Chapter 12: The Parker Family
"Hope I'm not troubling you too much," Peter said.
"Not at all," May replied before heading toward the kitchen to grab an extra set of utensils.
Just before she stepped inside, she shot Ben a subtle hand signal.
Ben understood instantly and followed her in.
With the adults gone, only Peter and the younger Peter remained in the living room.
"Big bro, did you make your suit yourself? It looks amazing!" little Peter asked, eyes sparkling with excitement as he stared at the Spider-Man outfit.
"Yeah. Took me quite a bit of work to pull it off," the older Peter answered with a soft chuckle.
"That's so cool! When I grow up, I wanna make one too!"
"You'll get your chance."
…
Compared to the lively living room, the kitchen felt noticeably more tense and quiet.
"Ben, who is he? And don't give me that 'he's a friend' nonsense. I'm not that gullible," May pressed.
"He… I don't know him," Ben admitted.
"What?! Then why did you let him in?" May gasped, stunned that her usually cautious husband had made such a reckless choice.
"Don't forget little Peter is here too," she reminded him sharply.
If it were just the two of them, she wouldn't panic as much, but with Peter present, any danger became unacceptable.
"I know. I know." Ben exhaled, searching for the right words. "The kid looked lost. Like life knocked him off balance. I just… wanted to help him."
"We can't put little Peter at risk," she stressed.
May understood Ben well. He'd always been someone who stepped in whenever others needed help, even strangers.
"That's on me. But listen, he's talking to Peter out there like they've known each other for years. There's nothing to worry about."
Ben tilted his head toward the living room.
May paused. She could hear lighthearted chatter drifting in.
"You're lucky. I'll let it slide this time, but don't do this again," she warned.
"There won't be a next time," Ben promised.
"Come on. If we stay in here any longer, he'll start wondering what's going on. I have no idea what that boy might be dealing with, walking around in a suit like that," May said as she strode back.
"What's wrong with his suit? I think it looks pretty cool."
"You and your taste… little Peter gets all his fashion sense from you."
"It's a good influence."
They returned to the living room. May placed a set of utensils beside Ben's.
With his heightened senses, Peter had heard the entire kitchen conversation.
He felt deeply grateful that Uncle Ben and Aunt May were giving him a place at their table.
"Thank you. Really… thank you. This is too kind," Peter kept repeating, sincerity pouring out of him.
"No need to be so polite. It's nothing more than a simple meal," Ben replied with an easy tone.
With Peter seated beside Ben, the Parker family dinner resumed.
The atmosphere shifted though. Because of their guest, Ben and May ate with noticeable restraint.
Even little Peter, who usually devoured his food, ate with surprisingly polished manners.
At the table, the only one eating heartily was the older Peter.
He wasn't actually hungry, but he knew this would be the last home-cooked meal he'd ever have from Aunt May.
"Slow down. There's plenty more if you want seconds," May said gently.
"Your cooking is incredible, Mrs. Parker." Peter's voice trembled just slightly.
"It reminds me of my aunt's cooking. She made meals just as good as yours," he added, tears slipping down his cheeks while he kept eating. He missed his Aunt May terribly.
His tears dripped onto the food, but he didn't care.
"Your aunt?" Ben asked, puzzled.
"Yeah… my aunt was amazing. She was the best aunt in the world," Peter murmured.
"And where is she now?"
"She's gone. Not long ago… I lost her."
The grief in Peter's voice weighed down the entire room.
Ben and May exchanged a troubled glance. His situation was much worse than they'd assumed.
"My condolences, dear. You need to take care of yourself. She wouldn't want to see you like this," May whispered, trying to comfort him.
"When you're hurting, being around friends helps. It eases the weight," Ben added.
"I don't have anyone left. Everyone is gone. My family, my friends… There's no one left."
Peter couldn't eat anymore. His chest tightened, and he broke down completely.
Faces flooded his mind. Aunt May, Mary Jane, Harry, his teammates. He even missed Nick Fury, despite all the scolding he'd endured from him.
He couldn't bear imagining how devastated his Aunt May would be if she knew what had happened to him. He should have protected her.
Instead, he lost her, and she lost him.
In his universe, Aunt May had already endured losing Uncle Ben. Now she would have lost her nephew too.
Ben fell silent, realizing he had asked something he shouldn't have.
Seeing the boy fall apart, both Ben and May set down their utensils.
"Everything will pass, kid. Life will brighten again. Stay strong," Ben said, placing a steady hand on Peter's shoulder. He didn't know what else to say. The boy had suffered far too much.
Little Peter, already mature enough to understand sadness, quietly went to his room and returned with tissues and a toy.
He handed the tissues to Uncle Ben, then held up his favorite robot toy in front of the older Peter.
"Big bro, don't be sad. You can play with my toy."
He offered it with both hands.
"Thank you," the older Peter whispered, taking the toy and pretending to play with it.
"Thanks, Peter. I do feel better now," he added.
Realizing he had actually helped, the young boy beamed.
"It'll be okay, son," Ben reassured him again.
"Thank you, Mr. Parker. I'm feeling better," Peter said, his emotions finally settling.
After letting the grief out, he found a bit of strength again.
"Here, kid. Wipe your face," Ben said, handing him the tissues.
Peter accepted them and wiped his tears away.
But after his breakdown, no one at the table had much appetite left.
A sudden *wee-woo, wee-woo* rang out. A police cruiser sped past outside, its sirens slicing through the quiet moment.
Peter froze. He suddenly realized that even in a different universe, he was still Spider-Man.
"Uh… thank you for the dinner. I'm sorry for the trouble, but I should get going," he said, bowing politely to the Parker family.
"Leaving already? Why don't you stay the night?" May offered, trying to keep him a little longer.
"I can't. I suddenly remembered I have something to take care of. But thank you again for everything tonight."
Peter declined as gently as he could.