Tony kept waking Peter up. Peter just wanted to sleep for a little bit but Tony wouldn't let him. It wasn't fair. Peter felt worse when he was awakened. He threw up a couple more times, even once on Tony's expensive shoes.
"'M sorry," Peter tried to say. "So sorry."
"Don't worry about it," Tony said. "At least you didn't throw up all over my shirt like you did to Cap's."
"I… I did…?" It was foggy. Part of him could almost remember it but it seemed like something that happened in a dream.
Why couldn't he remember it?
"Don't worry about it," Cap said, looking back at him.
"I don't… I can't…"
"If it's fuzzy, that's okay," Tony said. "Normal sign of concussion. It'll be fine, kiddo."
Peter wasn't sure about that. All of this was so confusing.
"Have you told May?" Happy asked Tony.
"May…" Peter said. He wanted May. He had to apologize to her because she would be freaked out by how hurt he was.
"It's complicated," Tony said. "We think…" he cleared his throat. "The kid might not remember who hurt him."
"I… I do…" Peter said but that seemed like a dream too. Or rather a nightmare. "I do…"
"See, that's a good sign for your head injury," Tony said. "Memory is coming back. Fast too. Your super healing is amazing."
It didn't feel like a good thing, but he did remember things had been fuzzy after he got hit by the train too. Then they cleared up.
"This is my fau—"
"Don't you finish that sentence," Tony said even though he didn't know why it had happened. Peter couldn't even remember that well. Just that there had been fighting.
"Who did it?" Happy asked.
There was a long silence. Peter resisted his head on Tony's shoulder, half expecting for him to push him away so he wouldn't fall asleep. He didn't make him move though.
"It's…" Tony sighed and shook his head.
Peter closed his eyes.
"We're almost at The Tower, kiddo," Tony muttered to him.
"Who was it?" Happy asked softly.
Tony didn't say anything and Peter kept his eyes closed. He would probably fall asleep soon.
"It was his aunt's boyfriend," Cap said in a whisper.
Happy actually slammed on the brakes, causing Tony to grab Peter's arm which hurt because of a bruise he had there. Still he didn't flinch.
"What the fuck? Are you serious?"
"He is, but we can talk about this later?"
"What the fuck?" Happy said. Peter felt his eyes on him. "I'm going to kill that asshole."
"Nope, if anyone gets to kill Eddie, it's me because I'm basically Peter's dad. Dad trumps driver. He called me "dad" before you showed up, so I should get the right to murder Eddie."
Peter put his hand on his forehead as he tried to remember calling Tony that.
"I used to date his aunt."
"It trumps aunt's ex-boyfriend too."
"No killing," Peter muttered. Eddie might not be a good person, but he shouldn't die. Peter even sometimes felt bad that he couldn't save Beck.
"Yes, no killing, Tony!" Cap said. "There are other ways to manage it!"
"You know what, Cap. Fuc—"
"I'm texting May," Happy said. Peter thought about stopping him but the words wouldn't come out. "She deserves to know more than anyone."
And soon sleep came to him so he didn't even get to find out how that went.
He was awakened when someone gently nudged his arm and then lifted him out of the car. Cap. It was Cap.
"Maybe we should make him walk," Happy said.
Apparently they decided not to because Cap ended up carrying him. It was stupid since he was going to be fine. He was already starting to feel better. He wasn't a baby.
This whole thing…
"You didn't really text May?" Peter asked, trying to get away from Cap. "I can handle this." He made a mistake not telling May but obviously he wouldn't do that now. He didn't think that Eddie was that crazy and… he hadn't thought he would hurt him like that.
He should have been able to avoid it anyway. He was Spider-Man.
Happy shrugged but luckily Cap at least let him down even though he tried to support him. That was fine since he was still dizzy. His head had been hit hard.
"I had to," Happy said as if that was a fact. Annoying especially since Happy and May weren't together anymore. Sure, they were still friends, but they didn't spend that much time together.
That was probably more the reason.
"But I…" Peter said stumbling backward. "She's hurt. He said she got in a wreck."
"What?" Happy said, his face darkening. "What happened?"
"I… I don't know." Peter felt tears form in his eyes. "I just remember he said that. Maybe that's… why…" had that been why he was mad because Peter had messed up and been partially responsible for what happened to May?
Tony put an arm over his shoulders. "We'll figure it out, kid. I'm sure she's fine. Maybe he was lying or maybe it was just a minor car wreck."
Peter didn't know what to think. Everything was spinning and his stomach was twisting.
"Come on, Underoos. Time to get checked on," Tony said.
Peter wanted to argue but then he suddenly felt overwhelmed with nausea again. He barely managed not to throw up on Tony but instead did all over the floor.
"I'm so sorry," Peter said, staggering.
"It's okay," Tony said.
"It's—"
"I said it was fine," Tony said, doing his best to partially support him while Cap went on his other side.
"I'll try and reach May, Pete," Happy said softly. "If that's okay. Unless you want—"
"No, you try and reach May. Kid will be fine with me." He glanced at Cap. "And I guess him."
Peter was led away by both Cap and Tony while they left Happy messing with his phone in an attempt to reach May. He would. They were still friends and so he was bound to reach her. What was she going to think about all of this? May didn't deserve to have to deal with this kind of stuff.
So after that, Peter was looked at by the doctor who tried to get him to say what happened but he didn't remember much. Eventually Tony ended up watching part of his patrol but that still didn't clear things up.
"He was hit in the head," Cap said. "You were unconscious before we came there, right, Queens?"
"Yeah," Peter muttered as the doctor, who wasn't Cho or Strange, looked at him. Apparently, Cho was out of town visiting family. Knowing Tony, he'd probably force Strange to come just for a second opinion. "I don't think it was long."
"It wasn't long. You texted me less than ten minutes before I showed up," Tony said. "Asshole probably ran away when he heard me and Cap. You were probably just knocked out a minute or two."
Peter didn't say anything and looked at the floor. He didn't know how this had happened to him.
"He hit him with a baseball bat," Tony said moving away from Peter and started to pace back and forth. "I can't believe that fucker did that to you. Is he insane?"
Peter just stayed quiet.
"He thinks Peter's my son but he did something like that. And Peter's just an innocent kid. Why the hell would he do that to him? I'm going to kill him."
"You can't kill him, Tony," Steve said.
"Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Spangles."
The appointment went on for awhile, and Peter had to even get stitches for the knife slash. The head injury they said was serious but should heal though they were going to keep an eye on it. However, he couldn't do anything for the next few days. They even wanted him to stay at the Tower.
"He's going to stay at the Tower," Tony said "Because I'm not letting my kid get hurt."
"What if his aunt doesn't want him to stay here and…" Steve sighed when Tony shot him an evil look. The three of them left the room and went toward Peter's. At least now he was finally going to be allowed to sleep.
"She'll understand. She should stay here too," Tony said. "Peter's lucky to be alive."
"It… I'm Spider-Man," Peter said, clutching his head.
"Don't care, kid," Tony said, pushing the door to his room shut.
"I'm…" he looked at Steve. "You're more like me. You have powers like me."
"Spangles shouldn't get hit in the head with a baseball bat either, especially when he's been stabbed and is bleeding out."
Steve nodded.
Peter sighed and clutched his head.
"Let's get you to your room so you can get some rest now," Tony said, helping him up. "You were pretty much falling asleep in the car so you should be happy."
Peter couldn't even nod. He was really tired, but he wanted to find out what was going to happen with May. What was she going to think about this? Was she okay? Peter would never forgive himself if she had gotten hurt. It was his job to protect her.
"Hey, I know that look, kid, and you should try not to think too much now. You need to concentrate on just resting."
That was easy for him to say.
"You're not going to be able to patrol right away either," Tony said. "I know you're not going to like that, but you can spend more time with me. It'll be great. You used to want that."
He still did, but patrolling was important to him.
Peter tried to pull away from Tony as they walked toward his room with Steve behind them, but that didn't go well. Peter almost fell down, but Steve grabbed onto him, keeping him from falling even before Tony could do anything.
After that Steve helped him and he wouldn't let him go until they had reached his room and got him on his bed.
"I… I'm worried about Aunt May," Peter said, feeling tears form in his eyes. "She…"
"Happy's trying to reach her now," Tony said, sitting on the edge of his bed. "She's going to be okay, kiddo. She's probably just at work. Eddie's a liar, and we're going to find him and I'm-"
"Not going to kill him, but find another way to make him regret what he did," Steve said, not letting Tony finish. "And Tony is right that May's going to be all right and you should get some rest."
Peter didn't think he would be able to rest now that he remembered that May could be in trouble, but as soon as his head hit the pillow, he fell asleep. His eyes couldn't have even stayed open. A few times, he awoke for a few minutes to hear people quietly talking in the background. Once it was Tony and Steve and the second time Tony and Happy.
But neither time did the words make any sense. He fell right back asleep.
Finally the third time, he managed to keep his eyes open for more than just a few minutes. The lights were dim when he woke up and Tony was talking to someone. Even now it was hard to understand his words, but then he heard her voice.
"May!" Peter said, managing to sit up even though things were still slightly dizzy. She was here! She was okay. He had been worried that she might have died.
Like almost everyone in Peter's life did.
May came over and gently pulled him into a hug. She kissed his forehead. "I'm so, so sorry, baby. I should have realized something like this was happening."
At first, Peter just soaked in her hug, glad that he no longer needed to be afraid that she was dying. Glad that she was okay.
"'S not your fault," Peter managed to get out as he pulled away from her, but let her take his hands in hers. "It's mine for not telling."
He had meant to tell her before, but he had been stupid. He had trusted Eddie just like he had trusted Beck. How could he be so stupid all the time? How could someone like him be an Avenger? Avengers protected the world and Peter had failed at even this. Obviously Fury was right and Tony had made a mistake.
"It's not," May said. She touched one of his curls. "And I promise that you're never going to have to see him again."
Peter shrugged. "If you wanted-"
"Don't even finish that," Tony said, ending his silence. "And I doubt your aunt wants to stay with someone who hurt you. What kind of sadistic person hits a teenager with a bat? He better pray that I don't find him."
"Maybe… Maybe it was an accident?" Peter said, but he knew that it sounded stupid. He sighed and looked at May. "I just want you to be happy."
"I am happy," May said.
Peter didn't know about that, but he remained quiet.
"I'm going to stay with you at the Tower while you're getting better and they're looking for Eddie. Eddie should be praying I don't find him either because it wouldn't go well for him."
"You're… you're okay?" Peter asked. "I think Eddie said that you were in a wreck."
She sighed and shook her head. "Eddie drove me to work and we got rear ended when we were driving. It wasn't a big deal and no one was hurt. He did seem pretty angry about it. Blamed the paparazzi, even though they weren't around. Said he was worried about that."
Peter didn't even know what to say.
"He was pretty sensitive about that car."
All Peter could do was nod at that comment.
"But he had no right to hit you," May said. "And I know you want me to be happy, but I mean it when I say you're my number one priority and I wouldn't want to be with someone like that. I love you, Peter."
Peter paused but then he hugged her. She smelled like the vanilla perfume she always wore. It was comforting, even now that strong smells gave him a headache.
"Everything is going to work out," May said. "I promise everything is going to work out."
Peter still had a horrible headache, but he managed to smile weakly for her. He just hoped that she was right and it would be the case, but he didn't think something like this would ever happened to him. Eventually May left for a quick moment, saying that she needed to make a call to someone. Peter was alone with Tony.
"I knew she wouldn't be upset with you, kid," Tony said. "She loves you, and she knows that guy is a dick for hurting you."
"It… It still shouldn't have happened since I'm Spider-Man. I mean I've fought Mysterio, and the Vulture, and Thanos." How could this happened (happen) to someone like him? It was embarrassing and stupid.
Tony shrugged. "This kind of thing happens at times. My father… well he wasn't great. Let's just leave it like that."
Peter did know that. Tony didn't talk about his parents, especially his dad, much, but he knew that his childhood had been far from great.
"That was when you were a child and weren't Iron Man." Even Tony had to realize that was completely different. Peter's childhood had sucked what with losing both his parents and being bullied constantly by Flash, but things should be better now. He shouldn't need protection, especially when he was basically an adult himself.
And when he was a superhero.
"Well, I've had issues with panic attacks and anxiety, and you don't associate those with superheroes," Tony said, shaking his head. "And Thor has struggled with depression. All of us have issues, Pete." Tony came over and put his hand on his shoulder.
For what felt like a long time but was really less than a minute, Peter didn't say anything. Finally, he looked up at Tony. "Thank you."
"Thank you?"
"For coming for me," Peter muttered, looking down at his hands.
"I wasn't going to leave you there, kid."
Peter nodded. "But still you didn't have to. So thanks… Thank you, Dad." Peter cringed when he realized what he had said. "I mean… I'm sorry. I know you're not really my dad and are my mentor but-"
Tony laughed. "It's fine. Kid, I've told you that you're like a son to me. And honestly, I'm honored that you would ever even consider calling me "dad."
Peter couldn't help but grin and hug Tony. Even now he was so grateful that Tony was still alive.
((Thank you for reading and commenting!
Princess PrettyPants: I hope it does!
UntamableWyldeRaptor: It seemed like the perfect time for him to call him that and I couldn't resist.
Kellentia: Yeah, I apparently like writing Steve so here he is. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter!
Jasmin32001: The Iron Family is the best. They're so cute. And yeah apparently Sony doesn't care about their fans. It's sad. This is probably going to make people here dislike me, but my favorite superhero has always been Batman lol.
PicassoPenguin: Yeah, Eddie is afraid of Tony and well maybe he should be. I really hope Sony and Disney work it out. I love Peter in the MCU.
Awesome Alert: Thank you. I love writing it. I enjoy writing about family bonds in general. I do it a lot in my original fiction.
ItsBeenAwhile8: Aww I'm glad that what is happening is surprising you. And I thought that was the perfect moment for him for him to call him dad so I couldn't resist.
daydreamer1119: Aww thank you!
I.D.'s Fantasy: I just loved Peter in the MCU so I'm disappointed, but I'm glad Tom Holland is still playing Spidey. At least supposedly. He's amazing as Peter.
2016jsaprinceton: I really hope they figure out something. I really want to know what happens to Peter!
Michelle2003: I'm sorry!
