You're My Superhero

FINALS ARE FINALLY OVER!! My semester is finished which means nothing but nonstop writing! I'm still working on the sequel to Pain Will Always Come Back to Haunt You, but for now we have a supportive Aunt May and a stressed out Peter. This was more of a vent fic that I wrote during midterms because I was also stressed haha, enjoy! Have fun and stay safe❤🧡💛💚💙💜

Request: "I would love to see aunt May really worried about peter and her slowly but surely getting peter to talk about what has been bothering him maybe something like that. I like the idea he does so slowly that's good and maybe it's about his parents and how he feels like a burden to his aunt. You could also add ned maybe telling may that something been up with Pete. Post spider bite. May knows."

---

May looks into the dark room, leaning against the doorframe as she watches Peter's back rise and fall with his breathing. She's worried about him, but she doesn't want to smother him with concern. It's hard on her to know Peter is stressed. There's no way he's getting enough sleep, if the bruises under his eyes and recent lack of chatter are anything to go by. She wishes she could take it all away like the way Ben used to. Gosh, Ben always knew what to say and do to make Peter laugh, no matter what he was going through. If only it were that easy right now. She briefly debates calling Tony to get Peter to open up about how he's feeling, but ultimately decides against it. Peter is her responsibility and she knows him best, so she'll just give him the time he needs.

Her phone buzzes, reminding her that she has half an hour before her shift begins, so she quietly closes the door behind her and leaves a note in the kitchen before heading out. All she can do is hope Peter makes it through the school day unscathed.

However, when he wakes up to his blaring alarm, Peter is painfully aware of the pitiful three hours sleep he managed to get. It was a grueling five hours of mind-numbing studying the previous night with what feels like no reward. It takes every ounce of his self-restraint to keep from smashing the phone to pieces. He even checks the time to see if his phone is simply out to get him, but unfortunately the harsh glow confirms that it's 6:30am. The light doesn't help the annoying pain behind his eyes that radiates to the back of his head. It almost feels like the pain shoots through his brain. If he weren't so stubborn, he might've actually stayed in bed.

Thinking about last night's study session only worsens his mood. He barely got anything done and, to top it all off, skipped out on patrol. I can do this, he tries to psych himself up instead of finding reasons to stay in bed. I have to do this. The exam is Friday and there's no way I can pass the class if I don't get a good grade on the midterm. I've got this. I just have to hang in there. Deep breaths. Don't freak. I can't get anything done if I freak out.

With a few deep breaths, he's able to calm his erratic heart rate down and settle some of his nerves. He has Ned to look forward to, so he'll be okay. By the time he gets up, May has already left and there's a small post-it not on his battered backpack.

Have a good day sweetheart, I'll be picking you up after school

That's...odd. He tilts his head slightly in confusion. Why's she picking me up? She never picks me up after school. She knows I patrol afterwards and I'm already way behind on everything. When he picks up the sticky-note, his eyes land on two crisp envelopes sprawled over the countertop. It's not hard to decipher what they are with their bold black lettering. Bills. May's behind on bills. With a dejected sigh, he slings his backpack over his shoulder and heads out of the apartment.

The walk to school is as boring as ever and only serves to leave him alone with his anxious thoughts. Luckily, he shoves his headphones in and decides to ignore the outside world. As soon as he gets to school, he makes a beeline for his locker with his head down. Ned, who has been waiting patiently at their lockers, can already tell Peter is in a bad mood. The first dead giveaway is when Peter still has his headphones in. Ned is then quick to notice Peter's swollen, puffy eyes from lack of sleep and his hunched shoulders.