Avengers Parent Preferences

What YOU do when THEY have nightmares - Part 1

Reader is now 6 years old.

~Steve Rogers~

Your dad rarely had nightmares but when he did, they would be the worst. You would hear him wake up with a loud scream or gasping for air. You would try and go to him but he would send you back to your room. You would have no other choice. You hated seeing the person you loved the most in so much pain.

Today was another such day. You could hear it. The scream. It was like going through hell. But you were adamant about helping him. You waited till he walked out, to his usual spot in the compound's garden. After you hear the door close, you sneak out of your room. You walk downstairs and see your dad on the bench with his eyes closed. You almost cry. You tip toe towards him. As you reach him, you climb in his lap, startling him. He goes to speak but you cut him off with a hug.

"It's okay daddy. I'm here, no one will hurt you now" you say as you rock back and forth. You feel a tear on your head, so you look up only to see your dad smiling and crying.

"No daddy don't cry ! I'm here ! I lub you !" You say as he chuckles.

"Oh sweetheart I love you too" he says hugging you tighter and kissing your forehead. You yawn a little.

"Are you sleepy kiddo ?" he asks already picking you up.

"No, I can stay up" you say fighting the drooping eyelids. He chuckles at your hard war. He opens the door to your room and places you on your bed.

"No ! Sleepy in your room" you say climbing back into his arms.

"I'll love that" he mumbles under his breathe. 

He carries you to his room and places you on his chest as he drapes the duvet over both of you.

"I love you daddy" you whisper

"I love you too sweetheart" He whispers before falling asleep, this time without any nightmares.

~Tony Stark~

You were in your room, playing with your stuffed animals. You should've been asleep about an hour ago but were not sleepy, not yet at least. You were hungry, like 'I want candy' kind of hungry. You peeked out of your room, to check if your dad or Pepper were around. They were not.  Then you realized Pepper was out on a business trip and your dad was probably asleep.

You walked into the kitchen, your stuffed elephant toy tucked under your arm. You stood in front of the cabinet that had all the candy. You opened the cabinet and your eyes twinkled as your mouth began watering at the sight of all the candy. You quickly grabbed a packet of Skittles and closed the cabinet. As you began walking back to your room, you heard some noise from your father's bedroom.

"No ! No ! Don't take her !" He screamed scaring you a little.

"Daddy ?" You called softly from outside but he didn't respond. You knocked. No response only shuffling.

"JARVIS open the door" You ordered. The door opened and you ran inside. 

Tony was gasping and struggling in his sleep. You dunked his flailing arms and legs as you climbed beside him.

"DADDY !! WAKE UP ! IT'S A NIGHTMARE !!" You screamed on top of your lungs. Tony shoots up, sweat dripping over his face. He looks around and notices you.

"Come here" he says out of breathe, you climb into his lap as he sighs in relief. After a few minutes you heard his breathing go back to normal.

"Daddy ?" You ask

"Yeah sweetheart ?"

"What was it about ?" You ask 

"I saw that I lost you" he says barely above a whisper.

"I'm here. I will never leave you daddy" you say hugging him tightly. For a 6 year old, you were quite understanding and intelligent.

"Here, have some candy !" you say excitedly as you hand him the packet. He chuckles.

You sit across him, cross legged. You place your elephant in between you and your dad.

"This is Elliot. He keeps me safe from nightmares. Here, you keep him. He will protect you too" you say smiling. You kiss your dad on the cheek and hug him, before hopping down his bed.

"Nigh-night daddy ! I love you !" You say. He smiles fondly at you and kisses your forehead.

"I love you too sweetheart" he says. You wave and walk back to your room, happily munching on your candy.

"I have to lock that candy cabinet"

~Peter Parker~

Peter was a 'worried mom' at heart. He would literally shadow you everywhere. Sometimes it got annoying. Grandma May had to drag him back which was quite funny to watch. After the whole Mysterio incident, he sort of changed. He would wake up at ungodly hours and then never go to sleep. He had started to look like a zombie. (A/N sorry for the wacky timeline)

Today was again one such day, but this time you were awake too, just to make sure your dad got enough sleep. You watched as your dad tossed and turned in bed.

You sighed and walked to him, just as he was about to stand up and leave.

"Sleep" you say in a rather commanding voice. He looks at you weirdly and you just sigh again.

"Daddy you tired, sleep" you say in a defeated voice.

"Daddy is not tired sweetheart" he says. You shake your head and point to his dark circles. "See ? Tired" you say climbing on his bed. He shakes his head smiling.

"You're all grown up aren't you ?" he asks ruffling your hair. You push him on the pillow forcefully. Then you place your little hands on his eyes and run your hand through his hair. He sighs and you feel his breathing slow down.

"Mission done" you whisper to yourself. After a few minutes you feel your eyelids droop. You lay on your dad's chest. He wraps an arm around you as both of you fall asleep.

Let's just say Grandma May got a lot of pictures.