This is from two prompts from irondadmadlads - #20 and #74, and from the Comfortember 2022 prompt "Pass Out."
As always, this site/app and I have big disagreements when it comes to formatting. Just keep that in mind.
Fever Dreams
Hey Tony, are you still good to keep an ear out for Peter while I'm out of town tonight through Sunday night?
Yeah, that's fine. Did he say why he didn't want to just stay here while you're gone?
He's supposed to get together with a study group that's close to our house tonight I guess. He said he wasn't sure how late it would be.
Okay. I'll check in with him. Have a good trip.
Thanks, Tony!
Hey, see if he turned in that paperwork for the internship so he will get credit at school. Pepper sent it home with him Wednesday.
Oh, good call. I'll check. Thanks for doing that. I was excited to see it was an option for juniors.
No problem.
Too bad. It would have been nice to have Peter stay over. Pepper was out of town, but should be back tomorrow afternoon. It had been a little lonely around the Tower the last few days though.
Tony had a bunch of stuff he could work on in the lab, anyway. With no Pepper or Peter around to make him go to bed, he could probably make some good progress tonight.
"Hey FRI? Remind me to call Peter around 9 to see if he's home yet."
"Of course, Boss."
"Hey, Mr. Stark. Uh, what's up?" Tony heard what might have been a muffled cough.
"Hey, kid, you good tonight? Did you finish your study group yet?"
"Are you checking in on me?"
"As ordered by your aunt."
"Huh. She didn't tell me that."
Peter's tone was a little annoyed. Usually he was a pretty agreeable kid, at least when he was talking to Tony, but he sounded a little off tonight.
"Your voice sounds odd. Is something wrong?"
"No, I'm fine," Peter said brusquely. "The study group got out early, so I'm out patrolling. Gotta go. I'll be home by curfew."
Then Peter was gone, and Tony was a little nonplussed.
"FRI, did that seem a little out of character to you?"
"I would say so."
"I smell a rat. Grab some diagnostics for me, would you, sweetheart?"
"Peter seems to have increased drainage, which is prompting a dry cough, and his temperature is 100.1°, which is approximately 2.2 degrees higher than his average normal temperature."
Tony sat up straight. "FRI, any injuries that could have gotten infected? Or is he sick?"
"Nothing detected, Boss. The most likely explanation is that he has a virus."
Huh. Tony wracked his brain, trying to think if the boy had ever been sick since he'd known him. He thought he had, but each instance he thought of was actually just a bit of infection, or sensory overload.
"What is the idiot doing out patrolling if he's sick?"
"I'm sure I don't know, boss."
"Rhetorical, FRI. Call Peter again."
He declined the call. Tony's brow dropped and his eyes hardened. Oh no he did not. "Call again; push through the connection."
"Hey, Mr. Stark." Peter's tone was flat, and obviously annoyed now.
"Peter Benjamin Parker, you have a fever."
"Wow." He sounded unimpressed. "Breaking out the middle name, huh?" Sheesh, the kid really wasn't himself tonight. "100 isn't even a real fever, Mr. Stark. I'm sure it'll be gone in the morning."
"Peter, you need to go home and go to bed."
"I'm fine. I don't feel that bad. I've patrolled when I felt much worse."
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that. I'm serious Peter. Go home."
"Why do you get to decide if I'm well enough to patrol?" Peter asked with about as much attitude as Tony had ever heard from him.
Tony was silent as he reminded himself that he cared about this dumb teenager, and tried to remember how determined he was to avoid anything from Howard Stark's playbook when interacting with him. When he spoke again, it was in measured tones, but his voice had gone just a little icy. "Would you like me to start making a list as to why?"
It's possible that Peter had watched his life flash before his eyes just a little bit in the space Tony had given him, because his reply was closer to disgruntled than mad. "Sorry, sir."
Oh good. Maybe they were going to get somewhere after all.
"Do you even get sick since the spider bite? What's going on?"
Peter's tone was less belligerent and sounded more like himself when he was worrying about something. "I don't know. Not usually. I did get what seemed like a cold a few weeks before I met you the first time, so it's not totally out of left field. But I really can't afford to get sick right now. We've got a big midterm coming up in Biology, and a paper due next week in English Lit, and-"
"Pete, I'm serious. You shouldn't be out right now. Please go home. I'll meet you there, okay? Can I get you anything?"
Silence. "You're going to go to the store?"
"Don't be ridiculous; I'll have it delivered."
Peter huffed a little laugh at that. "Maybe some soup. My throat hurts a lot, so I didn't eat much dinner." The anger was fully gone, and his voice was more of a tired whine. "Some popsicles maybe?"
"You've got it, kiddo." Tony was just glad that the boy was talking to him again, and not doing the "I hate everyone; leave me alone" impression anymore. It didn't suit him. But he was still worried.
"Go directly home, do not pass go, do not collect $200," Tony ordered gently. "I'll join you there."
"You really don't have to, Mr. Stark, I can-"
"Zip it, Pete. I'm not leaving you alone when we're not sure what we're dealing with here. I'll see you soon. I'd feel even better if you'd come to the Tower so we're close to medbay, but-"
"It's fine. You can come here," Peter's quick reply cut him off.
"I know you hate medbay. Hopefully we can avoid it. I'll be there soon. End call."
As he jogged up the stairs from his workshop he was rattling off instructions to FRIDAY. "Add some cough drops and vapo-rub to that order, honey. Oh, honey . I don't know if they have honey; get some of that, and some of that tea Pepper likes when she's sick. Some fresh soup and some that we can make if we need more later tonight or in the morning."
Tony packed a quick bag with a change of clothes and overnight stuff for himself, just in case, and grabbed some of Peter's super-drugs out of the bathroom in the room Peter always used. He shot a quick text off to Happy, asking him to be available that evening in case things took a turn and he needed to rush Peter back here, then grabbed his bag and activated the bleeding edge suit, which was entirely nanobot-based. Technically, they were still testing it, but this was a good test, right? Just a quick flight to Queens.
When Tony arrived at the Parkers' door, he used his key and let himself in, leaving his bag by the door. Maybe Peter wasn't that sick, and he'd be able to go sleep in his own bed. He really hoped that was the case, but he was feeling pretty paranoid about him being sick in the first place.
Peter was home, and it looked like he'd at least changed into pajamas before collapsing on the couch and turning the TV on. Tony walked over and crouched down next to him a little cautiously. Who knew which mood the kid was currently sporting, after his frustrated tones earlier.
"Hey."
"Hey," Peter mumbled miserably. Oh, they were firmly in "pathetic." Tony could handle that. He pressed his hand to Peter's forehead, then to his cheek, and the boy felt a little warmer than 100 degrees to him.
"FRIDAY, temp?" he directed at his phone, knowing she'd be tracking vitals through Peter's watch now. Unfortunately May had flat-out laughed when he'd suggested installing FRIDAY here. He'd had a few other good ideas about their apartment (most of them had involved them moving to a different apartment) that she had also vetoed. The only thing she'd approved, for Peter's peace of mind, was installing a decent security system.
"100.6°, Boss."
"Did you eat anything yet?"
"No. Hurts."
"FRI, when will the order be here?"
"Approximately ten minutes."
"You guys have any tea that's good for stuff like this, Pete?" Tony asked, heading into the kitchen.
"Maybe? Cupboard next to the sink."
Tony found some that looked promising, and put water on to boil. He went back into the living room to wait for the order that should be here any time.
"You sure you don't want to be in your bed?"
"No. I'd rather be in here. 'S not a good place for you to sit in there anyway." Peter swallowed, and Tony could see him wince.
"I don't have to be in there. I can stay out here and just check on you."
Peter mumbled something.
"What was that?"
"Said I'd rather be with you," he said grudgingly.
Tony's smile was a mixture of affectionate and triumphant. He'd thought so. They'd figured out Peter didn't like to be alone when he was hurting while he recovered, and Tony had guessed that being sick was no different.
Peter managed to eat quite a bit of the soup and drink some tea before he passed out on the couch. Tony had been hoping to get him to take some of his medication, but he didn't have any luck trying to wake him up. He was really and truly out. Tony sighed, wondering what he should do now. Was the kid okay?
"FRIDAY, vitals?"
"Heart rate and respiration are within normal sleep ranges. His fever is 100.9°."
"I guess that's not bad," Tony grumbled. He was a little uncertain about what he should do, but didn't feel comfortable leaving the young hero on his own. Even though he could probably take care of himself, would he? And his enhancements made everything a little more of a gamble. Tony had better stay the night. He would have preferred to stay in the same room, but his only options were the floor or the recliner, and that wasn't happening. May's bed was probably better than Peter's, but he didn't feel like intruding in her space like that, plus it was further away from the living room. He covered Peter with a sheet he found in the hall closet then decided to try to get some sleep.
Tony was definitely second guessing his choices as he tried to get comfortable on Peter's twin bunk bed. This is what the kid slept on every night? "FRIDAY, make a note to order a better mattress for this bed. Both bunks, just in case."
"Yes, Boss."
"Vitals, please?"
"Still 100.9°. Heart rate and respiration are normal." FRIDAY sounded just a touch condescending. Okay, fair; it had only been about ten minutes since he last checked. Ugh. He really wished he'd gotten Peter to take some of his medication. His fever was still well within safe ranges, but he did worry about it climbing higher.
"FRI, wake me if Peter needs me. And text May to let her know Peter has a virus, and that I'm staying the night, in case she's tried to contact him and he didn't answer."
"Yes, Boss. Sleep well."
"Unlikely."
Tony woke to a vibrating alert on his wrist. "Boss. Peter is in distress and his fever is at 103.3°."
"Crap. FRI, why didn't you wake me sooner?" He stumbled out of the bed, nearly face-planting as his leg got tangled in the sheets.
"He did not need you until now. His fever only recently spiked."
Tony quickly knelt down next to the couch. The poor kid was thrashing around, his eyes closed tightly, and was making small whimpering sounds.
"Hey Pete, what's wrong? Can you wake up for me? Peter?"
Peter's eyes flew open, and he gasped. "Mr. Stark? I… are you really here? I saw you! I saw you die! You're not really here! A dream… Why did you die? I couldn't stop them!" Peter was sobbing, and he had grabbed onto Tony's shirt, pushing his head into his mentor's chest.
"Buddy, no, I'm fine. I'm right here. It was just a dream; just the fever. I'm okay. You're okay. Shhh."
"They're gonna get me too. We have to hide!" Peter acted like he was going to try to get up, and Tony leaned in to wrap both arms around him and held him down on the couch. He hoped the boy would cooperate, since there was no way he could normally restrain him without the suit.
"Peter, no! I'm right here. I'm fine. No one's after you. It's just the fever. I think you're hallucinating, bud!"
"What? No one?" Peter was silent for a few breaths. "Tony? You're here? You're okay? 'S not real? You were dead! How d'you know you're alive? Where's May? Is May okay?"
"I'm real. I'm alive. May will be back tomorrow, I promise. She's fine. No one's chasing you. That's not real. You're safe. Everyone's alive. "
"Ben's not," Peter whimpered. "Are you sure you're not dead?
Crap, kid. Way to break his heart. "No, you're right. He's not alive. But he still loves you. And I'm not dead. I'm right here with you. It's gonna be okay. We should get your fever down. Do you think you can take some pills for me?"
Peter considered, and nodded. "What will they do? Are they gonna make me disappear?" Peter's eyes teared up again. "I don't want to be invisible!" Holy cow. When should he worry about this hallucination stuff? Knowing it was a normal reaction to a high fever for some people, and actually experiencing it were two very different things. He'd wait and see if the medication brought the fever down and helped Peter sleep before he panicked and called Happy to come get them. A trip out in the cold would be miserable for Peter right now if it wasn't necessary.
"No, they're just to bring your fever down. I'll be right back. Right back." Tony went to his bag to get a couple of super-pills, then grabbed a cup of water from the kitchen, and a wet rag to start lowering the boy's temperature.
After assuring the teen three times over that the pills wouldn't do anything except bring his fever down, Peter swallowed them. Tony stayed with him for another thirty minutes while they kicked in, and FRIDAY reported every few points his fever dropped after that. Tony could finally breathe again from where he sat leaning against the couch. He thought Peter was asleep when he stood up to go lay back down, but the teenager's voice caught him before he left.
"Tony?" He sounded so worried. "Please stay." Okay. Yeah.
"I'll be right back, kid. Let me grab my stuff." There was no way he was sleeping on the floor though. After quick consideration, he grabbed his nano-housing unit and activated the suit, minus the helmet, so he could easily relocate the twin mattress out into the living room. When he moved the coffee table into the kitchen, there was just room for it on the floor next to the couch. Peter seemed to sleep through it all, somehow.
As he settled down on the floor, hoping for at least a little more sleep, he felt a hand smack him in the face. Peter was reaching for him, trying to feel him to make sure he wasn't alone. "I'm here kid. I've got you. FRIDAY," he whispered. "Vitals?"
"101.2°. Otherwise normal. You should sleep, Boss."
Peter really did fall asleep finally, his hand grasping Tony's. Tony probably could have slipped away into a more comfortable position, but it wasn't worth making the kid worry again if he woke up, so he fell asleep with his forearm angled up against the couch, holding on to his sick kid.
When Tony woke the next morning, it was to sun streaming in through the cracks in the blinds and the sound of a key in the door. He tensed for a moment, but May appeared within a few seconds. As she took in the scene in her living room, Tony on the floor and Peter's hand draped down onto the older man's shoulder, her eyes softened.
"Hey, I got your message and decided I'd better come back early," she said softly. "How is he?"
"Not sure." Tony's voice was rough. "FRIDAY?"
"Peter's temperature is 100.7°." Tony sighed lightly in relief.
May set her things down and came over to perch on the edge of the couch by Peter's head. Tony felt hungover, which usually only happened when he pulled an all-nighter these days. "His fever was pretty high in the night, and I think he was hallucinating," Tony told her, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as she gently brushed her nephew's hair back.
"Oh, he used to do that anytime it got very high. Sorry, it's a little unsettling, isn't it?"
"Unsettling?" Tony's eyes were fully open now. "It was straight-up terrifying. I wish I'd known that was typical for him."
She shrugged her shoulders. "I wouldn't have thought to tell you, even if we had talked about it. It's been a few years since it happened, and he hasn't been sick almost at all since the spider bite. Thank you for being here for him, Tony. I don't like to think about him being alone dealing with that."
"He was actually out patrolling with a low grade fever when I made him come home. He was awfully snippy about it, too," he huffed.
"Mmm, that tracks. He was always a grouch when he was getting sick. Like it personally offended him, so everyone else did, too."
"All kinds of fun surprises," Tony drawled. Then, "I'm glad he's doing better. And glad we had some drugs on hand that work for him."
"Me, too. I'm so grateful. You're welcome to go home now and get some real sleep. I'll take care of him."
As Tony started to heave himself up off the mattress, Peter woke up. "Tony?"
"Yeah, kid?"
"Water?" Tony handed him his cup, and Peter sat up weakly to drink it.
"Hey, did you sleep there?"
"Mmm-hmm. Someone wouldn't let me leave."
"I'm sorry," he almost whispered, eyes wide.
"No, Peter, you're fine. I'm just teasing you. You needed someone to stay, and I'm happy I was here. I'll probably head out in a few though."
"Oh, yeah. You probably have important stuff to do," the boy said, sounding kind of pathetic and sad.
"Well, no, not really," Tony said slowly. "Pepper will be home later this afternoon, but it's Saturday, and I don't have anything scheduled."
"Maybe you could… stay, then? We could watch some movies. No Star Wars, I promise."
"I dunno, kid. Your aunt is home, and she's probably eager to have her living room floor back."
"Tony, don't feel obligated, but you're welcome to stay. I can order in some breakfast, if it's my cooking you're worried about," she said with a wink.
Which is how Tony ended up hanging out on a twin mattress on the floor in a little apartment in Queens most of that Saturday. Peter's fever didn't come back up any higher that day, but it was strange to see him much quieter and slower than usual. He napped a few times, and each time, he immediately looked for or even reached for Tony as soon as he started to wake. Those fever-fueled dreams had really shaken him.
About halfway through Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Peter suddenly sat up a little. When Tony turned to see if he needed something, he looked confused. "I know most of my dreams and stuff were just dreams, or the fever talking, but were you trying to give me pills that made me invisible last night?" Tony gave him a flat look. "Not real, right?" Peter said sheepishly.
"Nope. I'm not sure where that idea came from, but it almost kept you from taking your medicine," Tony said dryly.
"What about Iron Man moving furniture in the middle of the night? Real, or fake?"
"Unfortunately that one was real."
"Oh. Okay. You can see why I might have a problem deciding these things."
"Yeah, I guess that's understandable."