Pointe Shoes and Spider Webs

27. All About The Money

May jolts awake when she feels the bed dipping next to her. She squints, not being able to see well without her glasses. The alarm on her nightstand tells her it's four AM. She reaches forward and relaxes her muscles when she notices it's Peter.
"Can I sleep here tonight?" His voice is soft and May shoots him a worried look. He hasn't slept in her bed since he was twelve. Something must be up. He hasn't undressed, but May was expecting him to be in his Spidey suit. He only comes home this late when he's Spider-Man. Instead she sees the silhouette of his flannel shirt.

They lie face to face. He breathes deeply as he eases himself into the soft mattress and he hides his mouth and nose under the covers.
"Of course, Pete." She squeezes his arm and presses her lips into an encouraging smile. "Do you want to talk?" His eyes peek out from under the blanket and he slowly shakes his head. He frowns.
"I don't know..."
"You can always talk to me if you want to, but you never have to if you don't want to. You know that, right?" He nods and sniffs. They just stare at each other in silence for a little bit.

"I don't want anything to ever happen to you," Peter whispers. May mentally needs to take a step back, still only barely awake.
"How do you mean?"
"I can't lose you too." His voice cracks. She studies the lines of his frowning face, knowing exactly what he's talking about. They didn't really discuss any of this kind of stuff. Peter is and has always been quite in tune with his emotions, and they talked a lot about Ben. His parents are something he rarely mentioned.

"Oh, Pete." May pulls him into a hug. He holds her tight. Maybe a little too tight. It's times like this where he forgets how strong he actually is. May doesn't say a thing, though. He needs this now. "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."
"Mm-" Daphne had said something similar earlier that night. It makes him shudder. "I'm so sorry for making you worry so much." His voice sounds muffled with his face hidden against her body and under the blankets.
"It's okay, it's okay," she shushes him and pets his hair softly. He relaxes again under her touch and closes his eyes.
"I love you, May," he whispers.
"And I love you, Peter." His breathing becomes steady as he finally drifts off to sleep.

...

"Yo, Pete!" Ned rushes through the hallway but is stopped in his tracks when Peter appears from behind his locker door as he closes it. Ned raises his eyebrows. "Dang, man, did you get any sleep last night?"
"Not really..." Peter pushes his hand through his hair. "Last night was just rough, I guess." He doesn't really want to discuss it right now.
"I'm sorry, man."
"I'll survive," Peter shrugs and sighs, and he turns to go to class. Ned walks next to him.
"You always do," Ned laughs. "Just make sure you go to bed early tonight."
"I'll try, Ned." Ned turns his face to Peter and he raises his eyebrows again. He distorts his voice into the Yoda impression that never fails to make Peter smile.
"Do or do not, young Padawan."

...

"Do not," Spider-Man whispers to himself as he swings through the streets of New York. It's already dark and the street lights illuminate his path. "Sorry, Ned." When Peter reaches his destination, he cracks his back and yawns. He sticks against the brick wall and stares into Daphne's room. She's on the floor, stretching, in her pajamas. Peter's in awe at how insanely flexible she is. He shakes his head and pushes himself off the wall, jumping towards the fire escape of Daphne's building. He lands quietly and gracefully, and finds his way to her window.

She hasn't spotted him yet. She's pushing her face towards the floor as her legs are in a butterfly position. Her back is completely straight and her lower arms are completely flat on the floor. He stares at the part of her scar that peeks out from under her top. He softly knocks on her window and she shoots upright, staring at the hero at the other side of her window.
"What the fuck," he sees her whisper to herself. He chuckles and nods his head as if to say what's up. She stands up swiftly and opens her window. "Spider-Man?"