Spider-Man Oneshots || Peter Parker

Grief

He wasn't there when Peter died.

Tony continues to stare at the brick wall, refusing to move a muscle even as police cars begin to surround the crime scene. The red and blue lights flash in his eyes, but he doesn't acknowledge them.

He stands there emotionless, and he doesn't know how much time has passed since he had found Peter dead in the alleyway.

He needs for this to be a dream, and he waits for reality to sink so he can wake up from the worst nightmare of his life.

"Mister Stark?"

Tony startles back then, and that's when he realizes that an officer had been talking to him. The way she stares makes him assume that she had been standing there for a while now.

"Call me Tony," he finally replies after a minute, and the officer seems taken aback by the breach of formalities.

But Peter referred to him as Mister Stark, and he would be dammed if he ever let anyone call him that again after tonight.

He pinches himself, trying in vain to wake up from the looming nightmare. It doesn't work.

"Tony, we need you to step away from Spiderman."

Tony blinks back, and it takes a few seconds to process what she was saying with all of the commotion around them. He only then notices that other people have arrived, and news reporters and paparazzi were beginning to come forward, clearly wanting to be the first to cover the story.

Not if Tony had something to do with it.

He ends up listening to the cop, and he wordlessly walks away from Peter only so he can shove the palm of his hand in the nearest camera lens. From there he pulls it away from the man and throws it on the ground hard enough for it to break.

"Hey, that was expensive."

Cameras were now focused on Tony, which he supposes was a good thing. He only hopes that the shot doesn't pick up the way his hands are still shaking.

Tony puts on sunglasses despite it being the middle of the night to avoid anyone seeing his red rimmed eyes. Then, he speaks loud and clear so everyone can hear him.

"You're taking photos of a minor, publish them anyway and you'll get an awful lawsuit from Stark Industries, got it?"

"That minor is Spiderman."

"And you will speak his name with respect."

He doesn't know how it happens, but he's suddenly face to face with another paparazzi. The man pushes his shoulder, and Tony is seconds away from punching him in the face.

And he lifts his fist to do exactly that, until someone catches him and pulls him away from the middle of the crowd.

Tony turns back and is ready to give a fight, but he freezes in his tracks when he sees that Happy is the one holding him.

He doesn't look good, with his complexion pale and his eyes glazed over like he was unable to believe what was happening. It was a look that he has never seen on the man before, even after all these years that they have worked together.

"We have to go," Happy tries to say, but even he sounds unsure on what to do.

Tony can't blame him, and he's about to actually listen until he sees doctors out of the corner of his eye.

A few paramedics are beginning to take Peter, and Tony suddenly feels sick to his stomach. He rushes forward and stops them right before they can put him in the ambulance.