Tony never made a secret of the fact that he wasn't very fond of children. He didn't know how to handle them and, frankly, they usually got on his nerves.
There was, however, one exception to that rule: Peter Parker. The teenager, along with his alter-ego Spiderman, had peaked Tony's interest. Hell, the kid had even managed to win over some sort of affection from him!
That was why Tony went into full emergency mode when he got word of the day's events.
He was in his office when a message popped up on his screen in flashing, red letters. These kind of warnings were no good anyway, but this particular one sent chills down his spine.
'One of our planes crashed. Peter's involved, possibly injured. On my way over there now'.The message came from Happy.
Unbeknownst to Peter, although Tony suspected the teenager knew at some level, Tony followed his every move. Happy played a large part in that, mostly filtering out the stuff Tony did not really need to know, and sending him daily reports about the kid's well-being and Spiderman activities.
"Friday, call Happy" Tony ordered as soon as he had read the message. He listened impatiently as the phone rang once, twice...
"Where?" Tony asked bluntly when Happy answered upon the third ring.
"Not too far from here" Happy said, "and it seems like a rural area. No too many witnesses or spectators".
"What the hell happened?" Tony asked.
"The Vulture attacked one of our planes and it has come out of the sky" Happy started to explain, "Peter was involved, I'm not yet sure how, but according to my feed he's injured".
Tony cursed under his breath and immediately prepared to change into his Iron Man suit.
"Send me the coordinates, I'm on my way right now. I'll take care of the kid".
Tony disconnected the call and was in the air not even half a minute later.
Happy had done what had been asked of him and had sent the coordinates of the crash site to Tony.
Luckily, it indeed wasn't too far from the Avengers Facility, and Tony found himself landing beside the wreckage of one of his own planes just 20 minutes later.
He quickly scanned the site and it didn't take him long to locate Peter. The teenager was lying on his side in the sand, unconscious, and with blood dripping from a wound to his upper right arm.
"Peter!" Tony dropped to his knees beside him. Peter was visibly still breathing, but otherwise unresponsive.
"Dammit, kid, you should have let this go" Tony muttered under his breath. He felt strangely responsible for this happening, something he was not used to experiencing.
Tony gave the command to place another call to Happy, and for the second time that evening he found himself waiting for the other man to answer.
"I've got the kid" Tony said when Happy took the call, "I need you to handle everything else at the crash site. Also, that Vulture-guy is still here. It looks like Peter made sure he isn't going anywhere, but he needs to be incarcerated and handed over to the authorities".
"Sure, boss" Happy answered, "is Peter going to be alright?"
"I don't know yet" Tony said, "I'm taking him back to be checked over".
"Keep me in the loop, will you?" Happy asked. The night's events clearly affected him.
"Will do". Tony hung up the call and immediately placed a second one.
"Banner" came Bruce's voice on the other side of the line.
"Bruce, I'm bringing back an injury" Tony kept things short, "I need you to be ready in 15".
He didn't even give Bruce time to respond properly, before disconnecting the line.
Tony then carefully took Peter in his Iron Man arms, made sure that the kid was securely in his grip, and took off with the greatest haste.
The flight back to the Avengers Facility felt to Tony like one of the longest he had ever made as Iron Man. He kept a close eye on Peter in case the kid would show any signs of coming to, but he only hung limply in Tony's arms.
"Hang in there, kiddo" Tony mumbled softly, "we're nearly there".
After 15 tense minutes of top-speed flight, Tony landed himself on the helipad of the Avengers Facility, where Bruce stood waiting for him.
"How bad is it?" Bruce asked, "Pepper filled me in on some details, but she didn't know much either". The doctor took Peter over from Tony, allowing the billionaire to step out of his Iron Man suit.
"One of our planes was attacked by the Vulture" Tony answered, "I found Peter unconscious at the crash site and he is bleeding from at least one wound, but he might have more injuries".
"I'll have a look at him. Pepper set me up in your office" Bruce said, "she figured you didn't fancy him in the medical ward if it wasn't strictly necessary".
"She knows me too well" Tony replied with the hint of a smile.
Bruce and Tony quickly made their way to Tony's spacious office, which was a few floors below the helipad. Bruce lay Peter carefully down on the large sofa. His medical kit and all possible supplies he might need already stood within reach and ready for use.
Tony sank down in a nearby chair, but anxiously followed Bruce's every move.
Bruce began his examination by checking Peter's vitals. He felt for a pulse and the rhythm of his breathing, and listened to the young man's lungs through his stethoscope.
"His lungs are clear" he concluded, "breathing is steady and strong. Heart-rate is slightly elevated, but not worrisome".
"What about his injuries?" Tony asked.
"Getting there..." Bruce said absentmindedly as he continued his examination. He carefully opened up the sweater vest Peter was wearing and slid up the shirt that was underneath. As soon as Peter's skin was showing, it was clear there was trauma to the left side of his chest. A dark-blue and purple bruise was showing against his light skin.
"Oh, shit" Tony mumbled gravely, passing a hand over his face.
"Not so fast..." Bruce didn't look up from Peter's injury.
"Why not? That means internal bleeding, right?" Tony retorted.
"Not necessarily" Bruce said slowly. He cautiously pressed Peter's chest around the bruise until a shock visibly went through the young man.
"Yeah, that's what I thought" he mumbled softly.
"What?!" Tony pressed on, not liking being kept in the dark for this long.
"Fractured rib" Bruce finally announced, "quite a clean fracture by the feel of it. Painful, but otherwise non-lethal. He'll live".
Tony sighed in relief. "What about the wound to his arm?"
"Probably caused by debris from the crash" Bruce answered, "with his body's recovery time, he should be able to deal with it on his own. I'll clean and bandage it to be on the safe side, but I don't expect any trouble from it".
"Then why is he not awake?" Tony continued.
"Impact of the crash, exhaustion… also, I cannot rule out a concussion just yet" Bruce replied.
"Concussion?" Tony repeated somewhat worried.
"Even if he has, I highly doubt any lasting damage" Bruce said.
"Okay" Tony sighed in relief again, "so I didn't kill him?"
Bruce chuckled and shook his head. "No, he'll live to bother you another day".
"Oh, thank god. His aunt would've skinned me alive" Tony said darkly, not altogether as a joke.
"Once he wakes, I'll be able to tell for certain whether he is concussed" Bruce continued.
Tony moved himself to his desk-chair and sat down resolutely. "Then we'll stay here until he wakes up".
Like Bruce and Tony had committed to, both of them never left the office and watched over Peter.
They had sat with him for over an hour now, but still nothing had changed in his condition.
Tony sat at his desk, his legs outstretched on the tabletop, reading some Stark Industries internal memos. Bruce sat in an armchair near Peter, reading a scientific journal, and every now and then he would go over to the teenager and check on his condition.
For the fifth time in an hour, Bruce placed a flat hand on Peter's chest to feel for his breathing. This time, Peter stirred minutely.
"Peter?" Bruce inched a little closer.
"Is he awake?" Tony hurried over to Bruce's side.
"Almost" Bruce said, keeping his gaze firmly fixed on the teenager. Tony stood a little behind him and watched attentively.
Peter suddenly stirred particularly violently and mumbled something incomprehensible.
"Easy, Peter" Bruce soothed, "you're alright".
"Where am I?" Peter mumbled weakly.
"Avengers Facility" Bruce answered, "could you please open your eyes for me, Peter?"
Peter obliged after a few seconds and stared glassily up at Bruce and Tony, squinting somewhat against the brightness of the lights overhead.
"Mr. Stark!" Peter gasped when he realized who one of the persons standing next to him was. He immediately tried to get into a more upright position, but Bruce held him down with a gentle, yet firm hand on the young man's shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark, I'm sorry… I didn't mean..." Peter stammered frantically, clearly panicking now.
"Don't get yourself worked up, kid" Tony shushed him, "I'm not mad at you".
Bruce had his fingers pressed against Peter's wrist as he checked the pulse against his watch.
"Peter, calm down" he said, "I don't like your heart-rate going up this high".
Tony shot the doctor a worried look. "Listen to Dr. Banner" he said to Peter.
"Level out your breaths" Bruce guided, "deep breaths in through your nose, breathe out through your mouth".
"Am I in trouble?" Peter's voice quivered on the question.
"Don't speak, just focus on your breathing for now" Bruce said.
"But I...I...". A renewed wave of panic washed over Peter.
"Peter, I really need you to listen to me" Bruce said sternly now, "you need to calm down. I don't want to have to sedate you, but if you don't relax I might have no other choice".
Bruce looked deep into Peter's fear-filled eyes, hoping to get his message through. Peter nodded slightly, and finally did as he was told.
It took the better part of 30 minutes to calm Peter down completely.
"I'm afraid I'll have to ask you some questions" Bruce started, "I assure you it won't take long".
"Is it about what happened tonight?" Peter wasn't able to keep his voice from going up an octave.
"No" Bruce answered, "I'm here as your doctor, not as your jury".
"Okay" Peter mumbled softly.
"Some of these questions might seem odd to you, but I need you to answer them honestly and to the best of your ability, alright?" Bruce began. Peter nodded once to show he had understood.
"Can you tell me what year it is?" Bruce asked.
"2017" Peter answered without hesitation.
"Do you know who I am and who is standing behind me?" Bruce continued.
"Dr. Banner and Mr. Stark" Peter again answered fluently.
"What can you remember of doing today?"
"I brought down the plane and fought the Vulture" Peter answered, going slightly red in the face.
"And from before that?" Bruce made no comments on Peter's previous answer.
"I..." Peter fell silent and appeared to rack his brain to try and remember what else he had done that day.
"I… oh, God, I don't remember!" Peter gasped, "what does this mean?! What's happening to me?!" He was starting to panic again.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine" Bruce eased him, "I expect you have a mild concussion. Temporary short-term memory loss is a symptom".
"Memory loss?" Peter repeated frightened.
"Temporary memory loss" Bruce emphasized, "it'll come back to you".
"So what's the treatment?" Tony now mingled in the conversation.
"The fractured rib will have to heal on its own, but that shouldn't be a problem for you. I can prescribe some pain-medication if you need it. And as for the concussion: you'll have to take it very easy for the next few days".
Peter grunted somewhat miserably.
"Are you comfortable on this sofa?" Bruce asked him.
"Yeah, I'm alright" Peter answered.
"Good, then I would propose not moving you and keeping you right here". Bruce turned to Tony, "is that alright by you?"
"Absolutely" Tony answered, "I'll stay here with him".
"If he sleeps, I need you to wake him up every two hours and ask a couple of simple questions" Bruce instructed, "he should be able to answer you correctly without too much hesitation. If not, or when he won't wake, you send for me immediately".
"Okay, I can do that" Tony nodded.
"I'll come round every few hours to check up on him" Bruce finished, before departing the office.
After Bruce had left, Tony took up a seat near Peter. He sat with crossed arms and stared intently at the teenager.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark" Peter mumbled, avoiding to look at Tony.
"For what?" Tony replied.
"For going after that Vulture-guy even though you told me not to, for crashing your plane..." Peter mumbled.
"No" Tony stopped him. Peter now did look up at the billionaire.
"I'm not mad at you for that" Tony began, "I didn't expect anything else from you than going straight into what I told you to do. No...I'm mad at myself for letting you deal with it all by yourself".
"Oh...". It was the last thing Peter had expected to hear.
"If there's anyone who should be apologizing, it's me" Tony continued, "for I allowed you to get in this position, to get injured".
"So… so, we're good?" Peter asked carefully.
Tony chuckled softly. "Yeah, we're good, kid".
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