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“Can we get lunch? I’m hungry.” Morgan asks from in between Happy and Peter, holding Peter’s hand as they walk through the crowded sidewalk in Times Square as people move around them.
“Sure. What do you feel like?” Happy asks her.
“Cheeseburgers.” Morgan says with a smile.
“Cheeseburgers it is then,” Happy says, smiling down at her before he looks back up. “I know just the place too. It’s a great vendor right up the street here.”
They’ve been out all morning since ten, last-minute Christmas shopping, with Christmas Eve only being a few days away. And it’s been a lot of fun—the whole weekend has been with Morgan staying over the apartment, giving Pepper and Tony a well-deserved and overdue vacation. Well, more like a stay-cation up at the lake house, but still.
May has certainly been enjoying having Morgan staying with them, giving her the opportunity to have a girl’s day with her yesterday, spoiling Morgan a little bit. It’s been nice, seeing May as happy as she has been this weekend.
And not to mention Christmas Eve is May and Happy’s engagement anniversary, having been married a little over five months ago now. Which is why Happy has been hauling Peter and Morgan all over the city, looking for the perfect gift for May. He’s been stuck on deciding between a pretty diamond bracelet, a necklace, or earrings. Peter knows May isn’t into materialistic things, but Happy means well.
Once they arrive at the street vendor, they’re met with a long line. They stand there for several long minutes, the line inching forward little by little.
Morgan suddenly lets out a loud gasp when she sees a small, white fluffy dog walking by them.
“Petey! Petey! Can I please pet the doggie?” She asks, shaking his hand.
“Sure, if you ask its owner if it’s okay.” Peter tells her with a smile.
“Okay!” She says as she drops his hand and runs over to the dog and woman, who stops when she sees Morgan running over to them.
Peter watches her ask the woman to pet her dog, who smiles at the question as she nods. Morgan bends down and pats the dog, who happily wags its tail in response to her attention. She pets it for a few moments longer before getting back up and thanking the woman, who smiles in return before she keeps walking.
“Hey, Pete we’re up. You want your usual?” Happy asks, causing Peter to look over at him.
“Sure.”
As Happy starts giving the vendor guy their order, Peter’s spider-sense tingles forcefully at the back of his head, causing him to flinch from the force and suddenness of it. He raises a hand and rubs at his neck with a wince. It takes a few long seconds before it dies down a little, dulling down to a light buzz.
“What’s wrong?” Happy asks, seeming to have noticed his discomfort. He takes a step away from the counter towards him. “Is it your Peter Tingle?” He whispers.
Peter’s frown deepens as the buzzing starts to intensify again, ignoring the nickname. “Yeah…” He says, scanning around them for any signs of danger. “But I don’t see anything.”
Happy frowns, also looking around them. “Maybe it’s on the fritz? It’s happened before.” He points out.
“Maybe,” Peter says with a shrug, rubbing his neck again. “It just feels… different this time.”
Happy meets his eyes, frown deepening. “What do you mean diff—”
He’s cut off from the sound of screeching tires against pavement filling the air, as well as multiple car horns blaring, causing them both to spin around to see what’s going on. In the distance, Peter can see a car speeding through multiple sets of red lights at the intersections.
“KID GET OUT OF THE STREET!” Someone suddenly yells.
Peter snaps his head to look at the street a couple of hundred feet away from them, only to see a small child in an all-too-familiar light pink coat, in the middle of the crosswalk.
Peter’s blood runs cold as his eyes widen.
“MORGAN!” Peter yells as he starts running for her, dodging around people crowding on the sidewalk.
How she got in the street, Peter has no idea. She could have been swept up in a crowd of people when she was trying to walk back over to him after petting the dog.
He should have been watching her.
He should have been paying attention!
It’s almost as if time slows down at that moment as Peter jumps off the sidewalk and into the road without hesitation, his eyes trained on her. Out of the corner of his eyes, he can see the speeding car barreling towards Morgan.
Too fast.
If something happens to her… Peter will never forgive himself—especially since he’s supposed to be watching her and keeping her safe. It’s his job to protect her, which he’s absolutely failed to do.
Peter isn’t going to let this happen.
He’s not going to let this happen to Tony and Pepper. Morgan means the absolute world to them.
Peter lunges forward, feeling his feet lift off the ground as he sails through the air, reaching his arms out for her. It feels like forever until his hands finally wrap around her. Peter lands on the ground and picks her up before she even realizes it, time moving quickly and slowly all at once.
Peter twists around and his eyes immediately land on Happy at the edge of the sidewalk, his eyes wide and terrified.
The sound of screeching tires rapidly approaches them, seconds away.
Too fast.
They’re not going to make it back to either sidewalks on both sides of the road from the middle of the crosswalk… at least not the both of them.
“Happy!” Peter yells out, meeting the man’s eyes for a split second, thankfully long enough for Peter to do the only thing that he can.
He throws Morgan to Happy.
Morgan lets out a panicked scream as she’s sent through the air, and Happy’s eyes widen impossibly further, his arms reaching out to catch her.
That’s when time comes back to full speed.
Peter barely catches a glimpse of Happy catching Morgan in his arms… before his spider-sense blares at the back of his head just as something slams into him.
The force of the impact has Peter flying through the air, along with glass and metal shards, time slowing down once again. He crashes against the pavement and rolls a couple of times until he rolls to a stop.
Then the pain hits him.
It feels like his entire body is on fire, some places more than others. His head is pounding with white, hot pain, flowing all the way down his back and to the tips of his fingers and toes.
Peter lays there as his hearing fades in and out, faintly hearing terrified screams all around him as he lays in the intersection in Times Square.
“Call an ambulance!”
“Someone got hit!”
“Is there a doctor? Someone help him!”
“PETER!” A familiar voice yells somewhere in the distance.
Peter manages to crack his eyes open, only to find a group of people surrounding him, their faces too blurry for him to see. He has to squeeze them shut again as pain flows through him, even with all of the adrenaline pumping through him.
The pain… is out of this world.
Everything hurts , worse than any pain he’s ever felt before in his entire life, even that one time he broke both of his legs dirt biking with Johnny Storm.
It feels like every cell in his body is on fire .
Peter is barely aware of the gentle pair of hands on him before he blacks out, drowning into the pits of darkness.
…….
Consciousness slowly comes back to Peter a few times. His senses take a long while to come back online but when they do, his hearing is the first to come back, allowing him to hear familiar voices from somewhere nearby.
“How long will he be like this for?”
A sigh. “It’s hard to say… the doctors told me to give it time. To give him time to recover.”
The voices pause.
“I just… I don’t know what I’m going to do if he…”
“He’ll make it out of this, Tony. He’s strong. He’s a fighter…. like you.”
“I know he is.” The familiar voice says, pausing again. “I just… I love him so much and I don’t think I really ever told him.”
“He knows you do, trust me. Just give him time.”
Peter feels himself being pulled down into the darkness once again, and he doesn’t have the energy to stop it before he knows no more.
…….
“Really need you to wake up, kid,” A voice says. “Please… come back to us.”
Peter can feel a slight pressure in his hand from someone squeezing it.
“Please, Pete… come back to us.” The voice repeats pleadingly.
…….
When awareness flows back to Peter once again, he’s met with a faint, steady beeping from somewhere nearby, as well as a strange, yet familiar sensation of cold air blowing up his nose. He can tell that he’s lying on an incredibly soft and warm bed.
But… where?
He tries opening his eyes, finding it to be a struggle with how heavy they are. When he finally manages to crack them open, he’s met with blurriness, forcing him to sluggishly blink a few times to clear it away. He’s met with the familiar sight of a dimly lit room, with soft mocha-painted walls. He would know those walls anywhere.
The medbay at the Avenger’s compound.
But wait—why is he in the medbay?
Peter frowns as he tries to remember what he did this time to wind up here, only to turn up blank as his head starts to ache from the effort. He closes his eyes tightly against the pain, letting out a weak groan.
“Peter?”
Peter opens his eyes again when he hears something shift nearby. He manages to slowly roll his aching head to the side, surprised to see Happy sitting there and Peter nearly does a double-take when he sees him.
Happy looks absolutely exhausted, dressed in a hoodie and jeans with red-rimmed eyes and his hair is tousled, like he’s been running his hands through it.
And for some reason—he looks shocked to all heck to see Peter.
“H-Happy?” Peter rasps out, wincing at the sound of his voice.
Happy blinks a few times at him in shock, before he snaps out of it and reaches over to the table next to the bed and picks up a plastic cup of water, carefully passing it to Peter. “Drink slowly.” He tells him.
Peter’s arms ache from simply holding up the cup, but he manages to take a sip, closing his eyes in relief as the cool water meets his tongue, going down his dry throat. “What happened?” He croaks out.
Happy’s brows pull together in a frown. “You don’t remember?”
Peter’s stomach twists slightly at the way he says it. He manages to gently shake his head without causing himself any more pain.
Happy lets out a sigh as he looks down at his hands, entwining them, almost nervously. “Well…” he says, looking up at Peter, only to look off to the side of his head, like he’s trying to find the words to say. “You were in an accident… a car accident.”
Peter’s frown deepens as he processes that.
Happy closes his eyes for a brief moment before he looks back up at Peter. “It happened so fast. I had my back turned for just a second and you ran in the road for Morgan—”
When Peter hears her name, he feels like an electric shock jolts him and successfully jumpstarts his brain.
That’s when it all comes back to him.
Morgan wanting to pet the dog, him losing sight of her, seeing her in the middle of the road in Times Square, the speeding car, jumping into the road after her, throwing her at Happy in a desperate attempt to save her… and then the car slamming into him.
“Oh my God…” Peter breathes out, his eyes widening as the information settles in his head. “M-Morgan! I-Is she okay?” He asks as he tries to sit up quickly.
Happy’s eyes widen slightly as well as he stands up quicker than Peter’s ever seen, bracing his hands on his shoulders, gently pushing him back to the bed. “Whoa, whoa. Easy, Pete. She’s safe. She’s with Tony and Pepper now upstairs,” he reassures. “The doc says you can’t move around too much.”
“Why?” Peter asks, ignoring how his head is pounding away from sitting up as fast as he did.
“You’re pretty banged up, kid,” Happy says with a wince as he sits back down in the chair next to the bed. “You have a nasty concussion, a few broken ribs, a bruised spleen, cuts and bruises, just to list off a few.”
Peter blinks as he processes this, frowning. “Y-You’re sure she’s okay? She didn’t get hurt when I threw her, right?”
“She’s pretty shaken up but no. I caught her, thank God but you—”
“I’m sorry,” Peter cuts him off, guilt flowing through him. Throwing her was the worst thing to do. She could have gotten seriously hurt—or worse. “I-I didn’t know w-what else t-to do. T-The car was r-right there a-and—”
“Peter,” Happy stops him, raising a hand. “You have nothing to be sorry for. You saved her life. You did the only thing you could in that moment of panic.”
His words don’t do anything to ease the guilt weighing heavily in his chest.
Peter leans his head back against the pillows behind him, feeling hot tears starting to pool in his eyes. “I was supposed to be watching Morgan. I let her out of my s-sight and she…” He pauses, swallowing hard around the growing lump in his throat. “She a-almost d-died today b-because of me . A-And if she did… I-I d-don’t know what I-I’d d-do. I-It’s all m-my f-fault.” He sobs out as tears stream down his cheeks.
“Oh, Pete...” Happy murmurs.
Before he knows it, warm arms are being wrapped around him in a loose, but comforting hug. Peter immediately leans into Happy’s embrace and starts to cry. His ribs protest painfully with each shuddering breath and sob he lets out, but he doesn’t care.
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Pete. Do you know how many times I’ve lost Morgan? I practically had to shut down an entire Toys R’ Us down a few months ago because she wandered off. It happens sometimes. But what happened isn’t on you—it’s on me . I’m responsible for both of you and I failed badly .”
“N-No you d-didn’t.” Peter weakly protests.
“I did, Pete. But this isn’t about me—it's about you . What you did, saving Morgan the way you did… that was the bravest thing I’ve ever seen anyone do in my entire life. And I’ve seen Tony fly a nuke into an alien portal before,” He says as he pulls away, looking Peter in the eyes. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I’m so damn proud of you, kid.”
Peter manages to lift his mouth into a small, tired smile.
“Now, enough mushy gushy stuff. Let’s get you lying back down,” Happy sarcastically says as he helps Peter back against the pillows. “You look a little like you're in pain. Do you want some more painkillers?” He asks as he hands him a tissue.
“Yes, please.” Peter says, wiping his face and carefully blowing his nose before throwing it in the barrel next to his bed.
“Alright. I’m gonna call Bruce so he can give you some more. In the meantime, are you feeling up for a little visit?”
“Sure.” Peter says with a small smile.
“Okay,” Happy says as he stands up from the bed and heads over to the door. “I’ll be right back, you get some rest. And don’t even think about leaving that bed.”
“I won’t—promise.”
Happy shoots him a knowing look over his shoulder before he steps out into the hallway.
Peter lets out a small sigh, wincing at the burning pain it brings him. He closes his eyes in hopes to relieve his headache a little, leaning back against the comfy pillow behind his head.
It takes him a matter of seconds until he passes out, once again.
…….
“Pete… Pete… wakey, wakey, spider-baby,” A familiar voice says.
“Not a b’by…” Peter slurs, only to earn a soft chuckle in response.
“You keep telling yourself that, bud. You think you wanna open your eyes for us? After all, we are here to see you.” The voice sarcastically says.
Peter’s brows pull together as he lifts his heavy eyes open, only to see Tony sitting on the edge of the bed, smiling warmly down at him.
“There he is,” Tony says as he reaches down, brushing a loose strand of curls away from Peter’s forehead. “How’re you feeling, kiddo?”
Peter licks his dry lips, taking a moment to get a gauge on his body. “Mmh… feel a little… floatyish.” He says.
Tony chuckles. “ Floatyish ?” He asks, raising an eyebrow at him.
“Mhmm…” Peter hums, rolling his head to the side on his pillow.
“That might be from Bruce increasing his meds.” Happy supplies from behind.
“Might be,” Tony agrees, nodding. “Well I know how tired you get when you’re on the good stuff, but you feeling up for a little visit from your sister? She’s been asking for you.”
“Sure.” Peter says, lifting his mouth into a smile, or at least he hopes it’s one.
Tony stands up, only to reveal Pepper sitting down in a chair—which Peter hadn’t noticed, probably due to him being high as a kite right now—holding Morgan in her arms. Pepper smiles warmly at him as she stands up and takes a few steps over, Tony standing up so she can take his spot at the edge of the bed by Peter’s legs.
“Hey, M,” Peter manages to tiredly smile.
Morgan hesitantly peaks over her shoulder to look at him, only to reveal her puffy, red eyes. It’s clear that she’s been crying.
Despite how loopy he is, Peter’s heart shatters at the sight, guilt flooding through him. He’s the reason for her crying.
“Daddy said you weren’t feeling good,” She softly says, her little hand fisting Pepper’s maroon cardigan nervously. “Are you feeling better?”
“I am now that you’re here.” Peter tells her, forcing himself to smile.
“And he’s going to be back on his feet in no time, munchkin. Just in time for Christmas Eve tomorrow.” Happy adds in from the other seat next to the bed, offering her a small, reassuring smile.
“So we can still go ice skating tomorrow?” She asks hopefully.
Tony, Pepper, and Happy all exchange knowing looks with each other.
“I’m sorry, baby but we’re going to have to go another time when Peter’s feeling better.” Pepper gently tells her.
“Oh,” Morgan says softly as her face falls further, and for a minute Peter’s chest fills with guilt, thinking she’s disappointed, only for a bright smile to light up her face. “Can we watch movies and make cookies then?” She asks.
“That sounds like a good idea. We can have a Christmas movie marathon and Peter can camp out on the couch.” Tony says with a smile as he places a gentle hand on Peter’s arm. “How does that sound to you, Pete?”
“Sounds good.” Peter says, rolling his head against his pillow, offering him a tired smile.
“And maybe… we can wait up for Santa?” Tony whispers, winking at Morgan, who gasps in excitement.
Peter sees both Happy and Pepper roll their eyes at that, unable to keep themselves from smiling.
“Well, before we plan anything, we’ll ask Dr. Banner if Peter can come home tomorrow.” Pepper says.
“But what if he can’t?” Morgan asks, her brows pulling together in a sad frown.
“Then we can celebrate Christmas here.” Pepper tells her with a smile.
“But what if Santa doesn’t know we’re here?” Morgan questions, twisting around to look at her mother.
Pepper opens her mouth to answer, but Happy beats her to it.
“Santa will know. He knows all and sees all.” He says, offering her a soft, reassuring smile.
Peter can’t help but chuckle at that, wincing a little when he feels his ribs sharply protest from the movement. But not even the pain can ruin this good moment right now, being surrounded by his family.
The most important thing… is that Morgan is safe.
Flashes of the car barreling towards her come to the forefront of his mind and Peter has to close his eyes against it, pushing the horrible image away, one that will probably never leave his mind, unfortunately. His hearing fades out a little, feeling his heartbeat picking up a little bit, as the panic from the event comes back to him.
Tony’s hand gently falls to his arm again, gently squeezing. Peter opens his eyes and looks up at him, only to find him looking back with a knowing expression on his face. Peter’s mouth turns up in the corner into a weak, reassuring smile, the panic easing away.
“Well, it’s late and you need to go to bed, little miss. Why don’t we let Peter get some more rest and we’ll see how he’s feeling in the morning and maybe, if Dr. Banner says it’s okay, we can head home all together tomorrow?” Pepper suggests.
The mere mention of sleep has Peter’s eyelids drooping slightly.
“Okay,” Morgan says, sounding a little disappointed as she turns around and faces Peter. “Can I hug you?” She questions, sounding unsure.
“Of course you can, M,” Peter says with a smile as he opens his arms for her, ignoring the way his muscles protest against the movement. Morgan smiles as she carefully crawls towards him and gently wraps her little arms around him. “Hugs from you always help me feel better.” He tells her.
They stay like that for a few seconds before Morgan pulls away. “Goodnight, Petey.” She tells him as Tony helps her off the bed.
“Night, M.” He says with a smile.
Both Happy and Pepper exchange their goodnights to him before they step out of the room, leaving Peter and Tony alone. For a brief second, Peter is afraid that Tony is leaving too as he heads towards the door, only for him to walk around the front of the hospital bed to the other side, carefully sitting down next to Peter.
“So, since you’re going to be here for a little bit, do you want to get a head start on that Christmas movie marathon?” Tony asks him as he picks up a remote from the end table and turns on the flatscreen TV hanging on the wall across from them.
Peter rolls his head to the side and looks up at him with half-lidded eyes and a tired smile. “Sure.” He says.
“What are you feeling like? Elf? The Polar Express? Santa Clause? Jack Frost?” Tony asks.
“The Polar Express is okay.” Peter says.
Once the movie credits begin to roll, Peter carefully shifts himself over so he’s now snuggled up against Tony’s side, earning a chuckle from him. He feels Tony wrap a gentle, warm arm around him, pulling him closer. Peter lets his head rest against Tony’s chest, hearing the faint, comforting sound of his heartbeat under his ear.
Peter feels his eyes growing heavier as the minutes pass by, barely paying attention to the movie with how exhausted he is.
He passes out before the train even arrives in the movie.