Chapter Five: Night Terrors

My heart pounds against my chest as I stare into the dark brown eyes that I thought I could trust. I don't dare to breathe, afraid that any movement whatsoever will cause the situation to spiral out of control. Tears well up in my eyes and give me no warning before spilling over. For once, I don't care if anyone sees. I don't care if the whole world sees.

"Mr. Stark please. I'll, I'll be better I swear. Whatever I did…I'm sorry. I won't, I won't do it again. Please." I'm not afraid to beg. I can't help it. Looking into my mentor's eyes and seeing them so angry at me , I know I'd do anything to make it right. I've spent my entire life looking up to him and I finally got to meet him, only for it to end up like this. What's worse is that I don't even know what I did wrong. His eyes contain a cold fury that I've never seen before as he hovers above me in the Iron Man suit. It's as if he's looking at someone he loathes. He can't loathe me. He can't.

"You're oblivious and ignorant. It's…disappointing," he lectures in a dangerously low voice. No. I can handle him being mad at me, but disappointed? How could I do that again? Am I…am I really that much of a screw up? It's then that I realize we're in a warehouse. A warehouse with concrete columns. My breath hitches. "This is it, Underoos." His use of the nickname causes me physical pain. I had no idea I had grown so accustomed to it, but hearing it under these circumstances only makes it hurt more.

"Please, I won't-" My weak pleads are cut off by the high pitched whine of his repulsors charging and the deafening boom that follows as the beams of energy blow apart the concrete ceiling. I can't even manage a scream before the massive chunks of cement fall on me. I can't move or breathe or see and it's happening all over again.

Everything is so dark.

But I know my eyes are open.

His eyes have to be open.

The same brown eyes are looking down on him. No. He wants to beg him to please not do it again. He didn't mean to. He wants to push him away, but he can't move. He can't move and he can't breathe, but he can stare. It's the only thing he can do. No matter how hard he tries to move something, anything , he just can't. His chest is tight and his lungs are begging for oxygen. Tony's angry, isn't he? No. He's disappointed. Peter needs to get away from him or Tony's going to do it again. He needs to get out from under the concrete! He can't take it! Tony's hands are suddenly on Peter's shoulders, shaking him. It's enough to jar Peter from his thoughts and he feels the weight lift from his body. As soon as he's able to, he gasps in a breath. He needs to get away, he needs to get away, he needs to get away.

Peter pushes Tony off of him as quickly as his reflexes let him, but then Tony firmly grabs his forearms. He's going to trap me again. Underneath the concrete. Underneath an entire building. Peter becomes desperate to get out of Tony's grasp and struggles as hard as he can.

"Pete, calm down! You're alright! You're alright!" Tony sounds panicked and desperate, but Peter knows it's an act. It has to be, otherwise Tony wouldn't have dropped that building on him. Peter rips his arms free from Tony's grasp and kicks him in the chest to the far wall. It isn't enough force to send Tony through it, but it causes a sizable dent in the wall. What the hell was that about?! "Okay, that one hurt. Not gonna lie," Tony groans and raises his eyebrows at Peter. Since it's so dark, it's hard to gauge how angry Tony is. Peter's heart is beating so fast it feels like it might explode.

"Tony, what in the world is going on?!" Peter jumps at the new voice and snaps his head towards the door. Pepper is in her pajamas and staring at Tony with wide eyes before she turns her attention to Peter. What, what's Ms. Potts doing here? She wasn't here before. "Peter, is everything okay?" she asks carefully.

"I, I don't…he tried to…" Peter looks back over to Tony, who's standing again and rubbing his shoulder. That's when Peter notices Tony isn't in the Iron Man suit. "It was just a nightmare," Peter thinks aloud. I'm a complete idiot! Mr. Stark would never do anything like that, he's a hero! He isn't Toomes. His eyes dart over to the dent in the wall and he can practically feel the blood drain from his face.

"It's okay," Pepper softly assures as she approaches, taking each step slowly. This wasn't what she was expecting to see when she heard F.R.I.D.A.Y. alert them to Peter being in distress.

"Oh, oh my gosh, Mr. Stark! I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I didn't, I wasn't, I would never-" Peter can't get a coherent thought out. His breathing picks up and heat courses throughout his body. It feels like he's going to burst into flames and he can't stop his hands from shaking. As his hands shake, they're quickly overtaken by a pins and needles sensation.

"No harm done, alright?" Tony attempts to soothe. "But I'm gonna need to to calm down." His voice is slightly more firm, but Peter can't bear to meet his eyes. How could I think he'd do something like that? Then kick him into a wall? I'm done for. He hates me and he isn't going to want to see me anymore. He's going to cut off ties again. Oh no, he'll…

"Please don't take the suit, Mr. Stark. Please, please I'm sorry. It was an accident. I'll do better. I'll be better. I won't disappoint you again, I swear." Peter devolves into full on sobs. He hugs himself and hiccups in between cries, not having the energy to push them back. Warm, gentle arms instantly cradle him into a hug and he can't help but lean into it. He can smell Pepper's perfume as she gingerly runs a hand through his hair and holds him tightly with the other. Out of all the people he could break down in front of, why did it have to be people he looks up to? He just wants May…

"I am not going to take the suit away. Okay? Not gonna happen again. I swear." Tony's tone is strong yet lined with concern. Pepper looks up at Tony, her own eyes glossy as she holds the sobbing teenager close. Tony knows he has to fix this. Peter shakes his head against Pepper's shoulder, already feeling bad about how his tears have soaked her t-shirt.

"You, you don't understand," Peter weakly disagrees and tries his best to not think of Homecoming night. He feels like he's going insane.

"Then help me understand." Tony is dead serious. He doesn't sound annoyed or angry, he genuinely wants to understand. Peter presses his lips together in an attempt to stop crying and slowly nods. Even though he doesn't want to, he unwraps his arms from around Pepper and wipes his damp face.

"Um, Ms. Potts? Can I, can I talk to Mr. Stark alone? Not that, that I don't like you! I'd just feel more comfortable- not that I'm uncomfortable-"

"I understand." She lays a hand on Peter's shoulder accompanied by a sweet smile while standing. Before she leaves the room, she gives Tony a look that Peter can't place, but Tony understands. It's the look he gets when they're going to "talk about this later." Once she's gone, the silence takes over once more. Tony simply sits on the bed with Peter, leaving a space between them and wondering what in the hell he's supposed to say to comfort the kid. Neither of them really know where to start. How does Peter explain everything without sounding like a whiny kid? Spider-Man doesn't whine. Then again, Spider-Man doesn't kick Iron Man or cry in someone's arms…

"Take your time, kid," Tony tries to comfort. Peter nods absentmindedly, exhaustion starting to set in. What time is it anyways? He glances at the nightstand and notices that the alarm clock reads 2:11 am. I can't believe I woke them up in the middle of the night…

"I wasn't…planning on doing anything that, that night," Peter begins shakily, trying to recall his thought process. "I was actually excited for Homecoming. My date was someone I had liked for a while, but…" Toomes opened the door and Peter could feel his heart drop. "Toomes turned out to be her dad. He knew that I knew everything he had done, and he said he would kill me," and everyone he loved, "if I interfered again. Jeez I was so stupid. I put everything, everything at risk but I couldn't just let him get away with what he was doing! I did what I thought was right and I don't regret it but-" He grips his hair in between his fingers. Tony doesn't say anything, he just patiently waits for Peter to continue. "But when I went to confront him, he was at a warehouse and he completely played me! I was overly confident and, and not paying attention until it was too late. He didn't hit me once with his wings, but he wasn't trying to hit me. He took out the support columns and it all came down. All of it, Mr. Stark! An entire building and I, I couldn't move and no one could hear me. And I know I was able to get out, but I can't stop thinking about it." Finally, Peter stops his rambling to let Tony process everything. Peter probably should've slowed down or made it more apparent that it isn't Tony's fault, but he had to get it out or he might not have been able to. Tony tries to absorb all the sudden information; Peter's life being threatened on the one night he was just trying to be a teenager, the kid choosing to stop the bad guy instead of going on a date with a pretty girl, a building almost crushing him. How did this kid hold everything in for months by himself?

"Maybe it wasn't my…" Tony searches for the right word, "greatest decision to take the suit away." He takes in a breath and lets it out slowly. "I didn't want you to think you were invincible just because of some suit. You're too young to be risking your life. I thought that, without the suit, you wouldn't be as prone to running headfirst into danger. Should've known you'd do it anyways. I'm…" It almost sounds like Tony's about to apologize, but he trails off.

"It's not your fault, Mr. Stark! I know I should've listened to you, you were right. I just couldn't let him go knowing that those weapons would hurt people," Peter frantically tries to explain.

"I know," Tony awkwardly pats Peter's back, "and that's what makes you a good person." Peter is too stunned to say anything. A compliment from Tony Stark of all people? The last time he got a compliment from him was about a year ago. After he almost died to save Tony's jet. "Don't look so surprised kid, I have my moments. Contrary to popular belief, I'm actually a pretty fantastic guy." Peter can't help but chuckle. Only Tony could find a way in any situation to compliment himself.

"You don't need to make your ego any bigger," Peter teases with a slight smile.

"You better respect your elders, Short Stack," Tony fires right back. Peter turns to him and feigns shock.

"I will have you know that being five foot ten inches is the worldwide average for males." Tony winces overdramatically at Peter's fact.

"I wouldn't be so proud to be average if I were you." He says the word "average" with distaste before smirking at Peter.

"Not all of us can be billionaires, Mr. Stark."

"Excuse you," Tony raises his eyebrows, "I've worked very hard for the specific title of genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, so I would appreciate it if you used it." Peter rolls his eyes with a smile, grateful that the tension has lifted.

"Thank you," Peter says before he can stop himself.

"No problem." Tony stands up from the bed and fixes his hair that Peter didn't even realize was messed up. "I'll call Banner in tomorrow, I'm sure he won't mind considering the circumstances." Peter's energy suddenly spikes at the name.

"Dr. Banner?! That's so awesome! I didn't get to meet him last time you and I teamed up! What's he like?! Wait, I'll just meet him tomorrow, so I guess I'll find out! This is so cool!"

"Kid," Tony raises his hands in an attempt to calm him "take it down a few hundred notches. We'll talk it over tomorrow. Of course, Aunt May will have to sign a few papers and-"

"No!" Peter's heart skips a few beats. Tony looks at him like he has gone insane. "No," Peter repeats a bit more calmly. "She can't know. If she found out I was almost crushed, she would never let me be Spider-Man again. Like, ever . Please. I don't want to put that burden on her." Tony is immediately skeptical, but slowly nods. He knows the lies about Spider-Man last time ended in a very long, heated conversation with an enraged aunt and him more likely to get tinnitus.

"Fine, but we are going to talk about this," Tony guarantees.

"Understood, Mr. Stark."

"Get some sleep. Don't forget, we're right down the hall." Peter does his best to keep his face from heating up from embarrassment.

"Got it." With that, Tony leaves and shuts the door behind him. Peter knows that after all this time he shouldn't leave May in the dark, but she's already lost someone she loves and he doesn't want to scare her more than she already is. She's good at hiding it, even though Peter knows that she's terrified. Terrified of the possibility that he could just not come home one day. He'd be lying if he said he weren't afraid of the same thing, but there are people out there who need Spider-Man. He can't let them down, even if that means he has to go through people like Toomes. He's not going to let anyone lose someone close to them like he has. With a deep breath, he lies back down and hopes to stay asleep this time.