"You're the ones who will be using them."
Ben slid the three vials across the table. They glowed with a soft, internal light, casting faint blue shadows on his uncle's hands.
Ben, Sr. and May stared at them, then at him, utterly stunned. The fine, silver-gray of his dad's hair seemed to stand on end, and the familiar laugh lines around his eyes were now etched with pure confusion. More than that, he looked almost offended by the sheer value of the gift.
These were two people who had spent their entire lives putting their boys first. New shoes for Peter meant another year on Ben, Sr.'s worn work boots. A college fund for Ben meant their own savings account remained untouched. For decades, the best of everything had been reserved for their children. It was a habit too deeply ingrained to break.
"Ben, this is… it's too precious," Ben, Sr. finally managed, shaking his head. "Your Mom and I, we're just a couple of old folks."
"Old?" May shot him a look sharp enough to cut glass. "I'm not even fifty yet. I'm forty-nine!"
But you look fifty-five, Uncle Ben wisely thought, keeping the observation to himself.
Regardless of the exact number, their sentiment was the same. Such a gift shouldn't be wasted on them. "We don't deserve it," she said softly.
"Of course you do," Ben insisted, his voice gentle but firm. "I had this made specifically for you. As for me and Peter…" He nudged his cousin with an elbow. "Pete, why don't you show them the new trick you've been working on?"
Peter, momentarily confused, caught Ben's look and understood. He grinned, then leaped straight up, his hand slapping against the ceiling and sticking fast.
His aunt and uncle blinked, their mouths slightly agape.
"Not bad," Ben critiqued with a smirk. "But you missed a spot. Clean up that cobweb in the corner over there."
With practiced ease, Peter flipped his body, hanging upside down. He crawled across the ceiling like his namesake, his fingers deftly brushing away a dusty web in the corner. Then he dropped lightly to the floor.
The silence that followed was absolute. Then, it shattered.
"Oh, my God!" May covered her face, a horrified shriek muffled by her hands. Her eyes were wide with terror and dawning realization. "You're… you're Spider-Man!"
"Yeah," Peter admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I am." He wasn't sure why Ben had chosen this exact moment for the grand reveal, but he trusted his cousin's judgment implicitly.
After the initial shock, a slow, proud smile spread across Ben, Sr.'s face. He pointed a finger at Peter, his eyes twinkling. "I knew it! I knew there couldn't be another good guy out there with that much heart besides my own nephew." He clapped Peter on the shoulder. "Well done, son. You're putting your gifts to good use."
"Thanks, Uncle Ben." Peter beamed, the approval from his family meaning more to him than any cheering crowd.
His moment of triumph was cut short when May straightened his head with a firm hand. The relief on her face had been replaced by a brewing storm. "Not good at all!" she declared.
"My nephew is Spider-Man! That's insane!" She looked like she was on the verge of collapsing. Peter reached out to steady her, but she batted his hand away. "Oh, my heavens! So you're the one out there every day fighting terrorists with bombs? Getting slashed at by giant green monsters? Fighting aliens from outer space?!"
"Uh…" Peter was at a complete loss. He shot a desperate, pleading look at Ben, Uncle Ben, even Harry.
His uncle stepped in, putting a supportive arm around his wife. "Now, May, our boy has done something incredible. We should be happy for him, not stand in his way. Besides, don't you think Spider-Man is wonderful?"
"That was before I knew the person under the mask was my nephew!" she retorted, her fear and frustration finally boiling over. Not wanting to take it out on the children, she rounded on her husband. "And you're supporting this! Let me ask you, what happens if Peter gets hurt? Do you know how many times the Daily Bugle has reported that Spider-Man was injured? How many times that horrible man has sworn up and down that he was dead and buried?" Her eyes were red with unshed tears, her rapid-fire questions leaving Uncle Ben speechless.
"Wait," Peter interjected, squeezing between them. "To be fair, every time Jameson reported I was dead, I was sitting at home doing my homework. Besides, everything in the Bugle about Spider-Man is fake news."
May's gaze snapped to him. "But what if one day it isn't fake? What if one day, Spider-Man really does die? What happens to my nephew then? Who gives me my nephew back?"
She stared at Peter, her voice now calm but carrying a weight so powerful it buckled his knees. It was the power of a mother's love, forged in fear and fierce beyond measure.
Ben moved toward her then, wrapping her in a gentle hug. "Don't worry, Mom," he said softly. "I won't let anything happen to Peter. I've prepared the most advanced equipment in the world for him. He can handle any situation."
His words were a soothing balm. Ben had always been the more reassuring of the two, and his confidence had a gravity that Peter's sometimes lacked. She took a long, shuddering breath, her posture softening in his arms. But she wasn't done yet.
"Don't think you're off the hook!" she said, turning her still-fiery gaze on Ben. "Peter is Spider-Man, so what about you? I don't believe for a second you've just been doing nothing dangerous!"
In truth, Ben was always the instigator, the one who fought off Peter's bullies at school.
"I've been very good, Mom," Ben lied with a perfectly straight face. "I much prefer doing research in the lab these days."
"Really?" she asked, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. But then she considered the facts. Ben had built a massive company and invented world-changing technology. The other, darker Spider-Man had rarely been seen. Maybe… maybe what he said was true.
She nodded slowly. "Okay. You pass."
Peter's jaw dropped. The injustice was staggering. "He's done way more than me!" he blurted out, all thoughts of tactical silence forgotten. "That trip he said he took that went so long? He actually went to another planet, helped the people there overthrow a tyrant, and then became their king!"
May froze. Ben shot Peter a murderous glare.
Seeing the look on Ben's face, May knew it was true. She had thought Peter helping neighbors and fighting crime was brave. She hadn't expected to find out her other nephew had conquered a planet in a month.
"That's it," she said, her voice dangerously stern. "I forbid it. I will not allow you boys to continue doing these dangerous things!"
Peter and Ben, Sr. fell silent. Harry wisely lowered his head, becoming intensely interested in the pattern of the tablecloth.
Only Ben remained calm. "Mom," he said, his voice imbued with a quiet sincerity. "We do what we have to do. I'm not doing this because the world needs me. I'm doing it because this family needs me. If we don't eliminate certain enemies, our lives will never be safe."
He held her gaze. "Think about Hydra. What would have happened if they'd completed Project Insight? Peter and I were both on their list. They were coming for us. And Thanos, the alien who just invaded. He wanted to destroy half of all life in the universe. Who would have been spared? Who would have survived?"
He pulled her into another hug, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I don't want to be killed by someone like that. And I don't want to watch you disappear in front of my eyes."
A moment later, Peter and Ben, Sr. joined the embrace, the whole family clinging to one another. Only Harry remained at the table, feeling distinctly like an intruder on this intensely personal moment.
After a long while, May finally gave in, her shoulders slumping in resignation. "Okay," she sighed. "I agree. You can continue to be superheroes…"
Peter turned to his uncle and whispered, "There's usually a 'but' after that."
"But," Aunt May said, her voice regaining its strength, "someone has to watch you!"
"What do you mean?" Peter asked, stunned. Even Ben looked taken aback.
"We can't just let two of you…" she corrected herself, glancing at Harry, "—three of you minors run around saving the world unsupervised."
"But I'm Spider-Man!" Peter protested.
"I conquered a planet!" Ben added.
"You're also underage," May stated with an air of finality that permitted no argument. "And it just so happens that we're both retired now. And you just so happened to bring three vials of Super Soldier Serum…"
Ben, Sr. picked up the thread, a slow, eager grin spreading across his face. "…So why can't we be superheroes?" He looked like a kid on Christmas morning. It was hard to tell if he truly wanted to supervise them, or if he just really, really admired Captain America.
"Okay, so what forms do I need to fill out?" he asked, already getting into the logistics. "Do I apply to H.A.M.M.E.R.? The Avengers? Do they have an age limit? I hope not. I was just laid off for being too old…"
Ben couldn't help but laugh, the sound bright and clear. "No, Dad," he said, picking up one of the glowing vials. "We're not the Avengers."
He looked at his aunt and uncle, his eyes shining with pride and affection.
"We're the Plumbers."
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Support me at [email protected]/goldengaruda and check out more early access chapter of this fanfic or more early access chapter of my other fanfic translation.
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