Frostbite ❆ Peter Parker

fifteen

Beth had spent a long time on the roof of Peter's apartment complex, trying to calm down from whatever happened back at the Avenger's facility. She's never lost control of her powers in front of others before, thinking back to the nightmares she's been getting made her shutter of ever hurting someone. 

Winter break for the holidays was coming up, soon Beth wouldn't have to worry about waking up early for school. Snow flurries were falling from the sky, dusting the streets with a thin layer of snow. 

She didn't know if the snow was because of her or if it was just nature doing its thing. She heard shuffling from the building and saw Peter pop his head up from the edge of the roof, he boosted himself up and sat next to her. 

Beth laid her head onto Peter's shoulder, they sat comfortably in silence. Just his presence calming her down, "I'm sorry you had to see me like that. I don't know what happened." 

Peter noticed how her hands were shaking rapidly in her lap. He turned to face her, one of his hands cupping her face. His thumb smoothing over her skin, "don't ever apologize for breaking down, it's okay."

Beth nodded, her eyes avoided his. Peter tilted her face to look at him, she held a strong mask but Peter could see something was wrong. He rested his forehead against hers, Beth's hands holding onto his forearms as he held her face in his hands. "Are you sure you're okay?" Beth nodded, "I'm fine, just lost control for a second."

She moved her arms and wrapped them around his shoulders while his arms went around her torso, and they stayed there for who knows how long. 

After a little while they both pulled away, Beth rubbed her eyes tiredly as they started to burn from staying up for so long. "Talk to me, what's wrong?" Peter knew that something else was bothering her, something darker. 

Bethany was extremely smart so her wanting to jump into the unknown on a small chance that her mother is out there was pretty strange. Peter knows that Mr. Stark knew something's up with her also.

Beth let out an anxious breath, "I'm losing control of my powers." Peter picks up on how her voice shakes as she admits what's troubling her, "I've been having dreams of losing control and so many people were dying... because of me."

Peter took her trembling hands into his, "if she's really out there then maybe I can find out what's wrong. And yeah, it's a long shot but if I can find a way to make sure I don't hurt someone, then I'm gonna take it."

Beth looked into his eyes and flashed him a weak smile, Peter pressed a light kiss onto her forehead. "We'll figure this out, Beth. Together." She nodded her head a small smile resting on her face, "together."

-❆-

A week had passed since their rooftop conversation, Peter has been helping Beth keep her powers under control. She didn't go out on night patrols with him as she was afraid of her own powers, Tony hadn't talked to her since that day at the Avenger's headquarters.

When Peter would get back from his nightly patrols he would see Beth passed out in bed, he let her sleep as she hasn't been sleeping well. 

He would stay up and do research on the forest in Alaska, Blackwood Pines, everything that he was able to gather pointed towards the fact that it wasn't just nature that caused the forest to get extremely cold.

On the first night of winter break, Peter set his plan into action. In the midst of the night, Peter shook Bethany awake, "what's going on?" He smiled at his girlfriend, "we're going to find your mom."