Tony glanced around his home; it's their last day at the Malibu house today. He walked at the living room where Peter's favorite toys are still laid out like a playground. Different board games and Lego sets are still at the table, stuffed toys at the couch.
"Ow. Ow. Ow... Arghh.. God! Shit." Tony whimpered in pain as he stepped once again on a Lego scattered around the floor. Stepping on Lego's annoyed him to bits ever since Peter was in his care. The kid loved the tiny little pieces of death and he has no choice but to concur.
"Peter!" He called out. "Your little death traps are still scattered here in the living room. Let's pack these up. Come on." In a few minutes, Peter comes running from upstairs.
"He- He- Hey, buddy. Don't run at the stairs." Tony sighed and watched as Peter comes to him. "Okay. What did we talk about the Lego's?"
"Oops." Peter whispered.
Tony picked up an empty box and went to Peter. "Uh uh, not Oops."
"Pick and Clean up Toys after playing." Peter said and Tony raised a brow looking at all the toys in a mess.
"Sorry, Dad." Peter mumbled then smiled sheepishly as he started picking up all his toys and putting it in the box.
Tony smiled and brushed Peter's hair. "Good kid, don't forget the next time." This wasn't the first time Peter forgot to clean up his toys but still the kid still manages to do his kiddie chores at the house. He helps set the table and clean up after, make his bed now, pick up his toys, and put his dirty clothes in the hamper.
Tony walked towards the kitchen. Peter's early drawings when he was four years old are posted at the Ref kept by magnets. There's baby pictures of Peter, first pictures of them together smiling happily, Peter's first perfect quiz, his first Valentine letter to Tony saying "I love you Dad." in big letters. Tony smiled at all the happy memories posted in it. Tony picked up Peter's baby picture when he was just one year old. He sometimes wishes he could've been there to see Peter when he was still a baby, to see him start to crawl and walk. His first words, first smile, and first laugh. He started putting up all the stuff in a small box. All their personal important stuff is going to the Penthouse. In a week, after their trip abroad, they're going to stay in New York for good. He was about to put the box at the front door when he saw the wall near the stairs they used to track Peter's height every year on his birthday from when he was four years old. He looks at Peter now, and smiled. How fast a child grows.
"Tony Stark is many things; Nostalgic is now one of them." Pepper suddenly uttered to him and hugged him from the side.
Tony laughed a little. "I am now, haven't I?" Pepper laughed while Tony kissed her forehead and they started helping the little boy pack up his stuff.
The blazing heat of the tropical sun in Bangkok welcomed them as they headed through their first day of Business. Tony and Pepper have multiple meetings with their subsidiary company, who handles Stark tech in Thailand for the impending release of Stark Phone in the country and all over Asia. Since they still have two weeks before Peter's first day of school, they figured to let the little kid come with them and have a little vacation after the business agendas.
"Dad, when are we going to go out? It's boring in here." Peter scowled as he went to his father's lap who's relaxing on the couch of their hotel room after a day of meetings.
He's massaging his temples as Peter climbed up to him and rests his head on Dad's chest and arms around him. "Have you had no fun with Happy?"
"Happy's rarely fun; he's the opposite of happy. He's Grumpy, Dad."
Tony laughed with the sentiment and brushed Peter's hair. "Silly boy. Did you talk to Ned earlier over the phone?"
"We had a video call. He's now in Paris with his Parents still in their European Tour. He says Hi to you. We agreed to just meet at the first day of class."
"That's nice. Okay, we have one last meeting tomorrow morning, and then in the afternoon we're going to see the elephants at the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary, sounds good? I know you like that."
Peter looked up at him at his eyes gleamed with excitement. "Really? Yay! Thanks Dad!" and he hugged his Dad while Dad kissed his head. "Anything for you, kid."
They arrived at the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary that afternoon. They decided to visit the sanctuary instead of seeing elephants being used for comedic and entertainment purposes. The Elephant Jungle Sanctuary is an ethical and sustainable ecotourism project around Thailand that cares about the welfare of Thai elephants. No elephant riding, no hooking, no circus tricks. Elephants are retired from performances or rescued from cruel owners.
They were welcomed by the tribe and they wore the traditional and colorful Karon costumes. Peter's eyes widened with glee and he giggled as a baby elephant came close to him. They were given bushes, fruit, and twigs so they can feed the gentle giants. Random elephants came to them and they all feed them. Their eyes gleamed and they're so happy for the whole new experience.
"Hahahaha! Oh my God, Tony!" Pepper laughed hard as she saw Tony being sprinkled with mud by one of the elephants and now he's fully bathed with it. They all went to the mud bath with the elephants and she knew how Tony used to be a germaphobe, not even wanting to handshake with people he doesn't know, having a Purell always, but now seeing him, dirty and face scrunched, she just can't hold in her laughter. Peter laughed at his father as well. In the end, Tony just laughed with them and had a really wonderful time.
Peter was switching channels on their hotel room the night after, when he saw something strange. "Dad, look!" He screamed that made Tony ran out fast from the bathroom still having his toothbrush on his mouth.
"What? What's going on? You okay?" Dad asked in incomprehensible tone. Peter laughed as he saw his Dad and when Tony saw he's okay, he went back to the sink again to spit out and gargle, then he returned to his son. "Look, Dad. What's that?" Peter pointed at the TV screen, and there they watched the footage of a green-skinned, big and muscular monster fighting another monster with an even uglier appearance. The headline calling it the "Harlem Terror".
"That's- Wow. That's a green rage monster." Tony's eyes widened as he stared comprehending what's happening. The footage replays and the green one won the battle roaring angrily. "Good thing we're not in New York."
"They're calling it the Hulk."
"Well, the shoe fits. Looks like his anger can't be contained." Tony turned off the TV and went to bed.
He hugged his dad's chest. "Looks like he's fighting the bad guy."
"If that's true, then that's good. If not..."
He looked up to see his father. "Then what?"
"Then I'm gonna have to stop him."
He slumped back and rested his head on Dad's arm hugging him, closing his eyes. "I hope that never happens."
"I hope so too, kid." Tony kissed Peter's forehead before they snoozed off to sleep.
On their third day, they went to Bali and had a day tour. Visiting Uluwatu Temple and the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary. The sights were majestic but the scrunching heat of the sun made the trip a little less comfortable. They walked along the Monkey forest that's surrounded by trees and has around 700 monkeys all over.
"Dad!" Peter shrieked as one monkey came close to him. Panic was written all over his face. Tony turned to his son who is a little farther away from him. Peter loves the gigantic gentle species but is afraid of small crawly creatures such as monkeys, spiders, and insects.
"Relax, Pete. Don't move." Tony instructed as he walked close to his son while and immediately carried him. Peter hugged him tight never wanting to let go. "It's okay now, bud. I'm here." He assured Peter who still looks scared. "You didn't say you don't like monkeys."
"I thought I liked them until they stared at me like they're going to eat me."
Tony laughed. "They're not. Look... They don't harm humans unless they get threatened." He assured but still Peter doesn't like it and clings unto him more. There are also many insects around the place and that made Peter more uncomfortable.
"Tony, maybe we should go now." Pepper said while she checked on Peter. "You okay, sweetheart?" Pepper asked while she rubbed his back.
"It's itchy." Peter scratches his arms and their face worry as they saw some red mosquito bites on his arms and legs. Red patches are also already forming on his neck from the heat and humidity.
"Damn it. Let's get out of here." They hurriedly went at the car to the hotel and gave Peter a bath and some ointment for the bites. Tony looked calm but he was terrified of what happened, it's his first time to see patches and bites on Peter's. Their houses are always clean from insects and even in Peter's school he doesn't get insect bites. His mind started to overthink of the diseases his son might get if they stayed there any further so he immediately asked for the jet and the morning after they flew right back to New York.
"You think he's gonna be okay?" Tony asked as he gently brushed his son's hair, looking at him while he sleeps in his chest.
"He's okay, Tony. The bite marks already faded and his temp's normal." Pepper holds his hand and looks at him trying to assure him. "Hey, it's going to be okay."
The sound of phone ringing interrupted her and she looks up at her phone but there's no one calling. "It's not mine." She glanced over at Tony's phone in the corner, and she raised a brow for him to pick it up but he doesn't even have any interest to do so.
"Answer it. I've got a kid."
She glared at him but then smiled when she saw the caller id. "Oh, it's Phil."
Tony's forehead creased. "Who's Phil?"
Pepper answered the call and Tony looks over at her frowning. "We're still on the jet, on the way to New York. Okay, Tony will meet you there. Bye." She hangs up the call.
"It's Agent Coulson. He'll meet you tomorrow when we landed."
He gave her a scrutinizing look. "Since when is he Phil?"
She chuckled. "It's about Harlem."
His expression dulled. "Hey, I thought I'm off with their Avengers Initiative."
"He never said it's about the Avengers Initiative. Maybe, they just need you."
"They can't afford me."
"Oh no, they can't." She smiled knowingly. She knew how Tony can be stubborn but when it's about doing good for others, he will never hesitate. Ever since the kidnapping, a lot of things changed. Tony may be arrogant but he's never self-centered. He will do what is right, he will save people and especially his loved ones, no matter how impossible it might be. She knows this and Peter knows this. Contrary to popular belief, he's not the selfish and egotistical person many thought him out to be. He may not be your typical self-sacrificing hero, but he can be the hero that everyone needs.
Tony turned his chair to Agent Coulson at his office at the Penthouse. "We need you Mr. Stark. The council wants Blondsky to be released and be added into the the Avengers Initiative. They see him as a war hero. We can't let that happen. We need you to convince General Ross to refuse releasing the Abomination into our custody."
Tony reads on the report laid out the his screens moments before answering.
"And why me?" He raises an eyebrow.
"Your skill set is specifically what's needed for this to be a success." Phil knows how Tony Stark was well known for his disdain for authority and how successfully he manage to offend and annoy anyone who wants to undermine him.
"Well, I thought I'm not part of the initiative."
"You're not. You're our consultant."
His expression hardened. He's still hung up by not being part of the Avengers. He continued to read on the file of Bruce Banner and was amazed. The amount of gamma-exposure should've killed him. And the Abomination is clearly a devilish out of control monster. More than he'd like to admit, Coulson is right. The abomination shouldn't be a part of the initiative.
"Okay, but I'm gonna need you to babysit for a while."
"No problem."
.
.
.
"To be honest, I enjoyed today. More of like a day-cation. I haven't gone in one for more than a year now." Phil said as he eat a spoonful of ice cream looking through The Pond of Central Park overlooking the trees and skyscrapers. When he was asked to babysit, Phil thought of movies or board games, like what Natasha did. But he didn't expect to be walking around the Park enjoying the sights. Peter biked earlier and they even had a look at the park zoo. It was a gorgeous afternoon and summer is nearly ending.
"Why? Don't you take a leave?" Peter asked beside him as they sat on a bench. Different families and couples can be seen walking around. Most were kids and tourists.
"We're pretty much preoccupied with the missions. Doesn't really have time for that."
"Where would you like to go if you had the time?"
"Relax at the beach. Tahiti, maybe."
"It's a paradise in there, we have a Villa in Tahiti. Just let us know. Dad will fly you out there." Phil glanced over at Peter and smiled. What a thoughtful kid. Natasha lamented on how good Stark's kid is and he knew this early on, they had a few chats before his father's revelation as Iron Man. He noticed some of the people are taking side glances at them, probably noticed that the kid is Peter Stark.
Moments later, they saw Tony's figure in a suit and Peter stood up and ran directly to his father. Tony grinned, opened his arms and carried his son.
Phil saw how Tony's expression changed when he saw his son and he went to them smiling. "Looks like the plan worked, Mr. Stark."
Tony smirked. "Surely did, Agent Coulson. I have apparently annoyed the hell out of Ross that I had to buy the Bar. Blonsky will remain in his cage."
"Thank you so much, Mr. Stark. We owe you."
"No, that's okay. I guess I'm already paid with Natasha for her babysitting. Thank you for keeping an eye again at my son."
"Always a pleasure. I have to go now." They shake-hands.
"Bye, Agent Coulson." Peter gave Phil a quick hug "I'll see you soon, Peter. I had fun. Thank you." He looked at Tony. "Mr. Stark." and walked into the car waiting for him.
Tony started updating the Mark VI the next day on his lab at the Penthouse. It's still the same size of the lab he has in Malibu. It just appears slightly larger now because the cars are parked in the garage. He's working on the water and electricity resistance of the suit as well as the Unibeam of the arc reactor. He noticed the lab was strangely quiet. That's odd. Peter's usually perky and excited when it comes to his new tech, but he looked over and his son's just lying on the couch back on him.
"You alright in there, Pete?" Tony called out asking while he makes projections on the blue holograms, but to his surprise there's no response. Tony stood up curious to check what's happening and walked over to his son. "Hey, buddy. Are you okay?"
"Dad, why is it so cold in here?"
Tony's brows knitted, the room is just at its normal temp. Peter sit up from the couch. "I feel weird, Dad." Peter tiredly said, his eyes drooping and Tony felt his son's neck and forehead burning up. "JARVIS, read Peter's vitals."
"Temperature at 38 degree Celsius, Sir. It appears Peter has a fever."
"Come on, bud." Tony carried his son out of the lab to his room and laid him on the bed. He caressed his hair looking at him worriedly. "Why haven't you told Dad you're not feeling well, Pete?" Peter just closed his eyes, and started pulling the comforter on him. Tony kissed his forehead before heading out to cook a porridge soup for Peter. It's not his first time taking care of Peter having a fever. He knows what to do already, but he can't help but feel anxious about Peter getting sick all of a sudden. Why now? They've been at the lab all day and he feels well. Perhaps, he should've started paying more attention. Tony can't help but blame himself again.
When Peter first had a fever a few years ago, he didn't know what to do. Pepper and Rhodes weren't even there to help him so he had no choice but to Google and ask JARVIS on what are the steps to take care of a sick child. The cooking lessons also became helpful as he can now cook Porridge without it tasting like garbage.
"Peter, baby, you need to eat before we drink some medicine." Tony gently assisted Peter's head as he sit up laying his head on the headboard. "I don't want to. I want to sleep Dad. My head hurts." Peter grimaced as if he's about to cry.
"I know, Pete. But you need to drink your medicine so your head won't hurt anymore, please?" Tony kissed his son's temples then started feeding Peter small bites of the porridge. He drinks the medicine syrup after. Tony lay beside Peter curled up in the cold, securing the comforter to keep him warm. He hugs his son caressing his hair as he monitors the fever to get down. After an hour, he noticed Peter started to sweat so he immediately changed his clothes. Tony felt Peter burning hot again two hours later and he vomited all he ate including the medicine. He luckily managed to pull the basin near him before Peter can vomit into the sheets. "JARVIS, temp."
"39.5 degree Celsius, Sir." That's not good. Fear slowly crept up on him. He stopped the panic slowly seething. He needs to calm down. He knows another way that worked before. He immediately went to the bathroom to prepare the lukewarm water. Tony started carrying Peter to the tub.
The fever is still burning Peter up as he shivered while Dad carries him. He felt like his eyes are burning and his head feels like it's about to split open. Every movement feels he's being crushed with pain. It's nothing like he ever felt before. "Dad, it hurts." Tears are already forming in his eyes. "Dad, please. It hurts all over."
"We're going to have a lukewarm bath, baby, okay? I'm sorry but we need to break your fever." Tony gently laid Peter at the tub, took his clothes off and watched as Peter slowly relaxes and calmed down. A few minutes later he pat him dry with a new set of clothes, made him drink lots of water and some medicine again. Temp's down to 37.5 now and Tony felt relieved as his son nodded off to sleep, he didn't notice that he nods off into unconsciousness as well.
"Dad…" Tony slowly awakened by the sound of Peter's low voice. He opened his eyes to see Peter shivering delirious than it did before. Terror overtook his face. He checked Peter's eyes, it is now red. His whole being went alert and his heart thud nervously. He saw some rashes now forming on his arm. Peter's breathing became ragged. This can't be happening. He's already better a while ago. He already did everything that worked before to break Peter's fever. Why is it recurring all over again?
"JARVIS?"
"40 degree Celsius, Sir."
"Shit." He forgot to remind JARVIS to wake him up if the temp goes higher. "Call 911."
He had no choice; he had to seek professional help now. All the symptoms just points out that something is going horribly wrong. It is not just an ordinary fever anymore.
"Emergency Services are on their way now, Sir."
Tony carried Peter in his arms covered in blanket as they waited. "It's going to be alright, baby." Tony whispered to his son, kissing his head. Tony closed his eyes, silently wishing and praying for everything to be alright. Within five minutes, the ambulance arrived, and another five they arrived at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Doctors and nurses rushed to them and he watched Peter whimpered in pain as the IV went through to his veins. The nurses asked him to wait for a while as the Doctors continued to check. There are a lot of times he's been scared for his son's life being put into danger. But seeing his son now, scared him most of all. Tony couldn't help but just cover his mouth as he closed his eyes, afraid for his son's life.
"Mr. Stark?" A kind voice from female Doctor came to him an hour later. "I'm Doctor Palmer. I'm one of the Doctors taking care of Peter Stark." Tony stood up and they shake hands. Doctor Christine Palmer is the Chief Resident Doctor of the ER that night. It is her final year of residency in New York-Pres, and she's already recruited by Metro-General for her fellowship next year. The ER buzzed to life when the famous Stark's rushed in an ambulance. Her main specialization is Neuro Surgery but there was no Pediatrician on deck and she had training of Emergency Med, she had to step over immediately while they wait on the Pedia on call.
"How's my son?"
"We managed to bring his fever down now, but it already compromised his immune system. His symptoms all points out to the flu but we found antibodies that link this all to a Dengue infection. Has your family been to a tropical country lately?"
The mosquito bites, goddammit. He's now mentally taking note never to fly Peter to a tropical country again. "We've been to Thailand."
"He already developed respiratory distress in his lungs, but we managed to help him breathe better now. Keep the infection from it and the rest of his internal organs. Symptoms for dengue fever usually occur four to seven days. It's good that you called, for him to be taken here before the symptoms worsen. Without medical help, symptoms can be life-threatening that can lead to shock, internal bleeding or even death. We'll be monitoring his temperature and prevent him from getting anymore complications."
Tony felt his knees going weak, he brushed his hair and covered his mouth. This wasn't supposed to happen. They've been lucky that Peter was rushed at the hospital before it's too late, but if not, his kid might be fighting for his life right now, and he can't take that. He can't live with that. He can't live without his son.
Dr. Palmer patted his shoulder tying to assure him. "Your son's going to be alright now, Mr. Stark. We'll make sure of that. He's already in his room. I'll walk you in."
Author's note:
Don't read this note if you still haven't watched Endgame. - I'm still mourning and my heart still aches. Endgame crushed me, and all the death.. I still cannot accept. I just feel sad af. It was the most epic and amazing movie of all, but just thinking about it feels like being sucked into a dark pit of grief. Tony Stark and Peter Parker are my favorite MCU characters and I love them so much. He may be gone and it was the most heartbreaking thing, but I just tell myself, he will forever live in our hearts and minds, in our own Universes.
Writing this story is like taking a trip down memory lane of the MCU. Thank you so much for still reading. I appreciate all the reviews, favorites, follows. Thank you.