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He's been fighting it all day, but even in the extremity of his stubbornness, he has to admit it. He, Peter Parker, Spider-Man, is sick.
He woke up with a pounding headache, and his mind had immediately gone back to the last freezing cold weekend. It was the middle of January, after all. Through no fault of his own, he ended up in the Hudson twice last weekend. First, some members of a street gang had grown tired of his attempts to stop their war against an opposing gang. They had cornered him and thrown him off of a bridge before he could untie the ropes binding his hands. He had caught himself on his webs, but not before he'd borne the full brunt of the ice cold water.
Less than 24 hours later:
"Damn it!"
Peter had intercepted a smuggling ring that was attempting to sneak their stolen goods onto a small passenger boat. The boat had begun to tip due to their rather aggressive battle, and Peter had been knocked off. He shivered violently after climbing out of the freezing cold water, and had decided to head home. A hot shower was calling his name.
Thinking back to that now, Peter realizes it hadn't been enough to fight of the flu.
Clearly, the strain of the weekend is too much for even his super healing.
Coming back to the present, Peter glares at his chemistry teacher. Although chemistry is one of his favorite subjects (web formula, anyone?), he's not really in the mood for it today. His pounding head is making it hard for him to concentrate, and the bright lights of the school lab weren't doing him any favors.
"...eter. Peter!"
Someone is calling his name. He groans and forces himself to raise his head up off of his arms.
His chemistry teacher is leaning over him.
"Peter, are you alright? You're very pale."
She seems to notice his wince as she speaks, because she lowers the volume of her voice. She then places a palm on his forehead and her eyes widen.
"You're really warm. You should probably go to the nurse. Ned? Can you accompany Peter to the nurses office and help him with his bag as well, please?"
Peter blinks, and suddenly he's in the hallway. He seems to be on autopilot, following Ned through the maze of corridors. He blinks again, and the school nurse is fussing over him. She turns down the lights in the small room before leading him to the cot. He doesn't realize how hard he's been shaking until she covers him with a blanket, and he suddenly realizes that he's freezing.
"...not answering. We'll need to...his emergency contact...yes, this is Miss...Midtown High...calling...Peter...Thank you, see you in a few..."
Peter feels a vague wave of fear at the words emergency contact. Everything is fleeting however, he can't seem to bring himself to focus on anything.
It isn't until a deep voice enters the room that he realizes what had been bothering him. His emergency contact is...Mr. Stark. Crap. That agreement had come about after he broke his arm in gym class while May was working an ER shift. That meant she was forced to leave her phone behind in her locker.
By the time all of this was starting to make sense, a large hand had landed gently on his shoulder.
"Hey kid. Ready to head out?"
"Hey Hap."
Peter attempts to climb to his feet. His head is spinning far too much, however. Instinctively, he reaches out towards Happy. The bodyguard steadies the boy before deciding that walking to the car will be impossible. Peter has barely enough time to realise what is happening before he has been lifted into Happy's arms. His head hurts, so he rests it on the man's shoulder. He feels more than hears the chuckle in Happy's chest as the man speaks.
"We need to feed you a bit more, kid. You're as light as a feather."
In the safety of the man's arms, Peter allows himself to drift, waking only when they arrive at the car. He is jostled and then settled into the back seat, his head leaning against something soft. Only when it moves does he realize that he's leaning against Mr. Stark. With a flash of fear, he sits straight up, panicked apologies on his lips. At his gasp, the man starts, looking for what has scared the little spider. It takes Tony a moment to understand the reason behind the boy's sudden panic.
"Peter. Pete. It's ok. You can lean against me. I don't mind. Come here. You're ok."
Forced to lean back against Mr. Stark, his body on autopilot due to the raging fever, Peter finally allows himself to relax.
He's asleep in seconds.
Peter doesn't wake up fully until the next morning, although he has to ask FRIDAY to know that for sure. He's in a nondescript room, just a bed and a closet, and for a second, he panics, thinking of all the bad possibilities in his confusion. The AI picks up on the spike in his heart rate and immediately calms him. "Mr. Parker. Please calm down. Sir will be here very soon. You should remain in bed however. Dr. Banner has recommended that you avoid over-straining yourself." Peter sighs and leans back. His throat is dry, and now that he thinks of it, he's very lightheaded. He really wishes he had some water.
Just then, the door opens and Mr. Stark walks in, carrying a bottle of water. Peter reaches for it with a thankful groan. Mr. Stark gives him a sympathetic smile.
"Bruce did mention that your throat may be dry after the medicine."
"What...What happened?"
"After you fell asleep? Happy drove us back to the Tower and we carried you up to the Med Bay. Bruce diagnosed you with a strong case of the flu combined with long term dehydration and mild malnutrition. He gave you a smaller dose of Cap's medicine from when he had the flu."
To Peter, the malnutrition makes at least a little sense. He knows he doesn't always eat enough food for his fast metabolism. The dehydration, however? That doesn't make sense and he says so.
Tony grins at his curious Spider-child.
"I think Bruce can explain it more in depth, but basically you need to drink a lot more than you have been. We'll make sure to keep an eye on that while you're healing up."
At that, Tony stands up and pulls out a wheelchair that Peter hadn't seen before, which reminds him of his other question.
Clearing his throat, Peter asks: "Why am I not allowed to walk?"
"Oh, of course. Two reasons. First of all, the medicine that has been developed for super-metabolisms tends to cause some pretty severe dizziness and vertigo. Steve was on bed rest for the entire time he was on it after he feel down the stairs. Plus, with the malnutrition and dehydration, Bruce is concerned about you collapsing. He said that we should keep you from moving as much as possible."
Peter is starting to get tired again, so Tony gives him the next dose of medication before taking him down to the common room. He gets him settled on the couch and is about to offer to turn on the TV when he notices that the boy is already asleep.