Tony's POV
Tony’s POV
“What do you mean, ‘He hasn’t shown up on any of the CCTV footage since he left the tower?!” Tony snapped at his AI as he landed at the mouth of another alley. “He’s been gone for more than ninety minutes and you haven’t been able to find one car, license plate, or facial recognition scan that matches anything we’re looking for!?”
“I’m sorry, Boss.” FRIDAY replied. “Beyond the initial security footage from the tower, there is nothing. The last reports out of the New York City Police Department indicate that there are five hundred forty-seven newly damaged CCTV cameras since the reversal, in addition to the still unrepaired six thousand five hundred twenty-three cameras from both the initial rioting and increased vandalism over the last five years.” The AI paused, then added, “It would seem that Mr. Parker has managed to find every blind spot in the city, Boss.”
Tony rolled his eyes. “Because of course he would. Damn it.” He couldn’t hear anymore.
“Apologies, Boss. I will continue trying to locate Mr. Parker. Perhaps something will show up this time?”
Tony practically growled, “You do that, FRI... in fact, just—mute until you have something relevant to share with the class or I ask for you. Okay? I’ve gotta think.”
“Understood, Boss,” FRIDAY replied, then the AI fell silent.
Lightning flashed again, and he cursed it before taking off again. The storm was making it all but impossible to fly anywhere in a single go and he was going to lose his mind if he had to keep doing strategically timed and stupidly short flights.
Granted, he was going to lose his mind if he didn’t put eyes on the kid soon, too, so... yeah. It was all but inevitable.
He’d been so certain that Peter would head to his and May’s old apartment, NOT that Tony thought he’d break in or anything. Tony just remembered the kid telling him about the lamppost outside of the building that he’d perch on to stake out their place when he was late coming in from patrol, “’Cuz avoiding a stressed out Aunt May is always priority number one, Mr. Stark, and avoiding an angry Aunt May is a close second.” Peter would say. And it wasn’t beyond Pete to check things out for the sake of nostalgia... Tony guessed especially now. It was no secret that he was a softie like that.
With the apartment being a bust, Tony’s next stop had been Delmar’s, but that may have been wishful thinking on his part. Tony had thought for sure that Peter would plan out whatever came next over a Mountain Dew and his favourite sandwich, especially after missing out on the sandwich back in Wakanda, but Mr. Delmar hadn’t seen him yet, which had gotten Tony thinking about when the boy would need to eat next, which had led to asking FRIDAY when Peter had eaten last, which had led to the realization that Tony and Pepper were already screwing up this whole guardian/parenting thing royally, and he wasn’t even theirs yet.
How in blazes had they not realized that he hadn’t eaten since before the surgery?
That had been a phone call he hoped he’d never have to make again, especially with how much Pepper was already putting on herself. Food had been pushed aside in the rush to comfort and distract the poor kid when he’d gotten upset... but how had they not noticed that he hadn’t touched a thing before or after?
Tony shook his head, clearing away the thought. It wasn’t helping anyone, least of all Peter, and he needed to get it together and find the kid. That was the only thing he needed to focus on.
But where the hell would Peter go when he was upset and wanting to be alone?
An alert flashed in the corner of his HUD. With a cuss of frustration, Tony landed just as lightning streaked across the sky. The thunder rumbled enough that Tony could feel the vibrations through his suit.
And Peter was still out there in this.
A memory of Peter waiting on the front steps of Midtown in the rain suddenly came to mind. He’d been huddled under that ridiculous yellow ducky umbrella Happy had gotten for him as a lark as he waited for someone to pick him up for his internship day. The blush on Peter’s face when Tony had been the one to pull up in front of the school was priceless, and stirred up the thought. It wasn’t exactly a logical location to run to, but his panic had him running pretty lean on ideas and it couldn’t hurt to check.
Two jumps later, Tony had reached his destination. He retracted the suit this time, deciding there were enough people loitering about the front steps to make it worth getting soaked while asking some questions. It had already been too long, after all. Someone had to have seen Peter, right?
He should have taken it as a sign, when his first step toward a batch of solemn teenagers was into a puddle just deep enough to soak through the seams of his favourite oxfords. He dropped his head in defeat and muttered a quiet, “fuck.”
FRIDAY managed to get out three words, “Boss, an unidentifi—“ before Tony cut her off.
“FRI, unless you have Peter or Pepper on the line, please don’t interrupt, okay?”
“Yes, Boss, howev—“
“Nope.” He shut her down again. “I’m working on borrowed time here, so hush.”
Again, FRIDAY fell silent.
That dealt with, Tony straightened up, ignoring the drowned rat-look he was now sporting, and walked toward the cluster of similarly soaked adolescents sitting under the canopy at the entrance to Midtown School of Science and Technology. “Excuse me,” he called out. “I’m looking for a kid. Sixteen, white, brown hair, brown eyes, answers to the name Peter. Have any of you seen him?” Tony pulled back the cuff of his jacket to expose his Stark watch as it displayed a three-dimensional holographic image of his favourite adolescent.
A girl, probably the same age as Peter, stepped forward, chin up in defiance in spite of the rainfall they both now stood in. Tony braced himself for her response. “You and all the rest of New York are looking for someone right now, Mr. Stark.” She looked back at her friends, all paying attention to the conversation, then turned back, deflating a bit as she took in his obvious hope. “But no—“ She looked more closely at the hologram being distorted by the rain. “I don’t think we’ve seen him. Definitely not around here.” She wiped her soaked hair out of her face. Her stance shifted, a little less defensive. “Sorry. I hope you find him, though.”
Tony gave a terse nod, trying to rein in his ever growing frustration. It wasn’t this girl’s fault and she was trying to be kind. He knew that. He tapped Peter’s image away. “Yeah, thanks.” He turned to walk to the next group of kids, hoping that maybe one of them would have a different answer for him, but something niggled at the back of his neck. He rubbed at the physical sensation, and the thought of Peter and his tingle came to mind. That kid—if only he knew how much Tony had changed because of him. Tony sighed and let the thought come. “What would Peter do?” He wondered, then laughed low at the thought of making that into a bumper sticker. He stopped and turned back to the girl, knowing exactly what Peter would do. She was still standing there in the rain. “Hey? Can I ask you a question?”
She shrugged, “Sure.”
“Why are you here?” The words came out sounding oddly blunt, maybe even rude? “I mean, why aren’t you at one of the displacement centers? Surely it’s better than sitting out in,” Tony waved his hand through the rain, “This.”
She laughed, apparently not bothered by his tone. “Yeah, you’d think that wouldn’t you.” She shook her head then gestured to the group behind her. “The displacement centers aren’t safe for girls like us, so we all duck out before security signs off for the day.”
Tony noted that they were all young women.
“Security can watch out for us best at night when no one should be wandering where they shouldn’t be, but it’s better to grab a muffin and get out first thing rather than risk being cornered by some...” She trailed off with a shudder. “We check out at the desk before we leave so they know if anyone comes for us that we’ll be back and they’ll hold our beds, too, but it’s been a week now and no one’s shown up for any of us so... yeah.”
“Who are you waiting for?” Tony’s heart was breaking.
“At this point, anyone, I guess. The blip took them all, so... yeah.”
“Yeah,” Tony echoed, but couldn’t think of anything else to add, and yet couldn’t leave these kids like this. His brain started working at a mile a minute. “I’m, uh, I’m gonna get my people on that issue for you.” The girl looked skeptical, but if anything it cemented Tony’s resolve. “No, really. I’m gonna have my team make some calls, and even if we have to hire a private contractor, we’re gonna fix that. It’s obviously an oversight on someone’s part, but everyone has the right to feel safe.”
The girl jumped as lightning flashed in the distance, then offered a timid smile. “I’m not sure how much you can do in all this crazy, but thanks,” she replied. “And I hope you find your kid,” she gestured to Tony’s now hidden watch, then moved to rejoin her friends. She stopped one last time, turned back and called out, “Hey!” Thunder rattled the earth beneath them. “Have you checked friends’ places and stuff?” She asked when the air quieted. “I know I’d be with my besties if they were still around!”
She could have hit him in the face with a hammer. “Well, shit.”
Having had her question answered, she grinned. “Glad I could help.”
Tony was already being enveloped in his suit. “Kid, you are a genius! Stay close by, someone will be here soon,” he instructed. “He’ll be a guy named Happy!” He called to her as he took advantage of the brief reprieve between lightning strikes and launched himself back into the air. “FRIDAY, send a message to Happy. We need umbrellas to Midtown for about two dozen people, ASAP—and he needs to follow up with whatever security company is dealing with the displacement centers. Find out what screening is in place for violent and sexual offenders, fix it, and then get those kids’ names... make sure they’re all being taken care of. Got that, FRI?
He was met with silence.
He rolled his eyes in frustration, “Seriously, FRIDAY!? Are you sulking?”
He was met with another bout of nothing.
“Fine. Be that way,” he huffed out and checked out the screens monitoring the storm system. “Just get me to Ned Leed’s previous address. Maybe Peter headed there.” A course was laid out before him, and if the storm slowed like he hoped it would, he could be there in less than five minutes.
... Or ten minutes, thanks to an unexpected crosswind picking up and messing with his trajectory just enough that he thought he’d scream if he was any further delayed. And yes, he was sure that the suit was airtight, but he was convinced he could feel the wind cutting through the suit’s impervious seams, and if Tony was cold...
Shit. Just stop thinking about it and find the kid!
Tony wasn’t shocked when he finally landed in front of the condemned apartment. He remembered the day that FRIDAY had notified him that the property had been practically gutted by arsonists setting fire to the stairwell. Ned’s family had been fortunate enough to get out, but Tony had needed to step in and help them relocate and rebuild after their landlord had tried to squeeze them for the remainder of the lease on their suddenly uninhabitable apartment. Tony owed it to Peter to make sure his friends had somewhere to go back to once he figured everything out and taking care of the Leeds had been something he was made to do.
And here it was, three years later and nothing had been rebuilt—like half of the forsaken city. The cottage property he and Pepper had been looking at was sounding better and better. A quick scan of the ruin showed that the building was definitely inhabited, but none of them were his kid.
“FRIDAY?” Tony couldn’t hide the discouragement in his voice, but at least he had a new tangent to follow. “Can you please locate all previous known addresses for Peter’s decathlon teammates and plot a course starting with the closest—“
“Plotting now... Incoming call from Mrs. Boss, Boss.” FRIDAY interrupted.
Tony barely blinked before Pepper’s voice filled his ears.
“Tony? Where are you right now?” She demanded.
Tony took in the building in front of him one last time. “I’m just leaving the Leeds’ old apartment building. Gonna head to,” he checked the highlighted points on his screen, “A Betty Brant’s old house next and see if Peter tried to find shelter from the storm there.”
“Thank you, God,” she breathed. “Tony. He’s there. Peter is at Ned’s!”
Tony disengaged his faceplate immediately, wondering what she was talking about. “But...? FRIDAY, scan the building again!”
A pause. “He is not in the building, Boss.”
“Pepper?” She’d have heard the AI, too.
“Damn it, Tony. The alley! Check the damn alley!” She yelled through their connection. “He’s there, and he’s hurt!”
He didn’t need to hear another word. Thrusters powered up Tony surged toward the mouth of the alley. All he could see was filth and debris, like someone had busted open every bag they could find... and no sign of Peter. “FRI, tell me!” He demanded.
“Mr. Parker has been located,” FRIDAY announced. “Proceed forty-three feet into the alley, Boss. He’s there. On your right.”
Tony did just that, coming to a stop in front of more trash. “FRI? Are you sure?” He questioned. There was nothing but more torn up—“Oh, no.”
And then Tony saw him. There, face down and camouflaged amongst all of the rotting food and garbage. Tony rushed forward to kneel beside the sprawled figure, ignoring the puddles and rain still falling as he pulled bits of rotting food and plastic and paper away from his form. He’d almost pulled his boy into his arms when he stopped himself. “Damn it! Scan him for injuries, FRI, now.”
A too long second passed, “Mr. Parker’s breathing is compromised. Scans indicate the need for immediate medical attention.”
“What’s wrong, though? Can I move him?!” Tony called out desperately.
“Moving him is not advised, Boss. Initial scans indicate that along with several less urgent injuries, Mr. Parker is suffering from blood loss along with two broken ribs on his left side. One of those ribs has punctured his lung, causing a pneumothorax. I am contacting the med bay now.”
Pepper was still on the line, calling out to him, “Tony?! What’s happening? Is Peter—“
“He’s breathing!” Tony called out, panicked even as he saw Peter’s back rising and falling with each laboured breath. “But he’s hurt! I can’t—I need—“
“Tony,” Pepper called out to him. “Take a breath. We’ve found him and now we can help him, okay?”
Any reply Tony may have offered was shut down by FRIDAY. “Boss, Lydie is indicating that the med bay is currently unable to send assistance as Dr. Cho and most staff have not returned from assisting in Wakanda and the last of the injured there. There are two nurses on-site, one of which is assisting with Mrs. Parker and Dr. Bonwick is listed as on-call and off-site. Would you like me to contact him?”
Tony knew that Dr. Bonwick lived a good twenty minutes from the tower, and was at least an hour out from their current location. Damn it! He knew he should have insisted on in-house medical staffing when they took May in. “No, he’s too far,” he answered, the new urgency clearing his mind. “Shit. Pep?” He called out, wondering if she was still there even as a plan came together in his head. “Has Bruce sent word that he’s back, yet?”
“I haven’t heard anything, no.”
Tony mentally cursed. “Okay, so no Bruce.” Tony was trying not to all out panic.
“Tony?” Pepper sounded like she was on the cusp, too.
And then it came to him. “Pep, I’m gonna need you to get ahold of Dr. Strange and get him to the tower for Peter, like five minutes ago, okay?”
“Dr. Strange, got it. I can do that.” She replied, sounding calmer for the task.
“And make sure he knows it’s for Peter, alright?” Tony couldn’t risk any delay. “Don’t let him do any of his waffling shit either, okay?” Oh, how he wished Bruce was already done with those damned time stones.
“Alright, sweetheart, just get here quick. We’ll be waiting,” and with those words, Pepper disconnected from the call.
Knowing there was a plan in the works, Tony shook out his left hand, trying to keep the tingling he’d just noticed from becoming too bothersome. He didn’t have time for that kind of crisis, especially when Peter needed him now.
“Boss?” FRIDAY pulled him from his thoughts, “You are exhibiting signs of—“
Tony wasn’t having it. “Shut up, FRI.” He leaned closer to the boy on the ground. “I don’t want to hear anything unless it involves a way to pick Peter up without hurting him.”
His AI said nothing.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” He took a deep breath, then focussed on Peter. Now that logistics were being dealt with on Pepper’s end, he just needed to get his kid out of this cesspool. “Okay, FRI, his neck and back are good, right?”
“Yes, Boss, however—“
“No. Don’t say it. We’re out of options so just get ready to divert power to thrusters once I’ve got the kid in my arms,” Tony instructed then finally reached out to the boy. “Okay, buddy, here we go.” With a tenderness seen only by those who really knew Tony, he manoeuvred Peter onto his back.
The blue glow of the arc reactor cast a ghostly pallor over the boy whose lips already held the slightest hint of blue. The movement, though, caused Peter to stir, a whine mingled in with the gasping breaths he struggled to take.
“Peter?” Tony tapped lightly at his cheek, trying to wake him. “Pete, honey? Are you with me?” He pushed away the hair plastered to Peter’s forehead. The kid was frozen! “Peter?!” His call grew more urgent. “I need you to open your eyes for me, please!” Like his kid was just waiting for permission, Peter’s eyes fluttered and then opened, though Tony couldn’t be sure he was fully conscious, even as Peter tried to track and take in the immediate surroundings. “Hey, Pete! Look at me!” Tony attempted to draw his focus. “We’re gonna get you back to the tower for help, ‘kay?”
“B-B-Ben?” Peter gasped out, starting to move a little more. “M-‘m- sor- sorr—“ He struggled to speak.
Tony’s heart dropped and the desperation kicked in. “Nope. No sorries, kiddo,” Tony replied as he positioned his arms under Peter’s shoulders and knees. “Just a nice, warm bed and an 80s movie marathon for you and me once we fix you up, ‘kay? Does that sound like a plan, Roo?” Tony had never missed Peter’s nervous chatter more. He stood once he was sure Peter would be secure in his arms, dropped his visor, and lifted off, all the while continuing his running commentary. “We’ll pop some of that awful microwave crap that you call popcorn,” He was rambling at this point, “And, oh, you have Star Wars movies to catch up on! I can’t believe I forgot about those! Hell, I can’t believe you didn’t ask! I think there are at least a couple of movies you’ve missed since—”
“Boss, I’ve diverted all power from non-essential systems to thrusters. You should arrive at the tower in approximately six minutes.”
Yeah, that wasn’t going to fly. “Divert the essentials, FRI... that’ll drop us down to how long?”
“Four and a half minutes. Only environmental and life support are remaining, along with navigation and related systems.”
Peter started shifting uncomfortably in Tony’s arms.
“Boss, his vital signs are starting to deteriorate.”
Tony’s heart dropped. “Shit! Divert all but navigation and flight stabilizers to thrusters!”
“But, Boss—“
Peter gasps grew more pronounced and Tony knew they couldn’t take that time. “You heard me, FRI! Use it all—and hold on to him tight!”
The suit immediately went dark and Tony Stark was impotent to do anything as the Iron Man suit raced through the air with its precious cargo. Tony Stark, genius, billionaire, philanthropist was almost blind, deaf, and dumb. He refused to allow his thoughts to travel to those dark corners where Peter would not be okay because he hadn’t done enough; where Peter would not be okay because he hadn’t been enough. “C’mon, c’mon, c’mon!” He urged the suit to go faster, ignoring the cold that was encroaching upon him, praying for the lightning to be done with its games. It was only for a few seconds more—please, please, please only be a few seconds more. If he was cold, then Peter had to be hypothermic.
“Boss, Dr. Strange has arrived at the tower. We will be arriving in approximately sixty seconds.” FRIDAY announced.
Tony sobbed in relief. “Thank goodness!”
“Adjusting course per emergency override by Dr. Stephen Strange- Avenger. Authorization accepted.”
Tony didn’t question the sudden detour taking him up and away from the front doors to the tower that he’d been assuming he’d enter by—he hadn’t thought that far ahead, to be honest—as if he had thought of anything at all except for his boy.
Peter.
Peter.
Peter.
Their endgame was suddenly illuminated before him—even through the tiny lenses of his helmet.
And Tony almost wept.
Stephen Strange, that genius son-of-a-bitch and whatever voodoo he had up his sleeve had managed to open up one of his fancy portals on the tower’s launch pad, and if Tony was seeing things correctly, it opened up straight into the tower’s med bay.
Peter was going to be okay.
It was a testament to how intuitive FRIDAY was that she braced the Iron Man suit as it flew through the circle of sparks and light then came to a landing directly in front of the gurney Dr. Strange and one of the med bay personnel was waiting behind. If she hadn’t Tony was sure he’d have dropped to his knees as soon as he relinquished Peter to those who were meant to help him. As it was, all he could do was watch helplessly as his visor retracted and they whisked him away to a room down the hall.
The elevator door at the end of the hallway opened, and a teary-eyed Pepper stepped out onto the floor. She glanced around, then caught sight of the suit... and Tony standing rigid at the opposite end of the corridor. “Tony?” She moved cautiously towards him. “Honey?”
He couldn’t bring himself to speak, knowing that if he opened his mouth, he wouldn’t be able to control the torrent of emotions welling up inside of his chest.
Pepper’s steps hastened. “Tony?! Has something more happen to Peter?”
Tony clamped his mouth shut and shook his head. He couldn’t.
Pepper, however, was having none of it. “FRIDAY, get the suit off of him, please.”
“Right away, Mrs. Boss.”
The front of the suit opened and Tony stumbled forward, barely catching himself before he found himself wrapped securely in Pepper’s arms.
And the tears came.
Pepper held him, rocked him, loved him as he wept. “I’m here now, love. We’re all together. Peter’s going to be fine. I know it,” she whispered.
And the tears still came.
After a long moment, Pepper pulled away, taking Tony’s hand and gently leading him to the chairs just a few doors down from where Peter was being treated. “Tony, honey, please. He’s going to be okay.” She sat down beside him, pulled him closer to her and whispered into his wet hair. “You know that Dr. Strange will do his best... he is the best, and Peter’s a tough kid. He’ll make it through. We’ll make sure of it.”
Tony nodded and pulled away from his wife’s comfort. He’d indulged long enough. He blinked away the last of his tears and wiped his face with his hands. “I know,” he replied, perhaps more to convince himself. “I just don’t get how it got so bad?! He was here and then it—it all went to hell!” He stood up and started pacing. “What even happened?! Who did that to him? How did you...” Tony’s thoughts trailed off as he realized this was one question that could be answered. “Pepper?” He faced her, “How did you know where he was?”
Pepper struggled to retain her composure as she answered. “I got a phone call—“
Tony jumped right in, “But I told FRIDAY to inform me as soon as Peter called!”
She shook her head. “It was a boy. I don’t know much, not even his name, but I do know that he and another boy found Peter in that alley. They were going to leave him—thought he was...” Pepper paused to calm herself. “They thought he was dead at first, but—“ A choked sob escaped as she recalled how the conversation had gone. She took another moment, then released a slow, shaky breath. “They’d left him,” she continued. “Then the one who called went back, to look and see if he could somehow help. I guess Peter woke up for a few minutes and managed to tell the boy to call you, but—“
The blood drained from Tony’s face. “No. I told FRIDAY that I’d only take calls from you and Peter.” He leaned against a span of wall, slid shakily down to the floor. “I ignored the call.”
His wife’s sad smile confirmed it. “He was going to just leave him again—but decided to try the Stark Industries business line in hopes of getting ahold of somebody. It took him a bit, apparently, but once he connected to something outside the general line, FRIDAY picked up the number and connected him to me. He filled me in, and then I called you.”
All that time he’d wasted... “Oh,” Tony clapped his hand over his mouth. “I’m gonna be sick.” He barely managed to make his way to his knees before he started to gag. “I can’t—I can’t—“
Pepper rushed to his side as he dropped onto his hands. “Shhh. You’re okay, love. I promise. Just breathe.” She rubbed his back as he purged what little he’d managed to eat that day. “You’re okay.”
Eventually, he calmed enough, or exhausted himself enough that he sat back against the wall, wiping away any traces of vomit with the back of his hand. “How do I tell May?” Tony whispered.
Pepper shifted to sit down beside him. “You’ve got time to worry about that,” she answered. “Lydie mentioned earlier that she thought May would be sleeping for a while yet. Why don’t you get out of those wet clothes and grab a quick shower before—“
“I’m not leaving Peter!”
“And I’m not asking you to.” Pepper went on. “You can use one of the empty med bay rooms here and I’ll have housekeeping grab you something from the apartment to change into. That way you’re close by... and I’m close by in case there’s some news.” She reached behind him to caress his back again. “Does that work for you?”
It sounded perfect. Tony dropped his head onto her shoulder and sighed. “I love you so much, Pepper Stark. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“And you’ll never know, now, up you get, mister. We don’t need you getting sick on top of everything else.”
Trying and failing to hide his difficulty, Tony groaned as he forced himself up to standing, using the wall to steady himself as a wave of dizziness overcame him. “Shit.”
“Tony?”
The dizziness persisted, “I’m fine,” he assured her.
She gripped his arm, guided him to the chair he’d just occupied. “Just take a minute.”
His fingers tingled, “I’m fine,” he repeated, sure that the sudden onset of chest pain was temporary.
“FRIDAY?”
“Scans are indicating a cardiac event, however recent updates to Boss’s medical information show that it is unlikely to be a heart attack caused by any type of blockage.”
“Told you. I’m fine,” Tony panted as he closed his eyes and rested his head against the wall.
“Shut up, Tony.” Pepper snapped. “FRIDAY?”
“This may be a more rare cardiac event called Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. It is completely stress related, which makes sense given current circumstances, however further medical intervention is required.”
“How close is Dr. Bonwick?”
“Told FRIDAY not to bother,” Tony muttered, still listening.
“But I did,” Pepper replied, trying her hardest to not to come undone.
Tony smiled. “And that is why you’re the boss.”
“Dr. Bonwick is currently entering the underground parking garage. I have sent an elevator to meet him.”
“Thank you, FRIDAY. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Tony frowned, “Hey—tha’s my line.”
“—And now it’s mine. Now stop talking and rest until we can figure out what to do next, okay?”
Tony nodded. “’kay.” He worked to keep his breaths steady over the increasing discomfort, but it didn’t stop the encroaching blackness. “Pep—“ he breathed out. “’m gonna—“
And Tony knew no more.