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“Dad?” Peter leaned against the doorway of Tony’s office at SI. He had gone there after school and the plan had been for them to leave right away but Tony had been pulled into numerous meetings and Peter hadn’t been able to catch him until now and it was almost 8pm.
“I’m so sorry, Bub. Give me a couple minutes to wrap up and we’ll leave. I promise.” Tony felt terrible. The poor kid had been here occupying himself all day.
“I feel dizzy.” Peter’s eye filled with water. He had been trying to convince himself it was nothing all day but it was just getting worse, “And my head hurts and my stomach.”
Tony stood up and made his way to his son putting a hand on his forehead, “You’re super warm.”
Peter just nodded because he was afraid if he tried to speak he’d cry.
“C’mere.” Tony pulled his kid into his arms and Peter finally broke down and started to cry, “I’m going to take you home and you can get into bed.”
“Okay.”
“Tony?” A manager popped his head in, “Can we borrow you for a second? There is a problem in one of the labs.”
“Nope. I pay you to handle those problems. I need to take my kid home.”
“Just go.” Peter mumbled against his chest, “Happy can take me home.”
Tony was conflicted. He trusted Peter to say if he needed him but Peter had obviously neglected his own care all day or he’d already be home and in bed, “Sorry, Kid. You’re stuck with me tonight.”
Peter gave a sigh of relief. He hadn’t really wanted his dad to send him home without him but he didn’t want to seem like a baby either.
~
“How you doing, kiddo?” Tony walked into Peter’s room later that night, “I’m going to head to bed unless you need me for something?”
“Dad? What if I don’t get better?” Peter voiced his worst anxiety.
Tony sat down on his bed next to him, “You’ve always gotten better in the past but if for some reason you aren’t better in a few days we’ll go see Dr. Cho or Bruce.”
“Maybe uncle Bruce could come over tomorrow instead?”
“Why don’t you text him and see if he’s free.” Tony stood up, “But after that you need to sleep. Your body needs as much rest as possible right now. I already called you into school tomorrow so don’t worry about that. You should probably let Ted and that scary girl know. You don’t want them to worry.”
“Ned and MJ.” Peter rolled his eyes, “You know their names.”
“My way is more fun.”
“Goodnight dad.” Peter grabbed his phone to text his uncle before turning in.
~
Peter tossed and turned that night before going to his dad’s room and climbing into bed next to him without waking him up. He knew he had a fever because he was both freezing and hot at the same time. He had a headache and the dizziness had only gotten worse.
He unlocked his phone careful to block the light and texted his uncle again, “I think I’m dying. Can you just come meet me at the MedBay now?”
The response was quick as if he had been waiting for this text, “Be there in twenty minutes.”
Peter slid out of bed and carefully made his way back to his room and put on a change of clothes since he had sweated through his last set of pajamas. He laid in his bed until he got the text from Bruce that he was in the MedBay upstairs.
Bruce pulled his nephew in for a hug right away, “Where’s your dad?”
“Didn’t want to wake him up if I’m just being dramatic.” Peter shrugged.
“Okay. He’s going to hate that but take a seat.” Bruce started to do vitals on his nephew, “When did this start?”
“Yesterday.”
“Keeping fluids down?”
“I guess.” Peter hadn’t thrown up but he hadn’t been forcing himself to hydrate or eat either.
“I can tell you’re a bit dehydrated so do you want to try and drink something or I can run an IV?”
“I don’t know.” Peter wiped at the frustrated tears that fell.
“I’m going to go wake your dad.” Bruce ruffled his hair, “Because you’re being kind by trying to let him sleep but I think we need him.”
~
“Bub. You should have woke me up.” Tony came in the room finding his son laying on the exam table. He walked over and ran his thumb back and forth on his cheek in a gentle motion, “Bruce said you’re not dying so that’s good news but he said you may need an IV for fluids.”
“I just want to feel better.” Peter’s voice cracked, “And I know I’m being a baby.”
“Hmm. Maybe but I think everyone is a bit of a baby when they are sick.”
“Not Pepper.” Peter challenged.
“No. I suppose not but she’s basically super human.”
Peter just looked at his dad.
“And I just forgot you’re legit super human.” Tony laughed.
“So see I am a wimp.” Peter grumbled.
“Nope. You should see your dad when he’s sick.” Bruce said coming back into the room, “You come by this naturally. Did we decide?”
“IV.” Tony said gently.
“No—“ Peter started to disagree.
“—It’s the best way right now.”
“I’ll get it prepped and let you convince the child who hates needles that this is a good idea.” Bruce teased.
~
Tony was laying next to Peter in the MedBay. He had fallen back to sleep shortly after Bruce put the IV in, “You know I’m not that terrible when I’m sick.”
Bruce laughed from the chair he sat in, “You’re the absolute worst patient.”
“Rhodey has to be worse.”
“Rhodey never whines about anything. It’s all of the years of being in the military. He can adapt to anything.”
“Yeah okay.” Tony snorted, “You didn’t know him in college.”
“I’m going to bed. The nurse will come take that out when he’s ready. Try and get some sleep if you can. Don’t just stay awake making sure he’s okay. He’s going to be fine. It’s a summer flu.”
“I never do that.”
“Oh so now we lie to each other’s face?” Bruce teased as he left the room.
~
“Dad?” Peter woke up later that morning.
“Yeah?” Tony forced his own eyes open, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Where did Uncle Bruce go?”
“He went to sleep for a couple hours.”
“Oh. I love him.” Peter closed his eyes again.
“Yeah. Me too.”