~Iron Family~

Happy Knows Best

Peter hadn't meant to walk out of the Starks' movie, but he'd been scared after another nightmare about his aunt.

This time, Bernard had been choking her.

He'd flung open his bedroom door and thrown himself on his bed in frustration.

"Tiny Tony," FRIDAY's voice called soothingly, using the fond nickname she had come up for him, "are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Peter said yet again. "Thanks, though."

FRIDAY didn't respond, so Peter figured it was just her programming to ask if people were upset. Sure made him feel valued.

A soft knock on the door made him jump. No one identified themselves.

"Uh, come in?" he called, praying it wasn't Tony.

When Black Widow poked her head into his room, Peter made a very dignified squeaking sound and fell out of his bed.

"Hey, kid," she called, showing herself into the room and sitting on the bed. "What's up?"

She didn't ask him if he was okay or not, which he appreciated. He shrugged and drew designs with his finger on the carpet.

"I--I don't know. I was having a nightmare, and I guess I just..."

"Got scared?" Her eyes glinted knowingly. "I understand. I have nightmares all the time."

"You--you do?" Peter was shocked. He didn't think a coldblooded assassin like Black Widow would have nightmares.

"Yeah." She chuckled nervously and brushed a strand of her flaming red hair behind her ear. "I mean, I've seen a lot of things. Nightmares come with the territory for Avengers."

Oh.

"So what are these nightmares about?" Ms. Romanoff asked, not intrudingly or invasively, but in a way that said if Peter didn't want to talk about it, then she wouldn't push him.

"I just...feel so helpless," he confessed. "This is the first in a really long time that I've had a guaranteed place to sleep, going to bed with a full belly, and not having to live in fear of getting beaten up, but... I don't know. The nightmares and fears are worse. I had stuff distracting me before, stuff I had to do to survive. Now I have nothing but my thoughts."

He slowly let out a puff of hair before telling her about the dreams of Aunt May, Bernard, and Uncle Ben. He left out all the parts where Mr. Stark was chasing him while he was Spider-Man, obviously.

She listened the whole time, not interrupting. And even when he paused, she stayed silent, waiting for him to continue. Peter decided she was on his list of nice Avengers he could go to talk to.

"Hm," she sighed eventually. "That certainly is scary. I'm sorry about your aunt, that must be rough. You wanna know what helps me?"

Peter nodded, playing with his untied shoelace.

"Well most of the time, I like to stop the nightmares before they happen." Upon seeing Peter's confused face, she smiled. "Let me explain. So, you know how a weatherman can predict a storm, right? There are warning signs. It's kind of like that with nightmares, for me at least. If you find yourself extra anxious during the day, use any lavender-scented things you can find: for a diffusor in the air, on your pillow, on your wrists. Establish a routine, make sure you do it the same every night to help calm yourself. Maybe try some calming stretches before you go to bed, and before your head hits that pillow remind yourself where you are and what your situation is. For you, your situation is you are safe. For me, sometimes I have nightmares in dangerous situations where I have to improvise."