fill for @spooky-starker-week Bingo 2021: After Dark
Summary: For someone who acts so tough, Peter never expected Tony to be such a scaredy cat.
Content: fluff, same-age Starker
Word Count: 0.8K
Read on AO3
It was a dark and stormy night.
Really, it was, and Tony and Peter had decided to spend it by watching shitty 1-star Halloween movies.
“Ooh, I’m so scared,” Tony said, waving his hands as a man in bad zombie makeup jumped out from behind a wall. He mimicked the main characters’ cries as they ran from the monster. Peter laughed, turning from his position on the couch to slap Tony’s arm.
“Stop it,” he said through a chuckle. “At least try to focus on the plot, will you?”
“What plot? The one where the couple run out of flour in the middle of the night so they knock on the door of a haunted house?”
Peter rolled his eyes, snuggling into his boyfriend’s chest. Tony’s hold on Peter tightened as he pulled him in closer by the shoulders, leaning his cheek on Peter’s head. They watched as the woman on the screen ascended the stairs of the Victorian-style house. She entered the bedroom, looking around warily as she approached the closet.
“I’m sure there won’t be any monsters in there,” Tony said.
The woman opened the closet doors, revealing a man dressed in white.
“Oh my god! It’s a ghost!” Tony slapped his hands over his eyes, peeking out from between his fingers. “I can’t believe it, I totally didn’t expect that.”
Peter couldn’t control his fits of laughter as he watched Tony make the dumbest jokes, poking fun at every flaw in the movie. More than the jokes themselves, Peter just liked seeing Tony enjoy making him laugh. He studied the fluttering of Tony’s long lashes and the way his lips twitched with amusement, admiring the way the screen illuminated him in blue amongst the darkness. Warmth pooled in Peter’s chest at the sight.
He loved Tony so much.
Tony raised his eyebrows when he caught Peter staring.
“What?”
“Nothing,” Peter said, offering a small smile.
A flash of white burst in from the window, followed by a crack of thunder booming through the room. Tony yelped and kicked his legs off the couch, shielding himself beneath the blanket. Peter erupted into a fit of laughter.
“Tony, that’s enough, come on,” he said between chuckles. Tony stared at him, his face slightly flushed, only laughing half-heartedly in response.
They carried on roasting the movie, cracking each other up as they went along. Tony was less witty than before, though, and Peter couldn’t help but notice how he was a little more on edge.
As the thunder rumbled outside, rain pelting against the window in heavy splatters, Tony pulled his knees up to his chest, tugging up the blanket to shield more of his body. He stayed quiet even as multiple horribly-dressed vampires began to chase the woman.
“You okay?” Peter asked halfway through the movie.
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”
“You seem kinda nervous. Is something bothering you?”
“I’m not nervous. I just-“
The TV blinked out, casting the room in complete darkness. Tony cried out, then cleared his throat.
“Ugh, great. Now the power’s out,” Peter grumbled. “It couldn’t have waited till after the movie?”
Peter turned on the flashlight on his phone, shining it against Tony to see his wide-eyed expression.
“What’s up with you?” Peter said, furrowing his brows.
He searched Tony’s face, and then the realization dawned on him.
“Wait, you’re not afraid of the dark, are you?”
Tony looked away, not meeting Peter’s gaze. It was all the confirmation Peter needed.
“Aww, baby, come here.”
Peter tugged Tony towards him, folding his arms around his shoulders, a hand reaching up to caress his hair.
“Poor baby is scared of the dark,” Peter cooed, making Tony groan and wriggle in his grasp. Peter tightened his hold on the boy, which Tony reluctantly relaxed into.
“It’s not like I believe in ghosts or monsters or anything,” Tony muttered. “It’s just that I don’t like not being able to see what could be lurking in the shadows. And thunder makes me jumpy.”
“It’s okay,” Peter whispered into Tony’s hair. “I get it. I don’t think of you as childish or anything because of it.”
“And I’m not a poor baby,” Tony huffed. “I’m a big boy.”
“Yeah, you’re a big boy, aren’t you? You’re a tough boy who just happens to be afraid of thunderstorms and the dark,” Peter said. “It’s alright. You don’t have to be so brave all the time.”
He pressed a kiss to Tony’s jaw, making his eyelids flutter at the touch. Tony leaned into him, and Peter closed the gap to connect their lips together.
“I’ll protect you from the monsters, okay?”
Tony grumbled but nodded, his eyes half-lidded as he leaned up to kiss Peter again. Their tongues danced lazily together, caressing each other against the backdrop of the pattering rain.
Tony was usually the big spoon, but that night it was Peter who held him tight in his arms, engulfing him in his warmth. Tony relished the feeling of Peter’s body pressed against his back, the familiar scent of Peter’s detergent relaxing him. He placed a hand on Peter’s, rubbing his thumb over his knuckles. Tony smiled as Peter’s hand closed around his, lacing their fingers together.
