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“Isn’t the guy who navigates supposed to lead?” Clint complained. “Hey, genius, I´m talking to you!”
Tony, who was lagging behind, gave him the finger.
“I was just - securing the terrain,” he panted while pulling himself up to the ledge where Peter and Clint were already standing.
“Sure,” Clint spit. “There´s so much danger coming from, well, cactuses and butterflies. Just admit it, we´re lost.”
“I´ve told you before, I know the way. All saved up here,“ Tony said, pointing at his forehead. “Just because you need a sticky note to remember how to tie your shoelaces, birdbrain, doesn´t mean other people aren´t a little more intelligent.”
Peter was usually on Tony’s side when it came to arguments between the Avengers, but even he wondered what was going on now, Tony´s showcase arrogance doing nothing to reassure him. He knew from experience that it was more than anything else a sign of Tony trying to hide his insecurity.
They had been walking in the mountainous terrain for more than three hours, trying to find a hut in which a group of arms dealers were supposedly hiding their loot. However, it was getting more and more evident that they weren´t even anywhere near their destination, and Peter was sure that they’d crossed this particular hill at least twice already, if not more.
“If you´re so clever, then tell me how much longer we have to walk?” It was clear that Clint had seen through the attempt, too. “I´m honestly getting tired of this.”
“If you´re not up to a short hike, you should have stayed on your hippy-dippy fairytale farm, planting flowers and practicing retirement,” Tony shot back without giving a real answer.
Peter frowned. He knew that Clint´s and Tony´s relationship was sort of bumpy since the whole Civil War thing, but that comment was below the belt line, even for Tony´s usual standards.
If Clint felt bad about it, he didn´t show.
“Look at yourself, old man, you´re panting like a steam loco,” he remarked instead.
Indeed Tony was breathing heavily, sweat beading on his forehead. His cheeks were showing red spots, and he was bent slightly over while standing. Peter expected a snarky reply, but none came. Instead he saw Tony biting his lips, readjusting his backpack and speeding up the pace.
They walked in silence for another 15 minutes, Tony now leading the way, Clint stomping behind like a stubborn child.
“You remember, at MIT, what happened during the last final?” Tony suddenly said to Peter, his tone completely changed. They were walking up a steep path, and Tony was leaning heavily onto the stone wall to his left.
“No, how would I?” he replied confusedly.
“We got so smashed the night before,“ Tony rambled, his eyes looking a bit glassy from what Peter thought were memories. “I don´t know what happened that day. Just don´t remember anymore. Thought you might.“
Peter waited half a minute for Tony to explain himself, but nothing else came.
“Was that supposed to be funny?” he asked. “Because it´s not.”
Tony looked at him with a bit of surprise. “What?”
“What you just asked me”, Peter repeated impatiently. “Was it supposed to be funny?”
“What did I ask?” Tony inquired, confusion on his face.
“Are you kidding me?” Clint interrupted, his voice rising to an uncomfortable level. “I don’t know which game you are playing, Stark, but I’m seriously fed up from this. We´ve been following you for hours, and I feel like you have no idea what the fuck you´re doing!”
“I´m not…” Tony suddenly trailed off, swaying heavily on his feet.
“Wow, wow, what´s going on?” Clint said, anger still evident in his voice, but taking a step forward to steady the other man.
“I´m okay…´s just the palladium from the arc reactor….gotta replace the core…” Tony slurred.
Peter and Clint exchanged a worried glance.
“Mr. Stark, which arc reactor are you talking about?” Peter asked hesitantly. Everyone knew that Tony had gotten the actual implant removed years ago.
But Tony didn´t reply. Clutching one of his hands to his chest, he let out a small moan before his legs gave out all together and he would have hit the ground hadn´t it been for Clint to catch him.
“Thanks, Rhodey,” Tony murmured, clearly delirious.
“He´s cooking,” Clint assessed while pressing his palm to Tony`s forehead. His snarky attitude had vanished within an instant and was replaced by sober professionalism. Peter could see concern edged in the crease above his brow.
“Running a fever of….must be 104, at least.” He cursed when Tony´s eyes rolled back and he went malleable in his hands.
They carefully laid him on the ground, and Clint quickly opened a water bottle to push it in between Tony´s lips. He had to nudge him a few times before he woke up enough to actually start swallowing. After a few sips, all colour drained from his face, and he gagged weakly once the water went down his throat.
“Turn his head to the side in case he throws up,” Clint directed while keeping a finger on his wrist and checking his watch simultaneously to measure the heartbeat.
“His pulse is way too rapid,” he declared after a minute.
Peter could bet his heart was beating nearly as fast as Tony’s. He lifted a hand in order to touch his mentor´s face, but the older man immediately pushed him away with both arms, fear and defensiveness in his eyes.
“Don´ touch me,” he hissed.
“Mr. Stark, it´s only me,” Peter was taken a little aback, but didn´t try again.
“What can I do?” he asked instead, looking at Clint for guidance.
“There´s no way he´s getting out here on his own feet. Make an emergency call, Peter.”
Peter pulled out his phone, just to see an X above the bars indicating the lack of signals.
“There’s no network,” he stated.
He thought of other ways to contact someone, but there weren´t any. None of them was wearing armour, since they were supposed to pass for a family on a hiking day trip, at least if seen from afar. Peter had only brought his web shooters, Clint a foldable bow and Tony his famous watch gauntlet, although Peter was sure he could call one of his suits within minutes if he were lucid enough to do so.
“Yeah, we´re in a dead spot,” Clint said without looking up from Tony. “I think there should be signals up that hill, though. Mind trying?”
“Of course I will.”
Despite his enhanced abilities, Peter ran so fast that he was out of breath by the time he reached the hilltop. At least his mobile started to work again, evident by the beeping of messages arriving. He ignored numerous texts by Ned and scrolled through his contacts untill he found Natasha´s number. Thankfully, she picked up within minutes, and Peter tried his best to explain the situation as clearly as possible.
He made his way down even faster and was back within minutes, just to find Tony still lying in the same position as before.
“How’s he?” he panted.
“Semi-conscious, I’d say. Keeps talking nonsense.” Clint shrugged. “The call went through?”
“Yes, Nat is coming.” Peter replied absentmindedly.
Clint had emptied a water bottle over Tony´s head in an attempt to cool him down, which caused Tony to shiver hard. He moaned a little and mumbled something indiscernible while once again clutching his hand to his chest. The other one was clenched into a fist, ready to strike. Peter could only guess what was going on in Tony´s head, but he was sure it had something to do with the arc reactor.
“He´ll be okay, right?” Peter asked, trying not to sound too concerned, more like an Avenger.
“Don’t worry, it´s not so bad. He´s been much worse.”
This didn´t really help to reassure him. If taking a three-hour mountain walk with a fever of over 104 was considered not so bad for Tony´s standards, Peter wasn’t sure if he wanted to know what worse meant. He wondered again how much - or how less - he actually knew about his mentor´s past history.
“Hey, I’m still here, I can hear you,” Tony announced weakly, finally seeming a bit more clearheaded.
He was trying to push himself up on his hands, and Peter was immediately there to help him lean against the stone wall in a half-sitting position. Tony squinted against the sunlight.
“I think my brain´s gonna blow up,” he stated, pressing his hands to his temples in an attempt to lessen his headache.
“Why did you even come here when you were sick?” Peter asked.
“It wasn’t this bad before,” Tony mumbled.
While this was not necessary untrue, Peter was pretty sure he knew the deeper reason: Tony´s never-ending urge to prove himself that he was stronger - stronger than pain, illness, and anyone who´d ever claimed that he wouldn´t be able to achieve what he wanted. Peter sighed.
“Well, I would have expected something more from you, being a genius and all.” Clint said, half smirking, half scolding. “At least you should have let one of us navigate instead of getting everyone lost.”
“I knew where we were”, Tony assured, “just forgot where we had to go.”
Peter was still trying to bend his head around this when he heard the blades of a helicopter approaching quickly.
“Help is here,“ he announced, more to himself than anyone.
Tony nodded, closing his eyes with an exhausted groan while another chill ran through his body.
“Hey, no napping yet.” Clint tapped his fingers on his cheek. “You still need to get on the helicopter and take some medicine, or do you think I`m gonna spoonfeed you?”
“What else are you there for?” Tony teased without opening his eyes.
“I`m not your PA, dude.” Clint said, slightly irritated. “Nor your wife, for that matter.”
“Friends, family, s`all the same,” Tony murmured, already half asleep . And this time, it actually made Clint smile a bit.