spider-man oneshots

anxiety

Peter did burst into tears, not dramatically or anything, not sobbing loudly, but as if on command silent tears fell down from his eyes and his throat clogged up even more. He nodded his head frantically, hoping it would do.

"He is on his way." 

Peter pulled the blanket back to cover his shoulders as the tears continued rolling down his face without anything stopping them. He hugged his knees to his chest and tried to focus on the safe feeling and not the horrible guilt and the missing pieces of his mind that gnawed away at his soul. 

It didn't take long for Tony to open the door on the left side of the room. He walked in slowly, carefully, movements overly exaggerated so Peter knew exactly what he was doing. While he found it slightly unnecessary, it calmed and reassured him. 

"Hey", Tony said softly. 

Peter cracked a smile through the never ending tears. Tony was there, maybe everything would work out. Maybe he would do this, maybe he would escape for good. 

"D'you remember me?" Tony asked. 

Peter nodded. 

"Can you talk?" 

Peter wasn't sure about that. Physically he could, even though it wasn't easy. Mentally, it was even harder, while it was getting easier, knowing he was allowed to, even though he had a hard time believing that. 

He shrugged. 

Tony nodded, taking one of the chairs and pulling it closer before sitting down, a good distance away from Peter but not too far. "That's okay. You don't have to talk. You're allowed to talk, I want you to know that, but you don't have to."

Peter couldn't explain the warm, safe feeling spreading through him, fueling the tears. A sob left his throat. 

"Ca– can I touch you?" Tony asked softly. 

Peter wanted nothing more than a hug from Tony, a reassurance that everything would be okay and that he would always be there for him, that he would help him figure everything out and fix his mind. 

So he nodded. He nodded his head frantically and soon Tony was sitting down on his bed and pulling Peter to a hug. Peter buried his head against Tony's chest and wrapped his arms tightly around his waist, clutching the back of his shirt in his fists. 

Tony slowly rubbed Peter's back up and down as he sobbed, whispering sweet nothings and assuring him that he wasn't going anywhere. 

Once the sobbing started there was no end to it. Five years worth of tears seemed to come out at once. Five years of broken pieces, lonely nights, cold mornings and painful months that blurred together, losing memories, fearing for his life, feeling numb, feeling guilty, losing himself. 

Maybe he wasn't beyond repair.

Tony just held him, didn't rush him, wasn't angry at him. 

"I'm going to help you every way I can, I promise you. I'm not going to let you down", Tony told him, voice wavering. Peter pushed away from sniffling and wiping his face with his hands. He didn't want to make Tony cry.  

"I– I need", Peter started, voice even more gruff after crying. He coughed, and Tony immediately handed him the water bottle. Peter took a small sip before inhaling deeply and calming himself down enough to form sensible thoughts. "Pl– please 'elp me. I– 'ave 'til Wednesday." His throat was on fire, but that didn't matter right now. He poured more water into his mouth as Tony waited patiently. 

"Can you tell me who are going to come for you?" Tony asked once Peter put the water bottle down. 

"Bad men", Peter replied immediately. He didn't know who they were, just that they were evil.