p • r • e • s • s • u • r • e

I Get it

"What are they?"

"Miniaturized biometric monitor and data storage-"

"English, Tones."

"Right. It uh..." He groans, a hand on his knee as he hobbles up from the floor.

"It watches your vitals and makes sure you aren't dying. If you are, it tells you why. If you're unconscious and something's wrong, it alerts the right people and gives them the information needed to avoid wasting time on all the initial poking and prodding necessary for a diagnosis."

He breathes, and follows Rhodey up the steep staircase.

"So like...LifeAlert, but...but not."

He frowns.

"Yeah, I guess-hey Aragog what are you doing?"

The boy was standing over a cluster of grapes, scrutinizing them.

"Are these edible?"

"They're...grapes."

"So...?"

"Yes, they're edible."

" Great!"

He shoves a good three or four grapes in his mouth and bounds toward Tony, catching up with him to the elevator.

"So did you find-"

"No. Sorry, kid."

"Nah...it's okay. You tried, Mister Stark."

"What, you think I'm just going to stop?"

Peter blinks, eyes darting to the control panel briefly, where the engineer had pressed the garage button.

"Why would I-I'm not gonna just give up on her, kid. Why would you think that?"

The teen cast his gaze downward.

"I don't-"

"It's fine, I just-she's important to you, therefore she's important to me, is what I'm trying to say."

He claps a hand on Peter's shoulder.

"Right..." the boy shoves a shaker hand in his pocket and the elevator stops, opening to reveal Bruce.

Peter grins.

"Doctor Banner! Ohmygawsh, hi!"

The scientist nods, and Tony offers a curt "Hello".

Bruce rolls his eyes.

The elevator glides down floor by floor, all too smoothly for Tony's comfort.

"We were just about to grab lunch, wanna come?"

He asks, smoothly. Bruce smiles.

"Of course."

They end up at some Michelin-star restaurant where Peter found the food too beautiful to eat.

"But Mister Stark, it's so pretty!"

He rolls his eyes.

"Peter it was made to be eaten. That is its purpose."

The kid sighs and takes a bite of artichoke heart, smiling.

"Told ya so."

The science bros dropped Peter off at his apartment and headed home. Tony stands with his head on Bruce's shoulder in the elevator. It's one of those little things that makes his heart happy. Dinner that night was delicious and Tony almost forgot what it was like to be broken beyond repair.