Chapter Text
When Peter was late for his Internship Tony did not expect him to show up looking like this. He was white as a sheet, the clothes he wore didn't seem to be his and under the thin jacket he could make out what looked like a hospital gown. When the boy stood in front of him Tony noticed his bare feet. His legs shook so fervently he was worried Peter might fall over at any second.
What the boy said made his blood run cold. If he could believe the delirious sounding words, he regretted not having done anything to ensure Peter's protection.
Holding on to the kid Tony brought him up to the Med Bay, already leading him to a bed. He tried to talk to Peter, to ask what happened, but he didn't seem to understand much of what Tony was saying. So all he could do was wait and try to built a picture with what little information Peter had given him.
The thought of some disgusting people trying to kidnap the kid made him sick. He almost threw up when he remember Peter telling him they took his clothes. When he found who ever did this to the boy, to a smart boy like Peter.
While Tony waited for Hellen Cho, the seconds ticking by feeling like hours they lost, he thought of everything he knew about Peter's files. Was there a person who was at least a tiny bit suspicious?
He looked at the boy, a horrible realisation filling him. Why did Peter come here of all places? He said he was there for his internship. Could Tony believe that? Shouldn't your first instinct be to find your family?
Tony watched Peter as the boy stared all around the room in fascination.
"Mr. Stark," He whispered. "I don't think this is the lab."
"It's not, buddy." What was he supposed to do in this situation? Peter needed his help but it was Tony who had failed to protect him.
Peter opened was about to talk some more when another person entered the room.
"Tony, what happened?" Bruce Banner jogged up to them, worry and confusion written all over his face. He came to a stop in front of them, eyes focused on Peter. "Who is this?"
"Oh my gosh, you're, like, the coolest person ever!" Peter marvelled at Bruce who looked even more confused, now at Tony.
"This is my intern, I don't know what happened, he showed up here looking like this." Tony explained. Glad to see Bruce immediately going into doctor mode and looking Peter over.
"Alright," He pulled a pocket light from somewhere, examining Peter's eyes. "Hello, it seems you know me, can I ask who you are?" He took Peter's hand, feeling his pulls.
The boy looked like he was about to pass out from either exhaustion of excitement.
"I'm, I am Peter." He sputtered out.
"Okay, Peter, can you tell me if you feel any pain or discomfort?"
Peter looked down at himself pulling at the hospital gown. Bruce took the hint and carefully lifted the gown to reviel bandages wrapped around the boy's middle.
Now it was Tony who might pass out, because he did see it and he chose to ignore all of the signs.
"Tony, these bandages look fresh." Indeed, the fabric was a neat and clean white. "Peter, where were you before you came here?" That Tony would like to know, too.
"It wasn't my room." He said, frowning. "It was so clean and white and there were those weird things."
"What kind of things?" Bruce cut open the bandage. Under it was a freshly stitched wound. Both Tony and Bruce had seen more than enough wounds like this to know Peter had been stabbed.
"Like, machines, and things."
"I need you to think, Peter," The boy put all his barely-there concentration on the man. "Was it a hospital room?" The time he took to think was excruciating, but in the end he nodded. A weight fell off Tony's chest.
The more Bruce examined Peter, redressing his wound, pressing here and there n search for any overseen injuries, checking his vitals one more time, the more tired the kid looked.
"Peter, stay awake for just a bit more, alright?" Peter nodded, but it didn't seem he was able to actually listen to instructions. "Do you like the smell of lemons?"
Tony almost snorted a laugh at Bruce's question. Since the first day he met the kid he had smelled strongly of the citrus fruit. The smell in and of itself was nice, just the intensity was too much.
Peter shook his head.
"Lemony sprayed me, I can't get rid of it." He sounded exhausted and somewhere frustrated. Tony couldn't make much sense of Peter's answer, a questioning look towards Bruce told him the other man also had no idea what the boy was talking about.
"What is lemony?" Bruce asked.
Peter giggled, then winced as he probably jostled his wound.
"Lemony is a meany. He didn't even tell me his name, that is so," He stared into Bruce's eyes. "So rude."
"Peter," Tony called for the boy's attention. "What does this Lemony look like?" He had a very bad feeling about this.
"He was a shadow. All sneaky, almost didn't notice him." Peter's words were more and more difficult to decipher. A few minutes later he blinked one more time and seemed already fast asleep.
Bruce and Tony left the room.
"Tony, we should probably contact his family and the police."
"Police has already been informed." He crossed his arm over his chest,.
"What about his family?"
"I don't know if that would be a good idea."