Chapter 2: Flu and Bedtime Stories
A/N: A one-shot containing Peter, Morgan, and Pepper... not Tony.Spoilers for Avengers: Endgame Spider-Man Far From Home!
~O~
Peter watched May and Happy leave the secluded cabin with a wave. A small trail of dust was the only evidence that they were here. Pepper stood beside him watching the vehicle disappear as she tried to grabbed the suit case, but Peter quickly interfered.
"You don't have to take it, I got it," he said taking the bag from her. "Thanks though."
Pepper smiled as he opened the door for her. "Your here to take a break Peter..."
Peter shrugged, a small smile on his face as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah... but not from carrying luggage." Things were getting too chaotic for the hero. With only getting a total of seven hours a week of sleep, it brought a huge level of concern to the whole group. It's not like Peter had a choice. Every night he went with a small purpose. A simple one, but effective. Although, criminals were popping left and right, and Peter can only do so much. He would stop a robbery, but another one was happening seventeen blocks away. Muggings, car chasing, and theft all happened at the same time for the past two weeks. He would stand on top on a skyscraper with both hands on each side of his head trying to figure out how to slow things down or where to start, not even Edith could chart an effective plan.
The late night patrols were effecting his grades, not a lot, but enough to catch both May and apparently Happy's attention as well. May secretly investigated her nephew's case, and figured it out in less than two days, and four hours later she sent him packing for Spring break to Stark Cabin. He relentlessly tried to avoid going anywhere near that place, the funeral still fresh in his mind, but May wouldn't take no for an answer.
So here he was with a backpack and a suitcase. Ned and MJ were on their own small vacation with their families, so he wouldn't miss much. But Ned promised him and Mj to message them when he can and he even set up a group chat. After Europe, a vacation was the last thing he needs. After the whole identity crisis, he decided being on low radar for a few days would help. He owned Pepper and Happy for that.
Peter set his suitcase down by the door taking a look around. It was cozy, but the little technology scattered around the room ruined the secluded part from society. Guess Mr. Stark couldn't stay away. He tugged he's flannel sleeve down to his wrist as he walked around.
"Feel free to look around. Morgan should wake up from her nap shortly, she'll be happy to finally meet you, Peter." She said disappearing in the kitchen. He's heard a lot about Morgan from Happy. How her attitude was definitely Stark's blood. How she was extremely energetic and curious as well as observant to all things around her. Peter walked around the living room and a small collection of photo's that attracted his attention to a photo of Tony.
The pictures showed the small family. Tony hugging Pepper letting her head rest on his shoulder while holding a little girl, Morgan he guessed, holding tightly to his side. The girl had beautiful brown eyes that held a rare intelligence that he only seen in his mentors eyes. Their house laid in the background, the lake shining like a mirror. It was the perfect place to catch a happy moment. His throat thickened, as he examined the bright eyes and smiles in the still moment. He wondered who took the photo. Probably Happy or Rhodey.
Peter glanced at Pepper as she came out of the kitchen. He put on a small smile. "You have a nice home, Mrs. Stark. Really cozy and comfortable."
She shook her head. "Pepper, please. I think you earned the right of first name bases."
He nodded sheepishly, he hands grabbing his backpack straps tightly. "...Uh thanks."
Pepper immediately sensed the small tension. She rubbed her hands together as she looked upstairs. "Come on. I'll show you where your room is." Peter grabbed his suitcase and followed her upstairs. "It was a guest room, but Tony thought it would be best to reserve this one for you in case you needed a place to crash." She stopped at the door at the end of the hall. There was two rooms one right next to the staircase which was Morgan's and this one was his.
Peter couldn't help but look away, but he asked anyway. "Crash?"
Pepper smiled warmly, but a distant sorrow glazed her eyes. "Unlike Tony, he thought when you came back he knew you wouldn't forget the little guy's, so he made this room for you just in case you needed a small getaway from the city and other problems." She put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "He knew you'd visit sometime, so he made it for the sake of also bumping up his ego when you got into trouble. He wanted to put so much tech in their, but he knew your style. He wanted it to feel like home not a storage unit."
Peter gave a tight smile. "That's r-really nice of him. I just..." He looked at the door that held his room just behind it. The room Mr. Stark made for him. "I just wish I could... you know thank him in person." Thanking him wasn't the only thing he wanted to say to him. He wanted to apologize for his huge mistake with Quentin and Edith. Not a night goes by he wished he could take back the moment on the battlefield against Thanos and said something other than his rambling mouth.
Pepper let her fingers curl under the boys hair. A soft smile gently warming her face. "There's a lot of things we wish we could say, but he's here probably just tinkering in his lab past midnight." Peter laughed softly. " I'm going to start lunch. Why don't you settle in and I'll let you know when I'm finish. Sound like a plan?"
"Sounds great, thanks Mrs. Stark, I mean it." He said honestly.
"It's Pepper, and your welcome."
Peter stayed in front of the door lost in thought. Courage was plentiful in him, but his grief dampened the fire. With a shuddered sigh, he turned the knob and pushed the door open. Instantly, he spotted the queen size bed. The bed was made nicely. Two pillows against the headboard. A large quilt draped over the bed. Peter couldn't take his off eyes of the quilt. It was a worm down blanket that was repaired over the years. It looked brand knew, but Peter knew what this blanket was. When he was granted a rare trip to the compound for his suit he spotted that same blanket in the lab over a sofa. He guessed it was there when Tony was too tired to make it to his own bed. This was Tony's own blanket that he used for Peter's bed. Peter found himself tracing the quilts pattern as he looked around the room.
There was a small work station, with a few computers, and a wooden bookshelf that held all sorts of science research with a few books and notebooks full of empty pages. He had tools that were organized perfectly in a small organizer nailed to the wall on top of his desk to make small repairs like Droney. On the left side of his bed he had a sliding closet and to his right the bathroom and shower. He even had an armchair to relax in with two black bean bags on each side.
The room was small but spacious. It wasn't overcrowding like he expected it. It was nice and roomy. Like... home. It felt like home... but it felt wrong. This wasn't his home, this is someone else's, and he couldn't help but feeling like he was intruding.
He shook his head quickly before unpacking. He put his items where they needed to go when a soft knock interrupted him. Pepper peaked her head in. "Lunch is ready. Hope you like sandwiches. I was planning on making a meal, but Morgan doesn't feel good at the moment."
Peter's chest squeezed. "Is she okay?"
Pepper nodded. "She has a small fever, but I assume she's fine for now when all she wants is juice pops, but I'm to keep an eye on her for a little while."
"Is there anything I can do to help?" He asked politely. Pepper's heart glowed. This is boy her husband has spoken so fondly of.
She shook her head. "No, thank you. I got this one covered. She's a handful alright just like her father."
Peter smirked. "Never can catch a break huh?"
"Not in this family," she replied with a comfortable smile.
Peter nodded in agreement. "Yeah, don't have much luck in vacations either."
Pepper was deeply aware of Europe. The scandal was hard to miss in the boy's eyes. Happy explained everything about Mysterio's betrayal and how he tried to get rid of Peter using a bullet train. Her fingers curled slightly when she remembered a conflicted boy who stood bravely even on the edge of panicking and breaking down. She saw a reflection of her husband in the boys eyes as he pushed through with determination that defeated Mysterio's lies. His identity was now safe under lock and key with only an ember of suspicious from the people of Queens. "Don't worry, you have a week to change that."
She closed the door with a smile.
~O~
Peter was worried. After lunch and dinner, Pepper stayed in her daughter's room only coming out to get fresh water. Morgan's fever went up slightly and she threw up twice now in the last two hours. Pepper said she's probably has the flu. Kinda rare, but not impossible to catch on the edge of spring. Dr. Cho sent Pepper medicine to help the virus, but it won't arrive until morning.
It was almost ten o'clock at night when Pepper came down stairs. He felt bad for not doing anything, so he went to the kitchen to brew some tea. The herbal drink always settled May's nerves when she was stressed or worried.
Pepper stopped on the staircase. "Peter? I thought you went to bed." She walked to the kitchen eyeing the teapot.
Peter smiled sheepishly. "Well I was, but I thought you might've needed a little something yourself so I decided to make tea. It always helped May out when she needed it. Figured you'd like some yourself."
Pepper was grateful. Peter poured both of them a cup of tea while they sat at the table. Pepper hummed as she drank. "Thank you Peter. I needed this."
"Your welcome. How's Morgan?"
She set her cup down. "I finally got her to sleep, so I'm going to sleep on the couch tonight so I'm close by. Dr. Cho said the flu will probably last for a few days before it dissipates." She said with a small sigh. "Just relieved it's nothing severe. Morgan gets jittery when she's bedridden."
Peter smiled. "Well thats good. Y-your sure you don't need anything else?"
"No." She replied softly. "I really do appreciate it, Peter. Why don't you head off to bed. Let me know if you need anything."
Peter nodded as he washed his cup and placed it on the dish rack to dry. "Goodnight Mrs. Stark... I mean Pepper."
"Goodnight Peter." She smiled as she watched the boy walk up the stairs.
~O~
Peter's eyes shot open as he looked around. He's blankets tangled around his body. Something woke him up. He focused his hearing downstairs where he could hear Pepper's even breaths.
A hoarse, painful cough came from the bedroom next to his. Morgan's room. He could hear her uneven breaths from her congested lungs. He needed to get Pepper, but she needed sleep, and he was already awake. He slipped out of his blankets, his sweatpants caught in the fabric mess. He opened the door and stepping into the hall. It was weird walking out in the dark. His brain thinking he was back home in Queens startled him before he rushed back to the present. He could see Morgan's door cracked open and he slowly opened it. The room was like his, but with stuff animals everywhere. Paintings and drawings hanging on the wall in frames. The walls were painted a very light pink almost white. He spotted the girl instantly. Her eyes were closed, but she was awake. He could hear her heart beat faster than asleep.
"Morgan I know your awake," he whispered softly.
Morgan opened her eyes. She looked exhausted for a four year old and miserable. Another cough racked her body as she snuggled deeper into her blankets. "Are you Peter?" Her voice was raw from coughing. He almost winced at how ill see sounded. He walked closer to her kneeling on the floor so she didn't have to crain her neck to see him.
"Yeah, I'm Peter, it's nice to finally meet you," he greeted quietly. "How are you feeling?"
"My throat hurts..." She said sadly.
Peter looked at the dresser next to her bed behind him. A pitcher of water was full with a few remaining ice cubes. "Do you want some water?" Morgan nodded. "Okay." Peter poured her a glass. Morgan tried to sit up, but her muscles hurt to badly. Peter sensed her discomfort and easily lifted her head bringing the glass to her lips. She took a few swallows before she turned her head away. Peter set down the glass. He ran a hand through his hair not sure what to do next.
"Are you Spider-Man?"
Peter looked up at her shocked. He nodded numbingly. "How...?"
"Daddy." As if it was obvious. "He told me stories of you. How you fight bad guys and help free cats from trees."
"Oh..."
She nodded. "Yeah, he said your the kindest hero than Captain America. Your his favorite, he'd tell me bedtime stories of how you stole Captain's shield, and even recorded the whole battle. He says you have no regards for privacy during battles."
Peter could only look down as his chest tightened and his throat closed up sharply. Spider-Man was Ironman's favorite hero, Morgan proved that, but why? He messed up more times than helped. What made him stand out than the others? How much of Mr. Stark's life did he miss out? Probably his whole entire life.
Morgan carefully took in the hero he daddy spoke so much about. He looked sad when she mentions daddy, and she remembers him at the funeral with a young lady close to his side. They barely stayed saying they had to find their belongings and a new home. Mommy helped, but she never got to meet Peter until now. She really likes him. He's nice and gentle and he almost looks like her daddy in his teenage years, but he looked sad and lost. He smiled at her when she talked about privacy. She likes it when he smiled even if it's a sad one.
"In different roles, your dad was my favorite hero, too." He said smiling remembering Hammer expo. "I saved people, but Mr. Stark always saved me."
Morgan's eyes sparkled, not even a rough cough dimmed them in the slightest. Peter let her take a few sips of water before she continued. "Really?! Were you scared? Did you ever fight together?"
Peter nodded, grabbing a chair and dragging it next to her. Morgan snuggled into her blankets her brown hair sweeping over her eyes. "Terrified. The first time your dad saved me was when I was eight. This guy, Hammer, was exhibiting crazy suits for the Army, Navy and all sorts of USA military. Me and my aunt work very hard to get those tickets." He said smiling. Going back to when he swept the floors at Delmar's and stocked the shelves for five dollars an hour. He remembered his excited expression on his first payday, instantly slipping it into a savings jar that was labeled Expo. "I was so excited to see what was new, and all of sudden it sounded like rocket shooting off to space and your dad landed on stage. Everyone went crazy, everyone loved your father. In one of the Hammer suits was Mr. Stark's best friend Colonel Rhodey."
Morgan gasped in awe. "So that's how Rhodey became War Machine, daddy said it wasn't really meant to happen though. I don't think Uncle Rhodey would agree to that."
Peter smirked, she's definitely intelligent he had to give her that. "Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised. Then all the suits guns just appeared out of nowhere and chaos erupted. People was scrambling for cover as the drones just took off a thousand feet and blasted everything."
"What did daddy do?" She asked.
Peter tilted his head in thought, tapping his chin. "What he does best. He took off faster than the speed of sound and the drones were quick to follow. Rhodey was in one of the suits that were taken over. Someone must have hacked into them including War Machine. Iron man disappeared from sight. Occasionally, you could hear blasters go off." He smiled running a hand through his hair. Morgan grabbed a Kleenex and blew her nose carefully disposing it in the small trash bin.
Peter paused the story moving Morgan's hair out of her face. She was warm from the fever, but not concerning. Morgan fell into another coughing for that last a few minutes. He felt really sorry for her. He hasn't been sick in well according to the Blip seven to six years, but the cuts and bruises on patrol make up for illness. Peter pulled her blankets up to her chin. "I'll be right back, okay. I'm just gonna grab something that could help your throat. Then I'll continue."
Morgan sniffed, nodding. "Okay."
Peter left the door cracked as he quietly walked downstairs. Pepper was sleeping soundly in the couch a thin blanket keeping her warm. He winced when one of the stair creaked under the pressure. He froze watching and listening contentedly making sure Pepper wasn't waking up. He'd really hate himself if he woke her up. Once he was sure he was safe he quickly walked into the kitchen. Nothing was on except for a few low fluorescent light bulbs by the window. Peter opened one of the counters one by one. He remembered what May would give him when he had strep throat. He always felt better as it went down his throat and it helped ease the pain and coughs as well.
His head was inside one of the bottom counters when Friday's quiet voice startled him. Peter jumped and bumped his head when he realized his head was still under the cabinet. "Ow..."
"May I asked what your searching for Peter?" She asked quietly. Her voice only heard in the kitchen.
Peter rubbed his head. "Uh... honey. Do you know where I can find it?"
"The container to your left." Peter turned looking at a medium size decorative metal box. It looked like an item a grandparent would have. He opened it seeing rows of small bottles of seasons and spices. He mentally cheered as he grabbed one of the larger bottles that was labeled honey.
"Ah ha, gotcha." Peter quickly found a tablespoon. "Thanks Friday glad to see your still here."
"It's good to see you nice and well, Peter. Have a nice night."
He smiled. "You too Friday."
Peter quickly climbed up the stairs and entered the girl's bedroom again. Morgan was waiting patiently and smiled when Peter came back. "Sorry I took so long. I uh, don't live here so I didn't know where anything is. How are you feeling?"
She shrugged. "The same. My head and throat hurts and I'm cold."
Peter winced. "Yeah, being sick sucks, but you'll get better. You just need to rest and relax and let your body do the work for you. But while I'm here we can pass the time. Do you think you can sleep?"
Morgan shook her head. "My brain feels weird, and I'm scared I won't wake up."
Peter brushed a hand against her head to check her temperature. "You know when I was your age I was scared of the exact same thing."
"Really?"
"Yep, before I got my powers I got sick all the time when I was little so I know a few tricks to help you out. May would stay with me the whole entire night cause I was scared I wouldn't wake up. But she promised I would and she would be the first thing I see when I wake up. And she hasn't been wrong since and I'm going to promise the exact same thing. I'll stay with you the whole night. How does that sound?"
Morgan looked down, thinking. After a few seconds, she nodded. She lifted her pinky. "Pinky promise?"
Peter laughed softly with a smile. He connected his pinky with hers. "Pinky promise." He opened the honey bottle pouring a tablespoon. "Here this will help your cough and throat."
Morgan didn't hesitate as she opened her mouth. Peter propped her up and dipped the honey into her mouth. She swallows the thick liquid and she relaxed. The warm thickness coating her throat comfortably. She laughed as she licked the rest off the spoon. Peter let her have it. "Feel better?" She nodded satisfied. "Good, think you can sleep?"
Morgan refused to look at him, playing nervously with your fingers. "C-can you finish your story first? I promise I'll go to sleep after... please."
Peter couldn't argue, not that he wouldn't want to. "Deal, now remember, sleep after story capichè?"
"Capichè." Peter was about to sit in the chair when Morgan shook her head. Patting the bed under her blankets. "You want me to...?"
"Please?"
He smiled. "Okay scootch over young lady." Morgan lit up and eagerly moved over. Peter got under her purple blankets sitting up against the headboard. Morgan leaned into his side as he wrapped his arm around her. This moment made Peter think of all the things Mr. Stark sacrificed to bring him home, and he promised himself he's going to make his sacrifice worth risking.
"Okay, where did we... Oh! Right, Ironman flew across the sky destroying the drones like fireworks on fourth of July. I lost May in the crowd, and at the time I was obsessed with your dad. I had a toy Ironman mask and blasters and I felt like I could take on the world." Peter grabbed a stuffed bear and bunny. Pretending the bear was Iron man and the other a drone. Peter lifted the bear into the sky like a plane. Morgan giggled at Peter's tactics. "One of the drones landed so hard it felt like an earthquake. In my head, this was a mean robot that wanted to hurt people so I lift my blaster ready to blast it into oblivion. I wasn't very smart since the blaster was only plastic and made in China. But I wanted to save the world so I imagined the blaster heating up just like the real thing, and all of the sudden it burst into flames." Peter made the bear hit the bunny and it flew off the bed. "I was shocked it worked. Turns out it didn't. Your dad came flying, in all his glory and you know what he said?"
Morgan shook her head. "What?"
He looked down at her with a smile. "He said nice work kid."
Morgan didn't know her daddy did that. He never talked about Ironman before. She knew he was Ironman, but nothing else. She wished he was here, but she liked Peter. She wonders if he knew that daddy once said that's her brother. Peter acted like a brother, and he was funny. She snuggled against her brother pulling the blankets closer. Her eyes fluttered tiredly, but she didn't want to sleep yet. She wanted to know how it ended, but her body had other plans. Peter watched as Morgan fought against sleep.
The last thing Morgan heard before she fell asleep was Peter's voice. "Mr. Stark was everything to me, a hero, a mentor, and in some ways a dad..."
~O~
Pepper woke up with the sunlight in her eyes as she rubbed away the last traces of sleep. She combed through her hair with her fingers as she pulled it up in a ponytail. She quickly looked at the clock. It was eight o'clock in the morning and she didn't wake up once. Morgan must've slept through the night. She climbed the stairs opening the door to her daughter's room. The sight before her surprised and warmed her heart. Morgan was fast asleep against Peter who had his head on top of hers. Both snuggled up in blankets. Her heart ache for her husband more than ever as she smiled. Her eyes blinked back tears seeing her daughter and her husband's hidden pride sleeping soundly. Pepper lost Tony, but so did Peter. They lost a loved one, but Peter has already squirmed his way into their broken family. They had room and now the house is full.
Tony if only can see our kids now.
With a gentle smile she closed the door to let the her kids sleep.
