IronDad/SpiderSon One-shots

Losing the Internship

Third Person POV:
Trigger Warning: alcohol
Word Count: 1,639
Spooktober 2022 Day Seven: Comfort

("I've been calling you all day. You didn't answer your phone. You can't do that. Then this fairy thing happens. I've called five police stations. Five. I've called five of your friends. I called Ned's mother."

"I'm fine. May, I'm okay. Honestly, just relax. I'm fine."

"Cut the bullshit. I know you left detention. I know you left the hotel room in Washington. I know you sneak out of this house every night. That's not fine. Peter, you have to tell me what's going on. Just lay it out. It's just me and you."

"I lost the Stark Internship."

"What?"

"Yeah."

"What happened?"

"I just thought I could work really hard and he could... he would... y'know. But I screwed it up."

"Oh, it's okay. It's okay. It's okay."

"I'm sorry I made you worry."

"I'm not trying to ruin your life."

"Yeah, I know."

"Just... I used to sneak out too."

"Yeah."

"And take a shower. You smell. You smell like... You smell like garbage."

"I know.")

May played Peter coming home over and over again in her head. There was so much of the story she was missing, but she knew tonight she couldn't press it. She wouldn't press it. Peter didn't need that and, quite honestly, neither did she. Tonight, they just needed to relax and figure this out.

She heard the shower turn on from the kitchen counter. She sighed. The kid really did smell like garbage. He used to smell like that after hunting for parts to tinker with. That was back before he got the internship. The internship he had been working so hard for. The internship that he had given everything to. The internship that was giving a nice, sweet amount to their monthly income. The internship that Tony Stark looked May in the face and promised would be great for him and that he was perfect for.

If May Parker ever met Tony Stark again, she would end him on the spot.

Sighing, she grabbed a beer from the fridge. She grabbed the bottle opener, prying the lid off of it. She held her bottle up to the sky. "Salute." She tilted the beer back into her mouth, not even cringing at the burn. Setting the bottle down on the counter when she was done, she closed her eyes. She imagined Ben right by her side, holding her close and whispering in her ear that she was doing a good job.

There was a day that went by that she didn't miss Ben. Every single day was a fight. Whoever said that it got easier as time went on had clearly never experienced grief. Everyday was a struggle. There were both good and bad days that happened as abruptly as turns and loops happened on a rollercoaster ride. Time moves so fast that you can't even see what is coming next. You can't predict if the next day is going to be good or bad. You don't get to decide if you miss them more or less. It's just your mind taking over and deciding for you.

Lately, her days with grief have been okay. Of course she missed him. It just wasn't as bad. She was able to walk through the apartment without crying. She was able to sleep in the middle of the bed without feeling guilty. She was able to live her life. At this moment, though, she craved Ben. He would know how to handle this situation. He was always so good with Peter. There were days where May felt like Ben could parent all on his own without her. It wasn't that she and Peter weren't close. Oh no, they were very close. It was just... the way Peter and Ben connected was indescribable. There was no way to really explain it. They just did.