IronDad/SpiderSon One-shots

Gone

Third Person POV
Word Count: 1,778
Spooktober Day Twenty: Cradle
Trigger Warning: Description of dissociation (not directly mentioned, but heavily implied), death of a major character

Peter's entire body was numb. He couldn't feel his hand or his feet. He couldn't feel his legs or his arms. He couldn't feel his chest or his stomach. He couldn't feel his head. His entire body felt like the static that came from televisions. Specifically, one of those old televisions that grandma's always had. The box ones with antennas. His entire body felt like that screen, all sorts of jittery and annoying. He wished he could feel normal again, but he couldn't.

He'd been walking for hours. He wished he was exaggerating, but he wasn't. He didn't know what part of New York he was in. None of the buildings or street signs looked familiar. If it did, Peter didn't realize. He wasn't realizing anything. Cars were driving by him, occasionally shooting some water in his direction. It didn't matter. He was soaked from the rain anyway.

A chill ran down Peter's body as he wrapped his soaking wet jacket around himself. What was he doing? He was going to get a cold if he stayed out here any longer, but he didn't know where he was. Even if he wanted to go home, which he absolutely did not, it wasn't like he knew how to get back there. He wasn't exactly tracing his steps the entire way. He'd use his map, but he left his phone back at the apartment. He was lost in the city, which should scare him. It didn't.

Peter wasn't sure he'd thought an actual, real thought in hours. He'd been walking around blindly just... existing. He didn't remember what brought him out on this walk. He didn't remember leaving his phone or even leaving his apartment. He couldn't tell you what day of the week it was or what he had done earlier that day. All he knew is that he was putting one foot in front of the other. But, he wasn't even too sure of that since he couldn't feel his body.

It was almost as if Peter was having an out of body experience. It wasn't quite like he was floating outside of his body, but he definitely knew he wasn't present in the way he normally was. It was almost as if he was dreaming. This was much worse than dreaming. Dreaming felt somewhat pleasant. This felt like hell. Peter was so confused and conflicted yet all he could do was put one foot in front of the other. He couldn't think. He couldn't focus. He couldn't do anything but put one foot in front of the other.

There was a metal clunk that came from in front of him. Peter looked up and saw the familiar red and gold suit in front of him. It forced Peter to halt his steps.

Out of the suit came an extremely concerned looking Tony Stark. He was in an oily shirt and a pair of sweatpants, showing that he was just in the lab. Or he had been whenever he got into the suit. The man's eyes were slightly red and there were a few tear streaks down his cheeks. But, that wasn't the most concerning thing. The most concerning this was the look of terror that filled Tony's eyes.

"Peter," Tony said gently, his tone conveying the terror on his face unintentionally. "Buddy, what are you doing out here?"

Peter wasn't sure if he had an answer. He knew that something obviously had made him go on this walk that had lasted hours. He knew something had to have drawn him away from his apartment. Something that made him not want to go back. But what? What was it? Peter couldn't remember. He couldn't.

Tony was suddenly at Peter's side, putting a strong hand onto his chest. "Hey, hey. Breathe, Pete. Breathe."

Breathe? Wasn't Peter doing that? Hadn't he been breathing this whole time? He thought he had been. He took a deep breath in and there was an ache deep in his lungs. Oh. He hadn't been breathing. That was bad. How had Peter not noticed he hadn't been breathing? Where was Peter? Why wasn't he here? What was occupying his mind? He wanted the cloud that had settled over his brain to go away and the static that travel through his body to stop.