Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

After Happy drops him off, Peter rushes up to his apartment despite knowing May wouldn’t be home for a while, but that doesn’t slow him. He fumbles with the keys for a moment before stepping inside.

It’s been a hot minute since he’s been the apartment alone; if May knew she was working late, she’d usually send Peter to Tony, and a lot of the time she just ended up joining him at the Tower anyway. Tony was still pretty spooked since it was when Peter was walking to the apartment when he got kidnapped the first time, and insisted the two spent as much time at the Tower as possible despite May’s protests.

Their apartment was pretty good for New York standards, and it was probably the most well-protected place in all of Queens thanks to his dad’s overprotective nature (“Tony, we don’t need you to install FRIDAY.” “But May—” “No, Tony!”). It held all of the Parker’s knicknacks over the years, but there is the unmistakable yet subtle addition of things that scream Stark.

They ranged from the new lighting fixtures that were able to dim when Peter was overwhelmed to the new color on the walls that Tony helped them paint; now that was a fun time. Little things that have been added in over the months. Lord knows Tony would have wanted to add a whole lot more but May Parker was never one to accept extravagant gifts, even if they were from one of the richest people in the world.

Not only that, but new photos were added all around. Next to a picture of May and Ben holding a squirming 8-year-old Peter was one of the rejected photos of Peter and Tony holding the Stark Industries certificate (there were many rejected photos that day, and this one was of Peter doing the splits in mid-air behind Tony who was doing the Super-man pose while somehow managing to still display the certificate). The most recent addition was a photo of May and Pepper smiling at the camera, taken during one of their weekly get-togethers outside of the Tower. 

Peter’s favorite of the new photos was truly a masterpiece captured by May: Tony was in the ugly dad sweater Peter gave him, Peter laughing at the monstrosity with tears in his eyes, Pepper giggling as she tried to take a photo of them with her phone as blackmail, Happy in the distant background looking grumpy as usual, and May’s face smushed in the corner of the frame, sending the viewer a peace sign.

Looking at it now brings a smile to his face, making him momentarily forget the worry he had for May’s well-being. 

...Well, now he reminded himself about it, great.

“Ugh.” Peter groans, flopping face-first into the sheets of his bed (a hand-me-down from Pepper, because the fabric didn’t grate on his skin when it was overly-sensitive). “This sucks.”

Peter almost forgets, but he remembers to text Tony to tell him he’s arrived home.

Sticky Dude: i just got home 👍

Metal Man: thank god you actually remembered to text me this time

Sticky Dude: did you hear anything from may?

Metal Man: No, but FRIDAY would’ve informed me if something happened

Metal Man: Don’t fret, young grasshopper, and instead go do your homework

Sticky Dude: But i don’t wanna >:(

Metal Man: Too bad. My house, my rules.

Sticky Dude: i’m not in ur house >:) suck on that

Metal Man: You’re banned from the lab, for time eternal 

Sticky Dude: WHAT

Sticky Dude: NO

Sticky Dude: DAD

Sticky Dude: I’LL DO MY HOMEWORK DON’T BAN ME

Metal Man: I wouldn’t ban you, kid, you’d just end up causing explosions where I can’t supervise you

Sticky Dude: ...true

The short texting session with Tony was enough to get rid of the edge of Peter’s anxiousness. It was nice to know that there was someone else looking out for May too. For far too long, it was just May and Peter, and they were all the other had. If May was in trouble, and Peter was busy, or vice versa, it would quickly become a disastrous situation. Before getting close to Tony, their emergency contacts used to be each other and some of May’s co-workers who had their own lives, and couldn't drop everything they were doing to help.

But now, they both had a small army worth of people who cared for them, and would drive (or fly) as quickly as they could if they ever got a distress call.

Even the Rogues were all kind, and even though they didn’t know May nearly as well as they knew Peter, he knew that every single one of them would help out if asked. Even Steve, who Peter had recently found out tried to kill his dad, but the past is the past (sort of, he’s still working on it).

“Homework, got it.” Peter mutters, taking out his books. “I can do that.”

Turns out he couldn’t. It kept going back to May, and if she was alright. Peter was just about to go ‘fuck it’ and put on the suit and swing to see her when the doorknob jingled.

“Peter? I’m back-oh!” May gets the wind knocked out of her as Peter immediately pulls her into a hug. “Wow, what’s gotten into you all of a sudden? You feeling okay?”

“Missed you.” He mumbles into her hair. She doesn’t smell like much after a whole day of working, but he can still get whiffs of her body-wash and shampoo. “Was worried about you.”

He feels May chuckle in his arms, her own coming up and around him and squeezing tight. “Sorry, baby, my phone was off and I didn’t see your messages until I was coming home. I should’ve sent a message.”

Peter shakes his head. “Nah, it’s okay, I was just nervous.”

May hums, patting his hair. “You get it from your dad, I can tell.”

“Mayyyyy,” he whines, releasing her to cross his arms over his chest. “I’m insulted. I’m not that crazy overprotective.”

She just smiles. “Glad to see you didn’t fully deny it. You hungry?”

“Starving.”

"Good. Tell me about the Parent-teacher conference. I got a rundown from Tony already, but I really need to know if he actually made your teachers cry."

"No one cried, but one was very close to tears. Like, extremely close." 

May’s fine, he thinks. She’s bouncing around their kitchen, slicing some onions to make stir-fry (she has the gift of being able to chop onions and not burst into tears, something Peter doesn’t have unfortunately) and humming an old Italian song Peter has heard over and over again through the years. May’s fine, this won’t be like Ben. Peter tries to relax into the couch, keeping an eye on her.

His spidey-sense is getting worse rather than better, and he can’t help but blurt out, “Are you sure you’re okay, May?”

She stops her chopping to look at him through her glasses. “What makes you ask? Do I really look that bad?” She teases him, moving to wash her hands from the onion residue and walking over to him.

“No, I’m just not feeling that good.” Peter admits. Normally he tries not to talk to May when he feels off, but it’s been a long evening of worrying. 

“Not feeling good as in sick or not that good as in Peter Tingle?”

“Do not call it the Peter Tingle.” He warns her as she places her hand on his forehead. “...Does Dad actually call it that behind my back?”

May smirks, but doesn’t answer. “So? Normal sick or superhero tingle?”

“It’s my spidey-sense, Aunt May, spidey-sense. Been worried about you all day and this is the thanks I get.” Peter fake grumbles.

His aunt laughs at him, ruffling his hair. “I’m just a little lightheaded ‘cause I’m tired, Peter. I’ve been on my feet for close to 12 hours. I’m going to be checked over tomorrow just in case I caught something, but those who did get sick looked real bad, kiddie, so I don’t think I’m going to keel over anytime soon.”

Peter nods hesitantly, watching her stand up to go back to dinner. She seemed to be telling the truth, but he knew not to underestimate May’s need to keep Peter from worrying about her. “Alright. Let me know if it gets worse?”

May turns to look at him, a grin on her face and a joke on her tongue. If Peter were to guess, it was probably going to be another comparison to Tony, but he’d never know, because his spidey-sense screams and May’s eyes roll to the back of her head and she drops to the floor.

Thunk.

“May?! MAY!” Peter screams, scrambling over the couch to where she lays on the ground, almost face-planting in his haste. His heart pounds loudly in his chest and it’s all he can hear, and it makes him panic because what about May’s heartbeat? Logically, he knows that if he isn’t in sensory overload he can’t really hear other peoples’ heartbeat that well, and in his stress he can’t focus enough to hear hers, but he’s not in the right state of mind to understand all that.

“Please, please, please, please.” He chants under his breath, placing his fingers on the side of her neck and one palm over her chest. Thump thump. Peter lets out a cry of relief, tears finally overflowing down his cheeks. “May. May, wake up. Aunt May, please open your eyes, just for a bit.”

May doesn’t respond to his words or when he lightly shakes her. His momentary relief disappears, and he’s starting to hyperventilate the longer she stays disturbingly still. In his panic, he doesn’t notice the vibrating phone he left on the couch. “Auntie May!”

“You are my daaad. You’re my Dad! Boogie woogie woogie.” Peter’s head shoots up at the sound, confused. What the hell was that?! “You are my daaad. You’re my dad! Boogie — ”

He snatches his phone from the couch after realizes where it’s coming from. Peter himself had never put that custom ringtone, and it was always on silent so he never even noticed someone changed it (he’s not even sure who did, but Ned is a very strong suspect). “Dad—?”

“Pete! What’s going on?! Why are your vitals going haywire?” Tony’s voice comes out of the phone speaker, and Peter goes back to May’s side, calming down when he can feel her pulse. “Where’s May? I’m looking at her vitals too and — ”

“She collapsed.” Peter whispers, as if speaking any louder would make things worse. “I-I dunno why, but she was just walking and then she dropped and I don’t know how and she said she was feeling fine only a little lightheaded and I dunno if she was lying or what but she’s not waking up not matter what I do and I’m so scared, Dad, please—”

“Okay, it’s alright, kid. Take a breath, I’m already on my way. Paramedics have been called and will be there very soon, just stay calm for me, okay, Pete?” Listening to his dad’s deep rumbly voice doesn’t do much to get rid of the fear, but it’s enough to loosen his lungs to get some much needed air into them. Peter gasps, choking on sobs. “You’re doing so good, buddy, I’m almost there. Just a little longer, okay? May’s going to be fine.”

Tony is freaking out while he shoots through the New York City skyline, weaving through skyscrapers until they get to the Parker’s apartment building. The suit drops him off on the fire escape before zooming off.

It’s a little odd to crawl into the (fortunately) open window, and he almost trips and falls on his face, but he manages to get into the (fortunately) empty hallway, and get through the (unfortunately) locked door.

“Peter?” He calls out, eyes darting around the room.

“Dad!” He zeros in on Peter’s frantic voice, and the sight almost sends him to his knees.

May was paler than he’d ever seen her, unconscious with her long hair splayed out in every way. He’d never actually seen the woman alseep before, but she sure didn’t look asleep ; she looked... dead. But FRIDAY would have alerted him if her pulse stopped, and Peter was still grabbing onto her pulse point.

Oh god, Peter. His kid looked an inch away from a panic attack, so Tony was quick to move his frozen limbs to go beside him.

Peter doesn’t move away from May’s body, which he had moved into the recovery position, as if letting go of her would somehow make her condition worse. Tony understands, and instead of dragging Peter to stand up he sets himself on the floor next to his son, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

“Paramedics are coming up right now, we have to let them take her.” Tony whispers, rubbing a hand up and down Peter’s arm when he tenses. “They’re going to take care of her, but we have to let them, okay?”

After a moment, Peter nods, whispering back. “Okay.”

Paramedics swarm into the room right then, and Peter lets them take May without a fuss. The two of them follow her body quickly as they put her in the back of an ambulance, EMTs shouting orders at each other. They let both Peter and Tony get into the van with her, which only mildly surprises Tony, but they probably just didn’t want to argue with him.

Peter is being alarmingly quiet, staring at May’s prone state with a glaze in his eyes, like he’s not really there. “Pete? How are you feeling?” Tony re-wraps an arm around his kid’s shoulders, squeezing him close to his side. 

Tony worries Peter won’t even acknowledge the outside world, but the kid leans into him, squishing himself as close as he can. “Not doing great.”

The elder sighs, using his free hand to find Peter’s. “I know.”

As soon as Tony heard Peter’s sobs over the phone, he was in a suit and flying over as quickly as possible. He let FRIDAY inform Pepper of what was going on, who was still at the tower quietly freaking out. He’s sure Pepper had called Happy, because FRIDAY had informed him Happy had texted while he was still in the suit, and the man was most likely rushing to the hospital. With Happy’s driving skill, he might even arrive before the ambulance.

The rest is sort of a blur to Tony: arriving, watching May get wheeled into the emergency room, being told they had to wait outside.

As much as Tony loved May and worried for her health, he was most concerned with Peter, who got more and more withdrawn the longer May stayed away from their sight. Tony didn’t have many words to say that wouldn’t just be him repeating himself, and all his jokes got caught in his throat. They end up huddled together on the waiting room couch, quiet, with only Happy’s pacing as entertainment.

It’s not long before a doctor comes in, saying that May most likely caught the virus at work but that she was stable and they could see her—that is, see her through a window. They wanted to keep the risk of contagion to a minimum, and they don’t want to risk getting May sick due to her compromised immune system.

He couldn’t help but think walking to May’s room felt like walking to their deaths. Or May’s death. No. Tony pushes the thought away. She’s fine.

Still, he worries.

Her room is in a secluded spot, and when they open the door, they can see May in her own room with a large glass window.

Peter seems to finally understand the severity of the situation, because as soon as he catches sight of May in her hospital bed, he breaks down into hysterics. Large, hacking sobs echo in the room before Peter turns and buries his face into Tony’s chest. Tony flounders, not expecting the onslaught of tears.

“She’s gonna be okay, right?” Peter sobs. “Dad?”

Tony runs his calloused fingers through Peter’s sweaty curls—to comfort Peter or himself, he’s not sure. “I hope so, kiddo, I really do.”

Peter continues to cry, it each hiccup into his chest breaks Tony’s heart just a little bit more. Honestly, Tony’s sure if he was less emotionally constipated he would’ve also started tearing up, but it’s hard to break the rules he was taught since he was young. Stark men are made of iron, they don’t cry. But since Peter was introduced into his life, those lifelong lessons started to hold less weight to them, because he could never even dream of telling Peter those things, so it would be hypocritical of him to still follow those rules that his father—his literal, blood-related father—told him if he didn’t believe they were true for Peter—who might not have been blood, but was still his son.

Even so, Tony refused to cry. There was nothing to cry for, he reasoned. May would get better as soon as doctors developed a vaccine or a pill or… something. He couldn’t really bug the doctor for specifics in front of Peter, and the man had been kind enough to save sharing the scarier details for a later meeting.

Pepper would get there soon enough; she could be the one to ask.

Tony focused his attention at the woman of the hour.

May was one of the strongest women—no, people Tony knew. She had ripped him a new one when she found out about Spider-man, and before they formed their unlikely co-parenting bond, Tony felt the need to obey her every whim like she was the queen. The only person who had been able to do that to him at this day and age was Pepper (and Peter too, but that was different). May might not have been a superhero, but she was a parent, and a damn good one at that, and she knew how to get what she wanted when she wanted to.

Watching her be wheeled in on a stretcher, pale and sickly, was jarring to say the least. He couldn't imagine what it was like for Peter to see her fall.

Tony continues to comfort Peter, whose sobs were starting to die down but still had tears streaming down his face, watching Happy pace in front of him.

"Hap, come sit, you're giving me second-hand stress just making me watch you." Tony said, breaking the quiet of the room. Peter flinches a bit, making Tony feel a bit bad for scaring him.

Happy takes a look at him, and at Peter still hidden in his arms. "Sorry, Boss, can't sit still."

"Then would you mind getting us something from the food court? It'll give you something to do." Tony sees Happy's eyes dart to where May lays in the other room. "I'll call you if something happens, or FRIDAY will tell you. Try and relax if you can."

Happy hesitates a but before nodding, coming over to place a hand on Peter's shoulder. "Anything you want, kid?"

Peter shakes his head, but Tony knows Peter needs to eat soon or his metabolism will start eating through his body's reserves. "How about something easy on the stomach? And some coffee for me, preferably not the disgusting instant ones. Treat yourself to whatever you'd like, Hap. We'll be right here."

Happy gives Peter's shoulder a squeeze, saying 'call me if you need me' before disappearing down the corridor.

"Feeling any better?" Tony questions when he feels Peter's shaking stop. 

The boy sniffs, whimpering. "A little."

It's obviously a lie, because Peter sounds absolutely wrecked. But Tony doesn't know what else to do. He can't make May better, doesn't even know exactly what's wrong with her, and can't exactly go asking around in fear of bringing too much attention to the Parkers and because he's got his hands full with Peter. He hopes Pepper is almost here.

"How about we go get cleaned up, hm? I bet a splash to the face will feel good."

Peter looks doubtfully at him, but he is covered in snot and tears and can't really breathe, so some tissue sounds like a good idea.

Tony lets his arms drop from around his kid, standing up with him before Peter stops him. "N-no, it's fine, I can go myself. Really, I can," Peter interrupts when he sees Tony about to protest. "Can you stay here? In case, May, you know, something happens? Please?"

Tony is absolutely useless in the face of Peter’s puppy dog eyes, even if they're red and swollen. Tony swallows, nodding. Peter brightens just a little bit at winning the argument, and so Tony feels a little better about leaving Peter alone. "Text me if you need me, alright? Promise me."

Peter rolls his eyes, the picture of an exasperated teen. "Yes, Dad . I know how to use the bathroom."

Tony smirks. "Go clean your face, you brat."

Peter sticks his tongue out and walks away. While Peter was using humor as a coping mechanism, it was a huge relief to see Peter was somewhat okay if he was able to talk back. Tony lets out a breath, looking back at May. 

Unfortunately, Tony never bothered getting a PhD in medical fields, and the charts around May don’t give him much to go on. This was more Bruce’s thing, but Bruce was with Thor and Loki in New Asgard, and he can’t really call the man to fly back to New York to help him; not to mention the media frenzy if they caught wind of Bruce Banner and Tony Stark in a hospital room. He should get May transported as quickly as possible to the Tower, or even the Compound, now that she was more-or-less stable.

He hears female voices outside the room, and soon enough Pepper steps inside. She’s still dressed in her work outfit, and looked a lot more put-together than Tony was feeling despite also being in a suit.

“Pep,” he whispers her name, relief evident in his tone, “Pepper, oh my god.”

She looks at him first, giving him a smile that looks more like a grimace, but it quickly turns into a look of grief when she sees May. “Oh my god. Tony, May, oh my god. ” It just sounds like neither of them know how to say anything that isn’t a name or ‘oh my god’.

It’s almost as jarring to see Pepper frazzled as it was to see May sick, but Pepper, always the more capable one, schools her features until she looks normal again. She'd spent years dealing with her fiancé's antics and his need to throw himself into dangerous situations. This wasn't the first time seeing someone she loved in the hospital, and will not be the last. She turns to Tony, who had moved to stand next to her, grabbing his hand and squeezing. “Are you okay? Where’s Peter?”

“He’s in the bathroom.” He takes her other hand as well, concerned. “Are you okay? I know you and May got really close.”

She gives him strained smile. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. The doctors say May’s pretty stable, and they’re figuring out exactly what’s wrong with her, but it seems like it’s the same thing that all the other people got infected with near Fisk. No one has died yet, but it’s weakening all of their immune systems, and there’s no cure yet either. Fisk is under surveillance, and police are working on getting a permit to investigate his tower because they suspect he’s behind it.”

Tony frowns. “Why haven’t they just put the guy behind bars already? He’s a known mob boss.”

“They don’t have any solid evidence yet; Fisk knows what he’s doing.” Pepper turns to look at May again, freeing one of her hands to place on the glass separating them from May. “They’re calling it ‘Devil’s Breath’. Not much is known about it yet, but it seems to be airborne, but only people who were in direct contact with it for extended periods of time catch it.” She gestures to May. “May was there the entire day. Most of her co-workers didn’t stay as long as she did, but they’re calling in to check on everyone just in case some got sick and no one was there to help.”

“‘Devil’s Breath’.” Tony repeats. “Fitting. Do we have people working on a cure?”

Pepper nods. “Dozens of people are working on it already, but I’ve also set a Stark Industries’ research team to help. Helen Cho is part of the group, so I’m certain we’ll be able to figure something out soon enough. I’ve also called Bruce because as much as I trust Helen, I wanted to cover all our bases, and he agreed to come back ASAP. I’m also thinking about asking Princess Shuri because she’s intelligent, but I’m not sure if her skills lie in medicine or if she’s just into engineering like you or chemistry like Peter and I just—”

“Pepper, hey, take a deep breath.” Tony intervenes when she starts to stress rant, pressing a light kiss to her cheek. “You’re doing great. If Helen and Bruce don’t manage to find something, we can get the Wakandan team to help out too. So far, this hasn’t proven to be lethal yet, just inconvenient.”

Pepper doesn't respond, keeping her eyes on May, someone who was practically her sister. Tony didn't want to think of Pepper losing a sibling she just gained, and he has to admit May had become something like a sister to him too, and he really did not want to think of Peter's response to losing yet another loved one. Wasn't even sure if they'd all survive if May didn't.

His own words echo in his mind. So far, this hasn’t proven to be lethal yet, just inconvenient.

But how long would it take until someone died of this? Would they be fast enough to save May?

Chapter Text

“I’ll go check on Pete.” Tony mutters, squeezing Pepper’s hand. “Be right back.”

Pepper nods. “I’ll work on getting May transferred to the tower.”

The hallway is bright, light hitting and bouncing off the tiles. It’s a nice hospital, with beautiful art lining the walls, potted plants here and there, and there’s a quiet indistinguishable  murmur that fills the area. It’s not eerily quiet, and Tony’s never been good with silence, so he’s grateful for it.

His shoes make a satisfying click clack as he walks towards the bathroom he saw Peter disappear into. 

He knows Peter can take care of himself, and that if Peter really tried he would be fine, but this is mostly for Tony’s sake. He’s not sure if he would be able to keep standing still, watching May get sicker and sicker while not doing anything to help. Tony makes a mental note to read every medical journal he can get his hands on tonight. He became an expert in  thermonuclear astrophysics overnight, no reason he can’t do it again with medicine.

The bathroom door comes into view, and he gives a quick warning knock before walking in. He’s hoping only Peter is inside because he doesn’t want to explain to a stranger why he’s comforting a random teen in a Queens hospital.

Turns out, he should have been hoping for something else.

Peter honestly didn’t mean to have another breakdown in the bathroom. One thought led to another, and then another, and another, and it was a downwards spiral from there. Peter was already the last blood Parker, but if May died, he would be the last Parker, period. No other family left.

That’s not true! The reasonable side of his mind says. Tony, Pepper, Rhodey, Happy. Dad.

But Dad’s lifestyle is anything but safe, and Peter knows he had a higher chance of losing Tony before losing May. And would Pepper even want to stay around Peter if her fiance died? Peter only knew Rhodey because he was Tony’s “brother”, and Happy was only around him because Tony forces him to drive Peter places. Well, now Happy’s seeing May, but if May died then would he have anyone left?

Peter gets more hysterical the longer he lets himself think these thoughts. His breathing speeds up, and his legs wobble. Normally, this is when FRIDAY’s protocols kick in and she reminds him to breathe, and if he can’t get it under control then she calls Tony.

But this isn’t the Tower, there is no FRIDAY, no Karen, and even no Tony because Peter had stupidly told him to stay and watch May. Peter slams a palm over his mouth when his stomach rolls. He still hasn’t had dinner, and the chaos of the evening and the oncoming panic attack probably doesn’t help his upset stomach.

“Da—,” He tries to call out, but the moment he opens his mouth, his half digested food comes shooting up his throat. Peter barely makes it to the toilet before he’s spewing his lunch. It burns, but he gets no rest because his stomach groans again and he’s continuing to vomit. If he thought he couldn’t breathe earlier, now he really couldn’t breathe. The bile blocks his airways and his anxiety isn’t letting him calm down enough to take a full gulp of air. Is this how I die? Asphyxiation because of the joint collaboration between my stupid brain and my dumb stomach trying to kill me? 

He can’t stop the tears from leaking out of his eyes, though it stings to even cry at this point. Peter regrets not calling his dad in with him now. Maybe his Dad senses will kick in and tell him I’m in trouble.

You know what they say, speak of the devil and they will appear. Peter hears his name being spoken, and has one moment to think damn am I magic? before throwing up again.

“Peter?!” Tony chokes out, rushing over to where he can see the boy is heaving into a toilet bowl. Tony almost falters when he gets a few feet away because of the acidic smell, but then Peter shudders again and Tony trips over himself to kneel down next to his kid. “Hey, hey, deep breaths, you got it.”

Peter’s got tears and snot running down his face, turning a blotchy red color as he continues to mostly dry heave into the toilet. He looks even worse than he did before he walked in, Tony winces.

“C’mon, buddy, breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in, that’s it, just like that. Breathe out.” Tony coaxes, rubbing a hand down Peter’s back and the other tearing tissue out of the dispenser. He waits for a break in the dry heaves to gently clean the boy’s face and flush the toilet. “Here, blow your nose. It’ll help you breathe easier.”

Peter sobs into the tissue, but does as he’s told. It seems to help, because Peter’s chest moves up and down in a steadier rhythm. He’s not sure how long they stay down there, but it’s been long enough that Tony’s knees and back start a revolution and demand he stand back up. “Hey, Pete, let’s get to the sinks. Paper can only do so much.”

He brings Peter to splash his face, and again he’s alarmed with how compliant Peter is being. The normal Peter always complained whenever he was treated like a kid (even though he is a kid ). But at least now he’s stopped crying, allowing Tony to pull him back towards Pepper and May.

Pepper’s rigid stance drops as soon as they walk in the room. 

“Oh, sweetheart.” Pepper breathes, and that’s enough to send Peter through another round of tears. “Come here.”

She gathers Peter into her arms, and he looks so small and fragile compared to Pepper in her stilettos and suit and hair up. She’d always been Tony’s pillar of strength when he was struggling, always having a solution and steps for him to follow when he got lost. Tony had lost count of how many times it was him in Pepper’s arms, relying on her to tell him what to do next. He wonders if he also looked as small and defeated as Peter did at that moment.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Peter apologizes, “I’m getting your shirt dirty.”

Pepper shushes him, running a manicured hand through his curls. “I have 10 of these shirts in the exact same color, it doesn’t matter.” She actually does , Tony thinks with little amusement. Pepper chooses that moment to open her eyes and look at him.

Come here. Her eyes say. So he does.

Tony walks over to join the hug, wrapping his arms around the two. He gives Pepper a short kiss on the cheek, because he can, before saying: “We’ll be okay. All of us.”

His fianc é nods. “We are, because we have the smartest minds in the world working on a cure right now.”

Peter just hiccups.

It’s easy enough to transfer May to the tower, even if Tony is anxious that something would happen along the way. There are no drastic changes in her condition, and Helen is already double checking everything the hospital went through.

After Peter has thoroughly exhausted himself from crying, Pepper forces him to take Peter up to the penthouse to sleep while she stays to make sure everything runs smoothly. It’s nearing the time for the sun to rise, and Tony is too wired to sleep, and Peter seems to be the same.

Tony’s solution? Movies.

After plopping Peter on the couch, who was still being far too quiet for his liking, Tony goes into the kitchen to bring out dinner. Tonight, he’d ordered in a healthy meal for him and Pepper, but he’s pretty sure Pepper wouldn’t mind if he fed it to Peter instead. She’d probably try and feed Peter an entire farmer’s market if she thought it would help. 

“Here you go, kid. Eat your greens.” Tony hands it to him, pretending like he wasn’t watching him like a hawk, making sure he ate it all. “There’s more in the kitchen when you’re done.”

Peter hums dully, stabbing his salad with a fork. “Not that hungry.”

The man tsks playfully. “Pep would be sad if you didn’t enjoy her favorite food: green.”

It’s an attempt to make Peter smile, but it barely receives a twitch of the lips when he knows Peter would have at least snickered at it yesterday. Tony forces himself not to frown in concern, instead taking an exaggerated bite of his own food. “Eat up, it’ll make you feel better in the long run.”

Peter only manages to stomach the salad and some of the grilled chicken, but at least he was trying, and that’s all Tony could ask for. Plus, both him and Happy had practically shoved the food Happy bought down the poor kid’s throat. They both get ready for bed, Tony taking that time to update Pepper and reading her texts that assure him that May was still fine, and that Bruce was going to drop by tomorrow.

At this point, they should both be in their own beds, but they stay seated next to each other on the couch. Tony thought about moving their party downstairs to the Avengers living room, but Peter didn’t seem up to more social interaction. His kid had drained his social battery for the day; for the entire week, to be honest.

Tony rakes his fingers through Peter's hair, something he knows Peter loves, hopefully making the boy a little more inclined to go to sleep. "How about another movie, hm?"

He puts on a more calm movie that Peter's told him about before. Maybe the pleasing music and comfort Tony's bringing him makes Peter tired enough to fall asleep. Hell, it's making Tony want to fall asleep, but he sure isn't going to konk out before Peter gets some shut eye. Aren't teens supposed to get eight hours of sleep per night? Maybe he should also be more strict with bedtimes…

After the movie reaches the midway point, he turns to check on Peter, only to find him wide awake. Tony internally sighs. He should’ve expected that. When his own parents died, he hadn’t slept for almost an entire week, the only times he’d ever rest in the coming months was when he passed out from drinking. 

“I think it’s time to hit the hay, kid. We have a big day ahead of us.” Tony says regretfully. “Pepper’s coming up soon, too. We can’t just let her sleep alone.” He’s hoping to guilt-trip him into at least taking a nap, but Peter just shakes his head.

“I’ll be okay. You two can sleep.”

“As if I’d let you eat the snacks on your own.” Tony lightly teases. No matter how tired Tony was, he would not be leaving his kid alone with his thoughts. He knows exactly how that goes, and he refuses to ever leave Peter to suffer without company. 

They don’t move from the couch until Pepper steps out of the elevator. Tony’s known her long enough to know how tired she is by the way she holds her shoulders at a slight angle and the way her eyes are slightly lidded, but to anyone else she was just as poised as normal. “Hey, boys, why aren’t you in bed?”

“We just got to the good part,” Tony gestures at the screen, where some characters are fighting about something; he doesn’t know what’s going on, he wasn’t paying attention. “Can’t just skedaddle.”

Pepper rolls her eyes at him. “There’s something called a pause button, ever heard of it? FRIDAY, pause.”

FRIDAY follows the order like the good robot she is, choosing Pepper over Tony. He grumbles about unfaithful AIs under his breath, and FRIDAY chooses to ignore him. Another wise decision. “Guess that’s our cue to sleep. What Mom wants Mom gets, up and at ‘em, Petey.”

Peter is hesitant to stand, only barely moving his limbs before curling back into a ball. “I’ll finish the movie myself. I want to know what happens.”

It’s a lie, but neither of the parental figures call him out on it. Tony’s not even sure if Peter even knows what movie they’re watching, because Tony sure as hell doesn’t. They could have been watching Dora the Explorer and he wouldn’t have noticed.

It’s not even the first time Peter has done something like this. An easy solution is some comforting words and hair playing, but that’s already proven to not work tonight. Prior to this, if Peter really didn’t want to sleep…

“How about we have a sleepover? Hm? All three of us.” Pepper says, already ahead of him. “I think we all need to stick close to each other.”

It’s the right move, because Peter brightens up almost instantly. “R-really? I’m fine here, though, I promise.”

“No, come on, kid, it’ll be a great bonding experience.” Tony insists, knowing that Peter always needed a little extra assurance before he ever allowed himself to do anything that would make him happy. It’s something Tony is trying to wean him out of, but it’s not always successful. “Whaddaya say?”

And so that’s how they all end up piled on Tony and Pepper’s massive bed, but none of them are any closer to entering REM sleep. Tony tries everything he can think of that normally gets Peter to knock out; hand running through his hair, Pepper rubbing his back, Peter laying half on top of Tony to listen to the loud thump thump of his heart.

Tony makes eye contact with Pepper, mouthing ‘what should we do?’

To his surprise, Pepper starts humming. At first, it’s a mindless tune, soft and melodic enough to be considered a lullaby. It transports Tony back to when he was just a small boy, and his mother would sing to him whenever he was scared. Pepper’s humming turns into something more recognizable, and then she starts singing.

“As I went down in the river to pray, studying about that good old way…” Peter instantly relaxes at his mom’s voice, allowing her singing to wash over him. Even Tony finds himself relaxing, because damn that woman had a great voice. “And who shall wear the starry crown, good lord, show me the way…”

She nudges him soon after, making him join in. His voice is a little rusty, but he did receive classical training when he was young (Maria insisted), so he doesn’t sound half as bad as he could. “Oh, fathers, let’s go down. Let’s go down, come on down…”

They go through the entire song, and when Pepper finds Peter still awake, she starts another one without complaint. It’s quite magical, to be honest. The windows are tinted, but he can see that there is a change in the color of the sky, the tips of the tallest sky-scrapers shimmering in the early morning light. If Tony tries hard enough, he can hear the phantom sounds of the bustling city streets, where night shift workers finally go home, and early morning workers drag themselves into the nearest coffee shop. It’s a new day, the skyline tells him, what happens today? What will you do with your life now? 

Despite all of his all-nighters, it was rare for Tony to ever see the sunrise because he was locked away in his lab. Never in his life did Tony think this would be where he ended up at dawn after a sleepless night: in a family cuddle pile.

Eventually, the songs are enough to send Peter to the brink of unconsciousness. Sandwiched between his parents, and Peter feels safe enough to fall asleep.

Tony and Pepper continue to watch him long after his breaths even out, like two new parents watching their newborn just to make sure nothing happened to them during the night. In some ways, it’s true: they are new to this parenting business, but Peter is a teenager, not a baby who couldn’t even support their own weight.

“Go to sleep, Pep.” Tony whispers. He knows his soon-to-be wife wouldn’t sleep a wink if she didn’t want to. “I’ll follow you. I’ll just read a few medical journals first.”

Pepper was tired enough not to argue, closing her eyes and muttering to FRIDAY, “Activate ‘you’re overworking, sleep’ protocol.”

“Certainly, boss.”

Tony smirks fondly at her. Of course. The protocol would shut down all of Tony’s access to anything work related after an hour because she knew Tony needed to wind down in bed before actually being able to fall asleep.

He gets to work, pulling up the files on this damn virus.

Bruce arrived while the family was asleep, and to everyone’s surprise, Loki had joined him.

“I’m an expert in ways to destroy a body from the inside.” Loki sniffs at Tony’s questioning expression, crossing his arms. “Banner thought I’d be useful.”

Said man smiles at Tony. “He was worried about Peter. But he does know his way around ailments.” 

Tony is still nowhere near forgiving Loki for everything he was responsible for, but he was able to see when someone was trying to make amends. “Alright. I was only able to lightly touch on the subject of Devil’s Breath. Break it down for me, Brucie-bear.”

Bruce doesn’t even blink at the nicknames anymore. He pulls up a hologram, starting to explain. “Well, it’s only nicknamed ‘Devil’s Breath’. New intel says it’s actually called GR-27, an imperfect medical treatment serum designed by Oscorp.”

“Wait, wait, Oscorp?” Tony is not… shocked, so to speak, but he was thinking more along the lines of Fisk. “New intel? The police got to search the place?”

“Yes and no.” A voice from behind him makes him turn. Natasha smirks at him. “An anonymous source tipped them off, giving them just enough evidence to be able to search both Fisk and Norman Osborn.”

Tony can’t help but grin at the woman. Her red roots were starting to show. “You son of a bitch.”

“Swear jar.” She sasses back, walking next to Bruce. “Can’t believe I had to hear about this from Bruce, I thought we were a team.” Natasha is clearly teasing, but Tony still feels the need to defend himself.

“It was a difficult night. You weren’t at the front of my mind.” Tony shrugs, continuing to look through the holographic papers. “Wow, ‘CRISPR genome editing with an AI-controlled gRNA to modify genetic mutations and errors in humans.’ If that were to be successful, it would be a medical breakthrough, wouldn’t it?”

“Indeed.” Helen pipes in. “It could serve as a potential cure for genetic disorders such as cystic fibrosis and Huntington's chorea, but in its current state it incorrectly attacks the patient's immune system, triggering rapid immunodeficiency and eventually death if left untreated. If we were to have functioning versions of both GR-27 and Extremis, we would take the medical field by storm.”

Tony hums. “Unfortunately, Extremis is still too unpredictable, and GR-27 has turned into Devil’s Breath.”

Helen nods. “Unfortunately.”

“Fortunately,” Bruce adds, “we are making headway with the cure. Unfortunately, it could take a long enough time to develop that people start dying.”

He pales at the news. “What? Are you shitting me?”

“Fortunately,” Bruce continues as if Tony hadn’t spoken, “there’s already a cure for Devil’s Breath.”

“What?! Are you fucking shitting me?!”

Natasha drops a stack of files in front of him—paper ones this time. “I’ve been led to believe there’s only one bottle, and it’s hidden with Osborne. There’s no specific location, but it’s obvious that Osborne would keep it near him. We’d have to break into his penthouse illegally to get it.”

“I’m sorry, ‘we’?” Tony questions, raising an eyebrow.

The ex-assassin scoffs, looking away. “Of course we’re going to help. May’s one hell of a woman.”

“And also we want to help everyone else who’s been infected.” Bruce helpfully adds. Natasha tips her head at him, as if to say ‘yeah that too’.

Again, Tony can’t help but smile at her. Out of all the Avengers, he’s known Natasha the longest. Sure, he didn’t meet her as Natasha Romanoff, and she was manipulating him, but she did also help get his life back on track. They’d had a falling out after Civil War, but Steve wasn’t the only person who sent him an apology letter. Well, Nat didn’t send a letter, it was more like a note that said ‘I’m sorry’ attached to a lovely Patek Philippe watch, and most importantly, a way to contact her if needed. For someone like Natasha, that was an expression of extreme trust.

“Alright, so what’s our plan? Has anyone told the rest of the team?” Tony asks the group, but gets a reply from behind him.

“Not entirely.” Steve pops into the MedBay, holding a box of sliced fruit—most likely in an attempt to feed Tony healthy food. “Based on the news, sightings of you at a hospital, and the fact that May is in the MedBday, it’s a plan for this new virus, I’m assuming?”

Tony gives a low whistle. “Look at Mr. Detective over here.”

Steve rolls his eyes but doesn’t respond to that. “Am I right?”

The billionaire plops an apple slice into his mouth. “Yup. The virus isn’t as contagious as it could be, but in the wrong hands it could cause a global pandemic. Ms. Romanoff has already scored us some valuable intel, and has volunteered you all come help.”

Steve shrugs. “Fine by me.”

“Really? No further questions? Who are you and what have you done to Captain America?” Tony accuses.

But Steve just shrugs again. “I trust you guys.”

Tony’s lips are forced into a grin yet again. “Aw Cap, you’re making me blush.”

Natasha clears her throat. “If you two are done flirting, we should call a meeting.”

“You guys get on that, I’m going to check on Peter and meet you there. Tell FRIDAY the time and place.” Tony informs them, turning on his heel before Steve questions him, concerned.

“How is he doing? What about Pepper, and Happy?”

He exhales, his cheery exterior dropping for a moment. “He’s doing as good as he could be doing, which is more than I had hoped for. That kid has too much experience with being dealt crappy hands.” Too many bodies to bury. He had almost said it, but that would lead to questions on who had died, and he can’t really say ‘oh his actual mom and dad and uncle’.

A sympathetic murmur goes across the room. “I’m sorry you both had to go through so much.” 

Tony waves him off. “I’ll see you in the meeting.”

There were a few things he expected when he walked in the penthouse, but it wasn’t to the sight of Thor practically engulfing Peter in a bear hug. It was… kind of hilarious. While Peter was lean, and growing into his body, Thor was 6 foot 3 inches, 1,425 pounds (a fact he learned after Thor broke his scale) of muscle, a Norse god and alien. Peter had no chance of looking like anything but a tiny baby next to him.

Unable to help himself, Tony takes a photo before they notice him. Thor is telling Peter of how New Asgard is doing, and of tales of the Valkyrie (Peter was a big fan of Brunhilde, or whatever her name was). The boy wasn’t as crazy excited as he usually would have been, but he did look more engaged than he had since May got sick. God, was that only yesterday?

Peter notices him as soon as he steps into the living room, reaching a hand out of the House of Thor’s Muscles to give him a tiny wave. “Hi, Dad. Uncle Thor’s here.” He’s so adorable oh my god. Baby.

“Yeah, I can see that. Met his emo brother downstairs too.”

“Uncle Loki’s a goth and that’s a fact.”

“Agree to disagree.” Tony shrugs, sitting down next to him. “Hey there, Lightning McQueen, New Asgard doing good?”

“It’s doing wonderfully.” Thor responds happily. “The Norwegian government were happy to have us, and your contributions with this planet’s currency has been invaluable. I thank you again on behalf of myself and my people.”

The man waves off the thanks, uncomfortable when people show him genuine affection when he helps them out financially. “No need to get all mushy gushy, anyone would have done it.”

Thor nods, a bit confused. “But you were the one that did it, not anyone else.”

“Dad’s just bad at accepting that people love him.” Peter pipes up from where he was slowly emerging from the House of Thor’s Muscles to tuck himself into Tony’s side.

“Brat.” Tony says without any heat, pressing a kiss to his curls. “And also a hypocrite, Mr. ‘why-would-MJ-like-me-I’m-just-Peter’.”

Peter grumbles something under his breath while the Asgardian smiles softly at the two of them, a faraway look in his eyes, like he’s seeing something bittersweet. “I shall bid the two of you farewell. I shall go greet the others before heading back to my people.”

“Already?” Peter pouts. “That’s so soon.”

Thor chuckles. “I don’t know my way around ailments as well as Loki does. There is not much knowledge I could offer you that Loki would not already know. It is a shame I cannot hang out with you and your father, young Starkson. Make sure to come visit New Asgard as soon as your aunt gets better.”

Peter doesn’t let the mention of his aunt bring him down. “Dad? Can we?”

“Maybe when summer starts.” Tony responds.

“Perfect!” Thor booms, standing up. “I shall make sure New Asgard is on fleek. I will use the designated travel area.”

“Later, Thor. Text if you need something.” Then, to Peter, he whispers. “Is ‘on fleek’ still a trend?”

“No, but it’s good for Uncle Thor to know past memes too.”

“Alright,” Tony concedes, pressing a kiss to Peter’s hair and then wrinkling his nose, “you go wash your hair. I’m going to a meeting with the team. Your mom should be back for lunch, so make sure you don’t reek of teenage hormones.”

“A team meeting? Can I come?”

Ah, he should’ve expected that. “Sorry, kiddie, classified stuff will be revealed. I’ll brief you on what I can when we finish, how’s that?”

“It’s about the virus, right? I should be able to help. I’m really good at biochemistry and bioengineering, and May is my real aunt.” Peter protests, not noticing how the ‘real aunt’ comment almost shattered Tony’s heart. Because, yeah, May is Peter’s real aunt, while the rest of them were just pretending.

“Let me ask them team. Go shower.” Tony abruptly stands up, causing Peter to fall over. Tony gently pushes him towards the bathroom in apology. “Go on, I’ll let FRIDAY tell you if you can come after.”

Peter sighs but goes to take a shower.

Tony is left in the living room to contemplate this whole ruse. It’s been months since they first began this whole prank, and Tony was sure they’d have figured it out in the first day—a week at best. Instead, most remain none the wiser about how Tony and Peter weren’t related at all. Well, maybe Natasha knew, but it was hard to keep many things secret around an agent. Clint probably knew too, but hasn’t said anything.

Everyone had grown a lot closer because of Peter, and Tony would be lying if he said he didn’t truly see Peter as a son, but in the eyes of the government all Tony was was a secondary guardian. Not a father, especially not biologically. He never raised Peter, wasn’t there for his first steps, first words; hell, he wasn’t even there during his birth. He just crashed into the Parkers’ lives because of the selfish need for another member on his side of the Civil War.

And the woman who did raise this wonderful boy was slowly dying downstairs while he moped.

“Okay, time to get back to work.”

The team did decide Peter should join despite Tony’s need to keep Peter as far away from the action as possible. The meeting dragged on, no one being able to decide on a plan. Some wanted to bust into Osborne’s penthouse and snoop around, others wanted to go after Osborne himself since they weren’t sure the cure was even with him.

Peter was unusually quiet, so when he did speak it caused everyone to stop talking instantly. “I should go. Alone.”

Silence. Then—

“Are you out of your mind?!” Tony erupts, very nearly tearing his hair out. “Why would you think I’d ever agree with that?”

Peter ignores him. “I can sneak into his penthouse from the outside and download data from his computer. He must have more information on the cure there, since the police haven’t been able to search his personal computer because it wasn’t him that let Devil’s Breath loose. Then I can just sneak back out.

“Spider-man also hasn’t signed the Accords. I work directly under Dad so I don’t even need governmental approval to do this, and so I won’t get into as much trouble as the rest of you would.”

It’s a sound argument, and Tony can see people around the table getting into the plan. “No. Absolutely not. Final decision.”

This time, Peter glares at him. A true, sincere glare. It was almost enough to make Tony falter. It was rare Peter ever looked at him in any way that wasn’t happy, or loving, or sad. “Then what do you suggest? Let May die ?” Peter hisses.

The rest of the group stays silent as the father and son have a silent argument. Steve remembers the last time he tried to get between them in an argument vividly, frowning.

“Go to your room, kid.” Tony huffs, breaking eye contact.

“I’m not a kid.” Peter growls, eyes fiery. “You can’t just keep treating me like one when I can help. ”

“You are a kid. You’re not even 16.” Tony throws back, crossing his arms. He knows that continuing to argue with Peter will only end up with both of them hurt, knows this like he knows there’s a small scar on Pepper’s hip from when she fell off her bicycle as a child. Yet, he doesn’t stop. I wanted you to be better.

“You literally took me to fight in a war.” Tony flinches internally. That would be something that would haunt him forever. “I’m stronger than you! Stronger than almost all of you here, I stick to walls, and I literally have a sixth sense that tells me when I’m in danger.”

Tony scoffs. “So much for that sixth sense, can’t even keep you safe. You got kidnapped twice. ”

“It was because of you I got kidnapped! They used me to get to you, so I would be safer if I didn’t know you!” 

Tony straightens his back, insulted and hurt, and he desperately tries to hide it, though it quickly turns into fury. Peter sees that he’s overstepped, and tries backtracking, but it’s too late. The damage had been done. “I-I mean, uhm.”

“Go to your room, Peter. Spider-man is off limits until we figure this out.” Peter looks at him, shocked. Angry. Pleading. “Go. Now. ” 

Tony’s voice is dangerously low, and Peter knows not to defy that tone. “Yes, sir.” He mumbles, staring at the floor as he walks out of the room.

Due to the glass walls, he can see Peter as he rushes to the elevator. The boy looks at the floor the entire time, but right before the elevator doors close, they make eye contact. Tony’s chest hurts when he spots the unshed tears in those doe eyes, and Tony starts to regret treating him so harshly. But before either can do anything, the elevator closes.

Tony collapses back into his seat, even more exhausted than before, burying his face in his calloused palms. The room is still silent, and he can’t see what his teammates’ reactions to his and Peter’s spat are, but he can hear the soft mechanical whirring of Rhodey’s legs as he walks closer. His best friend’s hand comes down and squeezes his shoulder.

“He’s scared, Tones, and working through grief. Don’t take it personally.” Rhodey comforts. “When I was looking after a kid whose father was MIA, she nearly tore what little hair I had right off of my head. She was angry at everyone because she was worried about her dad.”

But I’m not Peter’s father, you know that Rhodes.

“Cooper didn’t talk to me for 3 days straight because of that whole civil war fiasco.” Clint adds, shrugging like Peter didn’t just rip his father’s organs out and stomped on them. “Children have their moments where they hurt you. Just gets worse as they get older.”

Tony groans. “Is there a way to turn them back to a little kid?”

“Nope.”

Another groan, and then: “I shouldn’t have yelled at him.”

“That was yelling?” Wanda questions.

“I believe Tony meant that he shouldn’t have raised his voice. A yell is a loud, sharp cry, especially of pain, surprise, or delight.” Vision helpfully, or unhelpfully, supplies.

“Peter probably didn’t mean it.” Steve hesitantly adds, continuing when Tony doesn’t answer. “We’ll continue discussing possible plans for now, but I think you should seriously consider Peter’s offer.”

“What the f—” Tony lifts his head up and glares, but lets Steve talk when he gets a look. A few months ago Tony would have just told the man to shove it.

“I’m not saying send him alone; maybe he can take one of us with him. Best candidates would be Wanda or Vision, since they can fly, or Natasha since it’s unlikely she’ll be spotted. We all can be backup; he wouldn’t be alone. If he gets caught, I can take the fall for him, say I ordered him to.”

“That would mean you could get turned into a war criminal again, Rogers. Can’t imagine you want that life again.” Tony points out, already tired of even giving Peter’s plan any thought.

Steve smiles ruefully. “Better than having your son get in trouble.” It’s my apology.

Once again, Tony can’t help but smile at the man. “You’re right. Let’s start planning this.”

“Don’t you wanna go check on Peter?” Rhodey questions. “We can keep planning without you.”

“No, we both need to calm down. I don’t want to freak out again.” Tony shakes his head, and no one argues with him. “I just want to get this over with. Bruce, Helen, and Loki are still working on something to counteract the effects of Devil’s Breath so we have more time, but I don’t want to put that much pressure on them.”

“Alright then, let’s take this from the top. Should we go with Peter’s idea…”