Chapter Text
Today was one of May Parker’s favorite days of the year though she didn’t normally celebrate it for anything other than the day everyone else did. However, while others were celebrating Halloween with masks and candy and trick-or-treating May silently celebrated her Birthday. She knew why she had her special day now and why it wasn’t her birthday, that had all been revealed to her so she knew why it was hard for her parents to celebrate on this day, after all, it’s not every day your baby is kidnapped and you’re told that your baby was stillborn just to have her returned months later. So while she knew her parents were going to wait until her special day she was hoping to celebrate at least by herself in her apartment once classes got out because today May “Mayday” Parker the daughter of Spider-man turned 21 officially.
She looked at the clock and groaned softly as class just seemed to be stretching forever. Of course that was normal with this teacher. Mr Hanson was a nice old man but the sing-song way he talked could easily put you to sleep. It also didn’t help that the way his sentences stopped always sounded like questions so you never knew if you should call out an answer or wait for him to continue on. Next year once her friend and sometimes sidekick Felicity moved in with her and started at college she would look forward to coming home to bitch about teachers like this and trade stories about the other students, like the new girl Jackie Blaze who had just enrolled this year and ended up in the class with her. Jackie was about the only real interesting thing in this class always coming in looking like she belonged more to a biker gang than roaming the college grounds.
May snuck a peek over at Jackie sitting back in her chair as though not having a care in the world, her black leather jacket hung over the back of the chair. She wore leather pants cinched tight with a studded black belt and a cotton shirt with an interesting purple swirl pattern on the black background. Today she wore a choker necklace with a skull sitting at the front of her throat. The silver skull seemed to gleam slightly as May looked at it and she couldn’t help but wonder if there were anything special about Jackie. Her father told her that Jackie was the grand-daughter of Johnny Blaze who used to be Ghost Rider and for a time was even the King of Hell. Did that sort of thing get passed down in the family? Her dad thought it was possible seeing how the next Ghost Rider in line Daniel Ketch was supposed to be Johnny’s brother. There hadn’t been any sightings of the Ghost Rider for a while though so it’s possible it didn’t get passed down.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to May the teacher announced that class was over and she gathered her books into her backpack and made her way out of the classroom and made her way up to the roof of the building. She took out her cell phone and dialed up her father.
“Hey, Dad. Anything going down today that you need me for?”
“Not that I can think of May. Benji and mom both say hi.” came Peter’s reply.
“OK I’m just gonna check in with the Avengers and as long as nothings attacking the world I think I’m just going to go home and chill.”
“Sounds like a plan, May. Just remember though if you decide to get any drinks tonight don’t overdo it. Your metabolism will help you not get drunk as easily as everyone else but if something does happen you don’t want to be web-swinging while drunk.” cautioned her dad.
May rolled her eyes, parents , she thought, they never change , “I know dad, I’ll be careful.”
“See that you are, young lady.” May could hear her dad trying to hold back a laugh.
“Yes daddy....I’m gonna go call the avengers now... goodbye.” May shook her head and hung up on her dad before hitting the speed dial for the Avengers.
“Hey Jarvis! Spider-Girl here. How’s everything going today? Any world-shaking emergencies I should know about?” She asked when Jarvis the Avengers’ butler answered the phone.
“No Ma’am, everything is quiet aside from the trick-or-treaters in the tour groups today. Saberclaw is terrorizing the children before giving them candy.”
May started laughing, “You guys let Saberclaw give out candy?”
Jarvis gave a world-weary sigh “He and Miss Rina insisted on doing it together.”
“Oh my Saberclaw and Wild Thing together. I’ll let you go then Jarvis I’m sure you have your hands full!”
“You have no idea Miss Parker. Have a good day.”
May put away her cell phone after giving a little shiver. The Avengers knew who she was nowadays but it was always weird when Jarvis called her Miss Parker. He was part of the Avengers in so many ways but May had always kinda seen him as part civilian too even after all this time. Her dad though had no problems with Jarvis knowing who they were and even told her one day that Jarvis probably knew her identity from the first moment but kept it hush hush because he was just that awesome a guy. May could easily believe that.
A quick change of clothes and May went web swinging back to her apartment. On a suggestion from her dad she had found one with a skylight. He recounted stories to her of how much easier that had made his comings and goings when he was just a kid out on his own. Well except for the time that some lovely young ladies started using the roof to sunbathe. May didn’t think she’d have any problems with that sort of thing in this part of town though. Once May landed on the roof of her apartment building she quickly opened the skylight and slipped into the apartment clinging to the ceiling just long enough to close the glass and then dropped to the floor.
May tossed her mask onto the end of her couch and made her way into the kitchen where she grabbed a pint of ice cream and a spoon. It was certainly time to just chill, May thought as she walked back to the living room taking the first heavenly bite of mint chocolate chip ice cream. She flopped onto her couch and turned on the tv and with a grin flipped through the streaming channels until she found the show “ The Boys ” and turned it on. The show was certainly one of her guilty pleasures and her parents didn’t understand what she saw in such a show considering how it made the heroes out to be villains.
“Thank god our world isn’t like this show. I don’t see how Mom and Dad don’t see the appeal, I mean it would be so easy for that to really happen and yet our heroes really are good guys instead of corrupt like Homelander.” She sighed softly and then laughed as she watched a baby firing eye beams around a room cutting people in half. May covered her mouth as she laughed and mumbled softly, “Oh god I’m going to hell for laughing at that! I am so thankful nothing like that has ever happened during one of my battles, though I bet things like that happen if Deadpool’s around.”
May was able to relax through a couple more episodes before an alarm went off on her cell phone. She quickly grabbed the phone to look at what triggered the alarm and saw an alert from the Avengers saying she was needed at the headquarters right away.
“I knew it was too good to be true to have my birthday off.” May sighed but she moved quickly to grab her mask and pulled it on before leaping to her ceiling and silently moving back out her skylight.
Spider-Girl swung through the city making a bee-line for the Avengers HQ. As she got near she noticed a familiar figure that she wasn’t expecting down in front of the building. Releasing her web line she would summersault down to land nimbly beside the red clad figure with the blue hoodie.
“Hey what's got you here?” She asked Scarlet Spider who she also knew as Felicity Hardy.
“Ummm the Avengers called me. Do you even know how they got my number?” came the nervous reply.
“Well if it’s the phone I gave you for helping the warriors back in the day then Mainframe probably hacked my account to see who all they could get if this is really bad.”
“Yeah that's probably it.” Felicity nodded, “I guess we should go in and see what's going on?”
“Probably a good idea.” Said Spider-Girl as she put her arm around the Scarlet Spiders shoulders. “I know you’re probably nervous with the Avengers calling you but don’t worry I’ll make sure you don’t get in over your head with whatever mission is coming up ok?”
Felicity gave a weak smile and nodded slightly as she responded nervously, “Thanks May. I really want to help.”
The two spiders walked into Avengers HQ and made their way to the central war room where most mission briefings were held. When they got to the room though it was dark. May frowned under her mask and reached in to flick on the light switch as she muttered softly.
“Don’t tell me they left without us?” As she finished her thought she flicked on the switch and the room burst into an almost blinding brilliance of lights and computer screens and suddenly a bunch of people were jumping out from behind the mission desk and screaming at her.
“Surprise!!!!”, came the echoing shout, “Happy Birthday Spider-Girl!”
“Jesus!” May shouted as she lept to the ceiling in surprise, sticking to the slick surface with her hands out in attack mode, web-shooters at the ready. “What the hell guys are you trying to give me a heart attack? And why the hell didn’t my Spider-Sense pick up on you? Are you blocking me somehow?”
Everyone started laughing as Stinger flew over to land on May’s shoulder. “Honestly we weren’t sure this would work but since we weren’t trying to harm you and the surprise party is a good thing we were hoping that tricky spider-sense wouldn’t pick up on us.”
May dropped back to the floor, careful not to dislodge her friend. “Not trying to harm me? Tell that to my heart when it slows down! Seriously though guys you didn’t have to do this for me!”
American Dream stepped forward and gave May a hug. “Of course we did, it’s not every day our very own Spider-Girl comes of age.”
“So, you gonna call yourself Spider-Woman now that you’re of legal drinking age?” asked Freebooter with a laugh.
“Nah I doubt Jess would appreciate that.”
May was dragged into the room by American Dream and everyone started to mingle. Laughter and jokes were heard all over the room as everyone regaled each other of their most recent heroic acts. Everyone, that is, except for Felicity who slipped out after about 10 minutes. The party continued for a good hour before everyone decided it was time for the presents and cake. May sat at the table and opened several presents oohing and aahing over the gifts, some of which were practical as a hero like a new communicator that could attach to her web-shooters and some that were better for civilian life like a new pair of boots from her favorite store. Finally she got to the last present that said it was from Stinger and Mainframe and when she opened it a simple black watch with a stylized spider symbol on its face sat in the box. She put it on and looked at it smiling.
“Thanks, guys this is really nice!” May said to the two.
“Oh just wait till you see what it can do!” Stinger said, almost squealing like an excited teenager in her excitement.
“What it can...” May started to ask when her phone started to ring. Checking the screen to make sure it wasn’t her Dad she blinked seeing it was coming from Sabreclaw who had been at the party just a little while ago.
“Hey, what's up? I thought you were here in the room, you missed seeing the presents get opened.” said May as she answered the phone.
“Ummm You may want to come to the west stairwell, your sidekick is here and....well it’d just be best if you come here. I am not equipped to deal with this shit...” growled Sabreclaw.
May frowned especially as she heard a slurred voice yell in the background angrily, “I am not a sidekick!”
“Uh yeah ok. I’ll be right there. Guys Sabreclaw says I’m needed elsewhere for a moment so I’ll be back and we can cut into the cake.”
May got up and left the room wondering what was happening. She thought about what was by the west stairwell and all she could think of was the stairs that went to the living quarters for anyone that was staying at the HQ and a hallway to the kitchen. So why had Felicity been there? When had she left the party? May picked up her pace, almost jogging to the west wing of the HQ with so many questions running through her mind. As she got close she rounded a corner and saw Sabreclaw and Felicity. Sabreclaw seemed to be picking up some trash and Felicity was just sitting on the stairs leaning listlessly against the wall.
“What’s going on here Sabreclaw? Is Scarlet Spider alright?” asked May as she approached.
“Your sidekick snuck into the kitchen and found the booze I had gotten for your party. She drank about eight wine coolers and I’m assuming she doesn’t normally drink considering how I found her.” came the gruff reply.
A mumble came from Felicity on the stairwell, “I am NOT a sidekick.”
“Yeah whatever baby spider.”
“I’m NOT a baby either!” yelled Felicity before groaning.
May sighed and went to sit down next to Felicity and draped an arm around her shoulder as she spoke to Sabreclaw once more. “Could you let everyone know I need to run. I have to get her home.”
“Yeah fine whatever,” grumbled Sabreclaw before heading off to let everyone know the party was over.
May looked at Felicity and whispered softly “Are you alright, hun?”
“I don’t feel so good,” mumbled Felicity.
“I know. Come on let's get you home, alright?” May stood and helped Felicity to stand but as she did Felicity wobbled as though she were about to fall so May wrapped her arm around Felicity’s waist and held her steady.
Felicity just went almost limp against May, her body not even wanting to move but doing the bare minimum to stand. May led her slowly out of the HQ and through the old Avengers Mansion to the street beyond. She looked up at the skyline of the city and then shook her head softly. No she thought there was no way to easily web-swing across the city to her apartment with a drunk Felicity in her arms. Knowing her luck Felicity would either puke in her mask or if they rolled it up she would puke on some unlucky pedestrian. Looking around the streets at all the people in costumes May got an idea and pulled her mask off.
“OK mask off Felicity,” May said as she helped Felicity unmask.
“But we’re in public!” protested Felicity even as she helped May get the mask off of her.
“Yeah but it’s Halloween, everyone is dressed up as someone or something. Trust me hun just follow my lead and we’ll be back to the apartment in no time.” May pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Felicity’s mom to say that she wasn’t feeling good and so was gonna stay overnight at May’s apartment. Then May opened an app she never in her life thought she’d ever have to use... Uber. She fumbled through getting the payment info into the app and having a driver come to pick them up. Once the car got there May bundled Felicity into the backseat and got in telling the driver her address.
“Great costumes!” said the driver looking back at them “Almost looks like the real thing.”
“Yeah, that Spider-Shop in town has some good outfits, especially this time of year ya know!” replied May with a smile.
Once they got to May’s apartment building, May took Felicity up to the top floor where her apartment was and got her in the door just before Felicity groaned “Oh god, I think I’m gonna puke!”
“OK...OK...just hold on, bathrooms not far!” May hustled them both to the bathroom just in time. Felicity collapsed to her knees in front of the toilet and started to vomit up all the alcohol in her system and whatever she had had to eat earlier in the day.
May moved to the other side of Felicity and sat on the edge of her tub but not before going into her medicine cabinet to grab a scrunchie. Once she sat down she pulled Felicity’s hair back out of the way and tied it back with the scrunchie making sure not to pull her hair back too much as she didn’t want to exacerbate a headache she knew Felicity was already going to have. After she did that she stayed with Felicity one hand softly rubbing her back as she spoke softly to her letting her know she was there. She only left for a moment to grab a bottle of room temperature water from her pantry as she was afraid cold water would just upset her friend's stomach even more. She sat back on the bathtub's edge again and handed Felicity the water.
“Try to drink a little, you need to stay hydrated, just go slow ok.”
Felicity nodded and took a small mouthful of water which she used to swish her mouth out and spit it in the toilet. She laid her head against May’s leg. “I’m sorry May. I’m so sorry.”
“Hush there’s nothing to apologize about. Do you think you’re done puking?” When Felicity nodded May gently helped her up and then picked her up and cradled her gently as she took her to the couch in the living room and set her down. “So feel like telling me what happened?”
Felicity sat back on the couch pulling her legs up before hunching over them clutching to herself sadly. She looked on the verge of tears and wouldn’t look at May. For a few minutes, she was completely silent before she softly whispered.
“I love you May, I don’t deserve someone like you in my life.”
“What are you talking about? Don’t be ridiculous. Come on Felicity whatever's going on you can tell me.”
“I didn’t belong there May. I’m not a hero. I can’t be hanging around with the Avengers. I’m just your computer assistant anymore helping out from the Website. I don’t get out there and save the city, not like them who save the world several times over a year. It was so obvious when I saw them all there. American Dream, Captain America, Freebooter, and Stinger. These are all superheroes and I’m just a glorified desk jockey that just hangs around with you!”
May pulled Felicity into a hug as Felicity started to cry. “Awww Licity, that's not how it is. You’re a huge help in the crime-fighting I do. You’re the one who solves the mysteries while I just crack jokes and punch people. I couldn’t do this without you hun and I’m lucky to have you on my team and to have you as my best friend.”
Felicity sniffled and gave a little hiccup from crying as she looked up at May, “Really?”
“Of course really! You’re the best.” assured May.
Hearing that Felicity took that moment to lean up and kiss May, catching her by surprise. May blinked but returned the kiss softly holding Felicity close. Felicity broke the kiss and smiled softly at May before laying her head gently on May’s shoulder and whispering softly one small phrase before passing out asleep from the drinking she had done earlier.
“I do love you May.”
May held Felicity for a while not wanting to wake her and just absorbing her words. She loved May? Like a friend? Well, the kiss surely seemed to indicate as something more, but Felicity wasn’t a lesbian was she? She hated that about her mom. May shook her head and gently stood still holding Felicity to her and carried her into the room that would soon be Felicity’s room to lay her on the bed that was already there. She tucked Felicity in deciding tomorrow when Felicity was a bit soberer that she would ask about it. May gave Felicity a kiss on the forehead which brought a smile to the younger girl's lips and then went off to the living room to sleep on the couch just in case Felicity needed her during the night.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The Next Day~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May had gotten up early and was working on her laptop. She had a video playing the volume low so she wouldn’t disturb her friends' much needed sleep. The video was one sent to her by Stinger and Mainframe to tell her what the watch she got last night as a birthday present really was.
“Oh wow...that's amazing!” May said as she looked at the watch.
“What’s amazing?” asked Felicity coming up behind May.
May jumped from surprise as she was so caught up in the details of the present she had somehow missed hearing Felicity come out of her room. A small eep escaped her and Felicity giggled before taking a seat at the table.
“Just this watch that Stinger and Mainframe made for me. It’s pretty amazing but I can show you what it does later. How are you feeling?”
“Like J2 tackled me in a football game. What did I do last night, May? It’s all pretty foggy.”
May got up and started to pour a cup of coffee for Felicity as she thought about what to say. She figured maybe being herself would be best and so said a little jokingly. “Well you got drunk, puked a lot and then if what you said is right you professed your love to me and then kissed me before falling asleep in my arms.”
Felicity’s face burned bright red from embarrassment “I did WHAT?!?” She hid her face in her hands and mumbled, “Please tell me you’re making it all up.”
May put the coffee down on the table next to Felicity and then sat down next to her. “Nope, it’s all true. Feel like talking about it?”
Another mumble escaped from behind her hands, “Not really?”
“You know you can tell me anything right Licity? I’m your friend and your partner, I’m not going to judge you on this type of topic,” assured May.
Felicity peeked over her fingers at May and then sat back and gave a deep sigh. “Fine, since I already seem to have said it last night. I do love you, May. I mean really really love you.”
May reached out and took one of Felicity's hands in her own and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “So why haven't you told me this. I mean I’ve known you since you were like 12 or 13.”
Felicity looked down and shame was written all over her face. “I couldn’t admit it to you. Hell, I couldn’t even admit it to myself for the longest time. I mean my mother left my dad for her lesbian lover. I always blamed her being bisexual for breaking up our family. I thought things were bad because of that choice and... I always figured that being a lesbian just meant fucking up families. It was so hard to even admit to myself that I... that I loved you. I over-analyzed it trying to see if maybe it was just some sort of sisterly love or friendship type of bestie love but it’s not. I love you May, but I am so afraid this is gonna fuck up what we already have and I don’t want to lose you as a friend!”
Felicity started to cry and May scootched her chair closer so she could wrap Felicity in a hug, one hand gently running through her hair to calm the crying girl. “Shhh there’s no need to cry, Licity. I’ll let you in on a little secret. I myself am bisexual and you don’t have to be ashamed about it. You know what else letting me know you love me is not going to fuck up things between us.”
May gently ran her hand along Felicity’s cheek and gently nudged her so she was looking at May as she whispered softly to the younger girl. “You know what else. When you kissed me last night, the one thing I didn’t do was pull away from you and I don’t plan on it. I don’t know how we would do in a relationship but you know what? I’m willing to find out. You’re my best friend and I love you to death and I’d be stupid to say no to a beautiful woman such as you wanting to be even more with me.”
“You mean it, May?”
“With all my heart Licity.” May leaned in those few inches needed to brush her lips against Felicity’s. The kiss lingered for several moments and then when it broke Felicity laid her head back on May’s shoulder.
“May, can we just stay here today? I just, well I think we just need to talk more about this. I want to be your girlfriend so badly, but I think I’m fucked up because of my past and I don’t want to ruin what we could have.”
May nodded softly and whispered in her ear “Whatever you need hun. I’m here for you whatever and whenever.”