It's a Spider Family. {Sequel to 'It's a Spider Thing'.}

{13} i don't think she wants me anymore

PETER DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO ACT AROUND HIS AUNT- the term sounded strange and felt alien on his tongue- it left him feeling confused and off balance.

For the better part of his life, Peter had been raised without familial ties and the knowledge that his last name was Parker. Now all of a sudden, he was now sitting in his aunt's apartment after being literally picked up from the street the night before.

The last thing that Peter wanted to do was scare the older woman away, but he was overly aware of how different he was to the people around him.

He was saved from that track of thought as May appeared in the living room again. She smiled as she set a plate of toast on the coffee table and urged him to eat as she folded the blanket up beside him so he could move unhindered. "Thanks." Peter mumbled, once she was sitting down again.

"How much do you remember? About, our family."

Peter caught the use of 'our' and his heart clenched as he bit into the toast with a half-hearted shrug. He chewed and swallowed, hyper aware of her eyes on him as if he would disappear if she looked away for even a moment. "Not much, and I never really asked." he admitted.

There was a moment as May processed before she nodded.

"Well, your parents were scientists." She said, her tone light and warm which effectively captured Peter's attention. He wasn't sure how much he wanted to delve into his family history and wonder what his life might have been like but May seemed eager to share as she reached for a photo frame to her right. She held it out for him to see. "Richard and Mary Parker. They worked for an organization for a while- Hydra or something- then you were born." She sighed sadly, as if remembering the couple whilst Peter stiffened beside her. "They were killed when you were barely old enough to walk, a plane crash on their way to a last-minute business trip."

Peter swallowed thickly and echoed, "Hydra?" May nodded.

A sudden realisation hit Peter that he was doomed from the beginning; even before he was born his heritage was interlocked with Hydra which struck him with the thought that maybe his life wouldn't have been that different after all. It wasn't a comforting line of thinking, but it didn't feel particularly damning. Peter faced it as if it was a fact, numb and empty because who can argue with fact?

"You know it." May concluded, setting down the picture gently as she eyed him.

"Yeah." He clenched his jaw and then forced it to untense. "It's a bad organization." Peter added, looking up to meet his aunt's eyes- they were so full of expression, every emotion clear as day within them. "Hydra were the ones who killed Ben. The babysitter. And stole me."

May froze at the abrupt information. Her mind whirled and picked the statement apart before she gasped, "That's why they were running." she whispered, understanding sparking in her eyes.

At Peter's puzzled expression, she quickly elaborated.

"Your parents left you with me and Ben, said they needed to go on a last-minute trip but, it was like they knew they weren't coming back. We got the call the next day that the plane had gone down, no survivors." The air left Peter's lungs and his body deflated slightly, slumping forwards as he struggled to comprehend that Hydra really had taken everything from him.

Not just his aunt and uncle, but even his parents too.

A warm hand settled on his shoulder after a few seconds and a thumb massaged his shoulder blade. "Why did Hydra take you?" May asked quietly, her face contemplative and sad. "It was years later when we lost you." she added, partly afraid of the answer not being a good one.