“just breathe… you’re okay, i promise, just breathe.”
@heartprccf // hurt meme
Peter feels like he’s suffocating, the air gone from his lungs as he sucks in quick breaths-- his body SHAKES violently, hands trembling as cold chills run up his spine and his heart nearly pounds right out his chest. He squeezes his eyes shut for a few moments, nails digging into the skin of his arm, and the kid tries to distinguish reality from what’s going on in his head. He can still hear Mysterio’s voice echoing through his mind, digging deep into him, billowing green smoke, a train barreling towards him, Mr. Stark’s corpse-- he remembers jolting awake too, he can feel himself clutching the bedsheets, but which is the nightmare and which is real?
His eyes blow wide again, and he tries his best to take a breath, but he’s TERRIFIED. He’s been trying to keep himself stable in front of everyone else, finally somewhere he can be SAFE in hiding, with the people he’s missed. And...Mr. Stark is here too, after Peter learned he hadn’t died after all. They still has his name to clear, they have to figure out how to handle his identity being exposed, Peter can’t AFFORD to make things more complicated. But the nightmares don’t just stop...though he’s usually alone when he wakes.
“Tony?” Peter chokes out, voice cracking, barely above a whisper-- he can tell his mentor is there now, but there’s still the nagging questions in the back of his mind ( I don’t think you know WHAT’S REAL, Peter ). Still, he tries to follow the advice, taking breath after breath-- they start ragged and quick, but the more he tries to focus, the more his heart rate calms down, and the noise in his head starts to quiet. “Is this-- is this real? I don’t...I don’t know what’s happening-”