runs_on_batteries | For BabyAvenger~ Nightmares

Unlike Tony, Peter was far from asleep. He'd tried to sleep but he was far too excited-the only thing he could think about for the past two weeks was going to see the new Star Wars movie with Ned. He hated that he couldn't sleep-he had to be able to get up in the morning so that could get back in Queens early enough to catch a 11:15 showing.

So, with his head filled with thoughts about BB8, Finn, Rey and Kylo Ren Peter had made his way to the kitchen where he was settled up on the ceiling and practicing the art of eating cereal upside down. It was hard work, he had to hold the bowl right side up-getting a little extra help from his sticky spider powers and then he had shovel the cereal into his mouth with the spoon backwards.

He frowned when he heard a faint noise somewhere in the pent house. As far as he knew, he and Tony were the only ones there that night-which getting a night to spend with his Mentor was exciting all on its own-but if there was only one other person (and he'd already ruled out robot) then it had to have come from Mr Stark himself. It was... probably nothing.

Peter tried to push it from his mind for the time being and focused again on his cereal. It got louder and the sounds were starting to distress him. That wasn't-Was Mr Stark having a nightmare?

He lowered himself carefully to ground, somehow managed to get the bowl of cereal on the counter without spilling it too much, and righted himself, heading for his Mentor's room.

"Mr Stark..." Peter started, quietly at first as he slid into the man's bedroom. "Mr-Ahh!-" His foot got caught on something-probably laundry and he shook it off. "-Mr Stark, are you okay?"

The smell of gunpowder, dirt, heat, and unbathed men was everywhere. The dark cave he’d been a prisoner in was shaking as bombs were going off all around him. He was running and trying to get out, but he kept finding people needing help. First it was Yensen with bullet wounds in his chest and then his mother with a metal hand at her throat. From there it was Pepper getting crushed by boulders falling that he couldn’t stop and last was the worst of all... Mr.Stark... Mr. Stark! Oh god, please, please no. What had happened to Peter? He couldn’t find him!

Abruptly he jerked awake, sweat drenching his shirt and pale, white face. He was shaking as he looked around frantically till his eyes landed on the figure next to him in the dark. He reached out a grabbed Peter. He nearly fell out of bed trying to drag him closer. Where was he hurt? How was Peter dying? How had he failed this boy?

“Where’s the blood? Where are you hurt? I don’t see it!” They were running out of time!

Peter doesn't really resist the pull-he's so used to people like Flash pushing or shoving him into things and not doing anything that it's almost a knee-jerk reaction to just go with the flow.

"What?" Peter asked, voice shaking slightly at the state his mentor was in. "Mr Stark-no-I'm-I'm fine. I'm just-I-I think you were having a nightmare?" He knew what it was like, he also knew it wasn't always so easy to be pulled out of those delusions.

"We're at your house, Mr Stark. Everything's okay."

At first Peter’s words didn’t make any sense, like he’d spoken a language Tony didn’t know before slowly the painful grip fear had on his heart loosened. “Wha- what? Are- are you sure?” He asked, bewildered. His vision was getting clearer. “You’re not..,? Oh thank god.” He pulled Peter into a tight hug, pressing his face against the boy’s shoulder.

His whole world was okay again. He hadn’t failed Peter yet. He may have screwed everything else up- and that’s how it felt to him- but there was still a chance for peace if Peter wasn’t hurt.

It took him several long moments to realize what he was doing. He’d never shown such weakness or affection. How was he going to explain away the way his body was trembling or the tears streaming down his cheeks?

He didn't have to explain anything. Peter was no stranger to trauma induced nightmares himself-none of his are quite to the same level as what he's sure fill Mr Stark's nightmares but enough that he'd occasionally wake up drenched in sweat and if he was really unlucky and his nightmares were a specific person... well he'd have to immediately change the sheets. But that hadn't happened in three years. Lately his own nightmares were about Ben, or that building that collapsed on him.

He shook his own thoughts out of his head and just allowed the man to ground himself in reality-it was the best he could offer. He tried not think too hard about the fact this was the first time Mr Stark had hugged him like this-if this had been before the bite then he might have been in danger of being crushed.

"...Mr Stark? Are you... uh... are you okay now? 'Cause I kinda need to sit down."

It was kind of nice to give and get a hug like this from Peter. He wasn't an overly affectionate person after how he was raised, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't wish he was otherwise.

He drew back when Peter started to speak, unable to meet his gaze. "Yeah, I'm fine. I.. just.. I've had too much to drink tonight is all." It was an excuse for what was going on even if part of it was true. He always drank too much. It was how he coped. "I'm sorry I woke you. I'll be quiet if you want to go back to bed."

He reluctantly fully let go of the young man, cheeks coloring a little at the fact he'd gotten the kid sweaty. Mumbling another apology, he used part of his bed sheet to wipe some drops off Peter's neck.

Peter just settled himself on to the bed, not keen on just leaving Mr Stark after all that. Especially since he knows that Mr Stark wasn't the overly affectionate type-and he wasn't sure if they were 'there yet' as it had been put before.

"Don't worry about that. I wasn't actually sleeping-I was eating cereal." He explains, slightly sheepishly. "I was trying to see if I could manage it while upside down-it was a little tricky but I think I did okay." Peter babbles quickly. It's not the most relevant information but he's not really sure if he should be trying to pry about that nightmare or not-he's got a pretty good idea.

"...You know... I get a lot of nightmares too." He finally offers. "S'why I don't sleep much-especially in a new environment."

It seemed like a lifetime ago they were in the car after that first trip to Berlin. Their friendship- or whatever this was- had grown since then, although he was pretty sure neither of them knew the exact rules they were supposed to be following.

As Peter talked, he was quiet for a few moments. He still felt shaken and weak but god help him, he couldn't help the soft laugh that bubbled up at the image of Peter practicing eating cereal upside down. It was so ridiculous and cute. Why on earth had Peter been doing that? Finally, his gaze lifted and he met the young man's eyes with his own- tired, but not scared or frantic anymore. "You'll have to show me later."

He rubbed the back of his neck. The embarrassed feeling was hard to shake, but Peter was at least being kind about it. "Is that why you're awake tonight? You don't stay over at my house very often."

Peter felt his cheeks flush slightly, maybe after he'd actually mastered the art, he'd show Mr Stark but for now he'll keep his upside down cereal-eating nights to himself. He gave the man a slight shake of his head.

"No-actually that has nothing to do with that, this time." He can't help but grin. "Ned and I are supposed to go see the Last Jedi tomorrow-we've had tickets for the past two weeks and it's all I've been able to think about." And it was a relief to be experiencing insomnia just because he was too excited over something rather than from anxiety.

"Nothing will ever beat A New Hope, but still, it's Star Wars and Mark Hamill is actually in this one, rather than just at the end." He stopped his Star Wars rant to focus in on Tony again, realizing that the older probably didn't really care much about the new Star Wars movie.

"...Are you feeling better, Mr Stark?"

It didn't seem possible that one moment he was so scared to be quaking in fear and the next, feeling the love and affection- and yes humor- for Peter bubbling up and overwhelming those negative emotions. It might have embarrassed the boy, but there was nothing mocking in his tone or expression, which was almost as rare as the hug itself.

His eyebrows rose at the idea of the new Star Wars movie. An idea on how to thank Peter for this kindness popped in his head too. "Do you have the ticket on your phone?" He held out his hand, wanting to see it.

He nodded in agreement. Nothing would ever replace that first time seeing A New Hope, but that didn't mean the others were bad. It made him nostalgic, remembering when he was much younger and watching those movies for the first time. One of his biggest issues with the latest movie was how old Mark Hamill had gotten. It was reminder of how old he had gotten too.

"Huh?" His mind drifted back to the present and he gave Peter a tired smile. "Yeah, I'm much better. Thank you, Pete." He ruffled the boy's hair affectionately. "Sorry I got you all sweaty. I think I'm done sleeping for tonight though, so I may take a bath and see if I can find any surveillance video of you playing with your cereal."

"Technically, it's in my email." Peter points out but hands his phone over anyway. He watches his mentor a moment, slightly embarrassed at the state his phone is in-screen cracked in several places and scratches all over the back. Not to mention the fact it's an iPhone 3.

"Huh? What? No! You don't need to see that-really!" He never should have mentioned the cereal. He's not even sure what made him want to try other than morbid curiosity.

Tony took that as permission to go looking through Peter's phone to get to his email and see what theater, what time, and what seats he'd gotten. Thank you excellent memory! As he used it though, he kept making faces at the phone. Peter needed a new phone! Actually, he probably had a few spare ones somewhere around here.

"It's probably a good thing you don't know how cute you are or it'd be deadly." He handed the phone back and got up. "Are you going to try and get some sleep or stay up all night?"

"What? I'm not cute!" Peter denied, making a face and flushing slightly as he reached over and took the phone back. He saw those faces! They can't all be billionaires that can change their phones out once a week.

He stuffs the batter phone back in his pocket and offers a shrug. "I don't know yet-I probably should sleep but even if I did-I'm waaaaay to excited to sleep right now. But I also don't want risk over sleeping and then waking up halfway through the movie with angry texts from Ned."

"I'd say you should use your phone to look up the definition of cute, but I don't know if it can handle that," Tony teased. He got up and draped a robe around his shoulders. He didn't tie it, as he found slippers and gestured for Peter to follow him. They were going phone shopping through his old phones.

He chuckled and shook his head. "You know, they have these things called alarm clocks. They usually help with oversleeping."

"Wow. Mr Stark, that's rude." He responded, a mock-offended look on his face as he got to his feet. "My phone can handle anything." Except, perhaps the abuse it sees daily from a socially awkward teenage superhero.

"And what if I sleep through the alarm? It doesn't always go off and I can't take that risk, Mr Stark. Not with something this important." For school? He'll risk it. Star Wars? No way.

"I know but if it wasn't rude, would you even know who you were talking to?" Tony joked again. As they walked down the hall, he continued to be amused by Peter's dilemma. "Sounds like you're stuck being awake then. That just means more time to practice playing with cereal, right?"

They made it to a room near his study when he opened it up and went in. Inside was a room full of computer supplies, gadgets, random tech toys, and best of all- cell phones. There were at least five of the latest designs on a shelf. "Which one do you want? We can order a case if you don't like the ones I have already."

"Ugh. Why did I tell you that?" Peter asked himself, dragging a hand down his face. He was never telling Mr Stark about the things he tried to master upside down ever again. He continued to follow after him and stopped abruptly when he took notice of everything in the room.

"Uh-I... what? You're just gonna-gonna give me a phone?" He stammered out, still trying to wrap his mind around that. Some of those models probably cost as much as rent!

"A-Are you sure? 'Cause I can't promise it wouldn't get beat up-my phone's suffered a lot since uh-since Spider-Man." Mostly Spider-Man.

"What? We're going to go try it after this. I'm going to use my suit to be upside down too." He wasn't about to do that. His head hurt and the idea of eating anything even right side up made him want to throw up.

"Sure," he said with an easy shrug like he was giving away a pencil. He flashed Peter a smile at the boy's reaction. Seriously, how wasn't it worth showering the kid with gifts when he always got such a wonderful reaction? "Then I'll get you another one. Kid, I have five of these that aren't in the set I use regularly. I'm serious, just pick one. I really don't mind. Oh and grab one for your aunt. If yours looks like that, I'm sure hers is even worse."

Try and argue with him when he keeps being just as generous with your aunt, who you love.

A good way to get Peter to accept anything being given to him was to mention that it would be helping May. As he's said before, she deserved the world and where he could help her, he would.

"That's-Thanks Mr Stark." He managed,having learned not to try and talk Tony Stark out of anything because of the cost of something. "May's not a superhero so I think hers is in better shape but I'm sure she'd appreciate it anyway."

He chatted with Peter for a little longer and helped him pick out a case for each phone before retiring again to his room. The young man had healed his mood enough that he even managed a few more hours of sleep before the next day's events. He made sure to act like he had something important to do while he waved Peter off before essentially following him to the show.

He waited till the theater was lowering the lights for the good previews to start and with a handful of treats he knew Ned and Peter probably would like (he didn't actually know Ned that well but who didn't like reeces?) and a tub of popcorn), he scooted in the darkened row. Plopping down next to Peter, he leaned in and whispered, "Did you really just dress up for this thing?"

Because that was adorable!

Peter nearly did oversleep but somehow managed to wake up just in time to make it back to Queens before the movie and still had enough time to change and meet Ned with ten minutes to spare.

The two talked animatedly about the last Star Wars and what they expected from the next one. Both were completely engrossed in their conversation and didn't even notice Tony Stark slide in to their row. At least, until Ned started to freak out. Peter gave him a look and turned just in time to see Mr Stark plop down in the seat next to him.

"M-Mr Stark-I-What are-I'm not-it's a Star Wars shirt." And maybe a plastic light saber

Tony leaned back and snapped a picture, because he really needed that as evidence.. or blackmail. "It sure is," he chuckled. He passed a box of snow caps to Ned. "Can you believe this kid? He kept rubbing it in my face you two were seeing this today and no matter how much I hinted at it, he refused to invite me. Just for that, you get his candy." He also passed over the skittles before flashing a smile at Peter and relenting with the reece pieces.

"You didn't say-What hints did you-That's not what happened!" Peter whined as Ned seemed to be laughing and having a conniption at the same time. Peter would be impressed if not for the fact he was trying not to stutter.

"I mean-if you'd said something I'd totally have invited you-and I don't think we're supposed to talk this much at a movie theater?"

God Peter was cute! This was the best reaction ever. Really, people shouldn't wonder so much why he did his crazy antics when he got these kinds of responses. Who wouldn't enjoy this?

"It's just the previews," Tony pointed out, trying and failing not to laugh. To Ned, he asked, "Does he always whine about rules this much?"

As the movie started, he whispered, "After party is my treat. Now try to stop talking so much Peter."

Ned just shrugs, apparently his mind having gone completely blank while Peter sat and stutters some more.

"No-I mean-I don't really-What after party?" His brain felt like it was working way too fast at the moment and he couldn't even fully answer a questions. Granted, the question had been posed to Ned but still!

Aw Ned! You're no fun! He needed a co-conspirator for that joke. Ah well. He was already too entertained for his own good.

"Weren't you having a Star Wars party afterward?" He asked. Of course they hadn't. "The one that's happening at your favorite restaurant with your favorite Avenger?"

Ned would usually be happy to join in but his mind needs a moment to reboot.

"I don't-I'm not-" He stuttered his own mind was in the process of rebooting. Once it had, he just offers Mr Stark a grin.

"You mean Thor will be there?"

Tony's jaw dropped open at the abrupt sass he got back. He pretended to look horribly offended before he couldn't stop from laughing. "That was a good one, kid. Damn."

He sat back and offered Peter some popcorn just for the wickedly awesome burn he'd just tossed out. "Think your aunt might be willing to come in something tight and black?" He teased back.

For BabyAvenger~ Nightmares

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