Don't Let Me Drown-An Iron-Dad and Spider-Kid Oneshot book

Movie Night

Tony tries to cheer up an exhausted, nightmare-riddled Peter with his favorite movie series.

SPECIFIC TRIGGER WARNINGS: Nightmares/night terrors, panic attacks, mentions of flashback but no actual flashback, death/loss/grief, sleep deprivation, anxiety,
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"Just take your time, Underoos. It's okay. Everything is okay." Tony Stark was running his hand across Peter's back. The boy was shaking violently in his arms, wetting his shoulder with what seemed to be an uncontrollable stream of tears as he sobbed.

He didn't care. Peter was hyperventilating, and he could feel the boy's heart racing through his own chest, which he pulled Peter closer into now. The teenager did not protest. He rarely did.

Glancing at the clock, it was after 2:30 in the morning. Tony cringed. In just a few short hours, Peter's alarm for school would be going off. Tony's mind wandered a bit to figuring out how he could keep Peter home for the day. The kid desperately needed sleep. He never made it through a full night without one of these night terrors sending him into a full blown panic, his screams more than enough to rip Tony's heart to pieces.

Of course, he knew Peter would never go for it. The kid never missed school. He'll wave him off and claim that he was feeling fine and rested enough like he always did.

He let himself sigh gently, running a hand through Peter's hair.

"It's alright, Pete. It's okay. I'm here. I'm here, no one's going anywhere." He repeated the words that had become second nature to him now.

"A-Aunt M-M...May..." Peter choked. Tony winced. They'd reached the point where Peter could communicate at least slightly what this night's amalgamation of trauma had been. He cursed internally, chastising himself for not using more broad statements of comfort like he usually did until this moment was reached.

"Oh Peter I'm so sorry." He breathed out. Peter shook his head against Tony's shoulder.

"Sh-she..." Peter made a strangled sound from the back of his throat that prevented him from saying more, and he coughed harshly.

"Hey, hey, slow down. Slow down, kiddo. You gotta breathe." Tony pulled away from him slightly to look at him better. "Can I get you some water?" He asked. Peter shook his head, the coughing attack seeming to have refocused him a little.

"No...I'm...'m fine." He breathed heavily.

"You sure?" Tony wasn't happy with the first answer. But Peter nodded, and he knew that he wasn't "allowed" to leave the teenager until he was fully back in the present and knew for certain that Tony was not going anywhere. "Okay." He acquiesced.

"I'm sorry."

There it was; the inevitable apology. It was nowhere near the first one Peter had uttered that night, but it was the first one he'd uttered in a more calm state. Tony shook his head.

"You have nothing to apologize for, kid. Just keep breathing, okay? Focus on breathing for me." He spoke his usual response to the apology. Peter nodded, and the two of them inhaled and exhaled together at a rhythm that was appropriate for Peter's state.

Slowly but surely, the boy began to come down. He wiped his face with his hands and then dropped them onto the sheets. He was completely exhausted, and it showed. Not just from tonight's affair, but from every night for the past who even knows how long anymore.

"You getting tired?" Tony asked, encouraging Peter to admit the obvious. Tonight, the exhaustion actually won out, and Peter nodded slowly. "Can you try to get a bit more sleep?" Tony asked carefully. This question was always dangerous territory. It had the potential to either lull Peter back into a sleepy enough state to actually close his eyes, or send him back into a full on panic attack as he clutched onto his guardian again tightly.