Chapter Text
Breaking
For a long time, everything hurt. Not bad. Just...aching. Deep aching. Bone-deep aching. And Peter couldn't stop the noises sometimes...the pained groans and whimpers and exhausted, frustrated cries. Someone touched him sometimes...other times he felt alone. Scared. Occasionally, something cold rested on his forehead. He really liked that. He also liked it when Tony spoke to him. Called him Spiderling. It was his favorite nickname. But he got the idea that maybe not everyone was supposed to know that Tony called him that. He wasn't sure why.
Tony was worried. He hated it when Tony was worried. But he couldn't do anything about it! Couldn't make himself talk or try to reassure his dad. All he could do was sleep and wake up, eating sometimes, other times taking a drink of water held to his lips. But he was always tired. Weak in a way he hadn't been since before the bite. And everything hurt. Everything. His whole body ached like when he'd been bitten.
Peter dreamed sometimes. He dreamed about swinging through the city and he dreamed about sitting on the sofa with May. He dreamed about Iron Man. And Captain America. And he dreamed about Tony...Tony sitting with him in the lab and wrapping his arms around him. Telling him he loved him. In his dreams, he heard voices. He heard Steve Rogers and Rhodey. Loki, sometimes. Once, he was sure he heard King T'Challa asking if he was alright, which was odd. Wasn't King T'Challa in Wakanda? He tried to ask but couldn't make his mouth work. So he tried to keep sleeping.
His chest and side burned when he breathed, and pains went up and down his arms and legs, so he tried to sleep. He just wanted to sleep. Once...or maybe more than once, Tony sat beside him, spoon-feeding him broth that he thankfully didn't throw up this time. He was pretty sure those weren't dreams. He was kind of awake...but then he closed his eyes again, relaxing into his pillow. "Good...keep the IV and try to get him to drink some water." Someone else said. Not Tony. Water...he was thirsty. But he couldn't get his eyes open to ask for anything.
Then he felt different. Cooler. He'd been so unbearably hot, but then he was cold. Shivering, he let his eyes pop open, gasping softly for air, and was surprised to find someone sitting at the head of his bead, a hand on his forehead.
"Loki?" Peter croaked, looking up at the Asgardian who was sitting beside him. "What...what's going on?"
"Your fever has broken," Loki told him, voice soft. "Your father is on his way."
"Oh…" Peter murmured, looking around the room and yawning. He was so tired. Heavy. His body was heavy. But he didn't feel so hot anymore. Now he felt tired and still achy, but mostly just tired. Heavy. "Wha' time?" He slurred.
"Almost eight in the evening."
"Oh."
"Are you unable to form complete sentences?" Loki asked, a smile quirking his lips.
"Huh?"
"May I ask you a question, Peter?"
"Mhm." Honestly, he didn't want to answer any questions but he was asking really nice and maybe...had saved him? Right? Did that happen?
"You mentioned before that you could have crawled out of the room where you were being held hostage."
"What?" Peter wasn't sure what Loki was getting at...he was so tired. Hostage...he'd been held hostage. He remembered that...sort of. But he couldn't let anyone know who he was so he hadn't been able to escape. And then the Avengers had come but he had been sick...right? He was sick. But what was Loki asking?
"What did that mean?"
"I...I don'..."
"Pete?" He glanced over at the door and found Tony approaching from the doorway, wiping away his confusion about whatever Loki was asking him. "Hey, kiddo." Tony crouched beside him, a gentle hand on his forehead replacing Loki's. "How do you feel?"
"I'm...I'm tired."
"Yeah? Your fever broke...think you can get up and take a shower? Change into some new clothes?" He didn't want to, but he nodded anyway. He'd do whatever Tony asked.
"Okay." Peter agreed, letting Tony pull him upright.
"I'm going to get Bruce to take a look once you get changed. Want to make sure that medicine is still working. Just let me take out the IV."
"What? Why?"
"You were dehydrated so we had you on fluids," Tony explained, gently removing the needle from the back of Peter's hand that he hadn't really noticed in the first place. He pressed a cotton ball to the back of his hand, then placed a little Iron Man bandage over it. Once that was done, he wrapped an arm around Peter's shoulders, slowly pulling him up until Peter was standing somewhat on his own. "There you go, buddy. You going to be okay to take a shower?"
"Mhm." Peter nodded. He wanted a shower...he felt gross. But when he went to take a step, he stumbled, knee giving under him. It really was just like when he'd been bitten by the spider.
"Okay...okay, buddy. Let's get you into the bathroom." Tony's voice was gentle...patient. He walked with Peter through the door at the side of his room, then helped Peter sit down on the toilet lid, turning on the shower. "I'm going to get you a change of clothes...I'll leave them on the sink. Sound good?" Peter nodded again, and Tony ruffled his hair. "Alright. Jump in the shower and you can lay down again. If you need help, call for me."
"Mhm...okay." Peter muttered, wiping his eyes and forcing himself upright. Tony had turned on the shower, so he pulled his old pajamas off, kicking them over to the corner to take care of later, and climbed under the stream of water, surprised at how quickly it woke him up. He blinked, eyes wide as he let the water run over his body.
He grabbed the shampoo, washing his hair, but that was all he could do. As the water washed the suds from his hair, he felt the world tilt and he stuck his hand to the wall, closing his eyes and taking a couple of deep breaths. He was fine...shutting off the water, he stepped carefully out of the tub and wrapped himself in a towel, giving in and sitting on the toilet lid. Pressing a hand to his head, he waited for the dizziness to pass.
There was a soft knock on the door, and Tony's voice came, asking if he was okay. "Yeah...yeah, I'm fine." He assured him, standing back up and changing into the pajamas that Tony had left him. Once he was dressed, he brushed his teeth to get the gross taste out of his mouth, then swallowed some water from the sink. Before Tony could knock on the door again, he stepped out of the bathroom and under Tony's arm, leaning his head on the man's shoulder.
"You want to go to bed? Or would you rather lay on the sofa?" Tony asked.
Most of the exhaustion had passed, although his body was still heavy...heavy and weak, and his head spun. "Sofa?"
"You got it, bud." And then they were making their way to the living room where Peter was surprised to find Doctor Banner digging through a black bag.
"Hey, Peter. How are you feeling?"
"Hey...Dr. Banner." He muttered, easing himself down onto the sofa and curling up in the blanket that Tony wrapped around him. Wait...hadn't Dr. Banner told him to call him Bruce? "Bruce...hi, Bruce." The man smiled as Tony disappeared, pulling out an instrument. Thermometer, the kind that went in your ear. He closed his eyes and let the doctor press the instrument to his ear, yawning a little but trying to stay still.
"98.6. Much better." Bruce told him. "How are you feeling?"
Right...Bruce had asked that before. "Um...tired. Not sleepy but...heavy. Tired."
Bruce nodded. "You're still sick but your healing seems to be kicking in. I was able to find a medicine that works for you. Are you feeling nauseous? Dizziness?"
"Um...not really." He shrugged. "I'm really thirsty."
Just then, Tony reappeared with a glass of water that Peter almost lunged for. Tony chuckled, pushing it into his hands and taking the seat beside him on the sofa, an arm resting casually behind his shoulders on the back fo the couch. "Easy, bud. Don't choke." He warned but otherwise left Peter to guzzle the water. "You hungry?" Peter nodded. "Cap made dinner...everyone's downstairs. I think he made meatloaf. Or we have soup?"
"Soup, please." Peter murmured, starting to get up. "I can make it…"
"Oh no. You are restricted to this sofa for the foreseeable future." He ordered, pointing a finger and pulling himself up. "I'll make you some soup, then we can watch TV for about five minutes before you fall asleep." Peter wanted to argue...but honestly, he was probably right.
"Was King T'Challa here?" Peter asked, glancing over at Bruce. The man smiled a little, shaking his head and pulling out a blood pressure cuff. Peter held out his hand, letting him slip it over his arm.
"No. He's still in Wakanda. But he did call your dad...Shuri saw what happened on the news and they were worried."
"Oh...that's nice." Peter murmured. Bruce nodded.
"Steve was worried too...Natasha. Sam...everyone was trying to come check on you but Tony locked the elevator." Bruce told him with a chuckle. "Tony, Pepper, me, Loki, and Rhodey only."
"What about Thor?" Bruce shook his head.
"Nope. He only let Loki up here because he was willing to be an ice pack."
"Oh…" He smiled a little, remembering how he'd woken up to Loki's hand on his forehead. "Loki's nice." The doctor rolled his eyes with a snort.
"Never thought I'd hear those words."
"I find your tone offensive, Banner." Loki seemed to materialize in the hallway, lifting an eyebrow at Bruce who tightened the cuff around Peter's arm, fingers on his wrist.
"Alright. Your blood pressure is normal...keep drinking fluids and get lots of rest. You should be back to normal in a couple of days. Tell someone if you start to feel nauseous or if you throw up." Loki took a seat in a chair in the corner, eyes on Peter who closed his eyes again, still tired and heavy. Tony returned after another minute or two with a bowl of soup that Peter managed to eat, then dropped his head against Tony's shoulder falling asleep five minutes into whatever TV show was playing.
When Peter woke up next time, he was in his own bed, and it was almost light in his room. He wondered how he'd gotten there...the last thing he could remember was sitting on the sofa with Tony and maybe watching TV. Feeling blindly for his bedside table, he found his cellphone plugged in, fully charged. He grabbed it off the table, turning it and looking at the time. 9:30am. Tuesday. How was it Tuesday? They'd rescued him on...Saturday? And...well, the rest was kind of a blur. Yawning, he stretched, pleasantly surprised to find that he didn't ache so much anymore. His ribs were kind of sore, and he didn't feel as strong as he usually did. But he was awake and didn't feel as sick as before, so he sat up, going to his text messages.
There were a lot of them, all from MJ's phone, but it seemed like most of them were from Ned. He'd have to ask Tony if they could get Ned a replacement phone, considering it was Peter's fault they'd destroyed his old one. Most were asking if he was okay, saying he had seen the news, asking what had happened...the last one urged Peter to call him, so he put his phone to his ear, dropping back onto the bed and calling MJ's phone.
"Peter?" MJ's hushed voice came through the phone, and Peter realized that they were probably in class. Whoops.
"Hey. Just wanted to let you know I was alive...sorry...I didn't think about the time."
"Don't be stupid. Are you alright?" MJ asked, still murmuring.
"I'm...I'm fine. Mostly. I had the flu…"
"Okay. Shit...I have to go. I'll tell Ned."
"Call me later?"
"Yeah." She murmured, then hung up. He dropped the phone back on his nightstand, then climbed out of bed. He was starving...figuring he could find something to eat in the kitchen, he left his room, shrugging a robe on, but was surprised to find Tony standing in the hallway, looking him over with wide eyes.
"Pete? Are you okay?"
"Yeah...just looking for breakfast." Tony nodded, moving forward and pressing the back of his hand to Peter's forehead. It was such a dad thing to do...such an Uncle Ben or Aunt May thing to do, that Peter had to blink back the heat in his eyes. There was no reason for this, he told himself. He was just...emotional from being tired.
"Still cool. How are you feeling?"
"Mostly fine." He told him with a shrug, and Tony patted him on the back, seeming to relax a little.
"Alright, bud. Let's find you some breakfast."
After eating two bowls of cereal, two granola bars, and a Poptart, Bruce checked him over again, assuring both him and Tony, but mostly Tony, that Peter was doing much better. "Do I have homework? Did they reschedule the competition? Is everyone else okay?" Peter wondered as Tony led him back to the sofa.
"Everyone else is fine. You can get your make-up work when you go back to school. And I did not ask if they were rescheduling your nerd-club meet as I was kind of busy making sure you didn't die." Tony's tone was light, but Peter could see the tightness in his eyes as he sat beside him on the sofa, Peter wrapped in a plush blanket once more.
"I'm sorry." Peter murmured, glancing down at the ground. He'd worried Tony. Worried all of them.
"Rule number 1."
"I thought rule number 1 was only for a month." Peter pointed out with a smirk. Tony chuckled, the sound almost reluctant.
"I'm changing it. Rule number 1 stands forever. No more apologizing for things that aren't your fault. Ever."
"What are the other rules?" Peter jumped at the booming voice behind them, and both turned to find Thor looking puzzled, but also happy. Happy to see Peter? He couldn't be sure, but the Asgardian was smiling at him. Tony gestured for him to answer, waving a hand at Peter who grinned, a bit self-conscious.
"Um...number 2 is I can only be on the treadmill for an hour. 3 is, if someone hurts me, I have to fight back. And number 4, if I'm sick, I have to tell Tony."
"Those sound as though they would be common sense." Loki put in, pushing past his brother and moving to sit down, a granola bar in hand. Slowly, he peeled back the wrapper, inspecting the food closely before taking a bite and making a face at the taste.
"You'd think so, right?" Tony asked, mock exasperated, and Thor smiled, joining them in the living room and placing a hand on Peter's shoulder.
"I am glad to see that you are feeling better, Peter."
"Oh...uh...thanks, Thor." The larger man nodded.
"How are your injuries?"
"Um...fine...I'm okay. Just...um...they're healing." He shrugged. Mostly it was just broken ribs, but otherwise, he was fine. Mostly fine. Either way, there was no reason for Thor to be worried about him. "Thank you, um...thanks. For asking...I…" Beside him, Tony snorted, and Peter let himself trail off. Thor wasn't laughing at him though, just smiling.
"That is good. You heal very quickly for a human."
Loki was giving him a strange look, but Loki almost always everyone weird looks, so Peter ignored it, leaning against Tony as the man wrapped an arm around him, pulling the blanket up and wrapping it around both of them. Tony flipped the TV on as Peter shrugged a little.
"Um...yeah...it's the mutation."
"And what kind of mutation might that be?" Loki wondered. Tony shot him a look.
"Um...like I said before I…" He glanced at the TV, uncomfortable. "Just...I can heal fast. And I'm strong…"
Loki hummed under his breath, nodding, and Tony bristled. "You got something you want to say?" Loki smiled a little, shaking his head.
"Not at all, Stark."
"Then stop interrogating my kid." He snapped, tightening the arm around Peter's shoulders.
Peter closed his eyes, cuddling up against Tony who didn't object. In fact, he held him closer, stroking his back. The TV was playing some sitcom that Peter liked and seemed to have captured Thor's attention. "Did King T'Challa really call you?" Peter asked Tony, voice soft. The man nodded.
"He did. Shuri was worried."
"What about those guys? The ones that…that wanted Loki?"
The Asgardian himself glanced up at that, but Tony was the one who answered. "They're in custody. Don't worry about them." He hesitated. "Natasha found one of them tied up in the corner...I told her he must have turned on the others...tried to free you." Peter swallowed hard, nodding.
"Yeah...uh...he had a change of heart, I guess. Freaked out when he found out that you were coming." Tony hummed.
"I figured...told Nat that it was something like that." He hesitated. "Steve wants to talk to you."
"Why?"
Tony sighed, and Peter could feel it, moving a little with the man's chest. "Cap wants a debrief. I told him to keep his distance until you were feeling better, and if you still don't want to talk to him, you don't have to."
"No...I mean...I can talk to him. Just...tell him what happened?"
"Yeah, pretty much. Since the Avengers basically assembled to get to you, he wants to be able to put as much in his report as possible or something." He shrugged. "We can do it when you're feeling better."
"I'm fine." Tony gave him a skeptical look, lifting an eyebrow. "Really...I mean...I'm kind of tired, but otherwise, I'm fine. I can talk to him today." Honestly, he thought, it would be better than sitting around and watching TV all day.
"You sure, Pete?"
"Yeah. Might as well get it over with. Right?" Tony kept his eyes on him, seeming to look for something, then he nodded.
"Yeah, alright, kiddo. They're all worried about you anyway. FRI, call Capsicle up here. Tell him Peter wants to talk to him." Squeezing him a little tighter, Peter felt Tony rest his chin on his hair, and he melted against the man's side.