Survivor

1. The only time you run out of chances is when you stop taking them

"The only time you run out of chances is when you stop taking them."

Peter Parker gaped at his Aunt May who gaped at him from the doorway where she stared at him standing in his Spiderman suit. That's right, he was stupid enough to change into his suit with the door open. Crap.

After swearing, his Aunt just stood there with a hand over her mouth. "You can't be... you're not..." she let out a choked gasp as it started to click into place. Devastatingly, it was actually plausible. May slid down the wall and Peter ran to her. "No, no, Aunt May please...!"

"Get away from me." She hissed, shoving him away with enough force to shatter his heart. "What the hell, Peter? Who the hell are you?"

"This is... I'm cosplaying?" Peter winced; that was not supposed to be a question. May locked him in a death glare. "Peter Benjamin Parker, I can tell when you're lying. But apparently not as well as I thought." She growled, grabbing the mask out of his hand. "What is the meaning of this?" She already knew the answer, but she needed to hear it. From him.

"May... I..." all that time practising what to say, and when he finally had the chance to explain he had no words. He looked up at her with those swimming hazel eyes guiltily. "I'm... I'm Spiderman."

And that was the moment when May's life came crashing down all over again.

"N-no." She clamped a hand over her mouth but it did nothing to hold back the strangled sob escaping her throat. She looked at the mask in her hand and threw it at Peter harshly, anger trying to quell her panic.

"S-so you skipped the decathlon and then decided to save a crashing elevator, and almost died in the process. You tried to sew a ferry that was split in half together and almost died in the process. You fought a criminal wielding weird alien technology and almost died in the process." She said slowly, disbelief dripping in her words. "You took on the biggest guns, with no thought to yourself, and you've been the reckless hero who keeps putting himself in danger to save others, all this time?" Tears slipped down her cheeks and fell in her lap. Only when she looked up at her nephew did she realize something.

Yes, he was all those things. He was all those stupid, reckless things. He was also her nephew, who had superpowers, and had been going through all of this and doing this dangerous stuff alone. He was also just a scared little boy who had no one to go to when he hurt himself, no arms to wrap around him when he couldn't sleep. He had no help, except maybe from the selfish billionare Tony Stark who she did not trust in the slightest.

May looked at him and her heart broke when she saw him looking at the mask in his hands and crying, the tears slipping down his pale face. He looked so small, so broken, that May couldn't make herself angry as his weak voice called to her.

"I-I have to M-May. I have to do this. This is my responsibility." He sniffed. "This is my fight."

May leaned forwards and ran her fingers through his disheveled chestnut hair. "No, Peter..."

"Please." He looked up at her with a sad smile. "This has been my fight since I got bitten by that dang spider." He shut his eyes softly. May pulled him into a hug and he sobbed into her shoulder. "Oh Peter." She sniffed. "I'm sorry you've been going through this alone for the past eight months."

"I-I haven't been e-entirely alone... for the past two months." Peter corrected, and May laughed slightly. "I had Mr. Stark, and Ned."

"Ned?" She full on laughed this time. "My guy in the chair." Peter snickered, pulling out of her embrace to smile past the tears. May put a hand on his chin and he leaned into her. She may not have been his biological mother, but she felt like it all the same.

"Peter, you can't... I don't want you doing this anymore." She whispered and Peter's face fell, causing him to pull out of her touch. "Aunt May...!"

"Listen, I can't let you get hurt! I can't go through it again! I can't lose you Peter, you're all I have!" May insisted, tears streaming again as Peter stood. "Aunt May, I have to do this for that exact reason!" Peter yelled suddenly. "I can't let what happened to us happen to anyone else - what happened to Uncle Ben." Peter looked away when he said his name.

"I have this great power." He crossed to the window of his room and yanked open the window. "So I must also shoulder this great responsibility." He yanked his mask on and dived into the sweet spring breeze.

"Peter!" May screamed before slapping a hand over her mouth. She couldn't reveal his identity and put him in more danger. Dang it. She squeezed her eyes shut against more tears. Her nephew, who she had done everything in her power to protect, was now at the mercy of the cruelness of the world.

No matter what she did, he was always out of her reach.

Ugh sorry for such a depressing chapter! Don't worry, it gets worse...

lawls, but there is more angst. There's also humor, spidey quips, spidey whump and overall one wild ride. Buckle up!

~Meow