Secret Identity

The next morning, Peter debates whether or not to wear one of his new binders to school, or more importantly, in front of Aunt May.

On one hand, wearing it would definitely help with the dysphoria, but on the other hand…

Is it worth it? Maybe it's time to come out anyway, right?

He’s already come out to the FF, so why not Aunt May?

Well. He has been waiting for the right moment. In fact, he thinks he hears her downstairs making breakfast. Alright, time to hype himself up.

His head is spinning and his ears are pounding as he makes his way down the stairs. He realizes he still looks like the living dead in his pajamas, but it doesn't really matter.

The smell of eggs and cheese hits his nose, and he all but swoons over to the kitchen table until he realizes what he is here to do.

He could still turn around and leave. Aunt May is turned around and hasn't noticed him yet. He can still change his mind.

In fact, he thinks he’ll do just that. That is, until Aunt May turns around just as he is about to stand up and leave the table to retreat back into his safe room where he won't have to worry about any of this.

“Paula, are you alright, dear? You look worried about something.”

Aw hell.

“Um… can we talk?” he said in a small voice. He shouldn't be afraid of this when he has fought so many villains. Not only that, but he beat them all. Telling family who you are should be easy. It's not like he isn't already out to the Fantastic Four right? Well, he guesses he didn't really tell them, more that they found out. Either way, he should be able to tell his Aunt. The one who raised him. The one who loved him when nothing else did. This shouldn't change that.

“Yes, of course. Just let me finish these omelets.”

Mmm, so that's what it was.

She finished them up and put them on some plates. She picked them up and walked over to the table. She set their food down.

“Okay. Now what is it?” she asked with patience. Oh lord, Peter was not holding up well.

“Um, I… I need to tell you something.”
“Anything, sweetheart.”
“Uh, you- you might not like it.”

She gave him a stern look.

“If you are doing something illegal or-”
“No! No, not like that. I'm not doing anything bad. It's something else.” he scratched the back of his neck.
“Well then, what is it Paula?” She saw him flinch hard.
“I'm… i'm…”

It felt like there was a rock in his throat. There was something screaming at him to stop and run away. There was something telling him he couldn't do it, and that this would ruin everything and Aunt May would hate him. But then again, that voice was always there. It had been there when he almost lost to the green goblin. When he was fighting the Lizard. Every time he went up against something that seemed too much, too impossible to beat.

Aunt May put her hand on his from across the table.

But every time, he ignored it. He pushed through. He won the battle against all of them. He had to, or else he wouldn't be alive right now. He could have given up, but he didn't. He didn't because hundreds of people could have been hurt. And he didn't let that happen. If he could do all that, he can do this. He can work past the lump in his throat.

“I'm transgender.”

There was a look on her face that was pure confusion. Oh no.

Aunt May had always taken on any kind of challenge.

Raising a little girl had been one of them.

She saw her sweet Paula take on anything she was given. She saw Paula grow, and learn, and become the brilliant young lady she knew her to be. She watched on as she saw her niece growing up. Sure, she was a handful sometimes, but that was nothing compared to what she had to deal with when she couldn't help Paula with those nasty bullies at school.

She took on anything that came her way with stride.

But this is not what she had been expecting when the child she raised told her that they were transgender.

Oh Jesus. Oh fuck. He shouldn't have come here, he should have stayed up in his room, he should have-

“Calm down, dear.” She squeezed his hand.

He looked up to find a look of hurt on her face. Oh no. That was so impossibly worse than confusion. Oh god. Was he going to be kicked out? Was he going to have to live on the street? How would he get food? How was-

“Sweetheart, calm down. What do you mean you're transgender? Why didn't you tell me sooner?” Didn't he trust her enough to know that that wouldn't matter to her?

Oh that wasn't what he thought the hurt meant. He took a shaky breath.

“I mean i'm a boy. I always have been. It took me a while to realize it, and even longer to accept it. I, i'm, i'm sorry.”

He lowered his head and closed his eyes shut tight. It still didn't stop the tears from coming through.

“How dare you. Look at me.” she squeezed his hand hard.

That was the last thing he wanted to do right now. He didn't want to see the disappointment or hate in her eyes. But when he looked up, that's not what he saw.

“How dare you ever think that you needed to be afraid of telling me. I love you no matter who you are. No matter who you have been, or who you will be. I admit, calling you a boy will be tough to get use to, but that does not mean i won't try my hardest.”

Peter let out a broken sob. Aunt May got up and walked around to where peter was sitting. She stood him up and hugged him. He cried into her shirt.

They stood like that for a while. Peter let everything go, while Aunt May rubbed his back.

When Peter started to collect himself, May asked him what his name is.

“Peter. My name is Peter.” He said as he stepped back. He had the biggest, dorkiest grin on his face you could imagine.

“Alright Peter.” She gave him a teary smile back.

Now how does he go about telling her he already has two binders?

“Uh, Aunt May?”
“Yes, Peter?” They both smiled.
“You know those friends i was with yesterday?”
“...yes?”
“They may or may not have found out that i'm trans, and they may or may not be rich, and they may or may not have insisted on giving me some binders.”

Aunt May gave him a look.

“I know! I tried to tell them that i didn't need them, and i tried to tell them they don't need to give me anything, but they wouldn't listen! They know we aren't exactly made of money, so they made me take them.”
“Who are these friends of yours?” Oh boy.
“Well, they're, uh, just some people.”
“Why have I never met them before?”
“They, um, they’re busy all the time.”
“Why have i never heard you mention them before yesterday?”
“I guess they just never came up in conversation.”
“Uh-huh.”

She gave him another look.

“When will i get to meet these friends?”
“I’ll have to ask them when they're free.”

Another look.

“I have to go get ready for school.”
“Are you going to wear the binders?”
“...yeah. Yeah i think i will.”

She smiled. Her niec- nephew is all grown up.