Chapter Text
“Dude, you’re shaking the whole car,” Peter whisper-yells at him, eyes widening in that way Ned knows is his best friend’s subtle warning to be cool right now — which Ned is notoriously bad at whenever his idols are involved. How was he supposed to be chill when he was currently sitting in the back of a town car across from Iron Man and War Machine?
“Peter,” he relents quietly, even though he’s acutely aware that both adults can absolutely still hear him. “War Machine and Iron Man are right across from me! I physically can’t relax!”
At that, both adults shoot him amused grins, and Ned’s pretty sure his heart skips a beat.
Never in a million years did he think he’d be able to say he’d gone on road trips with Avengers — or that his best friend was Iron Man’s son.
His life was insane.
“But, Ned, you’ve met them both before—”
Which… okay, technically true. But this was completely different. This was the first time they were all hanging out now that Peter’s last name officially had Stark hyphenated onto the end of it.
“Let him have his hero worship, kiddo,” Mr. Stark says, waving Peter off. “It’s refreshing. Especially since certain Spider-Kids”—he sends Peter a pointed look—“seem to’ve traded theirs in for sarcasm.”
“Gee, I wonder where he gets that from,” Rhodey grins, bumping Tony’s shoulder.
Ned glances over at Peter, whose cheeks are already tinged pink with the kind of embarrassment rooted entirely in modesty.
“Well,” Mr. Stark shrugs, “of all the things he could’ve inherited, it’s not my worst quality.”
“Thank goodness I didn’t get your looks,” Peter shoots back.
Ned’s eyes nearly bug out of his head. His best friend had just insulted Tony Stark. And all the man does is bark out a laugh before leaning over to thoroughly mess up Peter’s curls.
“You brat,” Mr. Stark says, still smiling as he settles back into his seat.
“We’re about five minutes out,” Happy says through the partition, drawing everyone’s attention forward.
“If you look out your windows, you should be able to see the roller coasters already,” Walter adds from the passenger seat beside him.
Walter was just another bullet point on the ever growing list of things about Peter’s life that still felt surreal. He had his own bodyguard now.
Which… Peter had totally griped to Ned about when the whole thing first happened because, well… he was Spider-Man, for crying out loud. And sure, Peter couldn’t exactly defend himself as Spider-Man if he wanted to keep those two identities separate. But still!
Luckily, Walter was actually pretty nice and had gotten surprisingly good at blending into the background whenever he tagged along to the arcade or movies with the two of them. Even luckier, most people didn’t really know Peter was Mr. Stark’s son.
Peter wasn’t exactly a celebrity. Not yet, anyway. He’d told Ned they were trying to ease the public into seeing him around without making a huge spectacle out of it.
Today was apparently one of those days. They were heading to Six Flags. He and Peter have their noses practically pressed against the windows, the roller coasters already visible in the distance.
A brand new coaster had opened just last weekend, and they’d both been dying to ride it. And, as Ned had long since learned, Mr. Stark would apparently do just about anything to make Peter happy.
With the car now parked, tickets and Flash Passes secured, they were finally inside the park.
Mr. Stark and Rhodey both had faded baseball caps pulled low over their heads, dressed more casually than Ned had ever seen either of them — especially Mr. Stark. Between the generic aviator sunglasses and the rest of his “disguise,” he didn’t really look all that different from any other dad spending the day at an amusement park.
…At least until he opened his mouth.
“Pete, if you come home sunburnt, your mom is gonna kill me,” Mr. Stark groans as Peter scrunches up his face, protesting while the older man rubs sunscreen into his cheeks.
The whole thing is extremely reminiscent of when Ned was younger and his own dad used to do the exact same thing to him.
Still… This was Tony Stark mother-henning his best friend. One day he’d get over how bizarre that sentence was. Today would not be that day.
“I’m not doing all that to you,” Colonel Rhodes says, nudging another bottle of sunscreen toward him, “but you should put some on too.”
Well…
It’s not like he was about to argue with War Machine. He has way more common sense — and self-preservation — than Peter did.
Happy and Walter stand nearby, keeping a casual watch over the area.
Ironically, the only thing drawing attention to their group were the two broad shouldered men dressed head to toe in black who looked like they belonged outside a world summit instead of an amusement park.
Kind of funny, if you asked Ned.
It also completely defeated the purpose of blending in.
Then again, based on Happy’s no-nonsense demeanor and everything Ned had seen of the man, it was probably a blessing he hadn’t shown up wearing one of those intimidating black suits he always seemed to live in and instead opted for a pair of black jeans and a black polo.
“Alright,” Mr. Stark claps once. “What’s first?”
Ned catches Peter’s eye, both of them already grinning.
Together they yell, “THE STEAMING DEMON!”
Nearly an hour later — and seven rides on the exact same coaster, interrupted only because Mr. Stark kept insisting on water and food breaks to keep up with Peter’s apparently ridiculous metabolism — Mr. Stark and Colonel Rhodes finally convince them there might actually be other rides worth trying. Ned and Peter were both pretty convinced the Steaming Demon was the best ride in the park.
Still… They’d driven all the way out here. It would’ve been a shame not to at least see the rest of it.
“Alright, it’s officially too hot for me,” Happy grumbles as they stand in line for soft serve ice cream, swiping away a bead of sweat gathering along his hairline.
“That’s the third time you’ve said that,” Colonel Rhodes points out, entirely unhelpfully.
It was true, though. Luckily, Ned had been having way too much fun with Peter to care much about Happy’s increasingly dramatic complaints.
“Hap, just go back to the car and turn on that posh show you’re always watching,” Mr. Stark waves him off. “We’ll text you when we’re heading out and you can meet us at the entrance.”
“Boss, I’m not leaving you guy—”
“Look around,” Tony interrupts, gesturing toward the crowds of families. “It’s an amusement park. We’ve got two Avengers, one Avenger-in-training—”
Which earns him a glare from Peter.
“—and Walter. If something happens, we’ll handle it.”
Walter gives a single confirming nod. Happy still looks less than thrilled with the arrangement, but after a long moment he finally relents, turning toward the park exit.
“Now that we’ve gotten rid of Captain Sunshine,” Tony grins, “let’s finish these cones and go win some games. Platypus here is about to get absolutely destroyed at one of those shooting galleries.”
Ned smiles behind a soft-serve cone so tall it’s honestly structurally concerning, rainbow sprinkles spilling down the sides and sticking to his Yoda T-shirt every time he takes another lick. Judging by the muffled laugh beside him, Peter’s expression probably looked exactly the same.
All in all, it’s been a pretty great morning and afternoon at the park.
They’d played plenty of games, and Walter had somehow inherited the role of designated prize carrier, currently juggling a giant stuffed sloth and an equally oversized dinosaur beneath one arm. They’d tried nearly every roller coaster in the park too, only taking a break from the thrill rides after collectively realizing that inhaling an alarming amount of junk food before voluntarily getting launched upside down maybe wasn’t their brightest idea.
By the time the sun starts dipping toward the horizon, the sky just beginning to melt into that really pretty pinkish purple, they make their way toward the giant Ferris wheel.
Peter wanted to take a picture from the top with his fancy new StarkPhone — one that wasn’t even released to the public yet, which Ned was absolutely, positively, one hundred percent not jealous of.
…Okay.
Maybe just a little.
Ned was mostly excited for something that didn’t involve being whipped around at sixty miles an hour. The sun — and apparently seven consecutive rides on the Steaming Demon — had finally caught up with him.
Mr. Stark and Colonel Rhodes looked more than ready for a slower pace too. Peter, meanwhile, was somehow still functioning like an Energizer Bunny.
“I’m just saying,” Mr. Stark points out as they weave through the slowly thinning crowd, “you’re gonna crash after all the sugar you’ve eaten today, buddy.”
“I am not,” Peter insists. “I’ll totally stay awake for a movie marathon.”
Ned briefly considers backing Peter up and insisting they both could. Then he remembers he was probably going to fall asleep before Happy even got them out of the parking lot.
“You’re gonna be asleep before the car leaves the lot,” Mr. Stark says, arching an eyebrow.
Apparently he knew Peter just about as well as Ned did.
“But, Da—”
Peter cuts himself off so abruptly that Ned nearly walks into him.
His eyes widen.
Then they dart around the park.
Searching.
Ned knows that look.
Spider-sense.
Which was… usually a very bad sign.
Mr. Stark seems to reach the same conclusion almost instantly, the amusement draining from his face as he slips his sunglasses off.
“What’s up, kiddo?”
His voice stays calm. His expression absolutely does not. Colonel Rhodes straightens immediately. Walter’s posture changes too, shoulders squaring as his attention sweeps the crowds around them.
At the very least, Ned figures he’s probably about as safe as a person could possibly be. He was standing with three superheroes —
…Well.
Two superheroes.
One superhero-in-training.
— and a bodyguard personally hired by Tony Stark.
The only thing safer than that would probably be staying home forever. Although, they did live in New York City. So even that felt debatable.
Peter never gets the chance to answer.
A swarm of what look like enormous bats suddenly floods the evening sky. They screech — a horrible metallic sound that sends goosebumps racing down Ned’s arms — as they dive between rides, lights, and roller coaster tracks.
“Never a normal day,” Colonel Rhodes sighs.
“When is it ever?” Mr. Stark mutters, pressing a hand over the housing unit embedded in his chest.
Metal ripples across his body. One second he’s standing there in jeans and a baseball cap. The next…
Iron Man.
Ned’s brain blue screens for a second. Sure, there were giant metal bats dive-bombing an amusement park. But Iron Man had just suited up right in front of him. Peter had told him all about the nanotech armor they’d been working on together. Hearing about it is very different from actually watching it happen.
“Walter,” Iron Man orders, his voice now filtering through the suit’s speakers, “get the boys back to Happy. Have him take them straight to the Tower.”
“What? No! I can help!” Peter protests, already rolling his sleeves up enough to expose his web-shooters.
Iron Man’s helmet retracts to reveal Mr. Stark’s face again. His expression leaves absolutely zero room for argument.
“I know you can,” he says. “But what about Ned?”
His eyes flick briefly toward Ned. Ned wisely keeps his mouth shut. He trusted Walter.
Mostly.
Even if the guy was a little… intense sometimes.
He’d also be lying if he said he wouldn’t feel better with Spider-Man standing beside him.
Peter looks between Ned and Mr. Stark. His shoulders sink just enough for Ned to know he’d already lost the argument.
While they’d been talking, the War Machine armor had rocketed over, encasing Colonel Rhodes in a matter of seconds. Not quite as flashy as the nanotech suit. Still unbelievably cool. Ned mentally files away approximately eight thousand things he plans to freak out about later.
Assuming giant bats don’t ruin the rest of his day.
“Don’t worry, Pete,” War Machine says. “We’ve got this. If we don’t, we’ll call for backup. Deal?”
Peter finally nods.
A second later, both Avengers launch into the sky, streaking toward the growing swarm of screeching creatures overhead.
“Come on, boys,” Walter instructs, looking noticeably more on edge now.
Ned can’t really blame him. He’s only a bodyguard. Sure, probably a really good one, but still no match for whatever was flying around in the sky.
Even so, Walter guides them through the throngs of screaming families stampeding toward the parking lot. He’s practically dragging Ned along while Peter sticks close on his other side.
They stop abruptly again when Peter freezes.
“What?” Ned asks breathlessly, immediately recognizing the look on his best friend’s face.
“There’s someone hurt,” Peter says, his expression twisting with guilt.
The parking lot is right there. Literally only a couple hundred feet away. If Ned’s eyesight were any better, he could probably make out Happy and the town car.
“You heard your father, Peter,” Walter says, trying to reason with him.
But Ned already knows. Peter isn’t going to let this go. He wouldn’t be Peter if he did.
Ned meets Peter’s eyes, silently hoping best-friend telepathy doesn’t fail them now.
One.
Two.
Three.
Ned steps sideways, planting himself squarely between Walter and Peter. His best friend doesn’t hesitate. He takes off in the opposite direction, sprinting toward one of the funhouse attractions where even Ned can just make out terrified screams echoing from inside.
Walter groans. His glare lands squarely on Ned, and Ned instinctively shrinks a little beneath it.
“H-Hey!”
Happy appears beside them, breathing hard after clearly sprinting all the way from the parking lot.
“Where’s the kid?”
Walter lets out another frustrated groan.
“Just watch him. I’ll go get the kid.”
He gently but firmly nudges Ned toward an equally confused Happy before taking off after Peter.
“He went to help, didn’t he?” Happy sighs, leveling Ned with a knowing look.
Ned only nods. A giant bat swoops low between them, forcing him to duck.
“Come on,” Happy grumbles. “Let’s get you back to the car. Tony and Peter’ll both kill me if anything happens to you.”
He mutters something else beneath his breath as they hurry toward the parking lot, but Ned can’t make it out over the pounding of his own heartbeat.
He isn’t exactly sure how much time passes.
The sky has shifted from purple to a deep navy blue, stars beginning to peek through by the time Iron Man and War Machine finally land near the town car.
Mr. Stark notices they’re missing someone almost immediately. The frown that settles across his face makes Ned’s stomach drop. Because if Peter had gone to help like he’d assumed…
Wouldn’t he have found Iron Man by now?
“Please tell me my kid is somewhere using the little spider’s room,” Tony all but growls.
“He’s not with you?” Happy’s brows knit together.
“Does it look like he’s with me?” Tony snaps, already pulling out his phone.
“FRIDAY, call Peter.”
He lifts the phone to his ear. Only for a second. Whatever happens on the other end makes him lower it again almost immediately.
“Track the kid’s phone, FRI.”
Silence settles over the group while they wait.
“Unfortunately, Boss… Peter’s phone and the Spider-Man suit both appear to be offline. Their last known location was approximately two hundred feet from where you’re currently standing.”
Every bit of color drains from Tony’s face.
He looks to Happy.
Then Rhodey.
Neither of them look any less alarmed.
“What about Walter?” Rhodey asks quietly, breaking the silence as Tony furiously taps at his StarkPhone, teeth digging into his bottom lip. “Where is he?”
“He… he went after Peter,” Ned finally manages.
Tony doesn’t even look up.
“FRIDAY. Call Walter.”
The words come out clipped.
Ned shivers. He never wanted to be on Tony Stark’s bad side.
“Unfortunately,” FRIDAY replies after another brief pause, “Walter’s phone also appears to be offline, Boss.”
The words seem to suck every remaining bit of air out of the parking lot. Ned’s heart sinks somewhere into his shoes.
That…
That couldn’t be good.
Could it?