Chapter Text
He was late. Too late to do anything but watch in horror how Peter was in time and took the hit meant to him.
“PETER!”
He wasn’t sure what happened next.
He was sure that he saw how Peter went flying backward, his body hitting the ground several feet away.
Someone was screaming. It wasn’t Peter. Maybe it was him. It sounded like him, but something was off.
He hit something harder than ever, something that tried to stop him to reach Peter. Not knowing where that power came, because only moment ago he had been too weak.
Too weak to protect himself, and instead Peter took the hit.
“Peter!”
Next he realized that he was kneeling beside the kid, ordering FRIDAY to connect Karen, ordering to see the vitals of Peter.
“He’s failing Boss. There is internal bleeding in several places. It seems that he took hit…”
Not caring, he ordered Karen to retreat Peter’s mask and saw the blood on the lips. Peter was not responding. He looked like he was just sleeping. His face peaceful, so oddly calm that it sent shivers through Tony’s spine.
“Baby, Peter, open your eyes.” He tapped Peter’s cheek, first gently, and then bit harder when he got no response. “Peter, you have to wake up, bambino. Open those big bambi eyes that I know so well. Look at me! Peter! Peter? Just fucking open your eyes!”
“The help is coming Boss, but...” it was odd to hear FRIDAY hesitate. “His pulse is weak and failing as we speak.”
“No, no, no nononono. Peter! FRIDAY, any spinal injuries?”
God, please no, don’t let there be...
“Karen says no Boss. ETA 3…”
Gently, so gently that he could, he moved Peter to cradle him on his arms, his nanotechsuit retreating so he could finally feel Peter against him. Same time Peter’s suit was retreating too. The black undershirt and pants covered the possible bruises. Peter’s feet were bare like always, not hindering his spidertouch, like he liked to say.
“Peter, hold on, please.” His fingers found the weak pulse on the neck.
“Boss, I have to inform that you have hurt your….”
But he didn’t listen, his all focus on the kid on his arms that was not responding his pleadings.
“Peter, I know it must hurt. You have to fight. You hear me? The help is coming, Peter. You are not alone. It will be all will be well soon. Just hold on. Please. For me? Peter, wake up, wake up baby…”
“Boss…”
“Shut up, shut up, shut up,” he closed his eyes, his fingers searching. “It’s not too late. Pete, kid, I love you. You know that? You have to know that. I got you kid.”
“Tony!”
“Boss, the help is here…”
Someone was trying to unfasten his grip from Peter.
“I can’t lose him, help him…”
“Tony, you have to let him go that they can do their job and help him. Tony!”
“Peter… he took the hit.” he looked up and saw his friend, trying to pry him away from the kid.
“We saw it, Tony. Come here, let us help you two.”
“I can’t feel it, the pulse.” He realized that he was crying.
“Shit.” there was others now around them, speaking over Peter’s body. Rhodney took good hold of Tony and yanked him away. They fall back.
“NO!” he screamed when he were dragged away.
“Tony, calm down! Shit, Tony, you are hurt too.”
“Peter!” he tried to move back.
“Cap! Help me!”
He tried to crawl back to his boy, watching in horror as the medical team tried to revive Peter. There was more arms holding him.
“Let me go! I have to… I must… Oh God, Peter….”
“Hold still Tony, you got hit yourself. Please. They will take care of him.” Steve was now holding him down.
“He’s not breathing! Hurry!” one of the medic yelled.
“My kid…” Tony felt how his breathing quickened.
“Tones, you have to breath, calm down.”
He couldn’t breathe. His kid wasn’t breathing. How could he?
“Pete…” he gasped air.
“You have to calm down Tony.”
The medical around Peter seemed to panic too.
“PETER!”
Tony made one last effort to reach Peter, but then there was a pain hitting his left side and he stumbled over, his breath hitching. He was falling too now.
There was a sky, blue and bright, but no air left.
“Pete…” he whispered not noticing the panic around them anymore. He moved his head, feeling the hands around the deep wound, his chest, his neck, but his eyes was searching Peter. He saw the blue lips, the closed eyes, too pale skin and the blood.
“Tony!”
Someone was calling him, but he couldn’t answer. He stared how Peter’s head lolled a bit when he was removed to the stretcher. Removed out of his sight. He felt the panic raise its head again. And he felt the pain. The world was spinning and spinning and he couldn’t breathe. Something was placed on his face, it seemed to help to breathe.
“Tony, listen, they are moving him and you to the compound. Can you hear me? Tones?”
He felt how he was lifted. The sky was back. Blue sunny sky above the death.
“Merchant of Death.” he muttered, his eyes falling shut.
Peter.
Somehow, he knew.
Peter was gone.
“What? Tony? Tony! Shit fuckin shit! You do not do this to me! You hear me?! No death, no any kind of death in my fucking watch.”
But the voices faded away. Yelling, panicking,running, everything.
It was peaceful place to be, above the pain, above all of it.
The images of Peter at the lab that morning, tinkering something, laughing, eating last night’s leftover pizza. Tony leaned over his shoulder, pointed the part from hologram picture, suggesting some improvements, Peter’s annoyed face when he slapped him away, wanting to do his own job.
And then there had been the call.
It was time to rise and go.
Be a hero.
Take the chance.
World was waiting them.
And now the world was fading.
The night fell.