A/N: PHEW! Wrapping this one up took longer than I expected. BUT, here we are! (grins)
First, though… THANK YOU, so much, for all your reviews, love and support! It makes me INSANELY happy that there are others who adore that kid as much as I do. (BEAMS, and hugs)
THIS ONE IS A BIT MORE ABOUT TONY THAN PETER, ACTUALLY. Because Tony learns some VALUABLE lessons in the 'bringing down Toomes' aftermath. TAKES PLACE after Peter takes down Toomes and before that SERIOUSLY awkward bathroom scene we all know and love. (grins)
I REALLY hope that you'll enjoy the ride!
Lessons
When Tony Stark first got the call from Happy he wondered if the man was joking. "Toomes… He just tried to hijack a plane. And that Spider-Kid stopped him."
A shudder went all the way through Tony. Peter… fought Toomes? All alone? Without a proper suit? He had to take a couple of breaths before he found his voice. "Is he okay?"
"You think I have any idea? He's not here."
Tony couldn't think. Or focus. Or anything. He could only move.
May Parker's eyes widened with surprise when she found him upon opening the door. "What…?" She cleared her throat when she practically squeaked. "What are you doing here?"
That… was the million-dollar question, now wasn't it? Tony shifted with discomfort. Suddenly he was unfortunately aware of the fact that he was a grown man coming to visit a teenager he wasn't related to, late in the evening, unaccounted. "I just… needed to ask Peter something. About one of his internship projects." Yeah, that made him seem so much less like a creepy stalker…
May groaned and ran a hand through her hair. She seemed exhausted and incredibly stressed out. At least she was too overwhelmed to question his motives… "And it couldn't wait until the morning?" She winced at her tone. He followed her hand signal and entered. She went on after closing the apartment's door. "Sorry. Just… Now's not a good time. There was this dance Pete seemed really excited about. He was supposed to go with a girl he has a crush on. But… It didn't end well." Her eyes shimmered from tears and rage. "Some brats beat him up pretty badly. I'm, ah… I'm not sure what, exactly, they did because he closes up like a clam when he's hurting."
Tony's stomach clenched from guilt. And yes, alright, worry. Yeah, some kids… "Is he okay?"
May shook her head. Once, twice. Then wiped her eyes and shook her head again. "No, he's not. And… Honestly? I'm not, either." She sniffled. "He keeps… He keeps coming home with these injuries he imagines I don't notice. All the time. It stopped, for a while, but… I think this time's worse than ever before. I've called his school, before, but they just… They're telling me that there's nothing they can do because they haven't noticed anything." She wiped her eyes again. "He's… He's lost so much, Tony! His parents… His uncle… But… He's still trying so hard to be that same, bubbly kid. He keeps things from me because he thinks that he's supposed to be protecting me, like he's the adult of us two. And I… I don't have any idea how to get him to open up, how to get him to trust me enough to open up. Because… Because honestly? I have no idea how to raise a kid. Ben was always better with him, but…" She gritted her teeth so hard that it had to hurt, her eyes welling up before she blinked furiously. She then winced, embarrassed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to… unload like that. We're… not any of your business, anyway."
Tony did his best to smile although those words stung for some reason he didn't feel like processing at the moment. "No problem." You're not the one of us who should be apologizing… "If it's any consolation… I think he does trust you. He's just made it his life's mission to protect everyone."
May groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yeah. I know."
Oh, you have no idea… Tony thought back on that boy he once met for the first time. That boy who only wanted to protect people, do the right thing. That boy who went to Germany to join a ridiculous, stupid battle he should've had no part in, just because Tony told him that it was the right thing to do. And maybe partially to keep Tony from telling his aunt a secret she might not be able to handle.
By the age of fifteen Peter had lost almost everyone. Yet the boy was still fighting for the little people. He became Spider-Man all by himself, in that hideous home-made suit of his. No one told him to do it, no one advised the kid how to handle his new powers and… duties. But Peter did it anyway, all alone. Until Tony invaded his life with his own selfish agenda.
/ "I wanted you to be better!" /
Tony now realized, too late as was often his custom, that he should've told Peter to stop trying to be like him when the boy was already infinitely better. The boy's love for a city as flawed as New York was a solid proof. The teenager's idolization towards Tony was an even greater testament. What good had he ever done for Peter to make the boy believe in him so? (If only he would've still remembered that little boy he saved years earlier, who stared at him with wide-open adoration from behind a toy Iron Man mask when he flew away. Maybe then he would've understood better.)
He took Peter to Germany, then ignored the kid for ages. When Peter messed up, partially because he didn't give the boy all necessary information, he lashed out and ignored the kid again. He took away the suit he'd given Peter, just when the boy would've needed it the most. His intention was to teach Peter a lesson. (And yeah, the whole ferry thing did startle him.) But it turned out that he learned a pretty nasty lesson himself.
He misjudged Peter, big time, and had a nasty feeling that he wasn't the first person to do so.
Tony decided that he'd have to step up, big time, because he was the one who had to be better for a kid who for some reason looked up to him as the hero he wasn't.
"Can I… talk to him?" Tony asked uncharacteristically hesitantly. (Did he still deserve a new chance?) "Maybe I could help." Help him? That'd be a first…, a bitter voice in the back of his head sneered.
May winced. "I'm not sure if he wants to talk to anyone right now. Even you. He was pretty shaken when he got home."
Tony nodded slowly and felt a slash of disappointment. He'd really hoped to get to talk this through with Peter today, because honestly? He might chicken out if he had to wait. But… He had a massive paperwork nightmare in his hands. And… Perhaps they both needed some time to process everything. "Maybe tomorrow", he mused hopefully.
"Maybe tomorrow", May sighed.
Tony left the apartment building with newfound purpose and determination. Because today… was one hell of a wake-up call. He was probably the worst person the operate as Peter's mentor. But the kid seemed to have chosen him and he wasn't planning on ignoring the boy again. He'd start proving Peter as much by giving the boy the coolest suit the Spiderling had ever seen.
Peter wasn't quite as asleep as hint aunt thought. And his sharp ears caught every word the adults exchanged with ease. A part of him wanted to jump out of the bed and dash to them, because Tony Stark was visiting. But he remained glued to his bed, a chaos of thoughts spinning in his head.
Why was Mr. Stark visiting? It wasn't like the man was his actual mentor or anything. Was the billionaire worried? No, of course not. Mr. Stark was probably just about to scold him for being reckless again. He… wasn't in the mood for that right now.
Peter grabbed his blanket and pulled it all the way over his head. He won today, but… He didn't feel like it, and not only because of his injuries. He could've very easily died, several times over, and it scared him way more than he wanted to admit even to himself. He couldn't sleep because every time he closed his eyes his mind dragged him back to when he was buried in the ruins. He hated it, almost as much as the near-death experience itself. So-called superheroes were supposed to be tougher than that!
With a great deal of gloom and a degree of teenage-hormone enforced bitterness he wondered what he got out of doing the right thing. True, he caught Toomes. But he also lost whatever little chance he ever had with Liz. It would've been nice to get at least one dance with her. Though he guessed he would've made a fool out of himself, anyway.
Peter curled up and regretted it when pain exploded in… a lot of places. He whimpered and hated the feel of tears filling his eyes. Superheroes weren't supposed to cry like kids after they got scared. Even if he, technically speaking, was a kid…
Well. Tonight… Tonight he'd be Peter Parker. Tomorrow… Or maybe after his bruises had healed a bit, because moving sucked big time right now… Then he'd try to be Spider-Man again. He could be a kid for just one night, right?
Peter lay there feeling absolutely miserable while everything hurt. Then decided to use a trick a therapist May and Ben told him to see after his parents died taught him. So what if he was too old for this? "Hey, mom", he whispered. And sniffled. "Today… Today was a rough day…"
TBC
A/N: Poor Pete! The aftermath of Toomes must've been SO ROUGH on him. He got beat up and battered SO BADLY! (winces) Well, at least Tony sent Happy to get him. Eventually…
I NEEDED to type this chapter, because it pains me how much Tony just… basically ignored Peter. And, well… Don't we all love seeing how the bonding between them REALLY began! (grins)
SOOOO… Thoughts? Comments? PLEASE, do let me know! Hearing from you makes me AND Peter happy. (winks) (Yeeeeeeeeah, right, LOL.)
IN THE NEXT ONE, Tony is like a proper helicopter parent when Peter gets hurt on a patrol.
Until next time, folks! I REALLY hope that I'll see you all there.
Take care!
MLAkittenz: Those changes must've been INSANELY PAINFUL! And seriously, they should've killed Peter. (shudders) BUT, THANK YOU comic-book logic that we didn't lose that sweet kid! (smiles)
I really hope that you'll keep enjoying the ride!
Massive thank yous for the review! Until next time.
