A Slice Of Life, Death And Everything In-Between

A Dash Of Panic, A Flash Of Fear

"Was it that Dash kid?"

"Flash." Peter nods, grabbing onto Tony's shirt sleeve with his free hand, twisting the fabric in-between his fingers. "Yeah, he normally doesn't get physical with the-the teasing--"

"That doesn't matter."

Reaching down, Tony grabs some disinfecting wipes before leading Peter out of the bathroom, his arm around the boy's shoulders. They settle down on the couch, Tony pausing for only a second to push away the start of their pillow fort.

"And it's not teasing, Peter." Tony continues once they get situated, reaching out once again for the spiderling's busted face. "It's bullying and it's wrong. You never deserve to be treated like this."

"Yeah, well," Peter shrugs, obediently tilting his chin up when Tony gently bumps it with his knuckles. He hisses in pain when the disinfecting wipe pats at his eye and Tony makes a soothing sound under his breath. "It's not like I can do anything about it, you know?"

"Why not, buddy?"

"Because," Peter flounders for a second. "Because, I-I couldn't before "

"Before you became Spider-Man?"

"Yeah," Peter nods. "If I couldn't, you know, stand up to Flash back then--"

"Then you can't now." Tony finishes, eyes alight in sympathetic understanding. He brushes a stray curl from Peter's forehead, finally leaning back with a harsh sigh. "I get where you're coming from, bambino, I really do, but that doesn't mean you should just let this little prick wail on you everyday."

"I told you, Flash normally doesn't hit me--"

"He still picks on you, torments you, hurts you." Tony ducks his head, meeting Peter's eyes. The billionaire's smile is a little sad, but gentle. "And that's never okay in my book. You gotta stand up for yourself, bug."

"But what if I do and he-he starts going after someone else? Someone who can't take it?" Peter shakes his head. "I can't let that happen, Tony, not when I'm strong enough to deal with it."

"You shouldn't have to deal with it, baby." The feeling of his mentor tugging his closer causes the teen to finally sag, resting his non-bruised cheek against Tony's chest, right above his heart. "You have to look out for yourself, too."

"I'm Spider-Man." Peter whispers, nuzzling against the constant blue glow of the arc reactor, feeling Tony hold him tighter in response. "I gotta look out for the little guy first, even as plain Peter Parker."

"You're never just plain Peter Parker, kid, trust me." Tony's chest rumbles underneath the spiderling's cheek, soft like distant thunder. "You're so much more than that."

Peter doesn't respond with words, just cuddles closer. They're both silent for a few minutes, watching as the Disney+ loading menu flashes movies across the screen. It's just as a preview for Bolt comes to a close that Tony pulls away, pressing a soft kiss against Peter's temple.

"Enough sappy stuff for tonight, Petey." The billionaire says with a grin, stumbling off the couch and falling to his knees on the carpet in-front of the coffee table. He grabs the pillows sitting there, handing one to a confused Peter. "Help me get this blanket fort set up, huh? Get it all cozy for our movie."

"Yeah." Peter smiles, falling into place beside his dad, bumping against the other superhero's legs. "Sounds awesome."

"Good, hand me that blanket over there, will you, bubba?"

Peter reaches out after a second of searching, handing Tony a large, red fleece blanket that the billionaire spreads out, draping it across the coffee table. He stretches it out, tucking the other end of it underneath the TV, creating a low-hanging roof.

They get the pillows and rest of the blankets set up in no time, only pausing once so Tony could re-dress Peter's lip when it starts to sting, and so they could grab a bowl of unsalted popcorn from the kitchen.

"But why unbuttered, it's gross."

"Do you want your busted lip to feel like it's on fire, kid?"

". . ugh, okay, good point. Can we at least have some candy too, though?"

Finally, they collapse back into their nest of pillows, Peter getting tucked back underneath Tony's chin with the snack bowl held securely in his lap. The opening credits to Disney's Soul start up just as Tony leans down, brushing his lips against Peter's forehead in a quick, parental kiss.

"I hope you know, bambi--" Tony speaks against Peter's hairline, his shirt collar wrinkling in Peter's grip as the spidlering curls closer. "--that I'm one-hundred percent going to go have a talk with that Flash kid, alright? You don't have to worry about him anymore."

Peter doesn't know if that'll really make Flash stop his bullying.

Hopefully, it will.

Peter still smiles, however, nodding and taking a bite of his popcorn. Because with Tony around, watching his back, Peter does know that everything's going to be okay.

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A/N: Thank you for reading! ❤️❤️❤️ Please don't hesitate to let me know what you think!