Newton's Cradle

Disclaimer: I own nothing in the MCU or anything drawn from the comics. Unfortunately. Lol. All characters belong to the amazing people over at Marvel! I'm just playing with them for a little bit. I also do not own the lines from "Spider-Man: Homecoming" used in this chapter.

Summary: Homecoming AU. "I swear..." he gasped out between his sobs. "I... I didn't kill Mr. Stark." When the argument after the ferry incident goes horribly awry, Tony is missing and presumed dead, and Spider-Man is suspect number one. Peter believes his mentor is still alive out there, but he'll need help to find and save Tony from who truly wants him dead in time.

Rating: T

Genre: Drama/Angst

Characters: Tony Stark, Peter Parker, Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan, Karen, Rhodey, Aunt May, Ned, plus more

Pairings: Tony Stark/Pepper Potts

Author's Note: Like a lot of you guys, I totally fell in love with this movie, with Peter, and with Tony's almost dad-like role for him. And the ideas for this story have been brewing for a while now, and I finally just had to write it. It's a sequel, of sorts, to my oneshot "Reasons", a gap-filler between Civil War and Homecoming that tackles how Tony and Pepper started getting back together before the end of Spider-Man. That one doesn't necessarily have to be read to understand and enjoy this one (I'm still not even sure how that story spawned this one, but here we are, lol) as I do a couple little throwbacks to important point in this one, but it does show more of how Tony and Pepper got to the point they are at here, as well as the mindset of Tony going into this story. The villain that I chose for this story is drawn from Marvel comics, particularly those around the Civil War time arc, and while I researched said character, there will be some creative liberties taken with him to fit him into this story. That being said, it is an AU, so obviously, the events of Homecoming will be drastically different, lol. Also, for those unsure of what the title is referring to, there's a picture of a Newton's cradle in the story picture; it's a toy/tool that's a pendulum of sorts, consisting of five balls hanging from strings, and if you lift and release one, the one on the opposite end will move. The purpose being to demonstrate the principle of the conservation of momentum, specifically when two objects collide. Also, quick shout-out to HaloFin17 for all of her help in putting ideas together for this to make this story as angsty as it possibly could be. I love you, my twin! I love when our minds really get evil when planning out stories, haha. Also, muchas gracias to CoffeeRanger, who through all of her excitement about what's to come for this story, really pushed me to publish it (otherwise, it may have been sitting around for a while yet). I hope it lives up to your excitement about these angsty ideas that are in store for these characters, my friend! :-D All righty, so with all that in mind, here we go!

Chapter 1– Something Amiss

No matter what she did, Pepper Potts couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

The day had started off normally enough. She'd been staying at the new Avengers facility in upstate New York as often as she could for the past couple of months when she wasn't out of town for work since she'd returned to help Tony Stark and Happy Hogan– particularly the latter– finish packing everything up at the Avengers Tower in the city to transfer over to the compound. As nice and spacious as this new place was, as was needed to house the new members of the team, she knew she was definitely going to miss the old one. It was twelve percent of her baby after all, and really, she was proud of the place that she and Tony had been able to put together. There were plenty of memories there that she was glad to have, as well as some that weren't so great.

Though why she had returned in the first place still gave her somewhat of a cause for concern. She thought back to the voicemails she'd since deleted that'd she'd gotten from the billionaire during the whole mess of the Sokovia Accords, to when Steve Rogers went off on his own, to when one of his best friends had nearly died, and, finally, to when he'd learned another of his most trusted friends had been keeping the truth about his parents' deaths from him. He had just sounded so exhausted, so defeated, so lost that she knew she couldn't stay away any longer. Though they had been taking a break to just get a little space, which they both had agreed would be the best thing for them at the time because of all the strain being put on the relationship from Tony's Avenging, she knew where she had to be was where he was. Because, she reasoned, he'd needed a friend. A friend to ease his mind a bit from the chaos that was otherwise threatening to consume him as everything he knew crumbled around him. No one could take the weight of that alone.

And so that's exactly what she had been to him in the weeks that followed her return. They weren't back to where they had once been before, not by a long shot, but a friend, someone that could be counted on, was good to have. And she had to admit she liked where whatever this was between them was headed as Tony's demeanor considerably lightened and became less weary at the world the more time they spent together at the new facility or at the Tower. The friendship they were rediscovering was certainly a pleasant one, as well as one that, in some ways, felt closer than what they'd had before they started out on their long-term relationship last time. And she couldn't deny that her feelings for Tony were still there. Almost nine years was quite a while to love someone, after all, and that didn't just go away. Perhaps this no pressure situation for them could be exactly what they needed to rekindle what had once been there, that had been there even before what had happened in Afghanistan, and what she felt was still there, patiently waiting for them.

At least, that's what she hoped, though she was almost certain she wasn't the only one.

He first indication had been that morning when Tony had surprised her by suggesting they go out to catch a quick breakfast, just the two of them for no real reason other than to spend some time together away from work, before they headed out to the Tower to organize more things to move to the new facility, and she had readily agreed. Some time away from it all would be good for them, they'd reasoned, and they'd ended up staying at the restaurant for a couple hours longer than they'd planned just talking, laughing, and having an overall good time. She was pretty sure that they'd wind up on a couple of internet rumor blogs since it was the first time they'd been seen together out in public in quite some time, but she didn't care. The outing had been effortless, just as they had used to be. And that was the only thing that mattered to her.

Though they'd only gotten a couple hours' worth of packing interspersed with continuing their conversation from breakfast when Tony received an alert from his AI F.R.I.D.A.Y. about something happening on the Staten Island Ferry that he was, needless to say, not overly thrilled with. Pepper wasn't familiar with every detail, but she could gather from what she'd been told that Peter Parker, the enthusiastic kid and friendly neighborhood Spider-Man that Tony was mentoring, had somehow hacked the incredibly expensive suit that the billionaire had made for him and overridden the training wheels program he'd still had to pass and had gone after some bad guys with powerful alien tech-based weapons on his own. She knew that Tony had been looking into the teen's claims pretty extensively himself ever since he had first been told about this group of arms dealers since he'd explicitly told him to let them handle it, managed to somewhat simply track some of their whereabouts, and passed the information along to the FBI to handle. Like the shipment they were trying to transfer on the ferry that day, for example.

But Peter hadn't gotten the memo, and furious that the kid was going behind his back to try to handle something he had specifically told him not to do, and after a phone call that had not ended well, Tony prepared to leave.

"He hung up on me! And lied to my face! Can you believe that? That's what happens when I try to compliment people... And, you know, try to tell him that I got this issue he's been telling me about all handled nicely. Now he's going to ruin that operation, and his reckless actions are going to get himself or someone else killed. I can't have that."

Pepper sighed. "Of course not," she agreed in a hopefully placating tone. "Though please try to remember not to be too hard on the kid. After all, Tony, he's just that. A kid. He's what, fourteen or fifteen? You made some pretty stupid decisions at that age, too, don't forget. And when you were older."

Tony didn't acknowledge the slight, good-natured jab at him as he instead sighed and passed a tired hand over his face. Pepper couldn't not think that she was almost looking at an image of a stressed father in that moment. It was strange for her to see.

"That may be," he said. "But I'd hoped he wouldn't..." He paused, meeting her gaze with a defeated one of his own. "I won't be too tough, deal? But I still gotta stop him from getting himself or someone else hurt and get his ass out of there. And make him understand that this isn't the way to go about things. Like, at all."

Pepper smiled as she approached him, straightening out his dark suit jacket a bit before she leaned forward and wrapped her arms lightly around him. "Come back soon, okay?" she wondered. "We still have quite a bit of packing to do."

A hint of a smile appeared on Tony's face as he pulled her closer, resting his head against the side of hers. Though they still weren't back to where they had been before, he was still just as determined to do better by her, especially considering how much she did for him just by being a presence in his life again. Though this friendship they were reforming certainly suited him well enough for now. At least they were back on friendly terms. Close terms. He could be happy with that.

"Fair deal," he muttered. "Just gotta make sure the kid's okay and everyone on that ferry is all right... Let's hope, anyway. I can't have that on my conscience."

Pepper briefly tightened the hug before she pulled back a bit to meet his gaze, and she was slightly startled to see just how close their faces were. It wouldn't take much to close the distance between them as they had done countless times before, and she was almost tempted to do so again, even though she felt she wasn't quite ready for that. At least, not quite yet. Even so, she found it to be a familiar, comfortable proximity. "I'm holding you to that," she replied just as quietly, lightly poking his chest. "And remember, don't be overly hard on him. He's doing what he's doing because he feels like he has something to prove to you. You know how that feels."

Tony's smile broadened, and Pepper felt a slight warmth swell in her chest. It was the one smile that truly touched his eyes– a look only she ever got to see. "No sweat, Peps. I'll be gone so short a time you won't even have a chance to miss me."

Pepper chuckled. "Better get moving then, Iron Man."

The billionaire continued to gaze back at her for a moment longer, and Pepper thought she could see a similar conflict raging in his hazel eyes. The urge to just easily close that small gap that lingered between them like they often did without even thinking battling the desire to not rush into things so he wouldn't risk losing the progress they'd already made. For an instant, she believed he was going to go along with the former, and she wasn't overly surprised that part of her really wanted him to.

Instead, he nodded once and securely patted her shoulder before he released her and began to walk away. Though slightly disappointed, Pepper knew it had been the right decision at this point. "Be back shortly!" he assured her, sending her a quick wave. "After having a talk with this kid..."

And just like that, he was gone in a familiar flash of red and gold.

Sighing, she turned back to the phone she'd been holding, forcing her eyes to focus on the email displayed on the screen. Despite herself, a small smile appeared on her face when her gaze once again landed on the few pictures of the small shih tzu that were attached.

One of the things Pepper had noticed quickly since she had decided to once again be a part of her ex-boyfriend's life was that his underlying anxiety issues were still very prevalent. There had been nights while she stayed at the compound when she had caught Tony awake until the early hours of the morning, tinkering with something or other in order to keep himself from sleeping. It was so reminiscent of the time when they had lived together in their own home, that how no matter how often she'd gently tried to coax him to come to bed with her, he more often than not wouldn't. And the nights he gave in and did were the ones that were often haunted by nightmares. Seeing it there, still so plain, broke her heart.

He had spent so much time running from what he had endured eight years before, had made so much effort to avoid processing what he had felt during those three hellish months in captivity, that what she wanted for him more than anything in the world was to find a place where he could just stop to rest. During the years they were together, she had hoped that place could be her– from the moment she had waited for him to step off the plane when he had returned to the States, she had wanted nothing more than to make him feel like he didn't have to run anymore if she could just hold onto him tightly enough, to make him feel like he was safe. And for the most part, she felt as though she had been able to give him that, even though she wasn't quite sure how he could be completely safe while he continued to put on the Iron Man suit. Though that was probably one of the reasons he had continued to put on the suit, she reasoned– to be able to keep running when stopping and resting just wasn't a viable option. His near-death experience bringing a nuclear bomb through a wormhole certainly hadn't helped that underlying panic that always seemed to be right beneath the surface. In fact, that was when he had developed full-blown anxiety attacks, ones that would often affect him physically and made him even admit that the only reason he hadn't completely cracked was because she was with him. It was a time that had tested their relationship surely, especially when she had nearly been attacked by one of his suits after he inadvertently called for it in his sleep in the middle of a nightmare, but they had gotten through. And had come out stronger for it. When Aldrich Killian, someone Tony had completely blown off years before, had injected her with the dangerous substance Extremis to force the billionaire's hand and make him desperate enough to help him make it more stable, that hadn't helped him either. She'd often caught him dwelling over how he had let it happen in the first place, as well as waking from nightmares about missing her hand when she fell two-hundred feet to what would have been her death in the flames below if she hadn't had Extremis in her veins, even long after he had gotten her sorted out and back to normal. But she had stayed by his side the entire time. They had, once again, gotten through. And had, again, come out stronger for it.

Until she couldn't take it anymore. And she walked out the door, leaving him behind.

Pepper sighed to herself, knowing that hadn't helped Tony's state of mind in the least. And she was afraid that the complicated altercation with Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, and the latter's involvement in the death of his parents while she had been gone was only going to set the billionaire back a few more steps. If she could take back how she had left him then, to somehow prevent the heartbreak that had followed, she would have in a heartbeat.

But she had made progress with him before, and she felt as though she could again. Even if they were just friends at the moment, she still wanted to help him through and knew she probably could. Because after a couple years and some Stark Industries-mandated professional therapy, Tony had finally, albeit randomly, opened up to her about what had happened while he had been held captive by the Ten Rings in Afghanistan while they were lying in bed together during a night where his mind wouldn't shut up about it. As horrified as she had been by the account, beginning with being kept alive only by the car battery hooked up to the electromagnet in his chest to keep the shrapnel centimeters away from his heart at bay to everything that had come after, she had somehow managed to keep herself together, willing to give him what strength she could as she held his hand tightly while all he had felt during that time came pouring out of him through frantic words and broken tears. It had been one of the only times she could count on one hand that she had seen him cry in all the years she had known him, and it was a night that she had never brought up again. It had been difficult enough for him to experience at the time, she knew. No use subjecting him to the fact that he could be human if he wanted to be again.

Though after that night, after starting that journey with him to walk him through what he had suffered while in captivity, Pepper was confident she could handle what had happened between him and Steve, even with the tragic event that had caused it.

Though after every incident that had exacerbated that panic he constantly lived with though normally repressed, she had been there to make sure he didn't start running again, to hold him to make sure he, at least, didn't go too far. It was one of the main reasons she had come back after Tony's voicemails about Steve and learning about what had truly happened to his parents, after all. She had recognized by how his voice had broken that he was set to start running again, and she just couldn't have that after all she had done to try to settle him before. So she had come back.

And while she could see that anxiety was still something he privately struggled with as he tried to come to terms with the fallout he and Steve had had, it had seemed to ease a bit over the past couple of months that she had been around. As they continued to inch their way closer back to where they had once been, she could see more and more subtle improvements by the day. Breakfast that morning, for example, had been the closest she had seen him to being the Tony Stark she knew so well and had fallen so madly in love with since before she had left in the first place. That combined with how he had been mentoring Peter, which gave him something to really focus on, seemed to be doing him a world of good, and it continued to give her hope that he would pull through this dark place as he had before. She could see that the kid was helping Tony as much as he was helping him, even if the billionaire couldn't see it himself. And for that, she was grateful that Peter was around, as well as one of the reasons why she hadn't wanted Tony to be too tough on the teen for whatever had happened down by the ferry.

But now that she was back, Pepper couldn't see the harm in trying to find more ways to try to help Tony maintain and even counteract his post traumatic stress disorder that he so vigilantly tried to hide from everyone else. Which was how she had wound up in this email conversation in the first place.

About a week before, a friend of a friend of a friend on Facebook had posted that he was looking for a foster home for a one-year-old shih tzu named Lily (serious inquiries only). Apparently, the couple had tried to get her as a new addition to their happy little family, but their young son had turned out to be allergic, or something. Normally, Pepper wouldn't have bothered, but there had been something in the small, white and black fluffball's eyes– the pink bow in her fur didn't hurt, either– that had touched her heart. Knowing that dogs could be very therapeutic for people who suffered from what Tony did, she, on a whim, sent an email to the one the man had provided to ask for more information.

Jerry had been delighted to hear from her, and he gladly answered any questions about the little dog that she had. And the more she learned about her, the more she became convinced that she and Tony were a match made in dog foster care heaven. Lily, she had discovered, was a rescue they had adopted from a shelter. During her short life, she had faced many traumas from a past abusive owner who had basically been stuck with her after his dog had had puppies. She had never been wanted or loved, along with the rest of her siblings, and she had luckily been found before her owner could do too much damage to any of them. The couple had been told when they adopted her that she would need some special TLC since she had grown very depressed and developed some signs of anxiety due to the time spent with her prior owner. They hated giving her up since she needed a secure environment, but since she couldn't be around their son, they knew it would be better to have her in a caring place until a stable, loving home could be found for her instead of returning her to the shelter.

Two damaged, traumatized souls in need of love. Pepper couldn't have written anything better if she'd tried.

She had inquired further about her personality mixing with someone who had similar anxiety problems, already invested hook, line, and sinker in the story of this sweet little dog. But she knew no matter her feelings about her, a high-energy companion that needed a ton of attention probably wouldn't have been the best for Tony. He'd assured her that it should be fine– Lily, usually, had a very calm temperament and normally didn't bark a lot. She had her playful streaks every once in a while if she was comfortable, but she really only played alone with her toys for a little bit before finding a place to either stretch out or curl up. She was pretty easy maintenance as well, eating when she was hungry– aside from the occasional begging for whatever others were eating– and only needing a couple walks a day on the owner's time schedule. It often took her a little while to warm up to new people, but she was friendly since she didn't bite or anything.

But it was when he had told her that what Lily mainly loved to do was cuddle that Pepper had undoubtedly been sold, and she'd sent an email expressing her interest in meeting the couple as well as the little fluffball herself to see if they would be a good fit. She hadn't hesitated even though she hadn't had the chance to run the idea past Tony, but she wasn't worried. She was meaning it more as a surprise to help him, anyway. Besides, if he wasn't overly thrilled about having Lily around, she could say that she was the one fostering her and that it would only be a temporary arrangement until a permanent home could be found. He couldn't deny her that, and if it came to it, she'd always figured out ways to make him come around before.

Unless they utterly fell in love with her, that would be another story altogether.

Though as excited as she was about this idea, Pepper found she had a hard time focusing on the latest email Jerry had sent her, asking if that coming Wednesday would be a good time for the meeting. It was two days away. She forced herself to check her calendar, seeing that she had a short presentation for Stark Industries that morning– one that could easily be done via Skype like she normally did so she wouldn't have to leave town– but the rest of the day was free. With a smile, she sent her response, asking if sometime in the late afternoon or early evening would be okay with them.

But then, the cheerful look faded as she lowered her phone. That pesky sense of dread she just couldn't seem to shake over the past few minutes was still stubbornly hanging on tight. Her brow furrowed, uncertain of where it could possibly be coming from. But she knew something was wrong.

Pepper glanced down at her phone, her slender fingers trembling ever so slightly as she, for a brief moment, considered calling Tony to see how things were going with the kid. However, she quickly talked herself out of it, even as she brought up the billionaire's personal number– one that only she and a scarce couple other people had– in her contacts. She didn't want to distract him from whatever may have been happening with Peter, for she didn't know what sort of situation the web-slinger may have gotten himself into. Nor did she want to interrupt whatever conversation they may have been having since that was more important than whatever this was that she was feeling. She chided herself for making a big deal out of what was most likely nothing. She just had to get a grip.

But still, it was unsettling to her, and Pepper pushed herself up from the couch and wandered over to the large windows that overlooked the bustling city far below. As far as she could tell from her vantage point, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. Not that that really meant anything...

Then, she jumped when her phone vibrated in her hand, and she attempted to slow her racing heart as she quickly checked the screen. She let out a shaky breath when she realized it was just a text from Happy Hogan, informing her that he was on his way to the Tower to help them with some more packing. She really had to calm down.

But it was the second part of their former limo driver and current head of security's text that really stood out to her.

Hey, what's up with Tony? He busy or something? He hasn't been responding to my texts, even though he told me to tell him when I was on the way.

A bigger part of her than she would have liked went cold when that lingering dread threatened to climb up further still. But she forced it back down. Tony was busy, she reminded herself, either getting Peter out of some sort of jam or chastising him for getting into one in the first place since he hadn't listened to him. And Happy would have no way of knowing that, of course.

Shaking her head slightly at how ridiculous and jumpy she was being, Pepper began to type back this information before she paused when something out of the corner of her eye grabbed her attention. She slowly lowered her phone, her eyes growing slightly wider as she hurried down to the other end of the windows to get closer. She pressed herself against the panes to get a better look.

Her breath instantly caught in her chest.

Thick, black smoke was quickly billowing into the air from the direction of the New York Harbor, where the Staten Island Ferry made port, in the distance. Right where the billionaire had told her he was headed.

The feeling that something was wrong, very wrong, returned with a vengeance.

"Tony..."

"Peter? Are you all right, Peter?"

Was he okay?

For a moment, Peter really wasn't so sure. That he was alive was a good sign, all things considered. But was everything intact? In one piece? He couldn't tell. Everything felt like it was spinning around him, his limbs were either numb or felt like lead or felt like they weren't even connected to the rest of his body, his head felt like it was going to split open at any second, his lungs felt like they were filled with feathers or cotton balls or something...

But he was alive. So he supposed that meant that he was okay. At least to some degree.

"Peter?" the friendly, and now familiar, electronic voice prompted again. She almost sounded gentle and concerned, which was slightly worrisome in its own right. Normally, she was all sass, like any good Tony Stark AI.

"Ka... Ka... Karen...?" Peter managed to rasp out before he cringed. His voice sounded like he hadn't used it in years, and his throat felt like he'd swallowed sheets of sandpaper whole. "What... what the he-hell... happened...?"

"There was an explosion," Karen calmly informed him in her straightforward way. "And you fell off a building. At least, off the side of it. You managed to get quite a bit of the way down before the force caused you to fall."

Her words made no sense in the teen's ringing ears. Explosion? Falling off a building? What... That hadn't been what had happened...

Had it...? He couldn't remember... He would have remembered something like that, right...? Right?

"Ka-Karen... Are... are you sure... about that...?"

"Absolutely. I was there, too, Peter."

Ah, there was the sass. At least she was okay.

"H-hey... hey, Ka-Karen...?"

"Yes, Peter?"

"Is... is anything... y'know... broken? Because I'll ha-have to... explain this t-to Aunt May..."

"I ran a test when you were unconscious. Nothing is broken. I detected some lacerations and contusions. I do not detect a concussion, though I also have detected a bit of an abnormality in your brainwaves."

That was it? Though he wasn't exactly sure if he fully believed the AI since his entire body felt like mush and his mind felt like it had been ripped out before being forcefully shoved back into his head, he trusted her scan enough to know that meant he wasn't dying, even though he felt like it since everything just hurt. And that was a good thing, if he did say so himself. Could never complain about that.

With a groan, Peter forced himself to open his eyes, which he noted took a lot more effort than it normally should have. The deepening blue sky seemed oddly bright above him, even though he found that he was looking through the fine mesh eyeholes of his suit. The ringing persisted in his ears as the teen slowly pushed himself up on one arm, his breathing heavy as every muscle in his body protested to the movement. As he raised his head and started to look around him, he was able to start to hear more sounds above the ringing in his head. Sirens, anxious voices, seagulls...

"... Karen...?"

"Yes, Peter?"

"Where... where am I... exactly?"

"The Staten Island Ferry port, Manhattan."

As his vision began to clear, Peter began to recognize the New York Harbor with its shimmering waves, boat docks, and even the Staten Island Ferry itself. The large orange vessel looked different, somehow, with some added attachments on the sides of the exterior and some light smoke rising from it.

The weapon shipment... the arms dealers... the FBI... the guy with wings... the ferry split in half... him straining to hold it together with his webbing...

Had he been able to hold it together like that?

Had anyone been hurt...?

"Ka... Karen...?"

"Yes, Peter?" She sounded so patient with his continuous questions. At least she was giving him a bit of slack considering what he'd been through.

"Wh-what are we doing... here, exactly...?"

However, Peter frowned when this time, the AI took a bit longer to respond. "Karen...?"

"You were attempting to stop a shipment of alien tech-based weapons, which went wrong," Karen finally explained. "The ferry nearly drowned after being split in half. Mr. Stark arrived in time to piece it back together enough to prevent a catastrophe."

Mr. Stark! "Oh, shit... Karen, he... he's going to be furious about what happened wi-with the ferry..."

"He already was, Peter."

The teen froze, letting her words sink in. "He... he was...?" he asked. "Karen, what... what do you mean...?"

"After Mr. Stark repaired the ferry, he found you nearby," Karen answered. "He was not happy, Peter."

Peter swallowed nervously. He could vaguely remember sitting on the roof of a building on the edge of the harbor overlooking the ferry, watching as the panicked passengers were helped off to solid ground. He vaguely remembered the Iron Man suit appearing... "And... and then what...?" Had Tony actually been in the suit this time? He couldn't quite remember...

"Look above you, forty-five degrees behind you to your right."

Wincing, Peter turned his stiff neck in the direction the AI had instructed, and his eyes widened as his stomach dropped.

The very building he vaguely remembered sitting on was in flames and collapsing in parts, thick black smoke billowing into the air. Fire trucks, rescue squads, police cars, and news vans were gathered up and down the street, blocking it off. Though it hadn't stopped curious onlookers from gathering to see what had happened. Well, that's where the siren sounds were coming from, and would also explain why his sinuses were burning so badly...

It was also then he noticed that in his attempt to get off the building, the combination of the force from the blast and his webs had managed to propel him far enough away from the scene to where he had landed amid some crates closer to the harbor, where he was out of sight from all emergency personnel and civilians. Which would explain why, despite how he was in full blue and red Spider-Man garb, no one was paying him any attention.

That and there was a building on fire and falling apart.

"Is everyone okay?"

"No thanks to you."

His own words, followed by Tony's almost patronizing tone came rushing back to him then, and he took a sharp intake of breath, causing a coughing fit to rack his whole skinny frame.

"Are you all right, Peter?"

"I-I... I'm fine, Ka-Karen..." Peter managed to say between hacking his lungs out. When the fit finally stopped, he tried to take a few deep breaths to clear his head even further. Yes, he remembered he had gotten into an argument with the Iron Man suit since he was just so frustrated about being treated like a kid by the man he looked up to who was supposed to be teaching him to be a part of the Avengers team. He was so angry that just because he was fifteen, his words meant nothing.

"Those weapons were out there, and I tried to to tell you about it, but you didn't listen. None of this would have happened if you'd just listened to me! If you even cared, you'd actually be here."

Did Tony even care about him? He had been getting to a point where he wasn't even sure about that, and as his mind frantically attempted to sort through his fuzzy memories, he still wasn't sure... But then... he had gotten in the suit's face in his anger, and... wait, the suit had opened... and Tony had been there... He said he had listened, had called the FBI, and...

"Do you know that I was the only one who believed in you? Everyone else said I was crazy to recruit a fourteen-year-old kid..."

"What if somebody had died tonight? Different story, right? Cause that's on you. And if you died... I think that's on me. I don't need that on my conscience."

"I just... I just wanted to be like you."

"And I wanted you to be better."

Peter tried to ignore how his already difficult breathing caught in his chest as his already distorted vision began to swim when tears pricked his eyes and threatened to spill out. The heated discussion with his mentor was all starting to come back to him now. Tony had been there... Tony had cared... Believed in him, even. Wanted him to be a better person than he himself had ever been. That's why he had been pushing him. Hell, he'd even been helping him with those arms dealers all along, having called in the right people to handle the situation without him even knowing. He had believed him about everything that he had seen, even though he'd accused the billionaire of not listening, of not caring. And he had screwed up royally. There was no way Tony would ever come to respect him as a part of the team, as an equal, now. No matter how much he had tried to apologize, it didn't matter. Because Tony had been right. What if people had died because of his stupidity? He never would have been able to live with himself if that had happened. Never.

And...

"I'm going to need the suit back."

"For how long...?"

"Forever."

"You don't understand. This is all I have. I'm nothing without this suit!"

"If you're nothing without the suit, then you shouldn't have it. God, I sound like my dad..."

He couldn't think of a way to describe the panic that had threatened to overcome him when Tony had wanted to take the suit back. It was a part of him, it was what made him him. There was no way he could give up something that was so important to him, that defined him. It gave his life purpose.

But at the same time, Peter understood. With as badly as he had messed everything up, he didn't deserve the suit. He didn't deserve to be a part of the team. He didn't deserve to be Spider-Man. As difficult as that was to accept, he knew deep down that it was true. What had Tony said? If he was nothing without it, then he shouldn't have it.

Although...

Peter glanced down at his gloved hands. He still had the suit. So, had Tony changed his mind about him keeping it? For some reason, that didn't strike him as plausible. He didn't think that the man would change his mind quite that quickly about something so crucial. So... had the explosion had something to do with why he still had it...? Had he needed it to fight whatever had happened...? He had clearly used it to get to safety...

He strained his memory, trying to recall what had happened after the billionaire's off-handed dad comment, but... there was nothing. His mind was blank. It was like nothing existed in his brain from after Tony had said those words to when he had woken up where he was. It was starting to hurt his head to try to force his mind to cooperate, so with frustration, Peter stopped. He'd give it a little time, try to clear his mind a bit more, get straightened up a bit, maybe get something to eat. It would all come back... wouldn't it?

But that also left another very important question. Where was Tony? Shouldn't he have been there with him...? Unless he was talking to the police or the reporters...?

"Ka... Karen...?" Peter cleared his throat as he forced his tears back. No use crying yet when nothing was seriously wrong at the moment.

"Yes, Peter?" Maybe he was just imagining it because he wanted to hear it, but he thought he could detect sympathy in her voice this time.

"Can... can you call... Mr. Stark...?" he asked quietly. "Please...?"

"I am unable to call Mr. Stark," came Karen's prompt reply.

It took Peter a moment to process what she had said. "Wait, what? Why?" he pressed. "Karen, this... this is important! You need to call Mr. Stark!"

"I am unable to call Mr. Stark," Karen repeated. "The call will automatically reroute to Happy Hogan. Would you like me to put the call through?"

"No, Karen!" Peter snapped. Happy wasn't the one he needed to talk to at the moment. He needed Tony. But then, he sighed. "Sorry, I didn't mean that... I'm just... I need to know what happened, and Happy doesn't know that. So, I... I need to talk to Mr. Stark... It's important..."

A moment passed where the AI remained silent. Peter wondered if he'd actually somehow hurt Karen's feelings with his brief attitude. He didn't even know if that was possible– could Karen have feelings? She wasn't exactly human– but he certainly hadn't meant to if he had. Wondering if she was as picky and tough to please as her creator, he was just beginning to think of ways that he could express how bad he felt about losing his cool with her in a quick lapse in judgment since a simple "sorry" apparently wasn't going to cut it when her voice echoed in his ears again.

"I am unable to reach Mr. Stark."

Wait, that was different wording. "You... you're sure you tried to reach hi-him...?" Peter wondered nervously. "On all numbers... anything...?"

"Yes. I have been attempting to since you have been unconscious, as I am automatically programmed to alert Mr. Stark if any injuries you receive are significant. He would normally be calling by now to check on you if I had reached him successfully."

Though Karen didn't sound concerned, her answer, while mostly going over his head with as hazy as his mind was, caused dread to fill the teen. Something wasn't right. "A-and...?"

"I am unable to reach Mr. Stark," Karen stated yet again. "His personal phone seems to have been disconnected, and he is not answering any others."

Disconnected...? Hadn't Tony called him shortly before all hell had broken loose on the ferry? Yes, he vaguely remembered getting a call from the billionaire, even though he had explicitly told the AI that it wasn't a good time to take it. Apparently, a call from Tony was something she couldn't turn down. The man had tried to compliment him on a job well done... and what had he done in return? Gone behind his back, lied to his face, and screwed up everything. Man, he was a horrible student, no wonder Tony wanted his suit back. He could give it to someone else who deserved it more than he did.

But had that been his personal number? He wasn't sure how many numbers the man had to reach different people. Either way, it didn't settle well with Peter that Tony's personal phone, which he assumed the billionaire had been carrying on his person, was suddenly disconnected like Karen said. Something was wrong about that, he could sense it. Had the explosion...

Peter's eyes widened at the thought of the inferno raging on the building behind him. "Oh, God... Karen, can you, like, I don't know..." His dizzy mind frantically sought any solutions to this mess. "Can... can you, like, reach Mr. Stark's AI, or... or something...? His suit has one, right? Can... can you, like... track it...?" His voice trailed off pathetically as his raw throat protested to the amount of talking.

Again, his AI was silent for a while. Peter's heart raced anxiously as his dread continued to grow as the seconds crawled by, not liking the amount of time it was taking for Karen to find Tony's suit. The building wasn't too far away. If he was talking to the police or the reporters like he had initially thought, she should have found him by now...

For a moment, he wondered if Karen herself knew what had happened after the argument between him and Tony when the latter had demanded the suit back permanently, and when he had desperately tried to keep it. He hadn't been wearing his mask at the time, so it was hard to say for sure. He'd have to make it a point to ask her, but for now, his head was too heavy to hold it up any longer, much less to really think about much of anything. Peter slowly lowered his upper body back to the ground to rest, closing his eyes and holding his breath as he waited anxiously for what the AI had to say.

Please, Karen... please find Mr. Stark... please let him be okay...

However, he didn't really like what his senses were telling him.

"I am unable to find Mr. Stark."

Even though he had braced himself for the worst, actually hearing the words caused fear to seize his whole body. "Wh-what?" Peter's head shot up as he quickly turned to look up at the burning building again. But he winced when a sharp pain pierced his temples, causing the world around him to spin even more, and he groaned as he lowered his head back to the ground.

"You have to be careful until you're a bit more healed up, Peter."

"Ye-yeah, Ka-Karen, I'm... I'm aware..." The teen curled his hand into a fist before he pounded the ground as hard as he could next to him. He attempted to take slower, even breaths, but knowing that Tony was MIA wasn't settling his nerves any. "You... you can't find Mr. Stark...? But... but what about his AI...?"

"I am unable to track his suit's AI," Karen said with an almost placating tone. Or, so it sounded like to him. "It is a possibility that it has been damaged to a point where I am unable to track it."

Damaged...? How badly did the suit have to be damaged for Karen not to be able to find it...? Peter's heart began to beat painfully against his ribs. He immediately knew he wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer to his unspoken question. Had Tony been... No, he couldn't bring himself to think it. He squeezed his eyes shut as tightly as he could, but all he could see was the building in flames and crumbling into ruin not too far away. Tony couldn't have been caught in that explosion... he just couldn't have been... He was Iron Man... He had to be okay...

"Heart rate is increasing, as is respiratory level," Karen informed him.

Peter almost chuckled out loud at her observation but couldn't find the strength to do so as he tried to slow down his panicked breathing. "I... I know, Karen..." There had to be some sort of other explanation for why Tony's suit AI couldn't be traced. It didn't have to mean the worst case scenario...

"Is there anything I can do for you to ease your distress, Peter?" Karen asked, her concern seemingly returning.

The teen took a deep, mostly even breath as tears again began to form behind his closed eyes. He just felt so tired all of a sudden... "Uh... y-yeah..." he finally answered quietly. "Can... can you call... H-Happy...?"

"Calling Happy Hogan."

The phone began to ring, but the sound began to get drowned out by the resurgence of the ringing in his ears. Peter sighed, feeling as though his body was beginning to simply melt into the concrete beneath him with how leaden it felt. What happened on the ferry with the guy with wings... the argument with Tony... the explosion... what could have happened to Tony... It all felt so surreal to him. Could any of this have even been real...? He wasn't sure...

"Hello? Kid? Are you there? Peter?"

Happy's familiar voice surrounded him then, and the teen found himself almost crying in relief that the man had actually answered him this time. Thank goodness for small favors. He swallowed, willing himself to respond.

"H-hey... Ha-Happy..." he mumbled.

The man's concern was palpable. "Kid! What's wrong? Kid!"

But that was all Peter found he was able to say before he wasn't aware of anything at all.

Author's Note: So, that's it for this one! What happened on top of that building in that fateful argument? What's wrong with Peter? And where's Tony? We'll have to find out as we keep going! Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it! See you next time!