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Pepper woke up alone. Again. She blinked wearily and reached out her arm, hoping that it would make contact with the person she loved the most, but all she got was empty air. She sighed and rolled over to check the time. The clock on her nightstand read 1:48am, and she sighed again.
“FRIDAY?” she asked, her voice sleepy and rough.
“Boss is still in the lab,” the AI replied automatically.
“How long has it been?” Pepper yawned. FRIDAY remained silent, and Pepper glared up at the ceiling. “FRIDAY, don’t make me ask again.”
FRIDAY seemed reluctant to give the answer, but she conceded. “He hasn’t slept for almost 27 hours.”
"Ask him to come to bed, please."
FRIDAY was quiet for a few moments. "Boss said he's in the middle of working and he'll be up soon." They both knew it was a lie before FRIDAY even finished the sentence.
“Dammit,” Pepper muttered, pushing her head back against the pillow. “Dammit, Tony.” She blinked a few times before sitting up and reaching for her phone. She tapped her screen a few times and held the phone to her ear.
It took a few rings, but eventually, someone picked up on the other end.
“There’d better be a good reason you’re calling me in the middle of the night,” the voice mumbled.
“Hey Rhodey,” Pepper grinned sadly. She swallowed thickly and cleared her throat. “I, uh...I don’t know what to do.”
Bedsheets rustled as Rhodey became more alert. “What’s going on?”
“He won’t sleep,” Pepper said. “He barely eats as it is, and he can go days before he just passes out. This is the third time this week he’s been up more than 24 hours. It...he needs to sleep.”
Rhodey sighed. “He’s been through trauma, Pep. And you know how well he deals with things.”
Pepper let out a laugh at that one. “Him dealing with something means he has to acknowledge it in the first place.”
“You’ve got that right,” Rhodey chuckled. “Listen, I know you’re worried. I am too.”
Pepper took a deep breath and felt tears prick her eyes. “I can’t lose him,” she whispered.
“You won’t,” Rhodey said gently. “He’ll get through this. He always does.”
They were silent for a few moments, their bodies tired, but their minds wide awake.
“Too bad we can’t force him to sleep,” Pepper finally said with a scoff.
“Right?” Rhodey agreed. “Man, I wish Cap was still in the city. He could lug Tony to bed with that super strength of his!”
Pepper’s eyes widened, and she sat up quickly in bed. “Super strength!” she gasped.
“What?”
“We need someone with super strength!”
“You seriously want to force Tony to sleep with super strength?” Rhodey asked incredulously.
Pepper nodded even though Rhodey couldn’t see her. “It’ll work. If we can’t make him deal with his problems, we can at least force him to sleep.”
“Do we even know anyone around here-” Rhodey started.
Pepper yanked the covers off the bed and moved with a purpose. She quickly dug through her dresser and grabbed a sweatshirt and yoga pants. “I’ll call you back,” she promised.
“Don’t do anything stupid or dangerous, okay?”
“Don’t worry,” she replied.
“I’ve got just the person to help us.”
Peter groaned and stuck his head under his pillow as his phone buzzed on the windowsill. Whoever it was could go fly a kite because he had stayed out way too late on patrol, taking advantage of May’s double shift at the hospital. He had been sleeping blissfully for an entire 45 minutes until some asshole decided to start blowing up his phone. He reached out blindly and felt for the mute button on the side, sighing in relief as the buzzing stopped. His body relaxed again, and he felt himself begin to drift.
Until his phone buzzed again.
“Seriously?!” he muttered, pounding his fist into the mattress. He sat up and yanked the phone off the charger. The number was blocked, and he swiped the screen to unlock it. “Listen, asshole, some people are trying to-”
“Peter Parker?”
Peter stopped mid-rant. He was certainly not expecting to hear a woman’s voice on the other end of his phone at 2:30 in the morning. “Um...yes?” he replied uncertainly.
“This is Pepper Potts. Tony Stark’s fiance?”
Peter felt his stomach drop. If this wasn’t a dream, then he had just called Pepper Potts, the CEO of Stark Industries, and Tony Stark’s freaking fiance, an asshole. He pinched his arm hard, praying that this was a dream. He let out a small yelp, confirming that he most certainly was not dreaming.
“Peter? Are you okay?” Pepper asked, bringing him back to the present.
“Uh, y-y-yeah, I, um...what, uh…” Peter cursed at himself as he tongue refused to stop functioning.
“I need you to sneak outside and meet me in front of your building.” Pepper said it so casually, as if she had just told him about the weather or some other mundane topic.
“You...uh...you want me to sneak out?” Peter clarified. He leaned over to peek out his window and spotted a sleek, black sports car parked on the street with its lights on.
“Yes.”
“Right now?”
Pepper sighed, and Peter felt slightly guilty about how exasperated she sounded, but hey, she was asking him to sneak out of his apartment without his aunt knowing in the early morning. “I know this sounds crazy,” she replied, “but I need your help. Tony needs your help.” Her voice sounded so defeated, so sad. It took Peter less than a second to make his decision, and he sent up a brief prayer that May wouldn’t be too pissed when she found out.
“I’ll be right down.”
“So let me get this straight,” Peter said as Pepper led him to the elevator of the Tower. “You want me to lie to get Mr. Stark out of his lab?”
“Yes,” Pepper replied, hitting the button for the penthouse.
“And then when he comes upstairs, you want me to tackle him and take him to bed?” Peter knew he was awake, but at the same time, this was ridiculous enough to be a dream.
“Maybe not tackle him…” Pepper said slowly. “I just need you to get him to your room and make him sleep.”
Peter wrinkled his nose. “Why my room?” He had stayed at the Tower a few times before, and Tony had decided it had warranted him needing his own room. He loved it, especially the Star Wars theme, but he wasn’t exactly sure why it was so crucial to Pepper’s plan.
“Tony gave you complete autonomy over your room,” Pepper explained. “FRIDAY will only listen to you while you’re in there. If you tried taking him to our room, he’d just get her to unlock the door and let him leave.”
Peter nodded in understanding. “That’s why you need him out of the lab. ‘Cause he’ll just do the same thing down there.”
“Exactly.”
The elevator door dinged open, and they both stepped out. Peter fumbled with the hem of his shirt nervously. “He’s going to hate me for this,” he said quietly. “For making him do this.”
Pepper’s eyes softened. “Peter, he could never hate you. I won’t lie and say that he won’t be mad, but I promise, I wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t for his own good. It’s been almost 30 hours.”
“Really?” Peter asked, his head snapping up in disbelief.
Pepper nodded. “And this isn’t the first time this week.”
Peter nodded, and Pepper watched him transform before her eyes. He stood a bit straighter, and his eyes glinted with fierce determination. “Hey FRIDAY?” he asked, looking up at the ceiling. “Can you tell Mr. Stark I’m here and that it’s an emergency?” He glanced at Pepper. “You might want to peace out. You know, plausible deniability.”
Pepper bit back a grin as she headed down the hall to her room. Peter gave her a small wave as he waited for his mentor to arrive.
He didn’t have to wait long.
As soon as the elevator door dinged open, Tony rushed out. “Kid?!” he called. “What’s wrong?”
Peter moved into the hallway so he was in Tony’s line of vision. “Hey, Mr. Stark,” he said nonchalantly.
Tony ran a hand through his hair and nearly collapsed in relief. “Jesus Christ, kid!” he exclaimed, meeting Peter halfway. “What the hell? You’re going to give me a heart attack!” He scanned Peter for any obvious signs of injury, and now that he was closer, Peter could see just how exhausted Tony was. Dark circles hung heavily under his eyes, and the age lines on his face were more pronounced. His stubble was as unkempt as his hair, and the wrinkles on his shirt indicated he had not changed or had a proper shower in days.
Tony, meanwhile, was focused on Peter’s non-injuries. The only thing that seemed out of place was Peter’s Chewbacca onesie and Yoda slippers, and it took Tony’s brain a few seconds to process that Peter would 100% wear something like this to bed. “What, is your emergency that you turned into a goddamn Wookie?”
Peter took a deep breath and steeled himself. “Mr. Stark,” he said calmly, “it’s bedtime.”
Tony blinked once, twice, then three times. He barked out a laugh and then quickly covered his mouth. “Did you...did you just tell me...did you just tell me it’s bedtime?” Peter nodded, and this time, Tony let his laugh barrel out of him. “Duly noted, kid,” he said, clapping Peter’s shoulder. He turned around and headed back to the elevator. “Good talk, we should do it again.”
“Mr. Stark!”
Peter’s yell stopped Tony in his tracks. When the billionaire turned around, he found Peter, in all his Chewbacca glory, standing with his legs apart and arms up at his sides. Tony recognized this defensive stance, and he glared at the teen.
“Parker, if you even think about-”
Peter didn’t give him time to finish, and he rushed his mentor. Tony was fast, but Peter was faster, and the teen grabbed Tony around the waist and hoisted him over his shoulder. He quickly began to walk to his bedroom, Tony kicking and protesting the entire way.
“PARKER!” Tony shouted, trying to wiggle out of Peter’s grasp. “I swear to GOD if you don’t put me down RIGHT NOW-”
“It’s for your own good!” Peter pleaded. He adjusted his hold so his grip was ironclad.
“Goddammit! Peter!” Tony pushed against Peter’s back and then tried grabbing at his arms, but it was no use. Thanks to the spider bite, Peter was much, much stronger than he was.
It only rubbed salt in Tony’s wounded ego when Peter secured him with one arm to get his door open with the other. As soon as they were safely inside, Peter deposited Tony on the floor, careful to avoid his Hogwarts castle LEGO set that he had been working on the past month.
“FRIDAY,” Peter order, “lock my door, please.”
Tony shot up and glared at the teen. “Cancel that order, FRIDAY, and get me the hell out of here.”
“Sorry, Boss,” the AI replied. “You gave Peter control over this room, so I’m obligated to listen to him.”
“Well override that command, then!” Tony shouted angrily.
“That can only be done in the lab with the access code,” she replied simply.
Tony’s nostrils flared as he let out a huff. “Kid,” he threatened, “let me out. Now.”
Peter shook his head firmly. “You need to sleep,” he said. “Your body can’t function if-”
“I know what my body can and can’t do, thanks,” Tony snapped. “I don’t need a fourteen year-old-”
“Fifteen,” Peter interrupted.
Tony clenched his fists at his sides and took a deep, cleansing breath. “Peter,” he tried again, “I have work I need to do. Let me out.”
“The work can wait,” Peter insisted. “I promise, it’ll be there after you’ve slept!”
“If you don’t let me out right now, I’ll-”
“You’ll what?” Peter challenged, a defiant look in his eye.
Tony looked around the room, and his gaze landed on Peter’s pride and joy. “I’ll destroy your LEGO set.” Tony’s voice was calm and even. “I swear to God, kid, if you don’t let me out, I’ll smash it to oblivion.”
Peter felt like he had been suckerpunched in the gut. He knew Tony knew how much that set meant to him. Peter had saved for months to buy it, and he had carried it proudly into the Tower the day he got it. They’d spent hours on it just last weekend, and it had been one of the coolest bonding moments Peter had with Tony. The teen swallowed thickly as he took in Tony’s erratic state. This wasn’t his mentor. Not really. This was someone who desperately needed help, and Peter would do anything to make sure he got it.
“Go ahead,” Peter said, his cracking voice betraying his emotions. “You’re more important to me than some plastic bricks.”
Everything in Tony’s brain stopped. He felt like he was floating and that his body wasn’t his own. His palms burned as he unclenched his fists, leaving half-moon shapes in place of his fingernails. His chest rose and fell rapidly as the magnitude of what he had just said crashed over him with an intense force. He was tired, so goddamn tired, and he couldn’t see a way out. So he chose the next logical option.
He ran into Peter’s bathroom and locked the door.
He ignored Peter’s protests from outside as he turned on the shower and drowned the noise. What had he just done? What the hell had he just done?
Tony’s shaky hands clenched the bathroom sink, and he blinked back tears before finally looking at himself in the mirror.
“You look like shit,” he told his reflection with a sardonic smile. His lips fell into a deep frown and he couldn’t stop the tears that leaked from his eyes. He sniffed and rubbed his face with his hands as if he could wipe away all his problems.
The warm steam from the shower drifted around Tony’s ankles, and he shivered at the unexpected change in temperature.
“When in Rome,” Tony muttered. He pulled off his clothes and stepped inside, letting out a surprised hiss as the water pelted his skin. Tony stood in the middle of the shower for a few minutes just letting the water run down his body. He functioned on autopilot after that, grabbing Peter’s shampoo and lathering it through his hair. It felt good to get the grease and machine oil off, and he was so distracted that he didn’t even notice Peter override the lock on the bathroom and slip clean clothes on the counter.
Even though Tony finished washing up in five minutes, he stayed under the spray for another twenty. He found the clean clothes when he stepped out, and guilt washed over him in an instant. Tony bit the inside of his cheek and sighed as he changed into a soft Star Wars t-shirt and plaid pants. His hand hovered over the doorknob tentatively before finally turning it.
Peter heard the door open and looked up from his spot on the floor. Tony’s heart clenched because of course the kid would be working on the goddamn LEGO set. The one that he had so callously threatened to destroy.
“H-Hey,” Peter said nervously. He stood up, but stayed rooted to his spot.
Tony swallowed. “Kid, I’m so sorry,” he whispered.
“It’s okay-”
Tony shook his head. “No, it’s not. It’s not even a little bit okay. I…” He closed his eyes and counted to five in his head as he felt the emotional dam he had been building up for weeks threaten to burst. Peter waited patiently for Tony to be ready.
“When I sleep,” Tony said, his voice raw, “I get...I see the worst things. And I hate it. Hate how scared I am, hate how weak I feel. If I don’t sleep…” He trailed off, and shook his head at the ceiling.
“You don’t see the bad things?” Peter finished softly.
Tony nodded. “I don’t see the bad things.”
Peter tried to formulate a response, some words of comfort, but he couldn’t. Fear was a tricky thing, and Peter would be lying if he tried to comfort Tony and tell him the nightmares wouldn’t come if he went to bed. He thought about his own sleepless nights and how he had woken up in cold sweats, wishing he could stay awake forever and avoid the realistic events of his dreams.
“You have to try,” Peter finally whispered. “Mr. Stark, please.”
Tony was so tired, and Peter watched the wall his mentor had so carefully built up crack and crumble before him. Everything from his face to his posture sagged, and he gave Peter a barely noticeable nod.
But it was a start.
Peter decided to take the lead, and he walked over to his bed and pulled back the covers. He took one of the pillows and tossed it on the other side of the bed for Tony.
Tony’s body welcomed the soft mattress, and his eyes began to droop before Peter had the covers pulled up to his chin. Darkness enveloped him as lights were turned off, and he felt the mattress dipped as Peter climbed into bed.
“I’m right here, Mr. Stark,” Peter promised. “I’ll be right here.”
Tony had a million things he wanted to say, but in the end, sleep took him and dragged him down before he could even say good night.
“You’re a horrible influence.”
Pepper stopped her hand in mid-air and lowered the coffee cup on the table. “Oh really?” she asked as Tony walked into the kitchen. The dark circles were less prominent, and he looked...good. Not perfect, but good.
“Encouraging a kid to sneak out, manipulating his super strength…and he’s definitely missing school right now.” Tony raised his brows at her. “Yup, horrible influence.”
“Is Peter here?” Pepper asked innocently.
Tony let out a laugh, but it held no malice. “Nice try. I know what you did.” He walked over to her and placed a soft kiss on top of her head. “Thank you,” he whispered.
Pepper reached her hand up and pulled his arm around the front of her shoulders. “I love you,” she replied, squeezing tight.
Tony smiled as he kissed her head again and went over to the cabinets to get food. The clock above the oven read 2:14, and he couldn’t believe he and Peter had managed to sleep over ten hours without any incident.
“Is Peter still sleeping?” she asked. “And I called his school, by the way. He’s recovering from a nasty stomach bug.” She smiled, quite proud of herself for the white lie.
“Yup, out like a light,” Tony nodded. “How did you convince his aunt to let him come? I bet she wasn’t too thrilled that I’m the reason her kid got dragged out of bed.”
Pepper’s stomach dropped, and she realized that she had forgotten one kind of important detail in her perfect plan. “Uh…”
Tony stopped what he was doing as soon as he heard Pepper’s tone. “You...you did call his aunt, right?” Tony asked.
Pepper smiled sheepishly as Tony stared at her in disbelief.
“So I may have forgotten something…”