Chapter 22
They know something is wrong when they hear it: a small thump, like something has smashed into the ceiling below them. It wasn't an uncommon sound, but it seemed different. Plus, the floor had become unusually heated for a few minutes, though that wasn't too out of the ordinary.
If Clint had been in the vents, he would have been burned. If someone had been in the elevator, they would have been blasted with heat. None of them, however, were in any particular places to recognize whatever had happened was out of the ordinary: there was no JARVIS call, no screams—just a thump, and some heat. They didn't know that under them, Peter and Tony were injured and unconscious, nor that half the lab was melted, burned, incinerated or otherwise destroyed. Perfectly unaware. Although it felt off to them, it was easily brushed away.
Five minutes after the thump, Peter's eyes snap open. They still don't know anything is wrong. They don't hear how wrong his breaths sound, or his hisses of pain and chitters to the spiders. They don't know he's dragging Tony's half-dead body to lean on a wall. They don't know that he hasn't checked Tony's back. They don't even know that Peter and the spiders are treating their wounds, or that Tony is steadily getting paler and how the room is steadily filling with more smoke.
Thirty minutes pass. They still don't know. They don't know Peter is panicking, or that Tony looks like he's waking up. They don't know Peter has just realized he needs to make a phone call. They don't know how destroyed his phone is, how ruined his hands are under the bandages. They don't even know that Peter has taken a full five minutes to panic all over again at the sight of his destroyed phone. They don't realize that there is a steadily-growing pool of blood on the floor below them.
They do realize, however, that there's been a bomb when Peter shakily calls JARVIS, and JARVIS informs them that Peter and Tony are, in fact, injured, and that the lab has been bombed and there's no way to get in. JARVIS tells them Peter hung up to call someone else. Who, they don't know, but he has.
They spend a full five minutes trying to figure out a way in before ultimately deciding they'll break through the window. They steal a window cleaner's platform and break in. Glass flies everywhere. Peter is crying. There's blood all over his bandaged hands and Tony is injured. Peter looks at them and while his whole body doesn't relax, he looks like he just clocked himself out of reality.
Steve is telling Falcon to fly a doctor up here. Everyone is trying to apply their knowledge of medicine or first aid, but it looks like Peter and his spiders have done just as much as they could have except, of course, Tony's back looks like someone gave up cooking him halfway through.
Steve is trying to ask Peter what happened, but Peter isn't responding. He's quiet and he looks like he's sleeping with his eyes open. Peter eventually blinks his eyes a few times and grumbles out a few words, and someone else is opening the elevator doors. It’s Clint using his arrows. Nat is telling JARVIS to get an elevator up. Falcon, the doctor he flew up, and Tony are all in their corner, trying to get Tony to wake the fuck up. His pulse is weak.
The elevator comes up, and Steve picks Peter up. He lets the spiders crawl or jump up his legs and rest themselves on Peter's stomach. As he enters the elevator, Peter burbles about going home. Nat says he is going. They protest. JARVIS is calling Pepper and Rhodey and Happy. Relief, but also terror. Tony's pulse is getting weaker. His breathing is shallower.
Rushing to an ambulance, Tony is taken away. Peter looks like he'll pass out from exhaustion in a few seconds. Piling themselves into a car. Peter stumbling out, hissing at them. Feral, almost. None of them seem like they particularly want to get in a fight with him. They watch him enter the building. They drive away. JARVIS takes them to the hospital. Pepper is there, already crying. Happy is holding her shoulders. Rhodey is yelling at the receptionist. Are they tired or sad? Both? The receptionist looks understanding but a bit irritated. A nurse comes in. Was she called in? She and Rhodey talk.
People in the waiting room are staring at the Avengers, fully costumed as they lounge, not relaxing—tense and ready to visit once they’re done with Tony. Pepper falling asleep. Rhodey sitting down, sadness masked with anger. Silence, no one talks. What do they have to talk about? Do they talk about Tony like he's already dead? Reminisce about the good times, like he might not make any more? Do they talk about how he is right now? Do they talk about Tony? Something else? Kinda hungry. Pizza? Pizza. Happy leaves. Clint follows.
"He won't die," Rhodey speaks, eyes challenging someone to argue. "He won't die."
More silence. How do you respond to that? Everyone alert, Nat making Pepper more comfortable. Pepper stirring just a little before nodding off again. Steve sitting upright in his chair. He looks like he's going to jump up and run any second. Where? Away? Towards Tony? Even he looks like he doesn't know. Sam slouching, feet up and crossed on another chair. He looks like he wants to sleep. He's not going to sleep. Rhodey sitting up, back arched, arms in his lap and he looks like he's praying. Is Rhodey religious? Probably not. He might sleep.
"Coffee?" Nat speaks up. Sam nods, Steve nods. They can't speak at the moment.
"Black," Rhodey replies, and then glances at Pepper. He and Nat seem to share a look. Nat gets up and leaves.
Crackling of lightning. Thor's here. How did he know? He steps in. More stares. He looks entirely out of place here.
"Friends," he states. His voice really shouldn't be that loud. He's not smiling, and that's kind of weird. "I heard of Stark's injuries."
Everyone nods. They glance at Pepper. Thor sits down. The chair creaks. He tries to put down his hammer quietly. Clint and Happy come back with at least ten boxes of pizza. They don't seem surprised by Thor. Thor's phone buzzes. He looks alarmed it exists but he answers. No one listens to his conversation. Nat returns. She's gotten everyone coffee. She even got Thor some. She has some extras, but she doesn't share why she does.
Jane crashes through the door with a concerned look on her face. Darcy and Selvig follow. Thor rises to speak to them. Nat and Darcy make eye contact. Nat walks over to give them coffee before being dragged away by Darcy. Funny—are they a thing now? Who would guessed it? Pepper wakes up. Apparently Nat knew she would. There's a cup of coffee on the table next to her.
The next few hours, people come in and sit. It's funny how many people Tony knew. The hospital staff don't know how to turn them away, so they just put them in a separate waiting room.