Lost and Found - Peter Parker

Chapter 2

Tony sits at his workstation in his personal lab. With Stark tower up and running again, the only thing keeping him from running to old habits is Pepper's frequent check-ins and reminders. Frustration is etched on his face as Tony struggles to finalize edits on his right arm's prosthetic using only one hand. His curses and mutterings in Italian fill the workshop, Tony oblivious to his rising voice.

"Cazzo di tutti e due le braccia, doveva essere la mia destra... non posso più fare questo..." He grumbles some more, pushing away the prosthetic and swiveling in his chair.

No amount of drinking or fatigue has limited him like this. Hell, even being trapped in a cave in Afghanistan wasn't this hard. Why the fuck did this have to be now? Yes, he has Pepper, but she can't exactly help to engineer the sensors and receptors properly enough to mimic the feeling of a real arm now can she?

"FRI, remind me where Brucey Bear is? I feel like Id get this done 2000 times faster if I phone a friend."

DUM-E nudges his chair and beeps softly. Tony's gaze softens momentarily at it's puppy-like mannerisms, reminding him somewhat of Peter. He pauses, takes in a shaky breath, and pushes the bot away. DUM-E whirrs and prepares to intervene, but Pepper strides into the room, stopping the arm in its tracks. She's carrying two mugs of tea and a stack of paperwork. The strawberry blonde looks at him with a bemused expression, placing down the mugs and running a hand through his hair. A chuckle escapes her.

"You're speaking Italian, darling. What's on your mind? And don't say the arm, 'cause I know it's more than that." She sighs and shakes her head, raising an eyebrow. If there's one person Tony knows he can't lie to, its Pepper.

He sighs in return, looking up at her before placing his head on her chest in defeat. "Well, the arm is a part of it, but I'm caught up on why disappeared so suddenly. What the hell even happened after I killed Thanos?"

Pepper sucks in a breath through her teeth and sits down beside him, a hand resting on his knee, the other intertwined with Tony's. His prosthetic lays forgotten on the workstation, his full attention on his wife.

"Amidst the chaos, half of the team ended up departing to see their families, including Peter." Tony's brow furrows. "Why would peter just up and leave? How did he even get home?! Pep, please don't tell me he swung home all by himself..."

Pepper purses her lips with a grimace and reluctantly reaches for the paperwork, not meeting Tony's frantic eyes.

"We were so focused on getting you medical attention that everything else seemed insignificant. Tony, I am so so sorry we left him behind, you just have to understand...Nothing else mattered in that moment but you. Watching the life drain from your eyes was..." She trails off, looking up at the ceiling and blinking away tears. Pepper grips his hand for a moment before clearing her throat and continuing.

"After you stabilized, we started tracking down the rest of the avengers. We assumed Peter had gone home to his aunt, but a few weeks later, Spiderman stopped appearing in New York. I had FRIDAY do a bit of digging, but all we found was police reports. Tony...May is dead."

The news hits Tony like a punch to the gut. A wave of guilt and sadness washes over him, bringing back the nice moments he had shared with the Parkers. Everything from the occasional dinner to weekly discussions about internship progress. Despite Peter taking on the regular SI internship before the Battle on Titan, it hadn't stopped Tony from checking in after the Ferry incident. He begins to pace, his mind racing with worry and regret.

"FRIDAY, search through the NYPD and CPS's files for any mention of Peter. Blast through every firewall, I don't give a shit what gets in our way." Tony instructs the AI, his voice frantic and beginning to shake.