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"...ter..." A hand gently shakes his shoulder. "Peter."
The teen's head shoots up from his folded arms and he looks around as he gathers his bearings. "I'm awake! I swear!" He looks down at the kitchen counter and finds a wet spot on his chemistry notes. "Oh crap."
Stephen watches as Peter turns his attention back to the papers and sighs when the teen starts rewriting his drool-stained notes. For the past week, Peter had been steadily declining in the amount of sleep he had been getting, and the past couple of days were really beginning to worry both Stephen and Tony. Whenever anyone would try to coax him out of his room (or in a case like this, away from studying) Peter would actually yell at them and slam the door. It was so out of character for him that his parents were usually too stunned to respond, and the team literally noped out of the situation.
Stephen couldn't understand why he was fretting over his finals, because Peter was absolutely brilliant and would no doubt pass them with flying colors. So the sorcerer had to wonder if something was going on as Spiderman as well. Peter didn't stop his daily patrols, and every night he came home more frustrated than he left. Whatever he was dealing with out there as well as studying for his finals was turning the boy into a snarky little shit.
It made his skin crawl. He wanted his precious cub back.
"Peter..." The doctor starts again and the teen's head whips up to him. "It's two o'clock in the morning. You should be in bed."
"I'm studying."
"You were asleep. You won't retain any information at this point. Why don't you head to bed?"
"No! I'm fine!" Peter snaps.
That was the last straw.
Stephen levels him with his most impressive Mama Bear glare before throwing one of his hands up and pressing two fingers against the teen's forehead. Peter slumps over in his forced sleep and the sorcerer catches him, scoops him up into his arms, and carries the teen to bed. Once he tucks the boy in, he leaves the room and heads back into the kitchen to get the glass of water he originally got up for, and carefully cleans up his son's mess to put aside. When that's done and he drinks his glass of water, he returns to bed with the plan to have a talk with Peter in the morning.
Stephen woke up around eight and it wasn't of his own accord. He could hear Tony and Peter having a shouting match in the living room and the sorcerer was really starting to wonder if the teenager was possibly possessed. No matter how angry he got, Peter never yelled at his parents. He may have raised his voice once in a while, but not full on screaming.
Strange braces himself for the chaos outside the bedroom door when he rolls out of bed, and he nearly cringes when he opens the door. The volume had doubled. Noise was not new to Stephen, but this was definitely way too loud. He wouldn't be surprised if the other Avengers could hear Tony and Peter.
"Kiddo, we just want to help!"
"Then leave me alone and let me study!"
"Its not just that! Everyday you come home looking more and more like a zombie!"
"I'm sure I look better now that Mom forced me to go to sleep! Not cool by the way!"
"I'm glad he did! That's the most sleep you've gotten all week!"
Stephen rubs his eyes as he walks down the hall and stands in the entryway of the living room as Tony and Peter continue their row, completely unaware of his presence. It was when a headache started forming that he finally snapped.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" The engineer and vigilante fall silent at Stephen's somewhat out of character shout. "By the Vishanti this has gotten out of hand. Peter, sit down." When the teen opens his mouth, the doctor levels another Mama Bear glare at him. "That wasn't a request."
Both parents sigh when Peter miraculously does as he's told and cowers under Stephen's glare. A glare the man immediately hated using on the boy but it was necessary at the moment. He had only ever used the glare toward one of the team (which was rare, they would really have to screw up with Peter to get it) or the majority of the time with enemies. It was meant to protect. Not make the Spider-Baby submit.
Tony folds his arms as Stephen sits on the coffee table in front of Peter and gently grabs his wrists. The teen relaxes minutely when the doctor rubs circles on the insides and he hangs his head tiredly.
"What's going on cub?"
"It's nothing." Peter mutters. When Stephen tightens his grip around thin wrists, the teen clenches his hands into fists. "It's a little below your paygrade."
"Jesus..." Tony sits next to the arachnid and forces him to look up at him by grabbing the boy's chin. "Just because it might be below the Avengers paygrade, doesn't automatically make it below Mom and Dad's."
Peter frowns. "But the Vulture--"
"That whole thing was my fault because I didn't communicate with you. You warned me about the weapons, but I didn't tell you I called the FBI so you got into trouble because of it. I want you to be able come to us if some idiot playing dress up is giving you trouble."
Stephen gently tugs on Peter's wrist to turn his attention back to him. "Tell someone. It doesn't have to be us. Someone else on the team will help you no matter how mediocre you might think it is for them."
Tony huffs out a laugh. "They'll tie your shoes if you ask them."
That actually got a bit of a laugh out of Peter and the couple releases the tension in their shoulders at the sound. They had made Peter feel like he couldn't come to them for Spiderman help, and it took it's toll on the teenagers physical and mental health. He got stressed, he wasn't sleeping, he was only eating because Stephen dragged him to the table whether he fought him all the way or not, and he was frustrated. Communication was something they all needed to work on.
Stephen releases one of Peter's wrist and reaches up to gently wipe away an ink smudge from earlier that morning. "Why don't we have breakfast and afterwards you can study for a couple of hours, then we can watch a movie. Scott and Clint have been driving your father and I up the wall so we can send them after whoever is giving you trouble. How does that sound?"
"Throw a proper, non-magic nap in there and you've got yourself a deal."
The Sorcerer frowns. "I'm sorry about that. I only did it because I was worried."
"I know." Peter whispers.
Tony pats his son's back. "I think we all need a sugar rush. I'll have some donuts from your favorite shop delivered and a proper breakfast from the cafe down the street." The engineer moves to his feet.
"Dad."
Tony looks over his shoulder. "Yeah bud?"
"Sorry for being...an asshole."
The engineer grins and throws his arms out as he walks away. "You learned it from the best!"
Stephen snorts and Peter laughs while they get up and follow the eldest to the kitchen, and they follow through on the sorcerer's plan for the day. When breakfast was delivered, Peter stuffed himself with an omelette and some donuts, did a couple hours of studying, and had a Star Wars movie marathon with his parents that he fell asleep halfway through with his head cushioned in Tony's lap. Levi floats over from his corner to settle over the teen and Stephen grabs the remote off the coffee table.
"Want me to change it?"
Tony groans quietly. "Yes. Please! I seriously have no idea how he can watch this so much."
Peter never knew the entire team went after the enemy giving him trouble. It was an unspoken agreement between them all to protect the baby and Loki was the one to deliver the final blow (not a fatal one of course, in respect to Peter's morals).