Always
Peter's eyes flutter open and he sits up with a grunt of pain. He clutches his pounding head and looks around.
"You alright squirt?" Natasha asks.
"W-what happened?" Peter asks, ignoring the question. He looks over at Natasha and Steve, who are sitting in chairs near his bed.
"Do aliens ring a bell?" Steve asks quietly. The memories rush into Peter leaving him breathless. Him yelling at Tony. Getting the alert from FRIDAY. Flying in the IronMan suit and finding his mentor bleeding out in front of him. Rushing him to the Tower. His mentor's last words to him.
No.
Not last words. He refuses to accept that.
"Where's Tony?" Peter asks, trying to get up. Steve pushes him down easily with a sad expression on his face.
"He's still in surgery son. Bruce and Helen are taking care of him. You've been out for about 4 hours." Steve explains.
"Everyone else is waiting for him. We decided to stay here with you." Natasha says, stroking his hair.
"I-Is he going to be ok?" Peter asks, tears flooding his eyes.
"He'll be fine. He's Tony Stark. He gets through everything." Steve reassures. But Peter's not stupid, he can see the worried glint in the Captain's eyes.
"He has to be ok. He has to." Peter whispers.
Natasha nods to Steve and he rises out of his chair.
"I'm going to go see if the others got any info. Nat will stay here with you ok Pete?" Steve asks fondly. Peter nods and offers a small half-smile.
When he exits the room, Peter sinks down lower into the bed.
"What will I do if something happens to him, Nat?" Peter asks brokenly. Natasha's heart breaks for this sweet teen that had to see his father-figure bleed out in his arms. He's seen more than what most adults have seen in their lifetime, and still, he is the strongest kid she knows. Maybe even the strongest person. She desperately wants to tell him that everything will be alright, but she knows why the teen asked her, and not Steve. He knows that she will not give him false hope.
He knows she will be honest.
"If something happens, we will figure it out together. And if...the worst happens, we will find a way to move on with time." Natasha says, taking his hand.
Peter doesn't reply. He just fixes his stare on the super-spy.
"I don't know if I can move on. If something were to…" Peter trails off.
Natasha climbs on the bed and takes the teen into her arms. She and the boy had grown close through all the training sessions and missions. The whole team was like family to Peter, but she knew she had a special place with the teen. She was the one Peter went to when he needed advice or help if he couldn't go to Tony. She was the one the boy went to for some tough love. And Natasha was grateful for it. She loved the teen. The boy was the team's kid almost as much as he was Tony's.
Peter rests his head on Natasha's chest and stares at his hands.
"Get some sleep Peter. I'll wake you up if anything happens ok?"
Peter nods.
Natasha takes a deep breath and starts singing a Russian lullaby. One of her favorites from her childhood. Peter sighs contently and is soon fast asleep.
"Peter! Wake up!" Natasha says, shaking the teen's shoulder.
"Wha'? Wh'ts goin on?" Peter asks sleepily.
"Tony's out of surgery. They're going to give us the report in a few minutes. Do you want to go?" Natasha asks, eyeing the boy worriedly.
Peter rubs the sleep out of his eyes. "Let's go." he tells her. She nods and they hurry off toward the MedBay waiting room together.
"Where is he?" Peter demands when they get there.
"Hey, squirt. He's out of surgery. Bruce is coming in a few." Clint says tiredly.
Peter nods and slumps into a chair defeatedly.
"You ok son?" Steve asks.
"I'm fine Steve." Peter tells him, looking at the floor. Steve looks at him uneasily, but stays silent.
Bruce and Dr. Helen step into the room and they all stand up.
"How is he? Is he ok?" Peter asks immediately. Bruce puts a hand on his shoulder.
"He's going to make a full recovery." Bruce says with a tired smile. Everyone lets out a sigh of relief.
"He's in an induced coma right now so his body has a chance to heal. He will wake up in at most two days. If we get lucky, he'll wake up tomorrow afternoon." Helen says looking at them all wearily.
"Yes. When he does, he'll recover in less than a week." Bruce adds. Everyone nods, but stays silent.
"You all should get some rest. It's pretty late." Bruce says as Helen leaves. The team nods, say their goodnight's, and head into the elevator toward their rooms. Peter stays with Bruce.
"I'm staying with him." Peter says, looking into Bruce's eyes. Bruce sighs.
"I'm not going to try and argue with you Peter. I'll get another bed in there. Just, try to get some sleep ok?" Bruce asks.
Peter nods as Bruce leads him to Tony's room. Before they go in, Peter turns to Bruce.
"Where is Pepper? Does she know what happened? Is she coming?" Peter asks. She deserved to know what happened more than anyone. The woman was as close to a mother as he was going to get. She was always so kind to him and loved him like a son. He had May, but she was always going to be his 'Aunt' May.
"She tried as hard as she could but she can't get out of this one this time. She has a meeting with the President to discuss some things. She can't come for some time. Maybe in a week." Bruce says sadly.
"I should probably call her. Oh, shoot! My aunt! I didn't tell her-"
Bruce cuts him off. "Don't worry kid. Steve told your aunt what happened. He told her you would call once you woke up." Bruce informs him calmly, handing him a cell-phone.
Peter nods and accepts the phone.
"Pepper's number is on there too." Bruce tells him. Peter nods and looks at the door.
Bruce pushes it open and steps aside. Peter goes inside and turns to Bruce.
"Thank you." Peter says, pulling Bruce into a hug. Bruce returns the hug, patting Peter's back.
"He's going to be ok, kid. Call us if you need anything alright?" Bruce asks. Peter nods and watches, swallowing thickly, as Bruce walks down the hall.
Peter closes the door slowly and walks over to his mentor. He lets his tears flow, yet again, as he looks at his pale, unmoving face. The cuts look cleaned but are still not healed. He is no longer covered in his own blood which Peter is thankful for.
Peter drags a cushioned chair right next to Tony's bed and sits down. Peter cards a hand through his dad's hair slowly and gently. All Peter wants in that moment is for Tony to say something, anything. He would be the happiest and would give up a thousand suits for a lecture right now.
Peter opens the phone and calls his Aunt. She asks how Tony is and they talk for a few minutes. May told him he could stay in the Tower as long as he needed. Peter doesn't know what he did to deserve her. She tells him to get some sleep and hangs up. Then, Peter calls Pepper.
"Hello?"
"Hey Pepper. It's Peter."
"Hey honey. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Tony got out of surgery. They said he's going to make a full recovery."
"Thank God. I can't get out of this Pete. The vultures here won't let me."
"I'm staying with him. Don't worry, I promise I'll keep him safe."
"Oh honey. I know he's safe when he's with you. But please try to get some rest. You know what he would say if you stopped taking care of yourself for him."
"Yeah ok. And Pepper I'm sorry."
"Why are you sorry honey?"
"He got hurt. I-I'm supposed to make sure that doesn't happen."
"Honey, it's not your fault. Stop beating yourself up. You saved him, don't forget that. Ok, it's pretty late. Get some shut-eye ok sweetie?"
"Ok. Goodnight Pepper."
"Goodnight Pete. Sleep well."
Peter hangs up the phone and stares at it. He's only slightly aware of someone carrying a bed into the room and wishing him goodnight.
Peter hesitates for a moment before carefully lifting Tony's shirt. He lets out a strangled sob at the many bandages wrapped around his mentor's chest and stomach. Peter carefully pulls the shirt back over the bandages and lifts the blanket on top of him. Peter leans over and presses a kiss to Tony's forehead.
"I won't let anything like this happen to you ever again. I promise." Peter says. He takes Tony's hand, ignoring the IV which was providing him with extra blood, and rests his head on the edge of Tony's bed.
Tony feels weird. What's the word? Floaty. That's it. He feels like he's floating on a cloud. But, for once, he remembers everything. He remembers the missile and Peter carrying him. And, he remembers telling his son he loves him. He remembers Peter yelling at him, pleading him to stay awake. Tony opens his eyes slowly, only to shut them closed again at the blinding light in the room.
"FRIDAY? Lights 10%. And report. " Tony croaks. The lights dim and Tony opens his eyes.
"The date is June 21. The time is 1 P.M." FRIDAY says from above.
"Wonderful." Tony says sarcastically.
"Would you like me to inform Dr. Cho that you are awake?" FRIDAY asks.
Tony looks over at the side of his bed and smiles as his eyes settle on his sleeping kid. "No. Give me a minute sweetheart."
"Of course boss."
Tony lifts a slightly trembling hand and places it on Peter's head. He runs a hand through his son's brown curls and allows a fond smile to engulf his face. Peter sighs in his sleep and leans into Tony's hand. And Tony remembers something else. Peter called him dad.
After a little while, Peter stirs slightly. Tony's eyes never leave his face. His kid keeps him grounded, more than he can ever know. Peter's eyes flicker open and Tony offers a small smile.
"Good morning kiddo." Tony whispers. Peter's eyes widen.
"You're awake." Peter whispers, looking into Tony's chocolate eyes. Peter carefully stands up out of the chair and sits on the edge of the bed. Tony extends his hands and Peter climbs into the covers, careful not to jostle anything.
"You alright kid?" Tony asks, worriedly. Peter suddenly bursts into tears. And Tony's there stroking his hair and telling him everything is fine.
"I'm s-sorry. I'm s-so s-orry." Peter repeats over and over again.
"You have nothing to be sorry for Spiderling." Tony says soothingly. Peter whimpers and Tony sighs.
"I'm ok. You saved me kiddo." Tony says, lifting Peter's chin so he could see his eyes. Peter's eyes, once bright and shining with intelligence, are broken and empty. And it terrifies Tony.
"I-If you would have died. The last thing I-I would have said to y-you would have been..." Peter trails off, silent tears streaking down his face. Tony pulls his son to his chest, holding back a wince.
"I love you kiddo. Nothing will ever change that. Especially not a few angry words."
"I told you I hated you. Y-You shouldn't love me." Peter says, looking at his trembling hands.
"Yeah? Well, I do. What are you going to do about it?" Tony asks teasingly.
"I love you dad." Peter smiles. Tony is filled with warmth at his words. Wow. He was a dad. It sounded...right. Tony pulls Peter in a little tighter. Peter clears his throat and composes himself.
"Ok. I'm getting Bruce." Peter tells him.
"Nooo!" Tony whines.
"FRIDAY? Get Bruce. Tell him Tony is awake please." Peter says, smirking at Tony.
"Traitor." Tony grumbles. Peter laughs.
"Are you sure you're ok?" Peter asks, his face set with worry.
"I'm A-Ok Petey." Tony tells him.
"Petey? Really?" Peter asks, raising an eyebrow. Tony laughs and ruffles Peter's curls.
Tony shifts a little bit and lets out an involuntary groan of pain.
"What's wrong?" Peter squeaks frantically.
"Will you take a chill pill, Pete? I'm ok buddy." Tony says, smiling slightly. Before Peter can reply, Bruce comes running in.
"Hey, Brucie Bear." Tony says, giving him a small nod.
"You gave everyone a fright Tony." Bruce says, walking over to the bed.
"He needs more pain meds Bruce." Peter tells the doctor.
"I keep telling the kid I'm fine. And he won't listen." Tony complains.
"Tony, You and I both know the kid is right." Bruce says, pulling the scary blood IV out of Tony's wrist and replacing it with a new one with clear liquid. Peter smirks as Tony rolls his eyes.
"Ok. I just gave you morphine. It should help with the pain. Helen will be in here shortly and will replace your bandages and check your stitches."
"Bruce, how bad was it?" Peter asks tentatively.
"Bruce. Not in front of my kid." Tony says seriously.
"I watched you bleed out in my arms. I want to know how bad it was." Peter says looking at Tony.
"He was in surgery for about 7 hours. And, we lost him a couple times on the table. Mostly, in the first hour." Bruce tells him sadly.
"Lost him meaning…" Peter asks, afraid of the answer.
"He flatlined Pete. His...his heart stopped beating." Bruce tells him. Tony blows out of his mouth and cards his fingers through his hair. Peter runs a hand across his face, wiping his glistening eyes.
"But he's fine now Peter. He's going to be fine in a few days." Bruce says kindly, patting Peter's back.
Peter nods.
"Just take care of him. Make sure he doesn't get up or do anything stupid, and he should be good to go." Bruce tells the teen.
"Are you guys done treating me like a baby?" Tony whines. Peter silences him with a look.
"Ok. Thanks Bruce."
"No problem kid."
Peter walks back over to Tony and sits down with a sigh.
"Kid. I'm fine. You can stop worrying. You're going to go grey before me." Tony says, only half-serious.
Peter looks at his mentor. "I wouldn't be surprised if I did." Peter says chuckling quietly.
"But really. I'm fine because of you. Bruce said I'll be fine. You're scaring me bud." Tony tells him.
"Of course I'm worried about you! Do you know what you said? You told me you loved me. You called me your son. B-because you thought you were going to die. Do you know how scary that was? I was terrified." Peter refused to let his tears fall. He had already cried too much, so he fixed his red, puffy eyes on his mentor.
"I'm sorry I scared you, Peter." Tony tells him, his voice soft, and reaches out for his kid. Peter scooched closer and took his hand so Tony wouldn't hurt himself.
"But do you know what I was thinking?" Tony asks gently. Peter shook his head.
"If I did die then, I would die knowing that you knew I loved you. That I thought of you as a son."
Peter chokes back a sob and Tony takes him in his arms.
"I-I thought you were going to die in my arms. I thought I was going to lose another dad." Peter whispers into Tony's shirt.
"I'm not leaving you anytime soon buddy. I promise." Tony says softly.
Peter nods.
"Tony. Wake up. Wake up." Peter says, shaking his mentor's shoulder gently.
"Mmmm. Go back to sleep." Tony says sleepily.
Peter laughs and gets up out of the bed. He thanks the nurse who brought them food, and walks back to the bed.
"I'll eat your waffles." Peter threatens with a smile.
"You wouldn't dare." Tony says, opening his eyes. Peter giggles and sits on the bed with a tray.
"We wanted to watch 'Inception' right? FRIDAY? Play 'Inception' please." Peter requests.
The movie starts and Peter snuggles in with Tony.
"Ok. You gotta eat Tony." Peter insists. Tony wrinkles his nose.
"No thanks. I'm fine kiddo." Tony says, resting his head on Peter's shoulder.
"I'll call Pepper and tell her you're being difficult. And I'm not bluffing." Peter says with a smirk.
Tony grimaces. "Fine."
Tony lets Peter feed him, and little by little until the food is gone.
"Do you want some water? Nevermind, you're having water." Peter says, helping Tony with the bottle. Tony laughs and drinks.
"I love you." Peter says sleepily.
"I love you too Petey."
Two weeks later...
So much blood. Too much.
"No..no...no. Tony!" Peter yells, shaking his mentor's shoulder.
"I-I love you son." Tony says, his eyes fluttering shut.
"Please. Don't. Dad. Please." Peter pleads, holding Tony close to his chest. Peter leans down, kisses Tony's forehead and brushes Tony's hair out of his eyes.
"I love you kiddo." Tony whispers as his heart stops.
"NO!"
"Pete. Wake up. Peter! It's just a dream! Wake up buddy." Tony says, carding a hand through Peter's sweaty curls. Peter jolts out of bed and falls to the floor.
"Woah. Peter. Deep breaths. Hold on." Tony says, kneeling next to him on the floor.
"No. No. no." Peter cries, holding onto Tony like a lifeline.
"Hey, it's ok kiddo. I'm right here. Deep breaths. Here, follow me." Tony says taking exaggerated breaths. He takes Peter's trembling hand and puts it on his chest, so Peter can feel his heartbeat.
Peter's wheezing slows and he falls onto his dad's chest weakly.
"It's ok Pete." Tony whispers, rubbing circles into Peter's back.
"You're here." Peter murmurs.
"Yeah, that's right. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere kiddo." Tony says softly.
"Will you stay with me dad? J-Just until I fall asleep?" Peter asks, looking up at Tony.
"Of course. Always." Tony promises, pulling Peter closer.
And he does.