Tony was taking Peter on a road trip to tour colleges. The first stop was Tony’s alma mater, MIT. They had been on the road for about an hour and had a little over two to go. It was a Friday, and they started driving after Tony picked Peter up at Midtown Tech. They were planning on driving, having a nice dinner, and sleeping in a way overpriced hotel before heading to the campus in the morning.
Peter told Tony that a motel was fine and the man scoffed and said, “Yeah, that’s not happening.” Peter wasn’t used to super fancy hotels, but then again Tony was too used to fancy hotels. So, with a small eye roll, Peter agreed, not that he had much of a choice.
It was getting dark out and there was still a good two hours to go until they made it to the hotel and restaurant. Peter folded up his sweatshirt, well Tony’s MIT sweatshirt that Peter had stolen and Tony never asked for back, and put it between his head and the window to use as a pillow.
Tony glanced over at him and a soft smile appeared on his face, “You can take a little nap if you want. We will probably be there when you wake up.”
“Hmmm” Peter hummed, his eyes already slipping shut, “Sounds good.” Tony kept his eyes on the road but reached over with one hand to brush Peter’s curls from his face. The boy relaxed even more in his seat at the gesture.
___________________
It started to rain a few minutes after Peter settled down. The light pitter-patter on the windows lulled the boy to sleep. Sadly that small bit of rain became heavier and heavier as Tony drove on. His windshield wipers were at max and it was still quite hard to see. They had a little less than two hours to go through, so Tony decided to keep going. What can happen in that small amount of time?
That was when there was a curve in the desolate road. Tony gently, as to not jostle the kid, turned the way the road curved. If only there hadn’t been a car going the opposite way out of its lane due to the rain. But there was and as soon as Tony saw the blurry bright headlights headed straight for them, he knew it was too late. He couldn’t swerve out of the way fast enough, so instead, he braced himself, leaned over, and put his arm out to shield Peter.
Peter awoke to the sounds of metals crashing against metal, glass shattering and coming straight at him, and a firm arm across his chest stopping him from falling forward. A moment later there was nothing, just a black abyss that swallowed them both.
————————————
Peter awoke a second time, but instead of chaos, there was nothing but stillness. His head was leaning against the cracked window, the sweatshirt now down at his feet in a crumpled heap. Peter’s head was pounding and he slowly reached up to hold it, like somehow that would take away the pain. Instead, though, he had touched something warm, thick, and sticky. He brought it into his vision as his hand slowly came into focus, red smeared against his fingertips, blood. That’s when it all came back to him, the road trip, going to sleep, waking to the car crashing into another vehicle, and then passing out. Mr. Stark! The pain in his head did not dull, but it fell into the back of his mind as his only priority was making sure his mentor was okay.
He looked over to see Tony still unconscious, his form leaning into Peter’s space, his arm away from his body with his hand on Peter’s lap. He remembers Tony’s arm trying to shield him from the crash and it must have landed on his leg after Tony passed out. His heart swelled at the idea of Tony’s last thought being to protect Peter in any way he could before he lost consciousness. The man’s arm still stretched away from his body, proof of that gesture. But that warm feeling was overshadowed by heart-stopping worry as he stared at the unresponsive man beside him, his head hanging to the side at an awkward uncomfortable angle, blood staining the side of his face.
“Mr. Stark?!” He tried to get the man’s attention. But Tony did not move. “Mr. Stark!” He tried again, louder, although his voice cracked from fear and dryness. He reached out and shook the man’s shoulder firmly but gently as he did not want to hurt the mechanic more than he already was. He was rewarded with a groan from the older man. “Oh thank god.” Peter let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding, but just that bit of air escaping him brought light to the pain in his chest. He pushed it aside and focused on Tony. “Mr. Stark, can you hear me?” Another groan. “Can you open your eyes please?” Tony’s face scrunched up in pain before he blearily blinked open his eyes. Peter gave him a moment to get his bearings.
“Kid?” he sounded confused, his voice rough. He looked around the car with unfocused eyes that widened when the situation hit him. He jerked upright which caused him to cry out in pain.
“Whoa, don’t move too much! You’re hurt, please be careful.” Peter’s arms were out but were not touching the man, more hovering in place unsure of what to do. Unsure of how to help.
Tony took some deep breaths and let the new rush of pain pass and then turned to Peter, worry showing through his eyes even through the veil of pain. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Peter said, his head still drumming away.
“Want to try again?” Tony said, his voice shaking a bit.
Peter put his hand down. “My head and chest hurt, but other than that I am fine,” Peter replied.
“After this, we need to update your definition of fine.” Tony groaned again in pain.
“Are you okay?” Peter asked, already knowing, by the look of his mentor, that he is not.
“I always am.” He smiled, but it was strained.
“Want to try again?” Peter echoed the older man’s words with an unimpressed look.
“Head hurts, chest hurts, and” he looked like he was gauging his injuries, still a bit out of it, “and my leg hurts.” He said truthfully. Peter looked down toward the man’s legs. His eyes widened as he could only see one of Tony’s legs. The other was covered by crushed metal, blood leaking out onto the ruined interior of the vehicle. Tony noticed the sudden change in expression, “What?”
Peter looked up at the man’s face, “N-Nothing,” He stuttered.
Slowly Tony looked down at his own legs. His face morphed into shock, “Oh.” is all he said.
“Oh?” Peter asked, gauging his mentor’s reaction.
“Yeah, oh.” Tony said dumbly, “That's… not good.”
He must be really out of it. Peter thinks as he looks at his mentor, whose eyes are a bit distant. If Tony is in and out of it Peter has to think for both of them. He reaches for the door which luckily is not too damaged on his side.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Tony says, a bit more aware now that he is worried again about Peter.
“We need to get you unstuck so we can get help,” Peter responded like it was obvious.
“Yeah, that's not happening. We wait here and wait for help.” Sadly, Tony didn’t bring his suit. He really didn’t think he would need it for college tours.
“We can’t do that Mr. Stark, no one has come yet and you could bleed out if we don’t put pressure on your leg.” Just the thought makes Peter’s heart speed up which makes his chest hurt more. Peter reaches for his phone which ended up on the ground, the movement made the seat belt press against his chest causing him to swallow around a pain filled whimper trying to get out. His phone was shattered beyond belief. He reaches over to the center console where Tony’s phone lays, same thing. Shit! “Both of our phones are useless. We don’t have a choice.” Peter stated.
“No, Peter. We stay in the car. It’s still raining anyways.” He left no room for argument.
Peter still found room though. “Yeah and the windshield is broken, if you didn’t notice it’s already wet in here. And, you need help.”
“No.” Is all Tony says, but Peter doesn’t listen.
“I’m sorry Mr. Stark, but I’m not going to watch you bleed out in front of me while we wait for help that might not come for a long time.” He pushes open the door, unbuckles his seatbelt, and almost falls out of the car.
“Peter!” Tony yells as he tries to reach out for the kid, but he’s stuck and only pulls at his already injured leg. He grits his teeth against the pain.
“I-I’m ok,” Peter says as he catches himself and stumbles a bit on his shaky legs. The boy stands upright and hears Tony take a relieved breath behind him. Peter’s hair gets a bit heavier as the rain, which has now turned to a light shower rather than a heavy fall, soaks his head. He looks around to see not one other car on the road. What he does see is their car, or more, the front of Tony’s fancy black Audi, crushed and scrunched up against another car. Shit, there was another person involved in the crash. Peter starts stumbling over to the other vehicle.
“Peter! Where are you going?” Tony seems to only be fully aware when worrying about Peter, not about himself.
“I have to check on the other driver!” He shouts back over his shoulder. He tunes Tony out as he approaches the other driver's door. “Hello?” Peter asks but gets no response. He yanks open the door to see a man with his forehead against the steering wheel, blood still dripping from the man’s head. “Are you ok?” Peter askes, but the man is completely still. Peter reaches up with a shaky hand, a few small pieces of glass still stuck inside it, like the rest of his body, and puts two finders on the man's neck, checking his pulse. The man is cold and Peter feels no heartbeat, he gasps and retracts his hand like he was burnt. He takes a trembling breath, he can freak out later, when Tony is safe. He starts going back to Tony’s car, going around the back and up to the driver's side. He doesn’t want to yank the door open because it could make the mechanics leg worse. Instead, Peter pulls the back door open.
“Oh thank god!” Tony lets out a breath and strains to look behind him where Peter is standing. “You weren’t answering me, I thought you passed out.”
“No, I’m sorry, I was checking on the other driver.”
“And?” Tony asks, even though by the kid’s tone he is pretty sure he knows.
“He’s d-dead.” Peter says, tears prickling at the corner of his eyes.
Tony closes his eyes for a second. Peter isn’t sure if he is doing this to take in the information or out of respect. “I’m sorry kid.” He whispers.
“It’s ok,” It’s not. “I want to get you out, but opening the door could hurt you,” Peter says getting back on track and using the change in conversation to distract himself from the dead man just feet away.
“Well, as you're already out of the car I don’t see much of a better option. I’ll be okay.” Tony says trying to give Peter a convincing smile, but he’s pretty sure it came out as more of a grimace.
Peter fumbles for one of the duffle bags which are on the floor of the back seat. He grabs a sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants. He starts ripping the fabric of the sweatpants into long strips and folds up the sweatshirt. “Okay,” Peter’s voice wavers, “I’m going to count to three and open the door.”
Tony nods, readying himself for the inevitable pain. Peter comes around to his mentor’s door. He takes a deep breath that makes pain flare up in his chest, “One!” He shouts to make sure Tony can hear him through the open back door, “Two! Three!!” He yanks open the broken door with his super strength. Tony cries out and it is one of the worst sounds Peter has ever heard, especially because he is the one causing the pain. He pushes down the thought and rips the seat belt off the man before he, as gently as possible, pulls Tony out of the car.
Although the philanthropist tries to minimize his pained noises Peter still hears them and feels the man stiffen with every movement as he carries him. Peter sets Tony down and leans him against a tree before quickly going back and grabbing the strips of fabric and folded-up sweatshirt. When he gets back to the man, Tony has his head tipped back against the tree and is breathing through the pain, yet a few tears still slip past his closed eyelids. Peter looks at the gruesome wound which starts around the man’s left knee and goes all the way to Tony’s mid shin. The skin is jaggedly torn and ripped and blood rushing out faster than is safe. Peter sits down on the ground beside Tony and rips the pant leg off from the knee causing another small cry of pain from the man, “Sorry,” Peter says, lifting the leg quickly but gently and sliding a strip of fabric underneath Tony’s thigh before setting his leg back down on the wet grass. Wet from the rain and from Mr. Stark’s blood. He then grabs both ends of the strip and lightly ties the two together. “This is going to hurt,” Peter warns.
Tony Peaks his eyes open and looks down before closing them again and scrunching up his face, “Just do it.”
Peter nods right before he pulls both ends tight making a makeshift tourniquet. Tony clenches his jaw but can’t help but cry out once again, “Done,” Pete breathes hard, “done.” But he wasn’t done, not with everything. He grabs the folded sweatshirt and puts it over the wound and puts pressure on it. Again Tony cries out, “Sorry! I really am done now. Sorry.”
“I-It’s o-okay.” Tony grits out but doesn’t open his eyes.
They sit like that for a few minutes. Tony breathing heavily and Peter keeping pressure on his leg to stop the bleeding. When the blood flow slows down and has, for the most part stopped, Peter lets go a bit and sits back. The adrenaline leaving him, making him exhausted. He knows they still need to go find help, but he needs strength for that. For now they rest.
It’s another at least five minutes, Peter can’t tell as it is still dark and they don’t have a way to tell the time before Tony speaks. The mechanic's breaths are now more even and he opens his eyes and turns his head to face Peter, who is now also leaning against the tree. “How are you doing kiddo?” Tony’s voice is weaker than normal, but sincere.
“I’m okay, just tired.” It’s all but a whisper, but Tony still hears him.
“Well you did great Pete, thank you.” Peter smiles at the praise, “Now we just sit and wait.”
The boy’s eyebrows furrow, “No, now we get help.”
“Neither of us is in any shape to go get help Peter. It’s safer to wait.”
Peter starts to shake his head but the movement makes the throbbing headache intensify and he has to stop and let a bout of nausea pass before he voices his objection, “Mr. Stark, although I got the bleeding to stop mostly the longer we wait the more chance the wound will get infected.”
Tony knows he’s right, but neither is up for a trek down a deserted road in search of civilization that could be miles and miles away. “It’s safer to wait.” The man reiterates.
“No, it’s not.” Peter says determinately. “We are going to find help.”
Tony can see in the boy’s eyes that there is no changing his mind. Sometimes he hates that Peter is just as stubborn as he is. “Fine,” Peter takes a breath, “but,” the boy looks back at him, “I will just slow you down. You go find help and tell them where I am.”
“What?” Peter asks, even though he heard the man.
“You go without me and find help.” Tony reiterates.
“Yeah, that’s not happening.”
Why does he keep using my words against me? Tony thinks. “Kid, I can’t walk and you’re not carrying me.”
“Watch me,” Peter says sassily as he gets up, determination overshadowing his exhaustion. He is still somewhat tired and in pain, but all that matters is his dad mentor. He uses his enhanced strength to lift Tony bridal style into his arms. Tony protests and tries to wiggle free which just agitates his leg. “I know you don’t want this Mr. Stark, but this is happening no matter what. Can you please just make this easier on both of us and our injuries and stop moving?” Peter doesn’t mean it to sound harsh, but he says it through gritted teeth as every movement Tony makes brushes against his aching chest. Broken ribs from the seat belt probably, Peter thinks. Tony can see his pain and stops moving, instead, he pouts because he does not like looking like a damsel in distress.
Peter starts walking. They pass the other car and the boy does his best not to look at the still man in the driver's seat. The rain is still coming down, but luckily it is slowing down. Peter is determined, he will not let another man in his life die. Two is already too many.
_____________
It’s 20-30 minutes into the trek, by Peter’s estimate that they come across a green sign. It has a picture of a white gas pump and says Gas Station 5 Miles.
“Peter you can’t walk five miles injured and carrying a grown man,” Tony says authoritatively trying to get the kid to listen to reason.
“Yes, I can,” Peter says as he keeps walking. Although he still has five miles to walk, the sign actually lifted the kid’s spirits. At least he knew there was something nearby and isn’t just walking aimlessly hoping to see something, like he had been doing up until now.
They walk in mostly silence as they are both exhausted and just focusing on getting through the next five miles. It’s dark, but the sky has cleared and the rain has stopped. The moon gives them enough light to see the yellow lines in the road that they are following.
It’s another mile and a half when Peter speaks up again. His breaths have gone from even and quiet to heavy and harsh, “Hey, M-Mr. Stark?”
Although Tony is not happy with the kid carrying him and putting him ahead of his own wellbeing he can hear the strain and pain in the boy’s voice. He keeps his voice soft and he replies, “Yeah kiddo?”
“C-Can you talk a-about s-something?” Peter clenches his teeth.
“What do you want me to talk about?” The lightheadedness the man had from blood loss has mostly gone now that the wound has stopped leaking and he has been able to produce some more blood inside.
“A-Anything, p-p-please.” Peter starts to shiver as he is still wet from the rain that has passed. The chilly night air is not helping anything. Peter wishes he had put on the MIT sweatshirt before they started walking as he is in short sleeves.
Tony can hear the desperation in the boy’s voice, “Alright." he thinks for a moment, "Have I ever told you the story of when Rhodey found me with a bucket stuck on my head?”
Peter lets out a pained laugh, “No.”
“Well then, settle in, it’s a long story full of embarrassment and regret.” Tony spends the next two to three miles regaling Peter in stories from MIT. He asks Peter questions throughout to make sure the kid is still aware and hanging in there.
When they have less than a mile to go things get worse though. Tony can feel Peter shaking, his legs wobbling with every step, his breaths harsh and loud. “How are you doing kid?”
“Great.” Peter grits out. He doesn’t mean to be snippy, but he has no strength to hold Tony up, walk, and keep his usual pleasant demeanor.
Tony’s not sure the kid can make it. “We’re almost there, go on without me and tell whoever you find where I am.”
“Once again,” Peter takes a breath in the middle of the sentence, “Not Happening.” He emphasizes the two words as much as he can.
Tony knows Peter, and he knows when the boy is not going to give in. So for the final bit of the trek, Tony just praises the kid and assures him, hoping it helps Peter get through this last bit. You’re doing great, kid. Almost there. You’ve got this. I’m so proud of you. A Star Wars marathon is waiting for us when we get back to the Tower. We’re so close. Just a bit more. And so on.
It’s five to ten minutes later when they see a light in the distance. A beacon of hope. “You see that kid? Just a little more to go.” He tries to keep his voice light and enthusiastic, but he’s tired and worried so it comes out more as a heavy pleading.
Peter keeps his eyes determinately on that light as it gets closer and closer and brighter and brighter. He staggers the rest of the way but keeps a death grip on the cargo he holds, Tony.
They only have a minute or so until they reach the gorgeous, magnificent, rundown old gas station which they can see clear as day. “Come on Peter. Come on Peter. Come on Spider-Man. Come on Spider-Man.” Peter whispers chants. Tony isn’t even sure Peter realized he’s doing it but the man doesn’t stop him. If it helps the boy then so be it, Tony stays silent and lets Peter cheer himself on.
Peter shaky stumbles onto the property and collapses a few feet from the convenience store doors attached to the station. Tony goes down with him but is too worried to feel the pain of his injured leg hitting the ground. “Peter?!” The store clerk sees them and rushes out with wide eyes.
“Holy shit are you guys okay?!”
“Get help please!” Tony begs. The clerk, a teenage boy, probably around Peter’s age with blond hair and green eyes nods and rushes back inside to call 911. “Kid, can you hear me?”
Peter nods, but it makes his head hurt and this time he cannot quell the nausea. He pushes himself up on one unsteady quivering arm and heaves as he throws up the fast food Tony and him had stopped for earlier in the day.
“Shit!” Tony exclaims and uses one arm to keep himself propped up and the other to rub soothing circles onto the kid’s back as he throws up. “You’re okay. You did so great kiddo.”
When Peter is done he falls back onto his back with a thud. That’s when the beautiful sound of sirens can be heard in the distance. “Here that kid?” Peter looks up at him with distant eyes, “Help is coming. You did it Pete.”
Peter lifts one of his arms from where they are laying out by his sides and makes a shakily thumbs up before he lets his arm go limp again. Tony lets out a wet chuckle as he cards a hand through Peter's sweat-covered curls. The young man comes back out with a blanket which Tony accepts with a whispered thanks and lay’s it over Peter who is shaking. Either from the cold or exhaustion or both, Tony’s not sure. The young man is looking at Tony in awe, probably realizing who he is, but says nothing.
When the ambulance arrives a few minutes later EMT’s rush out. They start checking over Tony and Peter, but Tony pushes their hands away. “Help him first, I’m fine!”
Peter looks up at Tony with half-lidded eyes and says weakly, “After this, we need to update your definition of fine.”
Tony rolls his eyes half-heartedly, “We both will, but for now you can rest Peter. You did amazing kid; you saved us.” His hand is still in the boy’s hair as the EMT’s are checking the kid’s vitals.
“Y-You can rest now too. You don’t need to worry a-about me now.” Peter whispers as he closes his eyes, taking his mentor’s advice.
“Yeah, that’s not happening.” Tony smiles down at his kid, “I always worry about you Pete.” Peter gives a small smile before he lets himself succumb to his exhaustion knowing that he and Tony will be okay.