Another day in the lab for the two tinkerers; this week they were adding things onto suits- and not just their own. Everyone had been due an upgrade and this time around Peter got to join in on the ride. Cap had completely destroyed his last one and needed a whole redesign. His little mentee had been able to witness the entire process, from start to finish; as well contribute, which Peter had been more than excited about. The teenager had been ecstatic the entire time, constantly asking questions and coming up with new (and sometimes eccentric) ideas, which made the tedious task very enjoyable for Tony; who usually dreaded upgrade season. But as per usual, his little ray of sunshine (yeah he cringed at the phrase too- but it was true) made the whole thing seem fresh, new and exciting.
So explain to Tony why the boy had come in looking upset as opposed to skipping into the lab like he usually did. And on a Thursday no less (meatball day at school- he was a simple kid, little things made him happy).
“Hey Kid.” Tony called after he heard the doors to the lab whoosh open; he himself had struggled to keep the enthusiasm out of his own voice. Peter tended to bring out a different tone of voice, a more excitable and high pitched one that Tony had to consciously hold back all the time. It was very off brand and a constant nuisance but the kid was so infectious it was criminal.
But not today apparently. “Hey Mr. Stark.”
Tony turned around to look the kid over. Peter’s voice was nowhere near its usual lilt. It was flat and hollow sounding; and frankly, when Tony looked at him so was his appearance. He looked tired and disheveled, his usually bouncy curls were mostly pointing in the same direction- which they never were. It was clear the boy had managed to slick them down after stressedly grabbing at them all day.
Tony couldn’t keep his mouth shut. “Well you look like shit.”
“Gee, thanks.” Peter huffed a small laugh. He was still acting fine, usual smile present on his face; but it was strained and forced and Tony had twenty seven alarm bells ringing all at once. But before he could raise his concerns Peter quickly placed his backpack down on the couch and sped towards the restroom. “B-be right back.”
Tony didn’t dare question it, knowing Peter would be uncomfortable if he did; but he did note that it was strange. He distinctly remembered seeing the kid hit the bathrooms in the lobby, which wasn’t all that uncommon. Usually Peter preferred to wait until he got up to the lab to go but sometimes he’d get too desperate on his commute over to the tower (especially if he was riding with Happy); which wasn’t the issue. The issue was the kid had just peed twice in less than ten minutes. Maybe the kid got pee shy in the bathrooms downstairs or something?
Peter came back out a few minutes later, and again Tony noted he took longer than usual- god when did he start to notice these things? It wasn’t a bad thing, at least he’d know when things were wrong, but it was still a weird realisation that hit him.
Still, whatever, Tony tried not to think too much about it; mostly because that was a weird thing to think about but he also had no reason to be majorly concerned. Yet.
Besides, they had work to do; exciting work at that and Peter seemed to remember that because when he came back out of the restroom he brightened up a little. “Sorry!”
“Not a problem.” Tony said automatically, the conversation becoming second nature by this point. “Ready to get stuck in?”
“Ready.” Peter nodded confidently with a grin as he bounded over to where Tony was seated.
The pair immediately set off to work, setting about installing some of the new software they’d developed. Tony was busy adding the last finishing touches to the wiring whilst Peter was cleaning up the code he’d written. Peter had practically single handedly reformed Steve’s new targeting unit, with very minimal input from his mentor; Tony was more than impressed with what the boy had produced, way more than impressed. He was excited to finally put it to the test today. But that was going to be a difficult task because Peter was working especially slowly.
The teen had been seated on a bench hunched over a screen- more hunched than usual. Tony was constantly picking at the kid about his posture but this was excessive; Peter was bent practically in half over the desk, doubling over in a way that made Tony’s it back ache sympathetically just looking at him.
He’d noticed it for around five minutes and once again was just about to say something when Peter sat bolt upright; hissing slightly as he shifted on his stool.
“You okay?”
“Y-Yeah.” Peter mumbled as he stood up to lean over the desk that way instead; at least he was at a much better angle but he still didn’t look comfortable. “Cramp.”
Tony nodded curtly, though he wasn’t convinced; especially when the kid bobbed up and down a couple times before dropping whatever was in his hands on his desk. He could’ve sworn he heard the kid curse under his breath before he dashed off, back in the direction of the bathroom. Again.
After only working for twenty or so minutes. Okay something was up.
And it was obvious the teenager knew his mentor was catching onto him. When he came back out he kept his head down, refusing to meet his mentors eye as he sulked back to his desk.
“Kid.”
“Hm?”
“You good?”
“Mhm.”
“You sure?”
“Yes.” Peter replied shortly, clearly frustrated. Ooh, no Tony, no Mr. Stark, not even a sir- someone didn’t want to talk.
So Tony backed off a little even though he knew he should likely pressure the kid more into talking; three bathroom breaks within forty five minutes was a lot even for him and Tony was very conscious of that. He wanted to know if the kid was sick in any capacity and now that he sat back, fully focused on Peter as opposed to the circuitry he was wiring, he was beginning to think he was. The boy looked rather flushed, was fidgeting constantly (not in his usual ‘I have ADHD and a sugar/caffeine dependency’ kind of way) and had a pained look on his face. Every so often he twitched, jumping like someone was zapping him with a low voltage taser.
Tony had enough, clearly the boy wasn’t going to speak up; which was disappointing. They’d grown close in recent months, the boy becoming more and more open with him- even finally dropping that annoying ‘Mr. Stark’ habit (90% of the time, which was a vast improvement). Still, he hadn’t encountered Peter being ill before and considering it was clearly something bathroom related- or at the very least to do with bodily functions- he didn’t blame the kid for not speaking up. Peter was very private about such matters and had already come a long way; so Tony didn’t mind broaching the subject for him.
And he was the responsible adult. A responsible adult that had no qualms over talking about bodily functions, despite the usual social stigma. His kid was uncomfortable and he was going to handle it, he didn’t care how awkward Peter would find it. “Peter.”
“Hm?” The kid hummed, not glancing up from the screen he was working on.
“Look at me when I’m talking to you.” Tony said sternly- the Dad voice strikes again- Peter immediately turned to face him, sitting up attentively as much as his awful posture would allow. “Thank you. What’s wrong?”
“N-Nothing. I’m-“ Just as Peter was about to make his point his face twisted again; as did his legs, synching together and crossing at the ankles as the boy jumped up in a hurried attempt to cross the room. “I’ll be right back.”
Tony didn’t see due to the angle of where he was sitting but the boy shoved a hand between his legs as he waddled the rest of the way to the bathroom and through the doors.
Abandoning what he was doing completely, Tony waited patiently for the kid to come back out; but this time Peter took upwards of five minutes. All of his parental instincts were going haywire as he was torn between knocking, texting the kid or straight up asking JARVIS for a vitals scan. He opted to wait just a moment more because he was so conscious of rushing the kid in the bathroom; whatever he was doing it was obviously private and Tony never wanted to over step boundaries with the already toilet shy child, lest he make him uncomfortable and undo all the work they’d put in.
On Peter’s third return after a mad dash to the restroom he was treated with his mentor standing there; arms folded across his chest waiting for him. Tony cut straight to the chase, not wanting to waste anymore time with pleasantries; he knew from experience that it was best to handle these matters head on, especially in regards to possible medical issues in the kid with a super-metabolism.
“Kid, what’s up with you today?” Tony said bluntly, leaving no room for denial as Peter shuffled back across the room. He looked like he was in a lot of pain and Tony couldn’t stand it. It took a lot of willpower for the man to not rush over and help the boy to the couch, but he held back; not wanting to overwhelm Peter and jeopardise the possibility that he’d actually say what was wrong.
“I don’t..it’s nothing okay?”
“No. It’s not nothing, you’ve just been to the bathroom four times in under an hour.” Tony stated. “Even for you that’s a lot. The last time that happened was when I gave you coffee- did you get into some energy drinks again-“
“No!” Peter cried defensively.
“Then tell me kid, before I get JARVIS to scan you.” He had given the kid two chances, that was as good as he was gonna get; Tony preferred to encourage the kid to come to him of his own accord but there wasn’t time for that.
He noticed the boys face get progressively more red and he looked as though he was going to cry. “Pete, talk to me.”
“I..it..mm..” Peter started. It was a rocky start but at least he started. The boy was sat with his eyes cast down, fiddling nervously with the hens of his sleeves as he attempted to force the words out of his mouth; and it saddened Tony a lot more than either one of them realised, watching the boy revert back to his own levels of anxiousness like that. Eventually Peter built up the courage to continue after Tony prompted him again, this time the man sitting down beside him to make the environment feel less hostile. “It’s really embarrassing okay? I don’t..I don’t wanna say it but I think Dr. Banner might have to give me something..”
Tony nodded levelly, enduring his face stayed blank but open. He already figured it was bathroom related; he was just hoping for the kid’s sake it was peeing and not something else. “I’m not gonna judge.”
Peter nodded, which brought Tony some comfort. At least the kid wasn’t worried about his mentor thinking any less of him, which was Tony's main concern. It was just a case of the issue being a sensitive subject for Peter in general and the man could cope with that. “I..I think I have a bladder infection..”
Tony allowed his nose to crinkle sympathetically. That’s what he figured was going on and part of him was happy he was right, but the rest of him felt nothing but discomfort for the kid. At least now he could provide a solution. “Aw kiddo, you didn’t have to come in today, if you weren’t feeling well. I know how much those suck.”
“I couldn’t have gone home May would’ve gotten suspicious if I went to school but not here..” Peter shrugged, though he looked somewhat relieved to have his issue out in the open; hopefully he was comforted by the knowledge that there was something that could be done and by the fact that his mentor had approached it calmly; as opposed to yelling or being standoffish, which honestly went out of the realms of possibility with Tony.
“Wait- you mean you went to school like this?” Tony asked, clearly majorly concerned. The kid had barely been there an hour and he’d already used the bathroom four times- and was starting to show signs that he had to again. Tony didn’t see how he could have gotten away with that in school, how he could’ve survived the day; especially knowing how shy the boy was about asking to go. There was no way Peter would’ve ran to the nearest bathroom like that in front of a room full of fellow students, absolutely no way.
“Well..no..” Peter mumbled shyly, returning to his original hand fidgeting this time accompanied with leg bouncing. Tony caught his eye, giving him a look that prompted him to elaborate. “I- I think I got it at school. We had a math test and I was too scared to ask to go and I waited too long..”
“Oh buddy.” Tony sighed, torn between frustration and sympathy; though he meant far more towards the latter. So many times he had offered to get Peter a note that allowed him to leave class unconditionally, but he’d always refused insisting it would draw more attention. The idea of Peter being too nervous to speak up and being in pain during school made him deeply upset; it was mostly due to the fact he knew he couldn’t do much to help him.
But he could help with the aftermath at least; a speedy metabolism meant even speedier infections, so he had to get on it quick. “It’s okay. We’ll get you fixed up.”
Peter looked up then, making eye contact. “Y-you’re not mad?”
“No kid, I’m not mad.” Tony assured him, patting him on the shoulder as he stood up, intent to grab a few things that might alleviate Peter’s symptoms.
“You’re not gonna make me go home?” Peter asked hopefully.
Tony hasn’t actually considered that. He’d automatically gone into ‘I’m gonna take care of my kid’ mode, he’d forgotten about the fact that Peter wasn’t technically his kid; and might prefer the comforts of both his home and his actual legal guardian. “Do you want to?”
Peter shook his head vigorously. That had been the last thing he wanted; hence why he tried to put up with the pain and power through in the first place.
Tony couldn’t help but smile slightly at that- when he was turned away of course, he didn’t want Peter to think he was finding his situation amusing. It was just nice to know that the boy wanted his help, or at the very least trusted him enough to help and wanted to be there as opposed to going home. “Then you’re staying here. Besides, I don’t think you’d make it home like that anyway.”
“Yeah..” Peter agreed, blushing violently. “Uhm..But Tony?”
“What is it bud?”
“Can you...can you please not tell Auntie May..?” Peter bit his lip as he asked that question, clearly worried about the man’s answer.
“I won’t if you don’t want me to.” Tony assured him. Though he wasn’t entirely sure why the kid didn’t want her to know, he had an inkling. “Unless you need medical attention, obviously.”
Peter nodded understandingly. May was his legal guardian after all and for all intents and purposes, she was his mom; it wouldn’t be right, morally or legally, for Tony to make decisions like that without her input. Even though she usually just said ‘do whatever needs doing’ it was still a courtesy to have her involved and Tony wouldn’t feel comfortable doing anything without her consent. Besides, if he facilitated that kind of sneaking around it would just give Peter more opportunities to his things from his caregivers and the boy was already good enough at that.
“Go on.” Tony nodded towards the bathroom as he noticed Peter jiggling again. When Peter re-emerged he was ready with some cranberry extract pills he had on hand (alcoholism leaves you with a lot of uti’s okay?) and two bottles of water. “Take these, they’ll help. And I want those bottles gone in the next hour. Go as soon as you need to, don’t wait for permission like you usually do-“ Tony had been trying to get him to kick that habit anyway. “- just go. I’ll set you up with something that you can put down easily, okay?”
“Thank you Mr- Sorry- Tony.” Peter nodded gratefully as he took the pills as instructed. “And thanks again for not sending me home.”
“Like you said we might have to get Bruce to give you something. But can I ask why you don’t want May knowing?”
Peter shuffles uncomfortably and tiny was entirely convinced it was due to the pain in his tummy. “She’ll get mad.”
“I doubt that kiddo.” Tony said quickly. He couldn’t imagine her ever being upset at him for being sick, even if it was somewhat self inflicted.
“Not like- mad but like- well I uh.” Peter stumbled over his words, like he was unsure as to whether he was willing to divulge this information. “This ain’t the first time I’ve made myself sick Mr. Stark.”
Tony wasn’t surprised by that information, just the fact that Peter was sharing it with him so easily. He was well aware of how bad he was at excusing himself so it was clear to him why Peter had suffered infections like this before; and his heart went out to him.
Peter was having a rough enough time with his physical symptoms, so Tony wanted to help reduce any other pressures. “I messaged May, she’s cool for you to stay here tonight.”
“A-are you sure Mr. Stark?”
“Of course- if you’re comfortable with that?” Tony quirked an eyebrow at the kid’s nervous response. Usually the kid was ecstatic about sleeping over, but maybe the boy was more likely to be clingy with his aunt or home comforts since he doesn’t feel well. He was still young, it would be understandable. Tony knee Peter still slept with a stuffed animal too, he would never tell Peter he knew that though. But if Tony had to facilitate another false conversation he would; he’d give the boy an out if it was obvious he wanted to go home- ‘oh I forgot, kid, I’ve got a meeting in the morning-‘
But that wasn’t the issue. “Uh huh, of course! I just..it’s just- it’s just..Uhm..”
Tony could sense another secret was about come spilling out of the boys mouth; and Peter clearly wasn’t comfortable with it. “What’s wrong?”
The boy shook his head, clearly regretting opening his mouth. He tried desperately to retract his statement by returning his focus onto whatever he was fiddling with on his desk. “N-Nothing.”
“Pete, you can tell me. I’m not gonna judge.” Tony said gently.
“I know..just embarrassing..” Peter whispered under his breath. It didn’t take much for Tony to figure it out.
“Do you piss the bed when you get sick like this?” The teenager cringed at the man’s bluntness but Tony shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. “That’s fine bud. The beds are protected anyway and if something happens we’ll deal with it. You’re sick, I don’t want you to have to worry about that.”
But apparently it was a big deal and Peter was worrying a lot. “God it’s so embarrassing I just admitted that I- I-it only happens sometimes and- and I- it’s usually- I mean-“
“Pete. It’s okay.” Tony cut him off, putting a hand on the kid’s shoulder. He really didn’t want the kid to regret divulging that information, and to be honest Tony already knew that anyway; but again, he'd never let Peter know that. Either way he wanted the kid to know that it was okay and that his mentor didn’t think anything of it, let alone any less of him. “Like I said, you’re sick. It happens, no biggie.”
Though he was still clearly upset and nervous by what he’d just been forced to admit, Peter moved on quickly; obviously desperate to move away from the situation. Now that he’d gotten what was ailing him the boy was more comfortable; at least mentally. Physically it was clear he was still in a lot of pain but Tony couldn’t give him any painkillers; not without Bruce’s input. The kid’s metabolism and morphine allergy meant making high strength drugs that actually worked was a difficult task, and Tony was reluctant to add more onto the kid’s list of problems.
But apparently the boys own body had no such issue chasing more problems. Not five minutes later Peter let out a groan and went running into the bathroom again; and this time Tony noticed how a hand went between his legs while the other clutched his stomach. Poor kid must’ve been in agony if he couldn’t stop himself from doing so while his mentor was in the room; Tony knew Peter would never do that otherwise.
And once again Peter took a long time in the bathroom but at least now Tony wasn’t questioning it. The man just assumed the pain from the infection was making it difficult for the boy to fully relieve himself.
However his theory was disproved when Peter came out, looking even more uncomfortable than when he went in, pulling at his hoodie. It was already oversized, like all of the kid’s clothes, but Peter was pulling the sleeves right over his hands (that in itself wasn’t all that unusual, the kid did that when he was anxious or upset anyway) and the bottom of it as far down as it would go. It was only noticeable due to the fact that Peter continued to pull it down if it rucked up so much as an inch; which of course the fabric did with every step the boy took.
In fact the way the boy was walking made it seem that he hadn’t managed to go to the bathroom at all which was more than a little worrying. “Couldn’t you go?”
Peter shook his head and Tony wasn’t exactly sure what that meant; did he mean no he couldn’t go or no to the question itself? Just as he was about to ask the boy for clarification, Peter sat down and unfortunately, he didn’t pull his hoodie down quick enough.
‘Aw, kid.’ Tony thought, struggling to keep his face neutral. He wanted to hug him and tell him it was okay (wow okay, weird, when did he become a hugger? Whatever-) but he knew Peter wouldn’t respond well to that. He was likely humiliated enough hence why he was happy to sit there in wet pants rather than ask for a change of clothes.
Luckily for him though, his mentor was observant enough and cared enough not to let that happen. As much as Tony knew the kid would be mortified, he had to bring it up, he couldn’t let Peter sit in wet clothes like that; he was uncomfortable enough he didn’t need a rash on top of everything else and if the boy did have a UTI Tony was pretty sure that would only make it worse. So despite the reaction he was going to get Tony decided to broach the subject anyway; in his usual no nonsense manner. “Pete, you wanna go change?”
Peter didn’t look up, if anything he just hung his head more ashamedly. Crap, okay Tony, back track, pretend you didn’t see the spot. “I know your stomachs probably cramping bud, having jeans digging into them won’t help.”
“I don’t have anything else..” Peter mumbled almost inaudible. Well duh, Tony, he probably stayed in the bathroom for so long hoping they’d dry. Though to be fair, for a kid with such a small bladder who was usually prepared for anything, Tony assumed Peter would be the type to pack a spare set of clothes just in case; and if not Peter he assumed May would, but then again, if he did have a spare set Peter had likely already had to use them today. Poor kid.
“Happy's picking you up some clothes kid, but for now why don’t you go shower and I’ll grab you some sweats or something, yeah?”
Peter nodded looking so downtrodden as he walked back into the bathroom intent on following instructions. What Peter didn’t know is Tony already had clothes specifically bought for the boy he had ready for when he thought he’d take him up on his offer to move in- but Peter didn’t need to know that. Tony had him staying in a generic bedroom when he stayed over so he didn’t think Tony was some kind of crazy person having a room decorated for him in advance. Though he was sure the kid would appreciate it (especially times like now when he needed new underwear and pants) he didn’t want to come off too strong and scare him off. Even if it was unlikely because Peter was a pretty strong personality but it was still a worry.
So Tony went up, grabbed some clothes as well as some cranberry juice they had in the fridge; as well as some chocolate milk because, let’s face it, cranberry juice isn’t the best tasting and he doubted a teenager with a sweet tooth would disagree with that. So Tony figured having a sweet chaser as an incentive would help him drink the sour liquid.
The man waited patiently whilst the kid attempted to pee again; handing the clothes through the door when he opened it. When Peter came out he looked more comfortable- at first. But as soon as he clocked eyes on his mentor his eyes went distinctly shiny.
“You alright, bubs?” Tony asked and that was it. TThe kid’s chin wobbled dangerously and holy fuck he was going to cry- Tony had made him cry- fuck! What did he say- what was he meant to say now?! Despite panicking his instincts took over before his brain could. “Pete, Pete it’s okay- please don’t get upset I didn’t mean to embarrass you-“
“It’s n-n-not just that it- I-“ The teen shook his head, hiccuping slightly. He stayed silent for a moment, clearly making a concerted effort to keep the tears at bay and ultimately he was doing a great job. It took a lot of willpower but Peter managed to stem the tears and get his words out. “Why’re you being so cool about this?”
Tony was slightly taken aback. Had he ever given the impression that he’d be anything other than ‘cool’ about something? If his kid needed him in anyway he’d be there and he’d be cool- but Tony shook the thought away. This wasn’t about him, this was the kid’s own insecurities coming out. Peter wasn’t used to people genuinely caring about him, and it was Tony’s job as a responsible adult to normalise it. And he wanted to use this as an opportunity to reinforce the fact that, despite past experiences, he wasn’t going anywhere. “Because I care about you. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable- ever. Especially not with something like this. I understand it’s not your fault.”
“B-but it is!” Peter snapped suddenly, throwing himself down angry on the closed kid of the toilet and folding his arms over his chest; before realising the movement probably wasn’t the best idea and grabbing his sore stomach. “It’s my fault for n-n-not-“
“We’re working on that remember? Don’t be so hard on yourself kid, we’ve all got things we’re not good at.” Tony sighed, repeating himself for what felt like the twentieth time that week. He could see why Peter blamed himself for the infection, but as an adult he could also see that the boy was tackling a complex mental health issue; and the kid was way over simplifying it. It wasn’t as easy as just getting over it. “You're not good at saying you need something; I’m not good at admitting when I’m wrong or can’t handle something- you’re human and that’s okay.”
“I’m meant to be Spider-Man. I’m meant to be better than that.” Peter sniffled and curled in on himself.
Ohh, okay. Tony got it now. The kid didn’t feel good so he was, well, kind of having a tantrum. Peter didn’t really..do that? So Tony hadn’t initially recognised it but he did now. Okay, he could handle that. Nothing some down time couldn’t fix right?
“Even Spider-People piss, Peter. Now come on, I’m not gonna let you wallow in this. We’re gonna head upstairs and watch some movies while those pain pills kick in and Bruce makes you some antibiotics. Then we’ll get some food in ya and you can go to bed, sound good?”
Though Peter initially looked hopeful about the plan, his anxiety got the better of him again and he shook his head. “You should have to-“
“I don’t have to. I want to. I wanna make my kid feel better, is that so bad?” Tony asked bluntly, surprising himself with the emotive language he used; but he certainly didn’t regret it, because it got Peter to listen. “I know how much this sucks kid, trust me, but we’ll get you feeling better.”
“Feel so pathetic.” Peter mumbled, seemingly to himself as he angrily rubbed at the back of his eyes.
“Well you’re not and I won’t hear of it. Go shower, I’ll order the pizza.” Tony instructed sternly, as he left the doorway of the bathroom to allow the kid some privacy. Peter did as he was told and Tony did as he promised while he waited; he also texted Bruce and asked him to cook up some pain pills and get ready to maybe make some antibiotics.
They had to be careful about giving Peter antibiotics. Thanks to his healing factor it was easy for his body to become resistant to them, so they tended to be used as a last resort only. They’d see if they could kick this thing with water and pain pills alone but if not, Tony wanted Bruce to know what he was in for.
Tony heard the shower click off but it took a minute for Peter to reappear and he got worried; this time giving into his instincts and calling out to him. “You alright?”
“Mhm.” Peter mumbled as he opened the door, shuffling out of the room. His face was bright red and his hair was still soaked- but more worryingly the boy stumbled dangerously as soon as he stopped leaning against the wall for support.
The kid was lucky his mentor had quick reflexes and reached out automatically to steady him; before he got a face full of marble floor. Like he needed broken teeth on top of a bladder infection. “Woah, easy.”
Peter blushed, at least Tony thinks he did, it was hard to tell when he was already a bright shade of pink. “Sorry, think I had the shower too hot.”
“You a little woozy?” Tony asked concernedly as he scanned the boy’s face. He didn’t fully believe him either, yes he knew the kid liked showers that would scald any normal person- but he’d never seen him almost pass out after one. It was more likely a developing fever from the infection and Tony wasn’t happy about that.
But at least Peter didn’t try to deny it. He nodded and closed his eyes slightly, wincing in pain. “Mhm.”
The kid looked tired too, which made Tony change his plans slightly. The man wrapped and arm around the boy’s shoulders and started to gently lead him towards the couches at the far end of the room. “That’s okay- how about we hang out down here? I don’t trust you walking all the way up there-“
“Tony I can walk up walls.” Peter slurred slightly but allowed himself to be lead without resistance.
“Not right now you can’t. You can barely make it to the toilet in time-“ Peter cut him off with an indignant whine. “That wasn’t an insult that was a straight fact. Besides I’m sure you don’t want Steve finding out about your situation and giving you a lecture on hydration.”
That got Peter’s attention. He opened his eyes fully to give Tony a wide eyed pleading look. “That’s what I thought. Go on, the couches are comfy enough.”
The man gently pushed Peter towards the sofa, where he sat perched and alert as opposed to snuggling in comfily like Tony had instructed. Tony set about cleaning up the lab himself and Peter looked uncomfortably guilty. “I can help clean up at least-“
“Sit. Butt on couch.” Tony said sternly when the kid moved to stand up. He threw the boy his designated blanket- the softest one Tony owned that the boy quickly claimed as his. Though he ran hot the kid had a proclivity for snuggling both out of comfort and he constantly complained about getting cold. When the kid had a particularly bad day at school Tony would pull out the Peter blanket so the boy could adorn it as a cape as he worked. This situation definitely warranted the Peter blanket. And despite clearly wanting to get up and help anyway, he relented, and Peter immediately curled into a little ball. Tony smiled slightly. “Good boy.”
After cleaning up what they were working on, rather than leaving the kid to his own devices Tony decided to join in on the down time. The food arrived so it was time for a break anyway, but the man sat beside the ball of Peter on the couch and settled in, switching on the TV and streaming one of the boys favourite films. “Blanket, water, juice, pills and pizza. And can’t forget Star Wars. I think you’re just about set up kiddo.”
“Thank you Mr. Stark.” Peter said earnestly, which made Tony’s heart ache slightly- stupid pizza. Clogging his arteries- because that’s totally what it was. “Really I mean it. You didn’t have to be so nice about this-“
“Eh well, count it as my good deed for the year. I’m only nice once so savour it.” Tony shrugged, adorning his usual facade purely because it was more comfortable than admitting he was getting soft. This kid was making a mockery of him- he was meant to be Tony Stark and he was sat here snuggling a sick fourteen year old.
Oh yeah, he was snuggling. The kid had taken Tony’s advice on savouring his good deed seriously and was milking it for all it was worth. But Tony couldn’t deny he enjoyed the closeness. He tried to pass it off to himself as providing the sick child with the comfort his aunt usually would have- but deep down he knew it was equally for his benefit.
He found himself running a hand through the kid’s hair- again he tried to tell himself he was just brushing the damp curls out so the kid didn’t have a fit about having an Afro the next day- but it wasn’t. He was enjoying the way the kid’s eyes dropped and he yawned every time Tony did it. Holy shit he was putting the kid to sleep- this was awesome! This trick would come in handy whenever the kid was being a brat about bedtime-
“You can sleep kiddo.” Tony’s chuckled softly after the third time peter shook himself awake.
“Can’t.” Peter muttered and attempted to sit up, but Tony pulled him back down, hugging him towards his chest; and there was no way Peter would pull away from that.
“The couches are scotch guarded too. I’ll wake you up every so often to go okay? Don’t stress about that, just sleep.” Tony said knowingly. It was obvious why the boy was fighting sleep and whilst Tony didn’t blame him, he knew sleep was the best thing you can do when you’re sick. His body needed the downtime to heal and at least while he was asleep Peter could escape the pain and cramping for a while.
But despite Tony’s words of encouragement Peter continued to struggle, blinking rapidly and attempting to stifle yawns. “Mm- m’okay. Not sleepy.”
“I’m right here. I’ve got you.” Tony muttered into the kid’s hair, ignoring his verbal protests. Tony wasn’t sure why he said that, it just came out, but it did the trick. The boy relaxed against him and sighed contently. The man wasn’t quite sure how he expected the night to go and he wasn’t sure when he became so good at comforting the kid- but he didn’t dwell on it too much. Instinct took over and who was he to fight it when the boy so clearly needed him? He was half he’d subconsciously developed some dad skills because they were certainly coming in handy.
“Love you Tony.” Peter mumbled into Tony’s side as he finally drifted off.
Tony pulled the blanket up around the kid to cover his ears the way he liked. “I love you too, Kid.”