Hey, here is the next chapter, let's see if Tony can find the spider he's been looking for.
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As Tony steps back into the suit, he can hear sirens getting closer. The police can take it over from here. He'll even leave the weird device behind if he has to. But he has never been this close to Spiderman and he can't let him get away now. Hopefully, Spiderman can't swing away faster than his Iron Man suit flies.
"How are you, Fri?" he asks.
"System is at 86 percent, boss, still rebooting."
"Great. Let's start at the building Spiderman shot a web to and search for a heat signature swinging between buildings. Wow, that's been a weird sentence," Tony frowns flying off.
"Actually, sir, I can detect a heat signature on the roof of that very building," Friday reveals.
"Really? Let's take a closer look and hope it's him," he says.
Spiderman might need some time to gather himself after the fight. Just because he's strong and enhanced, he could be tired. Or even injured. Some of the hits he took were pretty bad.
Tony lands on the roof smoothly and takes a look around. Friday shows him where to find the person she has spotted.
And there he is: a red and blue figure sitting on the ground, back against some crates, a hand clutching his side. He doesn't notice Tony, hell, he doesn't even move. Tony's stomach swoops with nerves and he can't explain it. He doesn't even know this guy, why would he worry about him? Tony's been the one who said Spiderman could be a bad guy. Or dangerous. Yeah, but it was Spiderman who stopped the bank robbery, fought the bad guys and basically saved Tony.
"Friday?" he calls while stepping out of his armor and carefully walks to Spiderman. The guy still has his ridiculous mask on, so Tony can't see if he's unconscious or not.
"I detect two gunshot wounds and major blood loss. Plus several bruises. Vitals are critical."
Good news? Spiderman is alive and managed to dodge at least one of the bullets. Bad news? Two of them hit him and he might bleed out here.
Tony crouches down beside him and grins as he takes a closer look at the gunshot wounds. The superhero has used his signature web in an attempt to patch himself up. Geez. The webbing might slow down the bleeding, but it's definitely not enough.
"Hey," Tony tries to rouse him gently squeezing his shoulder. "Wake up, spider."
And the guy does wake up. Suddenly, there are weak hands coming up in a sorry attempt to fight off Tony.
"Easy, easy there," the man says catching the flailing limbs. He hopes his voice is reassuring enough. He even forces himself to give a comforting smile even though he doesn't know if Spiderman can see him. "You're safe. I want to help."
Does he now? Where does that come from?
But he has no time to mull over it, because Spiderman's hands go limp in Tony's grasp and he seems unconscious again.
Tony tries to wake him once more, but this time there's no response.
He should take him to the hospital.
"Spiderman requires urgent medical attention, sir," Friday reminds.
Tony sighs and gets up. He steps back into the suit and then hurries back to the fallen superhero. He puts his arms under his back and knees and lifts him up. Gosh, he's so light! Where does his strength come from when he's so light? Tony shakes his head. He has no time for this now, either.
"Friday, call Bruce. We're taking Spiderman home".
When Tony lays Spiderman on a bed at the med bay, Bruce is already there waiting for them. Friday must have woken him from his sleep, but the scientist standing by the bed looks anything but tired.
"Tony, is this… is this Spiderman?"
"Oh yeah," Tony frowns and steps out of his suit. "The one and only. He got injured. Help him," he gestures to the small, limp form of the superhero on the bed.
Geez, he looks way too small to be a superhero! But Tony did see him in battle and the way Spiderman fought doesn't leave any doubts about his strength.
Bruce just glares, either hating that Tony gave him orders or that he has so little information. Probably both. He must have tons of questions. He opens his mouth and then closes it; he has probably decided to put all of his doubts aside for now. He sighs. "Okay, what are we dealing with here?" he asks checking Spiderman's pulse.
"Two gunshot wounds on the side. Plus, he's been beaten to a pulp, so it could be anything," Tony shrugs stepping back from the bed.
He doesn't care. He has brought the guy here because he couldn't let him die on that roof, could he? And if he dies, Tony can never get the answers he has been seeking so badly. That's the reason why he has opted for the Tower instead of the hospital, too. In the hospital, the government would find him and probably take him away. And Tony wouldn't get his damned answers. Yeah, that's all. The only reason. Getting answers. Solving the mystery of Spiderman. Beyond that, he doesn't care.
Then why can't he take his eyes off of the motionless guy on the bed, why does he wish so desperately that the injured superhero woke up? He wishes he could see those flailing hands coming up again to fight. Tony hasn't seen much of Spiderman yet, but when he did see him, he was fighting. He was energetic and tough and bold. Yeah, maybe he looked reckless and irresponsible too, wearing that sorry excuse for a suit and goggles, but whatever. If Tony wants to find someone reckless, he just needs to take a look in the mirror, so who is he to decide if someone's irresponsible or not?
"Friday didn't give you more info?" Bruce asks interrupting Tony's train of thoughts.
"She's not really herself," the man shrugs again. Bruce quirks an eyebrow. Tony rolls his eyes. "She's been kinda electrocuted, but she's fine now. Mostly."
Bruce's mouth falls open. Okay, Banner will definitely demand the whole story later.
"System is already at 97 percent, Dr. Banner. Do not worry about me," Friday says.
Bruce just shakes his head and turns his full attention to Spiderman. He gets to work. He examines the gunshot wounds. "What the hell is that?" he asks in shock leaning closer to the injuries.
"Oh that," Tony steps closer. "That's his web. You know his only weapon and way of transport. You must have seen the videos, Bruce. He used his web to close the wounds. I guess he didn't have a band aid."
"Sure," Banner answers distracted still observing the web. "The bullets are still in, I can't see any exit wounds. He needs surgery. Until then it's better if we leave it like this, I don't want him to bleed out here. He's enhanced, right?"
"Yeah. No normal person could stick to a wall like him."
"But we don't know how enhanced he is. Which makes things complicated," Bruce muses. Then he straightens up and looks at Spiderman's head. "I'm sure he wants to keep his secret identity, but we need to remove the mask to treat him."
Now Tony steps even closer. This is the moment he's been waiting for a long time. The truth is about to come out.
But when he was brainstorming on finding a way to figure out Spiderman's identity, this was definitely not what he had in mind. He never wanted Spiderman to lie broken in front of him, unable to defend himself, unable to defend his secret identity. This is not how Tony wants to know who the guy is.
So in the last moment, when Bruce is already reaching for the dirty red mask, Tony decides to exit the room. At least until he can figure out his next step. Spiderman will need surgery, so he'll have a few hours to decide what to do next.
His hand is already on the door handle, when Bruce whispers behind him. "Oh my God."
Tony swallows hard. Spiderman's face must be more bruised than he thought. Tony saw him getting a few hits on the head, he might have a concussion, too.
"No way," Bruce mutters again.
This time Tony's curiosity takes the better of him and he hurries back to the bed. He peeks over Bruce's shoulder to see the superhero's face for himself. He staggers at the sight.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me."
Jesus. This is just a boy.
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