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Peter squeezes his eyes shut as his pulse pounds loudly in his head akin to a jack hammer.
All his senses are dialed to eleven as he uselessly clutches his mid section feeling a warmth seep between his finger tips.
Well at least his suit is mostly red he thinks to himself half heartedly. Hides the blood stains a bit.
His whole body is on fire with pain. Every nerve ending sending signals of aggravation to his brain as his Spidey sense blares loudly with the hairs on his neck sticking straight up in response.
Meaning danger’s still near.
Peter groans lowly as he drags himself along the alley wall.
Why was tonight any different? He’s fought bad guys a million times. And plenty of times they’ve been armed with pistols, guns.
Sure it was hard after his Uncle’s death first occurred to see the weapon of his slaying. But it’s been two years. Peter thought he was over with the flashbacks.
Yet tonight proved him wrong. A crook aimed a gun at him and suddenly all he could see was Uncle Ben’s corpse bleeding out in his arms.
It didn’t matter that his Spidey sense was screeching warning alarms. No. For his body couldn’t move. It was like his feet were glued to the sidewalk. He stood frozen as the shots rang out colliding with his body.
Peter pants as he grits his teeth in attempt to keep the slither of composure he still has. He has no idea whether he was shot once or hit multiple times. All he does know is he needs to get the bullet..bullets? that are still lodged in his body out before he starts to heal himself with his healing factor.
Thank goodness he skipped lunch today. And well okay maybe breakfast too. And hey actually if he squints his eyes and pushes aside the waves of nausea and excruciating pain he can detect a slither of hunger.
Peter takes shaky steps, his whole body trembling as he nearly collapses against the wall he’s clinging to in order to support his weight.
What should he do? He can’t exactly go back to the apartment like this. He doesn’t want to get blood on the carpet. May would certainly throw a fit. Plus..Peter winces as a stabbing sensation sparks in his gut…it’s almost three am and his agreed upon curfew between his guardians is midnight on school nights.
God is he in for a world of trouble if they catch him up. Not to mention with the physical state he’s in.
As if reading his mind the AI in his suit sparks to life powering up.
Karen’s voice is background noise under a static that’s progressively growing louder as it rings in his ears, “Initiating Baby Monitor Protocol 4067.”
Peter huffs as a new flicker of irritability ignites in his chest. He hates that Tony calls it that. He’s sixteen, not a baby! Just cause he doesn’t have a beard with white specks in it like his Dad does not mean he’s not already practically an adult. In two years he’ll be eighteen! And then no one will be able to impose a curfew on him.
Peter’s brain moves sluggishly at it attempts to figure out what exactly Karen just did.
There’s no call going through so she didn’t call Tony or May or the police. But maybe…maybe she sent Tony his coordinates?
Peter swallows thickly tasting iron at the back of his mouth. Fuck. Fuck that would not be good.
His Dad is going to lose it on him if he catches him like this!
Peter quickly deduces the only logical thing to do is to peel off the suit as that is what contains the AI and tracking device.
At this rate however Peter wouldn’t put it past Tony to microchip him.
Peter’s fingers tremble unsteadily as he attempt to find the familiar seam of his suit. It proves to be no use as his knees buckle and he falls to the ground.
His knees roughly collide with the concrete below sending new waves of pain to cascade over his body in anguish.
Peter pants. His breathing erratic as true panic begins to set in as he realizes he does not have the necessary dexterity and balance to remove his suit.
He doesn’t get a second to think of another plan before the sound of thrusters is filling his ears.
Peter’s head whips up just in time to catch Iron Man descending from the pitch black night sky. His eyes glow piercing through Peter’s soul.
Immediately Tony rushes over to Peter catching him before he can face plant into the dirty streets of New York City.
The Iron Man mask falls away to reveal Tony’s tense expression. His usual warm brown eyes are filled with a stark panic, fear, and hints of anger. His lips are twisted into an ugly frown.
He speaks before Peter can wheeze out any words, “Peter, Pete, honey can you hear me?”
Peter nods, his head bouncing against his shoulder from where it droops. Huh, when did that happen?
Tony mutters darkly, “Karen, give me his vitals.”
Peter doesn’t hear her response as a black dots begin to form at the edges of his vision. Rapidly spreading to encase his vision fully no matter how hard he tries to battle them back.
His breath rattles in his lungs as Tony gently scoops him up and takes off in the direction of the Tower and the best medical facility known to man.
When Peter comes to it’s to the familiar white walls of the medbay. He glances down at his body noticing his Spider-man suit is gone. Replaced with a commonplace hospital gown. Thin white itchy material draped over his body.
Peter rubs at his eyes groggily. The lights are dimmed as the staff here are well aware of his heightened senses. Yet even so, it feels like he’s inches away from the surface of the sun. The lights in the room are blinding.
The sound of a chair moving against tile grabs Peter’s attention.
His eyes find a pair of similar brown.
Tony doesn’t smile down at him from where he sits at Peter’s bedside.
It puts Peter on edge. Even as Tony rakes a hand through his curls gently scratching at Peter’s scalp in a soothing manner.
Peter gulps nervously as his eyes refuse to leave Tony’s. It’s like he’s locked into a standoff. Afraid if he’s the first to look away it’ll set his Dad off.
Neither off them say a word for a long while. That is until Tony pulls his hand away from Peter’s head.
He glares down at Peter as he grits out between clenched teeth, “Five.”
Peter’s eyebrows knit together in confusion as he squeaks out a quiet and perplexed, “What?”
Tony narrows his eyes as he holds up five fingers, shoving them in Peter’s face causing the teenage boy to cringe back from the sudden action, “Five bullet wounds.”
Peter’s body tenses at the realization while he mutters a murmured, “Oh.”
Tony crosses his arms, looking every bit the mad disappointed father that he is, “I got sent those coordinates while I was sound asleep Pete.”
Peter winces as he subtly tries to lean away from Tony, “I’m sorry if I woke you and-“
Tony scoffs interrupting Peter’s apology, “That’s not the only thing you should be sorry for. You are three hours past your curfew!”
If it were possible there’d be steam blowing out of Tony’s ears. The more the man talks about the situation the more furious he becomes.
Tony suddenly deflates as a sadness washes over him. His eyes grow soft yet there’s still a dangerous edge to them as he whispers, “I could have lost you.”
Guilt slinks up Peter’s spine threatening to curl around his neck in the shape of a noose.
It’s a familiar guilt. One he’s felt ever since his loved ones found out about Spider-man. The guilt of what being Spider-man means. The danger it puts him in. The worry he causes. For all of them.
Tony shakes his head as a flash of fury dances in his eyes, “Why wasn’t May keeping an eye on you?”
Peter feels like he’s been smacked in the face. He quickly scrambles to defend his Aunt. He waves his hands in the air haphazardly, “May didn’t know Dad! Honest!”
Tony simply sends a heated glare Peter’s way.
Peter shrinks under it. He mutters out already feeling he’s lost this battle, “It’s not her fault, it’s mine.”
“No,” Tony says sharply.
“This,” he gestures towards the bandages encasing Peter’s middle, “is my fault.”
Peter tilts his head as utter startlement and confusion swamp him.
Tony’s eyes glaze over as he says in almost a trance, “I should’ve taken you away from her a long time ago.”
Peter’s eyes widen to the size of planets. Taken..taken him away? What is Tony saying? He can’t take May away from Peter! She’s his Aunt! All he knew and had before Tony entered his life…
Before Peter can protest Tony snaps out, “No more Spider-man for two months.”
Peter pouts as anger swirls in his chest threatening to lash out, “What! That’s not fair!”
Tony wags a disapproving finger in Peter’s face, “Be lucky I’m ever giving that suit back after tonight.”
Not too happy with how things are unwinding Peter goes to move. Only to realize his arms are shackled to the hospital bed, along with his feet. The restraints are clearly designed to hold a mutant like him. Even able to withstand the Hulk.
Panic seizes Peter’s heart as he realizes that the one he considers to be his father is about to take things a step too far.
Peter whips his head towards Tony who’s been watching him the whole time silently.
Peter’s voice trembles with fright, “You can’t take me away from Aunt May. She’s my legal guardian.”
Tony huffs irritably, “Not for long.”
Peter attempts to go after Tony as the man moves away from his bedside, but it’s no use.
Peter whines around the words childishly, “Dad, Dad please don’t do this. She’s my family too!”
Tony’s eyes darken noticeably. A wicked smile encases his face, “I’m all the family you’ll ever need, son.”
He pats Peter’s leg fondly, “You’ll get used to that soon enough bambino.”
The nickname is like a stab to Peter’s heart as he tugs relentlessly at his restraints fearing his second home is about to become his permanent prison as Tony exits the room wordlessly.