Hey guys! Welcome to my second fanfiction! I hope you enjoy it :)
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of these characters! They all belong to the MCU!
A.N
First chapter! Caution: This fanfiction has a lot of dark and angsty themes so if you are uncomfortable with that, please don't read! Also, the last fanfic I did was 1st person so for this one, I decided to do 3rd person!
Review, please!
Peter's life changed that day, that moment when he walked into his apartment. His day had been pretty good too, for a Monday! School was great, he got to hang out with Ned and MJ. He had aced his chemistry exam, which was pretty easy for him anyway. Flash hadn't bothered him that day, and Academic decathlon practice had gone great! He rode the subway home as always back to his apartment, excited to go see Mr. Stark in the tower. "May! I'm home!" he shouted. No answer. That's weird. Peter walked into the apartment and put his stuff down. It smells weird...like...l-like blood. "May!" he shouted, running into the living room. She was always there, either in the living room watching T.V, or in the kitchen making him something to eat before she had to go to work again. Peter walks slowly to her bedroom. The smell of blood fills his nostrils as he looks in horror. "MAY!", Peter screams. She is on the floor blood running from her mouth, two bullet holes in her chest. "AUNT MAY? OPEN YOUR EYES! PLEASE!" Peter screams, begging her to wake up. He checks her pulse...nothing. Peter pulls out his cell phone and dials 911. 911, please state your emergency. "My aunt is bleeding out with two bullet holes in her chest! She has no pulse!" he screams into the phone. State your address. "Um, 20 Ingram Street, Forest Hills, Queens." he says frantically. Ok. Medical personnel are on their way. Don't worry ok? Please stay on the line. Peter doesn't say anything as he presses down on May's wound. You're supposed to put pressure on it right? I have to tell someone. But, Peter doesn't have anyone but Ned and MJ. They couldn't do anything. Wait, Mr. Stark. Screw the police, he has to talk to someone. Peter calls Mr. Stark and he picks up after two rings. "Hey, kid. You coming over?" Tony asks. Tears start streaming down Peter's face as he hiccups into the phone. "Kid? Are you ok? Talk to me!" he says a bit frantically. "M-Mr. Stark. C-can you c-come over to my a-apartment?" he asks, tears dripping down onto May."Kid? What happened? Shit. I'm on my way. You have to tell me kid!" he says, running out of the lab and into the elevator. What did that kid do now? Tony has never heard him more upset. Tony muted the cellphone and stares up at the ceiling. "FRIDAY! What's going on?" he asks the ceiling. "Peter called 911 approximately 4 minutes ago. Medical personnel will arrive in about 7 minutes." FRIDAY informs him, making Tony's heart pound more. Something must have happened to May. Shit. His aunt is all that kid has left...and him of course. Tony got into the closest car to him and stepped on the gas. "FRI! How long will it take to get there?" Tony asks. " At the rate your driving, you will reach in about 7 minutes boss. I do advise you to slow down. You will get several speeding fines at this speed. You also have a 40% chance of getting into a fatal accident." the AI tells him, in a sort of accusing voice. Tony doesn't care. He just has to make sure Peter is ok. Shit. He forgot Peter is still on the phone. Tony un-mutes the phone and finds Peter crying. "Pete. I'm on my way. Just hang on alright kid?" Tony says. " MR. STARK! SHE HAS NO PULSE!" Peter screams into the phone. Tony's heart starts to go a million miles per minute. "FRI! Put all power into the engine! We gotta go faster!" Tony yells, passing other cars and getting numerous honks. He doesn't give a shit. "Boss. Medical personnel have arrived at Peter's apartment. We will reach in about 2 minutes." FRIDAY states. He hears voices on the other end of the call. He hears soft voices and Peter screaming. "Pete! Hang on!" Tony yells into the phone. Tony speeds into the neighborhood and parks next to the ambulance. He runs up the stairs and pushes the door open. "Peter?" he calls. A medic comes out of a bedroom and heads over to him. Her eyes widen when she realizes who he is, but she speaks sternly. "Excuse me sir but this is a restricted area. I am going to have to ask you to exit." she says. " It would be a wise decision to let me see my kid. Don't make me sue you." Tony threatens. Her eyes widen again but she lets him through. Tony heads to the bedroom where Peter is on the floor being restrained by people in yellow vests. 2 other people are carrying her stretcher into the ambulance. May Parker has bullet wounds in her chest and dried blood on her mouth. "Please leave us. I would like to talk to Peter alone." Tony says sternly. The people start to argue but see his expression and leave. "MAY!" Peter screams as he catches him. "Let me go!" he yells, trying to fight Tony. Tony's heart breaks at the sight of the kid. He has tears streaming down his face and his Aunt's blood all over him. This kid didn't deserve all this heartache. He was a good kid, the best kid. "Hey..hey...hey...Pete. I'm here. It's going to be ok, ok? I'll make it ok." Tony says, rubbing the boy's back. Peter eventually stops fighting and just cries into Tony's shirt. Shit, Tony wishes he were better at emotional stuff.
Tony doesn't know how long they sit there but they are suddenly interrupted by a voice. "Excuse me, Mr. Stark? ?" someone says. Peter glances up at a short lady, dressed in all white. "I'm sorry but what is your relation to Peter, Mr. Stark?" she asks. "He has an internship with Stark Industries." Tony tells her. Of course, it's more. Tony really likes the kid. Peter is his kid. "Peter, are you ok with Mr. Stark staying with you?" the lady asks. Peter just nods. The lady takes a deep breath like she doesn't want to be in this situation. "I'm very sorry to inform you that May Parker died about an hour ago. She went into cardiac arrest due to the bullet wounds." the lady says quietly. Peter's heart crumbled into dust. May's gone. His mother-figure is gone. He has no one now. He's all alone. Peter no longer feels pain. He is numb. He is aware of the tears but doesn't bother to wipe them away. May's gone. She's never coming back. He could have saved her. He was SpiderMan and he couldn't save her. She's gone because of him. He saw Tony wipe at his eyes as he rubbed his back. "Ok. What do I have to do?" Tony asks quietly. Peter barely heard anything. He just buried his head into Tony's neck. "Peter will be put into foster care. He will find a nice new family." the lady says nicely. No way. Peter is not going to get put into the system on Tony's watch. "That won't be necessary." Tony tells her. The lady looks confused, but Tony just pulls out his cell. "FRIDAY. Call up my lawers. I want to be Peter's legal guardian for now. Just tell them to send me the paperwork." Tony tells the AI. It's almost like the AI senses the sadness in the room. "Ok, boss." it says quietly. Tony knows his legal team will be able to do it with no trouble at all. He pays them a lot of money. Peter just stays in his neck. "Pete? Can you hear me?" Tony asks, still rubbing his back. Peter liked that. It was sort of...grounding. Peter nods slowly. "I'm not going to let them send you away ok? I'm going to take care of you, I promise." Tony tells the boy. In his arms, the boy looks so young. Peter starts to cry again. He is not going to be taken away from Mr. Stark or his friends. He's going to stay with Mr. Stark. "Hey, buddy. Everything will be ok. I'm going to fix this. It's what I do. I fix things." Tony says soothingly. Tony starts to feel tears at the back of his eyes. He is reminded of how he felt when his parents were killed. Alone and afraid. This poor kid had gone through that shit 3 times already. Tony needed Pepper. She was better at this than he was. But, the kid needed him. He would try his best.
An hour later, his phone rings. "Tony Stark." Tony says. "We have the papers. You will be his temporary guardian for 3 months until you want to adopt him or he wants to get put into the system." one of his lawyers says. "Great. See if you can extend that 3 months." Tony tells him. He ends the call and turns back to Peter. "Hey Pet-" he starts. Poor kid. He fell asleep from exhaustion. "FRIDAY, call Happy. Tell him to bring a car." Tony tells his cell. "He is on his way, boss." the AI informs him. Good. 20 minutes later, Happy calls Tony and tells him he is outside. "Right. I have the kid. I'll explain on the ride home." Tony says and hangs up. Tony carefully picks up the boy and head out the door. Happy's eyes widen when he sees the kid covered in blood. " Is he alright?" Happy asks. "Yeah. He is asleep." Tony says, placing him in the back. Tony starts to get in the passenger seat but changes his mind. "Happy, I'm going to sit with the kid." he tells him. Happy nods and opens the back door for him. Tony lifts the kid's head and puts it on his lap. They start to drive and Happy starts to ask questions. "What happened Tony? Why is he covered in blood?" Happy asks, keeping his eyes on the road. "Kid came home and found his aunt with 2 bullets in her chest. She was bleeding out right in front of him. He didn't know she was already dead. I signed the temporary guardianship papers." Tony explains. "Shit." Happy says. Tony sighs and runs a hand through his hair. Why this kid? Why do all the worst things happen to the best people?
They get to the tower in about 20 minutes. Tony rubs his eyes in exhaustion. He really needs to stop skipping sleep. "You need help carrying the kid?" Happy asks, concerned. "No. You can go home early Happy." Tony tells him. Happy nods and turns off the engine. Tony slowly lifts Peter up and carries him into the elevator. "Friday? Can you take us up to the bedroom I made him?" Tony asks the ceiling. "Sure Boss." the AI says. Tony walks over to the bed and gently places Peter on it. He tucks him in and walks over to the bathroom. As Tony washes his face, he remembers something. When his parents died, he had nightmares almost every night. And he hadn't even seen the bodies. Peter held May's body. Tony wiped his face on the towel and heads back to the sleeping boy. "Fri, lights on to 10 percent. And wake me up when Peter does, will you?" he asks the AI. "Ok Boss. Will do." the AI says pleasantly. Tony heads back to the living room area and grabs a granola bar. Just then Steve walks in. "Hey man. Where did you go so suddenly?" Steve asks. Tony sighs. "Hey Cap. You know my intern?" Tony asks. "Yeah. Peter. What about him?" Steve asks, concerned. "Well, he found her in her bedroom...with two bullets in her chest. He didn't know she was dead Cap, and he held her body." Tony says, rubbing his eyes. He can't break down in front of Rogers. He has Pepper for that. "Oh my God. Is he ok? Where is he?" Steve asks, his eyes filled with pity. "He's in the bedroom. I'm his temporary guardian for now. No way I'm letting the kid into the system." Tony says, grabbing a coffee. He's going to be having a lot more of these. Steve nods. "Where are the others?" Tony asks, mildly intrigued. "Mission alert. Possible Hydra base. A big one." Steve says. "Why didn't you go? Thought I would wait around for you, in case you got into trouble. You always seem to. Plus, I was tired." Steve says, collapsing on the sofa. Tony nods and sits next to him. "I don't know if I'm qualified to be a dad Cap. I'm probably not even qualified to be a guardian. I don't want to mess the kid up...he's too good of a kid." Tony says dejectedly. "You're already his guardian Tony. Since you gave him that internship, he's been like a son to you. Everyone can tell." Steve says, turning on the news. Tony nods, leaning back on the expensive sofa. Maybe he could do this. He does love the kid like a son. "Boss. Peter woke up. He appears to be having a panic attack." FRIDAY says urgently. "Shit." Tony mutters. He sprints out of the living room and into Peter's bedroom.
Peter can't breathe. His sleep was plagued with nightmares. Ben dying in his arms, May dying, it was too much. He woke up with a scream and tried to inhale. Only, he couldn't. Tony comes rushing in. Tears start to stream down Peter's face as he tries to take in much-needed oxygen. "I-I ca-n't…..br-eathe." he gasps. "Peter you can breathe. Follow me. In and out. In and out." Tony says, taking exaggerated breaths. Peter eventually starts to calm down and just sobs into Tony's shirt. Tony sighs, rubbing the kid's back. This kid doesn't deserve this. "Pete. Listen to me." Tony says softly. Peter looks up at him with broken eyes. In that moment, Tony wants to break down. What happened to the kid who was bouncing up and down when he invited him to his lab? Where was the kid who all the avengers couldn't help but love? Where was his kid? "Pete...I want you to know that everything will be ok...ok buddy? I won't let anything happen to you...ever." Tony tells the boy, looking into his baby browns. Peter started to cry at that. His cheeks flushed with embarrassment and he just hid it in Tony's shoulder. "I'm s-sorry. I'm ruining your life a-and yo-ur shirt a-and-" Peter starts. "Pete, you have nothing to be sorry about ok? You have nothing to apologize for. You mean more to me than any stupid shirt. You are not ruining my life buddy. Your one of the few people I live for." Tony says, pulling the kid close. Peter melts into the hug, letting everything out. Tony doesn't know how long they sat there, but eventually, his kid's breathing was even. Steve was in the doorway looking concerned. Tony gestured for him to wait outside and Steve nodded. Tony planted a kiss on the teen's forehead and tucked him in. Man, he loves this kid. "FRIDAY...set an alarm to wake me up when Peter does." Tony says quietly. "Done." FRIDAY says matching his tone. Tony turns around and walks out of the room. He finds Steve in the kitchen. "Is he ok?" Steve asks softly. "I don't know Cap. This is too similar to…" Tony trails off. Steve puts a hand on his shoulder. "Tony. The kid needs you. You can't start doubting yourself now." Steve tells him. Tony nods and runs a hand over his face. "I just can't stand to see him...not him." Steve says, leaning on the countertop. "I don't know if he'll ever be the same. That's what worries me. I'll never have my kid back." Tony says, his voice cracking on the last word. "He will get better Tony. With your help, he will. Where's Pepper? She's great at this stuff. She can help you." Steve asks, grabbing a Pepsi. "She's in Florence. Some stupid business thing. She's coming back in 6 days. I'll call her and tell her when I get to bed." Tony tells him. Steve nods and is about to say something but is interrupted. "Boss, the Avengers have arrived." FRIDAY says. "Ok. Tell them to be quiet coming in." Tony tells the AI. The team arrives confused. "Hey, what gives? Why do you want us to be quiet?" Clint asks. "Hey, guys...can you sit down for a sec?" Steve asks for him. Tony nods in appreciation as the team sits on the sofas and chairs across from him. "Peter's aunt died. I'm his temporary guardian. I'm going to adopt him after a little while, if he is ok with it." Tony says, feeling the tears at the corners of his eyes. "Oh, Tony…" Wanda says. The rest of the team just stares. "Why him? That kid has gone through so much already." Rhodey asks. Tony just shakes his head. He knows Rhodey has a soft spot for Peter. "We'll make him feel at home Tony. Don't worry alright?" Natasha says. Tony nods, while Bruce gets him some water. Tony accepts it and takes a huge gulp of the cold liquid. "Guys. He's going to have nightmares. So just….don't mention it ok? I'll have FRIDAY soundproof all your room's." Tony tells them. They nod, looking depressed. The kid really was their glue. He held the team together. "I ordered Chinese food for you guys. It's in the fridge." Steve tells them. They nod and make their way over to the kitchen.
Tony finally makes it into bed. He collapses and pulls out his cellphone. He rings Pepper and she picks up almost immediately. "Hey, Tony. I was just about to call you. Are you ok?" Pepper says, her voice a bit tired. "Hey Pep. I'm probably anything other than ok." Tony says, his voice thick. "Tony...what's wrong?" Pepper asks quietly. Then, Tony breaks down. He tells her about Peter and his nightmares. He tells her about the broken look in his eyes and how he kept apologizing to him. He complained of how the world was unfair and how the kid was put through so much shit that he didn't deserve. He just ranted and sobbed until he was empty. And Pepper listened. She was in a state of shock, and tears came to her eyes. Peter was almost like a son to her. She loved him like she loved Tony. But she knew that Tony would not open up to anyone except her so she listened. "Tony. I'm coming home. We'll work this out together ok? You won't have to do this by yourself. I promise." Pepper says. "Pep you don't have to drop everything for me. Finish whatever it is you're doing there...I'll be fine. I'll keep him safe" Tony says. As much as he wants her to take the next flight home, he can't ask her to do that. She loves her work, he can't just take it away. Plus, she's been talking about her trip to Florence for days. "Tony. This isn't just about you. It's about Peter too. You know I love him like a son. I'll be there for him and you ok? I'll be home by tomorrow, maybe early Wednesday." Pepper tells him gently. "Ok." Tony says, unable to argue with her. "I love you Tony." she says. "I love you more, Pep." Tony says back, sighing. Tony lays down and drifts off into a fitful sleep.
Peter wakes up several times that night. Sometimes he struggles to breathe. Sometimes having full-blown panic attacks. Sometimes he just sits and sobs. But Tony is always there. Always muttering words of comfort in his ears and rubbing his back. He feels guilty. Of course, he does. Tony's losing sleep because of him. But he's in too much pain to tell Tony to go back to sleep. He can barely talk without bursting into tears. Tony just holds him tight in his arms. Somehow he just knows exactly what to do. Peter drifts off for the hundredth time, wondering if he'll ever have a peaceful sleep again.
I'm probably going to continue this, but it's up to you guys.
Please review and tell me what you think!