"Come on, buddy, breathe with me" Tony coaxed Peter in a calming voice.
Peter's breathing continued irregularly, though, coming in short gasps. Not quite hyperventilating, but dangerously close.
The boy had been having a breakdown for a few minutes, and Tony couldn't calm him down. It didn't seem like a sensory overload, based on the boy's behavior.
What could have triggered this? The man wondered. But he was pulled from his thoughts when the kid let out another painful sob. What worried the man the most, though, was that aside from the rocking motion of his body and the chewing on his right thumb, Peter wasn't being as explosive and restless like he usually was during an episode like this. Tony was at a loss.
That was, until he could finally see what was under the tight grip of the boy's hand. A small picture of Ben Parker. Without wasting any more time, the man reached for his phone and called the person he knew would be able to help.
"Hello?" answered the voice in a mix of concern and wonder.
"Peter needs your help" Tony said, skipping the pleasantries, "it's something about Ben" he clarified.
"Got it. Put me on speaker" the voice answered, and so Tony did.
"Go on."
"Hey Peter. It's Ned" the boy said, making Peter look up in confusion as he hiccuped. "You know what I've been thinking about lately? That day when Ben took us to that carnival when we were 12, and I was so angry that I couldn't win any game, so he won at the rings and gave me the prize. It was this cute capybara plushie, remember? I still have it."
And he rambled on and on, telling different stories about the man, and Peter's crying died down to soft sniffles.
"I remember when he took us to that hot dog stand after the science fair, and you pulled the stool I was about to sit on" Ned continued, smiling in victory when he heard Peter snorting as he laughed. "Ah you think that's funny? You made me spill my soda all over myself and my hot dog" he said dramatically, before laughing along.
Peter let out another laugh, before sniffing again.
"It was a fun day, though," Ned admitted.
"I miss him" Peter blurted out after a few seconds of silence.
"I know, buddy. I miss him too, and I can only imagine how you feel."
Peter only sniffled in response, so he continued.
"And it's okay to feel more upset about it some days. But you don't have to go through it alone, okay? We're here for you."
That brought more tears to the boy's eyes, though he was not as distressed as before.
"I dreamed about him. About how we had a fight on the day- the day he…" he trailed off, not being able to finish his sentence, but Ned understood.
"I'm sorry. But for what it's worth, I know he still loved you, and he'd be so proud of you for being so strong."
At his best friend's words, Peter let out a sob, wrapping his arms around himself. Without a second thought, Tony - who had been quietly holding the phone and listening to the conversation - rested the phone next to them on the floor, and engulfed the kid in a hug, and Peter soon buried himself in his mentor's chest.
Once Peter's sobs died down again, reduced to sniffles once more, Ned broke the silence.
"Tomorrow is Sunday, and it should be warm. How about we go to the ice cream place where Ben used to take us and have his favorite sundae?"
Peter nodded with a small smile, too overwhelmed to talk, so Tony verbalized his answer for him.
"You up for it, buddy? Good! Ned can even spend the night here if he wants, I can drive you both to school on Monday."
"Awesome!" the boy exclaimed on the other end of the line. "You know, we could watch that weird movie that Ben took us to see at the movies, remember?" he suggested, and once again started rambling comfortingly, remembering the good memories of Peter's uncle.
The boy, in turn, soon started to fall asleep, exhaustion from his breakdown taking over. Once Tony was sure he was asleep, he whispered to the phone.
"Ned? He fell asleep, I'm gonna take him to bed."
"Oh that's good, my Lola has been calling me for dinner for the past 20 minutes."
Tony laughed quietly, shaking his head fondly. He really had taken a soft spot for Peter's best friend.
"Thank you for your help. Peter's very lucky to have you."
"Thanks, Mr. Stark," he responded timidly, before hanging up.
Tony carefully took Peter in his arms, though the boy still woke up briefly when the man winced at his stiff knees cracking as he stood up.
"Let's go to bed, buddy."
Tony ended up sleeping next to him, as his super-sticky fingers wouldn't let go of their hold on his t-shirt.
That night, curled up over his father-figure and still clutching the photograph in his hand, Peter dreamed of all the good memories he had with his uncle, waking up with a smile.