A/N: I re-wrote and proofread this chapter several times. Because, I'll admit it, I'm NERVOUS. (chuckles nervously) You'll find out why soon…

But first… DAAANG! SO MANY of you have already joined this ride. (BEAMS) THANK YOU, so much, for those ABSOLUTELY AMAZING reviews, listings and love! They mean more to me than you'll ever know.

Awkay, before I chicken out… Let's go! I REALLY hope that you'll enjoy the chapter.


We Play With Jarvis


The following Thursday Tony entered the ward once more. He was just trying to figure out how to find Peter when fate decided to interfere. A brown-haired woman approached him with some hesitation. "Mr. Stark? I'm not sure if you remember, but… Last week you let Peter take a picture of you. I'm his aunt, May."

Tony's eyes lit up. (And only partially because the woman was far too hot to be anyone's aunt.) "Of course I remember him. He's a great kid." He then winced. "And Tony, please."

May nodded, a hint of color rising to her cheeks. "I, ah… I've gotta admit that I didn't believe him, at first, when he said that he met you. You can't even imagine how happy you made him."

"Actually… I was hoping to see him again. I promised him an autograph." Tony hesitated, the fact that the boy wasn't bouncing around his aunt unnerving him. "How is he?"

The flash of intense ache on May's face spoke far too loudly. She swallowed thickly to pull herself together. "It's… a rough day." She did her best to smile. "But he's going to be so excited to have you visiting. And… I need to make a call. Maybe you can keep him company in the meantime."

There was a lot Tony wanted to ask but something tied his tongue. So instead he followed May through a brief maze of hallways, until she opened a door and peered inside. "Pete, honey?" The grin on her face was a brave, almost genuine one. "Guess who I found?"

By the time Tony entered the room Peter was struggling to sit up. The child was even paler than the previous time they met and his lips carried a hint of blue despite help from oxygen whiskers. There were dark circles around Peter's bloodshot eyes but they immediately brightened at the sight of him. "M-Mr. Stark!" the boy sputtered, the child's whole face lighting up. "Hey!"

Tony was powerless to do anything else but grin back. "Hey, kid. I promised you an autograph, remember? Did you have the picture printed?"

Peter scoffed. "Of course I did! It's my favorite!"

Neither male noticed May leaving. Tony approached the small table beside Peter's bed. His heart did funny things at the discovery that aside a snapshot of the boy with four adults, one of whom was May, the photo of the two of them was the only one placed there. It was obviously something Peter considered a treasure. Its edges were already slightly worn from how often it was handled.

Curious to a fault, the billionaire gave the room a subtle onceover. The child's precious camera sat near the two valued photographs, where the boy could see them at all times. There were books everywhere, the kind that should've been too challenging for a child of Peter's age. Games and toys had also been brought in to make the room seem cozier. It still smelled of a hospital and there was no missing all the machinery. Sadness bubbling in his stomach, Tony wondered just how long the boy had spent in the room, and how much longer of a stay would be needed.

Tony was finishing up writing his name when he spoke again. "Guess what? I've got a present for you."

Peter looked at him with the kind of curiosity only children are capable of showing. "You do? What is it?"

Tony rummaged through the bag he'd brought along. "You asked if I'm from the company that builds robots last week. So…" He revealed a tiny robot. "Ta-da!"

Peter's eyes widened to an absolutely adorable extend. All pain and fatigue faded away while utter excitement took over. "That's… You made that for me? I can keep it?" The boy went on at his affirming nod and accepted the silly little thing like it was the most precious thing in the world. "Thank you so much, Mr. Stark! But… Why?"

Tony smiled. The true and honest kind, one reserved for the most special of situations. "It pampers my stupid ego to have an actual fan, kid. And I had a feeling you might like it." He shrugged. "My company… isn't much for producing toys. But… That turned out cute." He nodded towards the gift. "When you press the correct spot, it takes a different form. It has five different shapes."

Peter was completely and utterly mesmerized by the small item. "You mean… It's like a Transformer?"

Tony smirked. "Aren't you a smart kid", he praised. He watched Peter inspecting the gift with immense excitement and curiosity, tired eyes shining. In that moment it was deviously easy to forget where they were. "You really like those things, don't you?

Peter nodded immediately. The boy's eyes never once left the robot, and widened a fraction when a lucky brush of a finger made the item switch to a different shape. From something like a spider to something like a hawk. Small fingers immediately went on to try and see what the other forms might be. "Uh huh."

Tony tilted his head. The kid's enthusiasm reminded him startlingly lot of how he dove into his projects. "Maybe you'll work for my company when you grow up." Those words were an honest mistake. A child like Peter made it too damned easy to forget their surroundings and how screwed up and unfair life could be.

It happened so swiftly and subtly that if Tony hadn't been looking at just the right moment he might've missed it. Sadness sneaked into Peter's eyes and the boy's eager hands froze. The kid's left foot tapped impatiently three times, before the child pulled himself together with visible effort.

Tony frowned, cold creeping into his stomach. "Hey, are you okay?" Oh, crap… If Peter would immediately have some sort of a health-scare after having been trusted to his care for five minutes…

Peter, however, nodded quickly. "Yeah, yeah, of course Mr. Stark!" The boy bit the inside of his cheek. Which seemed to be what he did often when he wasn't entirely sure how to express what he wanted to. "I'm just a bit tired, I guess. It's the stupid meds."

"Those 'stupid meds' help you get better, remember?" Tony ruffled the child's hair when he noticed the small shoulders tensing up. It worked like magic. The billionaire was never going to admit how his heart thudded at the feel of the boy melting to is touch. "It's okay to sleep if you're tired, kid."

Peter's brows furrowed while the child defied the pull of fatigue and looked at him. Something about that stubbornness was achingly familiar. "Isn't it rude?"

Tony couldn't help but smile. This damned kid…! "Not when you need to rest, anyway."

Peter nodded, very clearly disappointed. Some of the sadness from before was visible once more. "I… really wanted to spend time with you", the boy admitted quietly, focusing intently on the robot.

Tony felt just a little choked up and had no idea why. "And you did. It's not your fault that you need a nap." He gave the boy a smile he hoped to be reassuring. "Get some sleep. I'll see you next week."

Tony didn't think anyone had ever trusted him quite the way Peter did then. Yawning, the child lay down, weary eyes slipping closed with ease. Until one of them opened halfway. "Mr. Stark?" The boy nodded towards his newest treasure. "Can I… really keep this?"

There was absolutely no way Tony could've ever taken the robot away from the boy who clearly adored it so dearly. "Definitely", confirmed with confidence. "The next time I visit, I'll ask you what you named him."

"'looks like Jarvis." Peter smiled, despite being utterly drained and in pain. "Thanks, Mr. Stark." With those barely comprehensible, murmured words the child yawned again. Then fell asleep under the watch of a total stranger. Newly named Jarvis was cradled lovingly against his chest.

The past few minutes left Tony so emotionally overwhelmed that he had no idea of the person who'd been watching for a while. He jumped when May spoke softly, careful to not disturb Peter's much-needed slumber. "Mr. Stark?" She gestured for him to follow her. "A word?"

Tony wanted to roll his eyes but didn't. (What was it with this family refusing to call him by his first name?) His stomach churned and knotted when he got a sudden feeling that whatever was coming, he wouldn't like it.

There were chairs quite close to the room. Which was where May slumped, drawing in long, steadying breaths. She refused to meet his eyes. "You're…" She cleared her throat. "Peter's ecstatic that you've visited. I don't… I don't think I've seen him this happy since his parents died. And… I'd love to have you stopping by again. Because… Although he puts up a brave face he's having it really rough, and I want him to get every bit of happiness he can." She gulped loudly and bit the inside of her cheek, much like Peter did. "But, before you decide whether to keep visiting or not… Because, I need you to choose soon, before he gets attached to have you disappear…" She was rambling, nervous. Why? She wiped her eyes with an unsteady hand. "I… I need you to understand just how sick he is." She trailed off mid-thought.

Those words made Tony feel cold. Very, very cold. Forcing out speech was a mighty battle. "How bad is it?"

A sob, just one, broke out and May pressed a hand to her mouth. Then she pulled herself together with the same stubbornness Peter displayed and looked at him with moist, sad eyes. "He's… He's never going to graduate from high-school. And… The doctors…" She looked down and fought back a second sob with such force that it had to hurt. "They say that… that it's a miracle if he lives to celebrate his tenth Birthday."

All breath was sucked from Tony's lungs by the force of the blow.


Tony's memories of the next few moments were hazy at best. When he was slightly more coherent, he found himself and May sitting outside the hospital. Obviously they both needed the fresh air desperately.

May's eyes were puffy and almost glazed over while she continued to explain quietly. "Peter's heart… It's been sick since he was born. The doctors fixed it once, when he was just a baby. But… It started acting up again. He's…" She cleared her throat. "He's spent most of his life in hospitals."

Tony nodded slowly. He worked his hardest to process the information and wasn't doing a very good job at it. "But… There's gotta be something, right? A surgery, or…"

May shook her head. The look on her face revealed that she'd long since worked herself past the 'denial' point of the grief-process. (She'd been fighting this hopeless battle with Peter for so long…) "The problem is that…" She shook her head again to clear it. "… that he wouldn't be able to handle the surgery he'd need. They can't fix him, because it'd kill him. And if they don't fix him…" She trailed off. "So, basically…" A mirthless chuckle burst through her lips. She seemed unaware of the tear rolling down her cheek. "Basically, we're stuck fighting a losing battle. I… I don't know for how much longer. No one does." Her whole body was shaking from the weight of those words.

"So…" Tony felt breathless and defeated. Just weeks ago he would've been baffled by even the thought of a child he barely knew sparking such strong emotions in him. "There's… nothing?"

May shook her head. Opened her mouth, closed it. Then looked at him. "I… I get it, if this is… too much. You've done more than enough for him already. But, if you can handle it… I think it'd mean the world to him if you kept stopping by."

Tony had no idea how to react. He'd never once in his life committed to anything. And this, being given the opportunity to devote himself to something like this… He didn't know how to handle it.

They both jumped when his phone received a message. It was Pepper, reminding him of a meeting he should've been on his way to already. He scowled. Not the best timing… He got up, his knees a little weak from… Well, he preferred not processing what. "I've… gotta go." On the last minute, just before he would've started running away from something that hurt like he usually did, he halted. "See you next Thursday."

May nodded with a joyless but relieved watery smile, unable to utter words.


Tony wasn't entirely sure how he made it to the Stark Tower. Pepper was waiting for him outside the meeting room with a frown of worry and irritation. "Where were you? We've spent two months working on arranging this meeting!"

Tony hadn't told even her where he disappeared to on Thursdays. Now… Now he wished he had, because at the moment he had no words to explain. All he could do was wrap his arms around her and pull her close. He held on to her with the despair of a drowning man, his face buried to her shoulder. And he burst into tears.

"Tony?" Pepper sounded scared. "Tony, what's wrong?"

It took considerable effort to find the words. Tony sniffled, and hated how he sounded like a child. The mental image of Peter's innocent, smiling face twisted in his chest like a blade. "I just… I hate the world today."


TBC


A/N: So. Here we have it. (gulps) I thought about stalling the full reveal of Peter's… situation. BUT, like May with Tony, I figured that it's for the best to just tear off that metaphorical band-aid now. The poor kid! We'll see just how sad this tale will get…

SOOOO… Thoughts? Comments? Rants…? PLEASE, do let me hear from you! It ALWAYS makes my day.

Until next time, folks! I REALLY hope that I'll see you there.

Take care!


Guest: I'm REALLY happy that you enjoyed the first chapter! (BEAMS) Hopefully the next one won't disappoint, either.

Gigantic thank yous for the review!


Stark staffie: You have NO IDEA how happy you just made me with those kind words! (BEAMS, and HUGS) I REALLY HOPE that you'll be every bit as excited after the second chapter.

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