Presumed

Nothing. Tony found nothing. No excited kid greeting him at the front door, no sleepy-headed boy staring at him with bleary eyes after Tony accidentally woke him up. The apartment was just empty.

Leaving is suit at the door Tony flopped down onto the sofa. He was so sure that Peter would be here that it hurt him knowing he wasn’t. Where are you Pete? Tony pleaded with the boy in his mind. Tony’s phone began ringing and when Tony took it out the caller id read, May Parker. What perfect time, that woman had but that didn’t matter. What was Tony going to tell her? She just lost her kid and it was indirectly his fault. Tony let the kid talk him into allowing another patrol session. Tony was the one that said yes. He didn’t even check in enough with Karen to make sure Peter was okay....Peter was dead because of him.

The phone continued to ring and with a shaking hand Tony pressed accept. On the other side the first thing Tony heard was soft crying and then May whispered out in a broken tone, ” Tony where is our baby?”

“I’m so sorry May. I don’t know.” Tony said, rubbing a tired hand across his face. He briefly wondered if the May had any alcoholic beverages in her pantry, but he knew she probably didn’t. Tony just wanted a long drink. He had to wait.

May let out a loud sob. She leaned her head back against the car seat. She was currently in the hospital parking lot, and she wanted to go home she really did, but the tears made her vision to bleary for safe driving. She lost her dear Ben to some bad guy and now Peter to. Did he bleed out from a gunshot wound? Or a stab wound? Maybe, something completely different. Her brain kept hovering to a single point. Was her baby in so much pain that he couldn’t even manage to say goodbye or reach Tony? The thought hurt her heart.

“What injuries did he die from?”May asked, unable to complete the sentence without her voice cracking midway. The line remained silent for a few moments before Tony exhaled roughly.

“I don’t know. May, I’m supposed to, but I don’t.” Why didn’t Karen report to him the first time, Peter’s vitals started to drop? Why didn’t he even think of that sooner? He stupid mind only focusing on panicking instead of how to solve the problem. They couldn’t even hold a funeral without the body! That is, if Peter was really dead.

“He might still be alive, May. They haven’t found a body or anything.” Tony hated spreading false hope, but how could he even attempt to sooth May? Peter meant everything to her...And to him and Pepper. 

“Did you even watch the newspaper instead of just the audio? They showed pictures, Tony, pictures. There was so much blood, nobody can survive that, not even... Peter.” May finished sounding bleak and sucked from any joy. Tony clenched his fist. What was the point of the pictures? To torture loved ones and young kids who looked up to their resident hero?

“May are you still at the hospital?”

“I can’t drive. My mind just won’t focus.” The blunt honest made Tony worry even more especially coming from such an independent person who didn’t like showing weakness.

“I’ll send Happy. He’ll bring you to the tower so that you, me, and Pep can talk.” There would probably be more crying that talking and in his case some drinking but Tony didn’t think he had to include that to send the message across.

After May agreed Tony disconnected the call and turned his attention to another nagging problem that didn’t want to leave him alone, "Friday be a dear and connect to Karen would you.” Tony asked into his watch, which had a direct connection to Friday.

“I’m unable to comply. There is only static, but I managed to retrieve a small clip just before Karen went offline.”

“Play it.” Tony responded almost instantly. Tony was looking through the kid's mask at a man, supposedly Adda Beaker. The man held various kitchen knives and weapons.

“Dude, do you really need so many weapons?” Peter asked the murderer jumpingdown from the ceiling he was perched on. Tony guessed. Something made a sickeningly splash. Did Tony miss a thrown dagger? Red seeped into the corners of the masks’ eyelids and everything went an eerie black as the suite glitches and Karen shut down.

Tony’s heart speeds up once more. What had happened? Where did all that blood come from and Tony’s main question was, why did it knock Karen out? Was it simple based on the simple amount of it?

Tony clenched his fist in angry it was time to see the scene of the crime, and hopefully, he got to punch Adda in his face. How dare he take his kid from him. Tony found it hard to admit, but beneath his mask, tears trickled slowly down his cheek....his kid innocent clever Peter Parker presumed dead. 

*****

Ned lay calmly on the top of his bunk bed in his bedroom, sleeping peacefully at such a late time of night. Peter lay below him, staring bleary-eyed at the far wall. Peter was sure he was forgetting something, but his tired, sore mind couldn’t come up with a reason. He remembered only being supposed to sleep for an hour and then going back to the tower. Maybe that was it. Peter pressed a hand to his still sore side and tried his best to ignore the pounding in his head. He did remember to tell Tony or May he was staying at Neds, right? That seemed about right. Peter closed his eyes.