The World I Knew [Discontinued]

Anxiety

"PTSD?" Peter replied blankly.

"It's post-traumatic stress—" May started, but Peter cut her off by shaking his head.

"No, I know what it is," Peter cut her off, "but why would you think that? I-I'm fine."

Tony edged forward a little bit, but Peter flinched back.

Claws, jagged and sharp, dragged down the length of his back, tearing fabric and flesh and drawing a cry of pain from him as he struggled...

"Then what was that?" his dad asked, the slight hurt hiding deep in the pools of his eyes.

"I--" Peter's breath hitched. "No, nothing. I-I'm just a bit spooked, is all." He got to his feet--more like staggered--and stepped away from his family, his hair standing on end when they stood too, and he sidled around them, putting himself between them and the building. "I'm fine, really," he insisted. "There's no--I don't have PTSD. I'm fine."

Hope raised her eyebrows disbelievingly. "Sounds like a whole lotta denial to me."

"Peter, please just stay here, we'll figure something out, okay?" May suggested, but Peter backed up another step as she started forward, stopping her.

"No, it-it's fine," he said, inching backwards still. "It's fine. I just have to... I have to..." He trailed off, frowning in confusion.

What did he have to do?

The fight was over.

"Peter?"

Peter snapped back to attention, eyes locking on his aunt. "What?"

"What do you have to do?" she asked gently.

"Um..." He swallowed harshly, brain racing. "I-I need to get dressed," he practically blurted. "Or, get changed." He picked at his dirtied shirt, looking down at it when his spider-sense warning him of someone coming up to him. That didn't stop him from jumping when Tony's hand landed on his shoulder, the scars on his back tingling painfully.

Tony gave him a knowing look. "You just tell us if you need anything, okay?" he said, watching Peter with a look of such fatherly concern it was almost painful to even think about.

Peter nodded, goosebumps rising on his skin. "Right. I-I'll do that." He pulled away and turned to go inside, despite really not liking the idea of putting his back to anyone. As soon as he started moving, he sensed his body guard following him, and he looked at it. "Um... I-I don't need protection," he said to the robot. "I'm fine. Go... take care of Thor, or something."

"You safety is my first and only priority," the ILS responded simply.

"Unit," Tony said, "give him some space."

As if that were all the permission he needed, Peter gave his dad a short nod and walked away, hoping the stress and anxiety riddling him wasn't too obvious.

He didn't even bother with trying to stay collected once he was out of sight. Once he was out of sight, he ran to his room, barely managing to restrain himself from slamming the door behind him, knowing that would very likely break the door instead of just close it.

"Friday, are you in here?" he panted, not out of breath because of the short run, but because he was very close to giving into an anxiety attack.

"I am," the AI replied.

"Okay," he said, pacing the floor to get some of his nervous energy out. "Remember when I was, like, sick? Or something? When the ILS's put me in this sensory thing?"

"I can recollect the data."

"Where is that?"

"You may want to move two steps to your right."