usm . story dump

Breathe [ ]

[frantically tries to find the oneshot that inspired this one, starts screeching]
Nevermind, found it--
It's inspired by Dishonest Lies in Being There For You. So... Angst. (:
Fun!
Again, team dynamics are impossible to write (unless you're OfficialUSMWriter apparently), so forgive me if there's an incredibly minimal amount of dialogue.
And there is a very small amount of fluff a little later.

Small chance I might rewrite this if the inspiration does come knocking on my door. Who knows for sure though--

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He only just snapped out of his trance, as he frantically looked around the room, his eyes darting over the area when he felt a chill tickle his spine. A dark presence loomed in front of him, its figure looked humanoid, but didn't at the same time. Eventually, emerging from its body, shadowed tendrils made its way toward the spider.

And before he knew it, he was losing air. He wanted to breathe. He felt metallic fingers coil around his throat, effectively cutting away his air supply and making him beg for air. He needed to breathe, and as much as he resisted and attempted to pry them off, they only pressed onto his neck harder.

He choked, and felt consciousness leaving his body. His vision began to darken, he felt weaker, the adrenaline was fading, and so was his will to continue to resist. That was a weak man's option; he didn't want to die like this, but a part of him had already given up.

There was no point at all in doing this. It was just him... By himself.

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Peter snapped awake, his breathing frantic. He looked around, and saw... That he was safe. He was in the Triskelion dorms, everyone was asleep in there. If there was a threat, they'd all have awoken. He was fine and there was nothing to be afraid of.

But the fear of impending doom snuck onto him and pounced on the small boy like a wild animal. He felt as if his heart had just stopped, a wave of dread had struck him again, causing him to shiver and quake a little. He looked around the room; he spun over too quickly, his entire body rolling over and gravity pushing him over the bed, causing him to topple over and fall onto the ground. He couldn't feel anything but the pins and needles he felt making contact with the floor. He couldn't breathe again, his breath hitching at every time he attempted to inhale.

He needed...

He needed to breathe...

"Spidey?" a soft voice tiredly called out. It was muffled, as if someone had stuffed pillows into the teen's ears. He couldn't listen, and could only focus on how he felt.

His limbs felt like cooked spaghetti; Peter struggled to get on his feet. The lights in the room had suddenly flickered on, the torturously bright fluorescent lights shining upon him. Peter fell back onto the ground, his heart having felt like it had skipped another beat. His chest having felt as if Doc Ock had beaten the will to live out of him.

"Spider-Man!" another muffled voice had called, a small mass of people had huddled around Peter, making him even more panicked than before.

He tore his mask away, face slick with sweat and tears that had only began to escape his eyes. He could feel something wrap around his neck, making him to try to reach out for more air. He was curled on the ground, looking around, the world continued to spin, he suddenly wanted to throw up.

"Peter, everything will be all right," one of them had tried to reassure.

But everything wasn't all right.

He felt like he was slowly losing control of himself. He couldn't even move his limbs to try and sit up. He was stuck on the ground, leaving him to the mercy of gravity. Where he was pushed onto the ground, a weight crushing him like he was an ant underneath the will of the world's boot.

Peter noticed the Academy students' frantic attempts to try and keep him calm and get him to a state of calm, but no one could figure out what to do. They were all left saying words too muffled for him to make out. The world began to spin again, the noise becoming a lot louder than it should have.

He wanted to scream, but his throat was dry; not a single word escaped his mouth, only a few pathetic whimpers were forced out.

Peter didn't know what was happening to him. He thought it might be a heart attack... Or... Or something...?

That couldn't be right...

It shouldn't be right...

He was a perfectly grown man, with the ability of a spider; in no risk of dying to something like this. Then it struck him.

What if he was going to die?

"You're dying," a voice whispered, almost teasingly. With an eerie giggle.

What if this was it for him?

"This is what it feels like to die," a different voice chimed, following an eerie chant that continued to just bring Peter down.

Dying by his own biology because his heart couldn't handle it anymore.

Even the most optimistic voice in his head had began to scream in fear, knowing that doom was left for his future. "You'll die... And no one will be there," that final voice broke him.

He didn't know how long he was laying on the floor, still attempting to breathe, or cry out for help, or trying to keep himself calm enough to get himself back on his bed and sleep the events of what had just happened off.

But eventually, he calmed down enough for his vision to clear, and the teams were there, looking over him. Raw concern painted over each of their faces. They all asked if he was all right, circling him again. This time, it felt more secure, but it still didn't feel right.

He just robbed them of a few precious moments of well deserved sleep, only to concern themselves with his own mental being. He felt more vulnerable than before, but the selfish part of him convinced him to receive any care his teams have given him.

Individually, they asked if he was all right and if he needed anything, only for him to answer that he wanted to rest after what had just happened. Eventually, the students had stopped their line of questioning, helping Peter get up to his bed, and each of them staying up to make sure their leader was safe and could have a good night's sleep.

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Inspired by OfficialUSMWriter