Nearly two weeks since the incident is when Peter wakes from his coma. Pepper was the first to notice as she was sitting closest to him distracted by her tablet. She heard the bed sheets shift and looked up to see Peter squinting in minor discomfort at the brightness of the room. He uses his left arm (which was healed and uncast) to shield his vision, and she watches as he confusingly scans his surroundings. He settled on Pepper, and blinked at her.

"Hey there," Pepper greeted softly.

Tony, who was lounging on the couch and mindlessly watching the television, sat up turning around and jumped up as soon as he realized who Pepper was talking to. He casually strolled over to the bed, remembering to stay on Peter's right side.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, kid." he offered a smile.

Peter only frowned and looked between the two adults over at Happy, and then at the table which had been littered with fast food sacks and drink containers. He reached up to feel the mask, and practically ripped it off with protest from Pepper. Breathing in real air, he finally focused his attention to Tony.

"I'm hungry."

Tony laughed. He looked back at Happy who only rolled his eyes and grabbed a burger out of one of the sacks and tossed it at Peter. Pepper immediately snatched it up and reminded them that Peter needed to have his feeding tube removed first. Peter reached out for the burger with quivered lips. Pepper was unfazed.

"That doesn't work on me, kid. This is for your own good." she pointed at him with the burger in hand just to tease him.

Peter huffed and sunk back into his pillow. He then looked between the two of them, and then turned his head slowly before settling back on them. Worriness flashed his features. "Uhm, why does everything sound like I'm trapped in a fish bowl?"

"Really, kid?" Tony stares at him. "That's the description you use?"

"Well, it does!" Peter defends himself. "In my right ear, everything is echoey and dumbed down, and I can't hear anything out of my left ear, except a very light, but very annoying whistling." he pauses, "Actually, it's more like someone attempting to whistle but is just blowing air."

"Yeah, that would be the damage done by the incident you were in a couple of weeks ago," Tony confirms.

Peter blinks at him.

"The what?"

It catches Tony and Pepper off guard. They look at each other before Tony carefully continues, "Do you not remember, Peter?"

Peter is mumbling to himself, but is loud enough that they can hear, "Incident?… couple weeks…"

"You've been in a coma for the past twelve days, Peter." Pepper offers.

That is when Peter really gets a good look at himself. He notices how his right leg and arm are both cast. He sees the splint on his left thigh. He notices a layer of second degree burn scars that decorate his torso, and half of his face and neck. He feels around his head with his free arm, and feels the bandages covering his left ear and head. He's in pretty bad shape. Why can't he remember anything?

He looks at Tony for help, but asks in desperation, "Does Aunt May know?"

Peter doesn't like the look any of the three adults give him. It's a mix of anguish and fear. He tries again, despite the fact that they are ignoring his questions.

"Where is she? Is she here?"

Happy steps to the side saying he's going to get a nurse. Stammering as he does so. Peter feels his heart racing faster with each passing second. He doesn't like the feeling developing in his gut. He hopes that it's an injury from whatever accident he was in.

"Peter," Tony sits on the edge of the bed. The way he gently says Peter's name; the way that he looks at him. Peter hasn't seen him like this since he apologized a few months ago. "You were in an explosion. At your apartment."

That must have been the trigger, because when Peter's eyes widen and he gasps, and then the realization sinks in as he stares up at Tony with wet eyes that beg, and plead. Tony wishes that he could answer all of Peter's internal questions positively. Assure him that everything is alright, and within another couple of weeks he'll be fully healed, and lead to a brand new apartment that Tony built and paid for out of his own pocket so that Peter and May can live without any worries because God knows that if anyone deserves a break, it's the two of them.

"What happened to her?" Peter's voice shakes. He gets no response from Tony who just stares at him with an intense posture, and when Peter gazes down he sees why. He's holding onto both of his hands, trying to stop himself from shaking and delving further into a panic attack.

"Is she okay?" he turns to Pepper who immediately looks away, hand over her mouth.

"Peter…" Tony's voice is unsteady but he forces himself to continue, "May… May is dead."

Peter sags even further into the pillow and mattress. He looks like a rag doll with tears flowing from his crystal glass eyes. His face crumples and he looks away from Tony and Pepper. He tries to make sense of it all.

"No," the wavering tone makes Tony's heart drop. He looks at Pepper who is wiping at her eyes. "No, that can't … that can't be. I threw myself in front of her! I took the brunt of the blast! I'm - I'm the one who should be dead."

"Peter, no!" Pepper leaned forward placing a hand on his shoulder gently. "That's not true. None of this should have happened."

"How do you know that she's dead?" Peter asked desperately through heavy sobbing. "How do you know she's not in recovery somewhere? How do you… how do you know?…"

Tony clasped his hand around Peter's which prompted him to look up at his mentor. "I know because I found her." Peter gasped which sprung more tears. "Pepper and I were at our home in Miami when we saw the newsfeed of the aftermath. I rushed here as fast as I possibly could, but it still took me over two hours to find you and May. You both were practically buried underneath the building. Peter, I'm so sorry."

Peter's body collapsed and he let out a horrible noise of agony before hunching over. Tony felt his hand tighten and he did nothing as Peter cried miserably. The quickening of his own breathing started drowning out Peter's wailing. He unlatched his hand from Peter, who didn't even seem to notice and instead brought his hand up to his face to cry into it. Tony was clutching his chest, and he could have sworn that he heard Pepper say his name. The concerning stare she was giving him confirmed it.

He stood up, looked between Peter and Pepper and all but ran out of the room.

Pepper could only look onward as Tony disappeared out of the door. She focused her attention on Peter who was turned away. She reached over to the side of the bed, and pushed the call button. She then took Tony's place on the bed, and forced Peter to look at her. She rubbed her thumbs over his cheeks before leaning in to kiss his forehead. He grasped her right hand in his left and leaned into her soft touch.

Minutes passed before a nurse entered the room. Pepper nodded at the man who was beginning to work on the ventilator. She faced Peter again, "I'm going to let them work on you, okay? I will be back in a bit."

"Mr. Stark left," Peter looked hurt.

"He will be back too," she kissed his head again. "I promise."

"You won't abandon me?"

"Oh, Peter, we would never leave you!" Pepper rose from her seat and made her way to the door. "We'll bring you back some food, okay?"

She was only content with leaving when Peter nodded in affirmation.

Tony was found outside of the building hunched against a wall. His body was intently shaking, and he developed the hiccups which only made things worse. Happy is seen squatted beside him and was doing his best to run Tony through his breathing exercises. His expertise lies with protecting his clients, not comforting them. The minute that Pepper arrives on scene is when Happy feels most relieved. She smiles at him, and gives him something to do. Something that he is familiar with. He is grateful and he gives Tony one look of pity before leaving.

Pepper sits by Tony's side and waits until his breathing returns to normal before saying anything. "Tony, you shouldn't have ran off like that."

"I can't do this," he whispers harshly. He leans against the wall, his head thudding against the rough plaster. "I don't know why I thought I could do this. This parenting bullshit," he looks at Pepper, and he's not sure if he likes the stone cold gaze she's giving him.

"Tony," ironically enough, her voice is tender with no hint of malice. She had a way of confusing him sometimes. "So, that's it then? You're just going to turn your back on Peter? Leave him now when he's most vulnerable?"

"I can barely take care of myself much less another human being, Pep!" Tony immediately regret snapping at her. "I'm sorry, but we both know how my track record with people is. They eventually leave."

"You think that of me then?" she asked incredulously. "Of Happy? Of Rhodey? Do you actually think that Peter is going to one day think that you no longer matter to him?"

Tony tried to look away when shame creeped up on him, but Pepper does not allow it. "Look at me, Tony. That kid loves you. Not Iron Man, but you. You have been his hero for almost his whole life! If he hasn't gotten bored of you yet, then I don't think that's going to ever happen!"

"Living with me is a whole different ball game. You even know that," he stared blankly.

"I'm still here," Pepper caressed his face. "I still love you very much. And, inside that hospital is a hurt kid who just woke up to the worst news of his life, who thinks that you want nothing to do with him. Tony, he pleaded with me to not abandon him, because he thought you did."

Tony's stomach dropped. Pepper brought him into a gentle embrace on her chest, and repeatedly kissed the top of his head.

"Isolating yourself won't be good for either of you," she continued. "He needs you to be there for him, Tony. He doesn't have anyone else."

"He has you," Tony says leaning up to face her .

"I won't be enough," she states with tears running down her face. Tony hates that. "You and Peter are inseparable when you're together. You have a bond with him that I could never understand or have," she points at him. "If you ignore him in his time of need, it's as good as turning your back on him. I can't help him on my own, Tony. He needs you, just like how I need you to support me now."

"I'm not trying to be selfish."

"I know that," Pepper does understand, "But, right now, we need to be the adults. We need to be comforting, and understanding. You and I will be there for each other, but we need to put on a tough face in front of Peter."

Tony nods, "You're right. You're right," He stands and helps Pepper to her feet. "I'm gonna… I'm gonna go and talk to him."

Pepper aims to speak, but is interrupted by her phone. She sighs when she sees the ID. "Unfortunately, I do have to take this one. I have Happy being food runner again, so he should be back shortly. Love you." She kisses Tony before turning her attention to the call.

"I love you, too," Tony says before walking slowly back inside.

Peter was sound asleep when Tony returned to the room. He noticed the ventilator was gone, and the feeding bag had been removed. He moved the chair next to Peter closer now that he had more room, and made himself comfortable watching him breathe evenly in his sleep. The doctors must have still had him under heavy medication. Tony could only imagine what that was doing to Peter's senses. He wonders if the doctors knew about Peter's mutated blood. No one had said anything about it. Maybe Pepper had the staff sign non-disclosure agreements. It was the only explanation that he could think of.

Every so often, Peter's face grimaced and he would mutter incoherently. Probably nightmares about reliving the incident. Tony wished with all his might that he could soothe Peter through his grief. He knew better than anyone how alone he felt after his parents died, and how just the simple task of living became increasingly more difficult.

Simple tasks such as eating, sleeping, or even breathing became a challenge. Tony eventually hit rock bottom and didn't even care if he woke up the next day or not. He remembers counting on the latter, and almost aided himself by swallowing half a bottle of painkillers one day. Fortunately, he hadn't counted on Obie walking in on him, and the man picked Tony up over his shoulders, and threw him into the back seat of his car. Tony remembers the light feeling of speeding down the street to the nearest hospital, and strangely enough, he doesn't remember Obie obeying any street traffic laws.

Obviously, the man didn't get arrested, and instead paid off his fines and avoided jail time by stating that he needed to be there for Tony, who Obie described as: severely depressed and suicidal. He wasn't wrong. Though, given how Obie turned out years into the future, it briefly crossed Tony's mind of why didn't he just let the mourning teenager off himself so that he could then take over the company? Tony pretty quickly learned that it was because his suicide would leave a bad strike on the company's reputation, and Obie would lose everything that Howard had built, and would eventually have to file for bankruptcy. Who would ever want to be associated with a company that has a horrible track record like the Stark family has?

Tony then decided that if he had to put effort in living, then he would never allow anyone to become close to him. He would never get married. He would never have kids. He would never allow the people he loved to see him at his worst ever again. Miraculously, he managed to fail at all of his goals. Tony Stark has never failed at anything before. Never given up on anything.

"Mr. Stark?"

Tony brought himself out of his thoughts to focus on the kid lying in the hospital. The kid in front of him who lost everything in the short fifteen years of his life. Who gazed at him with hope in his eyes. Who smiled weakly at him.

"You came back."

A decision was made right then that Tony never wanted Peter to feel forgotten ever again. He leaned down without thinking and kissed him on his crown.

"I'll never leave you, Peter. I promise."

Peter's arm reached around Tony's back, and pulled him closer. He wrapped his own arms around Peter in a show of good faith. His chin rested on top of Peter's head and allowed him to cry himself back to sleep.

"I was hoping it was all a bad dream."

Tony looked on as Peter stared wistfully at the ceiling. "I wish it was, kid."

"Did you mean what you said before?"

"I did," Tony replied with no hesitation. "In fact, as of twelve days ago, you are legally in the care of Pepper."

"Miss Potts?" Peter was confused.

Tony nodded. "She was the one who went to court the day of, and filed for temporary guardianship."

"Oh," Peter's features lightened. "That's really nice of her."

"Yeah," Tony agreed. Pepper was going to be a great mom. "What about you? Are… are you okay? I know it's a generic question, and totally inappropriate given the circumstances. Of course you're not okay, I don't know what I -"

"Mr. Stark, it's fine," Peter interrupts. "I understand what you meant. I just…. I just can't believe that she's gone. Forever."

"Hey," Tony leans in to be at eye-level with Peter. "I understand where you're at right now. Life is going to suck for a little while, the recovery process is never pretty, but I promise you that both Pep and I will be there for you every step of the way. We will not let you be alone."

It was when Tony was left alone to grieve that he developed his alcoholism and drug usage. Mainly to forget his trauma, and he'll be damned if he let Peter follow down his same path.

"I appreciate it, Mr. Stark," Peter lays back onto the bed. He fiddles with a few loose threads on the hem of the blanket he's under. "I don't know what I'm going to do without her."

"You'll figure it out, kid. You're smart like that."

Peter gives a half-smile in return not entirely convinced. Tony finds himself staring at the area between Peter's right shoulder and chest. "How's your chest feeling?"

Peter is confused, "Uhm, okay I guess?" he looks over himself to see if Tony noticed anything he didn't before. "Why do you ask?"

"Nothing," Tony replies quickly. "Just wondering."

Peter stares at Tony for a minute and notices that he keeps stealing glances at that one spot on his shoulder. It did feel stranger than before. As did one area near his stomach. Tony probably wanted to ask about something specific considering that he was the one who found Peter. No one had actually gone over with him what his injuries were aside from the obvious broken bones, and his now limited hearing.

"So," Peter began, turning his gaze to Tony who looked up at him. "Am I gonna have to learn sign language now?"

"That's up to you," Tony says. "The doctor did mention that surgery is possible in the future. We could get you cochlear implants. It's ultimately your decision, though."

Peter nods, "Everything still sounds so far away. It feels weird only having sound travel through one ear and not both. I feel like I have to yell in order to hear myself."

"You have been louder since you woke up," Tony smirks at Peter's annoyed stare.

"You're so funny," the remark was sarcastic and said with a smile. Tony laughed along.

The quip was just enough to break the air of awkward silence between them for a little bit. Tony slouched in the chair tapping his fingers against his knees absentmindedly. He focused on the wall past Peter who was trying to make himself comfortable. Tony felt like he needed to distract the kid from the situation he was in, and from dwelling too much on May. There was only so much that he himself could do. He hated feeling so useless.

The tapping on his knee stopped as he brought up his watch to his face. Tony bit his bottom lip as he argued with himself if the idea he suddenly had was a good one or not. Taking a glance at Peter before rising from his seat solidified his motivation. Before leaving, he grabbed half of a hoagie out of a white bag that sat on the table in the corner, and tossed it to Peter who caught it without looking up. At least his reflexes were still on point.

"I gotta take off for a little bit," Tony put on his jacket. The scared look on Peter's face tore at him. "It's only for a short time - maybe an hour. But I gotta go and get something that I think you'll like."

Peter eyed Tony for a few seconds before nodding and then slowly tearing at the wrapper. He really didn't feel as hungry as he was before learning of May's death, but he'd at least try. The sandwich was in his mouth when he felt a peck against his forehead. He looked up at Tony wide eyed who seemed unsurprised at his own actions.

"See you soon, Pete," Tony ruffled the bare locks on Peter's head before heading out the door. He stopped, turned around and jogged back over to the table to pick up what looked like a small stack of letters. He placed them in Peter's lap. "A couple are from Rhodey, and Vision. The rest I collected from your 'Guy In the Chair' who tells me a bunch of kids at your school say that they miss you and all that jazz. Take some time to read 'em, will you?" Tony gave Peter one last nod before heading out the door.

The letters that come from school mostly have the same robotic phrases of, "We miss you!" and "Get well soon!" and "It's not the same without you!". Peter scoffed at how thoughtless they read. None of these people gave him so much as a second glance, and he knew it was an act of pity. That made him more irritated the more he thought about it, so he just tossed them aside onto the chair. Some landing on the floor, but he didn't care. They'd all be going to the trash anyway.

The last bundle of cards were from Ned and his family, and two singles: one from Rhodey, and the other from Vision. Peter took his time opening and reading these. Enjoying the well wishes of the people closest to him.

Ned's mother actually sent him a hand written letter that lasted three full pages. Her writing was large but thin cursive, and he could faintly smell perfume lingering on the pages. It invoked instant nostalgia from when he'd spend the night at Ned's and his mother, a short Filipino woman, in the kitchen preparing a feast just for Peter when he mentioned that he had never had Filipino cuisine before. She and her husband had gone out of their way and created a smorgasbord fit for a king.

Peter remembers eyeing the fully cooked pig sitting in the middle of the dining table as if it were a foreign animal. He'd only seen pig in slices of ham; never the full body. Ned mentioned that they called it lechon, and it was a meal prepared for celebrations.

"What are we celebrating?" Peter asked.

"Your initiation," Ned stated. "You are now an honorary Filipino!"

They both laughed at their joke, but Ned's mother agreed earnestly. She made sure to dish up a bit of everything they had laid out on the table onto Peter's plate. By the end of the night he had developed a newfound love for several dishes. Especially the sisig, and suman. For dessert, he was presented a parfait with what looked like a scoop of purple ice cream. It tasted strange, but not bad.

He laughed at Vision's card because it had Rhodey's handwriting. Who had made a small annotation at the bottom of the signature stating that Vision doesn't know how to express empathy and it was the third time he attempted to write.

Rhodey's letter was well structured, and it didn't feel fake. He made a point to speak about Peter's good traits, and mentioned that he was always available to talk about anything. It did give Peter comfort to know that he had people to rely on. People who he never thought he'd even get the pleasure of meeting, much less spending time with.

The door to Peter's room opened, and his eyes met Pepper's who smiled at him. She set her purse on the couch (corner table was cluttered) and stopped to look at the mess of letters on the chair. She looked at Peter confused.

"Sorry," Peter became embarrassed by his trivial act. "Those are the cards from my peers at school."

"Ah, not a fan of false sympathy I see." She gathered up the bundle, even picked up the ones off the floor, and tossed them all into a trash bin near the door.

At least Pepper understood.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to return," She sat on the couch and took off her heels. Humming in the satisfaction of having them off, and situated herself so that she was laying on her side facing him. Peter figured it was because she didn't want him to feel crowded, and he appreciated that. "I've got social services up my ass at the moment."

Peter laughed at her quip. "I thought that you were in the clear with the 'temporary guardianship' thing?"

"You know about that, now?"

"Yeah, Mr. Stark told me," Peter nodded. "Thank you, by the way. You didn't have to do that."

"Peter," Pepper leaned up further and pointed at him. "If there's anything that I've learned from Tony, it's that you never do things because you have to; You do them because you want to. I wanted to make sure that you were safe and protected, and not have to go through all the loops of the foster care system."

Peter honestly felt blessed that one of the most revered women on earth would take time out of her busy life to care for him in his hour of need. Her company was comforting to say the least. She was easy to talk to, and always listened with earnest intent. He had seen some of the interviews that starred Pepper, and he was mesmerized by her masterful facade. The scripted smiles and laughs were very different from what he experienced face-to-face with the woman. Pepper was the type of person to reserve her best for the people who deserved her at her best, and no one else would be given the pleasure.

Tony did return later to find his fiance and son watching a movie on HBO.

"I know I said an hour," Tony holds up a hand in an apologetic gesture. "But, trust me, this is worth the wait."

"What, did you sign the adoption papers, too?" Peter joked.

Tony's nervous laugh caught Peter off guard, but he continued, "No, in fact, I've brought you a visitor."

Peter frowned, "I'm not really in the mood for visitors, Mr. Stark."

"I think you'll like this one," Tony said factually. He turned to the doorway, and waved whoever it was to come further.

The smooth transition on Peter's face from irritation to relief to radiance was absolutely priceless and Tony wished that he had a camera on disposal. The miniscule clicking sound to his left caught his attention, and there Pepper was with her phone in hand capturing the moment. He knew he could count on her.

Ned stood a foot from the bed with a large tote bag hung on his right shoulder. He had an equally large grin on his face just from the sight of his best friend.

"Hey, Pete."

Peter's face instantaneously switched gears as tears poured down his cheeks, and he sobbed while laughing. He couldn't bring himself to say anything coherently, so he just held out his left arm as an invitation, and Ned shuffled over to the bed after setting the tote bag down, and embraced Peter.

Peter could see Pepper rise up from the couch from the corner of his eye, and watched as she and Tony leave to give the two boys some privacy.

Ned gets a thorough look at Peter after he pulls back. His gaze is so soft and so observing that Peter doesn't even feel nervous. Ned isn't here to judge him for how he's been scarred (which will hopefully go away soon due to his healing). He looks like he's genuinely curious, but also doesn't want to step over any boundaries that may be too sensitive.

Ned uses his finger to lightly trace over some of the burn scars on Peter's face. He trails over the bright pink and bumpy swellings that cover Peter's left and slowly degrade once they travel through to the right side. It's leathery to the touch but Peter does not pull away, or flinch. Instead, he leans in and invites Ned's fingers to spread and cup his face in the palm of his hand.

"I missed you," Peter breathes, "So much."

Ned uses his thumb to wipe away the threat of more tears that pool around Peter's eyes.

"I missed you too, man."

He pulls up the tote bag that he set on the floor. The bottom is warm, and smells amazing.

"Oh my God," Peter gasps. "Is that… pork sisig?"

Ned laughs, "Yeah! Mom made an entire dish just for you."

"Mama Leeds, I love you." There are happy tears in Peter's eyes. Ned lets him shed these ones.

Ned dishes out the sisig onto clean plates he brought with him. Peter eats about half of his portion, and pokes at it absentmindedly while talking to Ned, hoping that he won't notice. He does, but says nothing. Instead, he takes the plate out of Peter's grasp, and shoves the left over food back into the ceramic dish, and it's placed back into the bag.

"Mom says you can take the rest home to eat later," Ned says placing the bag back down on the floor. "How have you really been though?"

Peter tightens his lips and his brow furrows.

"Peter," Ned stares at him. "Please don't lie to me."

"I don't…" Peter's voice starts to shake, and at last, his face crumbles into raw emotion. "... I don't want to be alive."

He feels so ashamed of his conviction that when he looks at Ned, he expects disgust, or anger, or fear. Not the soft, understanding gaze he's given. Peter is reminded that he is allowed to be himself in this moment. It's only him and Ned. No one else is around to judge him, or try to analyze his feelings. He is allowed to feel vulnerable and safe simultaneously. His shoulders sag in relief and he begins to explain.

"Everything just feels so empty," Peter places his left hand over his chest. "There's been an invisible weight ever since. Simple tasks like eating, and talking are exhausting for me. But, I can't let them know. Miss Potts and Mr. Stark; they've done so much for me. Even offered to take me in!

"Why did she have to die?" His shaking has worsen and he closes his eyes only to rapidly open them again. He can hear her final scream before the explosion forced them out of the window of their apartment.

His left arm is being torn away from his chest and he forces himself to look into Ned's eyes. "Why couldn't it have been me? I was in the line of fire, so by all logic it should have been me!"

Ned stays quiet while caressing Peter's hand who tightens his grip a bit. His voice is barely over a whisper, "I'm scared, Ned."

Peter feels Ned fold himself around his body, and instinctively buries his face into Ned's shoulder.

"I know that I have them, and I have you. I'm sorry for being so selfish and pathetic!"

Peter is jerked out of his comfort zone by Ned who grasps him by the shoulders, "Peter! You are the least selfish person I know! You've been through a horrible event that I can't even imagine myself in. It's not selfish to feel the way that you are! But, like you said: you have Mr. Stark, Miss Potts, and me to help you. We want to help you, if you'll let us! I don't want to lose you after fearing that you were dead the first couple of days after your apartment exploded! I love you, Peter! Please, let me help you."

Peter didn't answer straight away. He stilled himself against Ned who gently rubbed his back. Small whifts of cheap spray-on cologne emitted from his neck, but Peter didn't mind it much at the moment. Left hand curling around the fabric of Ned's hoodie; afraid to let him go.

"Ned," Peter sniffled. "I'm not sure I want help at all."

"Okay," Ned nods sadly. "That's… that's okay."

He peels himself away from Peter who immediately regrets his words, "Ned, wait!"

"I have to get home," Ned straightens his hoodie before looking at Peter. He wants to get back into the bed with him and comfort him, but he knows his parents would not approve of him staying all night.

So, he puts a hand on Peter's shoulder and he doesn't even notice the tears forming on his own face, "I will be back in a couple of days, okay? Will you please promise me that you won't do anything stupid? ...At least, not yet? Please?"

Peter clasps his hand around Ned's and squeezes, and then says with strong conviction, "I promise. I love you, bro. Thanks for coming to see me."

"Love you too, man."

Ned slowly drags his feet to the exit. He takes one last look at Peter and lazily waves. Peter returns the gesture. Ned makes his way to the waiting area where Tony and Pepper are talking. Tony basically launches himself off his seat and jogs over to Ned.

"Done already? You weren't even in there for an hour."

Ned almost hesitates in answering, "Yeah, no, it was great! I just have to get home at a certain time so…"

"Say no more," Tony wraps an arm around Ned's shoulders and they start to walk. Tony turns back to Pepper and tells he that he'll return shortly.

They're in the audi and Tony is talking to Ned, who is having a hard time focusing on the conversation. He's debating whether or not to tell Tony about what Peter said during his visit. By the way Tony and Pepper act, they have no idea what he's really going through. Peter did admit that he was hiding his pain from them out of guilt. Ned didn't think that was healthy, but he also didn't want to betray Peter's trust.

He looks over Tony, who has seen better days, and imagines Peter with the same sunken in eyes that dart quickly between targets in order to generate focus. Clammy skin that has paled due to malnutrition and is feeding off of whatever body fat he has left in order to sustain itself. The way he stutters and flinches. Ned decides that he doesn't want any of that for Peter.

"...even taking the news of May's death like a champ," he hears Tony say.

"Mr. Stark, wait," Ned cuts him short and almost apologizes when Tony looks offended. "I… Peter really isn't doing so great."

"What do you mean?" His tone is tight and demanding.

Ned takes a deep breath, and nearly breaks when he explains his visit to Peter in better detail. Tony can only stare ahead of him in shock and silence as he turns into the lot of Ned's apartment complex.