Peter walked through the door and couldn’t help the horrified gasp that escaped his lips. He ran to where an unconscious yet bloody Aunt May lay with her face paralyzed in a terrified expression, and a blade protruding out of her chest. Peter ran towards his aunt, a growing feeling of dread forming in the pit of his stomach as he scrambled to check her pulse, at the same time freaking out because his Spidey Senses didn’t pick up a heartbeat. 

The first thing that hit him was May’s lifeless hollowed eyes, the eyes that he was accustomed to being warm and flickering with light, not this, anything but this. Her skin looked grey and ashen as if she was decades older than her actual age, and felt too rough to be May’s skin, god, what had happened to her. His eyes trailed down her form to see jagged cuts through her clothing indicating that her killer had sliced her to her death. 

Everything else was drowned in a haze of red that Peter could only assume to be May’s blood. 

He immediately felt sick to his stomach as the sobs escaped his quivering lips as he bent over and cried because he failed someone that he really cared about, leaving him the last Parker on the planet. 

His vision began to blur and spin as all he could see was an overwhelming amount of red. 

May’s blood. There’s so much blood. 

Ohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgod. 

Whatdoidowhatdoidoshe’sgoneandshe’snotcomingback.

I’mallalonealonealonealonealone.

He began to violently tremble as his cries escalated into sobs. He was all alone, no one would love him or care for him, and dark thoughts began to spiral out of control as Peter found himself heaving for breath. 

He couldn’t do this, the panic that was itching through his veins became unbearable and Peter needed it to go away now. He stood up too quickly, muttering out a string of profanity as he tumbled over his feet and falling into a puddle of May’s blood, getting his jeans soaked in the blood of his Aunt. How much more fucked up could his life get?

He eyed the cabinet that had been off limits and muttered, “To hell with it”, as he snatched the first bottle he found and downed it immediately, slightly cringing at the stinging sensation that burned down his throat causing him to cough as he tilted the glass bottle and finished the rest of the content. Peter clenched his eyes shut as numbness coursed through him, causing him to release his hold on the glass bottle, barely flinching as the glass crashed against the floor and broke into itty bitty pieces reflecting Peter’s heart. 

Peter reached for another bottle, desperate for the soothing numbness that was better than the worst of agony and pain that seemed to have a permanent residence in his heart. He tripped over a broken shard of vodka bottle, forcing the welled up tears to spill as Peter placed a hand over his mouth and sobbed. 

Tony Stark had just plopped onto his couch when FRIDAY spoke in a tone of worry, “Boss, it appears that Peter’s vitals have spiked dangerously high and seems to be intoxicated.” Tony quickly froze, wasting no time as he suited up speaking, “Why so?” FRIDAY grimly replies, “May Parker has passed away not too long ago.” 

Tony lets out a quiet word of profanity and takes off to Peter’s apartment worry thumping through his arteries and veins. He gets there within five minutes, but uses the nanotech absorber to change out of the suit, not wanting to startle the kid, especially if he’s as intoxicated as FRIDAY makes him sound. 

He knocks gently on the door calling out gently, “Peter? Are you in there?” 

He doesn’t get a response, and just as he’s about to burst through the door, the knob turns to reveal a semi-confused Peter who looks sadder than Tony had ever seen, and it’s scaring him. He’s seen the kid upset and sad when he came home from rough days from pestering bullies and bad grades, but this, Tony wanted to do nothing more than wrap his arms tightly around the teenager, and maybe some bubble wrap, and hold him forever. 

Peter asked in a confused tone, which is partially from the amount of alcohol fizzing in his system, “Mister Stark? What are you doing here?” His words slur, and he grips the edge of the door for balance as he tries to figure out what on Earth Iron Man is doing here. 

Tony senses the drunken boy’s state as he walks inside the house and freezes when he sees May dead in a pool of her own blood on the sofa. He meets Peter’s broken, empty eyes as he spoke softly, “Oh, Peter.” 

Peter doesn’t say anything except for reach for another bottle to try and drown the pain because he doesn’t want to be pitied, he’s tired of that charity case look. Tony gently clasps Peter’s hand and pries the bottle away speaking softly, “I know you want to make the pain go away Peter, trust me I understand better than anyone else, but this isn’t the way.” Peter’s face slumps in sadness as he speaks, “But Mister Stark, ‘s not fair!” 

Tony knows that look that Peter wears delicately, he’s seen it on himself when he was told that his mother, the only family he had that truly loved him and vice versa was gone. He remembers the pain and the anger that turned into a raging inferno that began to consume him. He remembered how he locked everyone out and drank till he went unconscious. The only person that was able to get him to come to his senses was Rhodey, who was sent in by Jarvis. Tony refused to think about what might have happened where it not for either of the two men. He let himself fall into one of the worst holes of his life, and it continues to haunt him, and most likely will until his dying breath. He sure as hell isn’t going to let Peter suffer the same way he did. Peter’s supposed to be better than him, and Tony’s going to make sure that happens. 

He steps carefully over the broken glass towards Peter, and Peter crumbles into heavy sobs as he falls into Tony’s steady arms. Tony accepted the weight of the aching boy and carded his digits through his stubborn curls speaking softly, “It’s okay Peter, it’s going to be okay, I promise you.” 

Peter shakes his head as he speaks in a voice that sounds too broken to be his own as he replies, “‘s not true Mister Stark. ‘m all alone, first my parents, then Uncle Ben, and now May, ‘m all alone now! ‘s not fair!” 

Tony nodded, speaking in a consoling tone, “I know bud, it’s not, let’s sit down yeah?” Tony carefully guides the two across the broken glass asking, “How many bottles have you drank bud?” Peter’s eyes shine with confusion as he asks in an innocent tone, “I was supposed to keep track? I dunno, maybe four? Mister Stark, why’s there so much glass on the floor?” 

Tony’s voice wavered as he replied, “I think you dropped the bottle?” Peter nodded his head slurring, “Oh, makes sense.” 

After settling down on the unbloodied couch, Peter spoke, “Mister Stark, is not fair, first my parents die in an airplane crash when I was three, and they said that they’d come back in three days, but they never did! Was so confused, where did they go? Did they not want Peter? Was so confused, until the funeral? I didn’t understand why they put Mom and Dad in boxes and into the ground, but then Uncle Ben told me and I felt so alone, I didn’t have any parents, what was I going to do? Was only three years old and was so scared. But Uncle Ben and Aunt May made sure I was okay, and then seven years later, Uncle Ben died, Mister Stark, y’know what was unfair about that?”

Tony can only look at the brokenness inside of Peter, that longed to be told so he replied quietly, “What Pete?”

Peter replied, “I didn’t know I had powers that could alert me about dangerous stuff, if I did, would have told Ben to watch out, and everyone saw us on the street, but no one tried to help us, even though I had tried to get someone to call the police, but they ignored me! By the time someone called, he was already dead! S’not fair!” Peter sniffled again and broke into sobs again, latching himself onto Tony, not caring how babyish he sounded. 

Tony wrapped his arms tightly around Peter, gently rubbing soft circles on Peter’s back speaking, “I’m so sorry bud, I really am, but it’s not your fault, you didn’t know how to use your powers, you probably didn’t even realize that you had them, it’s the people who didn’t try and help you’s fault.”

Peter spoke with a sniffle, “‘s why I became Spiderman. Uncle Ben said, with great power comes great responsibility. I had this power, and I couldn’t just stand there, not like the people who let Ben die, I owed it to him. How many other people went through the same thing like me? How many more people would have to? ‘s not fun Mister Stark, I had to watch him die while everyone ignored me. When I became Spiderman, promised myself I’d protect the people I care about, and I failed May, my own aunt. I’m no hero, I couldn’t even save my own aunt! She was the last blood I had left Mister Stark, what am I going to do now?”

Tony could only listen helplessly as Peter told him all the pain that he had kept locked in his heart and why he had embraced Spiderman, and as tragic as it was, he was proud of Peter, for standing up for the little guy, lord knows how many there are out there, and the world isn’t necessarily a fair one. He rocked Peter in his lap, cradling the teenager’s head that was tucked into the crook of his neck speaking comfortingly, “I’m so sorry bud, we’ll figure it out together, you have my word.”

Peter whispered, “But Mister Stark, no one else loves me, I’m all alone now. I don’t want to be alone in this mean world, dumb Parker luck gonna take everything away.” He silently let the tears that formed slide down his pale cheeks as he leaned his head against Tony’s arc, letting Tony’s touch make him feel slightly better, even though he knew that he wouldn’t truly feel better for a long time. 

Tony cupped Peter’s face, forcing Peter’s red-rimmed eyes to meet his chocolate-colored irises, and wiped the tears off Peter’s face with his thumbs, “You listen to me real careful okay Peter? That’s not true, you still have people that love you, and you always will, okay? Your nerd friends Ned, and MJ, they’re not leaving you anytime soon, and you have me okay? You’re not alone, I love you, and I’m going to make sure that you’re okay. I’m not going to let anyone else hurt you, alright?” 

Peter nodded, one hand tightly fisting Tony’s shirt material, “Pinky promise?”

Tony let out a watery chuckle, “Pinky promise.”

QOTC: What country are you guys from?