A/N: surprise surprise because it's christmas! ✨

even tho my fam doesn't celebrate christmas, i hope you guys had a great day and lots of presents!

this chappie is a lil on the funny side so enjoy!

————————————————————

"Because one Parker wasn't enough."

————————————————————

"Miss Potts," a waiter greeted with a warm smile.

The woman smiled back at him as she walked down the carpeted path towards him.

"Hi," she greeted.

"Please, come this way," he said, gesturing to the hall towards his right, "Mr. Stark is waiting for you at a private table."

Pepper nodded, following the waiter deeper into the restaurant. It was nighttime now, later that same day, and as per the billionaire's request — more so a demand — she was here at Le Bernardin. She noticed the lights became dimmer and dimmer as walked through the restaurant. She could hear the distinct chatter and clinking of cutlery of other guests. The soft sound of a piano drifted to her ears. They turned a corner, stopping in front of a dimly-lit area of the restaurant that was scattered with soft yellow lights and flowers. And of course, one billionaire as promised, sitting at a clothed table in the center of it all, dressed in a black suit, smiling at her.

"Thank you," Pepper said quietly to the waiter and he nodded, taking that as his cue to leave the two alone. She smiled at Tony as he stood up.

"I think the dress could have been a little more revealing, but I approve," he joked.

He walked over to the other side of the table, pulling out a chair for her. It was a deep navy dress that plunged down the front and had practically no back. She didn't know what could have been more revealing than that, but when it came to Tony, more was always less. Still smiling, Pepper made her way to the chair, her heels clicking softly against the floor with every step. She took a seat and Tony gracefully pushed her chair in before returning to his seat on the other side of the circular table.

"I didn't think you were actually going to come," he said, taking a sip from his wine glass.

"And stand you up? That's more your thing, not mine," she teased.

"Touché," he said and then looked up at her, meeting her eyes. He smiled slightly. "Remember when I stood you up on our second date because I lost the address of the restaurant?"

"No, you lost the address on the third date. On the second one, you got drunk and fell asleep and completely forgot about the date," she reminded him. Tony chuckled.

"Yeah, that was it," he said, shaking his head as his eyes fell to the table once again. When he looked up at the woman again, she was smiling down at her plate. He had missed that smile. A lot. "Sometimes, I don't know why you put up with me."

Pepper laughed lightly.

"I don't either," she said, meeting his eyes, "You're a toddler, you know that?"

"Oh believe me, I know," he said. And that was when the waiter returned with their food. He put down in front of them, nodding his head slightly.

"Please, let me know if you need anything else at all," he said before leaving them alone again.

"So, I think we were talking about something important this morning," the billionaire said, digging into his caviar.

"About your lack of manners?" Pepper asked, doing the same. Tony shook his head.

"No, the other thing," he said. Pepper hid a smile.

"I can't remember," she said and Tony gave her a look.

"Move back in with me, Pepper," he said seriously, "I mean it." The woman sighed, pursing her lips.

"Give me a single good reason," she said.

"Because...Because I can't tie my shoes without you," he said, "And because I still think my social security number is five."

Pepper couldn't help but smile at him. He wasn't wrong. He couldn't do a single thing without her.

"Tony, you know it's not that s—"

"Move back because Adie needs you," he blurted, "She needs things back to the way they were. Move back in for her, if not for me."

Before Pepper could even open her mouth to reply, there was a commotion in the distant in the restaurant that got progressively louder as it came closer.

"You can't stop me!" the woman's voice said angrily, "Get your hands off of me!"

Tony and Pepper both glanced at each other in confusion.

Just then, May Parker marched into their private reservation, looking absolutely furious. Her deathly glare landed on the billionaire.

"You!"

"What did you do this time?" Pepper asked him under her breath as the woman marched towards him in determination.

"Your guess is as good as mine," he mumbled back.

"Sir, we tried to stop her, but...we couldn't," the waiter said, appearing behind the woman. May narrowed her eyes at the billionaire. She was standing a few feet away, but Tony still gulped at the furious glare she was directing at him and no one else. He wondered why she was so angry. Had she found out he hated her walnut loaf?

"Just because you're some billionaire hotshot, you think you can make my nephew — my Peter! — and make him follow all your dangerous little shenanigans!" May scolded him. Tony felt the overwhelming urge to apologize immediately and he never apologized to anyone. "He is just a kid!"

"Why don't you sit down and we can talk about this calmly over caviar?" he said slowly. May grew even angrier with this statement.

"Are you trying to bribe me with caviar? Listen to me, you absolute coat hanger, don't you dare think, for one minute that you can use my nephew—"

"May!"

"Because one Parker wasn't enough," Tony mumbled, glancing over at Pepper who was taking this whole situation with a grain of worry.

Peter rushed into the room, looking panicked. He spotted May already there with Mr. Stark, and his eyes widened to the size of golf balls as he tried to imagine just how many times she had already threatened him. May had somehow easily barged into the restaurant and through the security but they had stopped him at the front door so it took him longer to find her again. He had been trying to calm her down the whole drive here. Peter didn't even know how May knew that Mr. Stark would be here in the first place.

"May, please don't do this," Peter mumbled in embarrassment, jogging up to her, "Mr. Stark, I tried to stop her, I—"

"You know what?" May said, not even paying any attention to Peter.

"I'm sweating with anticipation," Tony said nervously.

"I knew there was suspicious about you the moment you walked I to my apartment," she said, shaking her head, "I mean, what kind of billionaire comes all the way to some kid's house over a grant? That's it. Peter won't be working for you or with you or anywhere near you anymore."

"But May—"

"Peter, stay out of this, the adults are talking," May snapped over her shoulder and Peter sighed. She turned back to the billionaire. "Do you anything to say for yourself?"

"Uh...in fact I do, actually. My...My assistant will talk on my behalf," he said, turning to Pepper. Her eyes widened at him when she realized the she was the assistant here. She shook her head. Tony gave her a pleading look.

If there were two things the billionaire was afraid of they were crying women and angry women.

And May Parker was one hell of an angry woman.

"I'm going to be filing a lawsuit—

"—She won't," Peter interjected apologetically, stepping forward.

"And I will be suing Stark Industries—"

"—She's just kidding," Peter excused.

"And I will tell the media what a complete stronzo you are—"

"—I promise, she has a good heart," Peter argued. With every threat, Peter was growing more and more tense. How the hell was he going to stop May? When she got like this, there was no one who could actually stop her.

"Hold on, hold on," Pepper said, turning to May, "Hi...Mrs. Parker? Can I call you that?"

May crossed her arms across her chest angrily.

"You can call me May."

"Okay, May, look, I just think there has been some kind of misunderstanding here—"

"Yes and for the record—" Tony started. Pepper glared at him.

"The adults are talking," she snapped and Tony shut himself up, leaning back into his seat, completely not offended by her statement. It wouldn't have been the first time she'd told him that.

"Look, Tony told me about your nephew," Pepper continued, "And Peter was already Spider-Man even before Tony recruited him."

There was a beat and Peter's stomach fell.

Uh-oh.

"Is this true?" May asked rather calmly, turning to face him. Peter gulped. He couldn't even find it in himself to answer her and so the woman took his ashamed silence as a yes. May pressed her lips together, trying to contain her anger. Tony made a yikes expression at Pepper.

"So that day Tony Stark didn't come to my apartment because you were offered an internship at Stark industries?" she asked him. Peter stared at the floor, slowly shaking his head.

"He was just there to recruit you for whatever he needed?"

Peter nodded.

"Well? Did you say no?" May asked.

"I-I told him I had homework?" Peter said, raising one shoulder in a semi-shrug.

"Jesus Christ, Peter," May said, tossing her hands up before letting them fall to her sides. "How long has this been going on without my knowledge?"

"A-About a year," he admitted. 

"A year!" May shouted, turning to the billionaire again who flinched at her glare. "You've been using my nephew for your wildly dangerous missions for a year!"

"Technically speaking, it's only been like six months. I cut him off after the ferry incident—"

"You were at the ferry?!" she shouted in exasperation, turning back to her teenager. Pepper kicked Tony's foot under the table, trying to tell him to shut up in her subtle way.

"Th-There was a weapons deal—"

"There were weapons involved and you voluntarily went there!" she shouted, "I can't believe you could be so irresponsible! And you!" She turned back to the billionaire. "You're a bigger child than he is!"

"So I've been told," Tony mumbled beneath his breath.

"That's it," May said, "We're going home and I don't want you near Tony Stark again!"

She grabbed Peter by the ear and began dragging him out of the room. Peter squeaked in pain.

"Ow! May, that hurts! May!" he complained. Tony and Pepper watched them leave until the sound of Peter's complaints faded down the hall.

"You have to admit, that is one unbelievably attractive aunt," Tony muttered.

Pepper gave him an are you kidding me look.

—————

May didn't let go of his ear until they were back out into the street again.

She was furious with him for lying about such a big thing. He was lucky he hadn't been killed with all the dangerous things that he had been involved in. She couldn't believe he had been going behind for back like this for a year.

Peter rubbed his ear, wincing in pain. Getting thrashed around by the Vulture actually hurt less than May dragging him out of a restaurant by his ear. He looked at May, still rubbing his ear. She glared at him and then turned around, quickly walking away from him, back to where she had parallel parked the car on the side of the street. Peter ran after her.

"May!" he said, catching up to her, "May, please just let me explain."

"I don't want to hear anything," she snapped in anger, walking faster.

"Come on, May, don't do this. There's a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of this, I promise."

The woman said nothing.

"May," Peter said.

"Please, come on," he said, struggling to keep up with her. He was already winded from whatever it was that had happened back inside the restaurant and now Aunt May was walking so fast in hot anger, she was practically running.

Finally, they reached their Civic and Peter quickly got inside before May could drive off without him. Without a word, she entered the street again and drove them home in nerve-racking silence.

—————

When they got back to their apartment, May dropped her purse on the couch and went straight towards her room.

"May, I know you're angry with me but please just hear me out," Peter tried one last time. The woman sighed, stopping at the entrance of the hall. She turned around.

"What's there to hear, Peter? You've been lying to me for a year now and every time I think you're safely sleeping in your room, you're going out and fighting crime?"

"But it's my responsibility!"

"You are just fifteen years old, Peter. You don't need to go save the world! We adults handle that kind of stuff for you. Your kids' job is to just stay safe and out of trouble."

"May—"

"I feel like such an idiot for who knows how many lies you made me believe," she breathed, rubbing her forehead.

"May I'm sorry," he said and the woman looked up, as if finally hearing him. She sighed, her anger melting away into stress. She looked at him, really looked at him. May swallowed, trying to find the right words to say despite the painful knot growing in her throat.

"I love you, Peter and I can't afford to lose you too, okay?" she whispered, "You're all I have left."

Peter swallowed.

May was right. He was all she had. Her parents had died when she was in college. It hadn't even been a year since Ben had passed away. He was her only family. Of course she was scared of losing him. Anyone in her position would be.

Peter walked up to her silently and wrapped his arms around her shivering body.

"I'm really sorry I lied to you, May," he whispered, feeling tears stinging his eyes, "I promise I won't do it again."

May sighed tiredly, hugging him back.

"I love you too, Aunt May," Peter mumbled quietly into her shoulder. May closed her eyes.

"I know, Peter. I know."

—————

A/N: we love a supportive aunt 🥺

i'm kinda glad the movie didn't actually show how may reacted because i really wanted to write it like this lol

once again, have a merry christmas! love you guys xx

question: who's excited for 2020 to end in 6 days?? definitely me 😌