Peter

The trip from the Wallace apartment to the medbay was mostly a blur.

He thought he remembered Alex saying something to him, something about going ahead of her. He could sort of picture May grabbing him by his arm and guiding him down the hall toward the elevator. He didn't remember the ride down, though, because the next thing Peter knew, he was standing in the medical bay with Rhodey, Happy, Dr. Banner, and Dr. Cho—she had been flown in from Seoul a few days after the battle.

Rhodey turned to Peter as he and May approached them. "Hey, there you guys are." He seemed rattled, which was strange to witness. Peter had never seen Rhodey anything other than composed—except in the immediate hours that followed bringing Mr. Stark to Wakanda.

"Hey, hey, we're here," May said, looking between the group. "How long has he been awake?"

"About an hour," Dr. Cho said. "We've been running some tests, making sure he's not in a lot of pain—Ms. Potts and their daughter are already with him." She glanced at Peter. "He's been asking for you."

His cheeks warmed suddenly as the adults all turned to look at him. "He has?" Mr. Stark was asking for him, Peter? While he was with his wife and daughter? His daughter calls you her older brother, Parker, he reminded himself.

"Yes," Dr. Cho confirmed. "I don't want to let too many people in the room at once, but for you four I think we can make an exception—for a little while, anyway. I don't want to overwhelm him. Dr. Banner and I filled him in on... most of what happened."

"He knows he's been asleep for a month?" Happy asked, folding his arms over his chest—a behavior from the older man that Peter had learned to associate with anxiety.

Dr. Banner nodded, subtly adjusting his bad arm—the one wrapped up in a sling. Sometimes Peter forgot that Dr. Banner had been the one to perform the snap that brought them all back. It was then that Peter realized the man was probably the only person in the universe who knew what Mr. Stark was going through.

"He says he doesn't remember most of what happened with—with the stones," Dr. Banner said carefully. "But he remembers most of the battle. Be delicate with what you tell him. I don't want to... startle him."

The others nodded. Peter felt slightly woozy. Mr. Stark didn't remember what he had done with the Infinity Stones, but Peter did. He didn't think he would ever forget. He could still feel the smoke in his throat, could smell the charred flesh and taste the metallic blood in his mouth. He quickly shook his head and refocused himself.

"We—uh—I don't have to go in if—" Peter tried. "I don't want to overwhelm him."

May placed a hand on his arm, trying to reassure him.

Dr. Banner's eyes softened. "You won't, Peter," He promised. "He wants to see you."

That was still weird to hear, even after his conversation with Steve about why Mr. Stark had done what he did.

"Okay."

Dr. Cho and Dr. Banner led the group down the hall to the room where Mr. Stark had been staying for the last month. While Rhodey and Happy all but burst into the room, Peter stopped. Hesitated at the door.

He felt May stop beside him. "Peter?" She asked, her voice laced with concern.

"I'm okay," He answered automatically.

She grabbed his hand and squeezed it with a small smile, which he returned, though it was a struggle. Peter finally nodded at her and they stepped into the room. Rhodey and Happy were crowded around Mr. Stark's hospital bed. Peter could see Morgan curled up against Mr. Stark's side while Pepper was sitting in a chair by his bed, her hand resting on his leg.

Mr. Stark was smiling, though he looked tired, exhausted even. He had his left arm wrapped protectively around Morgan, he was running his hand through her hair and conversing softly with the others. It didn't feel real.

Peter had seen Mr. Stark after the battle before. He knew what Shuri, Dr. Banner and Dr. Cho had to do to save his life. He knew Mr. Stark was now missing his right arm, and he had seen his scarred skin many times (Shuri had said she would be able to heal the scarring in time, which settled some of Peter's nerves). But somehow, this time, seeing Mr. Stark awake along with those injuries was different.

Peter's chest suddenly felt much heavier as he struggled to take a breath. Not now, not now, stop panicking, he reprimanded himself.

But he couldn't seem to take a full breath. His heart was thundering against his chest. His vision blurred slightly and he took a small step back, reaching his hand out, trying to steady himself against the wall. He felt May's hands on him again.

"Peter, calm down." Her voice was soft, but firm. "Look at me, just look at me, Peter."

He did. He and his aunt locked eyes, it grounded him a bit.

"Pete?" Mr. Stark's voice. Oh God, no, he was panicking in front of him—he didn't need this right now, he was just waking up from a month-long coma. The last thing Mr. Stark needed was to see a panicking Peter.

May must have realized what he was thinking, because suddenly they were back out in the hallway.

"Take a breath with me, honey." May instructed. She inhaled deeply and held it for a moment before exhaling slowly. She did it again, and this time Peter followed her lead.

They took a deep breath together, held it for a few seconds, and exhaled slowly together. They repeated this a few times until the knot in Peter's chest finally fell loose and unravelled completely.

He blinked rapidly and then pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead. "Dammit," He muttered. "Sorry, I'm—sorry."

May shook her head, grabbing him by the shoulders. "No apologies," She said. "You good now?"

Peter nodded. "Yeah, I'm—yeah." He took another deep breath, glancing at the door. "I just—I've never seen him like that—while he's—" Peter shook his head, feeling stupid now.

"I know," May sighed sympathetically. "It's okay. You're okay. He's okay." She paused, waiting for Peter to take a few more deep breaths. "You think you can go in now?"

He nodded again. "Yeah, yeah..."

May nodded, guiding him back through the door and into the room. Mr. Stark was saying something to Pepper, but stopped when he noticed them reenter. He beamed at Peter.

"Kid!" He exclaimed, and sounded genuinely happy to see him. Peter thought his knees might buckle, so he held on to May a bit tighter. "Get over here, Pete."

Peter glanced sideways at May, who have him a look of encouragement before nudging him forward. Peter found himself at Tony's bedside, his hands clenched in fists at his side, unsure of what he should be doing.

Mr. Stark began to shift Morgan around. "Here, Morguna, mind sitting with Mom for a sec?" She let out a huff of protest. "C'mon, I want to hug Peter." This seemed to rally Morgan into action. She carefully maneuvered across Mr. Stark's lap—mindful of his injuries—before Pepper picked her up off the bed and set her down in her own lap. 

He then glanced at Peter and smiled again. "C'mere, kid." Peter felt dizzy. Because here was Mr. Stark, the man who didn't do hugs or physical affection most days, casually asking Peter to give him a hug.

They had only hugged a handful of times—once when Peter had mistaken Mr. Stark opening the car door for him as a hug, another time when Peter had teased the aforementioned car-hug, and finally, just last month when Peter found Mr. Stark on the battlefield, while Peter was rambling on like he always did—about wizards and aliens, and Mr. Stark had surprised him by enveloping him in a hug. A real hug.

"Oh, this is nice."

Five years.

Peter realized he hadn't moved in a few moments, which was probably weird, but his brain must have been short circuiting because even though he was definitely conveying the commands necessary to move his limbs, he just stood there. Like an idiot. Was he panicking again? It didn't feel like it. Maybe he was in shock.

Mr. Stark's face fell slightly, a concerned look replacing the bright one he'd had only a moment ago. "Pete?" He asked.

Pepper suddenly cleared her throat, turning to the rest of the group. "I'm feeling a bit hungry," She announced. "What do you think, Morgan, want to go get something to eat?"

Morgan frowned. "But Daddy—"

"Is probably hungry, too," Pepper interrupted, glancing at Mr. Stark. "We should go get him something."

The little girl's eyes brightened suddenly. "Okay! Daddy, do you want a juice pop?"

Mr. Stark tore his gaze away from Peter and smiled at Morgan. "Yeah, that sounds great, little miss," He said, leaning forward to press a kiss to her hair. She giggled as Pepper set her on the floor and dashed toward the door. Pepper pressed a gentle kiss to Mr. Stark's lips before following Morgan.

"Uh—right, food," Rhodey added with a nod. He patted Mr. Stark on the shoulder and smiled at him. "Good to see you, man."

"Yeah, yeah, you too, platypus."

Happy nodded in agreement. "Good to have you back, Boss." He turned to follow Rhodey out of the room.

May smiled at Mr. Stark and gave his hand a squeeze before turning to exit as well. She gave Peter one final look of encouragement, which he appreciated, before disappearing from the room. The door shut behind her, leaving Peter and Mr. Stark alone.

Mr. Stark turned his gaze back to Peter and tilted his head. "What's wrong, Underoos?" He asked, his voice gentle in a way Peter had never heard before.

It was like a spell was broken. Peter finally seemed to come to his senses. His joints unlocked and he finally felt like he could move again. "I—nothing—" He stuttered out. "I'm—yeah. Good. Are you—how are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," Mr. Stark said. "Alive. Totally using this to get whatever I want for the rest of my life."

Peter let out a small laugh at that, and some of the tension he was feeling melted away. He looked at Mr. Stark for a long moment before taking a breath. "Man, you—you really had us all worried there for a second, Mr. Stark," He said. "I really thought—"

Mr. Stark tilted his head sympathetically and then pat the spot next to him in his bed. "Come on, kid, sit down. You look like you're about to kneel over."

"I do?" Peter wasn't feeling as lightheaded as before, but was starting to notice his legs had gone weak again. He shuffled forward and sat down on the edge of the bed, immediately beginning to mess with a loose thread on Mr. Stark's blanket. "Sorry—uh—I just—I didn't mean to worry anybody—"

Mr. Stark reached out and grabbed Peter's hand in his own. "We're okay, Peter," He said. No nicknames, no jokes. "Sorry for—all of this. All the drama." He sighed, shaking his head.

Peter shook his head rapidly. "No—no, don't apologize—you did something—God you did something amazing and I'm just—" He let out a wet laugh, his throat tightening again. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I just—I didn't think—oh man." He wiped his tears away, embarrassed.

"Hey, no, none of that—no apologies from you. C'mere, Pete, seriously." Mr. Stark tugged on Peter's hand and this time, Peter let himself fall forward against his chest. Mr. Stark wrapped his arm around Peter's shoulders and held him close. Peter leaned into the hug, tucking his head under Mr. Stark's chin and let out a sob. "It's okay, Roo, it's okay. I'm okay, promise."

"I—I know—I know," Peter gasped. "It's just—you were so—and there was a second where I thought—" He shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. He clung tighter to Mr. Stark. "I heard your heart stop. I heard it stop and I thought—I was never gonna see you again—" He hiccuped, feeling incredibly small and vulnerable.

Mr. Stark's hold on him tightened and—Peter must have imagined it—pressed a kiss to his head.

"I've got you, kid," He said softly.

Peter took a few more moments to compose himself, and to let Mr. Stark hug him—because he refused to let the last time they hugged to be in the middle of some alien battlefield. He clung tighter to him for a few seconds longer before finally pushing back. "Sorry—I'm being ridiculous."

"You're not," Mr. Stark insisted and then smiled. "God, it's so good to see you, Pete. I just—Jesus—missed you so much, kid."

Peter blushed, ducking his head.

"We good now? We're all good? No more tears?"

Peter snorted, shaking his head. "No promises," He said. "But—it's better now, yeah. I'm glad you're awake. Oh man—I'm so glad you're awake. You're never allowed to do that again, by the way—Morgan was going out of her mind with worry, me too—everybody was—what?" Peter noticed Mr. Stark's eyes had gone all misty. "Wh—are you okay? In pain? Should I get Dr. Banner or Dr. Cho?"

Mr. Stark shook his head, laughing a bit. "No, I'm okay—they've got me all hopped up on painkillers—I can barely feel—" He hesitated. "Anyway—I'm okay. Just... you and Morgan met, huh? Wow. That's—I always wanted her to meet you."

Peter smiled lightly. "She calls me her big brother."

"Yeah, well, what else would she call you?" Mr. Stark said. "You're family, Pete. You and May. And Leo, Alex—where is she, anyway, your girl?"

"She's not—Mr. Stark she would throttle me if I called her 'my' girl—" Peter sputtered indignantly.

"Uh huh, uh huh. Is she okay? Did she—did they tell her about...?"

Peter's shoulders sagged as he exhaled. "Yeah—uh—yeah, Ms. Romanoff told her after we brought you here."

"How'd—how is she taking it?"

Peter shrugged, sighing. He rubbed at his eyes. "About as well as you'd expect, I guess," He finally said. "It was really bad until today—she wasn't really talking to me, or anybody except for May—but I just saw her and she seems... a little better?"

Not great. Not back to one hundred percent. But better.

Mr. Stark hummed, leaning back into his pillow with a slight wince.

"Are you sure you're not in any pain?" Peter pressed. "I can go get somebody—" He started to get up, but Mr. Stark quickly grabbed his wrist.

"No—no, please—stay." Mr. Stark sounded surprisingly desperate and it shocked Peter into sitting back down on the bed.

"Okay, yeah, no problem."

His mentor sighed, closing his eyes briefly before taking a deep breath. He focused back on Peter a moment later. "Sorry—just—it's been a minute since I saw you. Longer than a minute. Way longer. Too long."

Five years.

"I'll stay," Peter promised. Then, "Have any of the others been to see you? Steve was saying he wanted to as soon as you woke up."

Mr. Stark snorted a bit. "No way. You're on a first name basis with Captain Stars and Stripes but we're still at 'Mr. Stark?'"

"Oh, uh, well—it just sort of happened. I mean—he asked me to call him Steve and I didn't want to say no to Captain America. Like right to his face. I still call Ms. Romanoff—uh, Ms. Romanoff. She's kind of scary. Like really—actually—"

Mr. Stark grinned widely at him.

"What?" Peter asked. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

He shook his head. "Nothing, I'm just—it's good to hear your voice. I missed your rambling."

"Oh." Peter blushed lightly. "May said the same thing a week after everything."

"She and I are usually on the same page when it comes to you." He squeezed Peter's wrist. "It's really good to see you, Pete."

"It's really good to see you, too," Peter said, relieved.

Mr. Stark paused, staring at him. Usually, something like that would have made Peter uncomfortable, but knowing that Mr. Stark had missed him for five whole years—it just made him feel warm and fuzzy inside. "You know," Mr. Stark said. "You called me Tony earlier. I heard it. First names."

Peter furrowed his eyebrows. "Huh? No—pretty sure I didn't—when earlier? Like, before-earlier or a month ago earlier—?"

"On the—at the compound," Mr. Stark answered. "After I—you know. When you were talking to me. I heard you call me Tony."

"I'm sorry—Tony—"

Peter cleared his throat, squeezing his eyes shut momentarily before blinking. "Oh, right, um. Well, that was, like—" He thought that was his last chance to talk to Mr. Stark. It had honestly just slipped out.

Mr. Stark's eyes softened. "Let's, uh—talk about other stuff," He decided and Peter's shoulders sagged, relieved. Reliving that moment wasn't exactly something he was particularly keen on doing any time soon. "We got an alpaca."

Peter blinked.

"What?"

"Oh, yeah, his name's Gerald—total menace," Mr. Stark said. "He ate Happy's tie this one time—"

"Daddy!" Morgan suddenly came running into the room, followed closely by Pepper. Peter put a mental pin in the alpaca conversation, because that was something he was definitely looking forward to continuing. "I brought you a red ice pop—'cause red's your favorite!" Morgan dashed over to the side of the bed where Peter was sitting and grinned up at him. "Petey! Help me up!"

"Your wish is my command, Mo." Peter smiled, leaning over and scooping the little girl up in his arms. She giggled happily as he set her down gently on the bed.

Mr. Stark looked near tears.

"Daddy? Are you okay?" Morgan asked, tilting her head.

Pepper smiled softly, leaning over to press a kiss to Mr. Stark's head. "Daddy's fine, he just loves you two a lot. Don't you, babe?"

"So much," Mr. Stark agreed. Peter's heart fluttered.

"I love you three thousand, Daddy!" Morgan smiled, holding out the red juice pop for him.

"I love you three thousand, little miss." Mr. Stark took the treat from her and set it aside before wrapping his arm around her. "I see you and Peter are buddies."

Morgan laughed and nodded against Mr. Stark's chest. "He can climb walls, just like you said."

Peter ducked his head. He was still a bit shocked that Mr. Stark had raised Morgan with stories about him. By the time he met her, Morgan already knew so much about him. It was like he had been there the whole time.

"Oh yeah—that's one of his best tricks." Mr. Stark agreed with a nod, glancing at Peter.

While Morgan continued to babble on about her favorite Spider-Man stories, Peter found himself relaxing into the moment. It was then that he finally allowed himself to accept the fact that things were going to be okay. Mr. Stark was finally awake, Alex was finally starting to talk to him and (maybe?) start feeling a bit more like her old self.

Things were going to be okay.

***

Irondad my beloved.