Chapter 12: Family

"Hey, Aunt May."

Bren saw May standing under the streetlight, leaning close to the small glow of the lamp.

"Bren?" May called out, surprised but relieved. Her graying hair hung loosely around her face, and she quickly walked over, her wrinkled hands grabbing onto Bren's wrist.

To support the family and raise the two children, both she and Bren had endured many hardships.

Aunt May didn’t have much education, and for all these years, she had to take on exhausting, low-paying jobs like washing dishes. But she never complained.

"Why are you here?"

'Of course, because I’m worried.' Bren thought to himself.

For most of the Spider-Men across the universe, the web-slinging events seemed like an unavoidable fate. Sometimes, you prevent one, only for another to trigger right after.

Bren had worried that stopping Uncle Ben's death would lead to Aunt May being in danger, so he made sure to remind Peter to pick up Aunt May after school. Even then, he still wasn’t at ease.

It turned out he was right, because Peter had forgotten about it.

That thought made Bren a little annoyed, but not wanting to worry Aunt May, he said, "Peter went to Oscorp to see Dr. Connors, so he couldn't make it. He asked me to pick you up instead."

When Aunt May heard Dr. Connors’ name, her heart sank. She knew that Dr. Connors had a deep connection with Peter’s parents, and Peter was probably trying to find out more about them.

Ever since Peter found the suitcase left by his parents in the warehouse, he’d become obsessed with it. This had made Aunt May, who had raised him with love and care, feel uneasy.

She had always considered Bren and Peter her own sons, but Peter’s behavior lately had made her anxious.

Perhaps the kids didn’t see things that way.

Perhaps…

What was even more worrying was that when Peter’s parents had left him as a child, they disappeared without a trace. She and Bren had tried reporting it to the police, but there had been no news. It was clear they had gotten caught up in something dangerous, and she and Bren were powerless to help.

That’s why she was more concerned now, fearing that Peter would dig himself deeper into danger. If that happened, they might be unable to do anything to help.

"Don’t worry, Aunt May," Bren said, putting his arm around her shoulders, comforting her. "Peter is just getting really obsessed with learning about his parents for the first time in all these years."

Aunt May nodded. Her eyes were red, and her rough hands tightly clutched Bren’s, as though if she let go, her two children would disappear into the distance.

She really wanted to ask Bren if he, too, was like Peter, longing to find his real parents.

But she didn’t dare ask.

She knew that if a child wanted to return to their real parents, that was a completely reasonable thing. She had no right to stop Bren, just as she had no right to stop Peter from investigating his parents.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

But if that day ever came, she feared she might lose Bren or Peter. That was something she might not be able to accept.

Thankfully, Bren squeezed her hand tightly. "Let’s head back, Aunt May. I’m starving!"

In the dark of night, Bren and Aunt May walked back home side by side.

When they arrived, Uncle Ben had been waiting anxiously at the front door for a long time. Upon seeing Bren and Aunt May returning together, he quickly jogged over.

"Bren, May?" It was clear Uncle Ben was surprised. He hadn’t expected Bren to be the one to pick up May instead of Peter.

"Where’s Peter?" he asked.

"Peter went to see Dr. Connors at Oscorp, so he asked me to pick up Aunt May," Bren repeated what he had told Aunt May earlier.

Uncle Ben, however, wasn’t so easily fooled.

He looked at Bren with a knowing gaze, realizing that Bren had lied on Peter’s behalf. But in the end, he didn’t call out Bren on the lie. Instead, he felt somewhat relieved.

Lying wasn’t right, but he understood that Bren had done it for the family.

All along, both of his kids had been so sensible, but Bren had always been different from Peter, he was much more mature. Many times, Uncle Ben had felt that Bren’s presence was a gift to their family from above.

"Thank you, kid," he said.

"It’s nothing. It’s what I should do," Bren replied. "From now on, I can take care of things like this. I’m free every day."

"I’d love that, but you left so early this morning," Uncle Ben said, his eyes a little red as he smiled and patted Bren’s shoulder. "Alright, you take Aunt May inside first. I’ll wait for Peter."

"It’s so late. Come inside and wait," Bren said, trying to pull Uncle Ben into the house.

But Uncle Ben held up his other hand, gently pressing it against Bren. His voice was soft, but his gaze was firm. "No, no. I’ll wait for him here."

With Bren’s current strength, he could easily pull Uncle Ben into the house with a single finger. But holding onto Uncle Ben’s arm felt like trying to move a heavy mountain.

He knew Uncle Ben wanted to have a serious conversation with Peter. And he also knew that with Peter’s newfound powers and his obsession with his parents, the conversation could get heated, and Peter might end up lashing out at both Uncle Ben and Aunt May.

It was precisely because of such a confrontation that Peter had stormed out, and Uncle Ben had been shot by a robber when trying to find him. Though Bren had already dealt with Dennis, he still couldn’t shake his worry.

Without Dennis, there could still be Sandman...

He wanted to stop the conversation, just as he had dealt with Dennis ahead of time.

But it wasn’t as simple as eliminating someone.

In the end, he could only nod and walk inside with Aunt May.

Compared to Bren, Aunt May seemed even more anxious, as she clearly sensed what was about to happen.

"It’s going to be fine," Bren whispered, comforting her. "Let’s head to the kitchen and get something to eat. They’re probably going to argue, and they’ll be starving afterward."

Aunt May chuckled at his words. "No, you and Peter would never argue with us. You’ve never done that."

She said it with such certainty, but her feet still carried her toward the kitchen.

Bren watched her frail back and nodded seriously. "You’re right, Aunt May. We won’t. And if Peter dares to, I’ll show him who’s boss!"

"Don’t fight," Aunt May said as she opened the fridge. "What do you want to eat tonight?"

"How about something simple?" Bren sat down at the dining table. "Fried chicken or pork chops? I’m so hungry I could eat a whole pig!"

Bren wasn’t joking.

Thanks to the Omnitrix, he had gained spider powers just like Peter. However, his abilities weren’t fully developed yet, they were still growing stronger over time. Clearly, Bren’s powers were still rapidly evolving.

This growth was causing changes in his body far greater than the usual adolescent growth spurt, and it meant he needed to consume large amounts of food to replenish his energy until his spider powers stabilized.

On the other hand, repeatedly transforming into an alien hero didn’t drain his physical strength much.

The real energy consumption came from the Omnitrix itself.

Just then, a sound came from outside.

Peter was home.