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The moment Peter wakes up he knows that something isn't right.
He can't exactly pinpoint what it is right away, but it's an uneasy feeling that sits in his stomach and stays there as he drags himself out of bed.
Peter spent the night at his fathers place last night due to staying far too late to web home -- at least, in Tony's opinion to far.
The young boy blinks slowly as he gets up, wincing when his chest tightens in pain. He rubs at his chest with his hand, willing it to go away as he zips up his sweater, pulling it close to his body as shivers overcome him.
The first time he coughs is when he's in the kitchen, sitting next to his dad. He had been about to shove another spoon full of cereal in his mouth. But instead cough so hard it feels like claws are scratching the back of his throat. He cringes after the cough, his eyes glossing over slightly.
"You okay, bud?" Tony reaches over to rub Peter's back as he uses his other hand to take a sip his extra strong coffee.
Peter clears his throat. "F-Fine."
He knows his father can sense the lie but that Tony refrains from saying anything as he pulls his hand back, looking down into his mug.
"Okay."
__________
"You good, loser?"
"I'm fine." Peter rolls his eyes, stabbing his fork aggressively in his salad and then pushes it away from himself. "Why does everyone keep asking
me--" Peter cuts himself off to take a breath, feeling as though he's just down a bunch of jumping jacks for some reason. "--that?"
"I wonder why." MJ says as her and Ned share a look, both mentally shaking their heads at their friend. "If you're not gonna eat that, can I?"
"You might not wanna." Ned examines Peter and then his salad. "He seems . . . sick."
"Okay, one, I'm not sick." Peter glares at Ned briefly before turning to MJ. "And, two, I haven't had a bite of it. So, be my guest."
MJ takes the salad from him with a small smirk on her face and then opens her book back up.
____________
"Dude, just go home."
"Dude, I'm fine."
MJ's eyebrows pull together. "Fine? You look like you're either gonna cough your germs all over me, pass out or puke. Or all three."
Peter coughs into his elbow, wincing at the burning feeling in the back of his throat. "It's fine. Just a small cough is all."
He feels his stomach lurch suddenly and wraps his arms around himself. Both of his friends notice this and react instinctively. MJ places a hand on his shoulder while Ned pulls out his phone.
"W-What are you doing?" Peter shivers from the cold he's feeling and notices that MJ -- only a little -- starts to rub his arm. "Ned?"
"I'm calling your dad." Ned says, scrolling through his contacts. "You should go home."
"Don't--" He takes in a deep breathe and a stab of pain shoots through his chest. "D-Don't, please, I'm fine. He'll only worry."
"He should worry." MJ's hand freezes. "You look like death today."
"Gee, thanks." He smiles painfully at her.
His stomach lurches again.
"C-Call Tony."
Then he runs off to vomit in the bathroom.
_________
"Bubba?"
Peter rubs at his eyes, pushing himself off of the nurses bed that he was told to rest on. He stands up far too fast and begins to feels nauseous, stumbling back a little, bumping into the bed.
"Whoa, kid." Tony steps forward, reaching his hands out to grip his child's forearms. "What's going on?"
"I don't feel very well." Peter whispers, almost not wanting to say it out loud. "S-Sorry."
"For feeling sick?" Tony questions with a soft smile.
"For getting Ned to call you." Peter leans forward, his head resting against Tony's chest. "I-I shouldn't of. I just didn't--"
"No. You call me when you feel sick." Tony pulls Peter back to look into his doe eyes. "No matter what. Even if it's just a runny nose. You tell me right away. Promise?"
"Y-Yeah. Promise, Dad." Peter mumbles into his dads shirt.
He pulls away so he can cough, only managing to cover his mouth with his hand. When he pulls it away he notices phlegm in his hand and cringes, rushing to quickly wash his hands as his mentor waits for him.
When he gets back to Tony the man immediately puts his wrist up against the boys forehead. A frown forms on his face, moving to cup Peter's cheeks.
"You feel really hot, buddy." Tony's voice is full of concern as he lets go of Peter's face.
"I actually feel pretty cold." Peter says, swallowing with a wince as he pulls his sweater close to his trembling body.
"Okay, well," Tony places a gentle hand on Peter's back to lead him out of the room. "We should get you home now."
"M'kay, Dad."
_________
As soon as they walk through the Avengers Towers elevator doors Peter passes out in Tony's arms, falling into the mans side and his father just catches him before he hits the ground.
"Oh my Thor, Pete."
He puts an arm around his back and then one under the boys knees, swinging Peter into his arms. The boys head limply falls to Tony's shoulder as the boy lets out a ragged breath, tickling the hairs of the older mans facial hair.
"F.R.I.D.A.Y. call Banner and Cho down to Med-Bay right away." Tony orders, turning to quickly get back in the elevator.
"What shall I tell them?"
"Tell them--" Tony cuts himself off, trying to calm his nerves down.
"Tell them it's Peter."
"Right away, sir."
__________
"Here are the chest x-rays." Bruce slides them over to Helen, trying to ignore Tony who keeps looking over their shoulders.
"Hm. It's what we thought." Dr. Cho tuts, grabbing Peter's file and opening it up. "We should check his breathing and monitor his vitals and all that just a little longer, to make sure it's not--"
"It's not what?" Tony cuts in, hands running through his hair as he tries to think. "I-I need to know if something is wrong with my kid and you two aren't talking to me and I--"
"Tony, he's fine." Helen places a reassuring hand on the genius' arm. "It looks like pneumonia. We're just gonna keep him here over night so we can watch his vitals and make sure that the infection doesn't become . . . severe. Then he can rest in his own room."
"Can I go see him now?" Tony questions, hands moving in front of him so he can fiddle with his thumbs. "Or is there anything else?"
"He'll have an IV in his hand." Bruce takes his glasses off and then places them in his coat pocket. "You can take it out. We only gave it to him to hydrate him and all that. But now that we know what it is, he doesn't need it."
"O-Okay, uh, thank you both."
He spins on his heels and speed walks over to his sons bed, his breath catching slightly as he looks over Peter.
The boy looks much smaller, curled up in bed, holding his knees tightly to his chest. Tears are dry on his face but his eyes are still red and puffy. Even in his sleep he coughs.
Tony takes his hand which makes the boy stir in his sleep, eyes fluttering open and closed a few times before focusing in on his father. His nose crinkles in pain when he hacks loudly again, a few more tears falling down his cheeks.
"Dad?"
"Hey, sweetheart." Tony tries his best to smile at the kid, as not to scare him. "Looks like just a little pneumonia. Not something a little medicine, soup and rest can't fix."
"'M really t'red." Peter croaks out, blinking up slowly at his father. "Did you call May?"
"Not yet." Tony reaches out to move a curl out of Peter's eyes. "I will in a second."
When Tony leans down to try and kiss Peter's forehead the boys eyes widen and he ducks away quickly out of his reach. Tony is caught by surprise, hurt flickering in his eyes as he looks at his sick son.
"Sorry, baby." Tony swallows, pulling away and shoving his hands in his pockets. "I didn't mean to make you--"
"Pneumonia's contagious." Peter mumbles, rubbing at his eyes sleepily. "Don' wan' you to g't sick too."
Tony laughs quietly, pulling his phone out. "I'll be right back, Spider-Baby."
Peter is left alone with his coughing, closing his eyes for what only feels like a second. Though it must be more because soon he feels a warm hand cradling his own. The hand carefully pulls the IV out of his hand, making Peter hiss in pain. His hand is quickly covered with a bandaid, fingers brushing over the small wound in a soothing manner.
"Sorry, bambino."
"S'okay." Peter murmurs, pulling at his blankets when he feels them shift. When they continue to get pulled away from him he opens his eyes to see his dad opening them up. "What're you doin'?"
"Getting into the bed." Tony whispers softly.
He lays beside his son, pulling the blankets back over them snuggly. But Peter only pushes away from him as much as his tired form lets him.
"I'll g't you sick." Peter's eyes are still closed as he pushes against Tony's chest to try and get him to go away. "'M fine alone. Don' worry."
"I don't care if it's contagious." Tony pulls Peter to him and the boy is far too exhausted to fight back this time. "There we go, il mio preciso cuore."
"'M so t'red, Dad." Peter speaks against the billionaires chest, his dads warmth a sort of reassuring feeling. "So t'red."
"I know, Bambi. It's okay."
Peter eyes feel more and more heavy as he lays there, breath slightly uneven as his hold tightens on Tony as much as he can get it to. Tony reaches up and soothingly runs his hand up and down Peters tense back, drawing circles and other shapes as he rocks them back and forth. He hums a very low tune in the back of his throat, almost unnoticeable to Bruce who walks in to turn the lights off for them.
Peter, however, can hear it perfectly clear and that's the sound that lulls him to sleep that night.
__________
Peter wakes up to have a big coughing fit in the middle of the night, startling his father figure where he lays beside him.
Reacting right away, Tony rubs his back, hoping to calm him down. "Whoa, okay. Just let it out, bud."
Peter cringes at his sore throat and leans back into Tony's arms, sighing in exhaustion that seems to come over his whole body. He reaches up and lazily grabs at his fathers shirt, squeezing it to reassure himself.
"S-Sorry."
"Don't apologize, sweetie." Tony murmurs, rubbing soothing circles on his sons back.
"Hero's get sick too."