𝙁𝙇𝙊𝙍𝙀𝙎𝙀𝙉𝘾𝙀

Advice

  "I saw him. I saw Peter. But he wasn't our Peter..He was older and from another dimension, and there are millions of other Peters and Spider People and-"

"______, slow down." May was seated on the couch with a cup of coffee, her sheepdog, Ben, resting his head in her lap. She was barely awake, watching you pace around her living room, rambling to yourself.

You took a deep breath, running a hand through your hair, trying to figure out the best way to explain it. "Have you ever heard of the Multiverse Theory?"

–

"So you're saying there's a Society of Spider People, just like you? And most of them are full of Peters?" She asked skeptically, after you had spent a solid forty five minutes explaining everything and trying to convince her you're not crazy.

"I know it's hard to believe, but look. I was given this watch. It helps me with interdimensional travel, I think. The guy in charge wants me to decide by tomorrow..if I take it off, it'll self-destruct. Here let me show you." You tapped a button, and nothing happened. 

Right when May was about to say something, a portal opened up, multiple colors illuminating the room. It caused the gravity to change all around, the lamp floating in the air and her photos too. She had a shocked look on her face. When you closed it, the room was slightly messy from the objects falling back to their original place. It's fine, you'll clean it later. All that matters is that she believes you.

"I don't know what to do, May. I need your help." You spoke softly, sitting beside her on the couch. She sighed, rubbing her eyes. "Here, come with me."

She led you outside to her backyard and her garden. Ben joined you, sniffing around and using the bathroom. It was peaceful and quiet outside, nothing to be heard but the chirping of crickets and cicadas. She knelt down above some buds, motioning for you to come closer.

"Do you see these Peonies? They remind me of you. They bloom late in the summer, but only flower for a short period of time, and soon enough, they close up again. I know losing your family and your friends..and Peter was hard. It was very hard for me too. But you can't stay closed up. You need to bloom. You're still so young, and it's been five years since he passed. Life's worth taking risks and meeting new people, especially if they can understand what you're going through. Especially if you can be a part of something and can make a change...even though I know you already do that as Spider Woman and all."

She did have a point. You smiled at her, knowing what you have to do. "Thanks, Aunt May." 

"Of course. Promise me you'll take care of yourself, alright?" She patted your shoulder, and then your cheek. "I promise."

She got to her feet, walking back to the house, with you trailing behind. "And the next time you do this, could you at least call to let me know you're coming?"

"Yeah, sorry about that."

–

"So, the other night you called me and said it was urgent. You mind telling me what happened?" Your therapist, Dr.Brant asked, sitting back in her seat.

You took a deep breath, messing with the watch on your arm, being cautious to not tap any buttons to trigger anything, letting your fingers caress the band.

"Something big kind of happened. I met someone..someone who reminded me of Peter...He was so much like him, everything he did, everything he said. It was like..like he was still alive." 

She scribbled something down in her notebook. "So you were triggered..How did you feel?"

"Well, I was sad at first, and for a moment, it was almost like I was processing the loss all over again. But then I realized something. He wasn't Peter. No one will ever be Peter, because my Peter's...he's gone..And I actually feel okay about it. Is that wrong?"

"No, that's not wrong at all. In fact, that means you're finishing processing your grief. You've started to truly accept Peter's death. You're moving on. Feeling guilty about this kind of thing is normal. This is good, _______." She replied.

"You really think so?" You couldn't help but ask. She nodded in response. "Of course Peter will always be a big part of your life, and I'm sure you'll miss him, but now you can start over. Maybe even try to find someone new. Maybe that would be good for you."

"Oh I don't know about that." You laughed nervously. You've hardly had any relationships with anyone since what happened. No friends, no lovers, nothing like that, besides the occasional one night stand to keep your bed warm and kill your loneliness and desires. 

"Anyway I also got another job I'm doing on the side." You changed the subject, not wanting to talk about that anymore. "You think you have time for that? What does your boss say?"

"Well, it's volunteering, so it's just something I do in my free time. I'm working at the hospital. That's actually where I met the guy that reminded me of Peter."  You explained, trying to cover up your lie, especially since she knew what a pain your boss could be.

"How are you liking it so far?" She asked.

"Well, I was kind of hesistant to help at first with being busy with work and all. But I think I might make an actual difference here. And I have a lot in common with the other volunteers." You told her.

"That's great."

"Yeah, I think I'll like it a lot..but there is one thing I'm worried about. The guy in charge kind of seems like an asshole." You admitted.

"Oh? How so? Is he like Jameson?" She scribbled something into her notebook. "Not really. He's a different kind of uptight. Maybe I'm just being judgemental, but something about him rubbed me the wrong way, and he was also kind of short with me, which I didn't like."

"Well, we're all out of time, but I think you should give it a chance. Sure the boss sounds bad, but maybe your coworkers seem to be nice. And who knows? Maybe he was just having a bad day or something." She told you.

You smiled to yourself, hoping she was right, but deep down you knew the truth. "Thanks, Doc."