Chapter 3
How?
How could he tell this kid?
This kid full of so much hope, so much heart
Tony didn’t know, he had no idea how to say anything
So he didn’t
Instead, he done the absolute most that he could.
He moved them into the compound upstate during the summer when Peter finished school and they started heavily on May’s bucket list that Peter insisted she write.
They went to Disney land, to a drive in theatre in a small town, May and Pepper went to a spa weekend, watched the Northern Lights in Alaska, watched the NBA court side, dined in an underwater restaurant, and swam with dolphins.
Peter sat down at breakfast, bowl of cereal in one hand and sheet of paper AKA the bucket list in the other.
“So next up on the list is…” Peter paused for the dramatic effect “Floating lanterns”
“Floating lanterns?” Tony asked from his seat looking to May for an answer
She rolled her eyes with a shy smile as she sunk back into her seat.
Peter listened as her bones crunched together when she moved, his enhanced hearing was always thought to be a useful tool in the field of robberies and sex offenders or even just the simple kitten stuck in a tree, but he never thought it to be a trial of punishment, a misfortune and hindrance.
He could hear the hardship and misfortune of Mays bones being eaten as she lived, he heard the silent breaths of pain she would make when it got too hard, heard her cry her self to sleep in the next room every night, he could hear her deteriorate every moment of every day.
And it was heartbreaking.
He never told anyone, the way her smell had changed or how he heard the slower pace of her heart, the way he felt her tremble as she walked, the way his senses went off every time she coughed.
He could smell her rotting from within, he could hear her body’s main functions as they were weakening, he could taste the bitterness of death in the air as she walked by, feel her bones through her three layers of clothes when they hugged, he could see the way her smile wasn’t real anymore and how the sparkle turned dim in her eyes.
And it was heartbreaking
“May’s favourite Disney movie is Tangled” Peter said smiling at his aunt.
A week later and the four of them had piled into the car and were driven by Happy to a sky lantern festival, that to no ones knowledge other than Tony didn’t exist until a week ago.
May slept most of the way, trying to save her energy for the delights of the night.
Peter looked over her. The dark circles under her eyes had depended, her lips were chapped and her skin was as pale as it had ever been.
This week had been the hardest she’s had so far, most of the time spent in bed or on the couch huddled up with a bottle of oxygen. Peter had to help her walk until Wednesday when he had started carrying her instead.
Once they arrived they all retracted from the car and Peter helped May into the wheelchair that was stationed in the boot. He wrapped a thick blanket around her shoulders and they set off to the direction of the festival.
There was live music and fair food, kids ran around on a sugar craze from ride to ride as the parents watched from picnic blankets on the grass. There was a lake that glowed gold from the subtle fairy lights that hung from the trees. And the full moon was enough for the festival goers to find their way in the dark.
Peter and Tony went on the tea cup ride and May, Happy and Pepper laughed at the shades of green Tony phased to as Peter spun them around. They then, over beside the lake, took a place on the large picnic rug that was decorated with copious pillows and blankets. Peter lifted May to the floor and surrounded her with the pillows.
They sat and talked and laughed, the mood quieted as an announcement was called and the empty blankets on the grass were filled with families and couples.
Soon the night sky blossomed in a gleam of light as hundreds of floating lanterns lifted to the stars.
Peter watched the glow return to May’s cheeks, the sparkle in her eyes shone bright and her smile, her smile was real, and genuine and true.
She was happy, and for the first time in three months so was he.
As Peter began to fiddle with the Lantern Tony handed to him May held his arm and turned his attention to her vaguely.
“Peter” May said in her rasp voice slowly removing her oxygen mask from her face.
He didn’t look at her fully, just made a hum of noise to let her know he was listening, because how do you light the stupid thing?
She gave a small smile at his concentrating face before speaking again “Thank you for all this” she said so sweetly.
“Huh?...” he looked at her sideways before back to the lantern “oh, yeah, um that’s okay, May” his tongue was out now and his head almost inside the lantern figuring out the details of how the thing works, because is this string thing for anything?
“You’re a good kid Pete, I don’t want you to ever change the way you care for people, promise me that” her voice was smaller now, full of emotion… but smaller.
“Yeah” he tipped the lantern back to the right side up “I know” Peter said, his voice matching May’s quietness as he picked up the lighter.
The others were doing their own thing, leaving the two to this moment, Pepper and Tony were close, but far enough away to leave them be, lighting their own lantern and watching as it floated into the night sky. Happy was over at the popcorn stand.
Peter fired up the lighter and held it over a wick that he had found he had to unwrap around a ring inside the lantern.
“I love you” she said
“Yes! I got it!” Peter said excitedly as he watched the flame flicker inside the lantern.
He turned to May a smile wide on his face holding the lantern to his Aunt “May I-“
His smile was gone
…”May?”
Gone like May’s breathe
“Aunt May?”
Gone like May’s beat of her heart
“no” he whispered “no… no, no, no”
Gone like May’s life
“TONY!” Peter screamed across the field as his face contorted to cry, but he didn’t.
He couldn’t.
Peter held out his hand and slowly let his finger fall along the side of her face, pushing her hair behind her ear. He leaned forward and placed a kiss to her forehead before clasping her hand in his own. He moved the lantern closer and watched the light fill the crevices of her skin. He lifted her hand within his own so together the would raise the lantern into the night.
Tony ran over to the scared voice, the scared voice of Peter.
He stopped at the sight before him, Pepper by his side and shortly followed by Happy, popcorn long forgotten.
They all watched as Peter kissed his Aunt on the top of her head, then raised her arm with his own lifting the last lantern to the sky.
It danced and flowed between the others as it blended into the plague of light above them.
Tony looked back to Peter, Peter who was clutching onto his Aunt’s hand, his Aunt’s hand that didn’t squeeze back.
He watched it float away, Peter watched the lantern for what felt like hours, but was only minutes.
watched as it caught up to the few that were left, the few that were left that soon were gone.
They were gone and it was alone, alone like Peter felt.
Alone drifting off to an unknown destination, with no purpose.
But Peter had a purpose, his purpose was to care.
Care for people he didn’t know, care for people he did.
Care for people that sometimes might not even deserve it.
Care for himself.
Because he made a promise, a promise made not but moments ago.
But he still felt alone, like the lantern
The lantern that was all he could see, until it was nothing but another star in the sky… Just as May now was.
A star as bright as her smile and a star that shined as the light in her eyes once had.
He didn’t let go of her hand, her hand that soon turned cold.
Turned cold like the lake that glimmered before them.
“I love you too” he whispered as a lonely tear rolled down the skin of his cheek, looking up to the stars where he sent his Aunt’s soul with the lantern.
He looked back to her, looked back to her corpse that was cold and still and quiet.
Everything was quiet.
Quiet when Tony came
Quiet when he moved him away
Quiet as the paramedics moved her to the ambulance with lights that danced over the scene
Quiet as they drove home
Everything was quiet.