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

Anniversary

  In the days leading up to the two year anniversary of his Uncle Ben's death, Peter could feel himself slowly becoming more and more distracted. He could hardly stomach food anymore, only being able to eat in unusually small portions, despite his enhanced metabolisms and he woke up from nightmares most nights, unable to get back to sleep afterwards. 

  He had not told Tony anything, not wanting to worry him unnecessarily. This did not, however, mean that Tony hadn't noticed anything. He noticed the way that Peter would blanch at the mention of food or would find excuses to stay longer then usual, getting defensive when Tony questioned his sleep schedule.

  The day of the anniversary May was called in to work, looking as miserable as Peter felt, and so Peter headed to the compound, his head down and his eyes watering. He couldn't even muster up the energy to speak when he entered the lab, instead choosing to wave half-heartedly at Tony.

  Tony looked up from where he had been adjusting one of Butterfinger's arms. "Hey kid, you alright?" He asked, instantly worried when he saw Peter's dull gaze.

  Peter paused for a long moment before shaking his head softly. "I..." he trailed off, unable to think of anything that might help his case.

  "Are you overworking yourself again, Spider-Kid?" Tony asked suspiciously.

  Peter shook his head again, nervously tapping his fingers against the nearest table. "No, i-in fact I probably h-haven't been going out enough lately." Oh gods, what if someone else got killed because of me? 

  Tony could evidently sense his rising panic, for he set down his tools gently and beckoned Peter over to him. "C'mere, kiddo." 

Peter stared at him for a long moment, tears still visible in his eyes. Finally, he dropped his gaze, choosing to stare at the floor instead, and inched closer to Tony almost cautiously. 

  Tony pulled Peter into a hug without another word, frowning as Peter flinched  but smiling fondly when Peter buried his face into Tony's chest. Tony stayed silent for a few minutes before asking softly, "Do you need to get some rest, Underoos?"

  Peter recoiled at lightning speed, "No! I m-mean- no thanks, Mr. Stark. I-I don't really think..."

  "Alright then, do you want to watch a movie instead?" Tony asked cautiously.

  Peter's expression brightened slightly but he waited to go with Tony instead of bounding off on his own like he usually did. He was hovering near Tony, seemingly too nervous to actually ask whether or not he could hug him again. "What movie are we watching, Pete?" Tony questioned.

  Peter cocked his head to the side, as if he were in deep thought, adding to the already adorable image of a puppy that he already gave off. "H-have you ever w-watched Lord Of The Rings?"

  Tony nodded with a poorly concealed fond smile. "Yeah, of course I have, kid." He ordered FRIDAY to turn on the television to the correct movie and to dim the lights. He sat down on the couch and, when Peter seemed hesitant, he held out a hand to beckon the little spider, patting the space next to him with the other.

  Peter instantly sat down next to Tony and curled into his side, seemingly taking comfort from being able to feel that Tony was right there. "If you want to talk about whatever happened, I'm here, Underoos," Tony commented in a rare moment of complete seriousness. 

  Peter looked up at Tony hopefully for a moment before turning his gaze elsewhere once more. "My-my uncle died two years ago today," he explained in a voice so soft that Tony almost didn't hear him. 

  Tony tightened his grip around Peter's shoulders, hardly remembering when he had wrapped an arm around the kid in the first place. "Oh..." he commented softly. "I'm sorry, Pete. Are you sure you want to be here?"

  Peter stared at Tony, love mingling with grief in his large puppy-like eyes. "Of course I want to stay here, Mr. Stark," he stated this as if it were obvious and suddenly it didn't seem quite so ludicrous to Tony that the kid should want to be here so often. 

  "Good, Spiderling. I was just about to watch the movie without you," Tony grinned mischeviously.

  Peter fake gasped, "I came out here to have a good time, and I feel so attacked right now!" Tony shook his head with a smile, asking FRIDAY to turn the movie back on. Peter was still curled up, half on the couch and half on Tony's lap, his head resting firmly on Tony's chest. 

  The spiderling's eyes were slipping shut and Tony murmured, "Goodnight, arachnid kid."

  The spider's last statement before he lapsed into a peaceful sleep was one that would continue to tug at Tony's heart for days afterwards. "G'night, Dad."