A Different Kind of Family

Chapter 2: A Pain

Peter woke slowly quickly realizing that his mask had been removed. The next thing he noticed was how blinding the lights were. They instantly made him groan as he squinted against the light. It was like staring into the sun. He tries to move his arm to block some of the light only to realize that he can't. He can't move his arm, no arms. Now panic was rising up in him as he quickly tries to sit up only to be forced down by a hand. A hand that looks quite familiar. "Mr-Mr. Stark..?" The boy looks confusingly up at Tony Stark as his vision finally adjusts to the bright lights. Why were they so bright?

"Hey kid, sorry about the restraints, you were ah-" Tony rubs the back of his head, "Bruce thinks you were having night terrors and let's just say a spider kid with unnatural power freaking out in a medical bay filled with many expensive things wasn't very safe..for either of us, hence the," he gestures down to the many restraints across the boys body arms and legs. This causes a slight blush to his very pale cheeks and he slowly looks around. His webs were everywhere, and that was no understatement. They truly were everywhere, not to mention the hanging lights and broken gadgets lying around. 

"O-oh I'm sorry Mr.Stark I-I didn't mean to..I don't even remember what happened.." Just then Doctor Banner comes walking in, Bruce, scribbling down on a clipboard.

"Tony found you passed out on our balcony," Bruce looks up from his writing and approaches the boy, "I'm not sure what made you passed out, either the panic attack, the burns, or the crying.." he trailed off flipping through his notes.

This brought Peter's attention to the Doctor, "Cr-crying..?"

Tony interrupted, "You're crying was what we heard first before Friday notified us that someone was on our balcony." This just made Peter blush even deeper and he tried to hide his face only to remember of the restraints still on him.

"Ah, sorry, let me get those for you," Bruce walked over to the medical bed and slowly undid all the restraints on his body. After he finished the last one he went about helping Peter sit up and then began to check his burns. "They seem to be healing quite quickly but what I can't figure out is the damage on your face. They seemed to have happened before the burns. What happened?"

Peter quickly looked away from the man and began to fidget with his fingers, the blush still plastered on his face. This quirked Tony's curiosity, "Kid? There something you not telling us?" By now he had one of his eyebrows raised and his arms crossed. Peter found he couldn't look at the man questioning him. He simply stayed quiet. Tony sighed and asked a different question, "So, what happened that led to you crying on our balcony?" Peter physically flinched at this question, new tears digging through the soot on his face. Tony's voice softened, "Kid?"

"I-I couldn't save her," a whimper escaped his mouth before he could finish and he found his face in his hands again. He automatically brought his knees up to his chest as new sobs erupted from him. This shocked both of the scientists and they looked at each other equally confused. That's when Tony felt a small buzz and suddenly Friday was talking to him through his glasses.

"Sir, you might want to look at this," and suddenly Peter's burning apartment appeared on his glasses along with Spider-man leaping through a window and cradling his dead aunt in his arms, "This happened last night and minutes later you found him on your balcony. The police reports says that they suspect the fire was started to hide the fact that young May had been shot in her own home. Peter's aunt was murdered last night and he was the one to find her." Tony didn't know what to say as the feed cut off. His eyes quickly refocused on the broken boy in front of him. Before he could think he was hugging the sobbing boy. Peter quickly turned towards him and began to sob into his shirt. Tony just simply sat there holding the boy, rubbing small circles into his back. They sat like that for what felt like an eternity until his sobs slowly stifled down and suddenly the boy was fast asleep in the billionaires arms. He never once stopped rubbing his back as he looked to his friend, Bruce, for help.

Bruce replied softly as not to wake the poor boy, "Friday tells me he's only a 15 year old kid. With his last known relative gone they'll most likely put him in the system. You met as well ship him off to a prison. A family will most likely never adopt a 15 year old kid not to mention he's not a normal teenager," Bruce sighed dragging his hand down his face, "But we can't keep him here, he'll be listed as missing..." 

Tony slowly nodded along with the doctor, a plan slowly forming in his head. "Hey Friday?"

"Yes, Mr.Stark?"

"Is Pepper in?"

"She is indeed sir, she is currently making breakfast in the kitchen. Do you need me to get her?"

"No that's alright, I'll go to her." And with that sentence said Tony goes to stand up only to find Peter stuck to him, "What the Hell?" He tries once again to peel the boy's hands off to him but to no avail. "Umm, Bruce? A little help here?" Bruce stares at his friend with a confused look but he walks over and tries to pry the boys legs from around Tony's hips but he couldn't get them to budge.

"Ahh," Bruce scratched the back of his head, a slight chuckle escaping his mouth, "I guess you're going upstairs like that," this time he couldn't stop the laugh from escaping his mouth.

"Ha ha very funny but seriously?" He slowly does a turn his arms up in defeat, "You can't get him off of me?"

Bruce chuckles again, "I'm serious it seems he's stuck to you until he realizes what he's doing. Tony simply sighs and drags a hand down his face.

"Ugh, fine, it's not like he's that heavy anyways." And with that both of the science bros rode the elevator up to the kitchen.