Chapter Text
Penny couldn’t breathe.
She tried her best to, but each breath was a raspy wheeze that made her chest ache.
Her head lolled back, leaning against the wall she was sitting by. She tried to remember what the hell she’s supposed to do during an asthma attack.
Because that’s what it was, right?
A whistle escaping her lungs as she breathed out told her she was right, and tears sprang to her eyes. Penny had thought her asthma was gone, she’d just assumed the spider bite and whole mutation business meant she didn’t have to deal with that anymore, but apparently not.
Sit up straight. That’s what she had to do.
She shifted, the small movements making her cough harshly. It took her a few seconds but she managed to prop herself against the wall, back straight and head level.
Don’t panic.
That was the second important thing. Panic just made it worse. She had to keep breathing.
In and out.
Tears were threatening to spill down her cheeks as she reached for her mask. She’d tugged it off when she’d first started wheezing, feeling like the mask had been suffocating her.
She pulled it on now, blinking back tears.
“Karen-” she whispered, “I can’t..”
“You seem to be having an asthma attack, Penny,” Karen supplied, making Penny bite back a sarcastic reply.
“Yeah, I am,” she wheezed. It was getting harder to breathe.
“Calling Mr. Stark.”
Penny nearly cried in relief as she saw Mr. Stark’s icon pop up in the corner of her vision. He answered almost immediately.
“Pen? What’s going on kid?” He asked, voice obviously panicked despite his best efforts to keep it calm.
“Mr. Stark-” she coughed, “Mr. Stark I can- I can’t breathe.” She said, having to force the words out. She struggled to get her breath back now, her chest hurt so much, her head was aching now too, a sharp, vicious pain in her temples. She couldn’t hold back the sob that escaped her.
She was scared.
“I’m on my way, kid, hold on a few minutes and I’ll be right with you,” Mr. Stark said. Penny could hear sounds in the background, and Mr. Stark was talking to someone but focusing was hard.
She nodded in response despite Mr. Stark not being able to see her. She couldn’t talk right now, but she was sure he heard her wheezing.
The call disconnected and the sound of a car approaching reached her ears.
Penny was crying. Her breathing erratic and shallow. She couldn’t take a full breath without coughing immediately so she just didn’t. Footsteps pounded down the alley towards her and she opened her eyes to see Mr. Stark there, a panicked look on his face. He crouched down beside her and she reached up to try and pull her mask off, her fingers clumsy.
Mr. Stark pulled it off for her and she tried to take a deep breath, coughing instead.
“Asthma-” she gasped between coughs, hoping Mr. Stark understood. He paused for a second then nodded,
“Alright, we’re gonna go get you some help, kiddo,” he said, standing up with Penny in his arms, “just hold on for me, alright? You’re gonna be okay.” He held her close and jogged out of the alley. Penny clutched the front of his shirt tightly as the movement made it harder to breathe.
Happy was there, standing by the car. His eyes widened slightly when he saw them, and he opened the door for the two of them.
Mr. Stark shuffled inside of the car, still holding Penny in his arms. The door slammed shut and a second later Happy was in the driver’s seat.
“Hospital, quick,” Mr. Stark said, urgency in his voice. Happy nodded and the car pulled away from the pavement, speeding down the street.
Penny shifted, her head resting on Mr. Stark’s shoulder. His hand found its way into her hair and she relaxed slightly at the familiar touch. Mr. Stark smiled at her encouragingly,
“You’re gonna be okay, Pen, yeah? Just breathe.”
She nodded weakly. She was going to be fine.
Penny coughed into the mask pressed against her face, wincing quietly. She was familiar with the nebulizer, having received it plenty before the bite. The crackling, hissing sound of the air had been annoying back then, and it was even more annoying now, somehow. Penny just chalked it up to the headache she had.
She settled into the pillows that were propped up behind her and relaxed. The tightness in her chest gave way to a dull ache, the wheezing and whistling had lessened, thankfully, now she could breathe a little clearer. It was great.
You really learn to appreciate oxygen when you’re deprived of it for a while, who would've guessed?
The door to the room she was in opened, and Mr. Stark stepped in, giving Penny a smile when he saw her.
“Hey, kid, how’re you feeling?” He asked, walking over and dropping into the chair beside her bed. She shrugged, giving him a smile that she hoped he could see through the mask covering her mouth.
“Feeling a little better,” she said, clearing her throat. Mr. Stark nodded, looking at her closely for a moment.
“You know…” he started, tilting his head and squinting, “You kinda look like an elephant with that mask on.” He said, grinning and nudging the thin tube that ran from the mask to the oxygen tank on the floor. Penny couldn’t resist a laugh.
“I do?” She asked, giving him a weird look. He just nodded, pulling his phone out and snapping a quick picture, then handing it over. Penny glanced down at it, and snorted.
“I’m right! Aren’t I?” He laughed, taking his phone back, Penny stubbornly shook her head,
“You definitely are not. I don’t see it.” She said, crossing her arms. She was sure she would’ve seemed even the slightest bit serious if it wasn’t for the fact she was giggling.
They both calmed down after a moment, Penny cleared her throat a few times and did her best to keep inhaling the medication. Mr. Stark gave her an apologetic look that she shrugged off.
“I didn’t know you had asthma,” he said casually as the nebulizer started sputtering loudly.
Penny shrugged, “I didn’t even know I had it anymore,” she said, adjusting the mask on her face. “It was a problem before the whole spider bite ordeal, but it hadn’t bothered me since then,” she shrugged, “well, until now.”
Mr. Stark nodded thoughtfully, “it probably just acted up because of your spidermanning, maybe combined with the cold?” He glanced at her and she tilted her head.
“You sound like you know what you’re talking about.”
“I did some reading whilst the doctor was helping you, wanted to know what we’re dealing with here,” he said nonchalantly, as if it wasn’t a big deal. Which maybe it wasn’t to him, but Penny got a warm feeling in her chest.
He’d read up about asthma to help her. He really didn’t have to do that but he did anyway.
It was nice to know he cared enough. Penny couldn’t help but smile.
Mr. Stark smiled too, then cleared his throat, “anyway.” He shifted in his seat, “we’re gonna wait until you’re a little better, then we’ll move your over to the compound,” he said.
That’s when it finally clicked in Penny’s mind that they were in a hospital. Like, a normal hospital. She glanced down under her blanket and was met with the bold red of her suit. Panic seized her, “Mr. Stark-”
“Don’t worry about that,” he said quickly, sitting up and giving her a reassuring smile, “I’ve got all that sorted. The secret’s not gonna get out.”
Penny relaxed, nodding, “Thank you.” He reached out and brushed some of her hair out of her face, then pinched her cheek jokingly.
“Don’t mention it.”
They stayed in the hospital for a few more hours. Some nurses would come by occasionally to check her oxygen levels and give her more medication, which Penny found a little excessive because she felt fine now.
She and Mr. Stark had been watching a movie when the doctor came in, doing a few final checks before giving her the all clear. She got a new prescription that Mr. Stark handed off to Happy for pickup as soon as he dropped them off at the compound.
Having to carry an inhaler around wasn’t really all that horrible. It only took a few days for Penny to fall back into a routine she’d had before the spider bite. She kept her inhaler with her at all times, in her pocket at school, on her desk when she was doing homework, she even made a quick little hidden pocket in her suit for the inhaler when she went on patrol.
There were a few times she felt the odd wheeze, but it wouldn’t last long. And soon, near the end of February when the weather was warming back up, the asthma seemed to disappear again, just as it had previously.
That didn’t stop Mr. Stark, however, who fashioned her a slim watch with a panic button on the side.
“Use it whenever you need me, okay? And I’ll be there in a heartbeat.” He’d said. Penny hadn’t been able to suppress a small smile, that warm feeling in her chest making itself known again.
Even once her asthma cleared up, Penny kept the inhaler with her, however, not only for her sake (she really didn’t want to go through another asthma attack) but for May’s and Mr. Stark’s too. If all she needed to do to ease their conscience was carry a small blue contraption around, then she would gladly do so.