章 29: Chapter 28: Aunt May's House (Edited)

I 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 my mother, Madeline, and the other is someone whose presence here surprises me.

"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.

Mom and the woman notice my arrvial, and the woman gets up hurriedly.

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

I recognise her immediately because she was also on my 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 becomes Ant-Man.

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

She blushes at my 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.

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

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

Well, I definitely recognise her.

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," I greet, extending my hand with a smile.

Cassie seems to grab my hand with both of hers as she looks at me 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 is just a kid," says Maggie with an awkward expression, grabbing Cassie's shoulder.

"I am not a kid, I am 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 my direction.

"Ouch!" Aunt Cass yelps as Madeline slaps her exposed thigh with an annoyed look.

Aunt Cass shifts to the other end of the sofa, getting away from Madeline and rubbing her thigh with a pitiful whine.

I 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," I propose.

"Alright, Mary had just messaged me, so she should be ready," 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.

I take one more cookie and leave the room. As I am going out, I can feel the eyes of all four of them following me, but I pay them no mind and exit the house.

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

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

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

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

Maybelle 'May' Parker was quite a famous character in my previous world as the Aunt of Peter Parker, the original Spider-Man, especially this hotter version who is hugging me 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 me 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 me. "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?" I ask her.

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

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

I wasn't surprised at such an advanced array of machinery in such a simple basement, as I was the one who had given them all as a gift.

In a chair, looking seriously at an advanced computerised screen, was the person I was searching for.

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

"Ahh!" The girl gives a startled cry at my voice as she looks back at me.

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

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

However, my exposure to the Spider-Verse had primed me for the concept of a multiverse of Spider-Men and Women. I was familiar with characters like Petra Parker and Peni Parker, so encountering a female Spidey didn't surprise me 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 my childhood had mentally prepared me to set aside canonical expectations, as it really opened my eyes 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?" I ask, my curiosity piqued. "Is there something you are hiding from me?" I add with a playful smile.

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

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

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

I shift my gaze to the now-visible computer screen, catching a glimpse of schematics for self-assembling models of small hexagonal-shaped robots.

"Microbots?" I say, piecing it together instantly. Turning to the red-faced girl in front of me, I express my 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," I say, stepping closer, "Is this why you spend all your time in the basement?"

She avoids my gaze, looking down.

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

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

"Yes, but remember, you are still in school. It's important to balance your time, make some friends, experience life outside this workshop," I 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," I 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 my chest with a heavy sigh.

I 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, I create some space for her to sit beside me.

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

Penny blushes at my 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," I continue with a sigh, "I have already reserved a special spot for you in my company once you finish school." Revealing this, I 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 my 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 is why I kept working," I 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." I tell her straight.

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

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

"We are spending time together right now, aren't we?" I 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?" I inquire, changing the subject.

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

"I am so proud of you, Penny," I 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," I remind her gently.

Penny leans forward and wraps her arms around me 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 my chest. "I hardly get to see you."

"Alright," I agree simply, starting to stroke her thin back. "How is school?" I ask in a gentle voice.

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

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

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

"What about that Flash kid and Harry?" I 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, I had instructed MJ and Gwen to take special care of her, so I am not entirely surprised. And with Penny and Aunt May at such high priority in my Index, I am not overly worried.

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

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

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

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

"Good," I acknowledge. It is clear she sees these exercises more as a chore than a beneficial activity.

I have 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 is merely going through the motions, doing it because I asked, not because she finds any joy or fulfilment in it.

"Did you make any new friends?" I 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," I 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 me, but I trust Penny's words as she wouldn't lie to me.

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

"Yeah," she says, rubbing her face against my 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 will ask MJ; she most probably recorded it too," I reply, sharing in her amusement.

We both stop talking and enjoy each others company.

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

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

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

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

"I have 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,"I suggest, offering a practical solution.

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

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

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

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

We both ascend the stairs.

I 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 us head across the road to Aunt Cass's house.