Tony awoke to the sound of crying.
It wasn’t unusual, unfortunately, but the piercing wails coming from his baby boy sounded pained.
And that terrified him.
He bolted up and rushed to the crib near his bed. Peter’s eyes were open, swollen and red, tears tracks running down his face. The little baby was gumming on his sleeve sadly and whimpering.
“Oh, Petey,” Tony murmured. The boy’s big, warm brown eyes shifted to him. His father gently scooped him from the crib and cradled him in his arms. “What’s wrong, bambino?”
Peter let out a small cry in response. He sniffled and buried his head in Tony’s broad chest.
“Jarvis? What’s wrong with him?” he asked anxiously.
“Sir, it appears that Peter is in the stage commonly called ‘teething.’”
Of course.
“Oh, baby,” Tony murmured. He gently pried the boy’s mouth open with a finger. Just as he had guessed, there was a little bump protruding from his gums. “Oh, sweetheart. That must hurt, huh?” He bounced Peter in his arms.
“Jarvis? Speed order a teething ring, teething tubes, anything else.”
“Of course.” There was a pause, then. “The arrival time is approximately two hours, sir.”
Tony frowned. That was two hours of Peter in pain. “Get it to come faster.”
“Apologies, sir, but this is fast as they can deliver.”
He sighed. Fuck. The next few hours were going to be painful for the both of them.
~~~~~
Peter had been crying for a full half hour now, and Tony felt about ready to join him. He hated seeing his baby in so much pain. Peter gummed on his little hand, drool dripping down his chin. Carefully he took a soft cloth and soaked it in cold water, then offered in to Peter. Immediately, he latched onto it and clutched in with his tiny hands, gnawing the fabric.
His crying ceased and he whimpered slightly. When Tony looked carefully into his bambi eyes, he felt a jolt of fear, as they were glazed over and not focusing on anything.
“Petey? Pete? Are you okay, baby? Jarvis, is he okay?” he asked urgently.
“It appears, sir, that young Peter has acquired a temperature of 101. 2 ℉. While not extremely dangerous for infants, I would recommend attempting to lower his fever.”
“How the hell do I do that?!” He said it louder than he had meant to, causing Peter to cry out. “Oh, baby, I’m sorry. Shh, tesoro, I’m right here.”
Once Peter calmed, Jarvis spoke. “Sources suggest, lukewarm baths, cool drinks and fluids, adjusting of clothing, and comforting your child.”
Okay. Okay, he could do that.
Peter barely fussed during his bath, occasionally dragging his hand through the thin layer of bubbles and looking vaguely curious. Tony supposed that it was good he was taking interest in things, right?
He dressed the baby in his light summer pajamas, which were made of soft, airy material and colored with blue and white polka dots. He got Peter to drink a small amount of chilled milk, then sat them on the couch, propping him up in his lap.
He cuddled Peter in his arms, stroking his flushed cheeks and kissing his little nose. The baby starting yanking at his ears, wailing, and Tony had to hold his hands gently in fear he would hurt himself.
He tried everything he knew to stop the boy’s tears. He hugged him close against his heart, humming Italian lullabies.
But Peter didn’t stop his whimpering, and Tony realized, with terror, that there were things he could not fix.
~~~~~
Finally, finally, the teething toys arrived. Tony hurriedly offered a blue teething tube to Peter, who took it with sticky fingers and stuck it in his mouth.
Tony sighed with great relief as Peter gnawed on the tube, seeming to calm almost immediately. His baby squirmed forward, leaning his head on Tony’s stomach. The man smiled and kissed the boy’s little head and thin curls.
“I love you, Petey.” The child looked up at him with big, wide eyes. “I love you. So, so much.”
And Peter, for the first time that day, smiled a little and giggled.