One-shots {Spider-man}

Ghostly secrets

Au where Tony is alone after the civil war. Pepper is working, Rhodes is busy and he's alone in the tower. Then he goes to an event and sees a kid with a shimmer around him. 

***

Tony was alone after the civil war. He had nobody to heal him, his mind, his PTSD and anxiety. Pepper was always working, Vison was doing whatever AI's do, Rhodey was getting back to his work after his walking was good again, even Happy was busy taking care of security after the civil war since the public became uneasy about the Avengers. 

Tony - well, Tony had no one. They didn't realise the bags under his eyes got worse, the nightmares were keeping him up from Siberia. Pepper was mad at him for not coming to bed anymore and staying away from her. He couldn't face her, he just couldn't. Somehow, Tony felt like this was all his fault. 

They didn't see how he drowned himself in simple hobbies and tasks to keep distracted and busy. They didn't see how he ate less and forgot to drink water sometimes until FRIDAY reminded him. They didn't know how Tony's PTSD got worse. He was experiencing Hyperarousal, a symptom of PTSD which causes him to feel on edge, irritable and often get angry at little things, have sleeping problems like Insomnia and lose concentration easily. 

Because of this, Tony had locked himself in his lab and began working on new inventions for Stark Industries. He'd made his latest invention official - the machine to help diagnose patients with mental disorders by observing them during appointments and evaluations. 

He was at an event to launch the new machine, talking to people and making a few speeches here and there. 

Tony had finished talking to a business partner when he saw a kid, a faint silver shimmer around his figure, watching people go by and sitting by himself near the side of the table. He looked young, a teenager perhaps, curly brown hair that hadn't been brushed, tired brown doe eyes, a thin line of a smile on his mouth, no interest of what was happening, wearing a huge long sleeve grey top and pink Hello Kitty pyjama trousers. He had no shame despite the outfit choice, looking around like nobody would dare bother him or talk to him. 

Stark walked towards him, looking the boy dead in the eye. The kid caught his eyes, not looking worried until he realised the man was looking directly at him. He turned around to see if Tony had spotted someone else but went pale when Tony stood in front of him in the nearly empty area of the event. "Hey, kid. Bit of an odd outfit choice, don't you think?" He questioned. The teen didn't respond, scared eyes and confused poise. "Hey, you alright?" He waved his hand in front of the boy who stumbled back into a standing position. 

"You-you can see me?" He barely said, almost too quiet to be audible. Tony nodded slowly, not understanding and thinking the kid was just awe-struck of his presence. The kid swallowed. "How can you see me? No-nobody sees me," 

Tony reached out to comfort the panicking kid but his hand went through his shoulder. Right. Through. It. 

"What the fuck!" Tony whisper-shouted. Someone tapped his shoulder, Tony spun around to see a man from a meeting he probably daydreamed through. "Yes?" 

"Stark, are you alright? Who are you talking to?" The man asked, slightly hiding a smile of amusement. 

He probably thinks I'm going crazy, Tony thought bitterly. The boy stood in front of the man and him. "Say you're on the phone with an earpiece or something. He can't see me," 

Tony looked down at the boy who gave a thumbs up in encouragement. "Oh, sorry. I'm on a call," Tony tapped his ear where a hearing piece was in place in case Pepper needed him somewhere. The man made an O with his mouth and apologised, walking away. The boy was still pale in shock, Tony too. "Follow me. This way," Tony ordered the kid who huddled after him like a lost puppy.