I've Got You

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/26872573.

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Category: Gen
Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Relationship: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Character: Peter Parker, Tony Stark
Additional Tags: Kid Peter Parker, lost Peter, Rescue, hypothermia (ish), ill peter, Hurt
Peter Parker, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Peter
Parker is a Mess, Peter Wandered Off, He promptly regretted it, Dragon
Tony Stark, dragon - Freeform, I left this fandom for a while and came
back with a love for Dragons and AUs, Peter lives in a village..., this is
never explained, I guess this is set in the past?, Back when dragons
roamed the earth, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Protective Tony Stark,
Good Tony Stark, Carrying, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Series: Part 7 of Whumptober 2020
Collections: Whumptober 2020
Stats: Published: 2020-10-07 Words: 1,183 Chapters: 1/1

I've Got You

by Summerwolf

Summary

Whumptober day 7 - Support, Carrying.

---

Peter helplessly stumbled through the dense forest, tripping on roots every couple of steps
while he desperately tried to find his way back home. He should have known better than to
wander off, but he'd wanted to play hide and seek, and the forest seemed like such a perfect
place to hide!

But now he'd been here for hours, the watch on his wrist told him that it would be getting
dark very soon, and the temperature was plummeting by the minute.

Notes

See the end of the work for notes

Peter helplessly stumbled through the dense forest, tripping on roots every couple of steps while he
desperately tried to find his way back home. He should have known better than to wander off, but
he'd wanted to play hide and seek, and the forest seemed like such a perfect place to hide!
But now he'd been here for hours, the watch on his wrist told him that it would be getting dark very
soon, and the temperature was plummeting by the minute.

He was cold, he was alone, his head was killing him - feeling almost like it had been stuffed with
cotton balls - and every muscle in his body ached. Small wounds littered his arms and legs, spikey
twigs and the occasional hidden bramble were not the best materials to break his falls.

He slipped to his knees for the tenth time in the last fifteen minutes, all of his energy just seeming
out of him and it’s the ground beneath his feet. He couldn’t go any further, his legs wouldn't hold
his weight if he tried to force them, and the dizziness which surrounded his head meant he knew it
would be impossible for him to even try to walk in a straight line.

So this was it… He was deep enough in the forest that the likelihood of being found was slim, and
although he was only young and had no idea what could happen next, he was still self-aware to
know that his body and mind couldn’t keep up with this.

He flipped onto his back, the stars in the sky just visible through the trees. Light pollution was low
out here, and even despite the pain in every part of him he could feel, Peter was glad that this was
going to be his last view.

The twinkling of millions of galaxies above him, the promise that in the grand scheme of things he
was just one insignificant speck and whatever happen next, the universe would carry on moving.
The moon would orbit the Earth, and the Earth would orbit the sun, and the sun would hurtle
through the milky way while the milky way hurtled through the universe. Some adults had thought
his obsession with space was a problem, but Peter was just glad that he hadn’t listened to them.

Sometimes all you need is the knowledge of your own insignificance, and the knowledge of the
beauty which lay just beyond your fingertips.

The last thing he saw before his eyes slipped shut was a large shape, nearly exactly the same colour
as the night sky, blocking out the stars as it circled above him.

---

Peter felt weird, some kind of half conscious which left him aware of what was going on, but
without the energy required to move. The cold from before had seeped in bone deep, and even
opening his eyes felt like too much work.

Something large, strong and oddly scaly, pressed against his side, it's warmth instantly starting to
chase away the chill filling every inch of Peter.

He didn't know what it was, wasn't even sure if he wanted to know, but it was warm, and he felt
safe even when he felt himself being lifted into the air, cradled in something which felt worryingly
a lot like a paw. He couldn't tell how high they went, his entire body limp and unaware of very
much apart from sensation, but he felt his ears pop, and when he drifted out of consciousness for
the second time, it was more out of exhaustion than giving up.

---

Big dark eyes.

A large rectangular head.

Warm breath huffing across his face.

And… scales?

Peter shot up into a sitting position, pulling the blanket which was draped across his front tighter
around his shoulders as he stared up at the large shape in front of him. He reached a shaky hand out
and firmly pinched his arm, detachedly shocked when the dragon in front of him didn’t dissipate,
nor did he suddenly wake up.

So apparently this wasn’t a dream… Which meant there really was a humongous dragon in front of
him?

Last time he had checked dragons didn’t exist, and yet here he was, wrapped in a warm blanket, in
the middle of a cave he hadn't been in last time he was conscious, staring one right down the snout.

"Am I dead?" He asked, the question more directed to the empty air than the dragon next to him. It
was a giant lizard after all, a giant lizard born of fairy tales and myths, unlikely to be able to speak,
never mind speak the same language Peter did.

"No child, you're very much alive." The dragon's voice was strangely light, not as deep as Peter
would have expected, and his mouth didn't move when he spoke, the words echoing around the
chamber as though they had been summoned straight into the thin air. "You got close, but I
managed to save you before any lasting damage was caused."

"You- you saved me?" Peter wasn't sure why this felt like such a surprise, maybe because all the
dragon's in story books were evil, stealing people away and eating them. Apparently this dragon
wasn't like that.

"Yes, I did. And once you're healthy again I'm going to get you back to your family."

"You are?" This dragon wasn't matching up with anything Peter knew, or more thought he knew,
but he couldn't forget how gently they had picked him up when in the forest, nor how safe he felt in
its warm embrace.

"Yes. My name is Tony," the dragon's face changed into what Peter could only describe as a grin.
"What's your name? I'll get my friends to keep an eye out for anyone searching for you."

"Friends? Dragon friends?"

"Dragons, phoenixes, all sorts of creatures live around here. Now come on kid, what's your name?"

"Peter. I'm Peter. It's nice to meet you Tony."

The dragon - Tony - leaned forwards, poking him with his nose until he stood up, leaning heavily
against Tony. His legs felt like jelly, but Tony was definitely more than strong enough to hold him
up.

"Nice to meet you too," he huffed, "come on, I have some food and water. You need your strength
back."

---
 Peter sprinted through the village, glad to finally be free from school. Tony had been true to his
word and about a week after saving Peter, he had brought him back home.

End of story.

Except apparently, somewhere along the way Tony had become attached, and had quickly decided
that he would be quite happy moving into a new cave, to live in one closer to Peter's village and
basically become their protector. Everyone had been shocked at first, but had quickly seen the
positives to having a dragon helping out, and had happily allowed him to stay.

"Hey Tony," Peter grinned up at the huge dragon as he ran into the main cavern, throwing his arms
around the creature who was basically an extra parent to him.

"You will not believe the day I've had!"

End Notes

Hope you enjoyed!!

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Have a good week!!!

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