Civil War: Rewritten

Chapter 9: Panic Attack

A/N: So, it's kind of in the name, but a bit of a trigger warning. This chapter is not necessary to read for the overall plot, so if need be, skip this chapter :). So sorry if I forgot to add any in at any point throughout the story. 

"Oh my god," Peter mumbled to himself as he stumbled into the compound. It was still summer vacation but he was taken summer courses at his school, and they were really difficult. Even for him, who was quite literally a genius, and they were starting to get overwhelming. After spending an entire day in his room studying, he had decided to go to the compound to mess around a bit in the lab. With May's blessing, he left after dinner, which was at around 7, and on his way over, he tried to stop some criminals but was punched in the side really hard and was stabbed in the left shoulder and it was a struggle to get to the compound. Once he was inside, he hobbled into his lab and got out a first-aid kit. 

~Meanwhile~

Tony and Pepper were off on a business trip in LA at the time, where they were negotiating with different entrepreneurs and small businesses that were interested in an investment. By then, they had been there for about two weeks and were scheduled to leave the next morning. (I'm literally 15 and don't know how this stuff works, so sorry if it makes no sense haha). Currently, they were at an on-the-beach bar because it was their last night in California and were done working for the trip. There, they ordered some appetizers and some drinks. Rhodey had just left that morning for business for a few weeks and Happy had been with family out of town for just over a week and wasn't supposed to return for a few more days. Natasha's flight had just landed and was on her way back to the compound after working with the UN for a few weeks. 

~Back at the Compound~

"Shit!" Peter groaned as he attempted to clean up his stab wound. He had wished someone was there to help, but they were all gone for work and he wasn't really sure when they'd be back. Peter put some rubbing alcohol on a cotton pad and cringed whenever he touched his wound with it. His breathing starting to become frantic, and he starting panicking. 

"Oh, no, oh god, no," Peter's eyes began to water and he felt his hands start to shake. He dropped the cotton pad as he tried to catch his breath. He started to lean on the lab station as he attempted to catch his breath. It didn't work. He turned and sat on the ground with his back leaning against the table as he held his face in his hands as he started to cry with uncontrollable breathing. 

Natasha had just returned back to the compound after a relatively long and boring business trip. She was happy to be back as she set down her bags and headed towards the kitchen for some water. 

"Welcome back, Little Red," Friday announced. "It seems that Peter is having a panic attack in his lab". Thankfully, Tony programmed Friday so that anyone would be alerted when anyone was having a panic attack. If nobody was at the Tower, Friday would call. 

Natasha sat down her cup and ran towards Peter's lab. She flung open the door and saw Peter sitting on the floor with his face cupped in his hands as he struggled to breathe normally and was sobbing. 

"Hey, Pete," she said in a soothing voice as she knelt down next to him and gently put a hand on his shoulder. "It's me, Nat".

Peter looked up with a fearful look in his eyes. 

"You're alright, you're okay, I'm here for you," she assured. "Try to mimick my breathing, alright?"

She began to take slow and easy breaths that Peter did his best to copy. She also gently rubbed his shoulder for reassurance. After a few minutes, he was able to breathe normally.

"Thank you, Nat," Peter whispered, tears still streaming down his face. 

"Of course, Pete," Natasha wiped away tears. "Anytime this happens, call someone if you can, promise? You're never alone, Peter".

Peter nodded as he cried a bit more, Natasha rubbing comforting circles on his back. Once he cooled down, he wrapped Nat in a hug, which she happily returned. 

"Thanks again," Peter broke the hug and leaned back against the lab station. 

"Wanna tell me what happened?" Natasha sat down next to him, her back also against the lab station. 

"Uh, well," Peter scratched his head. "Summer school is just really confusing and stressful and patrolling is hard and tonight I got really hurt and I'm just so overwhelmed right now. Like I'm supposed to be Spider-Man! A hero! Look out for the little guy! And I can't even handle high school?" 

"Woah, woah, hold on," Nat looked at his shoulder and began to finish cleaning his wound and then began to stitch it back up. "Stabbed?"

Peter nodded and grimaced at the stitches. 

"And kid," Nat began. "We all get overwhelmed sometimes. And it's normal, it's okay. You're just a kid and are taking on responsibilities well beyond your years. Quite frankly, you're inarguably one of the most talented, smart, and strong people I know. But that doesn't mean you don't have to be strong all the time. Everyone is here for you. Me, Tony, Rhodey, Pepper, and even Happy. I know that we all had to leave for a bit and that we were all gone, but call us or text us if you're feeling this way. It's not gonna make you feel better when you bottle it up, especially when you have a whole lot of people that care about you".

"Thanks, Natasha," Peter smiled once the stitches were done. "That really does mean a lot". 

"Hey, I'm just telling the truth," Nat smiled. "Wanna have ice cream sundaes and watch a movie?"

"Yeah!" Peter exclaimed. "I gotta tell Aunt May first".

Once Aunt May said it was okay for Peter to stay overnight, Nat made some ice cream sundaes with whipped cream, sprinkles, Oreo crumbs, cookie dough, and a maraschino cherry. The duo then went into the common room and sat on the couch and decided to watch Back To The Future because according to Peter, it's a classic. Once the movie was finished, they decided to turn on the second one, but both of them fell asleep with Peter's head resting on Nat's shoulder and her arm around Peter. 

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