Video | HAPPY... LATE... BIRTHDAY??? | @p.parker

[madeupnames]

[The feed is mostly full of textbooks, the spines all turned enough that they're legible; it's math, chemistry, social studies, all the fun things nobody misses from high school. And on the right side of the screen is Peter, sitting with his cheek on his palm and his elbow pressed beside a blank page of paper. He looks kind of sleepy, like he'd just nod off if he didn't have the feed to focus on.]

So I've got this essay I need to write by tomorrow, and I'm having a hard time getting — personal, and all that. The prompt's asking about what inspires you, specifically. [He looks to read it word-for-word:] 'What motivates you in your day to day life?' And I mean, I've got a lot of motivations, but trying to put it to paper is giving me a wicked case of the fogbrain.

[He tucks his pen under his nose, holding it with his upper lip for a moment before letting it fall pitifully to the table. He sighs.]

What motivates you guys? Into doing what you do? What makes you put your shoes on in the morning, huh?

And don't just say 'to avoid stepping on pointy stuff barefoot'. That's a cheap and obvious answer—

[Peter startles violently as birthday music blares behind him, so much so that his pencil goes flying through the air and RIP's somewhere off-screen. Pam the pancake making robot seems to be flying onto the scene in the background with freshly made pancakes and festive lights blinking all over her.



A little lighter arm pops out, preparing to light a lone candle on the stack of flapjacks.

Peter mutters, mortified:]

...I thought I disabled Birthday Mode for repairs...

[He looks back at the robot with his hand pressed to his temple, and clears his throat.]



... Pam, uh. My - my birthday was two days ago. Two days. It's August 10th. And, uh, it's... it's the 12th now.

[Peter watches as the AI seems to try to process this, tapping his finger on the table and thinning his lips at the awkward silence. Pam's little plate-holding robo-arms lower slightly, the generic birthday MIDI file slowing to a depressive stop as the party-themed lights and lighter are shut off together. A pause of nothing. Then she turns and dejectedly wheels away into the community kitchen with her plate of pancakes.]

Wait, Pam — Aw, c’mon, I can still eat them! Hey—

[Peter drops his arms.



... Note to self, fix her internal clock...]

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[madeupnames]

[He hops on his feet, looking a little more energized.

Or maybe delirious from not sleeping as much...? Naaah, we'll go with the first one!]

I figured I'd do a speed run, since I was already kinda close! Good exercise.

How's it going?

[11calls]

[Alex is just going to stare at him, because Peter, you're talking to someone who practically has a phD in dealing with not sleeping. So, she's just going to frown at him as she leads the way into the large kitchen.]

I'm okay. But how long has it been since you've had a good night's sleep, Peter?

[madeupnames]

[He opens his mouth, closes it. Opens it again.]

... Recently!

[Nice cover. Really nice.]

[11calls]

[Oh Pete. Just Oh Pete. Alex is going to shake her head at him.]

From one person who has sleep issues to another, that sounds like bullshit to me, Peter. What's going on? Do you need to talk about it? I'm a good listener.

[madeupnames]

[He bites his lip and shakes his head.]

Nothing! Nothing worth talking about, I mean. I've just been working really hard on some stuff.

... I know I need to sleep more, m'sorry.

[11calls]

[Alex knows that placating statement. She's made it more times than she can count herself actually. So she's just going to stare him down for a second before clearly saying that she doesn't believe him with a single word.]

Okay.

[madeupnames]

[#record skip]

Okay?

[He looks caught off-guard by how easily she accepts this, bless.]

[11calls]

Look. I've been there. I know how bullshit it is to be tired and to tell people to tell you to sleep. All I can do is over an ear and suggestions if you want them.

[And there's a beat.]

I have a lot of them. Suggestions I mean. Or ears too.

[madeupnames]

[He sighs after a moment, smiling just a little.]

It's nothing, really. I'm good. I'll be good. Just a lot of stuff from home, and — and things nobody can change, and it's not really something I can go into. You know? But I'm fine. I promise, I'll be fine.

[Maybe just half-dead from sleep deprivation, but we've all been there.]

[11calls]

Trust me, no one gets 'it's not really something I can go into' like me now.

[She's not supposed to talk about demons and the show and Simon and all of that stuff. Which makes sense but is also extremely difficult to do for her.

However, her voice drops soft and low.]

There's every chance you're not going to be fine, Peter. Sleep deprivation, it wears on you. It makes you think that things are different than they are. People, relationships, shadows in the corners of your eye, all of them get so much worse when you can't sleep. If you need to talk to someone, I am here.

[There's a small beat, along with a thin smile.]

Trust me, I didn't sleep for over two years back home.

[madeupnames]

Two years? W-wow. No, I — I promise, I sleep more than that.

I just... overextend a little.

[He looks like he's gonna admit something, maybe say something relating to his own issues...

But instead:]</small. Um... What happened to make you sleep so little?

[11calls]

Yeah, two years. Victor seems to think it's something like a miracle that I'm not dead or seriously ill from it.

[And Alex just looked him in the eye before she added:]

And yeah, I overextended too. And then had too many movie nights. Catching up on work was literally hell and all of that. I used every excuse in the book even after my friend Nic dragged me to a sleep therapist, and my bosses needed to give me a vacation so I could sleep.

[Alex let off a sigh, before she turned to fill the tea kettle.]

It's sort of a long story, that's kind of involved, but let me say I did have reasons for not sleeping. It wasn't as if I just stopped. Some things happened, and they kind of messed my head up for a while.

[Demons. She's talking about demons. Oh, and finding a body. And maybe causing the end of the world. All of that.]

[madeupnames]

[He moves to sit down, fidgeting his hands. It feels rude, that he's so closed off, when she's being so open. But it's not like he can... just... explain. Not like that. And anyway, it's just gonna worry people he cares about anyway.]

I don't mind long stories. Only if you'd even wanna tell it, though.

But — you're better now? Right?

[11calls]

[Actually, Alex dealing with someone who's closed off when she's so open is second nature to her at this point, so it doesn't bother her in the slightest. Instead, she just kind of shrugs. The shrug is in response to both questions though.]

Honestly, it's not just my story at this point, so there's that. And I'm mostly okay, I still have my nights when I don't sleep. But the not sleeping? It never gets any easier, only harder.

[madeupnames]

[He nods slightly, looking at the table. Nice wood here, Alex, very fashionable furniture, yep.]

I guess it's the same for me.

... It's not just my story, either. But I'll — I'll try to do better at sleeping.

[11calls]

[Alex is just going to sit at the table and slide some tea over towards him. Blame Richard for the tea, it's all his fault. But hey, at least it's blue? And there's lemon if you want to make it purple.]

It's hard when it's not, I get it. But if you do need an ear, I'm here, Peter, and I'm actually pretty good at not judging too. Are you doing anything to try and help sleep? Progressive body relaxation or meditation or any of that?

[madeupnames]

[Oh... That's cool...! What the heck.

He reaches to slide the cup closer, looking sheepish.]

... To be honest, I mostly just work until I'm really tired, so I've never really stopped to try anything.

[11calls]

Okay well that's not going to help you in the long run. I tried it. It just made me more tired which made me more irritated which just made sleeping all the worse for it. Besides you're still young, Peter and you don't know what kind of strain that could have on your body.

[Alex just frowned at him, because she definitely feels like the voice of experience here. And she's also going to pick up her lemon and squeeze it into her tea so it turns purple, because Alex Reagan can multitask!]

Are you drinking a lot of caffeine to compensate for the lack of sleep?

[madeupnames]

[... He might be getting more irritable. And a little more frustrated. And emotional.

He frowns, worried; he doesn't want it to screw up his Spider-Man work...]

... Do you mean more than usual? 'Cus... yeah...

[11calls]

[Alex definitely has a huge caffience habit, even now. It's a little frightening how much coffee she puts into her system if she thinks about it, so she doesn't normally. Save for times like this, which just makes her sigh. She wants to stop him from speeding down the road that she's been on for too long.]

They work against you in the end you know, Peter. They make it harder to sleep when you do, and increase everything else. When you don't sleep like this, it's like not having any shields, and everything hits a raw nerve. Caffeine sort of just... helps that process out. If nothing else, trying to cut it after like seven or something might be good. And set an actual bed time and stick to it. Even if you just stare at the shadows on your walls for a while, it starts to make your brain like... get in the habit of at least trying to sleep.

[Which in Alex's case actually made it worse, because it gave her brain free reign to lengthen those shadows around her.]

[madeupnames]

[He gives a little nod.]

R-right. Less caffine, more laying down and waiting to sleep.

I guess I've just been overloading on stuff I'm doing, too. I've been doing school, and also working, and I guess I still am figuring out how to balance that. [Which is only partly true. Some of it is just being overwhelmed by the disaster that is his future home life. But he can't exactly say that.]

[11calls]

It sucks that you need to both here. I mean, you're still a kid Peter. A great and super smart kid, but you're a kid and you should be allowed to have free time, even if it's just to do things like inventing more things like Pam or whatever.

[A beat.]

Do you want me to talk to someone for you? But either way, you can always come and have dinner with us if need be. They'll always be food and a couch for you here, alright?

[madeupnames]

[He smiles a little, brow furrowed.]

Oh, yeah, yeah, for sure. I'll try to get more free time in.

[He at least is self-aware enough to know he's overdoing it? Isn't that good?

Like, he ignores the fact anyway, sure... but...

He asks, hesitant but curious:]

Talk to someone?

[11calls]

Yeah, like at school or work or something so they give you more time off to sleep?

[Alex gives him a quick smile and a little shrug.]

I know I'm little, but you have no idea how scary I can be when I need to be.

[Just ask Richard.]

[madeupnames]

[He holds his hands up in little placating gestures.]

Oh, nonono, I'm fine! It's not their fault I'm bad at sleeping, right?

I'm sure I can figure it out... but thanks, Miss Alex.