A/N: Hey guys! This story is cowritten by me and my best friend Katie (we are spideytears and smilingspidey on instagram) and we are very excited to share with you our venom!peter story. Rated T for violence and language.
Solid - defined as firm and stable in shape; not fluid or liquid; not hollow or containing spaces or gaps.
Sure, Peter Parker had never been liquid – or even gas, for that matter. However, he had known more than anyone what it feels like to slowly lose the state of being solid – to feel his limbs tear apart and far too quickly lose their connectedness, to see parts of his body separate on the ground, to become nothing other than a pile of ash, a pile of ash which was nothing close to being solid.
Now, it was all over, as the mad titan has been defeated and the stones in the right hands allowed him to come back to this life, back to being solid. Losing that was something that would always haunt him – random sensations of losing his body suddenly stinging pain inside of him as he walked to school, nightmares of seeing his arms gone and feeling his brain begin to dissipate. Sometimes, he couldn't help but put his hands all over his face or hug onto himself at night, only to remind himself that he was once again solid.
Sometimes, in a demented type of way, even pain was a relief, as it was a pain so different than that which he felt when his organs were ripped apart and burned away. Maybe that's what he thought now, merely two months after Thanos was obliterated, as he felt the swelling of his eye after taking such a punch and the warmth of blood dripping down his cheek.
Still, regardless, he was just a sixteen-year-old boy, and one thing he did learn from what was called the Infinity War was that he was far from ready to die.
He guessed, after looking at the evil in the pupils of the man fighting him and feeling pain and exhaustion get the best of him, that it was time to call Tony.
EARLIER THAT DAY…
"But come on Mr. Stark, I promise you I got this!"
Peter had the type of shine in his eye which only came when he was on his way to mischief, a craving to be back running under the street lights with a will to bring his city justice. It reminded Tony of himself, only with a lot more innocence and vulnerability. Due to that reason, he promised himself that he would never allow the kid to be reckless – never allow him to make the type of mistakes that he himself had made.
He couldn't let anything harm this boy, especially after what he had to witness. The pleas he made when begging for his life echoing in his mind every time he tried to fall asleep – something he swore he shall never hear again.
"Peter, you're not understanding. Scorpion is a dangerous man, a goddamn convict. You know how many guards were brutally murdered as he escaped? There's no way I'll ever let a kid around that man. Just give it a rest, alright?"
Peter groaned in response, the weight of frustration beginning to come for him. "Mr. Stark, I think you're the one that's not understanding. I may be a kid, but you know what I'm capable of! You saw me on Titan, I fought Thanos himself and got away from him without a scratch! I almost got off the gauntlet, and it was my plan to save both Doctor Strange and the time stone alike. You said I'm an avenger, remember? Isn't a dangerous convict something that an avenger should be dealing with?"
"Yeah, an avenger with more experience. In fact, the others have been keeping close track of him and are already on it. Did you not see the message he left behind, huh? He's after you, kid! You're lucky I even let you leave the headquarters in the first place! Sure, you did a great job on Titan, except that time you weren't alone. You can't handle something like that on your own, you told me yourself you barely escaped the Vulture and he is nowhere near as experienced with violence as this guy! The answer is no, Peter. I'm going to get Happy up here to take you home and I want you to get some sleep before school tomorrow," Tony responded, trying his best to stay away from those hazel puppy eyes.
"I just…don't get why you don't trust me. I'm just as worthy of fighting as the rest of you! This guy is after me, and for that reason it's my fight to finish! I'll catch him and call the police and get him back in that prison, and it'll show you all what I can do. I'm going to do it whether you like it or not, Mr. Stark," Peter says with a bit more assertiveness than he typically has, trying his best to make himself look bigger but only looking smaller in the process.
"What did you just say to me, kid?" Tony responds immediately, turning himself around to look Peter in the eye.
"I said I'm going after Scorpion, and you're not going to stop me," Peter repeats.
"Do I have to take that suit away again? I am this close to calling May if you keep this up," Tony responds.
"You gave it to me; it's mine, and I'm not going to let it happen again. I grew up a lot after Titan, you know," Peter sighs, his face growing the expression of anger.
"You aren't going anywhere except your bed, keep running your mouth," Tony sighs.
"You aren't my father, you can't tell me what to do!"
Tony can't hide a wince from that, and Peter regrets his words as soon as they're out but tries his best not to let his guard down.
"Alright kid, do what you want. But I'll give you about ten minutes before you call me for help and then we'll see what happens afterward. Happy is on the way to take you home," Tony turns back around, not wanting to look him in the eye again.
He might catch on that he has a hint of hurt.
Without words, Peter nods and quickly exits the room, trying his best not to let out a tear.
Yet, as soon as he gets in the backseat of the car, his guilt turns into a smirk as he plans his attack on Scorpion tonight.
X
The last thing Peter ever wanted to do was disappoint Tony Stark.
The truth was that as Spiderman swung through the buildings of Queens that night, he was soaking in guilt almost strong enough to make him cry, shaking him to the core. He couldn't stop thinking about the last words he had said to him before he left, sticking to his tongue like poison, so contradictory considering he always wanted to tell Tony that he considered him his father – if he ever got the guts to do so. Maybe by sending a Father's Day card this June? After all, that is only about two months away.
Defeating Scorpion was something Peter knew he had to do in his heart, whether it made him feel guilty or not. He figured that it would be okay, considering how proud Tony would be when he learns that Peter succeeded.
I'm proud of you, kid. It was all he needed to hear, what he was going to fight for.
Suddenly, the sight of Scorpion lingering in the alley caught his eye, waiting just about where he expected him to be.
"Bingo," Peter smiled to himself, aiming to shoot a web at the parallel building and swing towards his enemy.
"Hey Scorpion!" He called out, finally able to ride with confidence in his voice. "You looking for me?"
The criminal peered up, his wide eyes craving his vengeance, the scar on his face reflecting in the moonlight. Internally, Peter felt a bit intimidated by the insane glance that the man threw at him, but very fortunately the mask was able to hide that.
"Well, well, well – if it isn't for my dear little spidey friend," Scorpion smirks, his tongue flashing against his lip like a predator stalking its prey. "What brings you out here tonight?"
"Look, I've heard what you said about me and looking for me and stuff. Well, I got your buddy locked up and I can throw you back in there too. Wanna dance?" Peter says, feeling exuberant with the confidence living on his adrenaline.
Peter swings down and implants a kick to the man's face, but as soon as he lands he feels himself thrown backwards against the wall.
"You just had to stick your nose into my business, didn't you brat? Had you left me and my weapons be, maybe I wouldn't have to cut your throat out. Shame, ain't it?" Scorpion says, using all of his force to punch the teen in the face.
Peter is quick to pull himself up, kicking Scorpion off of him and shooting webs to trap him against the bricks. "Honest, I didn't want to hurt you, man. But you aren't giving me a choice."
Rather than responding, Scorpion looks back at him with an evil and crooked smile, the pupils in his eyes seemingly darkening and suddenly, he began to laugh.
"Sorry dude, but I don't seem to catch the punchline," Peter laughs with a bit of attitude.
"Can you catch this?"
Using the free arm that Peter had forgotten to web down, he picked up a loose brick and flung it at his face. Peter was mostly able to dodge it, but he hadn't been able to prevent it from skimming the side of his face, cutting up his cheek. Scorpion takes this quick second to pull the knife out of his pocket and cut off the webs, flinging himself on top of Peter.
Trying to shake the pain off, Peter is just about to knock the man off him when there's suddenly a gun pressed against his head.
"Move once and I'll blow your little brains out, asshole," Scorpion smirks, his face close enough that Peter feels his breath against his mask.
Behind that mask was a terrified kid, thinking about how he wouldn't be solid anymore if his head was split into pieces, if all of his blood was out of his body.
He didn't want to disappoint Tony; he wanted to prove himself right. If he called Tony now, he would show that he truly was a kid who couldn't handle things like a simple convict on his own, and he wouldn't be able to make up for what he said. If he called now, everything would go wrong.
Yet, laying there with blood staining the side of his mask and a gun against the side of his head, he knew that everything had already gone wrong. There was no other choice.
As if he was reading his mind, Scorpion got even closer to him as he said, "What are you gonna do now, call your old pal Iron Man?"
Peter did not respond as he began to slightly tremble, afraid of how to signal Tony without moving so much to get him shot.
"Go ahead! Call him!" Scorpion laughs. "I'm sure he would love to come out and play."
Still, Peter said nothing.
"CALL HIM!" Scorpion commands, banging the gun against his head.
"Okay, okay," Peter's voice trembles, "Karen, call Mr. Stark and get him to 31st alley."
It wasn't more than eight minutes before Tony arrived.
Tony had sat around expecting the call for about two hours, and was already prepared to fly out and save the day. However, he wasn't expected to see the kid held at gunpoint. It had happened before, when they first met the guardians, but it was different now. Different, because he had watched Peter die before, and he would do anything to avoid seeing it ever again.
"I'll give you one warning before I blast you out of here," Tony said, holding out the hand of his suit, "Get the hell away from my kid. You want a fight? Keep it between the adults, creep."
"Oh, I've fantasized of your murder for years, you rich fucker. But this little prick? He's the one to have gotten me incarcerated, to have ruined my business life. There's one life I want taken tonight," Scorpion responds.
This would be a difficult one for Tony to sort out of. He could easily defeat this loon, but one move and Peter would be shot in the head.
"Alright, Scorpion. What do you want, then? Obviously something, or you wouldn't be holding him hostage."
"Take off your suit, Stark," he said, Peter still trembling below him.
"Why the hell would I do that?" Tony responded.
"Because if you don't, this freak will be splattered all over the wall! You got that straight?"
Tony sighed and went back to his normal form, looking less like Iron Man and more like a terrified-for-the-kid Tony Stark. He stood there a second, all three of them staying mute.
"Well, what do you want now?"
It all occurred in one single second.
Scorpion had quickly swiped the gun away from Peter's head and swung it to shoot Tony right in the stomach.
"NO!" Peter snapped up, his super strength kicking in and throwing Scorpion far off of him now that he was not held at gunpoint. This blast caused the gun to fall out of his hands, and Peter immediately used the webs to grab it and swing it to his grasp.
The heavy silence was back as Peter held the gun and pointed it at Scorpion, but after the next five seconds went by and nothing happened, Scorpion began to run. For the rest of his life, Peter would never forgive himself for not shooting. He was too scared to kill, and as soon as Scorpion was out of his vision he dropped the gun and gasped, only to be broken out of his fear when he remembered what happened.
He shot Tony.
Time had been frozen. The night air was heavy and was sinking down against his bones, the wind slapping itself against his opened wounds. It seemed almost impossible for him to move, and he didn't even realize that he had torn off his mask and was running to Tony until he crashed on his knees beside him.
The first thing he did was call 911 – the fatal err he made when he was in this situation three years ago with Uncle Ben.
"911, yes, you have to come right now! My…dad, yeah my dad, he's been shot! There's a lot of blood, just get here real fast!" his voice was plagued by panic, but he hung up as soon as his message was across to lean over and grab Tony's hand.
Tony looked at the kid with immense sadness, for he knew that he didn't have enough time for medical attention. He never wanted to break the kid's heart.
"Kid, you're gonna be okay. It's gonna be okay. You call May now, alright? I don't want you walking around here alone when someone's looking for you," he replies, his voice gradually losing volume.
"You didn't have to get shot, Mr. Stark. Why'd you do that? You didn't have to get shot for me, you could've left," Peter said, and even though he feared death he wished so much that it would have been him.
"I can't lose you again Peter, I can't," Tony said gently, weakly raising a hand to wipe the tear off Peter's cheek that he didn't even know he had.
"I'm scared, Tony. I don't want you to go. You can't, I need you! We're supposed to have a parents day thing at school, and I was gonna bring May for the mother's part and I was gonna ask you to come for the father's part but I got so scared because what if you don't think of me that way and I'm just so annoying and-
"Anyone ever tell you that you talk too much?" Tony asked fondly, cupping Peter's face against his trembling fingers.
There weren't very many things out there that he loved more than this kid.
"Of course I think of you that way, Peter. I'm so proud of you, you know that?"
Peter lets out a sob and holds Tony's hand tighter.
"I'm scared Tony, I need you here, I can't be alone," Peter sobs now.
"Don't be scared, kid. You see me? It doesn't hurt," Tony uses all of his strength to manage a smile, but a smile with blood pouring out of the edges.
"If it doesn't hurt than why are you crying?" Peter asked him.
Tony winces and allows more silent tears to fall, for he wasn't crying from the pain. He was crying because this kid was going to be here alone tonight, and there was nothing he could do about it.
He couldn't tell him that, of course.
"Peter, listen to me," he said, trying to ignore the fact that his voice was fading out. Peter leaned in closer, their hands still grasping each other. "I know you are capable of so many great things, so many. You can be better than me, okay? You can grow up and be Earth's new best avenger. Do you think you could do that for me?"
"But I don't need to be, you're the Earth's best avenger. The paramedics are almost here, they're gonna fix you all better, I promise," Peter said, his voice almost as small as it was that day on Titan.
"I'm proud of you kid, you're the best son I could ask for. I just need you to promise me that you'll grow up and look after everything, and with a good degree from MIT. Can you do that for me?" Tony asked, his vision beginning to become foggy.
"I…I promise," Peter whispered back to him.
"Good. You go get that world out there and show them what you got. Remember, I love you, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you that before," Tony gasps, his eyes beginning to close.
"Tony please," Peter sobbed, "Don't leave me here."
"Never change, kid. Never forget who you are."
Tony smiles one last time and squeezes the kid's hand, and then suddenly, his grasp falls limp.
"Tony?" Peter felt his own heart stop, his eyes shot open in terror. In front of him, Tony was
laying in a pool of his own blood; what was once a man with such a vibrant and lively personality now an empty corpse.
Tony was gone, and Peter was alone. If Peter hadn't called Tony, he would still be alive.
"Oh no, oh no, oh no, not again, not again, not again," Peter panicked, remembering being in this exact position only a couple of years ago.
"Tony, please, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, it's all my fault! It's my fault, I should be dead, it should be me!"
Peter's words had become incoherent, as he finally gave in and cuddled up against Tony's body, not carrying that he was painted by the blood. He was so lost in his sobbing that he didn't even hear the paramedics arrive.
"You can't take him, you can't take him away from me!" Peter had cried as he was pried off of the body. "Please don't take him, please."
It went on like this until Aunt May had arrived, who had instantly cradled Peter in her arms and allowed him to sob until he fell asleep.
That night, something changed in Peter that he would never get back.
However, all of that was only the beginning.