"Yeah okay. Be there in ten" Peter hung up his phone. Putting his phone back into his bag he sniffled against the congestion forming in his nose. "Karen? Can you calculate the fastest route to Stark Tower?" Peter asked his AI system. While Karen began to inform him the fastest directions, Peter was already swinging off to his upgrade session with Mr Stark.

After swinging for a few minutes Peter started to feel lightheaded and stopped for a rest on a fire escape. Sitting on the railing, he put his head in his hands and waited for his vision to clear and head to stop fuzzing. Just as he was preparing to swing off again he heard the window behind him opening. "You- you're the Spiderman!" a little boy exclaimed looking out the window. "That's me" Peter, no sorry, Spiderman accepted. "Oh my God! You're my hero! I have like five action figures of you!" the boy told him, bouncing on his toes in excitement. Peter laughed and gave him a high-five, before he felt a tickling sensation in his nose. Knowing that a sneeze was coming he told himself, I am not going to sneeze in this mask. "H-hey bud? Would you mind closing your eyes or sombthing? I really ha-have to-ooh-hihh-hih-hiiihh-to sndeeze" Peter asked his breath desperately hitching. To Peter's relief the boy quickly turned around and covered his eyes, leaving Peter just enough time to rip off his mask. "HARSHHHEEW, EESSHHEW, ESHHH, HEEEEESHH, HESHHHHEW!" Peter sniffled into his gloved hand and put his mask back on. "Itd's okay ndow buddy. You cand turn back around" Peter encouraged before coughing twice. "Are you okay?" the boy asked with wide and curious eyes. "Yeah, finde. Idt's judst a little cold" Peter dismissed, rubbing his nose. "Look, I haved to head off ndow, just promidse be you won'd go telding da bad guys thdat I'mb sick" he bargained before swinging off. "I promise" the boy yelled after him.

Following swinging into Stark Tower, Peter got changed back into normal clothes in one of the bathrooms. Also taking time to blow his nose roughly while in there. Exiting the bathroom still shoving his Spider-suit into his bag, he cleared his throat against the tickle forming there and started to make his way to Mr Stark's office.

"Hey Pete, come in" Tony greeted from sitting behind his desk. "Sorry Mr Stark, I would have made it here earlier, but I ran into a little boy along the way, who was excited to meet me" Peter appologised, intentionally leaving out the reason why he initially stopped there. "Got a few fans now have we?" Tony said, not caring about 'lateness' at all. "I was thinking we head down to the lab and start upgrades right away" he told Peter, already standing up out of his chair and grabbing a few of his papers. Peter nodded when Tony passed him and they both made their way into the elevator.

On their descent to the lab, Peter and Tony discussed the upgrades they wanted to make for the suit. Peter explaining how he wants to create a stronger web fluid, so it can withstand a higher tension, all the while rubbing the tickle in his throat when Tony wasn't looking.

Settling down at their respective work benches after finding the various equipment each of them needed, they set to work. They remained relatively quiet while they worked, aside from occasional small talk. From the way Peter kept his sentences short and seemed to mumble his words, Tony knew something was wrong. But he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Looking over his notes for web fluid formulas, the tickle in Peter's nose started to build up again. Tony looked up from his work station when he heard sharp intakes of breath, ""hihh-hih-hahh," seeing Peter breathing heavily into his hands. "HIISHH-HIHH" Peter tried desperately to control the fit. "HEEEEESHH, HESHHAH, ASHHHHOOO, ASHHHHEEW, HISHHEW." Peter buried his face into his sleeve covered hands, his shoulders convulsing with each release. "HARSHHOO-HHOO" Peter broke into a few relatively chesty coughs after a rather tickly sneeze. "Bless you, kiddo" Tony condemned, rising out of his chair concern written all over his face. Coming over to Peter, his eyebrows creased together in worry as he watched Peter lean forward and prop up his head with his hands, closing his eyes. "You're not well, are you?" he commented when he was a few feet away. Although Peter wanted to lie and say he was fine, that's what the nice kid always said. He knew he couldn't. It was pretty obvious that he was effectively sick. Peter shook his head, as Tony came to stand next to him. In that moment of giving in, it was as if all his sickness caught up with him at once. He felt his posture slump lower and his eyelids drop half closed. He felt his lungs contract and was consumed by a small fit of honking sounding coughs. The loud outbreak made Tony's chest hurt in empathy, and he placed his hands on either side of Peter's shoulders to provide him with some comfort.

When the coughing stopped, Peter cleared his throat into his fist and straightened up the tiniest bit. "Aw, kiddo" Tony muttered to himself, his billionaire heart melting for the kid. "How long have you been like this? You must have been feeling rough for a few days now" Tony asked. "Two/three days" Peter croaked, before sniffing. "Did you tell your Aunt?" Tony inquired. Peter shook his head, "No, she'd freak out and not let me go on patrol" Peter spoke into his fist, as if he would start coughing again any second. "I didn't really feel that bad until earlier today" he continued. Tony nodded, but not in understanding.

"And how do you feel now?" Tony dared to ask, looking sympathetically down at Peter. "Terrible" Peter painfully admitted, "Mr Stark I don't think I can do this now" he nervously voiced before miserably coughing again. Tony rubbed his hand up and down Peter's back in the hope that it would help. "You don't have to. You don't have to" Tony echoed, to see Peter give in was an experience for him. The kid was always so strong if not stubborn. As Peter's breathing steadied he leaned over the bench and placed his fingers upon his temples. "Headache?" Tony guessed, to which Peter tightly closed his eyes and painfully nodded.

Tony pursed his lips and reached forward over Peter's shoulder to feel the side of his cheek. He was surprised when Peter didn't try to pull away. "Your running pretty hot, kid" Tony uttered, shaking his head. In response Peter's breath hitched and he sneezed twice into his elbow, leaning away from Tony. "HIH-ISSSHH, HIH-SSHHOO" he sneezes becoming increasingly more tired and wet, he sniffled into the back of his wrist sitting back up straighter. Tony left his side to go a get the tissues he kept in the cabinet on the other side of the lab.

Returning he offered them to a still sniffling Peter. "Thdanks" Peter accepted congestedly, before blowing his nose. He normally would have been embarrassed but at this point his was over caring. When he had finished he covered a few little coughs before pocketing the tissue.

"Come on, I'll drive you home" Tony said giving him a light pat on the shoulders, "you should have long been in bed by now." Peter nodded tiredly, then started to pack up his things with Tony's help.

On the car ride back to Peter and May's apartment, Peter leant against the window half asleep. While driving, Tony called May telling her that he was dropping Peter home.

"Mr Stark, you don't have to. I can go up by myself" Peter tried to assure him when he saw Tony undoing his seatbelt. "Come on, I don't even trust you to make it to the door" Tony dismissed before hopping out of the car.

Tony knocked on the door to let May know they were there, before opening it and letting Peter walk through first. Turning around from shutting the door, Tony saw May already in the kitchen, making her way to Peter. "Oh, Honey" She exclaimed, wrapping Peter in a hug. "What were you thinking going to school today?" she asked bewildered. Peter only covered his mouth to cough instead. "You sound terrible" she noted pulling away from the hug and stroking a hand through his hair and placing the other on his cheek. "And you're burning up" she added. "Go on up to bed. I'll come and check on you in a minute" May instructed softly, pushing him gently towards the hallway. Both May and Tony watched as Peter tiredly made his way out of the room.

When he had disappeared May turned to Tony, "Thank you so much for bringing him home. I'm sorry that he came to you so unwell." Tony just shook his head, "it's no problem. He's a good kid." May smiled in response. But dropped it when she started to explain, "look, I hope it's alright but there is no way I'm letting him go on patrol for the next few days-." "Don't bother" Tony raised his hand to stop her, "I wouldn't let him out either. And even if he tries to sneak out, I have a tracker in his suit and I'll bring him right back" Tony assured. May breathed a sigh of relief, "do you want some tea while you're here, a way of saying thank you?" Tony smiled at the offer but ultimately declined, "Wonderful offer, but I've got to get back to the tower to work on Peter's new upgrades. Hopefully I can have them done by the time he's up and running again." "Of course," May understood completely. "I've got to look over Peter anyway" she added. After thanking Tony again and exchanging goodbyes, May made her way to Peter's room.

"Peter, Honey?" she asked as she hovered in his doorway, seeing him in bed already, "you awake?" Peter opened his eyes and May walked over to his bed. "How are you feeling?" she asked, her expression pinched with worry. Peter only sniffled in reply. "Oh sweetheart" May sighed, her heart melting for him, "how did you get like this?" "I don't know. My adrenaline probably just crashed" Peter spoke into his bed sheets. May nodded in agreement. It had only been a few weeks since the Vulture fiasco and things had been hectic from there. "Get some sleep" May instructed, noticing Peter was fighting to keep his eyes open. She placed a gentle kiss on his forehead before leaving the room.