Survivor's Guilt || Peter Parker

One

It's been twelve hours since Peter and Morgan had woken up in the middle of the forest.

Or at least Peter assumes it's been that long, judging from how the sun has risen and fallen throughout their exploration.

When Peter had initially come to awareness, he was confused and disoriented. His spider sense was stronger than ever, alerting him of every sound and movement from the ten mile radius. There were nothing but bushes and trees that were surrounding him, and it didn't take rocket science to conclude that he was in the middle of a rainforest.

He wasn't wearing his Spiderman suit, and whoever had taken him had made sure he was empty handed. Even if he did have his phone, there was no way he would be able to contact someone anyhow.

Peter was handling the realization relatively well until he noticed Morgan close beside him, sleeping on top of the leaves and dirt. Her white nightgown was filthy with brown stains and much to Peter's horror, red patches were coated across her sleeve.

Peter was the first to wake up, his metabolism fighting off the drugs much faster than the villains had probably anticipated.

Not fast enough apparently.

While he couldn't be certain, he assumed that there was a vendetta against Tony Stark that caused them to be in this situation. It was no secret that the man loved his daughter more than life itself. Peter wasn't sure how he was added into the equation, but he was thankful nevertheless.

He didn't know what would have happened if they had left Morgan here alone. She wouldn't have lasted an hour in the wilderness.

Turns out, the blood on her dress was from a decently sized scrape on her forearm. It wasn't ideal in the slightest, but it also wasn't too deep of a cut. It wouldn't kill her unless it caught an infection.

Peter wasted no time as he ripped the fabric of his own hoodie off, wrapping it around her arm and securing it as tightly as possible.

Morgan still didn't open her eyes.

At the time, Peter was secretly grateful that he had woken up before Morgan. He didn't want her to see the unadulterated fear that must have been so clearly written on his face. If he were in the forest alone, he probably would have given up hope then and there, letting himself be fully consumed by the growing, familiar feeling of a panic attack.

But with the child by his side, he forced himself to sober up.

He couldn't afford to mess up, Morgan's life was in his hands and the responsibility weighed heavily on Peter's shoulders.

So, with that mindset, he gently gathered her into his arms and began their journey.

Neither of them had been wearing shoes when they were supposedly taken, but at least Peter had socks on. He made sure to watch his steps, using the daylight to his advantage.

The game plan was simple: stay alive and pray that the Avengers would find them before the climate became detrimental.

Peter would be the first to admit that it wasn't the most reassuring plan, but he didn't have any other option.

His main goal for today was to find water. Though after hours of walking, Peter wasn't sure if he was even moving in the right direction.

His spider sense wasn't warning him of an immediate danger, so he trudged along, following his unreliable instinct.

Peter had been walking for hours without rest when Morgan finally woke up from her drug induced nap. When she did, Peter was successfully able to pull himself together.

No longer did he show his panic, despite his heart racing too fast and his hands uncontrollably shaking.

He steadied his voice as he whispered reassurances into her ear, letting her cry on his shoulder.

Peter had tried to distract Morgan as much as he possibly could as the two of them continued to travel along the forest. He carried her in his arms as he shared detailed adventures of Spiderman, and when he ran out of stories that were lighthearted and child friendly, he began to sing tunes that he knew Morgan would enjoy.

Peter was definitely tone-deaf, and he struggled with remembering a lot of the lyrics, but Morgan didn't seem to mind. In fact, sometimes she would even hum along, and Peter felt himself smiling with endearment despite the circumstances.

In all honesty, the distractions were just as much for Peter as they were for Morgan, and he held her tight against his chest as the temperature began to slowly drop with the sun.

While he was hiking, he took special notice of any bugs that came into view, but he has yet to spot an actual animal. Still, the fact that there were insects within the forest was a good sign that he was headed in the right direction.

At least he's hoped.

~

Peter drops to his knees and outright sobs when he finally reached the river. By then, the sun was about to set, but he pays no mind to it as he crawls his way towards the body of water. Morgan shyly asks what was wrong, and he's unable to form a coherent response through his gasps and wails.

Eventually, he finds his voice however.

"Nothings wrong Morgan, look- we found a river."

"Is that good?"

"It's very good, now we can drink the water."

Peter's heart blossomed with newfound hope. All he had to do next was catch something to eat

He places Morgan on his lap as he scoops up the river water, then he holds it to her mouth, urging her to drink.

Morgan doesn't seem like she wants to, but she compliantly listens anyway, and Peter praises her for her bravery.

Once he's content with the amount of water Morgan has swallowed, he gives himself his own portion. Peter understands Morgan's hesitancy in drinking from the river; it looks murky in between his cupped hands, and he's strongly aware of the bacteria and viruses they can catch from consuming it. Unfortunately, Peter rather take the risks than stay dehydrated.

So, he tilts his head back and drinks as much water as he can, praying to any god that he was making the right decision.

"Peter, when are we going to eat?"

By the time they had finished drinking from the river, the sun had disappeared. Utter darkness surrounded the rainforest, and Peter could barely see two feet in front of him. He knew that the chances of catching fish were slim with only the moon and stars as their source of light.

Peter hates himself for not thinking of it sooner; now he has no choice but to wait until sunrise. He promises Morgan to wake up as soon as possible to catch the food.

"Let's go to sleep for now, then we can eat breakfast in the morning."

"But I'm hungry now."

"I know, and I'm sorry- but we have to wait until then, okay?"

Morgan begins to shed her own tears, and Peter quickly wipes them away, begging her to understand where he's coming from. She kicks and she screams so loud that it hurts Peter's eardrums but he can't find himself to be aggravated with her. If anything, he's impressed that she's lasted this long without a temper tantrum.

Eventually, Morgan tires herself out and falls asleep on Peter's chest. He quickly follows suit, wishing the Avengers would swoop in and save the day.

Later, Peter will regret his decision to rest that night, it was the first of many mistakes that were made.