Altitude Sickness
Tony hated the quinjet. He hated it so much. He was a person that got sea sick, car sick, and sick during plane rides, so the quick motion of the quinjet was not good on his system- he hated it.
The Avengers had been picked up by Hill and Fury to be taken to a secret location so they were flying incognito very very high up in the sky. And Tony was feeling worse every minute.
The team already knew something was up because he hadn’t left his quarters since they arrived. Not because he didn’t want to socialize, but because he was stuck in the bed clutching a garbage can to his mouth as his stomach did flips.
He was frustrated when he received the call to meet at the conference room to debrief. Upon standing, his stomach did finally revolt and he hunched over the garbage can for several minutes bringing up everything he had eaten in the past few days.
When his body finally decided he was done, he shakingly brushed his teeth and dragged himself out into the hall. Tony was forced to hang onto the wall as his head exploded with pain and dizziness. His ears muffled as the jet flew even higher.
“Are you okay, shellhead?”
Tony slowly turned to see Clint staring at him in both curiosity and concern.
Tony couldn’t nod, lest his headache move into the migraine realm, so he just let out a sound between a grunt and a hum.
Clint studied him for another moment before pulling his arm over his shoulder and leading him down the hall. Tony was shorter than the archer so it was a bit uncomfortable, but the genius was grateful for the man’s help.
Clint let go of him as they neared the conference room, so Tony stumbled in on his own. Everyone, including Fury, took notice of the way Tony collapsed into the chair but no one said anything.
Fury started the debrief as Tony got settled and he vaguely realized he was the last one to arrive.
Tony couldn’t even focus on the man’s words as Tony felt the movement of the quinjet. He felt it go higher and higher and he felt like he was floating. His body swayed and grabbed onto the desk for support. Unfortunately, the bang of the table as Tony gripped it caught everyone’s attention.
“All good there, Stark?” Fury asked, eyebrow raised.
“Didn’t know you were the type to get carsick,” Sam smirked when he noticed Tony swaying.
Tony used his hand to wave them away, too out of it to even snark back. His body felt weak and his chest felt tight- well, tighter than normal. “How high are we?” Tony interjected.
Fury froze, having been in the middle of a sentence. “Not that high,” Fury rolled his eyes.
“Air feels thin,” Tony gasped, pulling at the hem of his shirt.
Tony didn’t realize Bruce had made his way over until the man was pulling at his hands which were gripping the desk like a lifeline. “His nails are blue,” he observed.
Tony squeezed his eyes shut as the air grew even thinner, now he was gasping.
“We need medical,” Fury muttered into his watch.
The other Avengers jumped up as they watched Tony’s eyes start to roll to the back of his head before he blinked dizzily. “Stay with us, Tones,” Bruce said, tapping the genius’ cheek.
Clint pulled the chair from under Tony while Steve lowered him to the ground. “C-can’t breathe,” Tony wheezed, staring desperately into Steve’s eyes.
“Don’t worry, you’re gonna be okay,” Steve said steadily even though he was practically shaking in worry.
Natasha kneeled at the genius’ side, holding his hand and rubbing circles onto it. She would never show it, but she was nervous.
“What’s happening to him?” Clint asked. He was hovering over the billionaire, unsure what to do.
“I think it’s altitude sickness,” Bruce said, having taken Tony’s vitals.
“I-I c-can’t-” Tony shuddered, gasping, no longer aware of his surroundings.
“You need to bring this jet down now, Nick,” Bruce said firmly.
“We are less than a half hour away, let's just wait for medical-” Fury started.
“No! Bring the quinjet down right now,” Steve said, glaring hard at their boss.
Fury held his gaze for several seconds before sighing and talking to the pilots through his watch.
Bruce and Clint helped Tony sit up as he coughed. A pink frothy substance came out which caused Bruce to panic. “What’s the ETA on medical?”
“What is that Bruce? What’s he coughing up?” Clint asked.
Bruce didn’t answer as he looked into Tony’s eyes and took his pulse again.
“Bruce?” Clint asked again, scared.
“I think he has fluid in his lungs,” Bruce said nervously. The group’s eyes widened and they all stared nervously at Tony who kept coughing.
Clint moved shoulder to shoulder to Tony to help support his weight. He rubbed circles on Tony’s back as tears came from the genius’ eyes.
“I know it hurts, Tones, just hold on,” Steve said softly. He kneeled next to Tony and connected eyes with the smaller man. When Tony was looking at him, he tried to help him take deep breaths. Tony tried but it was obvious his lungs weren’t working as they should.
Luckily, medical came with an oxygen tank and mask. Tony’s breathing became a bit easier and combined with the quinjet lowering to a lower altitude, Tony’s body seemed to be calming down slightly.
After a few days of tests and medicine, the genius was released into the Avengers’ care. They were all mother hens, fluffing his pillows and not letting him out their sight. For a week straight they had sleepovers in the large common room so they could pile on top of each other and keep the genius close. Tony acted like he hated it but he secretly loved being with his family.