Peter Parker Oneshots and Drabbles

10. The Ant and the Zoo - Angst/Fluff

Warnings: poverty and ptsd, anxiety (please Do NOT Read if you are uncomfortable with these warnings)
Word Count: 1.7k

Peter found himself staring off into space for minutes upon hours. He would sit anywhere and do it. On the train, at home, in the car. Absolutely anywhere. He didn't know what to think about now, other than the war, and watching Tony die. Seeing his face on billboards still, made Peter cry. It was horrible for the media to use a dead man to motivate the world to be positive. It was sick and disgusting.

Today Peter found himself at a bridge, sitting on the side and gazing at the cars passing by. It was maybe three or four in the morning now; he didn't really track the time much. But no one looked back to him, as he started counting his breaths, recalling every second of the time he stepped out of the portal. One step forward, as he looked out to everyone confused and amazed, and he tapped his hand against the ground, huffing out a slow breath.

He stopped himself from thinking about it now.

Peter glanced up as a car slowed down in front of him, making him sneer at it, with a bout of irritation. Were they going to bother him? Who knows? It just made Peter feel uneasy and upset. The window rolled slightly as an older man stared back at him, making Peter roll his eyes. "What do you want?" Peter exclaimed in anger, making the man shake his head, and roll the window back up, and drive off.

"Why do people in cars always act like we're the zoo animals?" A voice asked Peter, making him flinch in surprise. He looked up once he saw your feet next to him. His face softened when he saw you pouting down to him, upset by the car as well. "Maybe because we are zoo animals." He responded, pushing his hands into his face and groaning, suddenly feeling tired.

You grinned down to him, and bent down, sitting a little away from him, on the sidewalk. "I like that. I'd rather know I'm a zoo animal, instead of speculating about it. Changed my perspective a little bit." You spoke up, causing Peter to move away from his hands, and to stare at you.

"You're strange." Peter observed, tilting his head back to you. A car zoomed by, splashing water on the both of you, making Peter cough out in shock and anger at it. "Asshole!" He screamed at the car, standing up suddenly. You giggled at his actions, gazing back at him as he looked at you, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Hey," You called out to him, as he took a seat by you again. He glanced at you and shrugged, "Yes?" You grinned back at him, "Change your perspective a bit- it's a free shower."

Peter found himself going back the next day, a little later this time. He wanted to know who you were. You smiled at him, like there was nothing wrong in the world, but there was so much darkness and pain. He wanted to know how you managed to smile like that, and why. You were already there when he showed up. You were picking at the sidewalk, between the cracks and smiling when you saw a bug slither up, and randomly crawl places. You let an ant crawl onto your hand, as you stared at Peter with a bright smile.

"Why?" He found himself asking when you stood up and held his hand, letting the ant crawl onto him. You shrugged back, "If we're really zoo animals, then what are bugs to us?" Your question caused Peter to pause, and blink back to you, muddled by your behavior.

He sighed out, as he felt the ant tingle up his arm, crawling randomly around his elbow, as you stared at it with fascination. "You're strange." Peter found himself repeating from the day before, but he added on, "What's your name?"

You gazed back up to him as the ant crawled back onto your arm, letting go of his hand. "It's Y/n. What do you go by?" You questioned back, as the ant danced along your fingertips. Peter smiled at your name, finding it beautiful. "I'm Peter." He answered, glancing back behind you, anxious to see if something was going to happen. You nodded back and stepped away.