The Silent Love of Parents

A moment later, as the door was carefully opened a crack, Riley and Peter, amidst their jostling, cautiously poked their heads in one after the other.

Their comical appearance makes it hard to imagine that these two teenagers, who tiptoe home like thieves, are the superheroes who solved two crises in one night.

"Looks like no one's home...? That makes sense, Mom and Dad should be at work by now."

Holding his breath, Riley observed carefully for a while until he was sure there was no movement in the house. Only then did he feel a little relieved.

Afterwards, Riley and Peter looked at each other, staring at each other for a while. Riley, the older brother, despite saying on the way back that he would take the blame for his younger brother, still steeled himself and was the first to step into the house.

Unfortunately, Riley's good luck seems to have run out in the last two days.

Just when Riley thought that his parents had gone to work and that his "desperate situation" had been changed from a death sentence to a suspended death sentence, he had some time to make up a reasonable excuse.

Unexpectedly, just after turning the corner, I habitually entered the restaurant to get some water.

Then I saw Ben Parker wearing thick glasses, holding his phone in one hand, sitting silently in the seat directly opposite the entrance.

Beside Ben Parker was May Parker, who was resting with her eyes closed, her hand supporting her face.

Hearing the noise coming from the entrance, the two of them looked up almost simultaneously, their eyes meeting in that instant.

Riley not only suffered stiff limbs and cardiac arrest, but his mind also went blank, losing its usual quick wit, and he could only utter one word over and over again.

Spicy Balls—!!!

"Hey, Riley, what are you doing standing here... Ouch, I must not be fully awake, I opened it wrong... Let me take another look..."

Meanwhile, Peter, who was hiding behind Riley, also became very curious about Riley's strange behavior. Puzzled, he asked questions and, before Riley could even stop him, poked his head out from behind Riley.

Then, just like Riley, his muscles tensed up, he subconsciously raised his hand to cover his eyes, and mechanically and slowly pulled his head back in.

After a moment of silence, he peeked out again, muttering to himself, to look around.

Until it was confirmed that no matter how many times they looked, Mei and Ben were still sitting there, perfectly fine.

Like Riley, Peter was immediately drenched in sweat. He swallowed hard and stammered a greeting to the two of them.

"Uh, well... hey, good morning, Uncle Ben, Aunt Mei, the weather's really nice today, haha... oh right, don't you two have to go to work today?"

"Good morning, Peter. Last night, there was some gas pipeline explosion somewhere, and a lot of houses collapsed, not to mention the road. So, considering how difficult the commute is, my old friend agreed to let me work from home until the road is repaired."

Seeing Peter's obviously guilty look, with dark circles under his eyes indicating he hadn't slept well all night, May Parker immediately showed a look of heartache and helplessness.

Before May Parker could even speak, Ben Parker raised his hand to stop his wife, then smiled and, as usual, responded in a soft, gentle voice.

"Speaking of which, I thought you'd go to school with Gwen? Didn't she call to say you'd been staying with her these past few days, helping to take care of your two younger brothers?"

"Huh? Gwen? Uh...yes! That's right! But we forgot our schoolbags! So we asked Gwen to ask the teacher for leave so we could come back!"

Upon hearing Ben Parker's words, Peter was first stunned, then his eyes filled with tears. He was deeply grateful for his girlfriend's wit and intelligence, exclaiming that Gwen was simply his angel!

Hastily following Gwen's fabricated excuse, he gave a serious response and, pulling Riley, who was still in a daze, headed towards the room on the second floor.

"Seriously, a gas pipeline explosion? That sounds absurd, would anyone really believe that... Oh wait, I mean, thankfully that place is far enough away from here that it won't hurt you guys, haha... Riley and I are going upstairs to get our bags!"

And that's why Peter and Riley, who only felt fortunate that Gwen had helped them escape, failed to realize that...

After watching the two walk upstairs, Ben Parker's originally straight back subtly slumped slightly.

He then patted May Parker, who seemed hesitant to speak, and silently shook his head before refocusing his attention on his phone screen.

And on it, the video footage kept playing...

It was last night, during which the battle was filmed by that boy risking his life to livestream.

In an effort to quickly clear the names of Spider-Man and Hulk, similar videos, orchestrated by District 13, have been circulating online in droves. Even simply opening a browser window reveals a replay of this live stream as a top trending topic.

It's important to understand that the fact that someone like Peter Parker, who is not only exceptionally capable but also possesses a kinder and more determined mind than Captain America, means that Ben Parker himself could not possibly be an ordinary person.

In this world, what parent wouldn't recognize their own child...?

Despite being heavily disguised, and due to the rapid pace of their movement and the dim lighting, the footage captured was always blurry, except for the brief standoff with the army.

But Ben Parker still recognized the figure in the video—a figure so familiar that he could hardly believe it—who was rushing around in the most dangerous areas, busy rescuing people.

Not to mention, recently, so many unfamiliar faces have suddenly appeared around us.

And despite it being their first meeting, the new neighbors treated their family with exceptional warmth, as if they had known each other for a long time.

All of this was enough to make Ben Parker vaguely realize something.

The question asked to Peter was actually Ben Parker's final test.

Of course, this doesn't mean that Ben Parker deceived Peter.

After also guessing Spider-Man's true identity, Gwen did indeed call Ben Parker immediately, trying to cover for the Parker brothers.

But Gwen, also young and lacking in foresight, clearly didn't expect...

If, as Gwen said, the Parker brothers really stayed at her house and didn't get involved in any trouble...

Why should Riley and Peter be so careful when they go home, as if they're afraid of being found out by the couple?

Moreover, when Ben Parker mentioned the gas pipeline explosion, Peter, usually kind-hearted, didn't immediately worry about whether there were any casualties. Instead, he instinctively thought the claim was utterly absurd…

This is enough to prove that Peter already knew about this news.

It's even highly likely that they're right there on the scene.

That's why he was so certain that no one was hurt in last night's events, and there was no need to ask any more questions!

So much so that Ben Parker, despite his mixed feelings, finally realized that the two Spider-Men who had recently become famous in New York City were his two precious children, whom he cherished dearly.

In this situation, would you say Ben Parker is proud of his two children?

That's for sure.

Seeing his children embody the belief that "with great power comes great responsibility" and do their utmost to help others, how could the old father not feel gratified?

But as a guardian, Ben Parker's selfish side, besides causing him anxiety and fear, made him deeply regretful that he had often said those words. He hoped that his child could shed the heavy responsibility of "Spider-Man" and be a carefree ordinary person.

So when the Parker brothers returned, Ben Parker originally intended to pretend to be angry and confine them to the house to prevent them from doing such dangerous things without his knowledge.

However, after repeatedly watching Spider-Man's actions and seeing the thank-you videos spontaneously filmed by the survivors' families, Ben Parker clearly realized the importance of "Spider-Man".

I also understand that some things have to be done by someone.

Therefore, Ben Parker ultimately respected the brothers' wishes and chose to silently support them. And knowing they clearly didn't want him to worry, he and his wife deliberately cooperated, pretending to be completely unaware.

Of course, given Ben Parker's understanding of the two children's personalities, they would reveal the whole truth on their own initiative when the time was right, even without any deliberate probing.

Therefore, in Ben Parker's view, all he and his wife need to do now is to be a warm haven for their children and protect their cozy little home.

So that whenever the children return, they can be given a big hug immediately to comfort their tired bodies and minds.

Make sure they are no longer invincible superheroes once they return home.

Instead, they are ordinary children who can let go of all their worries and indulge in their parents' embrace.

That's it.