Marvel's X-Hot-Ic

“OK Aunt May, I’m heading off to the Bugle.”

Sticking her head out of the washroom doorway May smiled and called back. “Alright Peter, you have a safe trip.”

May Parker looked at herself in the mirror again, tracing a finger through her grey hair all while shifting her chin back and forth to see the lines and crow’s feet over her face. Time wasn’t kind to her, not even in her 60’s and she already looked ‘elderly’. Looking over to the bottle she ordered last week she remembered the commercial on the television that enticed her into buying the stuff in the first place.

“Ladies do you feel that all the make up in the world isn’t doing its job to make you look like your best? Do you want to be as vibrant and as lively as you were when you were in your 20s? Then try our new X-Hot-Ic!

A bubbly young blonde wearing a sweater and knee skirt came into view telling her story of using the new product. Followed by the picture of an elderly woman smiling from a couch. “Before I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to do the things I wanted to when I was young, NOW? I look even better than I did back when I was in high school, this stuff is amazing!”

The next scene is of a cute African American woman, followed with a picture of a wheelchair bound 80 year old woman marked ‘before’. “Ever since I started drinking the stuff I’ve felt fantastic, I finally have the strength to walk around and enjoy the city, and I can’t wait to try out the swimsuit I bought yesterday.”

Soon the interview switched to an explanation of how X-Hot-Ic worked, showing a woman with burn scars over her face and neck taking a sip from a mouth-wash sized cup of the product. “Our patented formula is a mixture of rejuvenating chemicals and nannite sciences, once it enters the body it routes out problematic health issues and resets your biology to its prime!” Within seconds after drinking, the woman’s scars began to fade, revealing creamy smooth skin, luscious lips and hair becoming more vibrant. “Effects last for days and we guarantee shows no negative side effects with continued use. If you wish to place an order the first bottle of X-Hot-Ic is $19.99, just call 555…”

Opening the cap to the bottle and pouring its contents into the cap May looked at herself in the mirror one last time before taking a sharp swig from the cap, gulping it all down and looking back to see the results. May set the cap down. The liquid tasted sharp, almost peppery. Her heart began to race as she looked in the mirror and saw her face smoothing out, just a little bit. Her papery skin became a little softer as laugh lines and forehead creases grew shallower. Warmth spread into her extremities as she felt her circulation improve, and liver spots faded from her hands. Her hair seemed to get a little more colour and vibrancy, going from white to a greyish-brown.

"Well, that was amazing!" she exclaimed as she looked herself over. She looked less like a grandmother and more like a bachelor aunt... which she was. She frowned at the sight of her knit cardigan and ankle-length dress. "I ought to update my wardrobe. Won't Peter be surprised!"

She strolled out the door with her shopping bag and purse. May hadn't felt this energetic in a long time, and she was ready to enjoy the day to its fullest. The sun was shining and it was pleasantly warm. Before, she'd have felt chilly on a day like this. She stepped on to the bus as it pulled up to the stop, and the driver looked a little suspiciously at the senior's pass she produced. He grunted and nodded, letting her on.

May was astonished. Before, the driver wouldn't have given a second glance to her. She sat down and smiled, pulling the bottle of X-Hot-Ic out of her purse to read the back.

"Miracle stuff," she murmured. "Hmm, 'side effects include...' Oh dear, I forgot my glasses!" She might have been a little younger, but she still squinted as she tried to make out the fine print. Sighing in frustration, May was about to put the bottle back in her purse and get off the bus, when she realized: she could just make herself a little younger, enough that her eyes weren't so bad.

"Do I dare...?"

Looking over her shoulder to check that no one was looking May unscrewed the cap to the bottle and filled it, staying careful with the bumps the bus made on the road to keep her hand steady. Before she would have been shaking, but now her hands were steady, the arthritis almost unnoticeable as she brought the little blue cup to her lips.

Again the sharp flavour hits her as she tightens the cap back on the bottle, looking at the blurry reflection from the glass pane of her window seat she watched her hair regained its full color, lengthening before her eyes as it grew to cascade down her shoulders and back. What few remaining lines on her face melted away and smoothed out into creamy skin and full lips, lifting a delicate finger she traced it over her features with a smile. She looked almost half her original age!

She also felt a strange tightness.

Looking down she blushed when she found that her figure had filled out, looking healthier. Her bust once flat and unassuming had made way for a pair of apples that had the top button of her blouse open, her knee length skirt had become tight around the hips and her underwear was starting to ride up. “My goodness… This feels incredible!” Even her voice had changed, once scratched and hoarse her voice was now smooth and lilting like a singer’s.

Seeing her stop she pulled at the signal cable and stepped out of her seat, at least a dozen pairs of eyes stared at her swaying figure as she stepped off the bus. She swore she heard a whistle blow her way just as she reached the last step. Turning around she flashed the driver a smile before letting the doors close behind her.

“Still got it.”