Comfortember Day Ten: Cuddling

"Mister Stark, is it really possible to get lost while camping?"

"Apparently so, Spider-kid."

"But we didn't even wander that far from where we set up!"

"Apparently we did."

Peter huffed and side-eyed Tony. They had been wandering around in the forest trying to find their camp set-up for the past twenty minutes. He knew he should've left a trail while they went exploring. But no, Tony said they weren't going that far and that they didn't need a trail. Well, look where they are now?

"Next time, we do things my way," Peter said, hopping over a tree stump.

"Look at it this way, we get the full camping experience."

"Camping experience doesn't include getting lost…"

Tony rolled his eyes but Peter didn't miss his smile. Although Peter wanted to get back to their set-up, mostly because he was hungry and wanted to roast some hot dogs over a fire, he didn't mind the walk and exploring the forest. He hadn't been here before and even if getting lost wasn't ideal, at least he was seeing the forest in all its glory.

Peter figured all they needed to do was find the river and follow it. They'd be able to find their set-up easiest that way. That's what he read and saw in movies. And so that's what Tony and Peter were doing.

"You should've brought a compass," Peter commented.

"If you were so worried, you should've brought one," Tony countered.

Peter stuck his tongue out, receiving a light swat to the back of his head.

"Do you think an animal will tear our stuff apart? What about our food?!" Peter clutched onto Tony's sleeve, trying to put on a dramatic flare like how Tony did at times.

"I guess we'll find out when we get back," Tony said, nonchalantly, much to Peter's surprise.

"I was really looking forward to roasting those hot dogs and telling campfire stories…"

"And you'll still do all of that, kid. Don't knock it."

"Okay."

Peter decided Tony was walking too slow so he ran ahead, ignoring Tony's protest about slowing down. He jumped up on a tree and started tree hopping. He could hear Tony chuckling behind him as Peter tree hopped. He may not have had his web shooters but he still had his powers. Sticking to trees and hopping wasn't too hard.

Eventually he stopped hopping, stayed on one tree, and started climbing to the very top. It was different from scaling skyscrapers. He hummed a tune to himself and sleekly maneuvered around the branches. He ignored whatever Tony was saying to him far below.

He eventually got to the top and orange beams from the lowering sun washed over his face. He blinked to adjust to the sudden light. He smiled.

There were trees as far as the eye could see. It was never ending, something he'd never see near cities. He managed to make out a blue thin line down below but it looked miles away from where he was. Because he was up high, he doubted it was even where his eyes searched.

"Hey, Pete! Get down from there!" Tony shouted, though his voice sounded distant.

"Sure, sure," Peter said, dazed.

He could sit up there for hours and just watch the sun set and see stars and the moon come out. It also smelled nice and fresh up above. But he couldn't leave Tony down on the ground to defend himself. What if some bear attacked him and Peter wasn't there? He shuddered at the thought of finding Tony torn to pieces.

Peter carefully made his way back down and landed in front of Tony flat on his feet with his arms spread out.

"Ta-da! Peter Parker has arrived!" Peter said with a big smile.

Tony clapped sarcastically. "Your entrance was spectacular. Gold stars."

Peter bowed. "Thank you!"

Tony smiled and shook his head. "You can be so weird."

"Well," Peter started. "I'm not me when I'm hungry."

"Snickers commercial?"

"Yup!"

Tony ruffled Peter's hair. Peter shook his head, not helping his now messed up hair. Thanks, Tony. Then Tony got serious again, which was a shame because Peter was enjoying their little show.

"Are you holding up okay? How much longer do you think you can go without going insane?"

"I'm not that hungry," Peter said. Tony gave him a look. "Okay, so I'm getting there. But I can still go a while longer. I'll be okay until we get back to camp."

Tony frowned. "I'm sorry, kiddo. I guess I messed up again, not bringing a snack on the way."

"Aw, no! Mister Stark, it's okay. I'm not angry or anything," Peter said, quickly, waving his hands. "If push comes to shove, we can just eat some berries."

Tony smiled again but it was weak, even for him. Peter sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Maybe teasing Tony about getting lost wasn't the best thing to do earlier. How was he supposed to know Tony would take it seriously and blame himself? He'd have to be a little more careful in the future.

"Let's just keep going, Mister Stark. Who knows what we'll find? It's an adventure."

He grabbed Tony's wrist and started dragging him along.

"Hey, Mister Stark, how about you climb a tree?" Peter suggested.

Tony scoffed. "Kid, please. I'm too old to climb trees."

"You're only, like, sixty! You can do it!"

Tony swatted his head. "You little shit. I'm only in my late forties."

"Almost fifty," Peter said, smirking. "Fifty year olds can climb trees. Come on, Mister Stark! Show me you aren't an old man."

Tony groaned but Peter knew he was winning. Tony was finally loosening up and that's all he really wanted. But if he could still see Tony climb a tree…

"Not. Happening."

"Fiiiine," Peter relented.

With that, Peter and Tony kept trucking along. Before long it was dark and Peter wanted to climb another tree to the top to see the stars and moon. Maybe after Tony was asleep he'd try. For now, Peter was doing his best to try and ignore his stomach. It growled but it was quiet enough that Tony didn't hear.

It was only a matter of time though and they were still nowhere near their camp. It was as if they were thrown into the forest and didn't come here on their own. Peter also refused to show that he was starting to get chilly, so he zipped up his hoodie and made sure to avoid Tony's looks.

Tony stopped after another half hour and sighed. Peter turned to him. His mentor was looking around as if they were being followed. They hadn't even come across any animals yet that weren't birds.

"Maybe we should just camp here for right now," Tony finally said. "We can search again in the morning."

"Are you sure? Sleeping on the ground without a sleeping bag might be bad for your back," Peter said with a frown.

"Weren't you the one who was encouraging me to climb trees earlier?" Tony deadpanned. "Besides, I know you're hungry. You shouldn't be walking around with an empty stomach."

Peter blushed and looked down. Tony heard his growling after all. He must've been trying to find something for him to eat while walking, that was why he moved so slow and why he was looking around so much.

"S-sorry…" Peter mumbled.

Tony waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry about it. I should've been mor-"

Peter smacked Tony's arm. "I don't wanna hear you blame yourself anymore. Please."

"Yeah, I know. I know," Tony said. "You can't blame me for feeling bad about making my kid starve."

Peter shouldn't have smiled, considering the situation. However, he always loved hearing Tony refer to him as his kid. It warmed his heart and he just wanted to hug Tony as a thank you. He didn't though, and kept his composure.

"You can make it up to me by letting me roast as many hot dogs as I want tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan," Tony agreed. He looked around on the ground awkwardly. "Now then, uh…"

Peter nodded, knowing what he was getting at. Instead of beating around the bush, Peter just found the flattest and grassiest bit of ground and plopped down. He spread his arms out and let the soft grass tickle his hands. It actually wasn't so bad. It would've been worse if the ground was all dirt and rocks but it wasn't.

"I'm gonna lay here, so you move over," Tony said, nudging Peter's side with his foot lightly.

Peter laughed and rolled over onto more grass to give Tony his spot. Tony was definitely more awkward about it. First squatting and sitting on his knees and feeling around and then eventually just lying on his back, similar to how Peter did.

"Who knew Iron Man could be so clumsy and awkward?" Peter teased.

"Tell anyone and I swear I'll ban you from the lab for a week," Tony threatened.

"You're such a jerk!" Peter pouted.

"I'm not going to deny it."

The wind picked up causing Peter to shiver and wrap his arms tightly around himself. He hadn't realized how creepy the forest looked when it was so dark. It was like someone put a large curtain over the trees, covering any light there was from the moonlight. He grumbled to himself and shifted uncomfortably.

The tree branches scraped against each other thanks to the wind, almost like nails on a chalkboard. It was distracting. The bushes nearby also rustled loudly. Well, it was loud to him. To Tony it was probably quiet because he didn't have enhanced senses.

"You okay there, Underoos?" Tony's voice snapped Peter back to reality.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just a little cold."

"A little?" Tony stared at him skeptically.

"More than a little," Peter mumbled. "And the noises are so loud."

"Noises?"

"Trees and bushes," Peter clarified.

Tony sighed softly. He sat up and removed his jacket. At first, Peter thought he was going to roll it up and put it behind his head for a pillow. Then Tony covered Peter's upper body with it and tucked him in as best he could. Peter felt a sense of comfort with Tony's jacket on him.

"What about you?" Peter asked, turning on his side. Tony trembled but it was light. "You'll be cold now."

Tony shook his head. He lied down again and, without warning, he pulled Peter to his chest. He closed his eyes and rested his chin on top of Peter's head.

"Mister Stark-?"

"Shh. Just try to rest now," Tony whispered, rubbing Peter's back. "I'm not going anywhere."

Peter smiled shyly but didn't move away. He held onto Tony and buried his face into his chest. He took comfort not just in Tony's arms but also listening to his heartbeat. It was much better than the other noises. Peter sighed in content as Tony ran his fingers through his hair.

He was safe. He was fine. He was going to make it through the night with his old man.

XXX

Peter yawned loudly and pried his eyes open. His body was so warm despite having slept outside. Cuddling with Tony definitely helped with that. That and how safe he felt in Tony's arms, like nothing could hurt him.

"Good morning there, Webs," Tony greeted, looking down at Peter.

Only now Peter realized that he was still clinging to Tony's chest. Tony was also moving. Peter frowned and tried to take in the situation. Tony had him in his arms and was walking but surely Peter would have woken up the moment Tony lifted him, right? Was he that tired?

"Think you can let go of me now?" Tony asked, not unkindly.

"Oh...OH."

"Yeah, oh. I tried to pry you off but you weren't having it."

Peter was sticking to him. He blushed profusely and scrambled off Tony so fast he almost knocked the poor man over. Tony's jacket ended up slipping off his body. He hid his face in his hands.

"I'm so sorry, Mister Stark! I didn't mean to! Wow, that must've been hard to get up with a kid sticking to you…"

Tony laughed. "Calm down, kid. You're a lightweight, nothing I can't handle."

Peter chewed on his lip and picked up Tony's jacket, handing it back to him and still avoiding eye contact. Tony slipped his jacket on and stretched his arms.

"Anyway, look." Tony pointed ahead.

Peter smiled at the sight of their camp set-up, his embarrassment completely gone. The only thing out of place was the tent which was now upside down. Other than that, their sleeping bags and backpacks were unscathed.

"Yes!" Peter cheered. "Now that we're back I can finally eat! Whoo!"

"Yup. Have at it, Pete. Just try to leave one for me."

"Uh-huh. So let's get the fire ready and get to roasting hot dogs!"

Author's Note: Sooo, I know it took a while to get to the cuddling part of the prompt but hear me out. I didn't wanna just jump into it for this one so I figured that I'd have Tony and Peter get lost and earn the cuddles at the end. Either way, this was a fun one to write.

That's all for now. I'll see ya'll in the next chapter.

Thanks for reading!

~Kurosaki