Hey everyone! Last chapter!

This chapter is a bit of a continuation from chapter 4, and also deals with issues of mental illness/depression. So I'm putting a trigger warning here! Don't read if these topics may cause you distress.

Enjoy!

Peter was trying to go over the events in his head.

The most recent history in his life that suddenly seemed to make no sense as he tried to recall the moments that had led up to this.

He was making an attempt to remember how he got there- here, sitting in a brightly lit office smelling of chemicals, an elderly and greying doctor sitting across from him, reading over some papers in his hand.

His aunt sat next to him rubbing comforting circles on his back, as she attempted to sit still, her teeth digging into her bottom lip as an attempt to stop it from quivering.

The doctor cleared his throat before speaking.

"I'd like to start him on a low dose of Prozac."

May sat up, her hand retreating from her nephew's back. "An antidepressant? Will that be okay for him? He's only 15…"

"I prescribe antidepressants to many people his age. It's an unfortunate reality. We will have to monitor him closely, as there is an increased risk of suicide in the use of Prozac with individuals under the age of 18, but I do think it will benefit him. I also strongly recommend he seeks counselling on top of the medication for his treatment."

May sucked in a deep breath, looking over cautiously at the young brunette teen.

"And this will help with the… panic attacks?" The last words of her sentence came out as a whisper, but Peter still heard. He shot her a look. How did she know about that? Did Mr. Stark tell her?

"I am hoping that it will, however sometimes it is difficult to find a medication that works for the individual. Sometimes it is a process of trial and error."

May nodded before looking at her nephew. "Are you hearing this sweetie, are you okay with this?"

Peter looked down at his clammy hands as they folded in on each other. Tiny nail marks embedded in the skin of his palm.

"Fine." He said quietly, his attention not completely grasped onto the conversation being held. May forced a small smile, before turning her attention back to the doctor.

"He's hasn't been himself in a while, it's like his mind has been in a whole other world. I hope this will help him- it has to help him."

"I am confident that he will make some progress if he starts a treatment plan. I'm going to write down the prescription, and you can just drop it off at your local pharmacy as soon as possible."

May muttered a quick thanks to the doctor before turning to Peter, gripping his arm. "Are you ready to go?"

Peter nodded though the words had barely registered in his brain, yet suddenly he found himself standing up and following the woman out the door, her gentle hand still wrapped around his upper arm.

The ride back to their apartment was uneventful. May attempted to initiate a conversation with her sullen nephew, but Peter just sat there staring out the window at the passing signs.

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

Peter shrugged, using his voice seemed to be too much of an effort.

"Are you hungry at all? I have a frozen pizza in the freezer, I can throw it in the oven. Or we can watch a movie and make popcorn?"

Peter slowly shook his head. "Don't feel like eating."

He could see the frown on his aunt's face from the corner of his eye.

"Okay honey."

They rode in silence for the next few blocks.

He was grateful when they finally pulled up to their building, anxious to go to his room and lay in bed for the night. He got out of the car and began heading up the stairs, May struggling to keep up.

"Peter- "

He turned slightly at her shaky voice.

"Peter, I feel like we should talk… about what happened… about what's been going on."

"I'm not ready to talk yet." It was too soon.

May nodded. "When you're ready, okay?"

Peter returned the nod. "Okay."

"Can I have a hug?"

He walked down the steps separating the two of them and wrapped his arms around her as she rubbed the back of his head, comfortingly. "I'm so proud of you for speaking up about how you feel… I know that wasn't easy. I love you so much."

A flash of memories started filling his blank mind as she spoke.

2 days earlier

Peter sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the wall in front of him covered with vintage movie posters- Empire Strikes Back and Aliens.

It was a Saturday and he was home alone. May had been called into work earlier that morning.

Normally when he had the apartment to his self he would invite a friend over- Ned, most likely- for pizza and video games.

But today was different.

Today, his brain felt foggy and his chest felt numb. Not physically painful, but it still hurt in a way that was uncomfortably demoralizing.

And it wasn't just today. No, he hadn't been feeling himself in a couple of weeks. It wasn't the panic attacks this time, he was managing that. Mr. Stark had taught him some techniques to cope when he felt he was on the verge of breaking down.

No, this was different. This was a feeling of complete discontentment, everything seemed boring to him- no excitement, no sorrow. Only the numbness in his chest and a brain that seemed to be fading to grey.

It's as if all the energy he had packed a bag and left his body to fade into a state of disparity.

The feeling of vibration next to his thigh brought him out of his trance.

He picked up without bothering to check the caller ID, just anxious to talk to anybody who would listen.

"Hello?" His voice was barely above a whisper, his hands were shaking wildly.

"Pete, hey. Are you busy? I've been working on some new designs for your webshooters and I'd like for you to come by and check them out."

On any other occasion, he would've jumped at the opportunity to visit Tony Stark in his lab, working on inventions for his suit, but not today. What would he say? Sorry, Mr. Stark I've seemed to have fallen into a state of absolute melancholy, I won't be able to make it.

"I'm sorry, I can't."

That was all he had managed to say.

"Oh, that's no problem. Just haven't seen you in a while. How are you doing? Happy said you haven't been updating him on your patrols, so I thought I'd check in myself."

"I haven't gone out in a while."

He should've added an explanation to that… said he had been busy with school, or something. Instead he listened to the hanging silence on the other end.

"Ah. Well, that's alright. You've got a busy schedule. But, how are you? How's your aunt?"

"She's fine."

And I'm not.

"And you?" Tony prodded.

"I'm… Okay."

He wasn't.

"You sure about that? You sound kind of off…"

He choked on a gasp of air as he attempted to hold back the thoughts protruding his head. No, I'm not okay. I don't know what's wrong. I just feel so empty inside… So broken. I need help, I need to talk to somebody.

He opted for a simpler response. "I'm just not feeling myself today."

He heard Tony shuffling with his phone on the other end before the man spoke again. "Okay… Okay, let's talk about that. Can you elaborate?"

Peter shook his head, though he was aware that Tony couldn't see his movements. He felt tears threatening to escape his eyes. His mind was screaming at him to tell the truth, and he felt too exhausted to lie to himself or anyone anymore.

His voice was quavering.

"I'm really struggling, Mr. Stark. I need help."

He regretted the words as soon as they escaped his mouth.

His heart pounded in his chest as he waited for a response, and it seemed to take forever for one to come.

"Where are you right now, Peter?"

"I'm at home…"

"Is your aunt there?"

"No, she's at work."

"Okay kiddo, do you feel safe by yourself right now?"

Peter raised an eyebrow, not quite understanding the question. "Yes? I-I'm not in danger or anything."

"That's good, Pete. I'm glad you feel safe, I'm just making sure you don't feel like hurting yourself."

Peter rose from his bed in a quick motion, his voice raising nearly an octave. "No! I'm not going to- I'm not- I'm just feeling down, I'm not planning on doing anything!"

"Ok, calm down kid. I'm just making sure. Alright. Here's what's going to happen. I'm going to come over there and wait with you for your aunt to come home, and we're going to talk to her. Together."

Peter's eyes widened. "No! No, sir, that's really not necessary- "

"Peter- "Tony cut him off.

"No, look. I'm fine, I'm just feeling a little bit… depressed today. You're busy, please don't bother coming over, I'll just… I'll talk to May when she gets home."

"Kid, trust me from experience. It takes a lot of courage to tell someone when you're feeling depressed, and I'm glad you told me, but you really need to talk to your aunt, because she's the one who can help you more than I can. I'm afraid that as soon as I hang up the phone you're going to pretend that everything's okay and not tell May what's going on. I'm not coming over to punish you, I just want to be there to support you."

He was trying to stay strong, he really was but he broke down as he heard his mentor's words.

"Thank you, Tony. For listening."

Present Day

Peter pulled away from the hug and noticed the tears in his aunt's eyes, his heart breaking at the sight.

"No… May. Please don't cry."

"Oh honey, I was just so worried about you. I didn't know what to think when I came home and I saw Tony Stark sitting there, and you were crying- I just… I was so scared! But Peter, I am so, so proud of you for speaking up. I'm glad you didn't let those feelings go on any longer, and we're going to try and get you better, okay?"

Peter nodded. "I'm sorry."

May grabbed her nephew firmly by the shoulders. "No. Don't say that. You can't be sorry for something you can't control. Peter, depression is an illness, it's a chemical imbalance in the brain. Nothing is your fault, okay?"

"Okay, Aunt May."

"Let's go upstairs." She said, leading the way as Peter followed close behind.

They had just made it to the front door of their apartment when his phone started ringing from the pocket in his jeans. He quickly pulled it out to look at who was calling.

Tony Stark.

"Uh, May, would it be okay if I took this call out here for a second? I'll meet you inside."

"Sure, Peter. I'll be inside making dinner, in case you change your mind about eating later."

Peter gave a slight wave as she shut the door and he pressed the green "answer" icon on his slightly cracked phone screen.

"Hey, Mr. Stark."

"Hey kid. Just checking in. How are you feeling?"

"A lot better, actually." Peter answered honestly.

"Really? That's great to hear Underoos!"

"If you asked me that question a few days ago, I would've said I feel like complete and utter crap. But, today I just feel… relieved. I'm glad I got my feelings off my chest and I'm glad I'm getting help. Thank you, Mr. Stark."

"No- nu-uh, you've got no one to thank, but yourself. You're the one who admitted that you were hurting inside and that takes guts kid."

"Well, I just want to say thank you for talking to Aunt May with me. I probably wouldn't have been able to do that on my own."

"No problem, kiddo. I'm happy to hear that you're feeling better."

"Thanks, Mr. Stark, really. For being there for me."

"I'm always there for you, Pete. If you ever need to talk, I'm here."

"I appreciate it Mr.- "

"Peter." Tony interrupted, sternly.

"Yes?"

"Why have you reverted back to your formal ways? I thought I told you to call me Tony."

Peter laughed, and startled as he did. He had laughed for the first time in weeks. The feeling was so unfamiliar.

Tony must've noticed the falter in his laugh. "It's okay to be happy, Peter."

"I know. I just wish I could feel happy more often. I've missed this feeling."

"If you commit to helping yourself feel better, then you will. It'll take time, but I know you can do it. You're such a strong kid, and I'm so proud of you."

Peter's heart felt like it skipped a beat. "Y-You're proud of me?"

"Of course I am. You know, there's a lot of you in me."

"Huh?" Peter's eyebrows shot up.

"Sorry, that came out like… really wrong. What I'm trying to say is that you remind me of myself when I was your age."

Peter nearly blushed. "Really?"

"Yeah kid. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you. You're- "Tony paused, "You're like a son to me, Pete."

Peter beamed at his mentor's words. "I don't know what to say… Wait a second, Tony, are you crying!?"

The sniffles Peter could've sworn he heard on the other end quickly came to a half as he heard Tony clear his throat before speaking. "No, I am not crying, geesh. Now, listen kiddo why don't you skedaddle and get some rest? That's the best thing for you right now, just taking time to heal yourself physically in order to heal mentally."

Peter nodded so he knew Tony couldn't see the action. "Sounds good, Tony."

"And Peter? Don't forget that people care about you, okay?"

"Okay, Tony."

"I love you, kiddo."

SO INFINITY WAR ACTUALLY BROKE MY HEART INTO PIECES.

Had to write the ending of this chapter positively in order to mend my broken soul.

Anyways, that's it! I really hope you enjoyed it! Now that I finished it I'll be going back to continue some old works, and I also look forward to writing some Infinity War fics! I am always open to accepting prompts which you can send to me on my Tumblr ( ).

Thank you everyone for the support while writing this fic!

Stay safe and remember you're never alone. 3

-Morgan