Chapter 73: Time to Be Honest

Parker Residence — End of the Day

After all the chaos of the day, things were finally beginning to wind down for Peter. Still wearing the same clothes he had on when he ran away from home earlier, he eventually arrived at his house. Yet once he stood in front of the door, he remained frozen for several long minutes, unable to bring himself to go inside. He thought about what he was going to tell them, how he could possibly explain everything and, above all, tried to gather enough courage to finally take that first step.

— "Come on, Peter. Just be brave. You can do this!"

He gently opened the door and slowly pushed it inward, almost hoping he wouldn't immediately run into anyone so he could put off the confrontation just a little longer. But deep down, he knew perfectly well that he couldn't avoid it forever. Once inside, his gaze cautiously swept across the house without seeing anyone. He quietly closed the door behind him before calling out hesitantly.

— "Aunt May…? Are you here…?"

Upstairs, Aunt May was in Gwen's room talking with her when she suddenly heard Peter's voice echoing from downstairs. She jumped in surprise, immediately recognizing her nephew.

— "PETER?!"

She abruptly stood up.

— "Aunt May, wait!"

Despite still recovering physically, May rushed out of the room and hurried down the stairs, narrowly avoiding a dangerous fall before throwing herself straight into Peter's arms. Caught off guard, he remained stunned for a moment. After mentally preparing himself to be scolded from every direction, this was the last kind of welcome he had expected, and feeling his aunt hold him so tightly brought him an immense sense of comfort.

— "Aunt May, listen… I'm really—"

— "Peter Benjamin Parker… you are never doing that to me again! Do you understand?! Never again!"

Her voice trembled under the weight of all the emotions overwhelming her at once: worry, anger, but above all, the immense relief of finally seeing him standing in front of her, safe and sound.

She was on the verge of bursting into tears, but somehow managed to hold them back. Faced with that, Peter couldn't find anything to say. Realizing once again just how lucky he was to have an aunt like her, he simply wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.

— "I'm sorry. I promise it won't happen again," he said softly.

That was when Gwen appeared behind May, making her way down the stairs as well. From her expression, Peter immediately understood that she was just as happy and relieved to see him safe and sound. A few minutes passed before he finally asked them both to sit down so they could talk about everything that had just happened.

They gathered around the kitchen table, and a slightly heavy silence settled over them as the two women waited for an explanation from someone who meant so much to them.

After taking a long breath to gather his courage, Peter finally began to speak. He tried to be as sincere as possible while carefully avoiding certain revelations that were far too… shocking.

So he told them a modified version of the events, coming up with explanations believable enough to justify his behavior, his actions, and everything that had happened, all while repeatedly apologizing to them.

Naturally, Gwen and May remained somewhat confused and still slightly angry at first, their reactions fueled by all the worry they had experienced. For one of them, that fear had lasted several entire days, while for the other, it had only lasted a few hours.

But eventually, the tension gradually faded and everything worked itself out for the best. The evening was finally able to return to something normal and pleasant. As for Peter and the symbiote… it was over.

Later that evening, the house had fallen completely silent. Aunt May had already been asleep for a while, while Peter was still lying in bed, his eyes wide open.

He thought back on everything that had happened since reuniting with Eddie, all the way to the appearance of the symbiote and everything that had followed. Now that a large part of the problem was finally behind him, a deep sense of peace was beginning to settle over him… but along with it came a need to talk.

Peter eventually sat up, climbed out of bed, and silently left his room before making his way toward Gwen's. When he reached her door, he knocked softly, then opened it just enough to see the young girl sitting at the desk chair with her phone pressed to her ear.

— "Okay. No problem, Professor Connors. Yeah, got it. We'll be there, don't worry. Good night."

Once the call ended, Gwen hung up. Peter then opened the door a little wider and stepped almost entirely into the room.

— "Were you talking to the Connors? Everything okay?"

— "Oh, yeah. They just told me we can go back to the lab starting tomorrow."

— "Seriously? Awesome!"

Peter couldn't contain his excitement at the news and made a small celebratory movement. He still made sure not to shout, simply happy at the thought of returning to the laboratory, especially now that he was finally himself again. Seeing him like this, Gwen couldn't help but give him a tender smile.

That joyful, familiar expression on Peter's face was something she had eventually begun to fear she might never see again. Then, little by little, the young man's expression became more serious.

— "Hey… can we talk for a few minutes?"

Gwen simply nodded. Peter walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed. Gwen left her desk chair as well and joined him, sitting down beside him.

TO BE CONTINUED.