Chapter 2
Flash searched through Peter's contacts in the hopes of finding something useful. After a bunch of names that sounded familiar – Tony, Steve, Loki of all people and Clint – he also found really normal names like Matt, Claire or Bruce. A contact called 'Science Bro' was there too. Flash could only hope it was Ned, but who else could it be, Bruce Banner? Laughable. Another one was called 'Favourite asshole' but he highly doubted that that would be Peter's nickname for his best friend.
For several seconds he didn't know who to call. He hadn't expected a nerd like Peter to have this many contacts in his phone. Which led him to thinking that it was pretty stupid to use his normal phone as Spiderman. Don't heroes usually have burner phones? Or were those vigilantes? Either way, it was a risk.
Flash called Ned. The only person he knew on that list that wasn't Mj. He really didn't want to have her judging him right now. Or ever.
Ned picked up after the fourth ring with a cheery “What's up? Do you wanna come over so we can complete that new Star Wars Ship I got?” and the sound of a bag of chips being opened.
“Uh … this is Flash,” Flash informed the other teen with a slight frown.
For a few seconds it was silent on the other end. Finally Ned asked: “Why do you have Peter's phone?” Then, a little pressed: “Did you steal it from him?”
“No, why would I steal Penis Parker's phone??” He shook his head in irritaion before he added with some urgency and a side look at an unmoving Peter: “I found him bleeding in an alley.”
“... you what?”
“Yeah with suit and all.” He cleared his throat. “I thought maybe you know what I'm supposed to do now. He was awake a minute ago but now I think he passed out.”
“Oh shit!!” Now there was the sound of walking around. “Okay um don't panic!”
“I'm not the one panicking!” Flash snapped and leaned over to feel if the nerd still had a pulse. He sighed in relief when he found one, although it wasn't as strong as he'd have liked it.
“I wasn't talking to you!” came back the anser. “Alright, you have his phone! Call the contact that says Tony and tell him what happened and uh … uh … you gotta like … try and stop the bleeding.”
“Listen, I don't wanna call the contact that says Tony, because I don't wanna call some random dude that the Nerd has saved as a contact just so he can keep up his lie of knowing Tony Stark!”
“Just call the damn number!!” Ned hissed and added: “Do you really think I'd waste time like this now??”
“Alright fine!” He hung up, huffed out an annoyed sigh and searched for 'Tony' in Peter's contacts. He quickly took off his jacket – at least it was an ugly one, he thought – and pressed it firmly on where the most blood was. He didn't have the stomach to actually look for the wound. He hesitated shortly before pressing 'call'.
It rang for ages – at least a minute – before finally the call was answered with a loud crack, followed by a soft curse until: “Hey kid, sorry to keep you waiting but I didn't find my phone.” There was a short pause. “It was in my pocket.”
Flash swallowed hard before he croaked: “Uh.” He cleared his throat. “Is this … Tony?”
“Well who else would it be??” came the snarky reply. “Who is this? Where is Peter?!”
“He's um … injured. In an alley. I found him. He's bleeding? In his side? And like he doesn't respond …”
“I'm on my way? Put pressure on the wound and make sure nobody sees his face or else he's gonna flip his shit if he finds out!”
“Um … and how are you going to find us? Sir?”
“Do you really think I'd give my kid a suit without a tracker in it??”
The line went dead and Flash was left with an unconscious Peter and the darkness, one hand stained with blood, the other one shaking with fear. He really didn't want Spiderman to die right in front of him. That would literally be a nightmare come true.
For a surprisingly short while, he just kind of sat there, keeping pressure on Peter's side and telling himself that everything was going to be alright, until finally he heard the sound of the Iron Man suit coming closer. A few streets away, tires screeched around a corner.
Then there was chaos and Flash's brain switched off.
Iron Man landed next to the two boys and Tony Stark kneeled next to Flash, gently taking the teens hands off of Peter and giving him his jacket to hold. He made the hole in the now stained Spiderman suit bigger so he could have a look at the wound. It went deep into the flesh, but at least it wasn't bleeding that much any more.
Stark let out a soft curse and made Flash press the jacket back on Peter, so he could check his breathing and pulse. He talked to Flash while he was working: “Alright, boy, Happy is gonna be here any second with something like an ambulance and Bruce is with him so we got at least some medical knowledge here. Happy is gonna carry Pete to that car and I want you to go with him! Can you do that?” He looked at Flash with pressing urgency, but he got nothing but a blank stare as an answer. “Dammit, boy I thought you were a tough guy! Tough enough for bullying, anyway.” He sighed deeply and softly ran his fingers through Peter's hair before gently putting a hand on Flash's shoulder. “Thompson? I need you to come back to the present, buddy. Peter's gonna be fine. And you'll get to see Stark Tower from the inside.” Now he at least received a slightly horrified look, but before Tony could get too worried, a van stopped in front of the alley and out jumped two men, running closer to them.
“Tony? What exactly happened?” Bruce kneeled down next to the mechanic and immediately started assessing the kid.
“I don't know, I just know that he got stabbed!” Tony ran a hand through his own hair now. Now that he had nothing to do anymore but hold Peter's hand, the panic began to set back in, making the knot in his stomach grow, making breathing so much harder. He swallowed hard and then said: “Can you move him?”
“Yeah, he's more or less stable at the moment, the bleeding isn't as strong any more.” He pet Flash's back. “Well done with the pressure on the wound.” He didn't stop long enough to realize that Flash wasn't responsive any more. “Happy, carry Peter to the van while I keep pressure on the wound!”
“What about the other kid?” Happy asked and had already picked up the wounded teen.
“I'm taking him to the car,” Tony said and quickly pulled Flash to his feet and more or less pulled him towards the vehicle. “I think he's in shock or something.”
“Alright, we'll see what's wrong with him once we're in the med-bay.”
And off they were, leaving behind nothing but a small puddle of blood.
When Flash finally came back to himself, he found himself laying on a bed in a small, very light room. He turned his head in confusion and discovered Peter in a bed next to him, wearing a hospital gown and eating ice cream, while nodding along to the lecture Tony Stark was giving him.
“I know, it won't happen again,” the teen eventually interrupted the genius, his voice muffled by his full mouth. “But there was this guy who was trying to hurt this woman so I stepped in, but then she ran and tripped and fell and distracted me so the guy stabbed me and made a run for it but you I couldn't just let him do that, so I ran after him and managed to web him to the nearest street light and anyway then I just kinda walked into that alley to take a break.”
“Still, you should have called me straight away!! You don't jut get stabbed and walk it off, kid!”
“It worked out fine, though.”
“Yeah, because Flashy-boy here saved your butt!” Tony pointed at said 'Flashy-boy', looked at him and froze when he suddenly realized that he was awake. “Well hello there,” he then greeted. “You back with us again?”
“Mr. Stark said you were in shock so they gave you a light sedative. Thanks for like … not leaving me to die.”
For a second Flash didn't get out a single word, until he finally stuttered: “You're Spiderman.”
Peter smiled shyly. “Yeah, but you can't tell anyone. Please.”
“Or else I'll make your life living hell,” Tony added with a squint of his eyes. “So watch your mouth.”
Flash nodded. He wasn't even able to form anything close to an insulting thought, which was worrying enough, but he also realised that now he couldn't keep bullying Peter. Not only because of Stark's threat, but also because Peter was literally a hero, who risked his life every day, while still somehow staying top of his class and keeping up a social life.
How could anybody not admire this guy? Especially because he was freaking Spiderman!
Happy, Stark's security dude, drove them both home that day. Peter thanked Flash again, before slowly making his way up to his flat – apparently he had some kind of enhance healing factor, which: freaky – and then Flash was back home, listening to his parents fight as if nothing had happened.
That feeling continued the next day, when Peter ignored him all day, except for a few glances here and there and Ned just kind of stared sometimes. In return, he didn't do more, either.
At least their class didn't seem to pick up on their new behaviour. And so what, if Flash tried to get closer to those two nerds? So what, if he was much nicer now, knowing that Peter wasn't trying to humiliate anybody when he answered all questions in chemistry or physics or maths or anywhere. He just was so damn smart. And what choice did he have, but to pay attention in class, if had all those other things to do?
At times, the former bully caught himself thinking thoughts that were definitely not normal for him. For example last Wednesday he thought about how good that new haircut looked on Peter and then the next day he thought that his eyes were a really nice shade of brown.
He then spent ten minutes in the bathroom, slapping cold water in his face to calm down. If his father ever found out about any of this, he'd be dead and there'd be no Tony Stark to save him.
Of course Peter knew nothing of this. But little did he know that his life take another very unexpected turn very soon.
Until then, he just kept being smart and nerdy and so damn pretty!