~Iron Family~

The Boy Behind the Mask

"Spider-Man!" Tony called, jogging over to where he was curled up on the ground, bleeding out in the snow. He bent over him, suddenly becoming gentle. "Nice work, kid."

Spider-Man moaned in reply, rolling over onto his back and blinking rapidly, staring up at the sky. One of his lenses was shattered, revealing a frightened brown eye underneath. It kind of looked like--

No. That was impossible.

"I just need a minute," he gasped, voice having a gurgle to it. Blood had soaked through the front of his suit. "I can't breathe!"

"Hold still, kid. FRIDAY, medical scan, please?"

"Various minor injuries. Most urgent wounds include pneumothorax, three bullet wounds--two with bullets still intact--stab wound, displaced oblique fracture, and an unknown agent travelling through bloodstream. Immediate medical attention advised."

Tony cringed, trying not to feel woozy. "Yikes."

This kid might not make it back to the compound.

He pushed that thought out of his mind. This guy was Peter's best friend--if they lost him, it would be like losing a part of Peter. He couldn't let that happen. Not on his watch.

The adrenaline had obviously worn off--each of Spider-Man's strained breaths was accompanied by a soft sob, the hole in his chest making a gross hissing noise as he tried in vain to get enough air. It seemed to get worse as Tony watched.

He grabbed a few handfuls of the cleanest snow he could find and pressed it to the stab wound, hoping it would help a bit. Spider-Man flinched, but the pain seemed to ease a little.

He went to take off his mask so the kid could breathe easier, but he hesitated. He guessed Spider-Man wouldn't like it if his face was seen by the public as Tony carried him to safety. As a compromise, he gently rolled up the mask up to his nose so Spider-Man could breathe through his mouth. His skin was ashen, lips an alarming shade of blue.

"I'm gonna take you back to the compound, that okay?" Tony asked gently. Spider-Man gave a nod, squeezing his eyes closed and bracing himself as Tony scooped him up and took to the air.

At top speed with some extra juice, it would probably take him just under five minutes to fly to the compound, while driving would take an hour. The problem was, though, Tony couldn't fly at top speed. He had cargo, a very injured piece of cargo. He was no doctor, but if he flew too fast, he would probably end up hurting Spider-Man somehow, or risk dropping him. Not to mention this was a newer suit, and he hadn't installed the extra thruster yet.

Then again, if he flew too slowly, the kid would die of either blood loss or asphyxiation. Or both.

He decided to go for "gentle hurrying," the fastest he dared to go.

It was the longest twelve minutes of his life.

Even longer than that time Morgan had locked him in a closet for an hour (He could've gotten out at any time, but it was fun to humor the feisty little girl).

Spider-Man continued to fight a breathing battle, gasping and spluttering as he tried to inhale. His wounds continued gushing, but Tony hoped most of it was just melted snow. The kid was probably in shock by now, though.

His shaking arms suddenly lashed out, as if searching for something, and he grabbed Tony's hand. Despite how weak he was, Tony still heard the metal on his suit grating.

"I don't--wanna go--" he choked, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

"You're gonna be okay, buddy," Tony soothed, but he still had FRIDAY go a little faster. He tried to calm himself down--he wouldn't do anyone any good having a panic attack.