𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐒, 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐎𝐓 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐎𝐍𝐄 didn't live like she did.

Not everybody had to worry about their parents leaving for work for days at a time.

Wonder if they'll make it back home alive, or in a casket.

Not everybody had to make choices between one parent or another, between one man's life and another, between life or death.

Not everybody had to get on a plane, late in the night, to fly to Germany to fight a war that was going to tear the world's favorite band of superheroes.

Tear apart their family.

But it was Charlie's reality.

Reality was was heavy- too heavy- and it was threatening to pull her down into a dark place she hadn't been for a while.

"Happy will be stationed outside," Tony said as he walked her into her hotel room. His hand was warm as he tucked her hair behind her ear. She avoided his eyes, feeling a sudden, deep desperation to be alone.

"Okay," she rasped. "I- I'm really tired, Dad. I just want to go to sleep."

Her heart was pounding and her chest was tightening, and she knew what was coming.

A very nasty panic attack, and she didn't need Tony to be here to see it.

Tony looked worried. He wouldn't be sleeping tonight, she knew, and she had a feeling she wouldn't be either.

"Okay, bubs," he said softly. "I love you. Let me know if you need anything."

I need everything to stop. I need for my parents not to get a divorce. I need for Pops to listen to reason. I need to not feel like this.

"Alright," she said. Tony nodded, turning towards the door, as tears burned her eyes and she held her breath.

The door shut behind him.

Then her body finally shut down, and she collapsed.

Her legs hit the hard floor, no doubt bruising her knees, as the tears caught up with her, falling hot and fast down her cheeks and over the hand clamped over her mouth.

It was the kind of sob that built up silently in her throat, stealing her breath before bursting out of her in a helpless wail, leaving her limbs shaking and her throat raw and her ribs bruised from the inside out.

It hurt.

But Charlie was more than used to pain, after all these years, and she was starting to appreciate how it was one of the only things that could keep her tethered.

Her limbs were trembling in her panic and she wanted to quickly scramble away from the door- which, she realized, Tony hadn't completely shut behind him upon leaving- but she was frozen, unable to stop these ugly sobs from escaping her.

Pops had left them.

Her bruised knees were digging into the floor.

Her parents were divorcing.

Nails were clenched into her cheek, piercing the skin, trying to muffle the sounds of her cries.

The Avengers were ending.

Her swollen, bruised neck felt like it was on fire.

She was going to have to fight her family, knowing it was useless, knowing it was the last time she would probably see them for a long time.

She couldn't breathe.

She didn't want to breathe.

She was dying.

Maybe she wanted to die.

And now the panic was eating through her heart, and everything felt hopeless, and she was heading into a very dark place she hadn't been in since she was a kid.

"This is amazing!"

Peter's voice came suddenly and faintly from outside of the barely open door.

Charlie looked up through tear-blurred eyes, hitched cries muffled by her hands, but her body was still frozen in place.

"Pre-made web shooters! How did your Dad even know? I can't believe-"

His voice trailed off, and Charlie knew he was in the doorway.

"Charlie?"

Charlie couldn't answer. It wasn't often that she had a panic attack in front of people, but it was so much more humiliating.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Suddenly Peter was rushing towards her, the excitement in his voice completely gone, replaced with gentle concern. "Hey, you're okay."

Something about the softness in his voice made her only cry harder.

She knew she was a hot mess, right now- crouched on a hotel room floor in butt-fuck Germany, heaving gasps, her neck purple and blue and snot and tears dripping down her cheeks and her lips.

But Peter didn't seem to care.

He crouched down beside her, a hand hovering near her back- not quite touching, but enough to steady her if she needed it.

"You're okay," he repeated, keeping his voice calm and soothing. "I got you, you're alright. Can you see me? I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere."

Charlie's knees were aching uncomfortably from her spot on the floor, and Peter quickly took notice.

"Okay, uh... can I touch you for a minute? I think you'll be more comfortable on the couch. Just your back, so I can help you stand up?"

Charlie was already nodding- because somehow, even in the subconscious of her panic-addled brain, she trusted him.

(And for once in her life, someone wasn't taking advantage of her that.)

His arms were steady and his hands were gentle as they circled her waist. She leaned into him, body shaking uncontrollably as she cried, and her took her weight like it was nothing.

"I got you ," he said again- like a mantra, and she was almost starting to believe it.

He slowly pulled her to her feet, supporting her body with his own. With the help of his enhanced senses to keep him steady, he let them both to the sofa and lowered Charlie onto it.

She just couldn't find it in herself to dwell in the embarrassment of it all.

Peter made it feel like she didn't need to be embarrassed.

She found herself resting her head against his shoulder, letting him hold her with an arm around her shoulder and the other around her waist- holding her together like he knew she couldn't do it herself.

"Do you want your Dad?" he asked quietly, after several minutes of open sobs and stiff, shaking limbs.

Charlie shook her head. She could feel the remains of day-old mascara running down her cheeks and she brushed it away with her sleeve. "N-no. He needs to try to rest for tomorrow."

Peter hummed in understanding, his chin resting against the side of her head.

Charlie waited a moment before saying quietly, "You probably should too."

The respectful, steady hand that still hadn't strayed from her shoulder slowly pulled away. Peter bent down just slightly, trying to meet her eyes. She couldn't quite look at him, yet, though- the swollen redness and splotchy skin was too fresh.

"Would that make you more comfortable?" he asked. He seemed a bit uncertain of himself now, as if he hadn't just saved her from herself in more ways than one.

As if he hadn't supported her in some of the most difficult moments of her life. Kept her world on its axis, and made sure she knew she wasn't alone facing it.

"I'm sure you're tired," Charlie said hoarsely. She was hiccuping, and her bruised throat was throbbing painfully. She had half a mind to poke her head out into the hallway and ask Happy from some painkillers, but she knew it would turn into a Big Deal.

She couldn't handle anymore Big Deals right now.

Peter tilted his head. They were sitting side by side now, their knees touching as they both relaxed into the sofa. Charlie's legs tingled as the blood rushed back into them, and her body swam with the strange sort of exhausted relief that came after a panic attack.

"I bet you are too," Peter said quietly.

Charlie wiped some of the smeared mascara from under her eyes. "I'm always tired," she said with a watery, half-chuckled sob.

Peter made a small noise, like it physically hurt him to hear. He raised gently held a hand against her back again, rubbing it in the small, smooth circles her Dad used to do when she was a kid.

"If you want me to leave, I can leave," He said after a moment.

Charlie opened her mouth to speak, but she just couldn't force out the words she knew she should say.

You have no obligation to stay here.

I'm sorry.

This is too much, and I'm too much, and I shouldn't be dumping all of my problems on you when I know you have things to worry about.

"I know you're going through a lot," Peter said. The words were soft, almost like he was hesitant to say them. "And I... I don't think you should be alone right now. If you're comfortable with it, I want to stay."

And that-

That nearly broke her.

Her lip trembled as she finally met his eyes, soft and brown and widened with concern.

His messy curls spread around his head like a small halo, catching the dim warm light of the hotel room. His lips were red from chewing on them, his cheeks flushed. and there was a small splash of freckles on his nose she hand't noticed before.

Peter Parker was beautiful.

He was kind, and selfless, and brave, and so, so sweet-

And if she was comfortable with it, he wanted to stay.

People never stayed -let alone ask permission to do so.

"Yeah," Charlie said hoarsely, scrubbing the tears off her cheeks with the palms of her hands. Her eyes were red and her face was splotchy, and her heart was still pounding. "Yeah, I... I want you to stay.

Peter just nodded. He relaxed further into the couch, leaning his head against the back and smiling at her.

Charlie's heart fluttered.

"I'm sorry," she said after a moment. She mirrored him; the side of her head resting against the back of the couch, curled up, their knees almost touching.

"Why?" He asked.

Charlie waved her hand. "For my Dad dragging you out here, when you have school and a neighborhood to protect and other stuff that isn't my family drama. And- for freaking out on you."

Peter shrugged. "If Tony Stark shows up to your house and asks you to come do superhero stuff with him, you do it."

Charlie laughed, earning a smile from him, before he said, "And if anyone deserves to freak out, it's you. I'm surprised you kept it together this long."

Charlie snorted. "Me too."

She fidgeted with the sleeves of her shirt. Her heart dropped when she realized it had fallen off her shoulder. She looked up to see Peter's eyes lingering on the thick, long, pink scar over her collarbone.

Peter realized he'd been caught and quickly looked away, going red. "Shit. I'm sorry-"

"It's fine," Charlie said quickly.

Peter pointedly looked away, his hands drumming on his thighs. He looked like he was about to explode.

Charlie stared at him for a moment, amused.

It only took thirty seconds for him to look like he was about to explode, before she took pity on him.

"Do you want to see my scar?"

"Yes, please," Peter begged.

Charlie laughed, moving the neckline of her shirt over her shoulder again. Peter scooted a bit closer, as Charlie ran a finger over the thick, puckered line of scarred skin.

Peter stared, and Charlie felt self-conscious for a moment.

"How did you get it?" he asked, his voice quiet, but curious- instead of awkward or ridiculing.

Charlie studied him for a moment. "Do you remember Ultron, and Sokovia?"

Peter nodded. "Yea. We watched the news about it in school that entire day. That was the first time we saw your suit- the purple one, right?"

"Yeah." Charlie nodded, smiling slightly at the fact that public schools had been watching her fly around in that thing.

Like she really had been the superhero she thought she was.

"Ultron was originally an A.I," She said. She figured Peter already knew this, but she was tired, and she had to start from the beginning. "Like J.A.R.V.I.S- that's the A.I in the Dad's suit, it's named after the guy who pretty much raised him. It was supposed to act like a 'suit of armor around the world', Dad said. After the battle of New York, and all the aliens came down, it really messed him up. It messed up all of us."

Peter was silent, watching her with respectfully eager eyes.

"After a mission in Sokovia, we met Wanda and Pietro. Wanda... she made each of us see some really fucked up stuff in our heads. Visions of our worst nightmares. For some of us, it was... memories."

She swallowed hard, looking away for a moment.

"What did you see?" Peter asked. His wide brown eyes were curious.

Charlie looked back up, shaking her head slightly.

Someday, she would tell him. But Afghanistan was its own story, that needed to be told with a clear mind and in a place that wasn't a German hotel, in preparation for a battle in the morning.

Peter nodded quickly. "Of course. Sorry."

"It's okay," she said, and it was. "But that day, when Wanda fucked with our heads, Dad saw the Battle of New York. And... all of us were dead. The Avengers, and Pops, and me- the world had ended, and the aliens had won. It scared him, and he panicked, so he brought Ultron to life, to act as Earth's protector."

Peter made a small noise. "Shit."

"After the first mission in Sokovia, Dad threw a dinner party- because it's Dad. It was a few hours after, when everyone had left and we were fucking around with Thor's hammer, and one of the Iron Legion bots walked in. It was fucking terrifying, and it was talking about how we're all killers. Ultron had kind of... possessed it. He had taken over the entire tower- all of our technology- and he set the Iron Legion Bots loose."

"They were flying all over the place, trying to kill us, and totally wrecking the tower. I had high heels on that Pepper had bought me, and I was in a fancy dress, and it got all ruined. But anyway- I jumped on top of one of them, and it started flying out of the window of the tower."

"You fell out of Avengers Tower?"Peter gasped.

Charlie made a face. "Uh... not exactly. I kind of panicked and jumped off of the bot right before it hit the window... and I crashed through the glass ceiling-"

Peter snorted. Charlie sighed when she realized the double-meaning.

"Anyways, I fell, like, fifteen feet on top of all of the shattered glass. We thought my back was broken."

"It wasn't, right?" Peter's eyes went even wider.

Charlie huffed out a breath, a bitter smile threatening the corners of her mouth. "It wasn't that cool. If I broke my back, I wouldn't be here. My Dad would probably lose his mind and fuckin'... end the Avengers, if that ever happened. But my back and my shoulders were sliced open pretty badly."

"Your back is scarred too?"

"Yeah," Charlie nodded. She rubbed her hand over the scar curling over her shoulder. "It makes wearing tank tops and workout clothes and swimsuits pretty awkward, so I normally avoid it. Dad says the scars look like lightning. He tries to make it sound cool."

Peter tilted his head. "I bet they do look cool. It still sucks that it happened, though. That must have been pretty scary."

A slow, relieved smile fell over her face.

"Normally if people see it, they get weird and tell me that everything happens for a reason. That it made me stronger, or a survivor, or whatever."

Peter looked at the ground, deep in thought.

"Nah," he said after a moment. "When you're a kid, you're not supposed to be in pain like that. It's not supposed to make you stronger, that's bullshit. It fucking sucks. It shouldn't have to happen in the first place."

Charlie nodded. She knew there was a story behind the conviction in those words, but she also knew he probably wasn't ready to talk about it- just like she wasn't ready to talk about what happened to her. "Exactly."

Peter looked up, meeting her eyes, with a bit of frustration to match hers.

"I'm sorry your parents are fighting."

"Me to," Charlie said softly. She stared at the ground, that heavy feeling in her heart sinking down to her stomach.

"Tomorrow is gonna be a rough day," he said, just as quietly.

Charlie nodded. Her eyes had begun to sting- from exhaustion or the remains of her panic attack, she didn't know.

"I've got your back, though." Peter lay his hand on top of hers, where her finger had found the red, hurt side of her thumb. The weight of it made Charlie's hand relax, and before she knew it, their hands were gently clasped together. "Always."

Charlie stared at them. Pale, sightly freckled hands against soft brown, and the slightest bit of crimson that she'd brought upon herself.

They went well together.

"I know," She said. She held his gaze.

She meant it.

A/N

This is so late i'm so sorry

This was supposed to be the beginning of the airport scene, but I got carried away and it ended up being like 8k words, so I've split it up.

That conversation was pretty heavy. Peter and Charlie understand each other in a very deep way. For Charlie, he's a breath of fresh air, and someone she can trust.

Charlie's mental health is completely tanking. She's going to crash and burn eventually (this is so funny for me to say, because i know something most of you don't) and it's going to set her back quite a bit.

What did y'all think? What did you like, what did you dislike?

Drink some water!