Spider-Man Oneshots || Peter Parker

Waiting Room

Pepper was annoyed to say the least.

She and Tony no longer have many opportunities to go on dates these days, and of course the one time she's able to drag him out of the Tower is when Peter Parker manages to almost kill himself while fighting some low grade criminal of the week.

She knows something is wrong the moment Tony checks his phone, and the way his eyes grow comically wide indicates that it has something to do with the kid he has grown so fond of over the past couple months.

Pepper didn't know Peter all too well, and the two have only had short conversations in passing. Still, she remembers her shock when learning that the sixteen year old intern in front of her was none other than Spiderman himself, and to this day she's unable to wrap her head around it.

Peter Parker didn't seem like the type of kid who would join the superhero business. As much as she hated to admit it, he was simply too good of a person to fit the title.

While all heroes feel the same obligation to save the world, they also have knowledge of how the universe functions. No one is inherently good, and there's always darkness in each nook and corner.

It's a fact that all Avengers have come to realize at one point or another, and the life lesson that the good guys don't always win was practically ingrained in their heads after all these years.

It's something that Peter Parker has yet to learn, and Pepper fears the day when the lesson comes back to haunt him.

But she supposes it doesn't matter, because at the end of the day Iron Man was always  going to ensure that Spiderman was okay, so long as he is still alive and standing.

She thinks this now while Tony throws a stack of hundred dollar bills on the restaurant table before leaving with no further explanation. The waiter taking their order seems taken aback, and Pepper offers a quick apology before following close behind.

While she was worried for Peter's well-being, the selfish part of herself couldn't help but feel annoyed with the situation. She had been looking forward to spending the evening with Tony, and if he played his cards right they could have ended the night on quite the high note.

She knew that it wasn't a possibility now as they finally make it back to the Tower, and she can feel the anxiety radiating off of the man as he practically sprints to the medbay.

"Peter, what the hell?"

It's only then when they find the boy, looking as if he walked straight out of a horror film with all of the blood that stained his skin red. He had even managed to get blood in his hair, and Pepper tries not to let the disappointment show on her face at that.

Tony on the other hand looks absolutely terrified, and Pepper can understand why. If this wasn't Peter Parker he would have been dead a long time ago with a wound like that, and she couldn't help but feel the slightest bit impressed that he had even managed to stand upright for this long.

Pepper and Tony move into action, and they don't even need Cho's help when they begin to fix up his wounds. She has plenty of experience with playing nurse after the many injuries Tony has given himself throughout the years, and she can't even pretend to be fazed at this point.

The same can't be said for Tony, "why the fuck is there so much blood?"

Pepper doesn't respond, instead she finishes up the last of the stitches before checking the heart monitor one more time. It shows that Peter's vitals are as well as they can be, and the machine continues to beep at a healthy pace.

She leans back then, pleased with their handiwork. Tony leans forward, looking seconds away from a panic attack.

It's only then when Pepper intervenes, moving so her hand rests on top of Tony's as she gives his finger a squeeze, "Give him a day and he'll be just fine. Look, his wounds are already healing themselves up."

Tony glances at his torso with a desperate glint in his eye, and Pepper feels where he's coming from. She knew that the kid meant a lot more to Tony than he would ever admit, and seeing someone as young as Peter covered in blood was admittedly difficult to process.

Pepper only holds onto his hand a little bit tighter, and she waits until Tony squeezes back.

"Now you know how I feel when you go on your suicide missions as Iron Man."

Tony finally looks at her then and while there was still the underlying fear in his eyes, there was also a hint of amusement.

"First off, they're not suicide missions-"

"Could have fooled me."

Tony laughs then, yet the smile on his face doesn't reach his eyes. Pepper relates to the sentiment more than she ever thought was possible, and she tries to comfort him knowing fully well that there was nothing she could say that would hold any value.

"Peter's going to be okay- this has happened countless of times in the past and it'll happen countless more, it's something you'll just have to get used too."

Tony sighs at that, but he doesn't argue with the logic. It's silent for a minute or two and Pepper watches the heart monitor in front of her.

She only then wonders how she always ends up sitting in the waiting chair.

She's about to comment on it, though before she can Tony interrupts her train of thought, "I just wish he wasn't Spiderman."

Pepper laughs, though it holds no humor to it as they both stare at the broken boy in front of them.

"He's not going to quit, just like you won't quit being Iron Man any time soon."

Tony opens his mouth only to close it seconds later. He seems distraught as he glares at the stitches laying before his eyes, and Pepper can only imagine how much he's blaming himself at the moment.

She leans over and kisses his cheek, hoping to distract Tony for just a second.

"You're doing everything you can, and I'm sure Peter is grateful for it."

"I just feel like it's not enough."

Pepper kisses him again, this time on the lips.

"It never does," and she wants to offer more sympathy, but she knows the feeling all too well. The knowledge that a loved one is hurting and all you can do is wait until their eyes open again.

That is if they open at all, but Pepper doesn't even dare plant that seed in his head. Instead she tries to think of something appropriate to say, but it turns out that she doesn't have too.

"Sorry that our date was ruined Pep, I'll make it up to you soon."

Pepper looks back at Tony and she can hear the promise in his words. She smiles then, hoping that it conveys all the love she holds for him.

"It's okay, the kid's growing on me anyhow."

Tony smiles back, looking at Peter and so clearly appreciating the rise and fall of his chest.

"Yeah, he has a way of doing that."

They both sit at the medbay for the rest of the night, and while it's not the date that Pepper had imagined she supposes it wasn't so bad after all, even when May Parker eventually joins them.

Peter wakes up the very next day, and Pepper only feels relief while he and Tony once again begin to bicker with one another. She was certain that there would be more interrupted dates in the future, though she supposes it doesn't matter as long as the day after looks exactly like this.

~

Thank you for reading!! This oneshot is dedicated to Miss_Nervy

If anyone has other prompt requests feel free to reach out to me and I'll get to it as soon as possible :)