Chapter Text
An hour later he got his first alert. And then a few seconds later a call. He had not expected anything so soon.
“Mr.- uhh- Mr. Stark?.” The kid’s voice trembled slightly.
When he looked at the alert he saw that the kid had two injuries, one from a knife and the other from a gun.
“Kid, what’s going on?” He tried to school his tone, he didn’t want the kid to panic if he heard his mentor panic.
“Umm- Karen said I could call you when I got hurt, and usually I would have called Ned or done it myself, but Ned is out of town right now and I don’t currently have my stitch kit or like any - I ran out - so I was wondering if you could help like - uhh- please.”
“Kid, get your ass over here and you better be alive, if not I’ll end you myself.”
“Of course, Mr. Stark, imma hang up now-”
“Oh no you don’t. You will stay on call and talk the whole time you swing this way.” He took a deep breath and looked at Pepper, she was already cleaning their plates, but looked worried.
“Oh yeah no problem Mr. Stark.” And then silence, which was honestly kinda weird when it was Peter. That kid could talk about pretty much anything.
“Umm- kid, you do have to talk, if I cared to only hear you breathing, I would have pulled up your vitals.”
“Right yeah- umm- I saved 2 cats right before I was shot and stabbed, one was a tabby and the other was a very fluffy orange cat. You know I’ve always heard that orange cats are weird in a way that- like- ugh- umm- they are sillier, doing dumb things, like getting scared of cucumbers.”
“What’s wrong?” He had heard the grunge and maybe a whimper, but it had been so quiet, he might as well have imagined it.
“Just the uhh- pain.”
“FRIDAY what’s ETA?”
“Two minutes boss.”
“Uhh- Pepper imma-“
“Go for him-” There were a couple rapid knocks on the window, they turned and saw Spider-Man just sticking to the window, one arm pressing down on his leg, but still sticking.
“It has not been two minutes..” Tony looked up at one of the sensors and raised an eyebrow.
“From what I heard of Karen, he seemed to have pushed himself to get here faster than calculated.”
“Ahh, okay umm- darling, be a darling and open the window for him, also give him access to opening doors and windows when he needs to.”
“Of course boss.”
The window slid open and Peter crawled through the window.
“C’mon kid, I need to check out those heroic injuries while you explain to me how exactly you got them.”
“I’m coming too.”
“Oh you don’t have to Ms. Potts.”
“Please call me Pepper, sweetheart.”
“Oh uh yeah, Pepper.”
“How does she get Pepper and I still just get ‘Mr. Stark’.”
“Would you ignore her requests?” The kid looked at him and he was relieved that the kid seemed okay enough to continue their banter but he also looked pale and miserable.
“Well I guess not.”
“Exactly.”
The ride to med-bay on the elevator was too slow, he knew that the ride was going as fast as possible, but it still seemed so slow. The kid was practically being carried and held up by Tony alone. Peter seemed too light but didn’t think too much of it.
Once in one of the rooms, Tony started looking around, getting tweezers, stitch kit, bandages, numbing cream, and two separate shots, more numbing and pain medicine.
Pepper was already disinfecting and cleaning the wounds.
“Okay kiddo, which do you wanna start with first gun wound or stabbing?”
“Umm- gun- ugh- please.”
“Of course, underoos."
“Under- what?”
“Just a nickname, he comes up with too many.” Pepper was rubbing soothing circles between his shoulder blades, trying to help relax the kid.
“Oh okay.”
“Hope you're okay with needles cause I have two.” He meant it as a joke - the part of either liking them or not - but the moment he looked at the kid, his eyes held so much fear. It hurt Tony to see him like this.
“Kid look, I have to give these to you . If not , you'll just be in pain while I dig around trying to get the bullet out.”
“Yeah- of- of course.”
After adding the numbing cream and waiting 2 minutes, he injected the numbing shot.
After 10 minutes, he got the tweezers and started. But something stopped him.
“Kid? Can you still feel it?”
The kid nodded, biting on his bottom lip hard enough to draw blood.
“What.. it should be numb already- FRIDAY how old is this medicine-”
“N- n- no.” The kid had tears rolling down his face and his eyes showed just how much pain he was in. “Medicine won’t work- can’t work, I have enhanced metabolism.”
Shit
“Okay then- what- what do you normally use for something like this?”
“I don’t-”
It took a few seconds to realize that that was the end, there was ‘I don’t remember’ or ‘I don’t have it’, the kid just stitches himself up without medication. Fuck
“Do you want me to hold your hand, sweetheart?”
“NO- sorry, no- I- I can hurt you, super strength, I can’t really control it when- umm- in this state.”
“Oh yes of course.” She looked concerned but she couldn’t really do much.
“Okay- sorry kid- I have to start now.”
And so he did, Pepper kept rubbing the spiderling’s back and the kid held onto the hospital bed. The kid screamed and cried, he tried to hold it in at first, not wanting to be loud or anything, but after encouraging him to let it out he became loud. Tony’s heart clenched, he would make medicine for the kid to make sure he would not be in pain. After the last stitch, the arm needed like three more then on the leg, the kid looked tired.
“Hey Underroos, message that Aunt of yours and ask if you can stay for the night, tell her we stayed late doing a project and then tell us what she says.”
“N- no, I’m- I’m good.” Peter took a quick, shaky breath and started to push himself up, off the bed.
“Nope, you stay here and text her.” Pepper helped him down, barely pressing his chest but enough for the kid to get back down and pull his phone out to do as asked.
“She said it’s alright, she also said thank you, she was not getting home any time soon.” The kid looked like he was about to pass out. “Thank you, Tony.”
The kid was then helped up and taken back to the elevator. He was quiet the whole ride up to the penthouse, never mentioning that he called his mentor by his first name or even seeming to realize that he had said it.
“Kid, take that suit off and let me find you some clothes.” The kid walked to the restroom, he knew thankfully where it was since he had been over several times.
Tony walked over to his room and searched for clothes that would fit a scrawny looking kid- enhanced metabolism - the kid most likely needed a high amount of both food and stronger medicine. Heart plummeted down, how had he not realized sooner.
The kid had been starving for months now.
He had been doing self operations with no numbing or anything.
“Tony, are you okay? Come sit down.”
Pepper all but dragged him to their bed and hugged him.
Whenever he had panic attacks all he needed, all he wanted was for someone to hug him, pressure, contact.
“Tony are you- Mr. Stark sir, do you need water?” He still had his suit on, but seemed more awake. He had a cup of water in hand and was offering it.
Tony took it, but not without some banter. “R- really kid- back- back with the sir thing.” His breathing had slowed down. “We had made it to- uh- Tony.”
“Yeah, well, I was tired. I didn't notice I had even said it.”
“Well. Too bad you're calling me Tony now.” He said with a smirk. That was one of the fastest panic attacks and he was thankful. “Now let’s find you some clothes.”
He had found some sweats that were slightly shorter and should fit the kid at least length wise, and then he found a shirt, slightly faded, but older and slightly smaller than the rest of his more current clothes.
“Here kid, the smallest clothes I have.”
“Thanks Mr. Stark- I mean- Tony.” He turned and headed back to the restroom.
“Take a shower! There should be a towel in there, bottom drawer!”
“Yes I see them, thank you.”
Tony sat back down and drank the water. He could hear the shower turning on and the kid padding around in the bathroom.
A few minutes later, the kid walked out. His hair slightly damp, but you could see his messy, curly hair better, Peter had apparently been gelling his hair too much. His curls made him look younger than he actually was, it was sorta adorable. The clothes fit him slightly larger, drowning him but he looked comfortable.
“Sweetheart, do you wanna eat, watch a movie, or got to sleep?”
“I’m actually kinda hungry.”
“Yes of course, we have some leftovers so let me just heat it up for you.”
The kid ate quickly and seemed to be more tired after.
“Hey kiddo, come sit on the couch and watch a movie.”
“Yes sir.”
“Now that one didn’t even have my name.” Tony practically whined, but smirked at the kid that was already sitting on the couch. “What movie do you want to watch?”
“Mmm, Wall- E please.” The kid's eyelids kept closing but he was fighting to stay awake.
“Ahh yes, that’s actually one of my favorites.” The kid scooted closer, and he decided that sure, fuck it, and he got close enough to wrap an arm around the kid.
He didn’t cuddle with people, well only Pepper, but this kid made it so easy for it to feel natural, good, and comfortable.
He listened for the kids' breath to even out. He had fallen asleep 10 minutes into the movie. The kid's head was on his chest and actually seemed comfortable. Tony moved around slightly, getting comfortable himself and asked FRIDAY to turn off the TV.
The only light was the one in the kitchen. Pepper was still there and all.
She walked over to them and had a blanket on her hands.
“Y’all look very happy.” She covered them both with the blanket and ran her hands through Peter’s hair. “He got to you.”
“Yeah, he did.” He thought about his fear, something bad happening to Peter because he was just associated with Tony.
“It’s okay to be scared, but don’t give him up just because of that,” she shook her head dropping her hand, “he does not seem like he’d let you push him away no matter what.”
“He sure is stubborn.”
“Just like someone else I know.” She smiled at them, “FRIDAY, honey, can you take a picture of this and save it under ‘Tony’s happiness’ and send it to me as well.”
“Yes, of course,” if she had a face it would have been grinning.
“Traitors, the both of you”
“I can live with that, now go to sleep.”
~~~~~~~~~~
The lights were bright and there was a pressure on top of him. A warm, light pressure on his chest. He opened his eyes, slamming them shut the moment he got the full scope of just how bright it was in his living room.
“FRIDAY, can you dim the windows down to like 5%.”
“Of course boss”
The room felt darker, seemed darker so when he opened his eyes he was delighted to be able to keep them open. He turned his head down to see what exactly the pressure had been and saw Peter half on and half off of him, blanket on top of them both.
“Ms. Potts had asked me to tell you that another picture has been added to both her phone and the file created last night, of this position.”
“WOW, no privacy.”
“She has told me to answer that with ‘I’m your girlfriend, you don’t get privacy.”
“So what now, she is a fortune teller now.”
“She has said to tell you ‘no, you are just really predictable’.”
With that he rolled his eyes and tried to get out of the couch without waking the kid up.
He pulled on the kids hand and noticed it wouldn’t budge.
The kid was literally sticking to him. The kid could use those freaky powers of his in his sleep. He wanted to laugh at the situation he found himself in.
“FRIDAY what time is it?”
“12:35 pm”
Damn, that would make it the longest time he’d slept for. This kid.
“Mmng.”
The kid was starting to wake up. Moving slightly around.
“Heya, little octopus.”
Or he seemed to be waking up.
“N-no.” The kid just started mumbling.
Pete curled up into himself, or as much as he could while sharing a couch with someone. He grabbed Tony’s shirt tighter, and hugged harder.
“H-hey kid.”
“Mm”
“Bam-bambino, wake up!”
“S-stay.”
“Hey I’m r-right here.” I’m not leaving, he thought. That was a scary thought, he cared enough to stay for another person. One more, another who broke in-
Too much. Just slightly too hard. Peter hugged him hard enough to hurt him, not break anything, but it sure did hurt. This was going to bruise.
“Kiddo, n-now it’s actually hurting.” He started shaking the kid, he was having a nightmare and needed to be woken up. “C- C’mon kid.”
“M-mmng.”
The kid's heart was going crazy, fast and hard. He could feel it hitting his own chest.
The kid’s eyes shot open, releasing him and scrambling back. Tony sat up and rubbed his sides, he looked at the kid, panic in his eyes. He knows that look, he’s seen it several times in the mirror
“Shhh, kiddo, it’s fine, you’re fine.” He had to get the kid to calm down, he hated seeing him like this.
If you had told him two months ago that the kid he was hunting down would end up being a person he cared for and feared for, he would have laughed in your face.
But looking at the kid, trembling and crying, well, it just broke his heart.
“Kid come here-” He moved closer, getting ready to wrap his arms around the kid, but was stopped with the shaking of his head.
The kid didn’t want to be hugged, or did but was scared.
“You won’t hurt me, I promise you won’t.” He continued to move closer.
Finally after acting slowly so as to not scare the kid, he managed to get around him.
“Breath c’mon just copy my breathing.” He reached for the kid's hand and put it on his own chest, so that the panicked child would feel the speed.
He continued to breathe slowly but exaggerated for a few minutes, feeling Peter slowing down both the trembling and breathing.
“How do you feel, kid?” He asked in a hushed tone and gave a reassuring smile.
“G-good.”
“Don’t lie.”
“Better.”
“Okay, you think you’ll be good for a few seconds, imma go get you some water.” He checked around to see if he would be lucky and just moved a few inches to get water but there was none.
“I- I’ll be good.”
The water was cold. The same way Peter had given it to him. He sat next to the kid, making sure to stay close enough to just hug the kid if needed.
“Wanna talk about it?”
“It’s nothing- like important.”
“Well it had to be if it made you panic.”
“I- it was just a nightmare.”
“Yeah I got that much.” He took a breath, “Avengers get both panic attacks and nightmares, kinda comes with the job description.”
“Do you?” Peter looked up, his round and brown eyes filled with unshed tears. The kid could ask for anything and he would get it.
“Yeah, I do- made it hard to sleep- almost hurt Pepper during my sleep.” He flinched at the memory - one of his suits grabbing her arm while she was trying to help him.
“Did I hurt you Mr. Stark?”
“Roos, what did I say about the Mr. Stark thing?”
“Did I hurt you, Tony?”
“No, you did not.” That was the best thing to do, the kid would feel awful if he learned that around his mid-section little finger shaped bruises were already forming.
“Liar, I can hear your heart, you know.”
“I only have bruises, no broken bones.” That was most likely the truth, he didn’t feel anything snap. Just bruising.
“You didn’t mean it though, give yourself a break.” He moved in wrapping his arm around the kid, the same way they had fallen asleep in the first place. “Wanna tell me what your nightmare was about?”
“My uncle Ben..” Peter took a shaky breath, “I was there when he- uh- when- when he died.”
This poor kid. Having to lose your parents at a young age to a plane wreck, and later witnessing your uncle die.
He wondered how a kid being dealt with so many bad cards could stay such a ray of sunshine.
“He was shot in front of me. I h- had my powers, I- I had a way to stop the- the g-guy…” Peter was sobbing, getting worked up once again.
“I c- could have d- done some- something, but I- I didn’t, s- so a bad thing happened.”
“That’s that same thing you told me months ago, when- when we first met.” He held the tighter, and Pete seemed to bury himself into his arms.
Ding
“I- I- uhh- think that’s m-my phone.” Peter got up and wiped his face with a tissue and headed towards the kitchen where he had left his phone the night before.
May:
Sweetheart, are you heading home now?
I was called in so I’m going to be gone for a few hours, I have all of Sunday and Monday off, so we get to hand out.
I’m coming home by 5:30pm
Peter:
Did you not just finish a double??
May:
Yes I did but Marcy had to take the day off since she had a funeral to go to..
Peter:
Isn't this like her 6th funeral?
May:
Yupp
But I can’t do or say anything..
So if Mr. Stark doesn’t mind, let him watch you for a bit I’ll pick you up later after my shift.
Peter:
I’ll ask
May:
Is Ms. Potts there?
Peter:
Nope, she’s prob at a meeting though..
May:
Okay ask, I’ll see if I make some cookies for your next day over there.
Ask what type of cookies they like
Okay bye, if you can’t stay then you know where the key is.
Larb you
Peter:
Larb you too
Damn it. He was going to have to ask if he could stay here. What if Mr. Stark doesn’t want him around after that meltdown? What if he doesn’t want to continue the internship? What if-
“Pete, are you good there?” Tony had noticed Peter staring at his phone, not typing anymore, just staring.
“Uh- y- yeah, all good..” He lifted his head, forcing himself to meet his mentor's eyes. “M- May asked if it was okay for me to stay here since she got called into another shift.”
“Sorry, can you repeat that again?”
“Oh- umm- nevermind, I know that was weird. Sorry let me just- uhh-”
“No kid, literally repeat it, you started to mumble at the end. I couldn’t catch the end.” Tony looked worried but was being patient, his heart didn’t show any signs of lying.
He drew a deep breath and started again. “I was wondering, well my aunt May was wondering if I could stay here for a few more hours, she got called in since someone is going to a funeral.”
“Oh yeah, of course pip squeak, now do you want to watch TV all day or do you want to work on something.”
Tony noticed Peter physically relax after being told it would be okay.
“She also asked what type of cookies y’all wanted, she’s going to bake for y’all.”
“Fuck no, tell her she does not have to, better yet, tell her we’re allergic or on a diet.” The boy’s aunt had trouble with baking, and both of them knew so they fell into a loud laughing fit.
Yeah everything would be okay.
This was just their start.