No. 16 - Tumblr Posts
Whumptober Prompt #16- Pinned Down and #22- Hallucination
Tony had officially graduated from worried to scared. Peter’s fever had been steadily climbing for hours since he arrived at the Compound. May had called last night, panicking as she knew she couldn’t take him to the hospital where she worked, but he had gotten sick the previous day and he wasn’t getting better. It had started as a simple cold but overnight, it seemed, it had turned into full-blown viral fever. He had immediately contacted Shuri, as the Princess of Wakanda had immediately taken to Peter once they had finally met, and sent her everything she asked for. But Shuri hadn’t found an antiviral yet, hadn’t even gotten a fever reducer to him yet. And Peter’s fever kept climbing. So Tony was scared, teetering on the edge of terrified.
“Have to… have to…” Peter mumbled, lost in the throes of fever.
“Have to what, Pete?” Tony asked, trying to rearrange the wet washcloths on Peter. It felt like they’d been forced back into the stone age with Peter’s metabolism burning through antivirals like butter in a microwave. But he had to keep trying, no matter how old the remedy was. He had to try and cool Peter down.
“Have to find… find…”
“Find? Find what, Peter?” Tony murmured.
“Danger… spi…”
“You don’t have to be Spider-man right now, Pete.” Tony whispered. “No one is in danger.”
“Safe?” Peter sagged against his pillows, exhausted.
“Yeah, we’re all safe.” Tony soothed. “Morgan’s safe, May is safe, I’m safe.”
Peter’s brow furrowed. “Mor-gan?”
Tony stopped. Peter’s fever was cooking the memories right out of his head.
“Yeah, Morgan.” Tony answered. “She’s with Pep, upstate. We didn’t want to scare her by letting her see you like this. We knew you wouldn’t want that.”
That had been a hard won battle. Morgan had not wanted to stay at home, she’d wanted to be with her brother. Since Tony had all but adopted Peter after surviving the snap, Morgan had taken to calling Peter her brother. No one, not Pepper, not May, not himself, not even Peter had corrected her.
“Ben, who’s Morgan?” Peter asked, his confused voice sending ice through Tony’s veins.
Tony had obviously looked into Peter Parker’s life before recruiting him to what eventually became known as Team Iron Man. He hadn’t wanted to go in blind to someone who may not agree with him. He’d seen the scholarship to Midtown Tech, the parents dying in a plane crash as a child, being raised by a single Aunt after his uncle had died in a robbery. Once Peter had become a legitimate intern at Stark Industries, and he’d met with May to discuss how Peter was going to be continuing Spider-man activities, he’d learned the rest of the story. May had told him that Peter had been there when his Uncle Ben died, that the man had bled out in his arms. That Peter blamed himself for his own inaction, though it had been Ben who threw himself in front of Peter. It explained why Peter was so fueled to make sure Queens was safe, even if it meant breaking curfew to do it. Peter hadn’t wanted anyone to suffer like he did, not when he knew he had the power to save people.
“Never mind, buddy.” Tony said, unsure if agreeing with Peter’s delirium or fighting it was the right way to go. He had to read more books on high fevers when this was over.
“Ben, where are we?” Peter’s confusion grew and he tried to sit up. “Ben, we can’t afford this.”
“It’s okay, it’s already paid for.” Tony hushed, using the best way to calm Peter down that he knew. Peter could easily be assuaged if their money problems were not in the picture. “Uh, Tony Stark is paying for it. Says he wants to give back to the community.”
That wasn’t technically a lie so he figured he wasn’t adding to Peter’s delusions.
“Mister Stark?” Peter’s childish voice, one he never heard unless Peter was drop dead exhausted or injured, was slurred and slow. “Ben, did I get to meet him?”
“He’s… around.” Tony said, trying to find the quickest loopholes he could. “I’m sure you’ll meet him soon.”
Peter smiled, as if meeting his childhood hero was all he wanted in the world. “Ben that would be so cool.”
“I know, buddy.” Tony brushed a hand through Peter’s hair. It seemed he had already given in to Peter’s delusions by accepting his role as Ben. “I’m sure Tony Stark would love to meet you too.”
Peter giggled lightly, sending himself into a coughing fit. Tony wiped away the phlegm, trying to ease Peter onto his side, to take pressure off his lungs.
“‘M sorry.” Peter mumbled, seemingly embarrassed.
“Please, Pete, I’ve had to do far worse.” Tony said.
Peter’s brow furrowed.
“Ben? You… never call me Pete. You never…” Peter frowned up at Tony, his glazed eyes full of mistrust and fear. His breathing quickened, pushing Tony away. “You’re not Ben.”
Oh, shit.
“Peter, it’s me. It’s Mister Stark.”
Peter shoved at Tony, nearly knocking him over. Even in Peter’s fevered state, his spider-strength shone through.
“Ben?!? BEN?!?” Peter screamed, trying to scramble away from Tony.
“It’s okay, kid, you’re alright, Ben’s here, I’m right here, buddy.” Tony tried but Peter kept struggling to stand. “Peter, you have to calm down or you’re going to hurt yourself more!”
Tony had never wished for May Parker’s presence more than he was now, but May was at work, unable to take the days off. Next time, he was just paying her to miss the day.
“Ben??” Peter shouted, seemingly unable to even recognize Tony’s voice, still struggling.
“FRIDAY, call Steve and Sam, get them down here, now!” Tony ordered, trying to get Peter to lay back down. “And call Shuri and ask what the hell is taking so long!”
Not three minutes of wrestling Peter from getting out of bed later, Steve sprinted into the room, Sam right behind him.
“I can’t calm him down!” Tony shouted, grabbing for Peter’s hand which had been swatting at him.
“Steve, help Tony.” Sam ordered. Out of the entire Avengers, Sam had the most medical training as a counsellor for PTSD and other medical discharges so in case of mental breakdowns, Sam was always placed in charge. “He’s gonna hurt himself more if he keeps trying to get up.”
Steve, ever the good soldier, immediately went to Peter’s other side, climbing onto the bed beside him. Together, they were able to wrangle Peter back in bed, effectively pinning him down.
“No, please, don’t, Ben, Ben help me, please, stop, no, no!” Peter’s cries for help tore at Tony’s heart, welling tears up in his eyes, but Tony had to stay strong. He had to help Peter because Peter couldn’t help himself.
“Stark, what set this off?” Sam asked, holding Peter’s legs as best as he could without getting kicked.
“He was hallucinating, thought I was his Uncle Ben.” Tony answered, trying to keep his voice stable. “Lost him as a kid, died in front of him. He figured out I wasn’t Ben because I called him Pete but couldn’t remember who I was so he panicked.”
Peter suddenly went limp in their arms, still muttering pleas and distress calls.
“Peter?” Tony called. “Peter?!?”
“Please, I just want him back.” Peter mumbled, completely incoherent. “Please.”
“It’s okay, Peter.” Sam hushed, stroking his leg in a circular motion, trying to ground the young teen. “Just breathe. All you need to worry about right now is breathing.”
Peter seemed to respond to Sam’s voice. “Wha-?”
“Just breathe, Peter.” Sam instructed, keeping up his ministrations.
Steve silently offered to take Sam’s place and Sam nodded, switching with Steve so now Steve was pinning Peter’s legs down, rubbing one hand up and down his calf, and Sam was beside Peter, with easier access to the teen who was now all but resting against Tony’s chest.
“It’s okay, Peter, just breathe.” Sam exaggerated his own deep breathing, clear enough for Peter to hear.
Miraculously, Peter started to breathe in time with Sam.
“That’s good, Peter, that’s good. Just like that.”
Tony felt brave enough to gently thread his fingers through Peter’s hair.
Sam nodded at him. “Do you feel that, Peter? That’s Mister Stark and Mister Captain Rogers. You know them.”
Peter’s eyes fluttered open, still glazed over but Tony’s relief, a flash of recognition in them.
“M’ster Stark?” Peter whispered.
“Yeah, buddy that’s me.” Tony smiled, and Steve and Sam relaxed their grips on the kid.
“Yo’r cryin’.” Peter mumbled, frowning.
Tony hadn’t even noticed. “It’s okay, buddy. You just focus on breathing.”
“Boss, incoming call from Princess Shuri.” FRIDAY announced.
“We got him.” Sam said, already moving Peter into a more comfortable position with Steve’s help. “You take that.”
Tony nodded, and although he hated to leave Peter, he hurried out the door. The faster he got this over with, the faster he could return to Peter.
“Yes, your Highness?” Tony called out, answering Shuri’s call.
“I’m on my way.” Shuri replied, all business. “I’ve got an antiviral that should last for his system and help bring down his fever.”
Tony slumped in relief. “Thank God. How soon can you be here?”
“I’ll arrive in an hour, max.” Shuri said.
“Thank you, Your Highness.” Tony said. “I’ve got to get back to Peter.”
“Go.” Shuri all but ordered him. “See you soon.”
Tony walked back into the room, where Peter seemed to be sleeping, with Sam and Steve sitting on the edge of his bed and computer chair respectively.
“Shuri’ll be here in an hour.” Tony relayed. “Said she’s got meds for him.”
Steve nodded. “I’ll wait for her on the landing pad.”
Tony nodded, and settled in with Sam in case Peter woke up.