Hey guys, this is my first Avengers/Marvel fanfiction, so I hope you like it! Don't forget to review :)
It was when he fell asleep at his second meeting of the day, Pepper ordered him to go back home.
Tony had been up for four days straight trying to juggle the demands of SI and update the Avengers' gear. He vaguely remembers consuming a smoothie at some point but by the way his stomach was trying to claw its way out it must have been awhile ago.
Instead of calling Happy, Tony decided to walk the few blocks in the rain. The headache that was quickly turning into a migraine was dragging him down and he barely registered the slicing rain that was drenching his clothes.
When Tony entered the Tower he was soaked and swaying on his feet, and the pain in his head was almost unbearable. It was the first time Tony didn't want to go work in his lab and instead wanted to go to bed.
Tony reached the common floor and stepped out of the elevator confused, water dripping a trail onto the floor. He suddenly couldn't remember where he was going or why he was going there. He jumped when a hand grasped his shoulder.
"Tony, are you okay? You look a little pale," Barton asked. Clint looked worried at his friend as he looked around lost.
"No, i'm-i'm fine," Tony replied, stumbling away from his grasp and further into the room. "I just gotta-"
"TONY!" Clint shouted as the man promptly crumbled to the floor. He ran over and knelt next to Tony, checking his pulse and looking for injuries. He pulled his hand back in surprise at the heat that flowed from Tony's forehead. "Jarvis, call Bruce!"
Bruce Banner, who was simply reading in his lab, arrived in less than a minute. "What happened? And why is he drenched?"
"I don't know! He just came out of the elevator really confused and then just collapsed," Clint frowned, concerned. He saw Tony as a brother and hated to see him hurt.
"Okay. Tony, hey." Bruce lightly tapped the Avenger.
Tony's eyes squinted open for a fraction of a second before he closed them tightly and moved his hand to cover his face.
"Tony, you gotta tell me what hurts," Bruce said softly, still checking for injuries.
"M' head, n' stomach," Tony groaned. "Is okay, jus leave me here." Tony turned so his forehead was pressed against the slightly chilly floor.
"It sounds like he's sick with something," Bruce diagnosed.
"Should we call Steve?" Clint asks Bruce.
"No Steve, no Steve, no Steve," Tony repeats, wincing at his headache.
"Fine, but if you end up getting worse i'm gonna call him," Bruce sighs.
Tony whines, gripping his head harder.
"Let's get you to bed." Clint lifts Tony by the waist and brings him to a bedroom on the common floor. He dries him off with a towel and helps him change into more comfortable clothes.
Not even half an hour later, Tony is slumped over the toilet spewing out his guts.
He grabs his stomach and moans in pain while Bruce tries to feed him medicine. Clint sits behind Tony rubbing his back. Every few minutes, Clint uses a washcloth to wipe off his friend's damp face. It wasn't until an hour and a half later Tony was resting in his bed.
Tony doesn't get a full hour of sleep before he is back gripping the toilet again. Bruce and Clint come racing down the hall at the sounds. Tony throws up so violently he starts choking from not getting enough air. Tony grabs his throbbing chest and tries to focus on Clint's stead back rubs, but he can't help but panic. It only takes a few seconds for Tony's lips to tint blue and his face to get even paler. Bruce shoves a finger into his mouth to help open up his airway while Clint hits him on the back. Finally, Tony takes a gasping breath as tears glisten in his eyes. He slumps against Clint's chest as Bruce uses a washcloth to wash off Tony's sweaty face. Tony goes limp but whimpers quietly at the shivers that overtake his body.
"M' cold," he whines.
"Okay, lets get you to bed," Bruce smiles.
While Clint puts Tony in the bed, Bruce runs and gets a thermometer.
Clint lays Tony down gently on the bed and has to use the washcloth to wipe away the sweat that lingers on his face. Tony wastes no time in closing his eyes as his head hits the pillow. His head was pounding, his chest throbbed terribly, and all his muscles ached. He tried to ignore his stomach muscles which were contracting and cramping horribly. Clint could see the distress lines in his forehead so he ran to the bathroom to get another washcloth to lay across Tony's face. He returned to see Tony laying on his side, curled around his stomach. Clint sat down gently and rubbed smooth circles on his brother's stomach trying to ease the pain. He took pride when Tony relaxed somewhat.
Bruce returned with the thermometer and placed it under Tony's tongue. "102.9," he reads.
"That's bad, right?" Clint asks cautiously.
Bruce nods grimly. "Here's some pills Tony, take these and try to get some sleep."
Bruce helps Tony slowly swallow the pills and some water before helping him get comfortable again.
Tony is asleep before the two boys even leave the room.
The next time Tony wakes up his nose is runny and his ears are clogged. The tip of his nose is doing a fine impression of Rudolph and his eyes have dark circles around them despite the sleep the man had gotten. "So cold, so cold, m' cold," he kept muttering while shifting bed. He reached down to the bottom of the bed to throw more comforters on top of himself. When Bruce came to check on him a few minutes later he freaked.
"Tony! You're gonna make yourself overheat. You can't use all these blankets," Bruce chastised.
"But m' cold," Tony whined.
"I know you feel cold inside, but your body is extremely hot externally. You can have one blanket but no thick comforters."
Tony wants to cry.
"Steve is on his way," Bruce adds.
Tony does cry.
"He's gonna be mad," Tony cries.
"He will not be mad, it's not your fault you got sick," Bruce sits on the side of the bed.
Tony just shakes his head.
"Try to get some rest before he comes, alright?" Bruce moves a piece of hair out of his eyes and brings the thin blanket up closer to his shoulders.
The next time Tony wakes up he is in Afghanistan.
"I wont build it!".
Tony wake up.
"Yinsen! No Yinsen please!"
Tony, baby, please wake up.
"I won't build it!"
Tony, it's Steve, you're just having a nightmare, just wake up.
"Steve?"
Tony wakes to his favorite baby blue eyes.
"How are you feeling, baby?" Steve rubs his thumb across Tony's cheek.
"It hurts," Tony whispers, melting into his touch.
"I know, but we are gonna make it all better soon, okay?" Steve brushes his hair back and leaves a kiss on his forehead before walking to the other side of the room to talk to Bruce.
"Temp?" Steve asks, letting out an anxious breath.
It was scary to see Tony that way. His pale, flushed face covered in sweat. He was constantly trembling and his voice was extremely raspy. He was incoherent due to the pain and Steve just wanted to take it all away but he knew he couldn't.
"103.7," Bruce replied, "He's getting dehydrated. We might have to bring him to the hospital if he doesn't improve soon. The medicines aren't working at all."
Steve only sighs. He could feel the stress lines imprinting themselves on his forehead.
Clint comes back with a glass of water and hands it to Steve.
Steve takes it anxiously before approaching the bed that holds his sick husband. Tony was under the covers with one leg on top of them. He had his eyes closed but Steve knew he wasn't asleep, just in too much pain to open them.
"Baby, I need you to drink some of this," Steve whispers.
"It hurts," Tony whines, curling into the blankets further.
"Just take a few sips then i'll let you rest," Steve pleads.
Tony nods slowly, eyes still closed.
Steve reaches an arm under Tony's back to help him sit up.
Immediately, Tony cries in pain.
"Shh, just hold on baby. I got you. Just take a sip and then we will leave you alone," Steve whispers.
Tony's trembling arms go to grab the glass but Steve brings the glass up to Tony's lips so he doesn't have to strain himself. After two sips Tony refuses any more. Bruce sighs in frustration from where he watches.
"Baby? I'm gonna lie you back down now, okay?" Steve gently lowers Tony back to the pillows before handing Clint the glass. He presses a kiss to his husband's face before exiting the room with the other two men.
Outside the room the men converse.
"We are going to have to bring him to the hospital, he's dehydrated. They have equipment to treat him there," Bruce says.
"He hates the hospital Bruce. Is there anything else we can do instead? Anything?" Steve pleads. He would hate to have to fight Tony to get him to go.
Bruce sighs and rubs a tired hand over his face. "I might be able to grab some medical equipment from SHIELD's medical center…"
"Then let's do that," Steve says.
"That's unless his fever turns incredibly high," Bruce adds.
"Okay, what about-"
They are interrupted by a shout of pain from inside the bedroom. The men dash inside to see Tony curled into a ball gripping his head tight enough to leave marks.
"Tony, hey, it's okay. It's okay," Steve sooths.
"M' head!" Tony cries. "Make it stop, Stevie help me!"
Tony's head was throbbing fiercely. He couldn't think clearly and he could feel that he was losing control of himself. His brain is who he is, he needs it to survive. Without it he isn't himself, he isn't Tony Stark.
Steve gets in the bed and pulls the curled up Tony to his chest. "I'm trying baby, i'm trying to."
Suddenly, Tony sits up and vomits water all over the blanket. It made Tony cry harder. "I'm sorry, i'm sorry," he repeated before starting a round of dry heaving.
"It's okay, it's okay," Steve repeated back, just noticing Bruce run off to get an IV in the corner of his eye.
Steve holds Tony while Clint strips off the blanket. It's when Tony is pressed up against his he realizes how much sicker Tony looks. His eyes are bloodshot red, matching his runny nose. His face is ashen with a flushed pink staining his cheeks. His hair is plastered to his forehead by the sweat that drenches his whole body. And his body constantly trembles in pain and weakness.
Bruce returned but Tony was too out of it to notice when the Doctor stuck the IV needle into his arm. He groaned softly but sighed contently when Clint lay a new blanket over him. In seconds his eyes were closed and his body limp. Clint also brought a puke bucket next to his bed in case he couldn't make it to the toilet.
Bruce and Clint left to go talk in the living room, Steve stayed in bed, cuddling his hurting husband.
Tony's own body woke him up by a coughing fit, something that is extremely unpleasant with his scarred chest. It started out with light coughs but with his reduced lung function it quickly turned into wheezing and lack of air. After several seconds of non-stop coughing he could feel the redness travel up his face and his body tensing. He could vaguely feel Steve shifting in bed but he was too concerned with the elephant sitting on his chest that was preventing him from getting air.
Steve woke up to the mix of coughing and choking, which is one of the worst ways to wake up if you ask him. It only took a moment for him to put two and two together and jump up to check on his husband. Tony's cough sounded painful and the way his husband was gripping the sheets he knew it had to hurt badly. Steve sat up and grabbed Tony to pull him against him. There wasn't much he could do except hold Tony steady while coughs ran through his body. He wanted to cry at the pain his husband was feeling.
It felt like forever until Tony's coughs were done and he could breath better. As soon as the coughs finished he collapsed into Steve. "Hurt so bad," Tony rasped, his eyes closing.
Steve just rubbed his chest soothingly, "Shhh, I know. It's over now. Its over."
"S' not over," Tony mumbled. The pounding in his head throbbed horribly and the dizziness was returning.
"Shh, it's okay, i'm here," Steve soothed.
Steve started to lower Tony back to the bed, but he had to stop when Tony cried out in pain. His muscles and joints felt like they were on fire and every movement sent jolts up and down his spine..
"Where does it hurt baby?" Steve asked softly.
"Back, m'back n m' chest" Tony slurred. His whole body felt like one big bruise and moving sent large shocks up his spine.
"Okay, okay, we'll check it out," Steve hums, "Jarvis, call Bruce."
Bruce, who fell asleep on the couch, ran in quickly. "What happened?"
"His back and chest hurt really bad, can you just make sure he's okay? He was coughing pretty hard earlier he might have hurt a rib or something," Steve asks. Tony stayed quiet, wincing at the flares of pain.
"Okay, let me examine him," Bruce said, immediately entering doctor-mode.
Bruce walked over and felt down Tony's warm neck. He felt his ribs to make sure they were all in place before running a delicate touch down his back. "Okay, it seems its just the illness making him sore. I will bring some muscle relaxers which should help."
"Okay, thank you Bruce," Steve says, his forehead still creased in concern.
Bruce leaves to get the muscle relaxers and Steve tries as gently as he can to lower Tony back to the bed without jostling him too much.
Tony can't help but groan when he touches the sheets. "Don' leave," he rasps to Steve.
Steve smiles, coming to sit on the bed again, "Don't worry I won't, ever."
Despite Bruce's optimism, Tony didn't feel like he was getting better at all. The pain seemed to increase if anything. He could honestly say it was the worst he'd ever felt, and he's living through palladium poisoning.
In the morning, Tony couldn't help but wake Steve when he had to use the bathroom. Steve, the best husband anyone could ask for, jumps up in seconds and is leaning over Tony on the other side of the bed. Tony refuses when Steve asks to carry him, he still had a little bit of dignity left. Jarvis, without prompting, alerts Bruce and he is next to Steve ready to help in a moment.
"I know you're hurting baby, so we are going to try to be gentle, okay?" Steve says softly.
"Its okay, I'm okay," Tony squeezes his eye shut and bites on his lip as they help him sit up.
"You get his right side, I'll get his left," Bruce says, "On the count of three we are gonna help you stand Tony."
Tony doesn't respond, but the men feel his body tense up.
On three, Tony's stomach plummets to his feet and his brain feels like it's in a blender. The men are quick to steady him as he sways. He can vaguely hear voices calling his name but it takes all his attention not to throw up over the floor. After a few moments he mutters, "I'm okay." He hears the men sigh in relief.
"Okay, we'll take it slow, Tony, you set the pace," Bruce says softly.
Tony is scared at the effort it takes to slide his foot across the floor. Pain shoots up his spine, his chest tightens, and he can feel his mouth salivating to show his stomach's disagreement with his movement. Each shuffle makes him moan and he feels bad for the men that are holding up his weight.
"You're okay, you're okay, almost there," Steve says softly as they move. His husband's face is dripping with sweat and his wheezing becomes more prominent with each shuffle. He's not surprised when Tony starts to slow down. "Take a break Tony, it's okay."
"No," Tony mumbles, breathing deeply, "'m okay." Tony starts his shuffling again.
Steve frowns but doesn't say anything after a sigh from Bruce. He almost doesn't notice when Tony stops completely. He does notice the alarm on Bruce's face.
"Tony?" Bruce asks cautiously.
Tony keeps staring at the ground. Before Steve can say anything, Tony's knees go out and the men tug him back up to keep him from face planting.
"Lower him to the ground, quick," Bruce shouts frantically.
Steve snaps out of his shock and lowers his husband to the ground gently. Tony's eyes are clenched shut and his body is completely limp. Not even a moment after Tony is flat on the ground his whole body jerks and he starts seizing.
"His head, cushion his head!" Bruce shouts. He maneuvers Tony's body so his head rests on Steve's lap, instead of banging against the floor like it was seconds ago. "Clint!"
Clint frantically runs into the room, Natasha appearing behind him, still wearing her uniform. She had just arrived back from her mission and Clint was filling her in. Bruce takes no time to order them around the room, still alternating between looking at his timer and Tony. "Clint, clear everything from this area and Natasha come help me hold him."
Everyone reacts quickly and does their assigned jobs. Natasha kneels next to Tony's body and tries to keep him on his side. Clint finishes moving items out of the way and kneels next to Natasha. Bruce times the seizure but watches Tony carefully. Steve, he can only stare.
Tony's body jerks and twists in unnatural movements. White foam froths from his mouth and his bladder releases itself, causing a wet spot on the front of his sweats. Tony lets out repetitive pain-filled grunts and his eyes twitch under his lids. Steve blinks out of his daze and starts rubbing his thumb gently over Tony's face. "It's okay, love. Just hold on, it's almost over, you're okay."
Natasha comes closer and places a gentle hand on Tony's trembling arm. She caresses him back and forth, showing more concern than she has since they've met.
It feels like forever until Tony's twitches finally calm down and his limbs unclench. Steve wipes the mess from Tony's mouth before smoothing out his rustled hair. Natasha takes Tony's limp hand and massages the fingers that had been forced in their tense position. Clint and Bruce help move him onto his back so he's more comfortable. They all wait silently and anxiously for Tony to wake up.
Steve, with his superhuman hearing, is the first to pick up the small whimpers that escape from Tony's slightly parted lips. "Hey, baby, come back to us now. You're okay. Just take it slow."
"S've," Tony whimpered. Bruce immediately starts checking his pulse and temperature, while Natasha gets up to retrieve a wet cloth.
"Hey baby, i'm right here. We got you okay?" Steve smiles, landing a kiss on Tony's forehead.
"Wha 'appen?" Tony slurred.
"You had a seizure Tones, but it's okay now," Steve replied softly.
Tony went to speak but instead moaned before vomiting. Bruce, already prepared, started turning him on his side with the help of Clint. "It's alright Tony, let it out, It's okay," Bruce soothes. Natasha returns with a cloth and starts patting down Tony's sweaty face before wiping off his mouth.
"Are you finished baby? Think you can sit up?" Tony weakly nods, and after the okay from Bruce, Steve helps him sit up. He uses Clint's help because Tony's muscles are still stiff and weak. Steve pulls his husband into his lap and Tony's head rests on his collarbone.
Bruce runs his hands over different parts of Tony's body, checking for injuries. "Tones, does anything hurt?"
Tony whimpers, "M' head, my chest."
Bruce listens to Tony's chest, noticing his rough breaths. "Sounds like you're a bit congested."
"Should we take him to the hospital now? I mean he just had a seizure," Steve asks, concerned.
"No, please, no," Tony cries.
Bruce sighs, rubbing his face. He believes this would all be much easier if they went to the hospital, but he knows Tony will resist as much as he can, hurting himself even more. "Okay, here's what we will do. I will consult with some of the SHIELD doctors on treatments we can do here, but if he gets ANY worse, we gotta bring him in."
Steve looks reluctant but nods after some thought. He looked down at his miserable husband and sighs.
"Let's give him an ice bath to see if we can get his fever down," Bruce says.