It Only Takes a Second

- XVII -

"No, please! Please, I'm sorry!" Harry murmured, thrashing about in his sleep. Peter stirred slightly, flinching he realized Harry was curling away from him.

Peter sat up, reality of the situation waking him up faster than any coffee ever could.

"Harry," Peter whispered, extending his hand to shake him awake, but he pulled back after a moment. He knew that if he woke Harry now, it would only make him more afraid when he woke up.

"Harry, please wake up," Peter pleaded, voice cracking as pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around himself. He hadn't meant to fall asleep while cuddling with Harry, but didn't realize how exhausted he was from the events of the previous few days.

But he didn't regret doing it.

"Pete, what happened?" Light streamed into the room from the doorway where Tony was standing, slightly breathless.

"Don't, please! Please don't! I'm sorry!" Harry began kicking at Peter, his voice rising with panic. Tony didn't have to be a genius to put together what was happening.

He had just been downstairs with the rest of the team, discussing plans for Loki and Thor's arrival, when Friday had notified him of both Harry and Peter's distress.

"Peter, it's alright. Just slowly climb out of bed and come to me," Tony hushed. After hearing of Harry's magic, he was worried that if the kid got too upset, his magic would lash out and unintentionally harm someone.

Slowly, Peter slid out of the bed before racing to Tony's side and burying his face in his mentor's chest.

"He's scared of me Mister Stark," Peter sobbed, letting the sadness and hurt come out.

"Shh, it's okay kiddo," Tony embraced Peter, running a hand through his hair soothingly. "It's just a nightmare. It's not you he's afraid of."

Inwardly, Tony sighed. He had filled Peter in on some of Harry's past, but he hadn't been able to bring himself to explain it all.

Like the fact that Harry had been raped and sexually violated by his uncle and several other men.

"His uncle?" Peter looked up at Tony through wet lashes, blinking through tears. This time, Tony let out an audible sigh, and nodded.

"Yeah buddy, his uncle," Tony gave Peter a light squeeze before peeling away and brushing away Peter's tears lovingly.

"Get off of me! Please... don't," Harry pleaded, his voice breaking in defeat as he stilled suddenly. Tony was instantly filled with rage, and Peter's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Mister- Mister Stark? What's he talking about?" Peter didn't know what Harry was talking about, but it sounded like more than the abuse that Tony had told him about.

"Get off. Please, it hurts. Stop, please, get off," Harry whimpered, but he continued to lie still. Appearing... broken.

"Peter, go downstairs. I'll meet you down there in a few minutes," Tony's jaw clenched as he watched his kid plead for a man- a man who wasn't even here- to get off of him.

"But-" Peter began to protest.

"Peter, go!" Tony barked. He felt bad when he saw Peter flinch, but he knew that unless he was firm, Peter would manage to convince him that he could stay. He sighed. "I'll explain later, okay? Just please, go. Harry's not going to want a crowd for this. He's going to be pretty embarrassed."

Peter gave a sad, but knowing nod, and quietly made his way out of the room.

"Friday, can you call Nat up here please?" Tony asked quietly. As much as he wanted to be there to comfort Harry once he woke, he knew that a man's voice waking him up wouldn't help the situation. As far as he knew, it had only ever been men that had raped his kid.