Boy's Best Friend

Ch. 11- Grief. Again.

Tony stares at the gapping hole in the Spider-Man mask, poking his fingers through it. He hates thinking about the fight that Peter had gone through, with a man that had planned on making it his last.

He feels a shiver go up his spine and a lump forms in his throat.

He feels sick.

He hadn't had the time to fix the suit in weeks. He'd been busy- calling around and sending the best and most skilled people to find this Dagger guy but they'd yet to accomplish finding him.

It was weird. They had his full name and yet there was no record of the man even existing. Tony tried to help- he had FRIDAY go through every name in New York, which may or may not have been slightly illegal. (He got yelled at for it.)

So he was told to wait. To not intervene.

He'd also been focused on the kid and trying to keep him feeling... closer to ok.

It's not fair. He's gone through too much- especially for someone his age. There are times where he wishes he could keep him inside, away from harm forever.

He can't do that though. It would be wrong.

But he feels so out of place, being so... useless.

At least that gives him time to fix the suit, he thinks.

Though he has other easier, technological ways of fixing the suit, the tech inside hadn't been ruptured and the rips weren't too big so he found himself sewing it together himself.

His mom had taught him how to, just like a lot of other things he continues to use in his life now.
(He has a habit of ripping his clothing when he's in the lab. Also, he's a t-shirt hoarder. He has an attachment to his old band shirts, no matter how worn they are. Pep hates it)

Silently, he pulls at the thread and watches as the frayed edges of the suit mend.

They'd been doing so well.

Peter was healing. He was adjusting.

He was becoming happier.

Tony huffed frustratedly, scrubbing his free hand over his face.

Fuck this guy. Fuck him.

He feels awful. Peter doesn't know what to do with himself around the tower. He looks... sick.

Some days he is sick with grief.

Tony hasn't pushed him to go to school- especially because Peter had tried to multiple times and it only ended in a hysteric phone call by lunch time. He was unwell- he couldn't do school right now.

That was the least of their worries though. Tony had already had a meeting with the principal about it (minus the whole... murder part) and they both agreed to let him take off some time. Happy's been picking up the week's workload and a lot of the time, that's what keeps him busy. Keeps him distracted.

Tony can't decide if distraction is a good or bad thing. He can't force Peter to talk about this shit and he can't keep it bottled up; but the kid doesn't want a therapist, he just wants this guy caught.