"Time to wake up kid," Tony said while softly shaking his shoulder.

"Mmmmmmmmm," Peter mumbled and opened his eyes slowly. Tony stood up and made his way to his closest when he saw Peter awake.

Peter got up from the floor and collected his blanket and pillow then made his way to his room. The past two nights Peter hasn't been able to fall asleep by himself in his own room. He was afraid of being alone and having more nightmares. He'd lay in his bed for hours just staring at the ceiling.

Both nights this has happened, the time was 1:00 AM when he decided to make his way to Tony's room. Surprisingly, Tony was there and asleep both nights. Peter thought he might've been in the lab or something.

Anyways, Peter would just get himself comfortable on the floor at the foot of Tony's bed. He assumed Tony didn't really mind because he didn't kick him out when he woke up Wednesday morning. He actually just allowed him to sleep as long as he wanted to there.

Tony also knew the kid was terrified of getting more nightmares, so if sleeping on the floor in his room helped, he wasn't going to protest.

By the time Peter was finished getting ready and ate breakfast, Happy was all set to take him to school. Tony had a really important work call to take, but he said he would pick Peter up.

Once Peter walked through the front doors of school, he realized that he kind of missed it in an odd way. No doubt was school a pain in the ass for everyone, but there's still things enjoyable about it.

Peter liked learning too, especially science so he was excited to go to that class today. He also missed seeing Ned everyday. He was his best friend and it's always nice to have your best friend around no matter where. It also made him feel a little normal. He was back on schedule which distracted him from his recent past.

But of corse there were things that made school horrible like homework, mean teachers, and...

"Welcome back Penis Parker!" Flash yelled across the hall. Peter let out a sigh of relief when that's all he did. He probably heard about his aunt and decided to cut him a break today.

Then Ned came up to his side, "hey man. You ready to be back?"

"Yeah," Peter assured him, opening his locker.

"If you say so. I'll try and catch you up in everything."

"Ok thanks," Peter replied.

The rest of the day went by pretty fast. Ned explained everything and Peter caught on quickly. At lunch, Peter was finally able to explain his absence to MJ. She felt really bad for him and said she would be there to help him with anything.

Then finally, the last period of the day. Science!

Him and Ned were in the same class, so they sat next to each other and have been lab partners all year.

"Good after noon everyone," the teacher began. "Today we'll be dissecting frogs like I promised. And yes you have to fill out the lab sheet, so I hope you picked those up on the way in."

"We're dissecting frogs? And you didn't tell me?!" Peter turned to Ned and whispered.

"Yeah I kinda forgot," Ned whispered back.

"I'll start handing out trays with all the supplies you need and then come around with the frogs shortly after," she explained, then began handing out the trays.

Once she set the tray on Peter and Ned's lab station, Peter froze. He saw the scalpel and scissors and tweezers... 'oh god Peter please don't freak out now' he thought to himself.

But he had no control of the memories the tools brought to his mind. 'Seriously Peter don't think about it.' Except he couldn't. It was like it was happening again. They were cutting into him. He felt it all. Every single thing.

"Peter? You good? You need to put on gloves to do this," Ned said.

Peter thought he replied, but he didn't. He was sucked into his own thoughts. He couldn't stop staring at the tools. That wouldn't stop cutting into him. One incision after another to get information. 'Stop, stop don't embarrass yourself.' Another cut. 'It's all finished now. Stop thinking Peter.' He felt the stitches and infections. 'Look away. Just look away.'

"Going," Peter pointed at the door his eyes still fixed on the tray, "I'm-I'm uh going to the bathroom." Ned was growing confused.

Peter jumped out of his seat and bolted out the door. 'Stop thinking stop.' But it hurt so bad. He was beginning to hyperventilate while finding his way down the hall.

His head was pounding. The memory made his head start to ache. 'Oh god Peter just breathe.' He couldn't breathe, the pain was too much.

He found himself in the men's bathroom now. Locking himself in a stall and sitting curled up against a wall. He breathing was so uneven, he was struggling to keep tears back too. 'STOP. STOP. PLEASE,' he was screaming at himself in his own mind.

It never seemed to stop. More pain kept coming. More blood and bruises.

"I can't, I can't," Peter began saying under his heavy, labored breathing. He couldn't move, there wasn't anything he could do except to feel the pain. Peter's eyes were clenched shut, yet many tears and sobs escaped. His hands were pulling at his gelled curls, trying to gain control of his thoughts.

'GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF,' his mind wouldn't stop screaming at him which was stressing himself out even more.

"Shut up please. Please. Please shut up," he would mumble to himself. Peter was so out of it he didn't even notice that Ned came in and saw him in such distress.

"Oh my god Peter?" Ned asked, super worried. Peter didn't reply, he just kept tugging at his hair and sobbed. Ned took out his phone and found Tony's contact. Tony gave it to Ned just in case anything like this ever happened. Ned promised to only call him in case of emergencies and to not give it out.

"Mr. Stark. Hi it's Ned, Peter's freaking out, I don't really know why we were just starting to do a lab and-"

Tony cut him off, it sounded like he was driving, "freaking out how? Where are you? I'm coming now."

"We're in the school bathroom on the lower level by the 500 rooms. He's not breathing right and crying and like talking to himself. It kinda scary," Ned was lost on how to help.

"Alright. Just stay with him until I come, I should be there in a few," Tony hung up and stepped on the gas.

Fall asleep, don't wake up. You'll feel better. You won't be able to feel any of this. Tears kept streaming. 'It hurts so much. Calm down please.' He couldn't though. "Stop it. Stop," he would whisper, trying to get everything to stop.

"Kid?"

No one is coming to save you. Peter's cries were loud and he was choking on his own breath.

"Ned can you leave us two and lock the door please?"

"Of course."

You're being punished for not being there for May, accept it. Take the pain.

"I-," Peter was cut off by his own sob, "I c-can't breathe. I can't..."

"Shhh," Tony tried to calm him down. "Pete look up at me, you need to see me."

Peter was now able to recognize that it was Tony's voice. He began to raise his head and look at Tony with his bloodshot eyes. Peter was shaking bad. 'Look Tony's here. He's real. He's really there.'

"See I'm here you're ok," Tony reassured him. "You need to breathe now ok?"

Peter's lip was quivering as he was trying to get a hold of his breathing. He couldn't get a grasp on it though, it seemed like he just forgot how to.

Tony slowly and gently grabbed Peter's wrist to not scare him and set it on his own chest. "Do it with me, match it with my breathing."

Tony took exaggerated breaths so Peter could follow. He watched Peter closely and after a few minutes, his breathing slowed to normal.

At that, Peter weakly fell forward onto Tony's chest. He held the trembling boy close to him as he cried on him.

"You're ok kid. It's alright," Tony would softly say while holding the back Peter's head. "You're safe. It's ok."

Slowly, Peter's crying subsided and his red eyes began to flutter shut. Pretty soon he was fast asleep in Tony's hold.

Tony looked at his watch and saw that there was ten minutes left in school. He picked up the sleeping kid and carried him to his car quickly, not wanting to embarrass the boy by being seen like that.

On the ride home, Tony kept glancing over to see if Peter was still asleep. He slept the whole way home with his head leaned on the passenger window.

When they got back to the tower, Tony picked Peter up gently from the car and carried him up. He placed Peter in Tony's own bed, knowing that Peter had trouble sleeping in his own room lately.

"Friday tell me when he wakes up," Tony said quietly.

"Yes sir."

Tony rubbed his forehead while looking at Peter peacefully sleeping. He gave him a swift kiss on the forehead before exiting his room.

He loved Peter, even before when Peter wasn't actually his son. He's always loved Peter. Ever since he first met him, he knew he would have to protect him and take care of him in a way. So seeing the person he cared about the most have such a severe panic attack right in front of him hurt.

He needed a drink.

•••