Frostbite ❆ Peter Parker

fifty

Beth stared at the phone on the bedside table as it rang. The phone shifted from the vibrations. She could see Peter's contact on her screen and knew she needed to answer but she was so tired.

Reyna had called her mother after discovering the break-in. Her mom gave them a location to another apartment that Stark Industries owned. They were escorted by a security team that checked the premises and stood guard by the front door all night. Even with all the extra protection, Beth couldn't sleep.

She reached for her phone, swiping across the screen to answer the video call. Beth blinked blearily at the camera, forcing a calm look onto her face. "Hey, Spider-baby," she greeted.

"Beth! Mr. Murdock said that the charges won't stick. There's still the court of public opinion and he said some other things I didn't understand. And then he was telling Happy that'd he'd need to lawyer up, I don't know what that was about. Also, I can't thank you enough for getting us this lawyer. He's amazing." She let him ramble, "also someone threw a brick through our window. That was crazy. So now May and I are staying with Happy for the time being." He trailed off. "Hey, where are you? That doesn't look like your apartment."

Beth thought about how to answer. If she told him the truth, would he blame himself? She didn't want him to feel even more guilty about the situation. None of this was his fault. But after everything they went through in Europe, she promised not to lie to him again.

"Someone broke into my apartment," she said.

Peter didn't speak for a moment. She could see he sat up abruptly, "why didn't you call me? Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" He was begin to sound frantic. He looked like he was pulling on his shoes. "Where are you now? I'll come to you."

In less than 30 minutes, there's a knock on the front door. "Miss Stark, there's a Peter Parker here to see you," one of the security guards calls.

Beth rolls herself out of bed, heading towards the door. She turns off the alarm, undoes the chain latch, then unlocks all three locks before cracking the door open. Once she sees Peter on the other side, she pushes the door wide open.

Peter wraps her in a warm embrace, kicking the door closed behind him. "Are you hurt?" He asks, scanning her body for any visible injuries. He eyes the cuts on her hands from the glass from the picture frame.

"No, but they broke into my home," she felt tears rush to her eyes. "They broke into my home," she repeated, brokenly. "I can't sleep what if they come in while I'm not awake."

Peter went to respond when there was another knock on the door, "there's a Ned Leeds and Michelle Jones here to see you."

That's how Beth found herself on the couch surrounded by her friends. Reyna had called MJ and Ned after she found out Beth hadn't slept.

Beth was laying her head on Peter's lap, his hand running through her hair. Her legs were resting against MJ who was having a quiet conversation with Reyna. Ned was whispering to Peter about a new game he found.

Peter saw her eyes still open, "get some rest. We'll be awake, no one will be able to get you while you're asleep. Not when you're with us."

Ned nodded his head, "yeah, we're the dream team! The super squad!— I'm still working on the name." Beth giggled to herself and let their hushed voices lull her to sleep.

-

"So you sent in your application to MIT?" Beth asked, later that night on the phone.

"Yeah, I just sent it in," Peter answered, his face lit up by the screen light on his phone. "Kinda sucks that you won't be going," he frowned.

"Hey, it'll be fine. Just cause I won't be going to school with you doesn't mean that I won't be right there beside you. We'll get a place, maybe with MJ, Ned, and Reyna. The three of you will be busy being college students and Reyna and I are going to try to find the rest of our people." She rolled over onto her side, "it'll work itself out. You won't be alone, Peter."