Sunflower (or, a Solangelo Spider-Man AU)

I Think About Jumping Off Of Very Tall Somethings (half joking)

Will slept terribly.

He had maybe two or three hours of nightmare filled "rest" before the sunlight came through his windows and he rolled out of bed. His whole body ached as he pulled off his Spider-Suit. Then, as he tugged the sleeve off, something fluttered out. The card.

Will picked it up from the ground, looking it over again. Looking at that weird message, "big things are coming". He wondered for a moment if he should call the number that was printed on there. He realized that was probably a really stupid idea, considering how creepy Eris and Hypnos had been, and placed the card on his dresser, trying not to think about it.

Before Will put on his clothes, he examined himself in the mirror. He hated looking at his reflection, especially with little clothing on, and he was almost shell shocked by how...awful he looked. He looked skinnier than usual, his skin was pale, and his body was littered in bruises. He should probably stop binding, especially considering how much his ribs and chest hurt, but he didn't particularly want to, nor did he have the energy to take his binder off. Will sighed and turned away from the mirror, not wanting to look at himself any longer. He pulled on a hoodie and shorts for school, smoothed down his messy hair, and walked into his apartment.

He didn't bother to eat anything. He felt nauseous; he'd probably just throw it back up. Instead, he sat down by his mom on the couch and sleepily leaned on her shoulder.

She reached over and ran her fingers through his tangled hair. "Hey, honey," she said in that voice she used when she knew something was wrong. "You sleep okay?"

"No." Will mumbled.

She frowned. "Nightmares again?"

"You could say that."

She sighed, sounding slightly frustrated at Will's vague responses. "Will, look at me."

Will looked up into his mom's eyes, which were tight with worry. It made him feel sick. He hated it when she was upset, especially about him.

She examined his face. "You don't look very good." She finally said.

"Wow, thanks." Will responded dryly in an attempt to deflect her concerns.

"I'm serious, Will," His mom said. "There's been something going on with you recently. You know you can talk to me, right?"

"I know, Mom." Will said quietly. "It's just..."

Will wasn't entirely sure what he should say. He wanted to tell her everything he was going through, but it wasn't that easy. She was worried enough about his condition as was, if she found out everything that he had been doing for the past year, she would be out of her mind with concern for him. He didn't want to lie to her, though. It would just make him feel worse. So, after a long moment, he spoke. "I'm just so tired."

Out of the corner of his eye, Will saw his mom frown deeper, and she pulled him closer, not saying anything. She didn't have to speak for Will to understand her gesture. He curled up against her, trying to fight back the tears in his eyes. His efforts were futile, and he softly cried into her shoulder, his body shaking.

He wasn't sure how long they sat like that on the couch, but after a while, Will pulled away from his mom's grasp and wiped his eyes. "Sorry." He mumbled out.

His mom looked at him again, concern still etched in her face. "You don't need to be sorry, honey. I just want you to be okay."

Will nodded silently, still drying his eyes. He stood up from the couch. "I should- I should get to school."

His mom paused, then shook her head, standing up so she could look him in the eyes. "No. You're staying home today. You need to rest."

Will frowned. "I'm not sick. I'll be okay."