Preview for chapter 34. Will Peter actually go through with it?

It was at this point Peter noticed the red light blinking on his answering machine by his couch. He presses the button to hear them and it goes, “You have three new messages.”

*BEEP!* “Peter? Are you there? I wanted to talk to check up on you. It’s been a few weeks since we spoke and I’m very worried. Please call me back.”

Oh crap! It has been a minute since he last spoke to his Aunt May! With everything that's been going on she slipped his mind. God, What is wrong with him?!

BEEP “Parker! Where’ve you been?! Never mind that! Listen! I have this great idea for the new team Avengers announcement that’ll get some solid endorsements! Meet with me at the mansion before the official announcement!”

Oy vey, Jameson now being friends with Spider-Man means he’ll treat the hero like he treated Peter Parker. As an employee. 

BEEP “Peter? It’s Max. You forgot to turn in the paperwork for double checking Grady’s numbers on his time door. I know the project was scrapped, no pun intended, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have some application we can explore more. Call me.”

Well as far as tasks go, that is by far the easiest thing he can deal with today. But he will have to talk to Max about wanting to explore the possibilities of the time door more. Eternity is mad enough as is with humanity, and Peter would rather not provoke the universe anymore if he can help it. 

The sound of chewing makes him look at one of the ire’s Eternity has to put up with, and said ire is sitting cross legged on the counter with a sandwich in hand, “You know you shouldn't ignore Aunt May so much,” he says with a mouth full of food, “She won’t always be here.”

He tries not to flinch at the comment. He knows his mini me is right. He wants to tell her but his concern for her well being always makes him hesitate. But after everything, he has to come clean with her. Not just for his own sake but for hers as well. Aunt May is his mother, she raised him and nurtured him. And as much as it pains him to admit it, Mephisto was right. He knows she blames herself for all of his shortcomings, for not living up to his full potential like she and so many others knew he had. 

With resolve, he picks up the phone and dials her number. It rings a few times before he gets her answering machine, “Hey Aunt May, I got your message,” he starts, sounding very guilty, “Sorry, I’ve been really busy. But I’m free later. Let’s have dinner. I’ll stop by. Love you.”

He hangs up and lets out a sigh. The wieght of what he is going to do is heavy on his shoulders. He is going to tell her. He is going to reveal his Spider-Man secret to her. It’s been years and it should’ve happened sooner, well before Jameson that’s for sure, but it doesn’t matter because it’s happening. At least that’s what he keeps telling himself. 

He knows what he should do and what he wants to do, and they’re both the same thing, which is a rarity for him. But that is not the issue. The real issue is whether or not he can live with the outcome of this decision. Telling Aunt May he is Spider-Man and has been since he was a teenager is a lot harder than it was telling Jameson. And that came with the threat of public exposure. 

The reasons for his concern are many. For one, Aunt May’s health. That had always been the crux of his worry, that revealing his secret could cause an episode. Or that his activities could. Hell, Mary Jane always worries, and he is afraid that that worry will kill her, too, eventually. 

The next is her reaction. Of course, she would be proud of him, but his mind still pictures her horror even though he knows she wouldn’t react that way. Mary Jane even said that in their last life, May knew the truth and did her best to support him. He can imagine that woman going to Jameson and telling him off over the years of slander he said about Peter, which puts a smile on his face. 

As good as that sounds though, the next reason makes his smile disappear. Because it is possibly the biggest reason why he hasn’t revealed his secret to her. He wanted to protect her from this life, he wanted her to have some sense of normalcy. He doesn’t want to burden her with the same problems that plague him and those close to him everyday. Hell, he couldn’t even go on a vacation without it turning into a whole thing that included gods and assassins. 

Then again, what the heck is normal for him? Normal has never been a part of his life. As Pete Parker, what has he done that was normal? He was a nerd who dated a famous actress and supermodel, and his parents were spies for god's sake! Did he ever really have a chance at being normal? 

The more he thinks about it, the more he feels like he was talking himself out of telling Aunt May. Maybe he has some good points, but at the same time, maybe he doesn’t. In the end, it’s not just about protecting her but also about something deeper than that. 

Of course, there is one tidbit of information that he is worried about revealing. That he and Mary Jane are dating again, which would elate May, but when they say that Sonja and Felicia are also involved might bring a different reaction out of her. The latter May has met and the former she has not. But regardless, Peter does not know how May would react. He can’t even begin to guess what she would think of this unorthodox relationship of theirs. What would she say? What should they say? What could they say? Would she ultimately approve or disapprove?

What will her reactions be to all of that? Being dumped such news all at once. It won’t be easy for the woman to process, Peter knows and acknowledges that, and he is hoping to soften the blow with some good news like him going back to school. A weak bit of news but it’s all he’s really got. 

He groans. It doesn't do him any good simply speculating when he still has so many other things to deal with before he can talk to May. Much as it hurts to say, taking to her can wait while he deals with other things. 

“So you’re going to tell her?” His mini me asks from his spot on the counter. Having been waiting for the older man to say something. 

Another thing he might need to bring up with May. 

“Yeah,” Peter responds, “I feel like it’s time. So much has happened, and I want her to be a part of my life again.”