22. Face Your Fears

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      "Hey, nice to see you again."

      Peter Parker stood before her, a warm smile resting on his lips. He was leaning against the wall, only pushing himself off when Luna didn't bother stepping towards him. She was stuck to her spot when he stepped towards her, his hands going to cup her cheeks, raising her head until their eyes met.

      "What are you doing?" she asked quietly, voice hoarse like she'd just finished screaming. It made her lips tug into a frown, hand automatically going to hold her throat in shock.

      Peter smirked, "Sore throat?" She didn't respond, making an attempt to step back from his hold, only to find she was unable to. "See, you can't hear it, but sleeping you is yelling." Her eyes widened as darkness took over Peter's eyes like last time, proving that she was in fact dreaming of their encounter. "I don't know why I always show up in your nightmares, since you're not scared of me. You're scared of what could happen to me, big difference." Luna swallowed harshly as his thumb caressed her cheek, the tender touch not making a blush rise to her cheeks like her Peter's would. "You're scared of him though."

      As he spoke, Peter's hands turned Luna's head to the right, her heart stopping as Ernie Lakewood appeared, that same sinister smile residing on his lips. Luna let out a whimper when he stepped forward, unable to look away as Peter still held her face. She tensed up when hot breathe fanned against her neck. "He's going to keep coming closer if you don't do something, Luna," Peter whispered into her ear, her eyes squeezing shut when Ernie took another step forward. "Do something." 

      Just as a hand made contact with her hip, her eyes shot open, a scream leaving her lips. Then she was back in her bedroom, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks as she pushed away the hands of the person on her bed. She wasn't able to comprehend that it was Andrew and Diana standing over her, watching in pain as she curled into a ball, cries leaving her lips.

      Her eyes screwed shut as everything came rushing back to her. The hours she spent awake, too afraid of what the dark had in store for her. The disgust she felt as she stared at the bruises of where his fingers dug into her hips. The discomfort as she sat in the same courtroom as him, his keen eyes trailing over her, not a ounce of guilt residing in the man for what he did. He'd taken so much from her. He stripped her of her confidence. He rid her of her sleep filled nights. And now, he took away the last shred of her sanity.

      "Luna..."

      The soft tone instantly reminded her of Peter, or rather, the fake Peter she encountered in her dream world. His first appearance, he'd revealed himself as what she was afraid of. Bloody and bruised Peter. But this time, he was just normal Peter. It didn't make any sense to her, she wasn't afraid of normal Peter, not in the slightest. In fact, she felt safe with normal Peter, the complete opposite of how she felt around Ernie.

Every Day  ── PETER PARKER²Where stories live. Discover now