Recovery
When Stephen woke up, he felt someone holding his hand. The room smelt like antiseptic and he could hear the soft beeping of a heart monitor beside him.
He pried his eyes open
He blinked at the harsh lighting and looked down. There, he saw peter, slumped over in his seat with his hand wrapped around Stephen's, asleep.
"Peter?" Stephen rasped, his throat dry from disuse. Peter jumped awake and stared at Stephen. He looked around aimlessly for a moment.
"Doc? Oh man, um I'll go get some ice." He got up from his seat and rushed out of the room.
He soon returned with a styrofoam cup half filled with ice chips with a small, plastic spoon in his other hand.
He handed the cup and spoon to Stephen and shifted uncomfortably. Stephen mumbled a word of thanks and took it. He slowly chewed on the ice, relishing the soothing feeling it had on his throat.
Just when the silence between the two was becoming awkward, Tony entered the room. "Oh my gosh, Stephen you scared the shit outta me" he said.
Stephen grinned. "That's a first" Tony shot him an exasperated look.
Stephen held out his arms and they embraced for a few moments, with Peter making excited noises a few feet away from them.
Tony was the one to break the hug
"Kid one day I will seal your lips together" Tony told peter. "Sorry mr stark! My bad, carry on" This time, Stephen shot him an exasperated look. Peter blushed and ducked his head.
Stephen leaned his head back against the soft pillows and noticed the familiar tugging feeling at his stomach. Stitches then.
He sighed. This was going to be a long couple of days.
-
After several days, when Stephen had returned to a more stable condition, he was released from the hospital and happily returned to the sanctum.
There, he met the levitation cloak, who flitted around him, as if checking for any other injuries. "I'm fine. I'm here now aren't I?" The cloak seemed to shoot him a doubtful look as if reinforcing the fact that he shouldn't have gone to the battle alone.
He ignored this and walked into the kitchen, lightly unsettled by the silence in the sanctum.
Wong had returned to Kamar Taj a few days ago to have a meeting with the masters of each of the sanctums. Stephen was of course excused.
He made himself a cup of tea with the cloak on standby at the doorway, watching him closely.
Stephen turned around. "Look, I've recovered. I'm not going to collapse at any moment. Chill alright?"
The cloak ruffled itself in irritation, then settled itself on its master's shoulders.