{edited 1/12/22}

peter couldn't breathe.

one moment he had been running through the building in search of the bomb, and the next he was trapped underneath rubble and debris. slowly being crushed under the remnants of the building, he cried and choked on sobs, unable to move.

"help!" he screamed, voice hoarse. he coughed. "please, somebody!"

deep down he knew that nobody could hear him. his communicator was smashed and his suit was so damaged that even KAREN hadn't responded to his pleas. yet he kept shouting and calling out, hoping that somebody would be able to hear him.

......

"has anybody seen spiderman?" tony asked, worry lacing his voice. the battle against the villain had ended, and everybody had regrouped; everybody but spiderman.

natasha shook her head. "last time i saw him he was inside-" she paused as her eyes found the wreckage of the building. when the tower had collapsed, nobody had stopped to think if anybody was inside, too preoccupied with the battle. "...he was in that building."

tony's heart stuttered. "oh god," he mumbled. he was moving before his brain could register what was happening. ignoring the shouts of his teammates, he flew towards the ruins. "spiderman? where are you bud?"

the comms were silent.

"spiderman..." tony repeated, voice wavering. "i swear to god if you're still in that building-" he cut himself off to stop a sob.

......

peter coughed. blood caked his face and hair, and every time he managed a breath, ash filled his lungs. everywhere he looked he saw darkness, and in that darkness were memories of the vulture; his mind was swirling with panic.

he wouldn't be able to lift the building this time.

"you're a good kid, pete," adrian stated, face grim. "i'm sorry for this, i really am."

peter let out a yelp as the vulture's mechanical wings flew towards him, and he ducked, rolling out of the way. he watched, eyes wide, as the soaring appendages sliced through the support beams like butter.

"you missed me, toomes!" he shouted on instinct, forcing himself to his feet. he couldn't comprehend why the man had aimed so poorly.

adrian grimaced. "i wasn't aiming for you," he replied. "good luck, pete, but i doubt you'll make it out of this one."

as he finished, his wings returned to him and he settled into them. he flew out of the skylight, leaving the teen confused. however, before he could swing after the perpetrator, a low groaning filled the parking garage.

"no!"

the ceiling caved in, and concrete fell onto his shoulders. he dropped to his knees as the weight crushed him. crying out in pain, he tried to get up, but every movement stung so harshly that he slipped closer and closer to the ground.

"help!" he shouted, one hand trying to push the concrete off of himself. his other came to pull his mask off; he gasped for air. "somebody! please, i'm stuck!"

tears brimmed his eyes. ash and smoke clouded his lungs, and with every breath his mind slipped a little bit further into darkness. he coughed, and he felt blood splatter onto his lips.

"you're spiderman," he mumbled to himself, eyes rolling back. he swallowed thickly and tried to adjust his body. "you got this. you're freaking spiderman."

nearly collapsing under the pressure, peter inched his hands to rest on his shoulders, palms against the rubble. he slightly rocked his body, drawing in the deepest breaths he could, and tried to push. the slab of concrete barely moved.

"come on!" he screamed, voice strained. he sobbed as he pushed again, chest heaving each time he forced his arms to move.

with a loud cry, he pushed at the debris once more, and it moved with him. the smallest flutter of hope blossomed in his chest and he repeated the action over and over, inching the concrete off of him.

with one final shove, he forced the rubble off his shoulders. his knees gave out, and he fell to the ground, pieces of debris sticking into his skin through his suit. he gasped for breath, wincing as smoke scratched his throat.

......

"tony, i don't think he's in here," steve stated as he pulled another piece of concrete away. "there's no way."

tony shook his head, breath hitching in his throat. "no, no he is," he replied. "i just- i just know he is." he blasted away a chunk of rubble.

"tones, i'm sorry but i agree with cap'," rhodey said. he looked towards his best friend. "spiderman is fast; he got out before the building collapsed."

"did you see him get out?" tony was met with silence. "that's what i thought. he's in here."

blasting away a slab of metal, tony scoured the debris. he couldn't explain why, but he knew that peter had been buried. the feeling in his chest just wouldn't go away, even after every piece of concrete he moved revealed no sign of the kid.

a quiet cough filled the silence that had settled, and tony paused. "FRIDAY, where did that come from?" he asked, causing his teammates to look towards him.

"from your left, sir."

tony turned and stilled; nobody was to his left.

......

at this point, peter thought that he was hacking up his lungs. he was coughing uncontrollably, his body shaking and limbs tensing. the weight on his back was too much for him to handle.

"please, please, please," he whispered to himself.

he tried to move again, and he muffled a scream as the concrete on his back shifted. his heart thumped wildly in his chest and he repeated his actions; the metal above him grinded together.

muffled shouts were above him and a sliver of hope crawled around in his chest. he coughed and tried to squirm underneath the rubble.

"hello?" he cried out, fresh tears streaming down his face. "i-is somebody up there?"

he could feel the debris above him being shifted, and ever-so-slowly, the weight crushing down on his body began to lighten. he coughed, trying to expel the ash in his throat, and he swore that the rubble began to clear faster.

the final piece lifted off his back, and sunlight streamed down on top of him. he sobbed as hands carefully found him, and he leaned into the touch, body shaking. a hand found his hair and he held back a whimper as the person pulled through the strands.

"hey kid, can you hear me?"

peter could only nod, cheek pressed against the ground, blood running into his eyes.

"can you stand?"

he shook his head.

"okay, you're going to be alright, kid. just hold on for me. i'll take you to that one jungle gym or whatever the hell it's called after this is over, i promise."

the teenager couldn't help the watery laugh that slipped past his lips. of course mr. stark would offer to take him to a kid's play place. soon he was being loaded on to a stretcher, and with weak hands, he tapped whoever was next to him.

"what do you need, spiderman?" while he couldn't see who it was, the voice held so much genuine concern he couldn't help but smile.

"my... my mask," he rasped, attempting to motion to his face. "can you... take it o-off?"

slowly, fingers pulled at the bottom of his mask, and he felt the breeze on his cheeks. nearly blinded by the removal of his tinted goggles, he peered at the person who had helped it, and nearly rolled off the stretcher in surprise.

"woah, be careful," clint said, lightly pressing him into the cotton bedding. "'don't need you getting anymore injuries."

peter smiled. "th-thanks."

blinking sweat, tears, and blood from his eyes, he watched as everything around him happened in slow-motion. from the avengers moving around him to being loaded into the back of a car, he let his eyes slip closed.

he was safe.