As Luck Would Have It

29) Pursuit of Happiness

May sat down on a picnic bench trying to catch her breath. She had her eyes closed, hoping that everything around her would seem calmer when she reopened them. When she did, all she saw was Peter and Frank standing in front of her, both looking concerned and amused at the same time. "How bad was I?" she spoke to her nephew.

It had been a long time since she was able to live freely and just dance her problems away. She remembers when she and Ben would go out once every other month just to make their lives a little fun. Now she only dances alone in the apartment while Peter is either out with Ned or patrolling as Spider-Man. This was the first time she had danced in public in a very long time, and having done it, she realized how much she missed it.

Peter and Frank on the other hand, thought about the question she had left for them. Peter made a lot of quivering faces, trying to find the best thing to say. He shared a look with Frank, and their looks both agreed that it was something so spontaneous that it caught both of them off-guard. Peter looked back to his exhausted aunt and sighed, giving a unique smirk that implied some humility from her actions. To May, this was enough of a hint to know how bad it was.

"Oh my...," she chuckled, clearly seeing how goofy she had been, "maybe I should quit while I'm ahead."

"No kidding," Frank commented, "I don't think we've ever had something like that happen. It was fun."

"Uhn," May groaned as she got to her feet, "I think I should go home as well. It's getting late and I don't think I can take another step."

"Are you sure" Peter asked with a pair of wide eyes. "Why don't you just rest a bit, we wouldn't want you to miss the fireworks over the lake" Frank added. May thought both were very sweet for asking her to stay, but she was exhausted and just wanted to sleep.

"Yeah, I'm sure. But you can stay Peter, just let me know when you're on your way home."

"Well, were sorry you have to go May," Frank sadly said, "and we will make sure Peter is safe."

"Oh, thank you very much," May said as she approached him for a quick hug goodbye. Michelle walked up behind the trio with a handful of water bottles. She handed everyone a bottle, to which everyone thanked her. "What's going on?" she asked.

"I'm gonna be on my way sweetie" May answered, earning a sad expression on Michelle's face. "Oh, ok." May steps toward her and gives a little hug to her as well. Michelle is a bit surprised at this, but soon figures that she has been surprised by Peter's aunt practically all day, so she just accepts it. Once the two part, May has the crazy idea to take more pictures. Peter is obviously annoyed, but May reminds him of how he needs to work on taking pictures for Daily Bugle Magazine. Peter reluctantly agrees to do it and May asks Frank and Michelle to be a part of it, to which Frank delightfully accepts.

First, Peter takes a few photos with his phone of just May, Michelle, and her dad. Then, Michelle takes his phone, so Peter can take her place in the picture. When that was done, Frank stepped out to let Michelle share a picture with the Parkers. Michelle blushed a bit, bowing her head a bit and looking down at the ground like a shy sheep. She stood to Peter's left at the end of the line-up. She gave a modest smile, which was quickly made fun of by her father. After he had taken the picture, he called over to a nearby friend to take a quick picture of the four of them.

Once the pictures were done, Peter walked May back to her car. They joked a bit, expressing how much fun they both had. "You and Michelle look comfortable" she said with a smirk at one point.

Peter blushed a bit, "Yeah, we um... we're getting along alright."

"Are ya going to ask her out?"