We’re gonna fly away from here
“Mr.- Mr.Stark? I think I think I uh I think I got hurt. This bed is really nice. Really uh really soft.”
Tony gentle laid down the blabbering teen on the medbay bed. The sheets began to quickly stain red under the boy. Too quickly.
“Yeah ya know I’m a billionaire right? Only the best for you kid.” He pushed back tears, waiting for Bruce to arrive. Peter would be fine. He had gotten hurt before and survived. He was ok.
“Yeah that makes since. I wish I was rich. Then I could ,” Peter coughed, “I could buy May everything she wants. Diamonds, yogurt, anything.”
Tony let out a small laugh, “diamonds and yogurt are pretty different. Why those two things?” Keep him talking. Keep him awake.
“Oh well she doesn’t have diamonds at all and yogurt is kinda expensive compared to more nourishing food so we don’t get it as much but she uh she really really likes it. I’d give her all the yogurt in the world.”
Peter’s eyes dropped, threatening to close. Tony panicked, unsure of how to keep him awake. Maybe talking wasn’t enough? He couldn’t shake him and risk hurting him more.
God what did he do?
His prayers were answered when Bruce rushed in, frazzled and scared. His eyes went wide when he say Peter bleeding out onto the bed.
“Tony? My god what happened? I- uh just tell me what happened.” Without waiting for an answer, Bruce began to check Peter over. His pulse was weak and his skin was paling quickly.
“I’m not totally sure. He wasn’t wearing the suit so I think he was mugged. His watch pinged twenty minutes ago and I found him in an alley way. Bruce help my kid.” Tony’s voice was frantic as was his stature. He ran his shaking hands through his hair and tried to calm his breathing. He wouldn’t be any good during a panic attack. Peter needed him.
“I don’t have enough information Tony,” Bruce turned to the kid laying below him and tapped him gently, “hey Peter?”
There was a mumbled reply.
“Hey do you know what happened? I need to know so I can try and help you. Anything at all?”
Peter’s brow furrowed in thought. What happened. Why was he here? “There were two guys. They knew who I was and were mad. I tried to umm I tried to uh fight them? But they stabbed me I think. There was something on the knife. It was a color. Well of course it was a color. Blue, I think. Blue.” Peter seemed satisfied with his response and sunk down further into the bed.
“Ok well that helps a little. If something was on the blade, it could explain his drowsyness and we could get a cure so we know what pain medicine to give him. I’ll take a blood sample and be on my way. It shouldn’t take long, just keep him awake.” With that, Bruce left and Tony was left alone with peter.
Friday spoke through the silence in the room, “Boss, May and Pepper have both been notified but neither are nearby and will not arrive for another half-hour.”
“Uh thanks. Ok.” Tony returned to Peter’s side, collapsing in a plush chair. Peter had to be ok. Tony didn’t know what he would do if he wasn’t. He began to absentmindedly bite his nail. Everyone has always been fine. Not that many people die. But how did they know Peter’s name? What did they want? He could peice it together once pete was better.
“Mis’er Stark?”
The quiet voice brought Tony out of his thoughts and out his attention back on the teen. “Yeah Pete?”
“Am I gonna miss school? I have a project due tomorrow with Ned and I- I can’t let him down ya know?”
“Kid just on the stab wound alone you’d be out for a couple days. I’ll tell Ned that you’ll be out for the foreseeable future. He’ll be okay.” He smiled in reassurance but it didn’t reach his eyes. Would peter ever go back to school?
“Thank you. I think I’m just going to take a quick nap Tony.”
“No no no no you can not fall asleep right now, ok? Keep telling me about your project with Ned.”
Peter’s tired eyes lit up the tiniest bit at the opportunity, “well ya see, we built a lego replica of the Colosseum. Then we tell all about it’s architecture and why it was built that way.”
Peter rambled on quietly about his project and various school events while Tony nodded, trying to keep him awake.
Tony didn’t hear the door open before a solem voice spoke,” Tony. Will you come out here please?”
The older man looked up to see Bruce standing in the door way, a broken look on his face. No no no not Peter. Just says he’s ok.
Tony walked out into the hallway after reassuring peter he would be right back. He closed the door and met Bruce. “What is it? Brain surgery? Open heart? Just tell me what it is and I’ll get Strange or Cho or whoever in here right away.” Tony could feel his heart in his throat.
Bruce looked at his clipboard and took his glasses off, “I hate this part of the job. Tony, whatever is in Peter’s blood, I’ve never seen anything like it. No one has. I ran tests on based off of its chemical composition to see its effect and,” Bruce took a deep breath and met Tony’s worried eyes, “anything with that in its system should be dead in 10 minutes. I think the only reason Peter is still alive is his advanced healing but I’m sorry. It won’t be enough. But he won’t be in pain Tony.” He hated to be so blunt but there was no way around it. The kid was going to die.
Tony couldn’t hear anything but his heartbeat and his thoughts. Not Peter. It was a possibility but he didn’t think it could actually happen. Not the 16 year old kid from queens. Not his kid.
He stumbled from his spot toward Peter’s room. Bruce said something but it didn’t register. He opened up the door and look at the boy in front of him. Tony didn’t remember moving from the doorway but he was next to Peter nonetheless.
Big doe eyes met his own watery ones, “am I gonna die Mr.Stark?”
Tony stopped a second before forcing a weak smile and shaking his head, “no kid, you’re gonna be just fine. You’ll be able to present that project next week for sure.”
Peter knew he was lying. He had been around death enough to know what it felt like. He saw it with Ben and felt it with his parents. Then heard it on homecoming. Peter was no stranger to death.
But he said nothing. Instead, he shifted in the bed and began to do what he knew. Ramble.
“Mr.Stark?”
“Yeah kid?”
“I wanna go to Disney world. I’ve never been and it sounds amazing.”
Tony shut his eyes hard, trying to restrain the tears, “I’ll take you to Disney world. And anywhere else you wanna go. I’ll take you to the moon.”
“No, I don’t need the moon. I just wanna go with you and may and Ned and MJ.
We can all get mouse ear hats and fast passes.”
“I’ll rent out the whole damn park for you. You don’t have to wait in a line.”
Peter shook his head slightly,”no I don’t want anyone to loose tips. I want the true disney world experience. Then we can see the ocean. I’ve never seen that either.”
“Well you’re in a good place kid. Disney world is right next to the beach,” Tony struggled to keep his voice level, to not break down.
“No I wanna see the ocean. Like in the movies. When they run and feel the mist on their faces and the wind on their shoulders while waves lap their feet in the early morning. I want it to be quiet and foggy. Maybe go to a lighthouse.”
“Whatever you want kid. We can visit every beach on every coast. You name it.”
“That sounds nice. Maybe when I graduate.”
When. Every word threatens to brake Tony, “whenever you want.”
Peter could feel it. But he could also feel Tony’s hand gripping his own. Peter looked at the man he considered a father. A sad smile the only expression on his face now.
Peter squeezed his hand, “It’ll be fun. You’ll see. Disney is my second favorite dream.”
“Really? What’s the first?”
“To be a superhero. To be an avenger.”
“Guess you got that huh?”
“Yeah,” Peter paused, mirroring the mans smile,” I guess I d-“
The rest was all at once. The flatline on the monitor. The hand going limp in Tony’s. The pleading. The screaming. May sobbing. Pepper standing motionless in the doorway. His kid was gone. At 16. He never got to see the world. Peter Parker was dead.