Peter Parker Whump/Irondad :)

18. Halloween Party

  Peter liked pranking the Avengers. Scratch that, he loved it.

Whenever he found the chance, he would pretend to pass out or smother his finger in ketchup and tell everyone he chopped it off. Of course, everyone being super protective of the teenager, believed him and would all freak out.

He would mostly prank Tony, though, because Tony had known him for longer and basically saw him as a son.

He'd once bought a fake knife on Amazon and stuck it on his stomach, which had been previously soaked in fake blood. Thank God for his good acting, because if not for that, nobody would have fallen for his tricks.

Sometimes he would even look up good pranks on Google after he had run out of ideas. Not once did anyone realize he was joking. It had slowly started turning into his favorite hobby.

He'd even gotten Karen into it once. He'd told her to contact Tony and tell him there had been an accident. That one had definitely been one of Peter's favorites. Tony had shown up, suited up, on the verge of a panic attack. Peter did feel bad afterward, so he made it up to his mentor and got him some ice-cream.

Tony had scolded him about "him not being able to know if something really happened in the future", but Peter had just shrugged it off.

Never did he think it would actually happen.

*

  "Where's Peter?" Nat asked Tony, looking around the small party for the boy. Tony shrugged and took a sip from his cup.

"I think he went on patrol, he said he'd be back by eight," he replied before checking his watch. "He's probably coming."

Nat nodded and walked off to the snack table.

Tony sighed and adjusted his cheap wig. It was Halloween night, and the team had forced him to dress like some sort of 80s rock star. The costume was tight and itchy, but he didn't mind. He hadn't talked about costumes with Peter, so he couldn't wait to see what the boy had planned on wearing.

Half an hour passed, and Tony started to get a bit concerned, but he would try to shake it off and remind himself the kid was just late, or planning another one of his signature pranks.

Another thirty minutes passed and Tony had ditched the wig and uncomfortable shoes. He'd find himself checking his watch every minute, and then glance towards the door. Peter was nowhere to be seen.

Tony had had enough after nearly two hours had gone by, and the party was starting to settle down. Steve and Bucky were preparing the pizzas, which they had planned to eat at the very end. Tony sighed and stood up from his chair. He walked over to his lab to see if Peter had been hiding away in there, but there was no sight of him.

"Fri?" He asked, mildly annoyed at the boy.

"Yes, boss?"

"Where's Peter? Is he even in the Tower?"

There were a few seconds of silence as the AI searched for Peter's tracker.

"He's just landed on the roof."

Tony groaned in frustration.

He waited for what felt like forever in the elevator as it made its way up to the top floor.

"Mr. Parker's AI, Karen, has just informed me that Peter isn't doing very well," Friday suddenly spoke. Tony scoffed.

"Yeah, well tell him to cut it with the pranks."

The doors slowly separated, letting a cold breeze enter and nip at Tony's skin. He squinted, trying to look for the boy. His eyes locked on a small figure on the far end of the roof. Peter.

"Come on, Pete, I know it's a prank," Tony called out. Peter's small frame remained still, apart from the slow and unsteady rise and fall of his chest. Tony sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Peter, I know it's a prank, come on, we're gonna miss the pizza."

No response.

Tony rolled his eyes and took a few steps towards Peter.

"Peter," he said sharply. "These pranks, they're not funny anymore, cut it."

Stillness.

Tony took a few more steps until he could barely make out the blue of his suit and a small puddle of red under him.

"How'd you even get the fake blood? I locked it in my room."

Nothing was heard. Only the howling of the wind and the cars from below.

"Peter. Let's go, it's cold out here."

He sighed and took the last final steps.

His heart dropped.

Peter's suit was teared up, revealing gashes and open wounds in his skin. The blood seemed almost black in the darkness, but Tony could never miss the strong scent of it coming from Peter.

*

"Bruce! Come over here, now!" Tony ordered, holding the boy close to his chest. His shirt was stained with blood-- with his kid's blood-- but he couldn't care less. The injuries on his small frame were brutal, as if someone had tried to rip him in two, failed, and proceeded to start throwing him around. His head laid limply against Tony's chest, lolling back and forth with every step his mentor took.

Tony gently placed him on a bed as doctors started arriving and swarmed the room.

"Sir, you need to leave," one of the nurses said sharply, pointing towards the door behind him. He was slightly shocked with her tone but shook it off and walked out, watching from the other side as Bruce cut Peter's suit down the middle and revealed even more injuries.

*

The thing about hospitals is time. It's as if, while you're waiting for your loved one in that waiting room, time stops. You have no idea how long you've been there, what time it is, what's going on on the other side of the door. You're completely lost. 

And that's how Tony felt.

Lost. Lost and scared, and worried and angry. Mostly at himself, for thinking Peter had been pranking him, and for not calling and making sure he was alright when he had the chance and the teenager wasn't bleeding out on the roof.

Tony's head shot up and he subconsciously stood up when Bruce walked out, his clipboard pressed against his chest.

"He's ok, Tony, you can go in," he said with a soft smile. A thin layer of sweat sat on his forehead, and his body posture indicated he was exhausted.

"Thanks, Bruce," Tony replied before rushing into the room.

He couldn't help but grin as he saw Peter, sitting up on his bed, staring down at his phone.

"Hey, Mr. Stark," he said once he'd noticed Tony in the room.

"Hey, kiddo. You scared me," he said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "I brought these from last night." He took out a few melted chocolates and candies from his back pocket. Peter chuckled and took them gratefully.

"Thanks," he said, stuffing three Milky Ways into his mouth.

"What happened?" 

Peter paused and then kept on chewing.

"Just some bad guys with crazy guns, I got them, though," he explained. "You got any more candy?"

*

A/N: ................ 1K?  

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