Peter

Peter couldn't think straight. No, that wasn't quite right. He was just having a hard time thinking about anything other than getting to Tony. His dad, his soulmate was hurt, and he needed to be there. Especially since Pepper couldn't be yet. Oh, Pepper. She had to be freaking out.

He noticed Clint, Natasha, and Alex had all moved into a loose semicircle around him and Hallie. "Did you guys catch that?"

Alex nodded. "Tell us." Peter knew that was Alex's shorthand for "We understand the situation, and know you're struggling here. We have protocols, but tell us exactly what you want us to do right now and how we can help."

He turned to Hallie. "Sweetheart, I've got to go to Tony." She nodded emphatically. "I can't take you with me though, because it would take nearly thirty minutes by car." Her eyes widened, and she started to open her mouth, but stopped. "I need to swing. I can get there in less than ten if I do, and Tony's going to be in pain." From the tugging in his gut, Tony probably already was. Ugh. He hated that.

Hallie closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and nodded.

"Why don't you stay for the rest of this class, then have the team bring you to the Tower? They should be able to treat him there, but I'll let you know if there's a change in plans. Is that okay with you?"

She frowned, but nodded again. He pulled her in tightly, slipping a hand down her back to make contact with her soul mark, and dipping his forehead down to touch her hair. She softened against him and pressed her cheek to his.

Hallie pulled back and wrapped her hand around his wrist, helping him relax just a little bit, and take a few deep breaths. "Be careful," she said. "I want to come now, but I know it will just make it harder for you, worrying about both of us. I'll meet you at the Tower."

"You're amazing. You know that, right?" He kissed her firmly, made eye contact with Alex and Natasha, passing her safety off to them, and took off at a jog. He knew it would be hard for Alex to not just immediately follow him, but he'd do what Peter asked. Now he just needed somewhere hidden to activate his suit.


As soon as he started swinging, he called Pepper.

"Peter!" Her voice was broken.

"I'm on my way, Pep. I'll be to him in less than ten minutes," he reassured her, trying to be calm for her even though they were both freaking out.

"Oh, thank heavens," she said fervently, and he heard the stress in her voice decrease already. "I know FRIDAY said he's okay, but still…"

"I know, I know. It's going to be okay. I'll be there soon, and Happy's on his way too, but once I get there, I'll reroute him to Morgan. We'll take care of him. Of both of them."

"I know you will. I just hate being so far away. Should I head straight back, or try to finish this meeting? It's the main reason I came out, and we've been putting it off for months." She sounded so torn, since she knew Peter was more than capable of taking care of Tony until she got back. This was one of the moments having a double soulmate was a huge advantage.

"Finish the meeting, Pep. It will take them an hour or two to get the jet ready to go again anyway, right?"

"You're probably right. I'll finish up, and head back as soon as it's over, if that's okay."

"Yep. I've got this. You'll be back before you know it."

"Thanks, Pete. Love you."

"Love you too. Don't worry."

"I'll try."

"K, end call."

Even though it was for an awful reason, it still felt amazing to be swinging through the city again at top speed. He hadn't done that in weeks, and it was exhilarating. If only he could really enjoy it instead of being eaten up with worry about Tony.

Eight minutes into his breakneck journey, Karen announced, "Peter, you're coming up on the intersection. You should probably enter in stealth mode."

Ugh, she was right. He slowed down, and looked at her options for approaching the intersection without being seen. It wouldn't do for random New Yorkers to see Spiderman arriving at top speed only to disappear and a frantic Peter Parker to show up at an accident scene instead.

He found a good spot to retract the suit about half a block from where Karen had tagged and jogged the rest of the way, moving quickly, but not so fast that he would draw much attention. In his business casual, hopefully he just looked like someone who was late and trying to catch their ride.

As he came to the barricades around the accident, he couldn't lie - it looked bad. "Karen, update on Tony?"

"FRIDAY said they just got him out. He's in pain."

"Yeah, not waiting then."

He stepped past the barricade only to have a police officer put a hand to his chest within a few steps. "Sorry, sir, you can't come through here."

"I think you'll find I can, officer. The man they're extracting is my soulmate."

The officer paused. Soulmates trumped any other immediate family in a medical situation, since they could actually do something for the patient. He looked skeptical, but then firmly said, "I'll escort you." That meant if Peter didn't turn out to be the victim's soulmate, he'd be in big trouble. There were also laws against impersonating someone's soulmate in an emergency like this.

Peter could feel the strong pull towards his dad, and made a beeline to where he could tell he was. The officer had to jog to keep up. He saw the paramedics gathering around a spine board where their efforts were focused. He recognized Tony's hair immediately, and sprinted to his side, moving over to the man's right. He tapped one medic on the shoulder, saying "Excuse me, can I get through, please?

The medic turned, looking confused.

"Hey, hi." Peter didn't waste any time. "That's Tony Stark you're working on, and I'm Peter Parker-Stark. His son, and soulmate."

"Oh!" the man exclaimed, and scrambled back out of his way. Peter immediately knelt next to Tony. He was conscious, but definitely in pain from the grimace on his face.

"Peter!" Tony's voice was a little weak, and tense, but clear.

Peter said immediately reached to brush the man's hair back, letting his touch hopefully calm his dad a little.

"Where?" Asked the medic next to him.

"Right bicep. Here." Peter said, gesturing. The man directed his scissors to removing that sleeve. "Hey, Dad. I'm here." Peter managed to keep the sob out of his voice by sheer force of will, and kept it light instead. "Your day was just too boring, huh? I thought you would have planned this for before that meeting you didn't want to go to." Tony tried to chuckle, but it came out as a wheeze. Tony's arm was clear of material, but the paramedic looked confused, since Tony's understated mark wasn't apparent.

Unbothered, Peter pressed his hand to his dad's arm. Everyone in the vicinity could see the soul mark's immediate effect, as Tony's face smoothed and the tension in his body disappeared.

"H-holy crap, Pete. Bless you." Tony whispered, his eyes closed in relief. In his peripheral vision, Peter saw the officer who'd brought him over turn and leave.

The emergency personnel had all relaxed, too. With a soulmate on the scene, their job got less frantic, and they could take a little time to prioritize now that pain was under control, at least temporarily.

"Karen," Peter said quietly. "Please let Pepper know I'm with him now, and that he's talking to me. She'll know, but it's always nice to hear, as well." His watch blinked an acknowledgement in his peripheral vision.

It only took them ten to fifteen minutes to make sure Tony was stable enough for transfer, and Peter didn't have anyone question him as he got into the ambulance with Tony, but he got a little bit of pushback when he insisted they reroute from the closest hospital to Stark Tower. Tony opened his eyes and glared slightly during the conversation, but didn't bother getting involved. He knew Peter could handle it. And he did, though it took a few quick calls for official transfer-of-care.

As soon as they were under way, Peter settled in next to Tony, one hand continually pressed to his soul mark for pain relief, and the other stroking lightly through his dad's hair. He could tell his pain wasn't at a zero, but it was completely manageable with Peter's help. They'd both survived worse on Avengers business, unfortunately.

"FRIDAY," Peter said softly to Tony's phone, which they'd retrieved out of a pocket, "give me the rundown."

"Boss has a broken radius and ulna, two cracked ribs, eight bruised ribs, a cracked clavicle, and two contusions requiring stitches, as well as various minor bruises and lacerations that should heal on their own."

The closest paramedic looked very startled to hear the voice coming from a phone diagnosing "their" patient.

"Sheesh, Dad," Peter teased gently. "If you wanted to get out of kitchen duty for a few months, you just had to ask."

"Thanks for coming, Pete. FRIDAY tried to steer to avoid the collision, but it was a red light runner going at least forty-five. Without her help, I might have been a goner."

"Well, we're all supremely grateful for FRIDAY. And I'm grateful that I was able to get there so quickly."

"Did you talk to Pep?"

"Yeah, she was worried out of her mind. But I let her know I was on my way, and convinced her to stay and finish that merger meeting before heading back. She should be in the air within an hour or two."

"She doesn't have to come," he argued weakly.

Peter gave the genius an unimpressed look. "If it was her, or me, hurt, could anything keep you away?"

"Fair point." Tony closed his eyes, wincing a little whenever the ambulance hit any kind of bump.

"We'll be there soon."


Hallie

Hallie paced through the penthouse again, trying to trust Karen and FRIDAY to update her as soon as Tony was out of surgery and she could see him and Peter. She knew everything was probably fine. She didn't feel anything untoward from their bond, and she wasn't having any symptoms yet. It had been over two hours since she'd seen him, but he'd been able to relay through Karen that everything was okay. Tony's arm just needed a little extra attention before they cast it, and with his heart history, they didn't want to put him under if it wasn't necessary. With Peter's help to take the edge off, they could use milder sedatives and local anesthesia to keep him completely comfortable. And Hallie was really grateful he was able to do that for Tony. But after a day spent more apart from her soulmate than with him, she missed him fiercely.

Not having any idea if she'd be going to her O-Chem lab tonight or not, Hallie decided to change into some comfortable leggings and a t-shirt anyway. It would be really difficult to make up if she missed it, but obviously family was more important. Wow. She sat down abruptly on the bed. She realized she had just naturally thought of Peter and Tony as her family, and herself as part of theirs. That shouldn't make her feel so emotional, but it did.

She pulled her legs up and buried her face in her arms, and gave herself just a minute to cry, hot tears making tracks down her face. She cried because she was worried about Tony, because she missed Peter, because it was dumb to miss Peter after only a few hours, because she was so happy to have people to miss and to worry about, and because she just had a lot of emotions that needed to get out.

She finally decided she couldn't stay up there by herself anymore, and pulled her Spiderman hoodie over her t-shirt and walked out into the shared space, and then to the elevator. "FRIDAY?"

"Yes, Hallie?"

"Can you take me to medbay?"

"I don't think Boss is ready for visitors yet." The AI sounded hesitant.

"I just want to wait outside. Is there somewhere I can do that? I'd like to be closer for whenever they're done."

"Yes, there is an area outside medbay that you can wait."

"Will you take me there, please?"

"Of course."

There was a small waiting room outside of the medical wing that looked unusually well-worn, like it unfortunately got a lot of action. Hallie chose an off-white couch in the corner and curled up on it in her hoodie, trying (and mostly failing) to get her psychology reading done on her phone. She was feeling a little sick to her stomach, but wasn't sure if it was her bond getting upset about all the separation, or just because she hadn't eaten since lunchtime. She didn't feel like eating, so she'd probably never know. It didn't get much worse for quite a while, but about thirty minutes later her head was hurting as well, and her stomach was definitely upset. She was just getting ready to ask FRIDAY about an ETA when suddenly the door to medbay opened, and a staff member stepped out, looking over towards the waiting area expectantly.

"Ms. Dayton?"

Hallie quickly stood, swaying a little, (ouch, her head) and slipped her phone in her pocket. "Yes?"

"Dr. Parker asked if you would join him inside."

Yes, please. "Of course," she said, walking over quickly, in case anyone changed their mind, and followed the young man inside.

"Right through here, ma'am."

Ma'am? Really? He was at least two to three years older than she was. But Hallie really didn't care, because through that doorway was- "Peter!"

He just grinned and stood from his chair next to Tony's bed, opening his arms for her. She rushed over and almost fell into his embrace, tripping over some especially rough air, apparently.

It was no problem for Peter, since it made it easier for him to scoop her up into his arms and sit back in the recliner, pulling her with him into his lap, hand seeking out her soul mark. All the contact brought almost immediate relief from how she'd been feeling.

"Sorry," she breathed, embarrassed, but happily tucking her face into his neck. "I'm not sure how I tripped."

"Shh, cuore mio, " Peter said softly. "Probably not your fault. It's been over three hours since we've been together. If you were having any symptoms," he looked at her questioningly, and she nodded simply, "your balance is easily affected, too. I'm the one who's sorry." He kissed the side of her cheek softly, then pulled back and looked more closely. "Hey, were you crying ?" he asked, sounding impossibly sad.

"It's okay for me to cry, Pete," Hallie said, wiping at her slightly swollen eyes and looking sideways at the bed where Tony lay. He was awake, and his face was a mix of amusement and regret. "There's been a lot going on this afternoon. I'm fine now."

"Hal, you should have let Casey know you were leaving the penthouse. I didn't realize you were outside, by yourself, until just recently." His tone was gentle, but serious.

"I'm sorry, I didn't even think about it."

"I know. I'm just reminding you. I can't have anything happen to you."

"Aren't I pretty safe here in the Tower?"

"Theoretically, yes, but our news just broke, and you just never know."

"I'll try to remember." He kissed her gently, brushing her hair back. Hallie finally noticed her father-in-law had opened his eyes next to them.

"Hey," she greeted Tony softly, trying not to feel awkward about her tumbled position in Peter's arms. "You okay?"

"Hey yourself, Half Pint," he said, sounding less energetic than usual. "I've been better, but Pete's been taking care of me, and they have me on some decent drugs now."

"We were so worried," Hallie said softly.

"Yeah. Me, too," said Tony wryly.

"Probably not as worried as that red light runner's going to be when he figures out who he hit," Peter grumbled in Hallie's ear.

"Is that what happened?" she sat up in alarm. "How are you not… more hurt?"

"FRIDAY did some evasive maneuvering, which lessened the impact, and our cars all have some extra crash and bullet protection added," Tony said quietly. "Anyone else might have been killed at that velocity."

"What about the other driver?"

"On something, from preliminary reports I pulled," said Peter. They were going at least fifty, somehow, on that street. Nothing life-threatening. Yet ." he added under his breath.

"Peter," Tony said seriously. "Let Pepper and legal take care of him. You don't need to worry about this."

Peter looked a little contrite, but mostly just stubborn. Hallie sighed, worried. It was sweet to see him so upset about his dad's injuries, but also a touch scary to see how clearly he blamed the other driver. She didn't know him well enough to know if this was a grudge that would continue, but she really hoped not. Having Spiderman out to get you sounded very, very bad. She instinctively turned to Tony, the worry visible in her eyes, and he blinked at her calmly, a reassuring smile tugging at one side of his mouth. She hoped that meant Peter would cool off on his own.

"Bruce talked to my doctor and said he thinks I'll be back home by tomorrow morning," Tony said conversationally, wincing as he shifted.

"Oh, speaking of Bruce," Peter said, stroking her hair with his free hand, "I have a proposition for you." Hallie tilted her head in interest. "I know you'd have a hard time making up that big lab tonight. What if Bruce went with you tonight, as part of your security, and he could just kinda help make sure it goes fast? Just if you get stuck or anything. You said you can usually leave when you're done, right?" She nodded slowly. "I figure you'll only be gone an hour and a half. Two hours tops with travel. What do you think?"

Hallie felt her bottom lip jut out just a little bit, despite her efforts, and she quickly took a deep breath to regain control of her face. "I'm sure I can make it up, Pete," she said softly. "I really don't want to leave you."

"I know, love, but I really don't want you to get behind in something like this, where we can work it out. Bruce is totally up for it. He said he'd love to help, and he also said he hasn't seen you much this last week."

She glared mildly at him. "Playing the guilt card, huh?"

He looked so earnest, and worried, but he smiled a bit at that accusation. "Pepper is in the air and should be back within three hours. So I'm all yours after that, at least for the night. She'll sleep here with Tony."

" Tony is not exactly a child, and can get by absolutely fine on his own until Pepper gets here," the billionaire said dryly from the bed. "You should just go with her, Pete."

Peter and Hallie turned in glare in unison at the patient, who had just been in a fairly serious car crash. "Yeah, no," Peter said. That's not up for discussion tonight. We're just rationally discussing whether Hallie wants to stay here and watch Star Wars with us," Tony looked mildly alarmed at that, and Peter smirked, "or if she wants to spend some quality time with Bruce, and get to do her most interesting Organic Chemistry lab of the semester with Dr. Bruce Banner ."

"When did you get so manipulative?" Tony wondered out loud. "I'm pretty sure I never-"

"Oh, please, Dad. I learned from the best," Peter shut him down, winking at Hallie. Tony scoffed, but settled back more firmly into his pillows, obviously fatigued.

She frowned lightly at Peter. He did make a compelling case. And she knew he'd feel bad if she decided to skip tonight, just to stay with them in medbay. But she had already been away from him so much today.

"Fine," she said quietly. "But, I'm not leaving your lap for the next twenty minutes before I have to go. My bond isn't very happy tonight already," she grumbled. Peter nodded eagerly in surprised agreement, as if he hadn't expected her to actually give in.

"And, I'm starving," she said sadly. "Can we get some food in here before I have to go?"

"Oh, Hallie," he said with consternation. "Of course!" He hugged her to him in some kind of silly apology for her not getting dinner, even though she was a full-grown adult who could have procured it herself, if she hadn't been so worried and distracted.

"FRI, what's still open in the food court?" Peter asked.

"Wong's, Delmar's, and Pizzano's are all on the schedule tonight, Dr. Parker," FRIDAY responded immediately.

Peter looked at Hallie, eyebrows raised. "Sandwiches sound great."

Peter beamed at her. It was nice to see him looking happier and less worried. "Want anything, Dad?"

"Maybe just a bag of potato chips. My stomach's not up for anything heavy."

"FRI, can you have someone bring us three of the number fives, three bags of chips, and maybe a soda for me?"

"Peter…"

"Relax, Dad," Peter said, rolling his eyes. "Just Sprite, FRI," he added, a bit mournfully, playing it up.

Hallie smiled at his theatrics, then sighed and laid her head against Peter, nuzzling into his neck and preparing to just rest there with him until the food came. Hopefully this would give her enough of a recharge to make it through class in a while, And hopefully his prediction was correct, and it wouldn't last too long with Dr. Banner's help.

The arm he had wrapped around her moved slowly up and down her back, brushing her soul mark occasionally, and she noticed his other hand shift over onto Tony's hospital bed to grasp his dad's hand. Rather than going to class, Hallie mostly just wanted to curl into a ball and fall asleep in Peter's lap after this chaotic, stressful afternoon.

Being responsible was dumb. But doing science with Dr. Banner was always awesome. So, bright sides and all that.