Chapter Text
Peter felt numb. He was standing outside as everyone was in the cabin. Tony Stark’s funeral. For some reason Peter thought Tony could never die, he let out a small dry laugh at the thought of his naiveness.
It has been a week since Tony took his last breath. It has been a week since Iron Man took his last breath. It has been a week since his mentor took his last breath. He hadn’t actually cried all day, that surprised him.
The summer wind was blowing against Peters face but he didn’t care. He watched the ripples of the river where they sent of Tony’s arc reactor. That was the last Peter would ever see of Tony. That stupid piece of vibranium, that was all.
Peter was angry. Angry that he died so soon. Angry that Tony wouldn’t be able to help him anymore. Angry that Tony was gone.
A tear trickled down his face and he practically fell onto the steps and threw his face in his hands.
Why did it have to be Tony?
The door creaked and a boy with blond hair about his age walked out.
“Oh sorry I didn’t know anyone was out here.” The boy said. His face was red and he was playing with the ends of his suit.
“It’s fine” Peter said in a dry raspy voice.
“Can I sit down? I feel like I’m intruding on the others.”
I'llPeter nodded and the boy sat down next to him with his knees to his chin. They sat in silence other than their sniffling.
“I’m Peter. Peter Parker” Peter said, his eyes on his shoes.
“Harley Keener”
“How’d you know him?” It felt weird speaking of Tony in the past tense.
“Saved his life”
Peter swung his head to make eye contact with the other boy. He raised an eyebrow.
“Long story,” Harley said.
“We have time” Peter replied. He wanted to talk to someone that knew Tony. And it felt weird talking to the avengers or Pepper.
Harley smiled. And told him the story, and how they kept in contact over the years.
“You saved Iron Man’s life when you were ten?!?”
Harley laughed, “Yep”
“Damn, you should be an avenger”
“Yeah I’m pretty strong” He pretended to flex a muscle and Peter snorted a laugh.
“So you live in Tennessee?”
“Yeah but I think I’m gonna stay here for a bit. I’m off school and Pepper offered me a place to stay in the Stark Tower” Harley said the last part fancily.
“Wow fancy”
“You know it. Anyways how do you know Tony?”
Peter didn’t know what to say. I’m Spiderman. That would sound insane. “I was an intern for him. He knew my dad. But we were close.” Peter felt guilty for making up this lie but there was no way he could tell the truth.
“Hmh.”
“It’s weird, isn’t it? Iron many, the great Tony Stark, genius billionaire playboy, is… Gone.”
“Yeah…”
A somber silence fell over them.
The door opened and someone stepped out. It was May.
“Oh! Sorry. I didn’t know anyone else was out here.”
Harley nodded his head awkwardly.
“Ready to go Pete?” She asked softly.
Peter nodded his head.
“Could I have your number?” Harley asked.
“Sure.” Harley opened his phone and handed it to Peter. He punched in his number and handed it back.
“Bye,” Peter said with a wave.
May and Peter walked to the car silently.
“Who was that?” She asked as they got to the car.
“Just someone that knew Tony.”
“Okay. I have to go back to the office for a couple of hours but I was thinking I could pick up some dinner after?”
“Yeah, sure”
“Alright.”
They drove to the apartment silently. Peter stared out of the window on the long car ride. There was something so ironic to Peter about this whole situation. Tony- one of the closest people in Peter’s life- died to kill a monster. Yes, the big-bad dies but so did Iron Man. It makes no sense.
Finally, they got to the apartment. May kissed Peter on the top of his head, “I’m proud of you Peter. I want you to know that.”
“I know”
Peter stepped out of the car and headed for his home.
He let out an exhale as he walked into his room. He set down his jacket on a chair and sat down on the floor, cupping his head in his hands.
His phone buzzed with a text from Ned.
Neddie boy: Are you back home? If so do you want to talk?
Peter hated the pitying looks and conversations from his friends. He loved them but he felt weird talking to them this way.
Spiderboy: Im home but i think im just gonna take a nap
Neddie boy: alright
Peter did not take a nap, he watched Staw Wars.
He was a little bit over 45 minutes into the movie when his phone buzzed from an unknown number.
Unknown: Peter?
Peter: Hi
(Peter changed Unknown to Harley)
Harley: i got back like 20 minutes ago. What have you been doing?
Peter: watching star wars
Harley: seriously?
Peter: yup
Harley: which one?
Peter: phantom menace
Harley: ew
Peter: do u watch star wars?
Harley: nope but ive seen the phantom menace and it baddddddd
Peter: thats nice
Harley: im right
Peter: whatever you want to believe.
Harley: lemme watch it
Peter: how?
Harley: facetime
Peter: the qualities gonna be shite
Harley: it’s phantom menace, it already is
Peter: walked right into that
(Incoming call from Harley to Peter)
“It holds up!” Peter said after over two hours of watching the movie, which was filled with sarcastic remarks from Harley, and Peter getting excited at the good parts and practically quoting the entire movie.
“It’s funny, I’ll give it that”
“Not in the good way?”
“Not in the good way.”
Peter laughed, “Still my favorite movie”
“That’s your favorite movie?!?”
“Yup”
“That’s just scary”
“What’s your favorite movie?”
“Ferris Bueller's Day Off”
“You know what that’s actually a good movie”
“It’s the best movie”
“Ever?”
“Ever”
“Maybe”
“You aren’t allowed to have an opinion, you like the Phantom Menace!”
“Just any opinion in general?”
“Yes. I’m protecting people.”
“That’s nice.”
Peter’s door opened and May stuck her head in.
“Peter I got dinner.” She said not noticing Harley on his phone.
“Ok give me a sec.”
She left Peter’s room and returned to the living room.
“See you later Peter”
“Yeah”
He hung up and put his phone in his pocket only now realizing he never changed out of his nice clothes. He changed quickly and went into the living room with Chinese food from down the street was set on the table.
“Who were you talking to?” May asked as they sat down.
“Harley Keener I met him after the funeral”
“Oh yeah, I remember. How old is he?”
“About my age.”
Dinner was silent after that.
Peter walked to his room after dinner and looked at the closed closet. He walked to it as if there was a monster in it. He opened it and looked down at his suit. His first real suit from Tony Stark.
What was Peter going to do without him? He saved Peter’s life countless times and now he was gone. Gone from everyone’s life, he can’t help anyone now.
Peter picked up the suit and wanted to rip it to pieces. He wanted to put it on and magically have Tony be back. He wanted to scream and yell at everyone and their pitying looks. He wanted to run away and hide from everyone, but he didn’t. Instead, he stood up, dropped the suit on the floor, and pulled on the attic door.
Out came his old suit, practically a onesie. He put it on over his clothes and jumped out the window, sticking to the wall. He swung around queens for either five minutes or an hour, he didn’t care. He wanted to just be the old Spider-man. Friendly neighborhood Spider-man, as Tony once said much to Peters dislike. He would do anything to be the friendly neighborhood Spider-man. But that wasn’t Peter anymore, it never would be.
He swung to an apartment directly across from the Stark Tower. It had changed over the years, it now had one big ‘A’. He stared at it tracing his eyes over it lifelessly. He stared at it wondering what Harley was doing. Wondering what he was thinking.
He stared down at the street, there were cars honking from far away and some obviously speeding. Peter saw some people on the sidewalk. He would always make up little stories for them, he’d done that since he was little. After the world found out about Iron Man’s true identity he spent about a month thinking that everyone on the street was a superhero. He would say that one was from an alien planet but another one was actually a telekinetic ghost. (the last one makes zero sense to Peter now)
He took a deep breath and swung back to the apartment and slid under the window.
It was ironic how calming swinging was to Peter. Anybody else would freak out but to Peter, it was a time where he didn’t have to think about what was actually happening around him, he could just breathe.