The Parker home- Queens, NY- Tuesday morning
The reporters hadn't left the lawn since the funeral. They'd set up shop there and refused to leave, grabbing passersby to interview about poor dead Peter Parker, whether they'd known him or not. They wanted at Gwen and May, who'd holed up in the house and given them nothing. Bobby and Johnny hadn't been back since Peter died. They'd heard they were both okay, but considering everything that had happened and how much scrutiny there was on this house, they really couldn't be here- especially Bobby- unless they wanted to end up on the run like Kitty. Who also hadn't been since since everything.
Gwen found Aunt May in Peter's room, holding his costume and looking out at the scene in front of their house. "Maybe I'll change my look," Gwen announced. "Cut my hair. Dye it black."
"Do I need to ask why?" Aunt May asked, turning away from the window.
"Because our pictures are in every single newspaper on the planet Earth," Gwen sighed, reaching out to take the costume from her without asking. This wasn't the first time this had happened, though May kept the mask for now. "And have I mentioned how I never ever ever ever ever wanted that to happen? I didn't even want my picture in the yearbook."
"I should do it, too," Aunt May mused. "Change my look..."
"You should go pink," Gwen said, only half-joking.
"I should shave my head."
"You can do whatever you want. It's not like we're ever going to be able to leave the house again," Gwen said, peering out the window. "They're going through our trash!"
"It's been a week," Aunt May said wearily.
"I can't even go online," Gwen complained. "Every website. I keep praying to baby Jesus that some celebrity or superhero releases a sex tape or something."
"Wouldn't that be nice," said Aunt May, allowing herself to be led out of Peter's room.
"Knock us off the front page. You'd think a teenage superhero was never outed and then died in front of his entire neighborhood be-"
"I don't like jokes like this," Aunt May warned.
"I mean, really, you think they'd never seen Captain America slapped in the face by an elderly wom-"
"Gwen!" May snapped.
"Sorry," she said sheepishly. "Do you want to try to go to work today?"
"They fired me."
Gwen stared at her. "No."
"I knew they would," Aunt May said as they got to the kitchen.
"You didn't do anything."
"I haven't been to work in two weeks and I am a threat to the security of blah blah blah..." Aunt May stopped, and looked at Gwen thoughtfully. "If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?"
"France," Gwen replied immediately.
"Why not Jamaica?"
"Jamaica's too hot, says the girl who's barely left Queens." That was not exactly the truth, but. "France looks beautiful. I would like to meet a dumb French boy who treats me like a princess and takes my mind off all of this."
"That would be nice," Aunt May said.
There was something about how she said it, though... "What are you thinking?" Gwen wondered.
"Tony Stark offered to send us anywhere in the world."
Gwen's jaw dropped. "He did? Then why are we sitting here?"
"Because I can't just take-"
"Are you serious?"
"I'm not the kind of person who-"
"Are you serious?"
"I can't just take a handout," Aunt May said.
"So you'll take whatever hell the universe dumped on your head, but you won't take any of the good stuff?" Gwen asked.
"It's not that, it's-"
"What? You haven't earned it?" Gwen went on. "You don't deserve it? I mean, really? You deserve this! I mean, no BS... Peter would be furious at you for sitting here like this."
There was a long pause, and Aunt May picked up the phone and dialed.
An hour later, Tony Stark had sent a private helicopter to take them to the villa on the French Riviera that he'd given them. Suck on that, reporters.
Gwen found Aunt May in Peter's room, holding his costume and looking out at the scene in front of their house. "Maybe I'll change my look," Gwen announced. "Cut my hair. Dye it black."
"Do I need to ask why?" Aunt May asked, turning away from the window.
"Because our pictures are in every single newspaper on the planet Earth," Gwen sighed, reaching out to take the costume from her without asking. This wasn't the first time this had happened, though May kept the mask for now. "And have I mentioned how I never ever ever ever ever wanted that to happen? I didn't even want my picture in the yearbook."
"I should do it, too," Aunt May mused. "Change my look..."
"You should go pink," Gwen said, only half-joking.
"I should shave my head."
"You can do whatever you want. It's not like we're ever going to be able to leave the house again," Gwen said, peering out the window. "They're going through our trash!"
"It's been a week," Aunt May said wearily.
"I can't even go online," Gwen complained. "Every website. I keep praying to baby Jesus that some celebrity or superhero releases a sex tape or something."
"Wouldn't that be nice," said Aunt May, allowing herself to be led out of Peter's room.
"Knock us off the front page. You'd think a teenage superhero was never outed and then died in front of his entire neighborhood be-"
"I don't like jokes like this," Aunt May warned.
"I mean, really, you think they'd never seen Captain America slapped in the face by an elderly wom-"
"Gwen!" May snapped.
"Sorry," she said sheepishly. "Do you want to try to go to work today?"
"They fired me."
Gwen stared at her. "No."
"I knew they would," Aunt May said as they got to the kitchen.
"You didn't do anything."
"I haven't been to work in two weeks and I am a threat to the security of blah blah blah..." Aunt May stopped, and looked at Gwen thoughtfully. "If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?"
"France," Gwen replied immediately.
"Why not Jamaica?"
"Jamaica's too hot, says the girl who's barely left Queens." That was not exactly the truth, but. "France looks beautiful. I would like to meet a dumb French boy who treats me like a princess and takes my mind off all of this."
"That would be nice," Aunt May said.
There was something about how she said it, though... "What are you thinking?" Gwen wondered.
"Tony Stark offered to send us anywhere in the world."
Gwen's jaw dropped. "He did? Then why are we sitting here?"
"Because I can't just take-"
"Are you serious?"
"I'm not the kind of person who-"
"Are you serious?"
"I can't just take a handout," Aunt May said.
"So you'll take whatever hell the universe dumped on your head, but you won't take any of the good stuff?" Gwen asked.
"It's not that, it's-"
"What? You haven't earned it?" Gwen went on. "You don't deserve it? I mean, really? You deserve this! I mean, no BS... Peter would be furious at you for sitting here like this."
There was a long pause, and Aunt May picked up the phone and dialed.
An hour later, Tony Stark had sent a private helicopter to take them to the villa on the French Riviera that he'd given them. Suck on that, reporters.