Day 89
Tony flinches slightly as he sits down in pilot seat on the quinjet. He’s grateful that Peter didn’t notice. The kid doesn’t need to be worrying about him, not yet anyway. He’s fine.. Or at least he hopes so.
“Alright Friday, fly us home will you?” Tony asks the AI as he powers up the jet.
“Yes sir.”
After insuring that the AI has everything under control Tony makes his way back to where Peter is sitting, he looks exhausted. Tony fully understands the feeling. He plops himself down next to his kid and heaves a heavy sigh. Pain shoots up through his side, and he almost uters a gasp of pain, but manages to hold it back. He can’t let the kid see him hurt. He has to be strong for his son.
“Hey Mr. Stark,” Peter says opening an eye lazily, “How long until we get home?”
“Em, Probably like two or three hours,” Tony replies leaning his head back against the seat.
“Issit okay if I sleep?” Peter mumbles slowly.
“Sure kid… do what you need to. It’s been a long day…” Tony replies slowly, as he speaks blood drips down his side under the suit. It tickles, and Tony fights the urge to flinch.
“Thanks…” Peter says slowly obviously already falling asleep. Tony cracks a smile at his kid. It has been a very long day. Him and Peter had been forced to take care of a gang of guys who had alien tech from Toomes. Usually Vision and Rhodey would have joined them, but Vision had vanished… Again, and Rhodey was off flying an air force combat mission. Peter had done amazing in the fight, so amazing in fact that he had been so busy fighting that he hadn’t noticed one of the guys stab through the metal plates protecting Tony’s abdomen. He is grateful for that. He is also grateful that the extra emergency plate had time to fold over before the kid had seen the gap in between the plates.
“Pete?” Tony nudges the kid. He only lets out a small snore. Tony sighs weakly. He can see about his injury now.
“Hey Fri?” He is surprised by how weak his voice suddenly sounds.
“Yes boss?” The AI replies.
“How bad am I?”
“Sir? I don’t think you’re ba-”
“The stab wound Friday. The stab wound damn it!” Tony growls. He knows he is losing blood and getting worse, “How bad is it? Time frame. How long until I pass out?”
“Oh… Your heart rate is on the low side, but you seem to be holding steady. Blood pressure seems to be on the low side of okay for now. Calculations suggest that this will not remain the case for very long. Your blood loss is slow but steady. May I suggest waking Mt. Parker and getting him to help-”
“No!” Tony barks a little louder than intended, “No, The kid doesn’t need to know. He’ll just end up freaking out, and then I’ll freak out, and it will be no good.”
“Fine, but at the very least you need to stay awake,” The AI’s Tone is firm. Tony doesn’t argue. He knows she is right.
They have been flying for an hour. Tony wants to wake up the kid. He wants to get help for his injury. He wants to pass the slowly ticking away hours talking to his kid. Talking would help. Anything to get his mind off the blood slowly slugging its way down his abdomen under his armor. His vision has gotten increasingly more blurry. He isn’t sure if he’ll be able to stay awake. He wants to wake up his son, but he can’t do that to him. He is supposed to keep him safe, not freak him out. Tony is supposed to be the one doing the comforting and taking care of, not Peter. The cloud over Tony’s vision darkens.
“Sir you are slipping!” The AI’s voice is barely audible. Everything goes out of focus, and then fades to complete numb blackness.
Friday flashes lights on the jet in dismay. Her creator is the smartest man alive, yet he is also a stubborn dumbass. She knows it his against his direct order, but her programing to protect him over rides his verbal command. He needs help, and there is only person who can help right now. She decides to wake up Peter.
“Mr. Parker!” Peter shakes himself awake at the sound of Friday’s voice. Tony is slumped with his chin rested on his chest asleep. His arms are drooped uselessly by his sides. Peter cracks a smile. He is glad his mentor is sleeping. His smile fades as he realizes something wrong. Strain is written all over the man’s face, and his breath is short and labored.
“Mr. Stark?”
Drip…
Peter’s enhanced hearing picks up the tiny sound of something splashing on the floor. He looks down to find a small puddle of red at the man’s feet. A small oozing trickle of blood is coming from one of the cracks in the suit.
“SHIT!” Peter is on his feet kneeling in front of the man in a matter of seconds, “Mr. Stark?! Hey! Please wake up!”
Peter lifts the man’s chin gently, “Mr. Stark?!”
Thunder booms in a deafening bang next to the jet. The whole plane lurches. Mr. Stark almost falls off his seat, but Peter manages to catch him.
“Friday?! What the hell was that?!” Peter almost screams.
“We will be experiencing turbulence. May I suggest you lay Mr. Stark somewhere safe until we get through the storm?" Peter takes one look at his drooped pale mentor.
“Already on it!” Peter gently lowers the man to the floor of the jet, “Mr. Stark, please wake up!”
The plane lurches again, the man lets out a displeasured groan.
“Friday? Can you open his suit for me? I need to see what’s wrong?” Peter squeeks helplessly, fighting the panic rising in his throat, “I- he needs… I can’t-- Get it off him! I can’t- he needs it off--”
“Peter. You need to calm down,” Friday’s voice is reassuring and calm, “Mr. Stark will be just fine. The weapon didn’t puncture any organs or major arteries-”
“He got stabbed?!” Peter chokes. Why hadn’t he told him?
“Yes Peter, but he will be okay. You just need to be calm.”
“How can I-? He- he got- I can’t-” Peter is trying very hard to keep it together, but his father is bleeding out in his lap, and he can’t do anything, “FRiday please open his suit!”
“I can, but Peter I need you to calm down before I do. You have to be ready to do exactly as I tell you without hesitation.”
Peter swallows hard. He can do this. He can keep his cool. He has to. Mr. Stark needs him to. It is just him. There is no one else to help his mentor.
What if he messes up? What if he makes it worse? Doubt begins to creep into the back of the his mind.
“Peter? Can you keep it together?”
Thunder crashes outside the jet, and the whole thing rattles. Peter clenches his teeth.
“Yes I can do this.” Peter shoves his anxiety out of his mind and takes a deep breath.
“Alright, go get gauze and peroxide out of the medical cabinet,” The AI says with an unnatural calm. Peter does as he is told and then returns to his father’s side, “Okay, I am going to open the suit. When I do pull the shirt away, pour the peroxide on the wound then put the gauze on it and web it to him.”
Peter gulps. Maybe he can’t do this… Maybe he sho--
The suit opens. Peter’s breath is sucked from his body like a vacuum. The entire lower part of the man’s white shirt is stained red. The blood is congealed in a small pool and slipping slowly down his side. Dark. Thick. Smooth. Red. Red.
“Peter! NOW!” Friday’s voice explodes through the panicked silence rattling Peter’s mind. Peter snaps out of his shock in a matter of seconds.
“Okay Mr. Stark, this is going to sting,” Peter warns, he's not sure why he says it. His father is unconscious. He peels the shirt away from the deep knife wound, how the knife got through the suit Peter still isn’t sure, but it’s there and it’s bad. He pours the peroxide onto the wound, and Tony’s whole body flinches.
“GAH! Whattha fuck!” His father coughs and tries to sit up.
“Stay down Mr. Stark!” Peter orders, and presses a hand firmly against his shoulder to push him back down. In the same motion he pushes the gauze against the stab wound, and webs it onto the man’s side. He lets out a growl of pain. Lighting flashes and lights up the jet. The whole plane jolts and Peter is thrown forward onto his mentor who gasps in pain.
Tony didn’t want this. He wants them to both just sleep until they reach the compound. He doesn’t want Peter to worry about him.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Peter apologises hauling himself off Tony.
Why is the kid apologizing? It was Tony who had failed. He had failed to keep his injury to himself and now the kid was scared. He did this. He should be the one apologising. Not Peter.
“It’s fine kid,” Tony says through clenched teeth. The wound in his side hurts more now, “I’m fine…”
Tony carefully maneuvers himself so that he is in a sitting up position. Pain tugs at his side, and he bites back a groan. He has to pretend it’s nothing. For the kid. He can do that much can’t he?
“You’re not fine!” Peter cries in dismay.
Damn. He can see straight through the lie. Tony knows he’s not fine. He’s lost to much blood.
“Kid- can you just let me have this one…?” Tony chokes. It would be nice if he can at least pretend things are okay.
“But Mr. Stark-”
“Look Pete this isn’t as bad as it looks. We will be to the compound soon…. Alright-?” Tony growls through clenched teeth, suddenly losing the capability of being gentle.
“No, Mr. Stark. You are bleeding really bad! Look!” Peter’s tone is short and angry. Despite himself Tony looks down at where the kid has tried to stop the bleeding and flinches. Blood is already seeping through the white. He inhales sharply, ignoring the way the kid raises an eyebrow.
“Yep. Okay this isn’t going to work. We are going to need something better than this shit job- no offence kid. I appreciate the effort,” Tony tries to keep his voice as nonchalant as possible. The kid needs him to keep it together. “See that cabinet over there?” Tony nods to the cabinet with the medical supplies, “Get the kit that has the stuff for stitches.”
“...Stitches? Are you-” Peter starts to argue.
“Kid please,” Tony’s voice cracks as he speak. He isn’t going to make the kid give him stitches. He is going to do it himself. Peter comes back with the kit.
“Mr. Stark-”
“It’ll be fine kid,” Tony gives him a weak smile, “Turn around Pete. I don’t need you puking while I do this.”
Peter does as he’s told and turns around. He hears his mentor suck in a deep breath and hold it. Peter holds his breath with the man. Finally Mr. Stark let his breath out, and so does Peter. Peter sneaks a glance over his shoulder to see the man wrapping a bandage around his injury. Peter turns around all the way. He looks paler than he did a few minutes ago.
“Mr. Stark?” Peter questions and scoots close to him. His breathing is heavy and strained.
“I’m fine kid…” He leans his head on Peter’s shoulder and his eyes slip closed.
“Mr. Stark?” Peter asks softly. He doesn’t respond. Peter lets out a nervous whine, and wraps his arm around his now unconscious mentor. He holds him tight as the jet shakes from the turbulence.
“Friday?” Peter calls to the AI.
“Yes Peter?”
“Change course to the closest hospital please. Mr. Stark isn’t going to make it the compound.”
“Right away.”
Peter is grateful that the AI doesn’t argue. Peter glances down at the white bandage wrapped messily around his mentor’s abdomen. Red is already slipping through. Peter holds Mr. Stark a little closer to him. How could he have missed something like that? How could he have noticed that the man was in pain? He should have noticed and dealt with this so much sooner, but he had been tired. He had been so tired that he hadn’t even checked to make sure Tony was okay after the fight. How could he have been so stupid? His mentor is barely clinging onto life, and it’s his fault, because he could have done something sooner.
“Peter, we are landing,” Friday warned right as the jet touched down with a jolt. Peter doesn't waste a second pulling his mentor into his arms and picking his up. He makes sure to keep the man’s head tucked in the crook of his neck.
“Hey! Someone help!” Peter cries as he explodes into the ER. A nurse rushes over to him immediately.
“What happened kid?” The man demands as he rushes to help Peter.
“He got stabbed…” Peter can feel his voice quivering, “I- I think… I don’t know he’s lost a lot of blood.”
“It’s okay kid,” The nurse replies gently rescuing Peter, “Can I please get a stretcher over here!?”
His mentor’s body shudders in arms, and goes limp.
“Dad?!” Peter drops to the floor laying his mentor down, “Mr. Stark!”
Peter desperately feels his neck.
Please let there be a pulse. Please let there be a pulse. Please!!
“Let me take him,” The nurse says firmly, “Since apparently no one in this damn place is capable of grabbing a gurney.”
Peter can’t bring himself to answer the man he is to numb with panic. The nurse slides his arms under Tony’s limp body and pulls him into his arms, “I’ll send someone to check on you. Your dad will be fine.” The nurse carries Tony away. Peter can vaguely hear him screaming for someone to get a gurney.
Tony wakes up to find himself laying on his back in what can only be a hospital bed. A heart monitor beeps steadily by his head. He feels infinitely better than he did last time he was awake. He sits up a little and finds that Peter’s head is rested on the side of the bed. Tony cracks a smile and ruffles the kids hair.
“Wake up kiddo,” Tony whispers and the kid instantly lifts his head.
“Mr. Stark! You’re okay!” the kid sounds surprised.
“Of course I am. I don’t lie Peter,” Tony says and gives the kid a big smile. The concern in Peter’s eyes melts away and a smile spreads across his face. He leans forward and hugs Tony. Tony hugs him back despite the tugging pain in his side. He decides not to mention the fact that he heard the kid call him dad.