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Peter wished he’d stayed in bed today. Peter wished he’d never gone on this stupid mission. Peter wished he wasn’t running through a HYDRA base with a flashdrive, a bulletwound, and empty web canisters. And yet here he was. Running through HYDRA on nothing more than the three Oreos he had for breakfast. The saddest part? This was going better than he expected. He quite honestly thought he’d be dead by now.
“You know, I’d appreciate it if you at least took me out to dinner first before following me home!” Peter yelled to the HYDRA agents that were- in Peter’s mind- surprisingly fast for unenhanced individuals. He wondered exactly how he ended up in this position.
OOO
“Good morning Peter!” Nick Fury sat at the Avengers Compound dining table.
“Uhh hi. How- How did you get in here?”
“Unimportant. I have work for you, kid.” Oh that’s why you’re here. Makes sense. Peter thought, slightly annoyed.
“Mr. Stark says I’m not supposed to do anything you tell me to.”
“Stark isn’t here.” He replied. He ain’t wrong. Peter admitted. Then he thought about it. Mr. Stark never really did take him seriously. Maybe if he proved himself, he would be included in more missions. Maybe the team would stop seeing him as a kid.
“What’s the mission?” Mr. Fury raised his eyebrows.
“Now that’s what I like to hear. It’s nothing too difficult. Just an extraction. HYDRA’s doing research on the Super Soldier Serum again, and we need to make sure that they aren’t getting anywhere, and you managed to hack into Stark’s technology, so HYDRA should be a walk in the park for you.”
“Well that was mainly Ned and-”
“Are you gonna do it? Or do I need to find someone else?”
“I’ll do it.” Wow Peter. No thinking about it? Impulsive much? He assumed it was too late to go back now, and it wasn’t like he could run to Mr. Stark anymore. He was 17 years old for hell’s sake! Plus Mr. Stark was on a business trip to Tokyo right now anyway, so he won’t even notice that Peter left the compound. Right?
OOO
Peter was an idiot. In more ways than one. Firstly, he thought it was a good idea to try and hack into HYDRA’s files in the first place. Secondly, he did this when Mr. Stark WASN’T around?? Like that wasn’t the stupidest freaking idea he’s ever heard in his entire life. Peter dropped to the ground to avoid another bullet. And to top it all off, this wasn’t just any HYDRA base. It was a HYDRA weapons base. Weapons. That information would have been useful BEFOREHAND. Peter made a mental note to never listen to anything Nick Fury says. He scaled the wall and flung himself into the vents, stifling a yell as his injured arm brushed the wall of the vent. Peter forced himself to crawl along. He was grateful for his flexibility. How does Mr. Barton ENJOY this??? He thought about how many ways this could go better. And yet also this could go way worse too. The saddest part was that his bar for a bad day was so low at this point, that this could basically be called a good day. He heard running and yelling in the distance. He started to feel dizzy. Peter became acutely aware of the amount of blood flowing out of his arm wound at the moment. Oh shit am I bleeding out? Peter felt a spike of anxiety. He had to get out of here. Fast. Peter wiggled through the tight space. It was so dark. He was once again glad for his spider abilities, otherwise he would be hopelessly lost. He thought he saw a light. He wasn’t sure if he was dying or if he was winning but at this point, at least something was happening though. Peter kept going. Suddenly, he heard a voice.
“I got him!” Oh shit. He was found. Peter started crawling faster. Behind him he heard the sound of a knife piercing metal shook him. I’m gonna die. I’m going to fucking die. He moved faster and faster. Why didn’t he tell anyone where he was going? Now he was going to die and nothing could save him. He felt a searing pain in his stomach that made him cry out. He forced himself upwards, using his sticking power to crawl along the walls of the vents, even as it pained him to do so. He whimpered as he made his way toward the light. He heard the sound of someone repeatedly stabbing the spot where he had just been. Silencing himself, he tried his best to move as fast as he could without causing the vents to creak. He saw the outside. He saw snow. Even as his vision became spotty, he kept going. Eventually, he fell out onto the white ground, the cold enveloping him in a blanket of pain. He yelped. He did not recognize the world around him anymore. He looked around. The world looked nothing like it did when he arrived. Perhaps the spots dancing across his vision had some impact on his perception of the world around him. He recognized the sound of a river, and remembering that his blood would leave a trail, he forced himself to get up and walk toward the noise.
Once he reached the river, he decided to wade through it. This way he couldn’t be followed. Even though he knew it would be easier to walk downstream, he also knew if the men were to follow him, they’d assume he would go that way.
“Here we go.” He muttered to himself. Stepping into the frigid water, he inhaled sharply. “How did Anna do this?” He said as he forced himself to drag his feet through the water. After a few feet, he could take it no longer, and decided he needed to cross the entire river. He took a breath, and waded deeper into the water. “This. This was the most unrealistic part of Frozen.” He dragged himself out of the water and collapsed. Vaguely aware of the buzzing noise that had filled his head, he limped toward the trees. Peter wondered how he got this far. It wasn’t logically possible. If Peter could think beyond getting away from HYDRA, he might have chalked this up to his advanced healing. But the floating lights were far too distracting for him to think about anything else. After a while, he collapsed against a tree. Peter took a shaky breath.
“I was running out of reasons for nightmares for a bit there. Now if I survive at least I’ll be freshly stocked.” He laughed to himself. Peter slid down the tree, letting himself hit the snowy ground. He found himself seated against the pine, back to the bark, one leg bent up to his chest as he attempted to apply pressure to his stomach wound. He let his eyes slip closed for a moment. “Hey Karen, do you think that SOS signal ever went through?” He waited a moment. “Karen?” Peter opened his eyes to find that his suit had been damaged enough to short circuit Karen. “Fuck.” Peter thought about the situation he was in right now. Delirium was beginning to set in. “I’m an idiot.” He said in a sing-songy voice. Peter laughed. “I’m gonna die before I get to see the new Star Wars movie.” The spots across his vision were growing larger, and black fringed the edge of his vision. Peter looked around at the woods around him. The aroma of pine surrounded and calmed him. “At least it smells nice here.” Peter recognized the fact that his vision was more blurred than clear. He could barely see his own hand in front of his face. He sighed and closed his eyes as it started to lightly snow. He had stopped shivering at this point. Was that normal? Was it normal to be feeling warm? Peter didn’t know. He felt his consciousness slipping away. He continued to fight it, but it was a losing battle. Just a little longer. Just hold on for a little longer. Someone will come. They have to. He assured himself. Just stay awake for a little longer. He could no longer bring himself to open his eyes. Someone has to come. They just have to. I’m not going to die. I’m not going to die. I’m not ready. Mr. Stark will send someone. He just has to. Peter’s breaths became more shallow. Each inhale became a chore. Please let someone come. I’m here. I’m here. Please?
OOO
Tony walked into the compound. He had returned from his trip early. He was struck with the feeling that something had gone horribly wrong.
“Peter?” He called out. Whenever he left for something, Peter was always there to greet him. Tony would never admit it, but he always looked forward to the pure smile on Peter’s face. He was like a puppy in that way. It shocked Tony to no end that anyone could be so happy he was back. Let alone someone as wholesome and perfect as Peter. “Underoos?” He called out again. The absence of his protege caused a pit in his stomach to appear. “Pete?” He said again. Suddenly Friday chimed to life, startling him.
“Peter is currently on a mission.” That statement alone caused chills down his spine. Something had gone wrong. He just knew it.
“I don’t remember clearing any missions for him.”
“You did not. Nick Fury recruited him.” Tony’s blood boiled at the name.
“Can you tell me where Peter is?”
“I am currently unable to access Peter’s location at this time.”
“Have you tried Karen?”
“Karen is not responding to any signals and appears to be offline.” Oh shit. Something was horribly, horribly wrong. Tony resisted the urge to panic. He responded to Friday in a shaky voice.
“Get Fury on the phone.”
“Calling…” It answered on the first ring. Tony was already suiting up.
“Where’s the kid?” He asked bluntly. Fury’s silence spoke louder than words. “Where. Is. Peter?” He asked again.
“We haven’t found him yet. I sent agents to the area.”
“And where exactly did you send him?” Again, silence. “Where did you send him Fury?”
“HYDRA base. Extraction. It was supposed to be a simple mission but- it was a trap. They lured us in. I sent Peter thinking it would be no big deal but- They got the jump on us.” Tony wanted to scream at the man, but right now, his kid was in danger.
“What are the coordinates?”
“Sending them to you now.” He hesitated for a moment. “I’m sorry. I really did think it would be simple.”
“No you’re not. You’re just sorry you got caught.” Tony said, locking onto the area. He hung up and took off, only hoping he could make it in time.
When Tony reached the base, he was struck with horror. The place was swarming with HYDRA agents. Fury sent his kid HERE??? Something caught his eye and at the same time shook him to his core. A trail of red, just barely distinguishable at this altitude, leading away from the base. No. This wasn’t happening. This COULDN’T be happening.
“Friday?” He asked. “Who’s- Who’s blood is that?”
“It appears to be a match for Peter, sir. Would you like me to track it?”
“Yes.” He followed Friday’s directions until they reached a river. It was pretty wide and looked to be decently deep.
“The trail leads into the river. It would appear as though he walked downstream from here. It would be the easiest path for an injured individual.”
“Which means he walked upstream. Goddamnit Peter, why do you have to be so smart?” He feared he would find the boy’s body, frozen in the river ahead, but as he flew, he saw the trail of blood continue out on the other side of the river and into the forest. He flew faster, nearly knocking into trees on the way. Suddenly a figure caught his eye. Covered in red and all too still, was the image of Peter. He was leaning against a tree with his eyes closed. “Peter. Oh god Peter.” Tony rushed over to him. He could feel small breaths from the kid and silently vowed to thank whatever god let him get here in time. “Pete? You in there kiddo?” The smallest groan escaped Peter’s lips.
“Dad?” Tony’s heart broke. But he needed the kid to stay awake right now.
“Yeah. I need you to look at me kiddo. Can you open your eyes for me?” Peter seemed to be struggling. Tony scooped him up gently, causing a whimper of pain. “I know. I know it hurts. Can you open your eyes for me Pete?” The tiniest of flutters from the dying boy’s eyes gave Tony hope. “Good job kid. Keep going. You can do it.”
“I’m scared.”
“I know, kid, but you gotta stay awake for me. Can you do that?”
“Stay awake.” He whispered. “Stay awake ‘till Tony comes to save me.” Whatever was left of Tony’s heart shattered. But keeping Peter talking was good. It meant he was awake, and it meant he was alive.
“Yeah. Good job kid.”
“Tony always comes to save me.”
“He’s saving you kid. He’s always gonna save you. Just stay awake.” When they reached the compound, Peter was rushed to the Medbay. He stayed in surgery for six hours. When he was brought out, Tony didn’t know if he could bring himself to go into Peter's room. He sat outside the Medbay, unsure what to do next. Pepper came to sit with him.
“How come you aren’t in there? You know you want to be.” Not getting a response, Pepper tried a different approach. “He’ll be okay.”
“How do you know that?” Tony asked, slightly harsher than intended.
“He has you.” Guilt festered inside the man, spreading through him like a disease. It felt like Infinity War all over again.
“Do you know what he said to me?” Tony asked. He continued without holding for a response. “He said he had to stay awake until Tony came to save him. He said I would always save him.” Pepper opened her mouth to say something, but anticipating that Tony would continue, she stayed silent. “How does one even- If he doesn’t make it-”
“He will.”
“He didn’t say someone would come to save him. He said I would come to save him. Pepper- How do you even gain someone’s trust like that? I’m certainly not deserving of it. What if I didn’t find him? Would he still be out there? Waiting for me? An inch from death?”
“But you did find him. And regardless of whether you like it or not, he trusts you. Peter trusts you with his life Tony. And you need to be there for him.”
“What if I let him down? I’m not a good friend, let alone guardian!”
“Ignoring the fact that you don’t think you’re a good friend, which we do need to talk about later, you are a perfectly good guardian.” Tony opened his mouth to argue, but was stopped by Pepper. “Tony, you’re one of the best parents I’ve ever seen. You care about Peter more than anything. No matter what you do, you’ll always love him. That’s something you can’t hide. So either you own up to it and accept that you’re stuck to him, or you try and hide it and nothing will change. The kid looks at you like you hung the stars. Who are you to tell him no, when you feel the same about him?”
“I should’ve hired you as my speech designer instead of my PA, because that was literary perfection.”
“I love you too Tony. Now get in there and be with your kid. I’ll get some snacks. Something tells me it’s going to be a long night.
OOO
Peter slowly creaked open his eyes. He was covered in blankets. Did he die? Was he dead? He couldn’t remember much of the past… 24 hours? 48 hours? Sunlight was streaming in through a window, and it was sunset the last time he was fully conscious. What had happened? As the blur faded from his vision, he made out the figure of a man, he was sleeping lightly in a chair beside him. He could recognise this man blindfolded and half deaf.
“Tony?” he whispered. His voice was slightly hoarse. The man snapped awake instantly.
“Pete? Are you awake?” He looked at Peter and a smile bloomed across his face.
“What happened?” Peter asked.
“What do you remember, kid?”
“I remember getting stabbed. And running into the forest and after that… not much.”
“I see. You weren’t entirely conscious then anyway.” Suddenly another figure stirred to life beside him. Pepper.
“Tony? S’that you?”
“Yeah Pep. It’s me, and Peter.”
“He’s awake?”
“Yes he’s awake.” Pepper opened her eyes.
“Peter!”
“Hi Ms. Pepper!” Peter smiled.
“How many times? Just Pepper.” Peter smiled a little more.
“So you’re really awake this time kid?”
“I think so…”
“Good. Then you have to promise me to never do that again.” Tony was not smiling at this point.
“What?”
“What you did was reckless and irresponsible. You could’ve died.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh.”
“You’re gonna take my suit away?” Tony froze. Well if it isn’t the consequences of my own actions! He thought bitterly.
“No. No, I'm not going to take your suit away. You’ll keep fighting anyway, so taking it only puts you in more danger. It was wrong of me to do that. I’m sorry. But it’s essential that you know just how important you are to so many of us. If you died-” He stopped himself. “You have to promise us you’ll stay safe kid.”
“I promise.”
“Good. Dr. Cho said that once you woke up you could be discharged on bedrest.”
“I’ll get her.” Pepper said before exiting the room.
“So no Spider-Man?”
“No. No Spider-Man.”
“For how long?”
“Jesus kid you almost died and this is what you think about? A month minimum. But you aren’t going on any missions, only patrols after that for at least three months.”
“What?! But Mr. Stark-”
“No buts. You need time to heal. The world needs friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, and if you run yourself into the ground they aren’t gonna have him.”
“Fine.”
“Now, me and Pepper have taken some time off of work to take care of you-”
“Oh Mr. Stark you didn’t have to do that-”
“Yes we did. And we want to. That means lots of hangout time, and family bonding and all that shit. So. What do you wanna do kid? We can do anything.”
“Can we watch Empire Strikes Back?” Tony sighed, but allowed a smile to creep onto his face.
“Always with the Star Wars. Yes. We can watch Empire Strikes Back.” Dr. Cho came in and examined Peter. She determined he was okay to leave as long as he rested, and the family spent the rest of the day watching Star Wars and building legos.
Peter invited Ned and MJ over to visit, and after MJ yelled at Peter for twenty minutes straight, with several choice words about how much of an idiot he was, they ended up playing Mario Kart. Tony smiled at the scene in front of him. Peter was managing to beat both of the other teens, while simultaneously bantering with MJ. Tony caught the two holding hands a couple times, and made a mental note to embarrass Peter about it later. He had to admit they were a cute couple. He sat down next to Pepper and watched as MJ kissed Peter on the cheek to distract him so she could win. They proceeded to get into an argument about it until eventually Ned asked when they were going to make out. Peter turned bright red, which made Tony and Pepper burst into laughter. Eventually, the two went home. The family ate popcorn and watched dumb cat videos until Peter fell asleep on the couch. Tony carried him to his bed. As he tucked Peter’s sleeping form in, he said the following words.
“I’ll always come to save you kid. No matter what.”