Chapter Text
Morgan loved Spider-Man!
So much so that whenever she found herself bored with her homework, it would always be that same arachnid vigilante protecting the city—she could only admire her hero in the news… or sometimes, even in the skies! There was even a point when Morgan would see Spider-Man at least once every few weeks. Well, the spider isn’t aware that she’s aware of him being nearby, but it’s probably for a good reason!
Because Spider-Man was…
Morgan tilts her head against the car window.
She fiddles with her mom’s phone in the backseat, with Happy driving her from school and back to the city for the weekends to visit her dad. A routine she didn’t mind adjusting to, even if it meant having a second home in New York. Without much thought, Morgan dials a phone number only her fingers can remember.
‘Phone number unavailable.’
It wouldn’t be the first time Morgan heard that same line over and over again.
Because Spider-Man…
Because Spider-Man would have picked up the phone and asked how she’s been; Spider-Man would have answered even if he was on patrol. The little Stark couldn’t understand why the vigilante’s phone number had changed—and without the spider reaching out to her too! No warnings, no texts or replies… and maybe the vigilante’s phone broke, but even so, the spider never reached back to her. It wasn’t like him. Or, at least Morgan hoped the vigilante wasn’t ignoring her on purpose.
“Morgan?” Happy calls out.
“Yeah?” Morgan responds, not looking away from the window, watching cars pass.
“Your mom’s gonna join us later—she’s got…” Happy paused, hesitant to continue, and Morgan ignored it. “She just… has to handle some things first.”
Morgan nodded shortly. “Okay.”
Happy could only glance at Morgan with worry.
…
The day Morgan saw Spider-Man again was when Happy had to take an urgent call, leaving Morgan entering her dad’s room alone with a backpack of her graded homework and a bunch of short stories she found in the library in the nearest town to their cabin—but the moment she opened the door, she saw Spider-Man collapsed to the ground with his suit scratched and beaten up.
The door creaked open behind her, and Morgan’s body instinctively pushed the door shut.
“What-Morgan? Open the door!”
“I-I can’t!” Morgan pushed her body back, her fingers struggling to reach out for the lock of the door. “Happy, can you-” She stopped herself as her eyes snapped back to Spider-Man… who wasn’t wearing his mask anymore, revealing his curly brown hair as his face was filled with bruises and blood, so you could barely see his face. Choking down her hesitation to help an injured vigilante, Morgan tells Happy, “Can you give me a moment to talk with Daddy? Um, alone? Please?”
Between the door was a stretched silence before Happy cleared his throat.
“Oh,” Happy finally said, “Yeah-sure, of course-just… if you ever need anything, I’ll just be out here, alright?”
Morgan let out a sigh of relief. “Okay.”
Morgan waited for a while, holding the door for a few seconds, as she quietly pushed her ear against the door, making sure that Happy was walking away. Knowing that the coast was clear, Morgan turned around to see Spider-Man still lying on the floor, with the vigilante shaking his body with a groan.
“Spidey?” The little Stark called, and as those words came out of her mouth, the spider jolted awake—staring at her before he quickly raised his hand to his unmasked face with a shuddering breath.
“My mask-” Spider-Man cut himself off as he groaned in pain.
Morgan’s eyes darted towards a Spider-Man mask that had one of its eyes ripped off. She took it from the ground, ignoring the blood, and slowly stood across from the spider with the mask in her two hands.
Finally breaking the silence, Morgan asked, “Why haven’t you answered my calls?”
The spider stuttered, “Huh-what? What do you… calls?”
Morgan nodded. “Did you change your number? You should’ve told me.”
“What-? I- How do you…?” The young man looked confused at her until his whole body froze still. Morgan watched the vigilante closely. “Right. Sorry, Morgan. I broke my phone a while ago.”
Morgan tilted her head and frowned. “You should have told me.” She raised her hands to give the mask back, but with its tethered shape, it barely held together to even be considered a mask anymore. Spider-Man seemed to think the same thing and simply clutched the mask in his hands as he collected his breath.
The young man chuckles nervously as he forces his arms to support his weight. He sits against the wall, hissing at the pain in his torso. “Sorry.” His gaze fell to Morgan, who was looking at him with clear worry. “Don’t worry- I’m fine. I’m fine. I already… fixed myself up.”
“Did you sew your own injuries?”
“What-” The young man’s body flinched, and he looked at his wound: a fresh open wound and a somewhat decent attempt to sew himself. He quickly covered it with his hand and turned back to Morgan. “Don’t look at that—you shouldn’t look at that, okay? And don’t worry about it, I have super healing.” The young boy forced a reassuring grin that failed to reach Morgan, who raised her eyebrows, unconvinced. It was a familiar sense of disappointment. The young man quickly threw that sense of nostalgia away and exhaled to calm himself.
Morgan reached for her bag, pulling out a sketch pad. Flicking through some of the pages before walking up to the spider and sitting beside him. “It’s you.” Morgan points to a drawing of Spider-Man, and the young boy smiles as he hesitantly hovers his hand around the sketch, but never daring to touch the pad or Morgan herself.
“Wow, thanks, Morgan.” The spider says softly.
Morgan shows more of her drawings, most of them doodles of her daily routine or just whatever she finds interesting. For Morgan, she was making a small storybook about her own adventures for when her dad finally wakes up.
Interrupting the long silence, Morgan doesn’t look at the vigilante. “I missed you, Spidey.”
The spider doesn’t move or say anything else at that moment, only looking at Morgan's drawing of her family and a bunch of people that the spider couldn't really tell. A few moments pass, and the vigilante lets out a heavy exhale, “Yeah, I…” The young man chokes but manages to force himself, “...I miss you too.”
Morgan couldn't help but be curious; she knew Spider-Man, but only now did she see his face. “You look young.” Despite all the cuts and injuries, the spider looked young if you ignored the heavy bags under his eyes and his constant tired expression even when he smiled.
The spider chuckled to himself, “Do I really?”
“Yeah.” Morgan took out her pencils and decided to draw the boy next to her while Spider-Man only watched. Morgan guessed the vigilante probably needed time to recover, and she was happy to accompany him.
“Is that me?”
Morgan nodded as she drew Spider-Man’s curly hair.
Spider-Man opened his mouth and closed it again, hesitating to say something before Morgan looked straight back at him, putting her pencils down for a moment and holding out her hand.
“My name is Morgan Stark.”
Spider-Man blinked. “Oh, I… know,” he chuckled nervously as he attempted to clean his bloody hands before he shook hands with Morgan. “I’m Spider-Man.”
Morgan narrowed her eyes. “That can’t be your actual name, right?”
Peter choked out a dry laugh. “No, no. It isn’t.”
“Then?”
Peter paused, seeming to ponder what to tell Morgan for a moment, until he suddenly pulled his hands away and stared intently at the door. Spider-Man stood up without a word and put on the mask. It didn’t do much, considering half of his face was still exposed.
Morgan stood up and followed him. “Where are you going?”
The spider didn’t look back. “I have to go, Mrs… your mom is coming back, and technically, I’m trespassing right now.”
Morgan shook her head quickly. “No, you’re not! I’ll tell her-”
The spider knelt quickly to Morgan’s height.
“Please don’t tell anyone you saw me here.” The spider said, resting his hands on Morgan’s shoulders, “Please?”
Morgan frowned and reached to hold Spider-Man’s hands. “Okay. But you’ll come back, right?”
The spider hesitated. “...Yeah. Uh, yeah, I’ll try.”
Pepper opened the door slowly, just as she heard what Morgan had said to Happy—but the spider had already escaped through the window, and Morgan tried to act as normally as she could, given the situation, as she just finished cleaning up the small amounts of blood on the floor.
…
The next time Morgan and Spider-Man saw each other was two months later. Her mom was sleeping just by her dad’s side, and Morgan saw a tall, lanky figure go by the window. Of course she knew who it was. For a spider, Spider-Man wasn’t really that good at hiding himself. She quietly went to open the window and whispered to the night, “Spidey? Are you there?”
“My mom’s asleep. You can come in.”
Finally, she sees a shadow looming closer and something sticky climbing through the walls. Spider-Man reveals himself and goes inside as quietly as possible, with Morgan smiling by his side. Spider-Man placed his finger near his lips, signalling for Morgan to be quiet, and Morgan did the same gesture, grinning. Taking the spider’s hands, Morgan guided him to the other side of the room where they could sit.
“I don’t know if I should-”
“Mom is a heavy sleeper; you’ll be fine.” Morgan insists, and the two of them sit down; the spider doesn’t take off his mask.
Morgan takes a paper from her bag and shows it to the spider. It was her science exam score.
“Hey, you got a 95. That’s really good, Morgan.” Spider-Man says, though his voice was raspy and weak.
Morgan only nods and smiles at her work. “Of course. A lot of my teachers tell me I’m very smart, like Dad.”
Spider-Man chuckles softly as the vigilante glances towards the man sleeping on the hospital bed. “Yeah, you two are really alike.”
Morgan takes her paper back, swinging her legs back and forth, happy that someone was talking to her on these kinds of nights. “Did your injuries heal now?”
“Yeah, it’s practically gone.” The spider shrugged. “I had to stitch my suit up again, though.”
Morgan hummed, “Didn’t you have an iron suit?”
The spider paused. “How… how do you know that?”
“I saw drawings of it,” Morgan said, ignoring the intense stare from the vigilante. “From my dad’s study. I’m not really supposed to be there, but… I like it there. Like Dad is in the room with his hunched back to whatever he’s busy reading.”
The spider doesn’t respond, and Morgan could only guess what happened to the vigilante’s current suit. It wasn’t all bad by any means; it’s just that… Morgan found drawings about Spider-Man’s suit, and when she asked FRIDAY, she found out that her dad had made several prototype suits for the vigilante. If her dad was making so many versions, why hadn’t he just given it to Spidey? Sure, it’s a bit strange and all, but it would be a nice gift, even if the vigilante chooses not to wear it.
They fell into silence, and Morgan took a quick glance at Spider-Man, who seemed to be looking into the distance.
Morgan decides to finally ask the question that’s been stuck on the tip of her tongue every time she meets the vigilante, “You never told me your name.”
“Well… I don’t think that’s really important.” Spider-Man says as he waves his hands vaguely around his masked face, “You know. It would ruin the whole anonymous thing.”
“But I already know what you look like.”
The spider doesn’t respond for a moment before he nods his head slightly. “Good point.” Spider-Man sat more comfortably as he looked down at the little Stark. “Why do you wanna know?”
“Reasons.” Morgan shrugs. “And because you keep de… uh, deflecting.”
“Deflecting.” Spider-Man repeated, “That’s a big word.”
“I’m nine.” Morgan frowned, and the spider stared.
“...yeah, you’re pretty big now, huh?” The spider chuckled, and Morgan frowned.
“You still haven’t answered.” Morgan said, “I won’t search you up, y’know. That’s not how friends work.”
Spider-Man shrugs. “Well, you probably won’t be able to find much anyway.”
“You disappear, and don't reach out. I’m pretty sure you owe me at least your name.”
That sentence seemed to hit, as Spider-Man stayed quiet for a while before exhaling softly, fiddling with his hands as Morgan waited for his answer.
Morgan could see every bit of hesitation, she didn’t want him to push her away but just as Morgan was about to open her mouth to tell the vigilante it was just a joke, the spider cleared his throat and told her, “Peter.” The spider said, his voice cracking as he introduced himself, “...My name is Peter Parker.”
Morgan stared, and the vigilante- Peter, did not dare to look back at her face. “Well, you do look like Peter.”
Peter, with his shoulders still tense, barked out a laugh, not expecting her words. “Really?”
Morgan doesn’t offer any explanation as she didn’t feel like she needed to. Truthfully, she thought Spider-Man would have given her a fake name, but seeing how the vigilante had forced himself to be honest settled mixed feelings inside of her. Vigilantes always kept their identities secret, whether to protect their privacy or to protect their loved ones, or maybe a mix of both—and by revealing this much of their identity is also risking the person whom they revealed to.
“I shouldn’t be here.”
Morgan inhaled sharply. It was… this again. And Morgan didn't know what to do but call out his name quietly, “Peter?”
“No—you… I shouldn’t have…” Spider-Man paced around shortly before finally facing Morgan. “Sorry, Morgan. I have to go. Please just… Forget that I was ever here, alright?”
“But you just got back-” Morgan says, but Spider-Man already fled through the window, not even taking the time to bid her farewell.
Morgan was left back in the hospital room, the only one awake once more on a lonely night.
…
“You want a phone?”
Happy stared at his niece, who only nodded without giving any other explanation.
“I thought you already had one?”
Morgan’s face remained unchanged. “I just want an extra one. You know. In case I get robbed.”
“What—You are not getting robbed!”
“Duh, not right now, but,” Morgan shrugged her shoulders, “You never know what might happen.”
Happy looked even more confused, wondering what was in Morgan’s head. “What do you even mean by that?
“I just want a backup phone, Happy.”
“Still, you are not getting robbed—ever!” The older man pointed his finger at her.
“I’m just saying!” Morgan retorted, “Besides, if my other phone breaks, then I can use the other one! If you think about it… it’s an… investment.”
Happy stared at his niece, suspicious of a little girl, but he tossed that idea for now and sighed, “Listen, if you find yourself in any danger, you already know what to do, right?”
Morgan nods, “Yup.”
Happy stood silent for a while before sighing in defeat, “Fine, I’ll get you one.”
Morgan grinned as she finished her breakfast.
…
Morgan doesn’t open her new Starkphone; she still has it packaged and wrapped, but she carries it in her bag every day. Sure, there was extra weight in her bag, but she didn't mind much—she was strong, and also very determined to give the Starkphone to Spider-Man as soon as she could.
Although it’s been months, during the winter, she saw Spider-Man wearing a jacket that had tons of holes with a really thin scarf—If Spider-Man could sew his own wounds, surely he would've at least sewn the holes in his jacket. It bothered Morgan, but she feared asking about it would only make Spider-Man pull away again.
And thinking about that makes her chest feel heavy.
“Since when did you like Spider-Man?”
Morgan’s mom asked. Well, for almost a month now, Morgan had been buying some keychains and themed pencils that had any relation to Spider-Man. And now, with those very same pencils, she was drafting out her math answer on the dining table.
“For a while now.”
Morgan ignores her mom’s frown. She doesn't really like making her worry.
“Well… is Iron Man still your favourite?”
Morgan snaps her head back to her mother. “Of course!” She says quickly before realising how quickly she had said it and lowers her head back to her homework again.
Any mention of her dad was… or is a sensitive subject, even now.
She misses him too.
But waiting isn't too bad, because she’ll make sure to show her dad how great she’s been at school and how mature she is for her age, or whatever the teachers tell her. She wondered if he’d be proud of her test scores too.
She didn’t know.
And sometimes, the very thought of her dad waking up makes her anxious.
Morgan quickly shook off those thoughts and focused back on answering her homework. She disliked the feeling of not knowing anything.
A glass of iced chocolate milk was placed right beside her paper.
“I’m not saying you can’t have other favourites, sweetie,” Pepper said as she sat next to her. “I’m just a bit curious.”
Morgan looked at her mom, wondering what to tell her with all the things that have happened for the past few months. “I think he’s really cool—there are a lot of videos of him parkouring, fighting bad guys, and… he makes New York safe.” Morgan paused. “And he’s also red. Mostly.”
Pepper chuckled at Morgan’s added part and brushed her child’s hair. “Well, he’s done a lot of things in New York; I can see why you like him.”
Morgan only offered a short smile in response as Pepper stared into the distance.
Spider-Man.
She was quite familiar with the vigilante, observing the man from afar ever since he'd been spotted swinging near the hospitals too often. But even so, she knew the vigilante wasn’t someone she should be wary of, especially considering that Tony had recruited the man during Germany.
There was a bit of trust that she placed in Spider-Man, enough that if he was near and something happened to Morgan—he would be there to help. Pepper was certain, but trust can only go so far with someone who hides behind a mask. But, truthfully, seeing Morgan have interest in Spider-Man makes her anxious; her child was already growing too fast, and Pepper can only watch and hope to miss nothing else of her child’s life.
She couldn’t afford that being taken away from her too.
…
It took three weeks for Morgan to see Peter again, and true to her word, she didn’t try investigating the man behind the mask. Well, kinda. But even then, what Peter had said last time—there was truly no evidence of him, like a clean slate, as if someone suddenly popped into existence that even FRIDAY had barely any report.
Morgan didn’t search him up… just asked someone with a lot of information about Peter. And to her disappointment, there was nothing and the wrapped phone still remained hidden in her bag.
She was alone again with her dad while her mom went to talk to a bunch of doctors. It doesn’t take long, but recently, her mom would be away for an hour or two. Morgan glanced at his dad, wishing he could nudge him to wake up quickly. One more year and she’ll graduate elementary.
And Morgan tries not to hope.
She was sitting by the window when she noticed it slowly open, and a spider crawled to the ceiling, not noticing the little star staring at him. The spider looked at her dad before finally noticing Morgan staring.
“Peter,” Morgan called out. She didn’t quite know whether she should be angry or happy to see the spider. Maybe both.
The spider froze before slowly putting his feet back on the ground. “Morgan,” he said quietly.
“Don’t worry, Mom won’t be back for a while,” Morgan said, trying to look as unbothered as possible after finally seeing the spider. “What are you doing here?”
“Listen… about last time,” Spider-Man scratched his head, his mask still on, “And… well, just everything. I’m sorry.”
Morgan blinked. “Oh.”
Silence filled the room as Spider-Man took off his mask, and at this point, Morgan had noticed that whenever Peter took his mask off—she could only see how many cuts and injuries were scattered on his face. Morgan looked at her bag for a while before slowly pulling out the wrapped Starkphone.
“If you’re sorry, take this.” Morgan said as Peter slowly walked to reach the Starkphone, “And add my number!”
“You didn’t have to…” Peter only stared at the Starkphone. “Have you been… carrying this around?”
“Duh,” Morgan says. “I can’t tell where you are. Well, except for the SpideyTracker.”
And that caught Peter’s attention. “...SpideyTracker?”
Morgan tilts her head. “You haven’t heard about it?”
“No, I—” Peter then sits next to Morgan. “This… SpideyTracker. It tracks wherever I am?”
“Pretty much, yeah.” Morgan nods. “But it’s not really accurate sometimes.”
Peter seemed to be deep in thought, and Morgan asked the vigilante another question that's been bothering her. “How do you even get paid, y'know, as Spider-Man?”
Peter looks at her and sheepishly admits, “I don’t.”
“...Is that why you’re-” Morgan stops herself, hiding her question with a cough, but Peter knew what she was gonna say anyway.
“Yeah,” Peter chuckles, “I take small jobs here and there; sometimes I sell what I can. But I do have a pretty stable job at Delmar’s. Ever heard of ‘em?”
Morgan thinks for a while. “I think we passed by it sometimes. What do you do?”
“I deliver.” Peter answers with a smile, “Being Spider-Man and all, it makes the job easier.”
Morgan stares at Peter. “You must be the best food delivery man in New York.”
Peter laughs, “Yeah—I probably am.”
With a huff, the little Stark points to the phone again, “That’s yours, and only yours. Okay, Pete?” Morgan says as her eyes winced towards the spider that still seemed to hesitate to accept her gift. She looked at the unopened Starkphone. “Are you gonna open it back home?”
“Home?” Peter looks back at Morgan before covering himself. “Oh, yeah. I don’t really wanna break another phone.”
A beat, Peter says, “Thank you, Morgan.”
Morgan only nods in response and looks back to her dad. “I’ve been telling Dad stories ever since he’s been asleep, but lately, there's not much story to tell.”
Peter tilts his head, “Really? No adventures of Miss Little Stark?"
Morgan raised her head, “Little Stark? I’m not little anymore!”
Peter only hummed with a smile, and Morgan glared at him. Peter looked back to her father and said, “You know, you can tell him about anything, really. He doesn’t have a choice but to listen and,” Peter glances back at the little Stark, “Regardless, I think Mr Stark will enjoy talking to him.”
Morgan ponders for a while. “Do you think he hears about what Mom and I talk about? Or… do you think he dreams about the stories I tell him?”
“Well, what kind of stories?”
“I dunno,” Morgan shrugged. “But what if Dad is really hungry? Do you think I should talk to him about dinner?”
Peter laughed, “I’m sure he’d appreciate that—a big feast in his dreams. But wouldn’t you also get hungry too by talking about dinner?”
“Hm, fair.” Morgan nods. “But Dad is listening to both of us right now, isn’t he? Does Dad know you’re Spider-Man?”
“Uh, I—no, I don’t think… yeah, your dad doesn’t know who I am.” Peter admits, “It’s… you know, the whole being a professional hero… anonymity thing.”
Morgan stares at Peter. “I guess.” She didn't really know much about heroes; for her, they're all a bit confusing.
Peter straightened his back and looked back to the door.
“Sorry, Morgan, I have to go now.”
Morgan only nodded slowly; Spider-Man could probably sense her mom coming. Her eyes followed Peter taking his mask and opened the window once more, but before he went, Morgan called his name.
“Peter?” Morgan says, “Thank you for talking to me again.”
The spider mask doesn’t move and only nods, “Yeah. I… Thank you, Morgan. I’ll talk to you soon.” And he waved his unopened Starkphone, and Morgan beamed.
Morgan watches Spider-Man swing away, and her mom comes back with Rhodey and Happy, much more solemn than the last time she’s seen them.
…
Ever since, Peter and Morgan have been calling whenever the vigilante had time to spare; she even bribed FRIDAY to keep their calls a secret from her mom—well, it’s not really a secret since no one ever asked her if she knew Spider-Man.
She really shouldn’t cause any more worries.
“I’m not quite sure what to do anymore, Rhodey.”
“I don’t even know how to tell her.”
Morgan should be sleeping, but she just finished talking to the vigilante on the phone. She wished that they could’ve talked more, and she could avoid hearing more than she should.
It’s obvious when Pepper would leave her alone for prolonged periods of time and would often already be in the hospital when Morgan was just arriving. With how baggy her eyes have been, and how often she's quietly staring into the distance—it’s not that hard to put two and two together when she hears the whispers at the hospital and when everyone’s more attentive to her than usual, as if anytime she would be broken glass.
She knew the chances were already slim
But in these five years there was hope.
Was.
Her Dad was dying, and there was nothing Morgan Stark could do about it.
…
It was a quiet morning, and Morgan and Pepper were doing their usual walk through the park when a phone call pulled Pepper’s attention away. Before long, Happy arrived to pick them up, and suddenly they were speeding back to the hospital.
Morgan knew something major must have happened. Though she didn't understand it yet, her own heart pounded in sync with Pepper’s as she rested her head against her mother's chest. Once they arrived, Morgan stayed behind with Happy. She watched her mom, who looked utterly confused by whatever the doctors were explaining.
Suddenly, Morgan found herself standing in front of the door again, terrified to open it. When she finally pushed it open, she saw her father awake. His eyes locked directly onto hers. Her shoulders tensed, a sudden wave of worry washing over her about what he might be thinking of her at that moment.
“Morgan,” her father’s voice croaked. Hearing it, Morgan cried for the first time since the first time she saw her dad unconscious on the hospital bed.
…
Morgan’s calls with Peter had come to a sudden halt, leaving her wondering what she had done, or what she hadn’t done.
Her mom had been acting suspicious lately, and Morgan was back to being left completely in the dark. Finally, after three long days, she was allowed to visit her dad. That was until she saw the crowd gathered outside the hospital, a sea of people dressed in vibrant red and blue.
Morgan furrowed her brows. She caught her mom murmuring something to Happy before their car abruptly veered down another route. They slipped into a discreet, secondary parking area used to bypass the press whenever the media caught wind of something.
But these people weren't regular reporters.
They were all wearing Spider-Man suits, costumes, and themed clothes, all while there were signs and posters showing appreciation to the vigilante.
“Mommy?” Morgan called out as they walked through the quiet hallways. “Why are there Spider-Man fans outside?”
“Well,” Pepper began softly, “He’s… he’s here.”
“Really?!” Morgan beamed. For a fleeting second, she thought they wouldn’t have to hide their little meetings anymore. But her smile faltered when she looked up at her mom’s eyes. They looked exactly the same as the day they first rushed to the hospital. Following a heavy pause, Pepper opened her mouth to speak, but Morgan cut her off.
“...He’s hurt.”
Her mom simply nodded, her grip on Morgan's hand visibly tightening.
So that’s why.
Morgan walked on in a daze. Before she knew it, they were nearing her father's room.
“Mom, can I visit Spidey?”
Her mom quickly shook her head. “No, no. I’m sorry, dear. He’s still… being treated right now. No one is allowed to visit him for the time being.”
Morgan stared at the floor before quietly replying, “Okay.”
Pepper glanced back at Happy over her shoulder. Both of them had been deeply worried about Morgan lately, especially with how distant she had become. Pepper thought back to their previous conversation about Morgan’s sudden interest in the vigilante, and how Tony had reacted to hearing the spider had been hospitalised. Driven by that fear, Pepper had personally ensured the city's best doctors were assigned to save him, especially with the unnerving news about a dangerous enhanced individual still running loose.
The entire situation made her uneasy.
She asked Happy if he could stay with Morgan and Tony for a while. Happy nodded quickly, asking no questions. With her family secure, Pepper turned and walked down the intensive care corridor until she found herself standing in front of Spider-Man’s room.
Pepper had already handled all the necessary paperwork to protect the vigilante’s recovery and guard his privacy. And with hesitation, she did the same for New York's wanted fugitive.
She knew she shouldn’t have. She knew exactly how dangerous this was. Just by harbouring him here, she was risking the lives of her husband, her daughter, and every medical professional in the building.
He hadn’t moved a muscle since he first carried Spider-Man into the emergency room. Although he was dressed entirely in black, the amount of blood splattered across his clothes, staining his calloused hands, was unmistakable.
She shouldn’t have let him stay, either.
But Pepper had allowed it on one condition: that he surrender his weapons. The man had complied quietly, looking at her as if he fully expected her to call law enforcement. Even though Pepper could do that anytime, he refused to leave the kid's side.
Exhaling a wave of built-up stress, Pepper placed her hand on the doorknob and hesitated.
“He’s not gonna bite, y’know,” The Punisher muttered from the shadows.
Pepper frowned, turning her head. “Then why haven’t you gone inside?”
The man didn't reply, offering only a cold glance as he stood up. “I gotta wash up before I see the kid.”
Pepper watched Frank Castle walk away down the hall. With a sharp huff of breath, she finally turned the handle and opened the door.
...
She hadn’t expected Spider-Man to be so… young.
He looked barely in his twenties. Considering Spider-Man was noted to be one of the vigilantes who had blipped, and knowing Tony had recruited him all the way back in Germany… this kid had been operating since he was fourteen years old.
The file read Peter Parker, with almost nothing else attached to the name. It was as if his entire existence had been scraped clean. It felt wrong. A kid his age should have been in high school, not locked in combat with superpowered beings. He should have been hanging out with friends or going on field trips, not trapped in the vacuum of space fighting a murderous alien.
Pepper had a million questions for the boy, but her gaze drifted to the small pile of gifts and get-well messages New York citizens had given the staff to show their support and love for the vigilante. Spider-Man was a good person; she knew that much.
But looking at the fragile kid in the bed, she could only hear the lead surgeon's grim voice echoing from their meeting an hour ago.
“It’s strange, Mrs Stark,” the surgeon had admitted, rubbing his tired eyes. “Of course, we followed standard protocols for patients with enhanced biology. But even with an accelerated healing factor, he should have been dead the moment the bullet hit him. For Christ's sake, it was a .50 BMG calibre round.”
“The shot struck near his spine,” the doctor had emphasised. “The bullet sent a massive kinetic shockwave through his body that completely shut down his nerve signals. It ruptured his major blood vessels—he was in profound hemorrhagic shock by the time he arrived. That kid should have been…” The doctor trailed off, clearing his throat. “Even if the surgery went perfectly, he would've been brain dead. Paralysed from the neck down, if we were being optimistic.”
Taking a heavy breath, the doctor had delivered the impossible truth: “It took fifteen minutes to transport him here. He absolutely should have been Dead on Arrival.”
Pepper had grimaced. “But he isn't?”
“No. It’s incredibly difficult to explain, and everything I’m about to say is pure medical speculation. The kid… is clinically dead. Or rather, he was. He has a severe traumatic brain injury. His heart and lungs should have already failed entirely. But they haven't. It kept him viable during surgery, but it defies medical science, enhanced abilities or not.” The doctor massaged his temples. “Both his lungs and his heart are experiencing a kind of simulated respiration from god knows where. We’re observing him around the clock. He’s stable, but we don’t know how long it will last. Right now, his EEG is showing almost zero electrical brain activity.”
“But,” the doctor exhaled, trying to find a silver lining, “His brain tissue is slowly regenerating. If we stay positive, his enhanced healing will return.”
“So this… whatever miracle this is, we’re just supposed to hope it lasts long enough for him to recover?”
“...For lack of better words, yes. As impossible as it sounds.”
Tony hadn't responded to the doctor. He had simply spun his wheelchair around and rolled back toward his room. Pepper had thanked the physician before hurrying after her husband.
“Tony, no.”
“I’m not doing anything, Pep.”
“You’re going to investigate what happened at the Damage Control facility,” Pepper said, cutting off his path. “And I’m telling you: no.”
“And what, I’m just supposed to sit here and do nothing while the kid is trapped in some kind of limbo?!” Tony snapped, his voice cracking with a rare, desperate grief.
“Tony, please.” Pepper stepped closer, placing herself directly in front of him. She bit her trembling lip and leaned down, resting her forehead near his. “You're still recovering.”
Tony didn’t break eye contact. With a sharp hiss of pain the man could feel from his heart to his left hand, he muttered, “Doing nothing stresses me out more.”
Pepper stared at him for a long moment. “Morgan is on her way up. Talk to your daughter first. Let me… let me go see how Spider-Man is doing, alright?”
At the mention of Morgan, Tony hesitated. His shoulders slumped.
Pepper reached down to take his hands, and they came to a silent agreement.
Still, as Pepper stood by the kid’s bedside, a lingering question bothered her. If Spider-Man was clearly someone incredibly important to Tony—someone Tony was willing to tear himself apart for—why couldn't she remember him? Why couldn't she remember this boy behind the mask?
She had already tasked FRIDAY with digging into his past, but the AI had returned an unnervingly sparse file.
[Peter Parker. 22 years old. No recorded educational background. No living or recorded family members. Resides in a run-down apartment in New York. Employed as a delivery boy for Delmar’s Deli for the past four years.]
The record was too clean. Like the boy was a ghost, and Pepper knew with absolute certainty that information about Peter Parker had been erased.
A sudden beep from the monitor shattered her thoughts. The man remained still and asleep.
Once he wakes up, Pepper Stark was going to figure out whether this mysterious boy was a danger to her family or not.