I won't let you give up

Ch. 7

"We have to move on," Steve said quietly. "We've already used all the resources close to here, and who knows if something worse will happen, and we can't make the trip to get more."

"Don't know if you got the memo, Cap, but I'm kinda laid up at the moment."

The blond rolled his eyes at Tony's sarcastic comment. "I'm aware. I didn't say today, I said that we need to leave quickly."

"No offense, Mr Rogers, this group isn't in any shape to be traveling around."

Everyone turned to face the teenager.

"Why is that, son?"

Peter flushed. "You guys aren't exactly prepared for anything happening. Like, no offense, but I think Ms Natasha is the most fit out of this group. You don't have medical supplies, or food. And yes, I get that's why we need to move, but eating it as we find it isn't smart. We need to ration it. And we need to gather water, any that we find. It can be purified, you know."

"I take offense," Clint piped up. "I'm fit. And I know field first aid."

The teen inclined his head. "Yeah. But she's better."

The archer subsided.

They all knew it was true.

"All right. Fine. Natasha, you're heading us, got it? We need to do what the kid says."

They ignored Peter's indignant 'I'm not a kid'.

"Peter?"

The whisper cut through the dark room, waking the teenager.

"Pete?"

He rolled over silently, pushing himself to his elbows.

Across the floor from him, Tony was sitting against the wall, eyes shadowed.

"You 'kay?" Peter whispered groggily.

"...no."

The teen inhaled slowly, yawning, and crept between the sleeping bodies of their teammates.

He settled down against the wall, close enough that their shoulders were touching. "What happened?"

"Dream."

Peter glanced up, realizing with a jolt that the older man's eyes were glistening with unshed tears.

"...can I hug you?"

Tony blinked furiously, staring straight ahead, and raising his arm.

The teen burrowed into his hold, arms around his waist, face buried in his neck. "'S okay to have bad dreams," he murmured. "I have 'em-" his sentence was swallowed by a giant yawn. "All th' time."

"Yeah?"

Tony's voice was soft, and distant.

"M-hm. Takes a bit for them t' leave." Peter curled up in a ball, hand gripping Tony's shirt. "I c'n stay 'wake with you?"

A gentle laugh shook him. "You're falling asleep, bud. Get some rest. I'm sorry for waking you up."

"'S fine. You c'n stay 'wake with me when it happ'ns 'gain." His words were trailing into indecipherable mumbles near the end.

"Okay. I'll- I'll do that."

"Mmm. Good."

He waited several seconds, then shifted slightly. "Pete?"

There was no reply.

The older man smiled softly at his young charge, shifting him around to a comfortable position.

We'll be okay.

Whew. Been a while, huh?

I'm not putting this on hiatus, but updates are slow.

Hope you guys enjoyed this bit of sleepy flangst!