Spider-Son One Shots

Therapists

"Okay, Peter, I was told you have an irrational fear of spiders you wish to get rid of because your Spider-Man, am I correct?" The therapist said looking at Peter. Her blonde hair was braided to the side as her gray eyes watched the boy as he a shifted uncomfortably on the chair.

"That's, uh, correct," Peter said his cheeks growing warm. Peter didn't like therapists, and didn't see the point in them. But Tony insisted Peter talked to someone about his PTSD and nightmares. Today was all about his fear of spiders.

"When you think of spiders, what's the first thing that comes to mind?"

"Spider-Man."

"Mmm-hmm. What's the first thing you think of when someone says Spider-Man?"

"Uncle Ben."

"Tell me the memory again, Peter."

"Uh... Well, my Uncle Ben shielded me from a bullet coming our way. I couldn't save him, even though I had Spider-Man's powers at the time," Peter said, looking off to the side.

"So Spiders make you feel guilty? What other things do you associate with guilt and spiders?"

"My parent's plane crashing. They were protecting the plans for the radioactive spiders. And the plan just crashed, killing them," Peter said tears threatening to close his eyes. "Also, Gwen's death. If I had been faster as Spider-Man... Or if I wasn't Spider-Man at all, Gwen would still be here."

The therapist asked more questions about how Peter felt or thought about a certain subject, mostly just spiders and Spider-Man. "So, Peter, it appears you're fear isn't irrational at all. It's a physiological fear deriving from the fact you associate spiders with guilt and death."

"Are you sure it's as complicated as that?" Peter asked. That sounded so complex for something as silly as a fear of what he represented. That was like if a mascot was scared of whatever they were the mascot of.

"I'm very sure, Peter."

****

Coming to Avengers Tower, Peter couldn't help but think about what the therapist said. It couldn't be something as complex as that, could it? Did his fear go deeper than he thought at first? Or was the therapist wrong? What if Peter only just had a silly and irrational fear?

Peter's thoughts went a mile a minute as he stumbled into the kitchen. Everything he had ever thought about his guilt was rooted in one thing: spiders. They were always there, when he thought he was dying, when Gwen died, when Harry turned evil, with Dr. Connors, with Uncle Ben's death, spiders had been there. A simple element in his life that his fears knew faster than his mind did. He was warned time and time again to stay away from spiders. And he never listened to his fears. 

Looking up, the world became dizzy except for one thing. A black spider was stretched out on the opposite wall. It was frozen as if looking for something. Looking for him.

Peter grabbed hold of the nearby knife and flung it across the room. The blade buried itself into the wall, and into the spider. Peter's hands clenched into fists as his eyes narrowed. His breathing became all he heard.

"Peter!"

That noise had cut through his trance, making him push off the bar. His hands become unclenched and wiped his hair off his forehead. Peter looked around at everyone who was staring at him, maybe in fear, or maybe in confusion.

"Yeah?" He said staring into the eyes of the one who said his name. The person who was like his father figure stared at him his eyes wide with surprise and worry. Peter stared back at him, his eyes cold and distant. The world faded as the two stared at each other.

"What was that about?" Tony asked looking at the knife lodged in the wall.

"Nothing," Peter said with a smile as he walked over. He pulled the knife out of the wall, and washed it off in the sink. Peter put the knife in its drawer, ignoring the Avengers who wouldn't stop staring. Peter walked out of that kitchen feeling good. Not happy or joyful but relieved.