5 Times Peter Needed Comfort And The 1 Time He Admitted To It

Overworked

Peter knew that he shouldn't be working himself so hard but there had recently been an uptick of crime in New York. He couldn't just make himself swing safely back to his window while citizens were robbed and murdered below him.

He would stay out patrolling (where there was no company aside from Karen occasionally giving him advice) until 4 A.M. and then wake himself up at 8 A.M. to eat breakfast before school. Aunt May was usually already at work at this point.

Once he arrived at his school he would chat with Ned about Legos or science for a while until class began. His school days went by in blurs, occasionally pausing for Flash to swing a verbal or physical punch or two at him. Peter refused help from anybody, resolving to live up to the name of 'Spiderman' even if nobody, besides Ned, knew who he was.

After school he would usually be picked up by Happy and then he could help Mr. Stark with his inventions. This was the time of day he looked forward to the most, as soon as he arrived in the lab he could feel himself begin to lose tension. Mr. Stark would smile, greeting him, before immediately diving into an extensive overview of the current project.

All too soon Mr. Stark would be looking at the clock and telling him to go home and get some rest. Peter always nodded even though he knew it would be a lie.   As soon as he got home, he would inhale some dinner and then change into his suit before hopping out of the window again. 

Today, after nearly a full month of this lifestyle, Peter was feeling exhausted. So many nights in a row of insufficient sleep was leaving him irritable and emotional. He wanted to snap at everybody who talked to him but as soon as they apologized he just wanted to sit and cry.

Alright, one more class and then you can see Mr. Stark again. Peter thought the same words over and over again on his way to his final class. 

"Hey, Penis Parker!" Peter groaned miserably, turning around to see Flash standing there smugly. Peter stared at the ground, blinking back angry tears.

"Aw, is Puny Pete going to cry?" Flash taunted.

Peter shook his head harshly, "N-no. Of course I'm not." He looked up at Flash and folded his arms over his chest angrily. His Spidey sense was tingling painfully but, knowing that he couldn't dodge without it seeming suspicious, he just stood there and let Flash lash out and punch his shoulder. 

Peter hissed in pain but pretended not to be intimidated, instead just muttering,"Are we d-done? You don't want to be late for class, do you?"

Flash hesitated, seemingly wanting to say more but instead he just shook his head and stalked towards the classroom, Peter following nervously.

When Peter finally arrived at the lab he felt as if he wanted to just sleep right there, on the floor where he stood. "Hey there, kid," Tony greeted cheerily.

"H-Hey, Mr. Stark," Peter mumbled, his usual hyper energy dialed down due to his exhaustion. He fought the strange urge to burst into tears and instead diverted his attention to fiddling with his sleeve.

Tony turned sharply and sucked in his breath when he saw Peter's haggard form. "Are you alright, kid? You're usually bouncing off of the walls by now." 

Peter stayed focused on his sleeve, the feeling of being able to touch something soft and warm comforting him slightly. "Yeah, I-I'm good." He forced a smile and looked up into Tony's concerned gaze.

"Are you sure? You don't have to help me if you aren't feeling well," Tony said slowly.

"No, no, no, I want to help! Please, Mr. S-Stark," Peter's eyes widened with panic. Really, he only wanted to sleep but he would rather stay up for 48 hours again (he had done so accidentally while studying for finals once) then have to leave Tony sooner then he had to.

"Alright then," Tony murmured, with uncharacteristic sympathy glimmering behind his curious stare, beckoning him over.

"Th-thank you, Mr. Stark," Peter breathed a sigh of relief and staggered over to Tony's work station. Tony chuckled and reached over to ruffle Peter's curly hair affectionately. Peter involuntary leaned into the touch, grateful for the comfort it provided.

"Enjoying that, are we?" Tony asked wryly, going back to his work.

 Peter blushed and murmured,"S-sorry, Mr. Stark." It was all starting to be too much and he desperately wiped at his eyes as the traitorous tears rolled down his cheeks. 

Tony turned, his mouth open to make another, no doubt snarky, comment on Peter refusing to call him 'Tony'. The words stuck in his throat however and he whispered instead, "Hey, Pete. Are you okay, Spiderling?"

Peter shrugged, "I've just been f-feeling a bit tired lately." He tried, unsuccessfully, to stop the steady flow of tears.

"When was the last time you got a full 8 hours of sleep?" Tony asked suspiciously.

Peter had to think for a minute. "Maybe a-a month ago," he responded trying to keep his voice from wavering.

"A month?" Tony shouted, shocked. He had suspected that Peter wasn't getting sufficient sleep but he never guessed that it had been going on for that long.

Peter flinched at the loud noise and started running his hand over his arm to calm himself down. "I needed to s-stay out as Spider-Man. Who cares if I don't get sleep as l-long as New York is safe."

Tony sighed, of course that would be why, Peter was the most selfless person he knew, he still couldn't believe that the kid was only fifteen. Tony put a hand on Peter's, thankfully, uninjured shoulder, trying to get him to look up. Peter was slightly leaning into his hand again, a pleading look in his eyes. "Pete... you aren't responsible for all of New York, you know?"

Peter nodded half heartedly, enjoying the odd feeling of safety that the hand on his shoulder was giving him. Tony seeemed to have been struck with a sudden thought, "When was the last time somebody touched you... like in a caring manner?

Peter wiped at his eyes again and muttered, "A m-month? Maybe two months? It's no big deal though. I'm used to it, Tony."

Tony's heart clenched at the teenager's words, dimly registering Peter calling him by his first name. Before he could stop himself he had enveloped Peter in a hug. Peter tensed for a moment before melting into his mentor and letting himself sob into his chest.

Tony gently stroked Peter's hair while he cried, not really knowing what to say without making it awkward. After what seemed like hours, but was really only ten minutes according to Tony's watch, Peter drew away from Tony looking embarrassed. "I-I'm sorry, Mr. Stark."

"We're back to 'Mr. Stark.' now are we?" Tony smirked slightly. He could have punched himself a moment later when he saw Peter's face crumple.

"I-I'm s-sorry, Mr. Stark," Peter mumbled, tripping over his words more then usual, cursing the mild stutter he had had for years. "You probably d-don't want me here any more, do you?" Peter stepped back slightly, ready to sprint if Tony seemed angry. In his sleep-deprived state, Mr. Stark was flickering in and out of focus, sometimes looking like himself and sometimes looking like Flash.

Mr. Stark raised a hand to stop Peter from leaving but drew it back when he saw Peter flinch. "Do you want to go home?" He asked instead. Peter bit his lip and shook his head softly. "Then you can stay, Pete, no more work today though."

Peter looked up, shocked,"What are we doing then?"

"We are going to watch a movie and you are going to get some rest," Tony stated firmly.

Peter nodded slightly. "A-are you sure that's alright?" Peter asked nervously. 

In lieu of an answer, Tony took Peter by the arm and led him to the living room,  plopping him down on a couch. "FRIDAY, play Star Wars Episode IV," Tony ordered quietly.

It didn't take very long for Peter to fall fast asleep, unconsciously curling himself into Tony's side. Tony gently ran his fingers through Peter's hair, grinning at the small smile that flitted across the Spiderling's face in his sleep. 

He told himself that if anybody asked he would say that he only did this because he didn't need any sleep-deprived interns on his hands. However, when Peter woke up the next morning and cautiously asked him why he had helped him, he simply responded with,"Because you're my kid."