Chapter Text
To be fair, Peter’s sleep schedule has always been messed up. More often than not, he found himself tossing in bed or waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to fall back asleep. However, that wasn’t a big issue. Sure, he may have been tired and have ever-present bags under his eyes, but it was something he could power through. And speaking of powers, the whole “sleeping” thing has just become more complicated after the bite. Apparently, his spider-sense heightens at night, blending his states of sleep and wakefulness and causing him to sleepwalk. It was not something he was aware of until his sleepover with Ned.
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The only thing Peter heard was a shriek, followed by a loud thud and a dull pain in his back. He quickly scanned the room in search of any possible danger only to find Ned staring at him with pure shock written all over his face. He was up on his feet in no time as the sound of rapid footsteps got closer by the second and the door to his room was flung open.
“What happened? Are you guys alright?” May was still in her pajamas, her dark brown hair messy and untamed. Her worried tone seemed to snap Ned out of whatever state he had been stuck in.
“Uh, yes, Miss. I’m sorry I just saw umm… a spider in a corner of the room and got spooked.” Ned stammered, still trying to compose himself. May visibly relaxed at his explanation, letting out a small chuckle. After making sure both boys were alright and declaring she was going to make banana pancakes for breakfast, she quietly left the room, closing the door behind her with a soft click. As soon as the door shut, Peter turned to Ned with a wide grin.
“Really, a spider? Can’t believe you made such a fuss over a simple spider in the corner,” he laughed, rolling his shoulders to get rid of the tension between them. They were still a bit sore from his fall. But, where did he fall from anyway? Before he could give it much thought, his attention was directed back to his friend as he heard a light scoff.
“Oh, I’ll have you know it wasn’t just any spider,” Ned said, crossing his arms and giving Peter a stern look.
The young boy frowned at that. It wasn’t unusual for various spider species to gather in his room after he had gotten bitten. All the arachnids seemed to be drawn to him due to some pheromones he started emitting and most of the time he found himself in the company of an eight-legged friend. Although most of the spiders he encountered (or that had come to him) were relatively small and didn’t pose a threat, New York wasn’t a habitat for any dangerous type.
“So, um…what kind of spider was it?” Peter decided to ask even though Ned was practically seething next to him.
“Oh, you know. Nothing special. Just a typical homo araneus. Really, totally normal and something you see every day,” his tone was full of mockery as he rolled his eyes.
Peter just gaped. He kept opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of the water. Homo araneus translates to Spider-Man… So the thing that freaked Ned out that much was Spider-Man in the room. But he was Spider-Man and Ned was fully aware of that. So was he the thing that gave Ned that big of a scare?
A pang of guilt stabbed him along with the unwelcome feeling of hurt. He had never meant to scare Ned, or anybody for that matter. Sure, he was aware that a lot of things about him changed after the bite, but he was still just Peter. Right? And Ned was never scared of Peter, even when the boy tried to purposely spook him with creepy stories or sneaking up on him. A current of self-loathing occupied his thoughts, along with the images of his deformed body, growing to become more alike to one of a spider. Was he going to change even more? How much has he changed already for his best friend to be scared of him?
“Y-You got scared because you saw…me?” Peter’s voice broke a little at the last word “Are you scared of me?”
“No, no! I mean you did scare me, but it was different!” Ned set to reassure the other boy as his eyes started to tear up. “It’s just that I woke up, and you were sitting there in the corner. On the ceiling if I may add.” Peter's annual sadness turned into pure confusion.
“I was sitting…on the ceiling?” Even speaking the words out loud seemed unreal. Why on earth would he be on the ceiling?
“Yeah, you just sat there unmoving and I got scared, cause I had just woken up and found you looming over me.” What followed was silence, Peter’s mind racing a thousand miles an hour despite just being woken up. Ned cleared his throat. “So…do you do that often?”
“No! I mean, I don’t think so? Man, this is so confusing!” Peter dropped onto his bed and put his head in his hands. “But, I’m a hundred percent certain I fell asleep in the bed.” Yes, he vividly remembers the softness of the pillow and the weight of his comforter on him.
“Maybe you’re sleepwalking? It’s not uncommon, although I’m sure that with your powers it may be a bit…different,” Ned suggested, setting a reassuring hand on Peter’s shoulder and gave him a shy smile.
Amazing. Just another thing to add to the list of ‘Freaky things Peter Parker does’. Sleeping on the goddamn ceiling. Next thing he knows a bio-web will shoot out of his asshole.
“I’m sorry I upset you. I thought you did it on purpose to mess with me or something. I didn’t realize you were unaware of your umm…situation,” Ned sat down next to Peter, sensing his friend’s distress. He felt a bit guilty for making such a scene.
“It’s fine, dude. Sorry for freaking you out,” Peter gave a small laugh, wrapping his arm around the other boy. He was still a bit shocked by the new revelation, but the fear of his body changing in some odd way and becoming monstrous faded away.
“Don’t worry. Whatever is happening to you, whether the good or the bad, I’ll be here for you. And for the record, I think your new sleeping habit is insanely cool.” Peter snorted at the last remark. Of course Ned finds all of his quirks charming. Sometimes he even thinks Ned’s more excited about his powers than he is. He really is the bestest best friend anyone could ask for.
“Thanks. It really means the world to me,” Peter replied, a warm feeling setting in his chest as a genuine smile spread across his face.
“Anytime, man. Now come on, whatever research we may do about your little tendency cannot be done on an empty stomach.”
Both of the boys giggled at that and headed towards the kitchen, where the smell of banana pancakes filled their nostrils. Not for the first time Peter thanked whatever deity there was, for gifting him such an amazing friend.