Not Alone (An Irondad Story)

Chapter 3: You are not alone.

Chapter 3! Yay! I hope you enjoy it!

Peter P.O.V.

"I'm sorry this was a bad idea." I shake my head scooting deep into the chair. I look around the hospital room and see it is mostly empty as it should be for this early in the morning. A janitor cleans in a daze while the rest of the waiting room is deserted except for a man snoring lightly. This place is stable and predictable unlike my uncharted future. My eyes dart back to the couple in front of me. I can't believe they came for me. I am happy for a second till I remember my dream, revealing the curse that haunts my guardians. Unable to look at them any more I cover my head with my hands.  

I hear a sigh in front of me then whispers about me, their new burden. The rhythmic sound of heels overwhelms my ears softening as the CEO continues into the distance. Left in front of me is the billionaire superhero. The one who is supposedly saving me today.

"Peter," he says softly then stopping for a second to take a deep breath. "I know this is hard, and I can't promise the pain will go away, but to heal... " He sighs. "I'm not good at this thing, Kid," mumbling to himself.

Both of us are still for a minute unsure of what to do. Until, I feel an awkward hand on my shoulder. It is tense and nervous; traits are rarely shown by the billionaire. "Kid, I need you to look at me." I slowly raise my head and look him in the eye. He smiles slightly trying to calm me down.

"Ok," he releases my shoulder and moves to sit on the chair to my right facing outwards. "When my parents died I didn't want to accept help. I thought I could do it on my own without getting attached to anyone. I was wrong, and I fell, hard. But I was lucky enough to have Rhodey and Pepper to pick me up. In the end, it took me years to be at some sort of normal. Kid," He turns to look at me. "I want you to learn from my mistakes. Be better than me. I might not have had someone to guide me, but I want to be that person for you."

He turns back and slouches in the chair. "That sounded better than I thought. I might just be cut out for this mentor thing."

I rolled my eyes and gave him my best "really" look. Of course it sounds nice to have someone by my side, always looking out for me, picking me up when I am hurt, but from what I learned it does not work out. My life is just one bad thing after another. It has piled on so high that I am drowning. I am unable to find a stable island, and even if I did; it would sink with me. Alone, it is the word that sums up my whole existence. Not even the world's mightiest heroes can save me now. 

He looks at my expression. "Nevermind, Kid. Why don't we go so you can get some sleep? You look like shit."

He puts a hand on my back, forces me to get up, and guides me to the door. The chilly night air hits me as it opens, waking me up. My ears flood with the familiar sounds of the city. Mr. Stark walks to a front parking spot with an Audi S8 humming with life. I stop right before I get there trying to decide if I should make a run for it. The decision was between my brain and my exhaustion. My exhaustion won, while my brain decides to wait till tomorrow to figure it out. This would only be a one night arrangement. Mr. Stark notices the lack of a mentee beside him and comes back and gently forces me into the car. From the driver's spot, Pepper turns around to face me.

"Hey, Peter." she says lightly.

I smile as much as I can and then turn to the window.

From the corner of my eye I see Mr. Stark as he knocks on the driver side window. Pepper rolls it down.

"Yes?" she asks.

"I think this is my spot."

"It was," she replies. "But when you hit that poll it became mine."

He puts a hand over his reactor, "Are you disrespecting my driving?"

"Other side, Honey," She smiles sweetly. 

Once Tony is in the car, he turns around and looks at me. "Buckle your seatbelt, Kid."

I do so and look out the window calmed by the rumbling of the engine. Within seconds, I fall asleep. 

Tony P.O.V.

I hear Peter's breath change into a rhythmic one of a restful sleep. It is something that he deserves. I look back at him and see a shadow of the boy I saw a week ago. Where once his eyes showed a universe of joy now only reveals a dull and lackadaisical outlook. His hair is tangled and dirty, but his clothes are by far worse. They are wrinkled and covered with splotches of blood. When I first saw him, I thought he was dead or hurt. He is not dead, but he is hurt. Though it is not physical. Seeing a death especially one of a family member is not something to shrug off. It is an emotional struggle that sends one into a hole, a dark place full of depression and self hate. Peter, while being one of the strongest people I know, will not be able to escape without help. I turn back and look at my beautiful fiancee.

"He's hurt Pep."  

"I know. It's not your fault." She keeps looking straight ahead, not even needing to see my facial expression to know I am blaming myself. "We will work this out together."

"Thank you for being ok with this." I say turning to face the perfect woman beside me.

"Of course, I got your back Tony." She says smiling.

"Does that mean you will try on the suit I made you."

"Nice try."

I smirk and try to see my future with an optimistic view.

Thank you for reading. Sorry if that was bad. I will try to update by Saturday.