Leaving It All Behind. {Peter Parker Leaves The Avengers}

{4} that you hated on and resented from day one

WAKING UP DAYS AFTER BEING TACKLED BY A DERANGED ROBOT that just happened to make your heart officially tap out wasn't a pleasant experience that Tony wanted to repeat any time in the near future- his mind was already whirring with ways to fix the weak spot in his suit's design before his eyes even opened to reveal the lights of the medical wing.

The room was vacant of people but a left-over coffee cup and a half-folded blanket on the table indicated that someone had only recently left.

"Fri?" Tony croaked out. He frowned at the sound and the dryness of his throat.

"How are you feeling Boss?"

"Peachy." Tony swallowed again and scowled, "How long have I been out?" He could feel a headache brewing behind his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Friday soundlessly lowered the lights and he sighed out of sheer relief when the pressure eased ever so slightly.

"A few days. The Avengers are at debrief but I can alert-"

"Where's Peter?" Tony interrupted, tense and alert. His body stiffened at the fragmented memories that slowly resurfaced of how exactly he had landed himself in the medical wing. His stomach lurched at the particular memory of Peter having been shoved out the window with a robot for a parachute. "Is he hurt?" He demanded, forcing back the blanket- he winced at the ache in his chest but refused to stop his determined escape, ignoring Friday's orders.

"- you shouldn't be moving, Boss! Peter's fine, please lie back down or-"

"Are you sure that he's, okay?" Tony stopped suddenly; hands clenched into the sheets. He was panting and using the bed as a crutch.

"Yes." Friday informed him, an edge of annoyance to her words that melted away the more she spoke. "He had a broken rib that Karen detected. It had mostly healed when he came to the tower later on."

Tony scowled, "Did he get checked out? I'll kill the kid if he didn't. God, he's going to make me go grey- tell Peter I want to see him Friday, and that I'm awake."

Usually, Friday would have chirped an immediate affirmative but nothing followed his request- just an awkward pause that made Tony uneasy. His stomach swooped uncomfortably at the lack of response while his brain ran with an array of horrible scenarios. "Friday?"

"I'm afraid that both Peter and Wanda are no longer a part of the Avengers Initiative. They both left two days ago after the mission and have made no contact since."

Tony blinked once, and then again.

Out of the whole world his mind was supposed to be one of the quickest and smartest but he swore in that moment his brain had simply shut down. Peter- gone? The words didn't sink in, almost as if they had been said in some foreign language that he couldn't comprehend. "I- I don't..." He shook his head, as if he was trying to rid himself of the confusion that fell over his face.

"Why did no one stop him? What- what happened?"

A tablet that had been left on the side switched on, the glow of the screen immediately snatched Tony's attention- it was footage with the time stamp of only a few days ago. Nothing else was said by Friday while he reached for the device and brought it into his lap. Tony stared down at the play button, recognizing the first-person view as the Spiderman mask as he shifted back on the bed, legs dangling off the edge. "Friday..." He didn't know what he wanted to say but Friday answered.

"It's the few minutes of footage towards the end of the battle." He nodded hesitantly before he dared to click play- he knew whatever happened wasn't good.

The footage started and Tony's eyes glued themselves to the screen despite the urge to look away when he heard Peter's scared 'Mr Stark?!'. His chest ached harder when the voices of Karen and Friday trying to guide Peter came over the system. The teen leaned over Tony's body- the suit already opened and exposing Tony's jeans and t-shirt he'd been wearing before the fight.