In the Bedroom Down the Hall
Rating: K+
Summary: May Parker and Sally Jackson are both fiercely protective over their boys, and will do whatever it takes to keep them happy.
You never liked this sweater
You said it never really fit you right and it itched too much
But I think I'll keep it, I should keep it
'Cause it still makes me think of you and that little boy I knew
In the bedroom down the hall
Sally sighed as she opened the box of Percy's old clothes that she had kept all these years. With the birth of Estelle, she was feeling sentimental. She kept a box in the back of her closet full of memories of when Percy was young, before he was thrown into the demigod world, when he was able to be a normal kid.
She pulled out a blue sweater, smiling softly. Percy had hated wearing it, because it was scratchy against his skin, and he didn't like that the sleeves were too long. But he wore it every once in awhile, when Sally insisted, because it had been hers, once, one of the only things she had left of her parents.
He was too young at that point to truly understand what had happened to his grandparents, but when the wistful look appeared on his mother's face, he wanted to make her happy. He would suffer through it to see the happy look on her face, hugging her tight when the tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.
Sally wished it could still be like that, just the two of them in their small apartment, facing the world together.
Percy had been a happy and energetic child the first five years of his life, and she longed for those times. It was before weird things started happening around him, before Gabe. His bright eyes were always wide, cheeks pink as he ran around, unable to sit still. His black hair was always a mess, unable to be tamed no matter how much she tried.
Though he didn't really have any friends when he was little, didn't really have one until he met Grover when he was twelve, he was still a fairly happy kid. To him, as long as he could run around and have his mom to come back to, that's what mattered. He would laugh as he ran around the park, begging to be pushed on the swings. He was a curious child, wanting to say hi to every dog and cat he saw.
It changed, though, when Gabe came into their life.
Sally knew it was only a matter of time until her son's heritage came to light. It couldn't be hidden forever, not with who Percy's father was. She wanted to keep him close, wanted to keep him safe, so she did what she had to do. She knew Gabe's mortal smell could overpower Percy's demigod smell, and even though she didn't love Gabe, she did it for Percy.
He was nice enough when she first met him, the warning bells going off too late.
Percy closed up when Gabe's true personality began to shine through the facade he put on. Percy had always been a talkative child, babbling when he was a baby, even though it took him awhile to say his first word: "mommy." But once he could talk, he rarely stopped. He liked stories, but got frustrated when he couldn't read them, even when other kids his age could. His dyslexia and ADHD put a damper on his want to learn, and Sally had to do a lot to convince him that school would be good for him.
When Gabe started living with them, Percy talked less. She could never prove it, but Sally had a hunch that Gabe commented on Percy's dyslexia too much, and Percy didn't like it. It put him down, and he didn't want to try and read as much anymore. It made her heart hurt to see her baby boy feel like he wasn't good enough, wasn't smart enough, but she couldn't comfort him as much as she would've liked, especially when she had to start sending him away for school.
Percy stopped eating as much, too. He had a bottomless stomach, always had, but with Sally at work all the time, and Gabe not knowing how to find his way around a kitchen, he had to resort to the small stash of candy he kept under his bed, and any scrap of food he could scrounge from their landlord who played poker with Gabe, the only of the men who spared a look at the kid.
He went from a happy and chubby toddler, to a troublemaking, a little too thin for his age kid.
It was hard for Sally to send him away to school, but it was for the best. She wasn't ready for him to know of his heritage, to send him away to camp. So boarding school it was. She worked long hours to pay for his tuition, and never yelled at him when he was expelled. It was rarely all his fault.
Their weekends at Montauk were the best memories they had from their years with Gabe. A few days every once in awhile of just the two of them against the world. They could forget everything else, and just have fun together.
Sally knew everything was taking its toll on her son, his ADHD, his dyslexia, seeing things no one else did, getting in trouble, switching schools each year, not really having any friends.
She wanted more than anything to be able to curl up with her son every night after work, both of them happy without anything more than what they were going to have for dinner to think about. But that would never happen. Percy was a demigod; his life would never be normal.
In the bedroom down the hall
I got you Ninja Turtle night lights for protection
You used to say they kept the bad guys far away
Remember?
In the bedroom down the hall
I surprised you with that comic book collection
Next Halloween, I dressed you up like Wolverine
Remember?
May leaned against the door frame to Peter's room, smiling when she noticed he was asleep, Lola curled up besides him.
His Ninja Turtle night light glowed softly in the dark room, a reminder of the early months when he had come to live with her and Ben after his parents had died. Peter had been afraid of the dark, afraid that someone would try and get her and Ben, take them away from him like his parents.
The first night he slept alone, a month after his parents had died, he had woken up in a cold sweat, crying and screaming in terror. May had been the first one at his side, and stayed with him at his side through the night.
The next morning, she had brought Peter to the store to pick out a nightlight to help tether him to reality. His face lit up when he spotted the Ninja Turtle one, and May had no hesitations buying it for him.
Even now, with Peter in high school, he kept it up. May didn't mention it, knowing Peter would get embarrassed that he still needed it. However, she saw no shame in it, and even though it was such a small thing, if it helped him, that's what mattered. He had been through too much, and now that he wasn't just a normal teen, a superhero who fought crime added to his identity, he would go through a lot more than she could've ever imagined.
The first Christmas without his parents was hard. He had cried himself the night to sleep the night before, curled up in May's arms as she brushed the hair out of his face. She had tucked him into bed, before retreating to her and Ben's room.
They weren't the most well off family, but they had enough money to get something special for Peter. He had had a rough past months, and though nothing could bring his parents back, make the holiday easy for him, they would do what they could do for him. She and Ben hadn't planned on children, but now, they loved Peter as if he was their own.
So when they gave him his presents to open the following morning, he got a collection of comic books. Some were Ben's from when he was young, a few had belonged to Richard. The rest had been found by May and Ben at different yard sales and second-hand book stores.
Peter's eyes lit up, and he clutched some of them to his chest, beaming. The only other gift that got that strong a reaction was an Iron Man toy, something that had caught Peter's eye the last time they were at the store. He hadn't asked for it, but May could tell he wanted it, and she wanted this holiday to be as great as possible.
Iron Man was his favorite superhero, and Tony Stark was one of his favorite scientists or inventors, Bruce Banner being the other. He looked up to them, striving to be as good as them.
May knew that Tony Stark had his faults, but her nephew worshiped him. He had even gone as Iron Man last year for Halloween.
He hadn't gone out for Halloween that year, his parent's loss too fresh in his life.
But the next year, he wanted to go out. May had promised she would go with him, and even put together a costume for him. She pulled together a Wolverine costume, and the light in Peter's eyes was worth the extra shift she had to take to make it look authentic.
That was the year before he met Ned, who became his best friend, the two inseparable. She and Ben had invested in a bunk bed, so Ned could stay over on the weekends, or when his parents were on business trips for work.
Peter's nightmares were getting better, but they still cropped up. When they were bad enough, he would crawl into bed with her and Ben, seeking their comfort.
And when Ben died, Peter spent a whole month curled up with her at night, not wanting to leave. He had lost both his parents and Ben, and he was terrified he would loose her, too. She could tell his nightmares had gotten worse, the progress he had been making taking a sharp turn the other way.
So on his first day back to school after Ben's death, she went back to the store where she had gotten Peter's first nightlight. She headed straight to the aisle that held the large selection of night-lights, ranging from Hello Kitty and Barbie to the Avengers and football. She searched through all of them until she found another Ninja Turtle one, just like the one she had bought Peter a couple years ago.
When she got home, she plugged it into the wall near her bed. She knew Peter would never ask for one, never ask for help because he didn't want to worry her. But she knew him, had raised him long enough to know his thoughts. Having the light was a sense of comfort to him, and though he usually seemed okay in her room without a light as long as she was there, she wanted to provide him with as much security as she could.
She saw the look in his eye the first time he saw it. He didn't say it out loud, but the way he hugged her spoke volumes. He was thankful beyond words.
The nightmares only got worse when he became Spider-man. She didn't know about them for awhile, until she walked in on him in his suit.
She had been upset and angry at him. Yes, she was beyond proud of him as well, for saving lives. But she didn't like the idea of him getting hurt, of the possibility of him dying at the hands of a crazed psychopath when he still had his whole life ahead of him. He was her child in every way that mattered, and her maternal instincts screamed at her to keep him safe.
But in the end, it brought them closer. He was learning to open up to her, about his nightmares. Getting Lola helped him as well. The border collie comforted him at night, the light illuminating from the nightlight being a grounding focal point as he ran his hand through her fur.
With glow stars on the ceiling you could count instead of sheep
I always knew which song to sing to get you right to sleep
Anything to make you happy
Anything at all
Anything for my boy in the bedroom down the hall
May had promised Richard and Mary that she would look after their son when they were gone. She never expected they wouldn't come back. But her promise to them still stood. She was by Peter's side when he was sick, or upset. She helped him with the homework he struggled with. He was strides ahead of her when it came to science and math, but he had a hard time memorizing dates and facts for history.
When he came to her with nightmares, she would hold him close, running her fingers through his hair as she sang him an Italian lullaby, the comforting words leaving her mouth allowing him to fall asleep again.
She may not have given birth to him, may not have changed his diapers and taught him how to walk, but she loved him as if he was her son. They were each other's only family left, and they relied on each other for most things. Peter never shied away from the affection she showed him, even if his cheeks flushed pink. He was happy to hug her back, tell her he loved her.
She worried about him when he went off on superhero adventures, and hugged him tightly every time he came back. She knew she wouldn't be able to keep him safe forever, but even if all she could do was patch up his scrapes and give him a home, that's what she would do.
She watched his chest rise and fall as he slept, the crease between his eyebrows smoothed out. Watching as Lola woke up, licking Peter's face gently before turning towards where May was standing. The collie's head tilted, looking at her calmly, tongue hanging out of her mouth.
Uncrossing her arms, May walked carefully over to the bed, sitting next to Peter and Lola, gently running her fingers through Peter's curls, before placing a kiss on his forehead.
As May settled in, arms wrapping around her nephew as he curled up to her, clingy even in his sleep, Lola laid her head down again, resting on Peter's stomach. May let her eyes close as she listened to Peter's even breaths gently escaping his mouth, Lola's light snoring joining shortly.
As she fell asleep, she had one final thought.
Peter was her little boy, and she would do whatever it took to keep the smile on his face.
After Sally put Estelle to bed, she wandered out to the living room, where Percy was curled up on the couch, one hand hanging down to rest on Andi's back, fingers curled in her fur. The golden retriever was asleep, her snout tucked under one of her paws.
She approached the couch, sitting down in the free space Percy had left.
Without thinking, Percy lifted his head sluggishly, exhaustion painted across his face, letting it rest on her lap, humming happily when she ran her fingers through his hair.
They sat in silence as Percy's eyes got heavier, beginning to fall asleep. Sally watched him fondly, reminded of when he was young. She couldn't help her concern about him, knowing what he had gone through in the past five years. But when he was home, he seemed happier, knowing that he was safe. She tried to spend as much time as she could with him, making up for lost time, time she lost when he had been off at boarding school and away for months on quests.
But there was a baby now, little Estelle who had been born a couple months ago, and much of Sally's attention was on her. It had been over a decade and a half since she last had a baby to care for, and it was harder than she remembered, though she was thankful she had Paul to help out this time.
Sally knew her fear was unfounded, because Percy had reassured her many times, but she was afraid that Percy would feel that Estelle was more important than him. He had been an only child for seventeen years, Tyson the only sibling he had. But Tyson didn't live with him, and Percy didn't know he existed until he was thirteen, so it was different. Sally didn't want her son feeling as if he was coming second to the baby, but Percy being Percy, assured her he understood. He knew that Estelle would require a lot more attention, and even volunteered to help whenever he could. The minute he saw his baby half-sister, he had become the protective big brother everyone knew he would be.
He had taken the glowing stars off of his ceiling, placing them on the ceiling above Estelle's crib. It was a big thing for him, as they had been put up when he was five for him to learn to count as he fell asleep, to buy into his fascination with the sky. He had kept them up, even after all these years, only changing them after his winter quest, to form the shape of the new constellation, the Huntress. Zoe.
That was how he arranged them for Estelle, as if he hoped his old friend would look over her and keep her safe.
It had made Sally cry, to know that her son had such a wonderful and generous heart, and it made her cry more when he said it was all because of her, that he had learned from the best.
Percy would always be her baby boy, and everything she had done up until then had been for him. And she would do it all again if she had to.
Everything I ever did, I did it all for you
Anything to make you happy
Anything at all
Anything for my boy in the bedroom down the hall
A/N: so when i heard this song, i loved it. it was originally the opening song of the musical (Dear Evan Hansen), later cut, and replaced with "anybody have a map?" though not all the lyrics could fit these characters without stretching aspects of their lives, the lines i used seemed perfect. i wanted to show the motherly love these two amazing woman have for the boys they raised, because it's underrated what they've done for family. this was one of my favorite parts so far to write. it was nice to explore two characters more in depth that i haven't written much about.
Until next time! Hope you enjoyed this part!
~NewtsSuitcase