Pepper watched as Tony inspected the screen in front of him as loud music blasted through his expensive speakers, a plate of cold food beside him. She could see the bump of the bandages under his shirt from where he was shot, but he didn't appear to be in any pain, thankfully.
What she wasn't too impressed with was how he was working instead of resting.
"Tony…" Her voice was filled with warning, and all he did was cast a quick glance at her, grinning.
"Hey, Pep. Wanted to visit me, didn't you?"
"Why aren't you resting? You were kidnapped and shot just last week."
"Believe me or not, it wasn't my first rodeo. I feel fine."
She sighed, making her way over to him and glancing at the screen. Photos and news articles of Spider-Man filled the screen, including maps of the city, specifically the Queens area.
"Do I want to know what you're doing, Tony?"
The billionaire took a drink of his coffee, rolling his eyes.
"I'm not going to send the Avengers after him, if that's what you're thinking. I just want to know more about him. Why would the man who's considered one of the biggest threats of New York save me?"
"Other than the obvious?"
He grinned. "Okay, yes, I am a billionaire and a world famous superhero. But, shouldn't that give Spider-Man all the more reason to kill me? To ask for money?"
She hummed, giving the biggest news article a quick read. "Steve doesn't seem to think that he's such a bad guy. After what happened, I agree with him. What if J.J Jameson doesn't know what he's talking about?"
"He seems pretty sure about who Spider-Man is. I thought that I was too, you know, with my own opinions and such, but now I'm not."
Pepper's mouth opened in fake shock. "Tony Stark, not sure of himself? That's a first." She pressed a quick kiss to his forehead and gestured to the screen. "Don't take too long on this, okay? You need to relax."
"How can I when Spider-Man is still a mystery? I have to know who he is, Pep, and why he saved me."
"He's a good guy, that's all."
"Maybe," Tony replied, "but something tells me I have to know more."
The morning came around faster than Tony would have liked, the hours upon hours of the night spent studying Spider-Man were fruitless. He still had no clue where he lived, or who he was, or what his motives could be. A part of him wanted to believe that he was a good guy, but if this vigilante was, why hadn't he interacted with the Avengers? Helped with the Chitauri? Loki?
He didn't like all of the questions he had. He was going to answer every one, that he knew for sure. Eventually.
"Morning, Tony." Steve said from the kitchen counter, sipping on a cup of coffee.
"Cap."
He grabbed his own cup and filled it to the brim, sighing as the warm liquid brought life back into his limbs as he drank. Steve turned back to the newspaper in front of him, his new phone discarded beside it.
"You know you can read the news on a phone, right?"
"I like to do things old fashioned, Tony, you know this."
"I could never understand that."
"Pepper was telling me that you're interested in Spider-Man." Steve stated, and Tony nodded. "I'm not surprised, he saved your life, so you naturally want to know more about him."
"It's not just that. Before thisー" At those words Tony gestured to his chest, where they both knew a bullet wound sat, "ー I knew that he was a vigilante, I knew he was around-"
"Obviously."
"Thank you. As I was saying, even though I knew all of this I didn't think he was much of anything. Yet he goes out of his way to save me, without asking for ransom money or anything. I was in his control, and yet he chose to take me to the hospital."
Steve's expression took on a look of contemplation. "So, now you want to pay more attention to him. Understand him. But why? No matter what that news anchor says, I think Spider-Man is looking out for the people of this city."
Tony frowned, crossing his arms. "I have a gut feeling, but you would know all about that, don't you?"
He nodded. "Yes. And, I know you have to follow those gut feelings, because they could very well be true. And, to follow it, I think I have just the idea."
Tony looked up from his coffee. "What?"
Steve knocked on the table lightly. "Just knock. Find out where he is, or catch him out on patrol, and talk to him."
Tony barked out a laugh. "You really think it's that easy? This isn't the movies, he's a man in a superpowered suit that we know nothing about. He hasn't talked to us yet, so the chances of him attacking us is very likely."
"But it's also possible that he's friendly. We won't know unless we try."
"He's right."
Tony looked up to see Bruce enter the room, the shorter man readjusting his glasses as he came closer.
"If you want to find out more about Spider-Man you might as well ask."
"How long were you listening in for?" Tony asked suspiciously, and Bruce crossed his arms leisurely.
"Not long. All I know is that you guys want to get in contact with Spider-Man."
"You both think we should just go up to him and ask? Really? After all that we've gone through?"
"I'm just shocked to see Tony Stark second guessing himself. Usually you would be out there looking for him in seconds." Bruce replied with a smile, and Steve stifled a chuckle.
Tony got to his feet and straightened his shirt. "You know what? I'll do that. I'll go out there, guns blazing, and talk to him. I'll find him."
Steve grinned. "There's the Stark I know and hate."
"Be quiet, Capcicle."
Tony finished his coffee and went to put on some good clothes, his mind reeling. Bruce was right. He would usually go out immediately, and now he was doubting the plan? Worried about such a small thing like a chat?
He rarely got gut feelings, he always listened to his head, but this time…something was different. Something didn't make sense. And, somehow, he felt that Spider-Man was in the middle of it all.
It was probably nothing. He wasn't getting enough sleep lately, he was just shot last week, maybe that was why he was acting differently.
Maybe. Or maybe not.
But, nonetheless, he was going to talk to Spider-Man. No more second guessing. No more waiting.
He was going to find out why Spider-Man saved him and if he is a good guy after all.
Sorry that this is a bit of a shorter chapter, but I plan on getting the next one out in a day or two (I had more written but I had to delete it and I wanted to post something soon, so I just posted what I had). Thanks for reading!