Peter was woken up like almost every other morning he spent at the cabin. By his hyperactive little sister. This morning had her in a more excitable mood than usual and thus her chosen method for waking Peter up today was jumping on his bed, yelling his name over and over again. Peter groaned and tried to bury his head in his pillow, trying to fight the inevitable, clinging onto those last few precious wisps of sleep that were slipping through his fingers. He should know better by now not to stay up so late with Tony in the lab but neither of them seem to learn that particular lesson. He strongly suspected they never would by this point.
"Petey." Morgan said with a squeal as she flopped down on top of him. Peter grunted at the impact and turned, wrapping his arms around her.
"'Morning bug." Peter yawned. "Why are you so excited this morning?" Morgan grinned up at him.
"The lake is frozen Petey! Can we go ice skating today? Pretty please? Pretty pretty please?" Morgan pleaded, wide hopeful eyes fixated on him. Peter almost felt sorry for all those times he turned that same look onto Tony. It was next to impossible to resist and Peter was still waking up. No one could blame him if his resolve wasn't up to par yet. The lake had begun freezing yesterday but Peter had determined it not thick enough yet and told Morgan to wait until the next day for it to be safer.
"I'll take a look at it. Then, if it's safe, we can." Peter relented and Morgan began cheering. "After breakfast." Morgan nodded frantically before jumping off the bed and beginning to tug at Peter's arm.
"Let's go then. Let's have breakfast super-fast!"
Peter dragged himself (was dragged) out of bed and picked Morgan up at her insistence before leaving his room and trekking to the kitchen where he could smell breakfast cooking.
He yawned into his fist as he entered to see Tony at the stove, a pile of pancakes already stacked on a plate beside him.
"Morning dad." Peter placed Morgan down in her chair as she echoed the greeting, before slumping into his own next to her. Tony shot him an amused look.
"She got you too then kid?" He said with a grin. Peter squinted at him suspiciously.
"You didn't put her up to that, did you?"
"Me? I would never do such a thing!" Tony brought the pancakes over and set them on the table, ruffling Peter's hair as he lent down. Peter didn't bother to put out his usual half-hearted protests; there was no point, he hadn't even done his hair yet and he was too tired to pretend he didn't like it. The usual toppings were already waiting in front of them. Morgan immediately snatched up 2 and began slathering them in maple syrup and chocolate sauce. Peter winced at the combination while Tony snorted as he sat down with a mug of coffee.
"I hope you're ready to deal with the sugar rush that is about to tear through here." Tony told him as Peter began topping his own pancake much more sensibly. Peter shot him a look around a bite.
"It's your fault. I don't see why you're so amused by it or why you assume I'm going to be the one dealing with it."
"Well, I happen to know for a fact that little miss over here is very excited to get on a big hunk of ice and slide around a bit with her big brother." They looked over at Morgan guzzling down her pancakes and practically vibrating with excitement.
"Woah, slow down there Morgan, otherwise you'll be sick, and we won't be able to go ice-skating." Peter said and Morgan visibly slowed down at the threat. She finished her 2 and Peter put another on her plate before she asked. She gave him a chocolaty smile in thanks before starting on that one as well. She pointedly looked at his half-eaten plate.
"Super-fast Petey! I want to go!" She was close to whining.
"Alight, alright, super-fast, I got it." Peter began eating faster as Morgan finished her plate again. She began to get up when Tony stopped her.
"Woah there Morguna, not so fast." He set a plastic cup of milk in front of her and gave her a pointed look, not too dissimilar to the one his daughter had aimed at his son minutes ago. Morgan sat back down with a huff but didn't argue as she drank her milk down. Peter had finished by the time Tony had done a rudimentary cleaning of Morgan's hands and face as she stood there reluctantly. She visibly perked up when Peter finally stood up.
"Right, let's go get ready." Peter stretched. Morgan cheered and shot from the room. They could hear her thundering up the stairs and the slam of her door.
"Let the sugar rush begin." Tony grinned at him. Peter sighed before following the path of his sister at a much more sedate pace with a smile.
"Be careful." Tony called to them, leaning against the doorframe. Peter turned around to grin at him, ice skates swung over his shoulder.
"We will." He smiled before turning back to Morgan who was determinedly pulling him along behind her. Peter shot one last smile back at him before giving an excited Morgan his undivided attention. Tony spent another moment just watching his kids with a soft smile on his face before the warmth of the indoors and his responsibilities drew him inside again. Even then, he couldn't stop himself from looking out and watching his children every once and a while.
Peter had done a circuit around the ice, inspecting it before letting Morgan on, and now they were skating together. They were both bundled up, coats and hats, scarves and gloves. There was no way Tony was letting them out there, for a prolonged time, without the suitable protection. Especially Peter who couldn't thermoregulate and seemed to pay no mind to his general health and wellbeing; the job more often than not fell to Tony and the rest of their mish mash of a family.
That was what they did though, Tony mussed, they looked out for each other. Everyone had their part and place; when they weren't there, their absence was felt like a missing limb or a pervading sense of wrongness. It was everything he had once dreamed to have, before he grew older and quashed it as the silly daydreams and hopes of a naive child. He supposed, in a way, that naïve child never really vanished. Deep down, in a place he had refused to acknowledge for the longest time, those hopes and wishes where stored instead of dying out as he had thought, collecting dust until Rhodey had found it and brushed off the dust. Until Happy had found the key. Until Pepper had put it in the lock. Until May twisted it and Peter flung it wide open without a care in the world. And suddenly it was all there. Every wish to have his presence noticed and missed. Not just that Tony Stark didn't turn up to another function or meeting or event. But for people to feel him missing and wish he was there because they genuinely like him. Like he mattered for more than his name and money and influence. He has that now. Whenever he is away for too long, he returns to open arms and warmth and excited retellings of what he missed and 'we missed you' and 'tell us all about it' and 'we love you'. And he feels complete again, surrounded by his family.
He felt the other's absences now, though he knew he would see them when they arrived later. For now, he prepared and watched Peter and Morgan playing together on the ice, their laughter and squeals sometimes being carried by the wind all the way to him and he smiled.
Peter had taught Morgan to skate last year: helping her learn to keep her balance, to skate forward, helping her up when she fell. It felt a bit like helping her take her first steps which helped ease some of the disappointment he felt at having missed it (as well as her first word and her first smile and laugh and so many milestones in her life). He had watched the videos of course, of which there were many, but that only did so much to sooth the hurt. It increased it in some ways, seeing all these things he missed and didn't have an opportunity to be a part of, and how he wished he had gotten the opportunity to be a part of it, but it was better than not seeing them at all. In this, he was helping Morgan reach another milestone, and it made him so ridiculously happy and proud. It was him doing it this time. It was one of his favourite memories, teaching Morgan to skate with Pepper and Tony at the shore cheering them on and taking a ridiculous number of pictures, not that he minded in the least. The pictures were then shown to the rest of the family who missed it of course and that was another of his favourite memories
He had to remind Morgan how to retain her balance for a while before she got the hang of it again but he didn't mind. He never minded helping his sister, especially since he couldn't blame her. She was still young and hadn't skated in a year. It was only natural that she gets rusty and forget the process. She picked it up much quicker than last year, some jogging of muscle memory did wonders, and was soon skating along with him.
Peter closed his eyes after a few laps around the lake and let himself bask in the sound of Morgan's laughter. His family's laughter were his favourite sounds in the world: Tony's warm one, Pepper's soft one, May's tinkling one, Happy's deep ones, Rhodey's mirthful ones. Morgan's youthful giggles. They filled him with comfort and peace, and he loved to immerse himself in it. He let Morgan's laughs wash over him before her joyful calls of his name made him open his eyes and look over at her warmly.
"Look Petey." Morgan squeals as she spins in a circle and Peter laughs before skating over. He takes her hands and slowly spins them around, gaining speed and listening to his sister's excitement. Morgan throws her head back and laughs, her hair whipping around, completely trusting the Peter wouldn't let her go.
They raced and played ice princess and chased each other and had competitions trying to out compete and impress the other, and 'Let it go' echoed over the ice (more often than not out of tune), mingled with the near constant laughter from both siblings enjoying the time together.
But of course, this was the Starks, and they had gone too long a stretch of time without something going wrong; so, the beautiful day had to inevitably go awry.
Morgan's screech abruptly cut through the air, slicing through the peaceful, joyous atmosphere they had, and Peter immediately halted the spin he was in the middle of. It wasn't like the squeals Morgan had been letting out all day; this was infused with terror and it made Peter's blood run cold. When he caught sight of her however, his blood froze over and turned to ice in his veins. Morgan was looking down in horror and Peter couldn't help mirroring her look. Where Morgan was standing, tendrils had stretched, thin cracks in the ice spreading out from her. Panicked, she tried to move but that just caused the ice to crack further and she didn't get anywhere. Peter could clearly see her fear, so he swallowed his own and forced his voice to come out steadily.
"Morgan. Stop." She froze. "That's it. It's okay." Peter bent down and began unlacing his skates and taking them off. They were too impractical right now. He couldn't move freely or get a grip; he could do that without them, or at least do that better. He slid off his socks as well and hissed as his feet touched the freezing ice. It wasn't important right now. The only thing that was important was currently terrified and needed him.
Peter dropped his ice skates down on the ice next to him, tearing off his gloves and jamming up his coat sleeve to hit the panic button on his watch. He knew Tony wouldn't be able to do much until he got Morgan off the thin ice, but he needed him here for afterwards. Peter quickly turned back to a terrified Morgan, holding out his hand to her in a placating manner.
"Hey, it's okay, it's okay." He said softly. "Don't look down, just look at me." He brought his hand back to his chest trying not to look at the cracks forming beneath his sister.
"Petey. I'm scared." She whimpered her eyes flickering downwards before remembering his order and looking back up at him. The tears in her eyes broke his heart and he heard before he saw the ice beneath her crack further under her wavering skates. He didn't have much time.
"I know. I know." He tried to take a step forward, but the ice began breaking under his foot. He faltered, panic spreading but he could not let it show. "But you're going to be alright. You're not going to fall in." He would make sure of it. He curled his hands, which were floating uselessly in front of him as if they wished to just reach out and grab her off the ice, into fists as he looked off to the side and thought about what to do.
"Peter!" He heard his name being called and turned to look behind him. Tony was standing in his suit by the edge to the ice looking terrified and surrounded by what looked to be almost every avenger. He made a move toward the ice but Peter flung out his hand quickly.
"Stop!" He nearly screamed. "The suit is too heavy. You would break it. And you can't fly over it, the repulsors would melt it."
"What should we do then?" Pepper called back, grasping at Tony's arm tightly.
"Morgan is the one on thinner ice at the moment. Wait until I get her off it. Once she's on thicker ice either she can come towards you or you can get her." Peter said.
"How are you going to do that?" Steve asked, stepping forward.
"I'm coming up with something." Peter told them, cursing himself for not bringing his webshooters. The others didn't have enough time to get them for him either. The workshop was a 10 minute journey from the lake and Morgan had, by his estimate, 3 minutes tops; not even the super soldiers in their midst could make there and back that fast. He had to think fast. A crack and whimper had him turning back to his sister who was staring at the cracks under her in panic. Peter scanned the ice before seeing a suitable stick with a curved end about 3 feet to his right. With some closer inspection, he determined that the ice there was stable and closer to Morgan than his current position. He just had to get there thought the thinner ice in between and get to Morgan without falling in or terrifying her enough that she moves and falls in herself. He forced himself to brighten and turned back to face her fully.
"Don't worry Mo, you're not going to fall in. We're going to have a little fun instead." He spread his arms wide smiling reassuringly at her.
"No we're not." She cried out. There was barely 2 meters between them but Peter felt ever millimetre keenly. It felt they were separated by miles. His sister was scared and in danger and he so badly wanted to rush over there and comfort her but the danger part held him back. He had to stay calm otherwise she would pay for it. And Morgan getting hurt was unacceptable.
"Would I trick you?" He asked and when she opened her mouth he realised that her answer might actually be 'yes' after the mini prank war they had had last week which wasn't helpful at the moment and changed the question quickly. "Would I lie to you?" He began inching forward slowly.
"No." She said quietly
"This time isn't any different. I promise. I promise you're going to be… you're going to be fine." Peter told her, eyes softening as she turned her eyes up from the ice and to him, shining with fear. "You have to believe in me." His arms were still out, ready to catch her or dive in if she fell through. She swallowed, not moving her eyes off of him as she continued to stare at him trustingly. He wouldn't let her down now.
"Want to play a game?" He asked with too much forced enthusiasm. "We're going to play hopscotch. Like we play every day." He straightened up as a plan formed in his mind. The barest hint of a smile graced Morgan's lips and Peter counted it as a win.
"It's as easy as one-" he took a step towards the thin branch he saw earlier and had to hold back a grimace as it cracked under his foot. He caught it at the last second when he remembered Morgan had her attention focused on him. He smiled at her and pretended to flail around ridiculously with a 'woah', trying to distract her from the real danger they were in. It pulled a laugh out of her which warmed his heart and he took a second step "-two-" he drawled and almost sighed in relief when it didn't crack. He was right, then, about the ice here being thick. He took another step, safely on the thicker ice and landed with a triumphant "Three." And grinned over at Morgan. He crouched down and wrapped his fingers around the branch.
"Aright." He held the branch out towards her, hooked end first. She was still too far away. She needed to come closer. He took a breath. "Now it's your turn." The smile was still on her face and Peter wanted to keep it there.
"One." He said and the smile slipped from her face as she slid one foot forward, gasping as the cracks followed her. "That's it. That's it." He reassured her getting the branch ready.
"Two." Another step. More cracks. More than last time. Another gasp. Morgan flung her head up to look at Peter in terror before looking back at the ice. He was looking at the ice too. There were too many cracks. The ice would break if she took another step. He had to act now.
"Three." He breathed out as he lunged forward, hooking the branch around her as he pulled her out and across onto the thicker ice with a grunt. The propulsion pushed him in the opposite direction of were Morgan slid but he didn't care. He slipped to where she was standing before he sat up and looked up quickly with a hopeful smile to where Morgan had come to a stop, a sigh of relief escaping him as he saw her lying on the smooth ice. She looked up in shock over to him, before her face broke out into a huge smile. A cheer came from the side lines where Peter had forgotten they had an audience. He stood up slowly with a relieved laugh. Smiling over at his sister. Who was safe. He had barely taken a step towards her when the ice broke beneath him, plunging him into the icy waters below.
He heard a scream from the shore and Morgan screaming his name. Panic raced through him as he tried to swim up, towards the light but the numbness and cold was quickly winning out against the burning of his lungs and heart. He had saved Morgan though. She was fine and safe and probably with her family now. She was going to be fine. She was okay. He had saved her. And with that thought, the darkness finally managed to swallow him whole.
The Avengers had finally all arrived and were situated around the living room, conversations flowing freely. May and Happy were on their way, Tony had Pepper back in his arms, Rhodey was across the room, and he was just making a snarky jab at Wilson that had the group laughing when an alarm blared through the house. Everyone startled. Tony opened his mouth to ask Friday what was going on when she beat him to it and began talking.
"Peter has just pushed his panic button." Terror immediately began lacing through Tony and he shared a quick look with Pepper, then Rhodey.
"Where is he Fri?" Tony asked as the suit formed around him and the other Avengers stood, already gearing up for action.
"At the lake." At least he hadn't been kidnapped then. But even though that option was disregarded, more took its place. He could have been shot or hurt or dying. It could be Morgan. Oh god. Morgan.
"Where's Morgan Friday?" Pepper asked, following his train of thought as they all began running to the lake.
"At the lake." Tony wasn't sure if that was reassuring or not. If something was wrong with Morgan though, why wouldn't Peter bring her to them? Why wouldn't Morgan come running if it was Peter who was hurt?
Questions kept mounting until the group turned a corner towards the lake and the problem quickly became apparent
Peter was barefoot on the ice, skates lay disregarded next to him, arms reaching towards Morgan, who looked to be standing on ice that was cracking around her.
"Peter!" Tony yelled as the group skidded to a stop at the edge of the frozen over lake. He moved with the intent of getting both his kids out of there when Peter turned around and flung out his hand a panicked yell making its way out of his throat.
"Stop!" Peter cried and Tony froze. "The suit is too heavy. You would break it. And you can't fly over it; the repulsors would melt it." Damn. Damn it all. The logic was solid, and Tony hated that. His kids were in danger right in front of him and he could do nothing. He was useless.
"What should we do then?" Pepper stepped forward, coming equal to him, and gripping his arm.
"Morgan is the one on thinner ice at the moment. Wait until I get her off it. Once she's on thicker ice either she can come towards you or you can get her." Peter said. And Tony thought about how predictable it was that he hadn't included himself in that unbaked plan. Tony's heart filled with love for the kid's selflessness and protectiveness for his sister, something he had dreamed about for years and hadn't thought he would be able to see. Now he was seeing it and Tony wished it wasn't in such dire circumstances. That same selflessness though also made Tony afraid. The kid wouldn't be thinking of himself at the moment and that was a problem considering he was also on thin ice. Literally.
"How are you going to do that?" Steve asked, eyes flickering worriedly over the scene. And Tony would love to hear the answer to that question.
"I'm coming up with something." Peter told them and Tony almost wanted to roll his eyes at that. Peter scanned the area and his eyes landed on a certain piece of ice with a stick on it. He narrowed his eyes and Tony could practically see the cogs turning in his brain as he thought up some wacky plan which would, against all odds, actually work. And Tony hoped that he would be able to do it again because he really didn't like these odds. Then, apparently coming to some sort of decision, Peter turned back to Morgan with a smile.
"Don't worry Mo, you're not going to fall in. We're going to have a little fun instead." He spread his arms wide smiling reassuringly at her. And god, Tony loved him. If he couldn't be there to keep his daughter safe and happy, he knew he could trust Peter to do it.
"No we're not." She cried out. Her cry hurt his heart. Pepper muffled a sob against his shoulder. If he hadn't needed to be ready for immediate action, he would have taken off his suit to wrap his arms around his distressed wife.
"Would I trick you?" He asked and then quickly changed the question. "Would I lie to you?" He began inching forward slowly, arms out slightly for balance, like Morgan was doing. Tony snorted slightly. The others looked at him confused.
"They had some sort of prank war last week. They were playing tricks on each other for 3 days. Its why he changed the question." Bucky huffed a small laugh and Steve smiled. Morgan muttered something too quiet for them to hear but Tony didn't need to; he knew the answer would be no.
"This time isn't any different. I promise. I promise you're going to be… you're going to be fine." Peter told her and his shaky but determined promise told Tony all he needed to know. Peter would save her. Of that, he had no doubt. Morgan turned her eyes up from the ice to stare at Peter, looking scared. "You have to believe in me." His arms were still out. Morgan visibly swallowed, eyes locked on to her brother.
"Want to play a game? We're going to play hopscotch. Like we play every day." He straightened up and the fake enthusiasm in his voice almost made Tony wince. What was he playing at? But Morgan began to smile.
"It's as easy as one-" Peter took a step forward and Tony choked on a gasp as the ice began to crack around his foot.
"What is he doing?" Sam asked, incredulous.
"He has a plan." Rhodey reassured them and Tony was grateful because he couldn't do it himself. It was hard to push words out when your heart was wedged in your throat. Or about to fall into ice cold water.
"I hope you're right." Bucky murmured. Peter exaggeratedly flailed around for a moment and Tony almost felt Pepper's hand dent the suit with how tightly she was gripping him. The reason for the flailing came seconds later in the form of a giggle from Morgan. It brought a sliver of relief but not enough for panic to release his heart.
"Two." Peter continued and took another step forward. It didn't crack and Tony felt Pepper loosen her hold just a bit. "Three." He finished, crouching on the solid ice. His feet must be burning him Tony thought worriedly. He grabbed hold of the branch and – oh. Tony could see what he was doing now. But the branch was too short. She would have to move.
"Alright. Now it's your turn." Peter held out the branch, ready. "One." Morgan slid forward, barely a step, but the ice cracked in protest.
"Oh god." Pepper cried. She let go of him. "Please get ready." She pleaded and Tony understood. He, Steve and Bucky were ready to move at a moment's notice. Sam and Natasha were back up since they didn't have suitable clothing on or enhancements and Bruce was getting emergency supplies ready for a worst-case scenario with Clint, both of them having been informed on the situation thanks to Friday.
"Two." Peter's voice carried across the lake. Morgan's gasp was almost overpowered by the noise of the ice cracking terrifyingly around her feet. The cracks were so big around her and there was no way she would be able to take another step like that without it all coming down. But if she took little steps, she would be pushing down on the already fractured pieces, sealing her fate. Tony could tell Peter noticed it too. A stubbornly determined look crossed his face before he breathed out a "Three" and dived for her, hooking the branch around her waist and yanking her out of the danger zone and onto the thick ice he had been standing on. She slid a bit on it before coming to rest. Tony had a moment of breath-taking relief before realising that Peter flinging Morgan out of the danger zone had pushed him straight into it.
Peter sat up and the siblings smiled at each other, but Tony couldn't appreciate the beauty of it with the panic that was once again racing through him. Peter stood gracefully with a relieved breath of laughter. Sam whooped and Pepper let out a breath. No one had noticed yet. Tony opened his mouth to scream at Peter to not move or to get out of there, he hadn't decided yet. But he didn't get the chance to say either. Peter had shifted just the slightest amount but it was onto the fractured ice and it collapsed. He was plunged in with a yelp. Pepper screamed.
"PETER!" Morgan screamed. Steve lunged onto the ice to grab her before she could do something dangerous in her fear and desperation like go towards the hole in the ice. He wrapped a secure arm around her waist as Tony shot up into the air. Bucky helped pull Steve off the ice again, his arms full as they were with a writhing, screaming child. As soon as they were clear of it, Tony shot down through the hole Peter had fallen through, smashing more of the ice surrounding it. Tony frantically scanned the murky water for the familiar figure, not seeing anything.
"Come on come on. Come on kid, where are you?" Tony muttered, panicked. "Where is he Friday?" She was silent for a moment and Tony felt his panic driven higher. Then a red dot appeared in his vision and he quickly propelled towards it. As he got closer, he could see the figure more clearly. Peter was suspended in the water, his hair swaying gently in every direction and his face was highlighted by the white light filtering through the ice above him. It would almost be a beautiful sight if it wasn't his kid drowning in icy water. Tony quickly grabbed hold of him and flew upwards, breaking through the ice with his back to shield Peter.
"Friday, please tell me he's alive." Tony begged, flying quickly towards the house.
"Weak pulse detected." Tony breathed out a sigh of relief but knew it was far from over. Being under that long in those conditions would take their toll on anyone but Peter couldn't thermoregulate and Tony was terrified of what the water could have done to him.
Tony landed heavily just in front of the porch, laying Peter on the ground gently. Bruce was instantly on him as Tony hurried out of the suit.
"He's not breathing." Tony cried.
"He needs CPR. Now." Bruce barked. "Steve, get on compressions. Tony, the breaths." They got in position quickly. Steve was already started on the compressions by the time Tony was settled. When Steve finished his set, Tony leaned over, pinched Peter's nose closed and sealed his lips over his pale blue ones. Tony tried to push as much air into the kid's lungs as he could.
"Again." Bruce said and the cycle repeated. Tony heard a rib crack and flinched. Steve sent him an apologetic look, but Tony shook his head. It wasn't his fault; he was saving his life. On and on it went. Compressions, breath. Tony was in a daze and he didn't think he could blame it entirely on giving all his oxygen to the kid. Tony was just about to break down crying because it wasn't working - the kid still wasn't breathing, why wasn't it working? - when suddenly Peter spluttered, water dribbling out of his mouth. They rolled him onto his side as he expelled the contents of his stomach, Tony rubbing his back soothingly, muttering encouragements and reassurances. When he had finished dry heaving, the shivers finally set in and Tony was almost relieved to see them. Shivers mean he was trying to generate heat, no matter how futile it would be. His body hadn't given up. As Peter sat up, leaning heavily on Tony, Sam stepped forward with a heated blanket, wrapping Peter up in it.
"You did good kid." Sam told him, resting a gentle hand on his shoulder. Peter gave him a weak smile before rolling his head around to face Tony who was rubbing his arm, both for comfort and to generate more warmth.
"Morgan." He said hoarsely.
"She's fine Peter. Pepper has her inside now, warming her up and calming her down." Tony huffed out a soft, relieved laugh before lowering his head into Peter's wet curls. "Thank you."
Peter snorted out a humourless laugh. "I should have been paying more attention. Or checked the ice better. It was my fault; she shouldn't have been in-"
"Stop. Stop right there Pete." Tony cut him off. He couldn't bear to listen to anymore of the kid blaming himself for this. "It was in no way your fault. At all. You kept her calm and made her laugh. You saved her life. Almost at the expense of your own."
"But-" Peter looked away but Tony gently nudged his head back to face him.
"No buts kid. I'm right. And you don't need to talk right now. Let's just warm you up and get you back up on your feet. Then we are going to have a talk about the worth of your life and self-preservation. Don't think I didn't notice how you conveniently left yourself out of your half-baked plan of getting to safety." Tony said, looking pointedly at him as he hefted him up, into his arms and began the trek inside. Peter groaned before letting out a stream of hacking coughs. Tony felt his worry spike.
"I can walk by myself." He muttered petulantly a moment later. Tony looked down at the teenager who had his head rested on his shoulder. His eyes were drooping, and he looked to be battling his exhaustion. Tony huffed and rolled his eyes fondly.
"Go to sleep kid. You look like you need it."
"'m fine." He tried but was undermined by his sudden yawn. "In a minute." Peter amended, eyes sweeping over the interior of the house as they stepped through the door. Tony thought of protesting but had a feeling he knew what Peter was looking for. Tony was proved right when Peter's eyes landed on his sister drinking a warm glass of milk with her mother in the kitchen. A soft smile spread over the kid's face and he nestled deeper into Tony's neck. At that moment, Morgan's attention was drawn by the movement by the door as the group came in and her gaze unerringly found its way onto her brother. She immediately got up and ran at Tony.
"Petey!" She squealed. Peter was instantly more awake, or pretending to be, as he smiled down at the menace trying to climb up Tony's leg.
"Hey bug. Are you okay?" Tony almost rolled his eyes again.
"Of course, I am Petey. You saved me! Are you okay?" She gazed up at Peter with big, worried brown eyes. Tony spotted the remains of tear tracks on her cheeks and the red tinge her eyes had.
"'Course I am." Peter reassured her, clearly ignoring how not okay he was in the face of Morgan's concern. Morgan turned her eyes to Tony for confirmation.
"He just needs some rest Morgan. He will be back to playing with you and terrifying the life out of me soon enough." Morgan giggled at that. Pepper had approached by this point and gently ran a hand through Peter's hair.
"Hey sweetheart," She said softly.
"Hey mum." Peter leaned into the touch, eyes fluttering closed for a moment.
"Thank you for what you did. I'm proud of you." Peter smiled softly, eyelids getting visibly heavier by the second. "Go to sleep now baby, you did good." Peter gave one more smile at that before resting his head back on Tony's shoulder and falling asleep. Pepper made eye contact with Tony over his head and gave him a look that clearly asks if Peter was as alright as he says he was, but Tony made a subtle gesture at Morgan and Pepper nodded in understanding. Peter might say there was nothing wrong but he and Tony had different definitions of the words 'fine' and 'nothing' when it came to his health and he was worried about the effects of the water and cold.
"Come on now, let's tuck Peter into bed." Pepper bent and picked up Morgan who was still staring at Peter.
"He will be fine when he wakes up Morgan." Steve said as they walked past on their way to the kid's room.
Peter was not fine when he woke up. He was most definitely not fine. Peter groaned as he gaged again, but there was nothing left in his stomach, there hadn't been for hours, so only a pathetic dribble of bile and saliva came out and into the bucket Pepper held with one hand, the other carding through Peter's hair. Tony knelt behind Peter on the bed, his prosthetic supporting Peter's weight, held over the bucket, and the other rubbing his back, trying to offer whatever comfort he could. He met Pepper's eyes which were glistening with tears she wouldn't let fall, focusing instead on murmuring comforts to Peter as he heaved once again.
"It's almost over now sweetheart, you're doing so well." Pepper murmured and with one final shudder, Peter slumped down and leaned on Tony's shoulder with a groan.
"I've got you, Pete." Tony told him softly. Peter's eyes flickered to him for a moment before they closed in exhaustion. The door opened and Bruce came in.
"How is he?"
"He won't keep anything down. Not even water." Pepper told him worriedly. Bruce hummed as he examined him.
"Ice chips might be a good temporary solution, but they won't be enough." Bruce sighed as he placed a hand on Peter's forehead and tutted at the temperature Friday reported to him. "I might have to put him on an IV drip. He needs to be getting fluids and medicine in him and if he can't keep them down, I won't have a choice. Not to mention his metabolism. His body needs the sustenance which he isn't getting." Tony paled. He knew Peter wasn't going to recover easily from this from the moment he woke up disoriented and threw up the first time but hearing Bruce as good as confirm it was something else. Tony sucked in a breath.
"Do it." Bruce nodded to him and squeezed Peter's shoulder gently before leaving the room.
"Ice." Pepper suddenly said after a moment of silence. Tony looked up at her questioningly. "Ice chips. I'll go get some." She got up and smoothed Peter's sweaty curls off his forehead before dropping a kiss there. "I'll be back in a minute sweetie." She whispered to him when his eyes flickered open to look at her. He closed his eyes in acceptance and sunk further into Tony's arms. Pepper and Tony shared a pained look before Pepper turned to leave.
Before she reached the door however, it opened to reveal Rhodey. He walked in, hugging Pepper before moving aside to let her pass. Rhodey approached, looking worriedly at Peter. He nodded at Tony, squeezing his shoulder in silent comfort before leaning over to Peter.
"Hey champ," Rhodey greeted him softly. Peter's eyes had opened when Rhodey walked in, watching him. Peter tried to lift his hand but it fell back onto the covers. Rhodey got the message though and grabbed hold of it, sitting on the side of the bed.
"What's all this I hear about your daring heroics?" Peter shot him a weak smile. "Morgan was raving about it."
"I bet she was." Tony smiled fondly, fingers beginning to run through Peter's hair again. Peter grunted.
"How are you feeling Pete?" Rhodey asks him softly. "Do you feel up for talking? It's alright if you don't."
"' feel like crap." Peter rasps out.
"I'm sorry Peter." Rhodey sighs and Tony rests his head against Peter's.
"Worth it." Peter grunts out. Tony presses a kiss to his curls. "Dad saved me anyway." Peter tilted his head up slightly to like up at Tony with a tired smile. "Th's the second time-" Peter paused to swallow and take a breath before continuing "-you've saved me from drowning in a lake."
Tony squeezed him gentle for a second. "Well, let's not try for a third time, shall we?" Peter gave a slight nod and his lips twitched. Pepper walked in then, a bowl of ice in her hands.
"Hey love, would you like to have an ice chip now?" Pepper asked, setting the bowl down on his bedside table and sitting on the opposite side of the bed to Rhodey. Peter nodded and opened his mouth. Pepper plucked up an ice chip and gave it to him. Peter closed his mouth. The group sat as Peter went through 3 more ice chips, occasionally starting up a hushed conversation, before Bruce came back with an IV drip. Peter looked away as the needle was inserted, pushing his face into Tony's neck. Tony continued petting his hair and squeezed him gently against his body, trying to provide as much comfort as he could; they all knew how much Peter hated needles, which was very unfortunate for the amount of times he needed them.
"It should only be needed until the fever breaks; you should get better quickly after that." Bruce told him. Peter just nodded.
"Try to get more sleep Pete." Tony told him, shifting them to that Peter was in a more comfortable position to sleep in.
"Don't let Morgan see me like this. Don't want to scare her." Peter murmured, half asleep already. Tony's heart warmed.
"Okay buddy, we won't. Don't worry about it."
Peter hummed before succumbing to the darkness pulling at the edge of his consciousness.
The drip was in only overnight before it was determined that Peter could keep down his fluids and that his fever had lessened. The IV had been out for only minutes when Morgan came bounding excitedly into the room. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you looked at it, Morgan knew the drill by now and slowed down when she reached the bed, waiting patiently to be allowed up. That didn't limit her mouth though and she had been babbling animatedly as soon as she had seen that Peter was awake and had given her the go ahead.
She had, much to Peter's (well-hidden) irritation, pestered him with the questions of his well being that the rest of the family semi-regularly subjected him to. Not that Peter could stay annoyed with it. Sometimes he loved that they all cared so much. Well, he always did but he sometimes had to remind himself to be grateful when they all fussed that bit too much.
After he had successfully calmed Morgan's worrying and she was mollified that he was indeed okay, she went back to her usual nattering, though significantly dialled down in response to his state. He appreciated it. Just like he appreciated the fact that their family had apparently decided to camp out in his room for a while. Even Happy and May when they arrived and been appropriately informed on recent events.
Peter looked around the room. Happy was napping on an air mattress in the corner. May and Pepper were sitting cross-legged on blankets on the floor talking and laughing quietly. Similarly, Tony and Rhodey were sitting and playing a card game together near the bed, conversing. Tony looked up just then and locked eyes with Peter. He immediately broke into a soft smile and Peter felt his lips automatically tugging up in response. A feeling of warmth, that had been steadily spreading as he glanced around, blossomed, spreading all the way from his chest to his extremities. He was warm in the blankets wrapped around him, warm from the soup that had been made with love and practically poured down his throat, warm from the small body in his arms, and warm with the love that enveloped him from all sides, reaching places that nothing else could ever reach, reaching his very heart. He would do anything for this group of people, for his family. And he knew it was reciprocated. Even for little Morgan who could be as fierce as her mother and as stubborn as her father. His arms tightened around her at the thought. He didn't regret anything that went into saving her. It was all worth it. She was worth it.
Even with the phantom feelings of icy cold biting occasionally at him, the feeling of being surrounded by those he loved most was the best feeling in the world.