spiderman angst/sickfic oneshots

panic (iron man)

(this is set in that one scene from iron man 3 where Tony has a nightmare w pepper and accidentally called his suit in his sleep but I'm making it go differently. And then the car panic attack. This isn't spiderman but idc 🤷 this is also different than cannon but I also don't really care cuz it's more angsty 😍)

Pepper woke up to an awkward groaning sound beside her and a shift in the sheets. She sat up and turned on a lamp, only to find her boyfriend, Tony Stark, knotted up in the blankets and soaked in sweat, a pained expression knitted into his face.

It was in that moment she understood why he'd been awake tinkering for 3 days straight instead of sleeping. She didn't know his nightmares from New York had gotten so bad, but figured almost getting blown up by a nuke while being thrown into a wormhole and then falling from the sky could do that to you.

She reached out to shake him, move his sweaty hair from his face, something like that. To do something. Anything.

But before she knew it the iron man suit was above them, the heat propelling it in the air dangerously close to any and every flammable object, specifically Pepper's face.

Startled, she shrieked and began shaking Tony awake, unsure of what to do.

Tony jerked awake and kicked the suit away, sending all the different pieces flying in different directions. He looked wholly disgruntled.

But something wasn't right, he was struggling to get a breath in, his eyes wide in fear and a hand gripping at the shirt covering his chest with a new level of aggressivness.

"Sorry I mustve-" he paused to try to breathe, then continued, "accidentally called it in my sleep."

Pepper got up abruptly, angry at him for having done so much tired tinkering and drinking that he couldn't bother to make it so they would be safe, "I'm going to go sleep downstairs" She stated.

"P-pepper please." He stuttered, his breathing turning into gasps as tears welled up in his eyes.

She looked back with an initial glare, but everything softened into shock when she saw him doubled over, trying to muffle his sobs as he stuffed his face into his hand, another still over his heart.

"My chest hurts and I c-can't- breathe. Why can't I breathe?" He muttered, trying to regain some control over his emotions, "help." He whimpered.

She walked back over hesitantly.
"Tony? What's going on?" She asked, sitting next to him, "is this about New York?"

"You- i-" he was breathless, speechless. The mention of New York only made it worse. He felt sick to his stomach, like he might pass out any second, his heart was flying so fast.

"Tony just breathe."

"I can't-"

"Tony just breathe."

"I feel so scared."

"Tony, listen to me!"

"Pepper." He sobbed.

She pulled him into a tight hug, letting him cry into her shoulder. Soon he was hugging her back, holding her as tight as he could.

She rubbed her hand into his back.

"Pepper, if I die, destroy all my suits." He gasped, hanging on her like he would fall off a cliff if he let go.

"You aren't dying, it's a panic attack. It'll pass." He said calmly, running a a hand through his damp hair. His shirt was sweat stained under his pit and down his back.

After a couple minutes he had relaxed.

"Those really- those are really jarring." He said, finally accepting that he had some kind of anxiety issue going on here.