Hamartia [Peter Parker]

Chapter 13 - Real Hero

The warmth of Peter's chest against Shiloh's back keeps Shiloh under a peaceful sleep, his breathing consistent and steady with every inhale and exhale, subtle and occasional snores leaving his lips every so often. Peter's arm that's gently wrapped across Shiloh's torso starts to tighten. The gentle grip starts to become more aggressive as the seconds pass, his muscles twitch with every scrunch of his face.

Shiloh's eyes blink open as Peter's grasp tightens around her. Her tired state leaves her thinking, only for a second, that he's pulling her closer to him in his sleep and a smile tugs at her lips, her eyes slowly closing again before Peter's arms tighten around her, this time pushing the air from her chest. Shiloh's eyes shoot open and her mouth opens as she tries to get air into her lungs but Peter's grasp doesn't loosen. Her arms continue to flex and squeeze her against his chest as whimpers fall from his lips.

Shiloh tugs at his arms the best she can, knowing she won't be able to break the grasp but hoping that her struggling against him will wake him up. Her nails dig into his skin and for once, she wishes her nails weren't bitten and clipped down to her fingers.

Panic starts to set in as she realizes that if she can't wake him up, this could be it. Of course, it's not his fault, really. It's obviously a nightmare and in the time of being friends, they've both woken up with a black eye or two in sharing a couch. It happens sometimes. But, Peter's crushing her and this a little different. Crushing her isn't just a black eye. It's the play of life and death and in her struggle, Shiloh is reminded just how close she could be to dying at any point, especially around Peter.

Whether it be villains or the monsters inside his head, there's always some sort of lethal danger when being around Peter. It didn't use to be like this and if Shiloh could change it, make things better, when everything was just plane crashes on a beach and late nights in the lab when they definitely should have been asleep, she would because if there's one thing she hates most in the world, it's being afraid of Peter. Her fear fades in the brightness of his smile and laugh and the crinkle of his eyes and scrunch of his nose but that fear ignites like dead trees doused in gasoline when a single spark touches the wood. It's quick and hot and burning. It's suffocating.

"P-p-p-peter." Shilohs gasps, still clawing at his arms, tears stinging the back of her eyes as she feels the soreness and rawness of her throat becoming almost too much. "P-p-" Her breath fades, her cheeks aching and burning, a hot tear falling down the side of her face.

She won't be able to wake him up. Whatever is going on in his dream state has him so far lost that her gasping and choking isn't going to do anything. And it's like the day on the fire escape. Oxygen deprived and Marty in her ear telling her to shoot him. Peter showing up at her window, telling her to shoot him if it happens again. And that's what gets her adrenaline pumping just enough.

Shiloh moves her feet against her wall, maneuvering her hands under Peter's crushing arms as much as she can. She pushes against the wall and his arms as hard as she can, ignoring the burning of her eyes and her heart in her ears just long enough to get enough air in her lungs.