Iron Maiden

I shot up in bed, sweat pouring off my skin, my heart thumping like I'd just run a marathon. I pulled the covers back with shaky hands, sliding out of bed and out of my room.

I padded down the hallway to the kitchen, not surprised to find the light on. My dad sat at the counter, a file laid out in front of him.

"Hey, kid." He said as I grabbed a glass off the shelf, filing it with water. "Bad dream?"

"Yeah."

"C'mere." He pushed the file away, sliding the stool farther from the counter. He pulled me onto his knee like he used to do when I was younger. "Tell me about the dream."

"I'm falling. I can feel the wind whipping around me, then suddenly I'm submerged in ice. I keep hearing this voice say 'I found you' over and over. And there's these eyes, these blue eyes that keep begging me to help them. But I can't move. I'm frozen." My dad nodded his head, deep in thought. "It happens every night. I don't know what to do."

"Here." My dad handed me his glass of scotch.

"Dad-"

"Don't worry, it'll put you right to sleep. We won't tell Pepper anything."

I brought the glass to my lips, taking a sip of the strong liquid. It left a burning trail down my throat as I swallowed.

"Aren't you supposed to be discouraging me from drinking?"

"You need it more than I do. Plus, I'm Tony Stark. I don't discourage much."

I took another sip of the burning liquid, wincing as it tore a fiery path down my throat.

I placed the now almost empty glass on the counter, leaning on my dad's shoulder. He leaned his head against mine for a second before scooping me up and taking me back to bed.

He tucked me in, kissing my forehead before slipping out the door.

I closed my eyes, rolling onto my side. The scotch was starting to numb me as I slowly drifted off.

Before I knew it, I was falling again.