Disclaimer: I own nothing in the MCU or anything drawn from the comics. Unfortunately. Lol. All characters belong to the amazing people over at Marvel! I'm just playing with them for a little bit.
Summary: Homecoming AU. "I swear..." he gasped out between his sobs. "I... I didn't kill Mr. Stark." When the argument after the ferry incident goes horribly awry, Tony is missing and presumed dead, and Spider-Man is suspect number one. Peter believes his mentor is still alive out there, but he'll need help to find and save Tony from who truly wants him dead in time.
Author's Note: Wow, you guys! What can I say? I'm thrilled by your enthusiasm for this story, and I'm so happy that you guys like it so much! :-D Thank you to everyone for the wonderful reviews, favorites, and follows, you guys encourage me so much to keep going down this crazy path with this story!
In response to PKWolf014: Thank you so much for your awesome review! :-D Your compliments mean a lot to me! As well as that you think this is epic (always good for a MCU fic, yes? Lol)! Yup, Tony's alive, which is a good thing (I can't blame you for the worry... and I can't promise that that feeling isn't gonna go away completely). No, his kidnappers aren't great people, and by all means, please go kick them (twice)! They deserve it. Thank you so much, I'm glad that you love my voices for these characters– the compliment that I'm getting them perfectly is one I take to heart, since characterization is something I really focus on and try to get as well as I can. So, I'm so glad to hear that! I hope that you like this chapter as well and it lives up to your expectations! Thank you so much for saying so, I'm glad you think that about this story! :-)
In response to Lw117149: Thank you so much for your review! :-D Poor Tony indeed, I feel bad for him, I do... Lol, Peter will be remembering more soon! I'm so happy to hear that you love this story! I hope you continue to with this chapter, too! :-)
Also, muchas gracias to CoffeeRanger for her input on part of this chapter (and yes, definitely, I may now have to write that oneshot about Happy vs the meter maid now xD)! I love that our Plot Bunnies are long lost relatives, that tends to work out really well when it comes to writing ;-) I hope this lives up to your expectations, my dear friend!
All right, I won't keep you guys any longer! I hope you enjoy! :-)
Chapter 5– Dream Come True
"Um, Happy?"
"Yeah, kid?"
"You didn't mention that we were coming here."
Happy glanced over from where he was carefully taking the brown paper bag containing the incredibly expensive Spider-Man suit and the drug rehabilitation pamphlets he was looking forward to getting rid of as soon as they got inside off the passenger seat. Peter was standing at the foot of their destination, looking up at its towering height in what could only be described as absolute awe.
"What?" the head of security wondered with a slight shrug, glancing up at the top of the brightly lit building set against the dark sky himself. "It's just a tower that Tony initially built to be part of Stark Industries in this area. Being a leader in clean energy and all that..."
The teen looked over his shoulder at him, almost as though he were in disbelief that anyone could be so indifferent about this building. "Yeah, but then it became Avengers Tower," he told him as though that fact made all the difference in the world. And to him, it kinda did. After all, ever since the events in New York a few years back, he'd wasted away many hours daydreaming about having been in Manhattan when Loki had led the Chitauri alien invasion on the city, fighting alongside Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Captain America against the extraterrestrial army...
Though, he conceded, he had to admit that he never would have guessed he'd get these... spider powers from some freak incident involving a radioactive spider bite a little under a year ago, but that was neither here nor there. The fact of the matter was, he'd always dreamed of being an Avenger since all the news stories broke after the great battle of New York. That he was actually standing in the spot where it all began, right beneath where that wormhole had been opened, the one that Iron Man had brought the bomb through, was mindblowing to him.
Happy, however, seemed much less enthused about this location. Though the more Peter thought about it, he couldn't recall ever seeing him truly happy. "Not for much longer, I'm afraid," the former replied.
The web-slinger's brow furrowed in disappointment. "Why not?"
"Well, we've got that new facility upstate now to house everyone, and Tony didn't see the point in keeping both buildings," he explained as he shut the car door. Plus, he added to himself, the less time his former boss spent around the site of the alien attack and the wormhole he went through, the better. "So we've been packing up the rest of the stuff here to transfer it over. My first real duty as the new asset manager... And Tony was working on finalizing the sale of the Tower before... well, before what happened down by the ferry today."
With a frown, Peter turned to look up at the giant glowing "A" toward the top of the building again. Even though he had no personal connection to the Tower himself, he couldn't deny his feeling of loss knowing it was no longer going to be what it once was. It was so iconic...
He was brought out of his thoughts when a hand landed lightly on his shoulder from behind, and he gave Happy a small smile as the latter approached the front doors to unlock them. "Is that why there's no one here?" the teen asked as he followed him into the lit but eerily empty lobby. "No one's working here anymore?"
Happy sighed to himself as they crossed the room to the elevator. "There's someone here," he answered, using his security I.D. and entering a pass code on the wall before pushing the "up" button. "She's been helping us pack up some stuff, and she's a... uh... close, personal friend of ours."
Peter looked over at him curiously as they continued to wait. A mischievous smirk appeared on his face. "She your girlfriend or something, Happy?"
At this, Happy let out a sharp, boisterous bark of a laugh that startled the web-slinger. For a while, he hadn't thought it possible a sound like that could come out of this particular man. "What? I was just wondering..."
But Happy just brushed aside his words. "Nah, don't worry, kid," he said, still chuckling for a moment before a more somber look passed over his face. "But no, she isn't... my girlfriend. A good friend, though. And she's the CEO of Stark Industries, so she's the one who's really running everything around here... After being Tony's personal assistant as long as she was, she was someone he could fully trust to do so. And those people come few and far between, let me tell ya, kid..."
And that was when Peter understood. He dropped his gaze as an undeniable feeling of guilt swept through him. Even though that didn't explain why the billionaire would hit on his aunt the way he had, he had a sneaking suspicion who this woman was, sensing that he wasn't too far off. Happy didn't seem to notice his change in demeanor.
Finally, the double doors slid open, and the head of security grumbled under his breath about how long it had taken as he stepped inside the elevator, Peter slowly following behind and feeling somewhat numb. Happy hit the button for the top floor, and the doors slid closed again behind them.
Silence pervaded the small space as the teen watched the numbers gradually increase as they made their way up, and he couldn't stop the small smile from returning, along with his sense of wonder and anticipation. He was here, he was actually here. Even though the Tower wasn't exactly what it used to be and would be no longer, it was still surreal to be standing in the place of so many of his childhood daydreams.
Then, he noticed what was in the man's hand other than the shopping bag.
"What's that?"
Happy followed Peter's gaze to the pamphlets and shook his head briefly. "Nothing important," he muttered, attempting to hide them from sight. "They're, uh... resources for rehab if someone's using drugs."
"Why would you...?" But then, the implication of his words slapped him full in the face, and Peter's eyes widened as he looked up at the head of security. "Happy, I didn't do any drugs, I swear!"
"I know you didn't, kid," Happy replied with clear irritation, but Peter could tell it wasn't directed at him. "And I tried to tell that to your know-it-all doctor at the ER, but he insisted. However..." He hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to put the rest of what had to be said. "There were traces of a hallucinogenic drug... a gas... in your system. Any idea where that could have come from?"
The web-slinger slowly started to shake his head before he paused. "Wait," he muttered, taking his bottom lip between his teeth thoughtfully. "Remember that smoke I told you I remembered that came out of that weird ball thing? The stuff that Mr. Stark and I were caught in? Do you think that was what that was? A hallucinogenic?" That would certainly explain what he'd seen, or thought he'd seen, on top of that building.
Happy nodded once. "Wouldn't surprise me at all."
"But I don't get why someone would use..." Peter's thoughts trailed off as his eyes narrowed in confusion. "I mean, I saw..."
Happy raised a curious eyebrow. "Saw what?" he pressed slowly.
However, Peter slowly shook his head, trying to clear the final image he had of his Uncle Ben from his mind. "N-nothing important," he told him. "But I don't get why someone would use that stuff..."
The head of security decided to drop the matter for now. "Well, there could be a number of reasons for that, kid," he muttered. "If someone truly did want to ambush the two of you, which it sounds like is the case, it'd serve as a great distraction, for starters..."
Peter met his gaze uncertainly, and Happy found himself reminded of just how young this kid was. The fifteen-year-old was bearing a weight that he shouldn't have to. "Do you... do you think it was anyone who I've been trying to track down? The... the guy with metal wings or anyone who's working for him...?" he wondered in nearly a whisper, his tone cracking ever so slightly. "If... if Mr. Stark got hurt because of me..."
Happy let out a long breath, his gaze faltering. "I'm not gonna lie to you, kid, I honestly don't know the answer to that," he said quietly. "I don't know much about... this guy with metal wings. But that's what we're gonna figure out. Okay? And don't you worry. We'll find Tony. You'll see."
One way or another...
Peter nodded despite how miserable he still looked, but then, his head snapped up in panic. "Happy! Aunt May can't know about this! The... the hallucinogenic and all..."
"No sweat, kid," Happy assured him. "Since you didn't have any life-threatening injuries or anything like that, she won't even have to know about the ER visit unless you tell her. I've got that covered through the Stark internship and what not. She'll never see a bill."
"Thank God..." Undeniable relief crossed the teen's face as he leaned back against the back wall of the elevator. "I have no idea how I'd even begin to explain the hallucinogenic in my system to her... Th-thank you for that, by the way, Happy. Covering the cost..."
"Don't mention it, kid." Happy allowed a small smile to appear at the corner of his lips. "Speaking of, though, you'd better let her know you're going to be home a little later tonight. We thought it'd be good for you to stay here for a little bit, just to make sure that there aren't any lingering effects from the gas and that it's truly out of your system. If your aunt saw you now, she'd probably know that something wasn't quite right. So, I hope you have a story you can tell her."
The web-slinger nodded, confident he could come up with something other than his actual current location to tell his aunt. After all, his best friend Ned Leeds was always a go-to. But then, his frown returned. "Happy?"
"Yeah, kid?"
"I'll have to use your cell phone."
"... Why?"
"I don't have mine. And the suit's in the bag..."
Happy sighed. "Okay, you can use it when we get up there," he muttered. For all of Tony Stark's technological genius, even he hadn't been able to solve the problem of no cell phone reception in elevators. "Where is your phone?"
"In my backpack."
"Which is...?"
"Uh... hidden in an alleyway in Queens. Along with my school stuff, and a change of clothes."
Happy stared blankly at the ascending numbers as they neared the top floor. "I suppose you'd like me to grab that for you?" he deadpanned.
Peter gave him a sheepish smile. "Before it's stolen," he replied. "And as well as it worked in a pinch, I'd rather not stay in Hello Kitty sweatpants for longer than I have to... And... and I do have homework I can do here... It's due tomorrow..."
"Fine." Happy heaved another sigh as the elevator finally came to a stop, the doors sliding open a couple seconds later. "Just give me the exact address, and I'll get right on it."
The head of security immediately stepped out of the elevator, but Peter stayed frozen to the spot as he looked around the large, spacious, brightly lit room stretched out before him. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open as his gaze passed over the couple of fully-stocked mini-bars, all of the couches and chairs, the lightly spiraled staircase that led up to a second level, and finally to the tall, large windows across the room from him that overlooked the city below.
"Holy shit..."
Happy stopped when he realized he wasn't being followed, and he glanced over his shoulder back at him. "Coming, kid?" he asked. "Or are you just gonna stay in the elevator all night?"
"Oh! Right. Sorry." Peter scrambled out of the elevator, just as the double doors began to slide closed. But the awed smile returned to his face as he found himself in the room he was sure was larger than his apartment, still not able to believe he was actually standing in the place he'd always dreamed of being.
Happy rolled his eyes with a little chuckle as he carefully set the paper bag down on the nearest cushioned chair before looking for a place to properly dispose of the rehab pamphlets.
"Oh, Happy! You're back! Good, we were getting worried."
Peter turned at the sound of the pleasant female voice, and his smile slowly vanished as that nagging feeling of guilt returned. The head of security had been wrong, he realized, as he watched not one but two people walk toward him from the direction of one of the mini-bars, both holding a drink in their hand.
The person who had spoken was a tall, slender woman wearing a pair of dark, form-fitting jeans with a tight black and white t-shirt, her long, strawberry blonde hair tied back in a loose ponytail that hung over her shoulder. Her feet were bare. Beside her was a man he recognized very well– a nearly bald, dark-skinned man wearing a casual pair of jeans and a navy blue t-shirt. On his legs were a pair of what appeared to be black mechanical braces...
The fight against Captain America that Tony had recruited and brought him to Germany for came rushing back to him, and he remembered how Colonel James Rhodes, or War Machine, had suffered a serious back injury after falling from a great height and had been paralyzed from the waist down. He was glad to see that the older man seemed to be able to walk around okay with those braces, but he was also on high alert since even though they had been on the same side during the airport bunker battle, he was one of the Avengers who didn't know his true identity. Until that moment, it had been only Tony and Happy...
He knew they must have both noticed his ridiculous, oversized, and mismatched outfit, but neither one said a word about it. Recognition seemed to flash in Rhodey's dark eyes, and he leaned closer to the woman. "That's Spider-Man?" he whispered, but Peter could still barely pick up what he was saying as the woman nodded once. "I knew he was young, but..." He sighed, briefly shaking his head before muttering, mainly to himself, "Damn it, Tony..."
The teen felt his hands curl into fists, suddenly feeling the need to defend himself. So what if he was fifteen? It didn't mean he couldn't do this. He may have been young, but with his abilities...
Though then, he forced his hands to relax as his argument with Tony, which felt like a lifetime go now, echoed in his mind, and he dropped his gaze. The billionaire had been right, he knew. About his actions, about his age. Everything. Maybe he had been crazy to recruit a fifteen-year-old kid after all, since that same kid had gotten him hurt or worse...
But before anything else could be said, Happy appeared beside him. "Yup, we're here," he announced, setting a hand on the web-slinger's tense shoulder. "Guys, this is Peter Parker."
Rhodey gave him a nod and a small smile. "Good to see you again, kid," he said.
Peter looked up at him, startled. "Yeah, y-you, too," he managed to reply with a slight wave. "Glad to see you're, um, doing okay..." He paused, rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh, yeah, you guys know about... about Spider-Man... Mr. Stark's been, uh... been sort of mentoring me..."
"Relax, kid, it's all right." Rhodey's smile broadened. "Your secret's safe with us. Believe me, be glad you don't have to deal with what the rest of us do with being recognized everywhere you go. That can be a pain, let me tell you..."
Despite himself, Peter chuckled, though the sound was slightly nervous. "I... I can imagine that would be, yeah..."
Then, the woman beside him took a few steps forward with a welcoming smile of her own, and the teen's stomach dropped. "Hi, Peter, my name's Pepper Potts," she told him. "I'm the CEO of Stark Industries. Tony's told me a lot about you, so it's good to finally meet you."
"Y-yeah... you, too, Ms. Potts..."
When she held out her free hand for him to shake, when he heard the kindness in her voice directed at him, that was when he finally lost it. Everything that had happened over the past couple of hours– the near disaster on the ferry, the argument with Tony, the ambush, seeing Uncle Ben because of the stupid gas, the explosion, not knowing what happened to Tony but knowing he was being blamed for his possible death, the gas being in his system, the ER visit, suspecting who this woman was, all of it– was just too much. Tears that had been restrained for far too long finally rose to his eyes and spilled over with force. Instead of shaking her proffered hand, he quickly buried his head in his hands and looked away in attempt to try to muffle the sounds and hide the unbridled emotion that he wished he could stop.
"I'm s-sorry, Ms... Ms. Potts..." he mumbled, frantically wiping at his eyes. "I... I didn't mean to... to do this..."
Pepper's features softened as she glanced at Rhodey next to her, seeing his own were full of sympathy, before looking to Happy to see that his brow was furrowed in concern as they all regarded the distraught teen between them. She let out a quiet breath as she handed her drink to the colonel before reaching out and lightly wrapping her arms around him.
Peter didn't care how weak he appeared in that moment when he was supposed to be Spider-Man as he leaned into her embrace and tightly clutched onto her while he allowed the dam to continue to break as more tears escaped from him. This contact with another person who didn't seem to be blaming him for this whole mess was something he needed. The CEO pulled him even closer, reaching a hand up to gently guide his head down to rest on her shoulder as she delicately ran her fingers through his hair in a soothing motion. That simple gesture broke him more than he already had, realizing it was okay to feel as though everything was collapsing around him, that he didn't always have to be the strong one, that there were these adults who could help support him now so he wasn't alone as he faced his now horrifying reality...
"I swear..." he gasped out between his sobs. "I... I didn't kill Mr. Stark."
Pepper used her other hand to rub gentle circles into his back. "It's okay," she murmured as he struggled to catch his breath. "I know you didn't... It'll be okay, I promise..."
Happy watched them sadly before Rhodey approached him with a sigh. "I guess I just never really realized just how young the kid actually was," he said to the head of security quietly with a brief shake of his head. "Much too young to be shouldering all that happened. Being blamed for Tony's death, and all..."
"I know," Happy agreed. "But I think this was the right place to bring him for now. He'll be safe here. And I think he'll be okay when he gets all this out. Kid's been holding it in since I found him..."
"Not surprised..."
Happy sighed as he glanced over at the colonel. "I'm gonna head back out for a bit," he told him. "I've gotta pick up the kid's backpack in Queens, and then I was gonna swing by the harbor again to see if I could find any clues as to Tony's whereabouts."
"I think I'd like to come with you for that," Rhodey replied. "We could possibly find more with two pairs of eyes. And honestly, I'm itching to do something to find him instead of just sitting around here."
"You sure?" Happy couldn't help but glance down at the braces on the other man's legs.
Rhodey sent him a look full of irritation. "Yes, I'm sure," he snapped in a tone that made his friend raise his hands in defense. "I'm not an invalid, Happy. I'm moving around just fine, thank you. Besides, your security badge may do you good here, but my status as colonel... and, y'know, War freaking Machine... may be more beneficial at the scene."
Happy saw the look of friendly competition in the smirk the other man was giving him, and he couldn't help but return it with a chuckle. "Fine, fine, you can come along."
"You had no choice in the matter, my friend."
Continuing to chuckle, Happy then turned to where Pepper was still trying to console the web-slinger, and his face fell. "Peps, we're going to pick up something for Peter and see if we can find anything else at the harbor. Do you have everything under control here?"
Pepper nodded with a small, sad smile, a thin line of tears in her own eyes. "We'll be fine here," she assured him. "Let me know about anything you find, okay?"
"You've got it," Happy said as Rhodey nodded his agreement. Then, he turned his attention to who she was holding in her arms. "Hey, kid? Don't forget to call your aunt, okay? To tell her why you'll be home a bit later? And it'll take us a little while to get to Queens, so tell Pepper where your backpack is, and she'll text it to us. Okay?"
Peter nodded, not raising his head from Pepper's shoulder. "O-okay, Happy..."
Happy's sighed as he turned to Rhodey. "You ready?" he asked.
The colonel nodded. "Whenever you are," he answered, setting his and Pepper's drinks down on a nearby low table. "Let's go see if we can figure out where Tony disappeared to."
"Let's just hope we find something..."
"Amen to that."
Then, the two men made their way over to the elevator, stepping inside before Happy pushed the button for the bottom floor. They got one more look at Pepper saying something to Peter in effort to calm him before the doors slid closed.
Somehow, Pepper still found it somewhat strange that with all the advanced technology Tony either owned or had created, he still kept something as simple as the small flip phone she found herself holding gingerly in her hand. But, she also knew it held a special significance to him, whether he was ready to admit it or not.
But he didn't have to say a word about it. She could tell by how he looked at it and by how carefully he'd handle it that it had significance. That and he would usually bring it with him between the new facility and the Tower, leaving it wherever he would be spending the most time. It was almost as though he didn't want to be caught without it in case he'd ultimately need to make a call on it, even though she suspected it would take something major for him to actually do so.
Or, perhaps he kept it close in case it ever rang.
The CEO wasn't sure which possibility unnerved, or even potentially invigorated, him more. But either way, it was clear Tony didn't want to be overly far away from that phone. Just in case.
Sighing, she glanced over at the couch where Peter had stretched out, waiting for Happy and Rhodey to return with his backpack of things and hopefully some more answers about what could have happened to Tony. She would have asked him some questions about what he remembered since Happy hadn't given her much information in his text when they were leaving the hospital, but the teen was still much too shaken up to talk about any of it, she could see that clearly. She'd wait until he was ready to bring up that conversation.
Once the tears had finally stopped and he'd managed to calm himself down enough to take full breaths and start stringing sentences together, Pepper had turned on the television to give him something to watch– other than the news blaming him for the terrible incident that happened down at the harbor, which she now had no doubt was completely false– while he'd made himself comfortable on the couch and asked almost shyly for a glass of water since he hadn't had anything to drink since the incident and his throat was super dry. He'd then managed to call his Aunt May to explain that he'd be home a little later than usual since he'd be at his best friend Ned's house for a few hours to finish up a project for school that was due later in the week, and though from the sound of it she hadn't been thrilled, she'd eventually agreed. The CEO had then been able to text Happy the location of where the web-slinger had hidden his backpack so if he felt up to it, he could get that homework that was due the next day finished before going home to get a good night's sleep. She knew he needed that more than anything, especially because it hadn't been too long after he'd stretched out on the couch when he'd dozed off, a light snore coming from him as his empty water glass hung loosely in his grasp where his arm dangled over the cushion.
A small smile appeared on her face as she quickly but carefully took the cup from him so he wouldn't drop it, setting it on the nearby table before she made sure the light blanket she'd draped over him was tucked securely. She then turned away and returned to the table where Tony had been keeping the flip phone.
There was no return address on the FedEx box the device had been sent in, though Pepper did notice with amusement that the "r" in "Stark" looked a bit too much like an "n" to not have a hilarious outcome. The envelope, blank aside from the word "Tony" written neatly on the front, that had come with it didn't give her any other clues as to who had sent him the package. She tentatively lifted it, her slender fingers hesitating on the already opened seal.
She was sure about who had sent it, but something deep down had the need to see it for herself. It went against every fiber of her being to open someone else's mail, even if that other person happened to be the man she had so intimately shared her life with for so long. But if there was anything else that the contents inside could provide that could possibly help the man she still loved in some way now when he was in danger...
A beat passed where she took a deep breath before she carefully lifted the flap and slid the piece of folded paper out. After smoothing it out a bit, she saw that it wasn't very long, nor was it signed. Which she had expected. But it was written in the same neat handwriting as Tony's name on the envelope, and with mounting unease, Pepper began to read.
Tony–
I'm glad you're back at the compound. I don't like the idea of you rattling around a mansion by yourself. We all need family...
By the time she reached the end, she was doubly certain that her suspicions about who had sent the package to Tony were correct, given everything that he himself had told her about what happened while she had been gone. The letter didn't need to be signed, its author had been spelled out plainly to her in its contents. She knew exactly who this was, as she knew that Tony did.
The CEO then looked down at the small flip phone she held, studying it carefully. It was disposable. Untraceable. Smart. But as she continued to stare at the device, the last words the other man had written repeated again in her mind.
So no matter what, I promise you, if you need us, if you need me, I'll be there.
Almost as though her hands were working on their own accord, Pepper slowly flipped the phone open, gazing at the lit screen with the stock beach photo set as the background. Would this– Tony missing and being presumed dead– fall under that category that was described in the letter? The billionaire certainly needed help now, that dread deep within her was constantly telling her that...
With slightly trembling fingers, she began to move across the keypad, knowing that the number to call had to be in the contact list. But then, she took a deep breath as she stopped herself. No, she couldn't do it. She wanted to do everything in her power to help Tony, but calling this man... she couldn't bring herself to do that. Not in his... current predicament. Besides, Peter was there, and Rhodey and Happy would hopefully return soon with something to go off of. The four of them should be able to find Iron Man and bring him back home. They just had to. She wouldn't accept anything less.
Although... aside from her, there was the head of security of Stark Industries, a traumatized fifteen-year-old web-slinger, and a not-at-one-hundred-percent War Machine. While not at full strength, she recognized that more help could possibly be needed at some point, but calling this number, reaching this man... it was a risk she couldn't afford to take, for his own sake.
Would Tony even want her to? Would he want her to reach out to this man after everything that had happened between the two of them...?
Letting out the breath she'd been holding, Pepper slowly closed the small flip phone and carefully set it back down on the table next to the FedEx box. She neatly slipped the letter back into its envelope and returned it to its place underneath the device. She gazed at the three items for a moment longer before she turned to check on Peter again to make sure he was doing okay.
That was when the phone began to ring.
Author's Note: So... that's that! Peter's got some more allies, and... there's an unexpected phone call coming in. How will this go? We'll see! Thanks for reading! As always, your feedback is much appreciated! Until next time! :-)