Like You'd Know How It Works

Chapter 6

They arrived instantly in an ally way somewhere in Manhattan. Battle noises made both him and Strange look up into the sky. Chitauri flew through the air in the distance above. All around them lay debris and destruction. Peter's heart was beating in a fast, nervous rhythm. A sense of nausea was threatening to overtake that warm ball of courage he'd been holding onto. May, begging him to stop. Her face. Her tears. His heart was aching for her. For what he was putting her through. Again.

He exhaled trembling deep breaths and disengaged the Quantum Suit, which retraced back into the bracelet. Now, his hand could rise up to wipe the moisture from his eyes. Strange was cordial enough not to comment or indifferent enough not to bother. With that dude, he'd never know.

"What happened?" Peter's voice came out thickly charged with emotion. He gave his head one strong shake to banish May's pleading face from his mind.

"They'd already left the lab when Lang and I got there. But that's not important now."

"Right."

Strange turned back and forth, looking up and down the street. It was empty. "Stark and Lang should be around here somewhere. They have to be."

Peter nodded and took deep breaths in an attempt to control his erratic pulse. Focus. He needed to focus. This was it. There was no room for mistakes. With another deep breath, he closed his eyes and concentrated on his senses. Tony Stark. His mentor. The man that had become a father figure... a... a father to him... He was the epitome of security and comfort. Peter would feel his presence. He would find him.

Strange jerked away from him in surprise as he whirled around. Through the dirty windshield of a battered car, Tony Stark and Scott Lang stared right at them.

Peter straightened his back. Yes, there he was. Mr. Stark, wide-eyed and gaping. Peter bit the insides of his cheeks to suppress a sob. He couldn't screw this whole thing up now. He just couldn't but his body was betraying him. His heart would jump out of his chest at any moment. Strange stepped up beside him but Peter kept his eyes focused on the man that he had thought he'd never see again.

Without even a glance in Strange's direction, his feet moved closer to the car. One foot in front of the other. Deep breaths. That pulse of his sounded like a demolition hammer was trying to lay waste to his eardrums. The mixture of complete elation and petrifying anxiousness made his whole body tremble with adrenaline. How long would he be able to keep himself from breaking down? From losing the last bit of control over all of it? The closer he got the better he could take in Mr. Stark's face.

The ally way was calm. It was just them. The battle noises echoing from a few blocks away were either drowned out by the buildings around them or simply not penetrating Peter's focus on what was important right in front of him. Without the chaos that they had found themselves in on that battlefield in 2023, those 5 years and what they had actually done to his mentor hit him hard. It was Tony Stark alright, just... different. Dark rings under his eyes. Darker than... well, darker even than after Germany. The same lines that were etched on May's face also marked his. The man's eyes were still locked on him until Lang's arm reached over to grab him. The two men looked at each other for a moment before they jumped out of the car.

Mr. Stark's hand hovered closely over his chest. The nano housing unit was just waiting to be engaged. Peter came to a stop, only a couple of car lengths separated him from Mr. Stark. Strange followed and stepped up next to him. The other two men stood shoulder to shoulder at the hood of the car. Lang's chin had dropped. His glance wandered back and forth between Peter and Strange. Peter's focus, however, remained on his mentor. Mr. Stark was staring right at him just the same, his eyes wide, his chest moved with strong deep breaths. Peter focused on his senses and the sound of his mentor's fast-beating heart washed over him, the rhythm just as erratic as his own. Strong and alive.