Day 52
Tony let out a weak cough over the coms.
“You okay buddy?” Natasha inquired as she slammed her fist into one of the the mutated creatures they were fighting.
“Yeah, just a little cough I picked up a few days ago.”
“Alright Tony just keep us posted,” Natasha replied and drop kicked another mutated monster. Tony didn't get sick. Everyone knew that, but Nat also knew that as long Tony didn't want them to know the truth, they wouldn't. Steve beat her to a response.
“Alright Stark, fall back and help Clint on containment duty,” The Captain ordered.
“WHAT?!”
Natasha flinched. Of course he wasn't going to make this easy.
“You heard me Stark.”
“Rogers, Thor and Banner aren’t here so I am seriously the biggest gun you got, why the hell are you putting me on containment?!” Tony argued with little less oomf and liveliness than Natasha liked.
“Stark you have your order.”
Steve very rarely pulled the “I am in charge and I gave you an order” card. As a matter of fact he only ever used it when he absolutely needed to.
“Fine,” Tony hissed over the coms. Natasha was pretty sure she caught a hint of relief in his tone. She watched the red gold suit sail smoothly through the sky and to Clint’s position.
Natasha looked over to Steve, “You think he’s hiding something?”
“I do,” Steve answered.
“You think it’s that bad?”
“Not sure, but you can never be to safe with him.”
“We’re all cleaned up out here,” Clint burst in over the open channel.
“Copy that. How does Stark look?”
“Guys. I said it was a cough,” Tony stated angrily as he landed in front of them.Natasha raised an eyebrow at him. His helmet snapped open. “Believe me. It is a weird concept for me too.”
Tony looked pale.
“Are you sure you’re okay man?” Clint asked as he jogged up to the group.
“Guys! I am fine! Can we please just get on the jet and go home?”
Natasha took careful note of the way Tony sat down and went straight to sleep without even taking his suit off.
“Please tell me I am not the only one thinking there is something wrong with him,” She didn’t quite mean to speak out loud.
“He is definitely not okay,” Clint agreed with emphatic nod. As if to confirm what the archer had just said Tony let out a low moan and fell off his seat.
“Stark!” Natasha was the first one to reach his side, “Tony? Tony are you okay?”
He just mumbled some incoherent reply and pushed Nat away.
“Um guys…” Natasha looked up Steve who staring down at the floor. She followed his gaze and saw it too.
“Oh shit!” Natasha swore on impulse as her eyes landed on the small pool of blood beginning to form around Tony.
“Tony we need you to take the suit off,” Steve ordered kneeling down on the ground. He lifted Stark’s head up a little, “Come on man!”
No response came from the slowly bleeding man.
“FRIDAY! Open his suit!” Nat ordered.
“ Order not authorized. I can only open for Mr. Starks order,” The AI responded.
“FRIDAY he is unconscious! Open the suit!” Steve sounded panicked.
“Denied.”
“Mother fucking idiot!” Steve cried in dismay and shook Tony, “Tony you need to open your suit for us!”
Tony nodded ever so slightly and the suit snapped open. A large dark stane spread across his already dark shirt.
Natasha didn't hesitate lifting up his shirt. It revealed a deep stab wound just below the right side of the man’s rib cage.
“Shit, Clint give me the first aid box, Steve call ahead to the closest hospital,” Both men obeyed her orders without protest.
“Here,” Clint handed her the box.
“Alright Stark hang in there,” Nat coaxed as she pressed a wad of gauze against the leaking wound. Tony inhaled sharply.
“Gentle there spy lady,” He mumbled softly.
“You’re an idiot Tony.”
“Yeah well I try,” Tony half laughed half coughed his response.
“Well you should start telling us when you get stabbed,” Natasha quipped back.
“I didn't want you guys to worry,” He mumbled.
“Stark, you do realize it is more worrisome when you pass out and start leaking blood onto the floor than if you had told us. Right?” Steve asked standing over them.
“Eh,” Tony shrugged.
“We’re landing, just a heads up,” Steve added, ignoring Tony’s shrug.
“Steve is right, Stark. You can’t hide these things from us,” Clint joined in.
Tony didn't respond this time.
“Go figure he’d pass out while being lectured,” Steve grumbled as the jet landed with jolt.
“We’ll yell at him when he wakes up,” Natasha assured Steve as he picked Tony up.
Clint and Natasha followed him into the hospital ER. There were people already there with a stretcher waiting for him.
“He’ll be fine,” One of the doctors assured them sneaking a glance under the wad of gauze, “It doesn't look like that hit anything vital.”
Natasha frowned as she watched the hospital workers wheel Tony away to surgery. She was glad he was going to be okay, but the thought that he had kept it from them that he was injured, scared her. What if he did it again? What if next time it worse? What if next time it killed him?
They would have keep an extra careful eye on him during battles from here on out. She wasn't going to let the worst case scenario happen. Ever.