Chapter Text
Peter knew a few ways to get out of trouble.
One was to call for help. It was the one that would eventually pat him on the back for being responsible enough to recognise when he was in over his head but he hardly ever went with that option.
The second was to run/swing. The swinging was an addition thanks to becoming Spider-Man and was proven to be more effective than running.
The third was some sort of medical issue. He was a sick kid so he found this way first and unintentionally. May could've put him in the corner for the most devious of things but the moment he started coughing all of that went out the window and he was cuddled to no end. This way, despite working nearly every time, was completely down to luck or lack thereof.
So, when he woke up in the familiar setting of Stark Tower Medical, he knew that he'd gotten out of trouble for at least until he could move without hissing with pain which was currently not the case. A few fuzzy memories played over in his mind as he tried to remember how he got there. Flashes of reptile skin and falling helped connect the dots. That and his whole body feeling like it'd been hit by a train. If all that had failed in giving him what he needed to remember, an anxious-looking Tony Stark and a pensive Sam Wilson would've clued him in further. Thankfully, he was in the medical bay so he would be saved from an argument even if it just postponed the inevitable.
Peter stayed quiet for a moment, waiting for the pair to recognise that he was awake as he pushed himself up with his elbows into a sitting position. It wasn't any more comfortable than lying flat on the bed but he needed to be vigilant when he was in the medical cot. He didn't know why. He supposed he just liked to be aware of where he was since he often woke up there, vaguely remembering why he got there but unsure of the specifics of how.
Tony's stare soon found him, swiftly followed by Sam's and he couldn't find the energy to do much more than stare back. His jaw was clenched although he didn't know if that was due to his pain levels or due to the awkwardness of not knowing what to say.
"You're quiet now," Tony commented. It didn't sound outright angry. More so passive-aggressive. He didn't know if that was better or worse. It spelt out his impending doom, that was for sure. The teen hummed and smacked his lips, finding them chapped and his mouth dry. A cup of water appeared in front of him and was shoved into his hands. He glanced up to find Sam had apparated beside his bed.
"Thanks," he croaked out. "How long have I been asleep?"
"Asleep insinuates you just curled up and took a little nap. You passed out Peter, that's being unconscious," Tony bit back.
"Tony," Sam warned. The older huffed at being scolded and fiddled with something on his phone in a poor attempt to deflect. "How are you feeling?" Peter thought for a moment. He felt sore and he really wanted to crack his back but he could feel tight bandages wrapping around his chest which seemed like a sign not to fuck around with his position much further. His mouth didn't feel as dry anymore which was good at least but he could feel the beast that was his appetite rearing its ugly head.
"I'm okay," he landed on. "What's the damage?"
"You graduated from healing ribs to broken ribs and those scratches on your back were deep enough to cause significant blood loss. Other than that, the rest of the injuries have already healed," Sam explained. His tone was even and smooth which felt much better than the slightly hysterical listing Tony usually gave him. Peter nodded to himself and placed the cup of water on a nearby table.
A dreadfully long silence followed where nobody knew what to say or how to phrase what they meant. There was nothing to break the silence other than the occasional sigh of resignation as one of them once again threw away the sentence they were going to say. Eventually, Peter couldn't take it anymore. Enhanced hearing, in his experience, hadn't been too noticeable until he experienced silence. Conversations gave him something to latch onto and often drowned out the fact he could hear people's breathing and heartbeats. Stuck in the silence with nothing but the irregular thumps, he had to get out of it.
"So, where is The Lizard?" The older men cringed and he immediately regretted the question. It wasn't his fault for being curious but given the circumstances, maybe he should've waited till he could google the answer.
"The police have him. He's being transported somewhere. I didn't bother to find out further since someone needed to get the bags of blood you needed," Tony told him. Again, he was passive-aggressive but it was softer. His teeth weren't gritted together anymore.
"Are you mad at me?"
"Yes and no," the older answered honestly. It took a minute to get an expansion on the answer. He glanced at Sam before actually saying something, leading the teen to believe they'd spoken about this potential conversation whilst he was out. He wasn't sure if that would work in his favour or not. "Yeah, I'm pretty pissed off at what you did. It was reckless and stupid and all around the absolute worst idea you've had since the ferry." He cringed but knew better than to say something. "I'm not angry at you for wanting to help. I get it. We're not the best examples-" Sam coughed. "I'm not the best example of a healthy work-life balance."
Peter stared at him owlishly. Tony Stark effectively talking about his emotions instead of leaving things weird? Maybe he got hit on the head or something. Again, he didn't say anything and let the man continue with his little speech that might have been rehearsed.
"You're brave, I can't fault you on that but you need to understand that you can be brave all you like but if you get hurt, you're hurt. You can't help people if you can't help yourself." Tony took his hand at the last part and squeezed it to reaffirm what he'd said. When nothing was said, the billionaire chuckled nervously. "This is the part where you say something."
"Oh!" the teen announced, not making a move to pull his hand away. It was comforting and he was a sucker for comfort. Feeling the grooves of calloused hands encompassing his felt nice. It reminded him of Ben. His uncle would sit by his bedside and it never mattered how bad things were because Ben was holding his hand, silently telling him it would be okay. "I uh appreciate that?"
"C'mon Webs, I helped him work on that for an hour," Sam prompted, wearing a small smirk.
"Right, well. I just- I literally just woke up so give me some slack here," the teen snarked. He shared a smile with the man before turning to his mentor.
What was there to say? Sorry maybe? But he wasn't sorry so he wasn't going to say that. His mentor had been truthful in what he'd said and had gone to the extent to accept help from Sam. Even if he was pressured to accept the help, he followed the advice given. That was certainly a feat. Peter owed it to him to return the same energy.
"I'll try to ask for help next time it's just hard to. Queens is Spider-Man's city, yknow?" He chewed on his bottom lip nervously. His whole deal was being the anxious kid but he was never supposed to be anxious about Spider-Man. He was quirky and hesitant, nervous sometimes but he was never anxious because heroes weren't. That and if he showed anything that might suggest he didn't want to be Spider-Man could lead to May pushing him to stay home more often until his masked persona became an urban legend. "I want to be independent and I got my own nemesis now with The Lizard. I've decided that's his name now."
"Aww, his first nemesis," Sam cooed tauntingly.
"Toomes is still a contender for first," Tony reminded him.
"Point is, I don't want to be the little spider kid that tags along with the big heroes. I'm Spider-Man. Queens is my responsibility. Even if I'm hurt, it was only some bad ribs. If The Lizard had gotten out and hurt people then that would be on me." It was then Tony's turn to cringe at his words being thrown back at him. "I know going out and getting more hurt made things worse but that guy is away now. People won't get hurt and I'm okay hurting to make sure it's possible."
None of them was naive enough to think the confessions made between mentor and mentee would immediately change everything but it felt like progress. They were listening rather than just hearing one another. It was something even if they knew it wouldn't be a permanent change.
Time passed since the conversation and whilst there was still a lecture to be had, both were happy to leave it for the night. Peter wasn't able to leave the medical bay so Tony remained with passing Avengers sticking their heads in now and again to see how the pair were. Eventually, it went dark outside and Tony was brushing out the knots in Peter's curls. Neither drew attention to the action but drew comfort from it all the same.
"Are you okay?" Tony asked softly.
"Other than the badass scar brewing that'll be gone by next week and the inability to take a deep breath? Yeah, I'm okay," the younger replied with a cheeky smile. It was apparently infectious because a smile broke out along his own features. "You should've seen it, Mr Stark. I was webbing him up and throwing things."
"I'll have a look at the footage later."
"Oh my God, do you still record everything I do in the suit? That's a total breach of my human rights," Peter scolded although it lacked any fire.
"You don't get human rights. May said I could do it." The teen narrowed his eyes. May was basically the law between them and there was no breaking the law unless they wanted to see the side of her that would make even the hardest of criminals cower. "Plus, I find it adorable that you keep score of the cats you saved."
"Not a word of that to anyone."
"Hm, maybe. Better be on your best behaviour during your bedrest."
"Blackmail is also illegal."
"But something May said I could do."
"Aunt May and I need to talk about boundaries."
Sam leaned on the door frame, watching the pair interact. Peter was a good kid and would be a good man if he kept on the path he was. Well, he'd be a good dead man if he kept to that path exactly. If he turned slightly and chose the clearer one, maybe he'd be better off.
"I'm surprised Webs is still alive," Bucky commented as he passed by the other. "Stark seemed deadset on biting his head off."
"He was worried. We all get like that," Sam replied. The assassin joined him in watching Peter and Tony go back and forth. It was like watching a tennis match. They'd constantly bounce off of one another and hit back. "For the record, I will bite your head off if you pull a Spidey."
"And vice versa," the older replied with a ghost of a smile. "C'mon, you've had your wistful moment. I think they can survive without your profound mental health wisdom." He laughed softly and nodded, following Bucky back to the bedrooms. It'd been a long night and he didn't doubt it would be his last long night thanks to a certain enhanced teenager forgetting he was a teenager.