's ready," she says, going back towards the kitchen.

"I don't mind coming here, so it's fine. Where is Penny?" You ask her.

"In her 'workshop,' where else, she stays cooped up in there all the time" Aunt May speaks with a helpless sigh, and you nod in understanding, heading towards the stairs leading to the basement.

You reach downstairs in a basement littered with mechanical parts and books lying around. There were also a 3D printer, CNC machine, workbench, chemical analyzer, and various other devices, all kept pretty clean in comparison.

You weren't surprised at such an advanced array of machinery in such a simple basement, as you were the one who had given them all as a gift.

In a chair, looking seriously at an advanced holographic screen, was the person you were searching for.

"You should do a bit of cleaning here, Penny," you announce aloud, starting to clean up the mess on the floor.

"Ahh!" The girl gives a startled cry at your voice and looks back at you.

"Luke! Why are you here?" The girl stands up in shock.

Penny Parker was the first big shock you encountered in this strange universe. By conventional standards, she should have been a he—Peter Parker, destined to become Spider-Man.

However, your exposure to the Spider-Verse had primed you for the concept of a multiverse of Spider-Men and Women. You were familiar with characters like Petra Parker and Peni Parker, so encountering a female Spidey didn't surprise you as much as it might have otherwise. Penny even bore a striking resemblance to Peni, the Japanese Spider-Woman who had a robot companion.

And meeting Penny in your childhood had mentally prepared you to set aside canonical expectations, as you understood that things could be vastly different in this reality.

Despite the differences, some things remained strikingly similar, such as Penny losing her parents at a young age and being raised by Aunt May.

"Why do you look so surprised, Penny?" you ask, your curiosity piqued. "Is there something you're hiding from me?" you add with a playful smile.

"N-nothing!" she stammers, clearly flustered.

"What's this then?" you ask, moving closer to a workbench scattered with black mechanical parts.

"It's not finished yet!" Penny exclaims, darting in front of you to block your view of the bench.

You shift your gaze to the now-visible holographic screen, catching a glimpse of schematics for self-assembling models of small hexagonal-shaped robots.

"Microbots?" you say, piecing it together instantly. Turning to the red-faced girl in front of you, you express your surprise, "You still remember the story I told you when we were kids?"

"It's... it's not ready yet," she mutters, taking a deep breath as she moves toward the computer. On the workbench, prototype models of the bots lay scattered, their rough designs evident.

"I managed the electromagnetism part, but their self-assembly is very tricky," she explains, furrowing her brow as she swiped through a series of codes and schematics on the screen.

"Penny," you say, stepping closer, "Is this why you spend all your time in the basement?"

She avoided your gaze, looking down.

Gently, you caress her hair. "I didn't provide all these machines just so you'd hide away down here."

"But I'm so close!" she exclaims, looking up at you with renewed determination. "You told me that if I created something that amazes you, you'd promote my internship to a full-time position at Watson Technologies!"

"Yes, but remember, you're still in school. It's important to balance your time, make some friends, experience life outside this workshop," you gently remind her.

Penny rolls her eyes, her frustration palpable. "Ugh, why can't I just quit school already? I already know all that stuff."

"You know why," you reply patiently. "Aunt May wants you to enjoy your school life, to not miss out on your youth."

"Yeah, I know," she murmurs, leaning her forehead against your chest with a heavy sigh.

You gently guide her by the shoulder, leading her to the sofa cluttered with her clothes, where a cute white bra peeks out from one side. With a quick rearrangement, you create some space for her to sit beside you.

"It's impressive how you've brought the technology from that story to life," you express with genuine surprise, "and I'm flattered that you remembered it well enough to make it a reality."

Penny blushes at your compliment, her excitement palpable as she responds, "It was so thrilling to think such a technology could exist, and now I am so close to finishing it!"

"But there's no need to rush," you continue with a sigh, "I've already reserved a special spot for you in my company once you finish school." Revealing this, you add, "The idea of creating something amazing was just my way of encouraging you to spend your time productively, not to confine yourself to the basement all the time." An awkward smile accompanies your words.

"Yeah but you … used to work all the time too" She says in a quiet whining tone.

"Because I wanted to earn money, that's why I kept working," you explain, "but now we have money. And we have so much of it— you, me, Aunt May, Aunt Cass, MJ, Mother— even if we don't do anything and just keep on spending money, we won't be able to spend all of it in our lifetime." You tell her straight.

"So don't keep working all the time," you urge gently, "go out a bit, okay? Spend time with Aunt May or MJ." Your tone softening in the end as you know she wont have such a peaceful time in the future.

"W-what about you?" she asks, looking up hopefully.

"We're spending time together right now, aren't we?" you reply, offering her a gentle smile.

"Yes, I guess so," she murmurs, a tiny smile on her lips, mixed with a sigh.

"And what about that Web fluid idea?" you inquire, changing the subject.

"It's coming along nicely. I've almost got it perfected," she replies, her expression turning joyful.

"I'm so proud of you, Penny," you say warmly, patting her head affectionately.

Penny's smile widens bashfully as she looks down.

"We should get going soon. Aunt May will be calling us," you remind her gently.

Penny leans forward and wraps her arms around you in a soft hug. "Can't we just stay like this for a while? Just the two of us?" she asks, her voice small as she buries her head in your chest. "I hardly get to see you."

"Alright," you agree simply, starting to stroke her thin back. "How is school?" you ask, your voice gentle.

"Fine," she replies softly, her words muffled against your chest.

"No one is bullying you, right?" you inquire, concern lacing your tone.

"No," she responds quietly, still clinging to you in the hug.

"What about that Flash kid and Harry?" you press further, wanting to ensure her well-being.

"No, MJ and Gwen scared Flash off when he tried to steal my lunch once," she murmurs in a quiet voice.

Well, you had instructed MJ and Gwen to take special care of her, so you're not entirely surprised. And with Penny and Aunt May at such high priority in your Index, you're not overly worried.

"Are you doing those exercises I told you to?" you ask with narrowed eyes.

"Yes," she answers, her tone lacking enthusiasm.

"Daily?" you press, sensing her lack of enthusiasm.

"Yes, daily," she confirms, her voice tinged with a hint of resignation.

"Good," you acknowledge. It's clear she sees these exercises more as a chore than a beneficial activity.

You've made an effort to teach her self-defence moves and basic yoga, hoping to instil a sense of confidence and physical well-being in her. Yet, it seems she's merely going through the motions, doing it because you asked, not because she finds any joy or fulfilment in it.

"Did you make any new friends?" you inquire gently, wanting to hear about her social life.

"No, just MJ and Gwen. Liz is cool too; she talks with me nicely, but I can tell that she doesn't like me that much. She just thinks of me as a nerd," Penny explains.

"Well, I happen to like nerds," you interject with a warm smile.

Penny blushes a bit, then continues, "Anyways, I did try to talk with a girl, Jessica. She has also just lost her parents. I wanted to be there for her, as I can feel some of her pain, but she was very rude to me… I think she is rude to everyone these days," she says with a sigh.

Well, that's certainly different from her behaviour in front of you, but you trust Penny wouldn't lie to you.

"I'm happy that you at least tried," you reassure her.

"Yeah," she says, rubbing her face against your chest in contentment. "Hehe, there was this funny scene at school when Harry asked MJ on a date publicly, and MJ told him that she doesn't go on dates with poor people. Haha, you should have seen his face; he was so red, and the whole school was laughing at him," Penny says, laughing heartily.

"I'll ask MJ; she most probably recorded it too," you reply, sharing in her amusement.

You both stop talking and enjoy each others company.

"I can sleep here like this," Penny suggests, snuggling closer to you.

"You should rest more and not work so hard. I'll make D.A.I.S.Y. create a sub branched A.I. for you, so it can help with your self-assembly structuring," you offer.

"Thank you, Luke!" Penny exclaims, looking at you with a happy smile.

"How are you going to control them?" you ask, genuinely curious.

"I've made some progress in the Neurocranial transmitter. It will be just like the headband in the story you told," Penny explains simply.

"You should encrypt it more, make it only respond to you with a personalised neural synchronisation feature, so that no one else can steal it," you suggest, offering a practical solution.

"Alright, I knew I must have missed something," Penny speaks in self blame.

"Don't be down. You're one of the smartest girls I know," you reassure her, smiling warmly.

"Just one of them?" Penny pouts looking at you with a questioning look.

Before you can reply, Aunt May's voice calls from upstairs, breaking the moment.

You both ascend the stairs.

You take the container with the two whole roasted chickens from Aunt May's hands so she doesn't have to carry it, and the three of you head across the road to Aunt Cass's house.