Spider-Man Oneshots || Peter Parker

Fire

Tony's heart shatters when he hears Peter hiss out in pain, and he tries to be more gentle when soaking the wound in water.

Peter had called him in the middle of the night and asked if he could help with his third degree burns. Meanwhile, Tony had practically begged him to stay where he was, not wanting Peter to injure himself more than he already had. He was in is Iron suit searching for the kid in mere minutes, desperate to find Peter.

When Tony finally sees him tucked behind a dumpster, it makes sense why he uncharacteristically reached out. His entire body looked as if it were thrown into a fire with third degree burns scattering his middle torso and suit, and Tony thinks that if most of the damage weren't on his back he probably would have attempted to treat them himself.

He asks how it had happened, partly because he was curious but mostly because Peter looked ready to pass out in seconds, and Tony wasn't ready to see his eyes close in this condition. He was already panicking enough, holding his breath with Peter whenever the boy let out a particularly pained whine or moan.

Surprisingly (or maybe not), Peter is quite chatty despite being burnt all over. He jumps right into an explanation and delves into a long-winded story about a family of five he saved from a house fire that evening.

Initially, Tony was going to yell at him, explain the importance of self-preservation as hypocritical as it was coming from him. He was still planning to do exactly that, but he makes a last minute decision to save the lecture for tomorrow.

He couldn't be more proud of Peter, and he tells him exactly so.

Peter pauses in the middle of his story to spin around with wide eyes. The water next to his side threatens to tip over, but Peter catches it just in time with the help from his sixth sense that Tony had only recently learned about.

"Wait, seriously?"

Tony blinks back at him, confused by Peter's shock.

"Yeah, you did good tonight with that family.... I'm proud of you."

To that, Peter lets out a smile that brightens the entire room, though it clenches into a grimace as Tony begins to apply ointment on a particularly harsh wound. Even in immense pain, his eyes still sparkle with a combination of excitement and pride.

"Thanks Mister Stark."

Tony is confused by the reaction but tries not to question it too much. Peter acts as if Tony was never proud of him, and the way he keeps turning back even after he's ridiculed to sit still suggests that he's not used to the positive reinforcement either.

He thinks back on their relationship and all of the conversations they've had in the past. Maybe Tony hasn't been vocal enough with his admiration for the kid, and he decides in the moment that he wants to change that.

However, right when he begins to express just how much Peter means to him, he hesitates in finishing the sentence.

They have time to grow closer, and Tony was confident that there was no need to force things now. After all, he didn't want to scare the kid away when he was in the middle of treating his wounds.

Instead, Tony simply focuses on the third degree burns as Peter jumps into a different story about an old lady who hit him with a purse that afternoon. Tony laughs and watches in amazement as the burns heal right before his eyes.

Yeah, they had time.

~

Exactly a month later, Tony will always regret not expressing to Peter just how much he loves and cares for him. Tony sits alone with a glass of whiskey in his hands, staring at a photograph he and Peter took a couple months prior for the Stark Internship. Both of them have their hands up, giving one another bunny ears as they pulled ridiculous faces for the camera.

Tony thinks about that day, and he can practically see Peter's delight when seeing his name on the glorified piece of paper. He remembers making fun of him after the photo was captured, saying how only Peter would manage to hold his award upside down when smiling for the camera.

Peter has asked if they could take another one but Tony adamantly refused, claiming that the one they had was perfect. Peter grinned from ear to ear that day, and Tony's breath caught at the sight of his eyes crinkling in the corners.

Tony then thinks back on the night of the fire. Peter in his superhero glory, hot burns covering his entire body and sweat damping his hair. It was clear that he had been in pain that night judging from the tenseness of his shoulders and the slight waver in his voice as he told his stories, but the boy had been so happy at the same time after saving that family from the fire.

He distantly wonders if any of the family members had survived the snap, though he supposes it doesn't matter anymore.

Tony takes another sip of whiskey, hating himself for assuming he and Peter had time.