Venomous

Chapter 8: Not Healthy

Not Healthy

Tony hadn't left the lab in a while. He couldn't bring himself to do it. Ever since Peter had left... well, he just didn't want to screw up the kid's life anymore. It was better for him to stay in his lab. The lab was safe. He couldn't hurt anyone from there.

Of course, his friends didn't see it that way. Pepper and Rhodes were particularly worried. Pepper had tried to coax Tony out of the lab plenty of times, but nothing was working. Not even when she offered to have date night. Tony just couldn't face anyone.

It got to the point where Rhodey decided he'd had enough of Tony's behavior. So, he tried to get into the lab. Tony got annoyed.

"Sir, Colonel Rhodes is requesting lab entry," FRIDAY said. Tony groaned and placed the screwdriver he'd had in his mouth on the table. 

"FRIDAY, please inform the colonel that the lab's visiting hours are over—"

"He's issued an override, sir," FRIDAY responded.

Tony groaned as his friend came into his lab, which he thought he had specifically told people to stay out of for the time being— "Tony."

"Rhodey, you ever considered that there are locks for a reason?" Tony asked sarcastically, not bothering to look over at the colonel, who had his arms crossed in front of his chest.

Tony knew his friends were mad at him—he knew they were worried and they were only trying to do what was in his best interests. But dammit, if it wasn't annoying...

"What? So you can hide from everyone and sulk like a child for two weeks?" Rhodey responsed shortly, causing Tony to flinch slightly, but he didn't let his friend know that.

"I prefer to call it 'brooding.'"

"Well Pepper calls it unhealthy," Rhodey said. "Seriously, Tony, you need to get over it. He's a teenager, teenagers lash out; it's what they do."

But Tony didn't see it that way. Peter had never acted so... angry towards him before. Tony had hardly recognized the kid in front of him. And what made it all the worse was that he had caused Peter to cry afterwards. God, how much of a fuck up was he, anyway?

Being himself, hiding his true feelings from everyone else, Tony nonchalantly kicked himself in his chair across the room and to another desk.

"That's not the problem, Rhodey, you didn't—you weren't there, you didn't see it," Tony sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Peter wasn't himself, he ISN'T himself... he's not wearing the suit and he's been ignoring my calls..."

Peter never ignored his calls.

"He looked TERRIFIED, Rhodey..."

His friend walked over to him and placed a comforting hand on Tony's shoulder. "You're letting this get to your head," He said. "Whatever it was, it's probably passed."

"Yeah, I guess..."

"Besides, Peter deserves to blow off some steam every once and a while."

But that was the thing, Peter never took his frustration out on anyone else if he could help it. He had just been acting so out of character the past few weeks, Tony couldn't figure it out... it was like ever since Strange showed up at the compound with—

Tony froze. "Holy shit."

Rhodey raised an eyebrow. "What?"

But Tony ignored him. He was already on his feet sprinting towards his cell phone. He snatched it up and dialed the number. "Come on, pick up, pick up..." He muttered impatiently. Finally, a voice came through.

"Stark, you had better have a really good reason for calling me in the middle of—"

"Okay, shut up and listen, Doctor Doolittle," Tony cut him off. "That thing in the box you brought me to look after at the compound, the-the symbiote thing, you said it was extremely dangerous."

"I know, I'm still working on a solution—"

"I think it got out. Be here in five seconds." Tony hung up, and of course, five seconds later a ring of golden sparks appeared in the lab and out walked Stephen Strange.

Rhodey shook his head. "Nope. Still don't get the whole magic thing."

Strange ignored the Colonel and turned to Tony. "You think it got out? How is that possible?" He asked. "Stupid question because it's NOT possible—there's no way."

Tony folded his arms across his chest. "Well, let's go find out, shall we?" He led the way down the hall and to the vault where, sure enough, the box that housed the symbiote sat laying on its side, open.

Tony and Stephen stared at it, Rhodey just seemed confused. "What exactly is so dangerous about this thing?" Rhodey asked.

"It's an alien life form that only has one thing on its to-do list: kill," Strange replied. "We need to find it. Every second it spends out there, the more people are put in danger—"

"Peter has it," Tony replied. "I know he does. It would explain everything that's been happening with him for the past few weeks—"

"I'm sorry, did you say WEEKS?" Strange asked. "Goddammit, this isn't good. Okay, we need to find Parker—now."

"Already on it, Doc. FRIDAY, be a dear and get me a location on Mr. Parker, would you?" Tony asked.

"On it, boss," there was silence for several moments while FRIDAY worked her magic. "I have a lock on his location."

"Great. Send it to my suit." Tony was on his way back to the lab, Strange and Rhodey not far behind him. "You guys stay here until I call for backup."

Strange scoffed at the idea. "Tony, you can't actually think I'm going to sit here while you go and face that thing alone, can you?" He demanded. "It's a stupid idea—"

"Look," Tony spun around and stared Strange down. "That's my kid out there, okay? I need to try to talk him down first, ALONE. It'll be easier for me to get through to him if it's JUST ME. Capiche?" He didnt bother waiting for a response, because he knew Strange wouldn't bother trying to argue with him.

Had Tony just called Peter his kid?

Whatever. That could wait. Right now he had a job to do. Bring Peter home safe before the symbiote thing got what it wanted from him and did something it would definitely regret.

Mark 65 closed around his body and the internal systems began firing up. "Don't worry, Pete," Tony muttered. "I'm coming."

Notes:

This was sort of short but hey I finally updated! More to come
Notes:

Sooooo this sort of sucked, but I hope it wasn't super terrible? It was gross and short oof.
I hate that it was mostly dialogue so I'll definitely be changing that in the coming chapters. But anyway, as you can tell, this is a story about Venom. Peter is going to be around in the next chapter so be ready for him and his adorable ways.
Peace out!