Work Text:
Sleepless nights weren’t exactly a rare occurrence in Tony’s life. Unfortunately, they were something he was incredibly familiar with.
It’s not like he hadn’t tried to sleep. But with the inevitable onslaught of nightmares that comes his way nearly every time he so much as closes his eyes? He can’t exactly say he’s a fan of sleeping, not most of the time anyways. Still, though, it would be nice to actually get a decent night of sleep for once. But, well, when has he ever been that lucky?
Which brings him to where he is now, tinkering away in his lab as if his eyes weren’t drooping with exhaustion every couple of minutes. With Pepper at a conference in Chicago, there was no one there to nag him about his unhealthy sleeping habits.
He didn't know how much time had passed until FRIDAY’s voice was suddenly filling the walls of the lab.
“Boss, Peter Parker has just entered the building and is currently making his way to the lab.”
And, wow, out of all of the things she could’ve said, he certainly wasn’t expecting that. Tony, suddenly feeling wide awake, checks his watch. “It’s one in the morning, what-“ He furrowed his eyebrows together in confusion, shaking his head slightly. “What the hell is he doing here?”
“He has yet to state the reason for his arrival.”
An uneasy feeling settles itself deep into his chest like a stone. Could the kid have gotten hurt somehow? But- no, that was impossible, the suit would have warned him if he had. Unless he had hacked the suit again which, considering the lecture he had given him last time, seemed very unlikely.
Tony jumped up from his seat hastily once he heard the door slide open. He cleared his throat and shoved his hands into his pockets, opting for a semi-casual tone. “Kid, not that I don’t appreciate the impromptu visit, but I gotta say, this is really poor timing for a-“ He stops dead in his tracks as he fully turned to look at the kid.
Peter’s suit was covered from head to toe in blood. Well, okay, maybe not exactly head to toe, since the mask seemed to be the only thing untouched, but it was still a lot of blood nonetheless.
“Holy shit-“
“It’s not mine!” Peter hurried to say, raising his hands in a placating motion. He’d been talking to the kid just a few hours ago, what the fuck.
“What the fuck happened?” He slowly stalked towards him, feeling as if all the air had been sucked out of his lungs.
He watched as Peter practically yanked his mask off, revealing a sight that made Tony’s stomach churn. The kid had tears stains on his pale cheeks, and his big, glassy eyes shined with a barely contained terror which did nothing to calm Tony’s nerves.
“It’s not mine.” Peter repeated, albeit calmer than before. “Anyways, um- hi,” He gave a little wave, hunching his shoulders sheepishly in a gesture that would’ve been endearing had the situation been different. “Do you have any spare clothes or...or something?" He chuckled nervously. "I would've just gone home but...I didn't want to freak May out or anything."
“So you decided to come here and freak me out instead?” Tony feels dizzy, he barely registers the subtle ache in his chest as he let out a sharp exhale. This whole thing’s making him feel nauseous. “Peter, what-“
“Mister Stark, c’mon, please...” The tint of desperation in Peter’s tone was enough to make Tony shut up. He rolled his jaw as he stared at the teenager with narrowed eyes.
“Fine,” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Go take a shower while I go get you some clothes. But don’t think you’re off the hook, we will be talking about this afterwards.” He sniffled and pointed a stern finger in his direction.
“I know...” Peter dropped his gaze to the floor, curl falling over his eye as he hangs his head. He swallows and tightens his grip on his mask. “It’s really nothing you should be worrying about, it’s fine. I’m fine.” He murmured unconvincigly. The kid was many things, but a good liar was definitely not one of them.
“You don’t get to say that. Not when you show up here at one in the goddamn morning covered in blood that, apparently, isn't even yours.”
“Sorry…” Peter shifted from one foot to the other, looking up at him apologetically.
Tony sighed heavily. “Just go upstairs and shower, okay? I’ll be in the living room. Then we can talk. I'll take the clothes up in a bit.” He tried to keep his voice at a comforting tone but it was pretty damn hard considering all his eyes could focus on was the goddamn blood.
All Peter did was nod and mutter a small 'okay' before he was on his way, leaving Tony in an eerie silence that did nothing but make his skin scrawl. He covered his mouth with his hands before sighing and running them through his hair, eyes slipping shut.
“Fuck…”
——
The kid took longer in the shower than Tony had expected. Seventeen minutes, to be exact. Five of which Tony spent talking to May, who was reasonably worried, and the rest which consisted of him pacing around the living room and kitchen uneasily.
He barely registered the sound of tentative footsteps, too lost in his own thoughts, until they were already in the room. The billionaire turned his head and couldn’t help the small smile that titled his lips. The kid’s hair was tousled and his skin had regained a little bit of its color. He looked significantly better, all things considered, he definitely looked more comfortable now that he was out of the spider suit.
But that still didn’t erase the haunted, exhausted look in his eyes.
"Ready to talk now?" Tony crossed his arms so Peter wouldn't see how hard they were shaking, and leaned back against the kitchen aisle. He carefully watched as Peter settled his suit on the coffee table.
Peter grimaced, looking at his mentor as he dropped down on the couch. "Mister Stark, I'm honestly-"
"Don't say what I know you’re gonna say. I know you're not. I know you, Peter." Tony said in a warning tone. Was he being too pushy? Maybe. But dammit, sue him for wanting to know why the hell his kid was covered in blood. “So I’ll ask again, what happened?” He asked slowly.
Peter gnawed at his lower lip deliberately. He drew his gaze away, and shut his eyes with a sharp exhale. “It was just a mugging…” He murmured, so low that Tony almost didn't catch it. “I had to press my hands over the wound and, well...” He trailed off, bottom lip trembling as he stared at his hands as if they were the most frightening thing in the world. “It...it just reminded me of Ben.” Peter raked a hand over his face with a shaky sigh before dropping his face into his shaking hands.
Tony‘s shoulders slumped, watching the crumbling teenager in front of him with a gnawing sense of helplessness.
God, he wasn’t quipped for dealing with this, not at all. How was he supposed to deal with a teenager superhero’s past traumas when he could barely deal with his own? It was easy to forget that Peter, despite being the human embodiment of a ray of sunshine, had actually been through a lot of shit. Most of which Tony wasn’t familiar with.
"And, like, yeah! The paramedics said she would be fine, but I don't...I don't know!" Peter’s chest heaved which short, frustrated gasps of breath, voice cracking near the end. “God, I just...I just froze. I- I was back there, and- and I could feel his blood under my fingertips and how cold his skin felt and-“ He cut himself off with a heart wrenching whimper, pulling at his hair with a quiet growl.
“It was a damn miracle I was even able to snap out of that stupid haze on time. If I hadn’t, then...then she probably would've-"
“Let me stop you right there.” Tony held a hand up, making Peter shut his mouth with an audible click. “You said that she was stable, right? That they said she’d be okay? That’s good, isn’t it?” He tried to keep his voice at what was hopefully a soothing tone as he settled a hand on Peter’s shoulder. “Nobody blames you for freezing up and having a normal, human reaction to that. It wasn't your fault, you hear me?” Peter’s eyes flickered all around his face as if he was searching for something.
“It wasn’t your fault.” Tony repeated, firmer this time. And, well, Peter’s eyes still held an incredible amount of doubt, but at least his shoulders relaxed, just a bit anyways. That was enough to make the mechanic’s lips quirk up at the edges.
“I’m gonna sit here, so you scoot over, okay?” He squeezed Peter's shoulder gently and sat down, smiling to himself when the kid subtly shifted closer to him. “I think this is the longest you’ve gone without talking, it’s sort of terrifying.” He laughed breathily, pursing his lips when he got no reaction out of him.
Another wave of suffocating silence hangs between them, practically palpable. The weight of it presses down on Tony, who shuffled uncomfortably, unsure of what he should do or say next.
Finally, he sighed heavily, slumping against the backrest as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Look, don't- don’t beat yourself up over this, kid. What matters is that you got her to safety on time. That’s what matters at the end of the day, right?”
"But if I hadn't frozen up then maybe…" Tony barely resisted the urge to groan. This kid and his stupid guilt complex was going to kill him one day.
“Kid, if you spend your whole life thinking about all the what if’s, you’ll turn gray before you even hit your forties.”
Peter snickered at that before his expression morphed into a grimace. “Sorry about the suit.” He bit his lip and rubbed a fist against his eyes with a wince.
“Oh Jesus-“ Tony raked an exasperated hand over his face. This kid. “I’m not worried about some stupid suit, Pete. I’m worried about you.” He gently poked a finger at his chest for emphasis.
Peter hummed, only for short, choked gasps of breath to follow, their suddenness and sharpness cutting through Tony like a knife. See? This is exactly why you shouldn't let him do the comforting.
Tony hesitantly moved his hand to curl his fingers around the back of his neck, biting his lip as he contemplated his next move.
“What can I do, kid?” He asked carefully. He leaned forward to get a better view of the kid’s face, but Peter kept his gaze stubbornly focused on the carpet beneath their feet.
“Just- just be here, I guess..." Peter muttered hesitantly, tugging the sleeves of Tony's hoodie so they covered his hands completely. And Tony couldn’t help the rush of affection he felt, which he promptly covered up by clearing his throat.
"As if I'd ever leave." He scoffed in mock offense. He wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close to his side. “I talked with your aunt earlier, in case you were worried. She said you could stay over.” He muttered.
“Is she mad?” Peter asked in a small voice, which did nothing but send all of Tony’s protective instincts on overdrive.
“No, she’s just worried.” He quickly reassured, gently straightening out the wrinkles on the sleeve of Peter’s hoodie. “You can keep the hoodie, by the way. If you want, that is.” He said casually, watching with a smile as Peter absentmindedly traced his fingers against the printed MIT text.
Peter stopped his fidgeting to look up at him with wide, teary eyes, his expression hopeful. “Really?” His lips quirked up at the edges into a small, warm smile, and, wow, if that wasn’t the best thing Tony had ever seen.
God, this kid was turning him into such a sap.
“Obviously,” Tony rolled his eyes good naturedly. “I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it.” He smiled reassuringly back at him.
Suddenly, Peter was melting into him, dropping his body into Tony’s side as if someone had cut his strings. It was routine by now, for Tony to wrap an arm around the kid’s back and pull him close. He gently guided his head so it was more comfortably tucked under his chin. His other hand coming up to run through his curls.
It wouldn’t be the first time the kid came to him for comfort, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. Something about a kid finding comfort in him of all people made him more than slightly terrified but...he couldn't exactly say it was something he minded.
Especially when that kid happened to be his kid.
Peter snuggled deeper into the embrace and pulled his legs up to rest against his mentors lap with a low hum. “Thank you.” The words were a soft, barely audible puff of breath against his chest, but they filled Tony with warmth nonetheless. And, yeah, it wasn't anywhere near as bright as words usually were, but it was an improvement.
“Don’t mention it, kiddo."