Two movies and four pizzas later...Steve, Tony, Peter, and Johnny were full and content. Johnny couldn't help letting out a loud yawn and a soft sigh. He stretched his body as he moved to get more comfortable on the couch, scratching at the bite on his arm. He tried to take a deep breath and couldn't hold back the gasp of pain that followed. His chest hurt and his lungs felt like they were on fire. "P-pop...dad?" He gasped weakly.
"Johnny? Hey buddy y-you ok?" Steve looked up at the small blond. He and Tony were sprawled out on the floor, Tony snoring lightly while laying on Steve's chest. "You sound like you're having trouble breathing squirt. Do you need a treatment?" Steve whispered.
Johnny looked up at Steve, his eyes blood shot and swollen. "I-I don't...maybe I should...I don't feel to good..."
Steve sat up quickly, Tony jerking awake at the sudden movement. "W-wha's goin' on, Steve y-you 'k?" Tony yawned as he looked around blearily, trying to figure out why Steve had moved so suddenly.
"I-it's Johnny...he doesn't...h-he's not feeling good..." Steve said shakily. He kept his gave on the small blond, slowly moving out from under Tony and towards the sofa Johnny was laying on. He watched as Johnny's face took on a light red flush. "Oh, god, Tony w-we need to get Johnny ready for a treatment. H-his breathing..." Steve stood up, leaned over his youngest son and picked him up. He left their suite and headed down the hall towards the boys room.
"Steve?" Tony followed close behind them, as he tried to clear his mind enough to catch on to what was going on. "J-johnny?" He couldn't help the anxious tone when he finally reached the bedroom. He stopped as he noticed Steve sitting in the middle of the floor, holding Johnny close as he leaned over a trash can. "Steve, w-what happened, is Johnny ok?" He moved closer to the pair and flinched when he heard Johnny vomiting into the small bucket. Moving quickly to the closet, Tony searched for Johnny's breathing machine.
"T-tony..." Steve held onto Johnny as he emptied the contents of his stomach. Glancing around for his husband, Steve couldn't help the tremor in his voice as Johnny leaned back against him. He rubbed small circles across his chest as Johnny tried to catch his breath. "Hey, squirt, think you can handle me moving you to the bed? We need to get you ready for your breathing treatment."
Johnny whimpered as Steve moved to stand. "No! Pop...j-just let me lay here, please. I-it hurts to move o-or breath right now." The smaller blond panted weakly.
"Pop...Johnny i-is everything ok?" Peter was standing in the doorway, his Iron Man blanket wrapped around him. He slowly walked over to where Steve and Johnny were still sitting in the middle of the floor and sat down as close to them as possible. He turned his baby blue gaze to Johnny and flinched at the rattling sound coming from his brother's chest. "Johnny..."
"I can't find it! Steve, i-it's not in here!" Tony shouted from the closet. He looked through all the boxes and crates in the closet, checking all the drawers in the dresser as well. He moved all the clothing hanging up, pushing aside jackets and shirts, searching for the missing machine.
"I-it may be in our room, Tony. JARVIS, w-what is Johnny's temperature right now?" Steve kept his gaze fixed on Johnny, looking up once to look at Peter then back down to Johnny. "H-hey Pete..."
"Currently, Master Johnathon has a temperature of 99.6 o. Would you like me to contact Dr. Banner, Sir."
"Yes!" Both Steve and Tony answered in unison. "I'll check our room, hopefully it's in there somewhere." Tony stated, walking out of the closet. He looked from Steve to Johnny, then turned to Peter and gave him a small smile. "Stay here champ and keep your father and brother company for me, ok?" Tony brushed a hand over Peter's dark curls then turned and raced toward their bedroom. Fear and desperation making him move faster than he's ever moved before. He headed to their closet and started moving boxes and bags. "Damnit, J, tell me where the hell we left Johnny's breathing machine, please." He threw a box out of his way as he searched the closet. He knew he should have just asked JARVIS to begin with but...
"It is in the kitchen under the sink, Sir. That is where you and Captain Rogers put it after Master Johnathon's last asthma attack."
Tony frowned but headed towards the kitchen. He didn't remember them putting it there but who knows. He looked under the sink and let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks J." He whispered softly. Tony picked up the machine and box of medication next to it then headed back to the boys bedroom. By the time he got back, Bruce was sitting on the floor with Steve and Johnny, trying to keep Steve as calm as possible.
"We need to move him from the floor Steve, if he has a seizure the floor isn't going to really help." Bruce said softly. He was looking at a small monitor sitting next to Johnny. When Tony walked in, he gave him a tired smile and small head nod.
"Well, Brucie baby, talk to me. Do we know what's going on?" Tony looked down at his youngest son and his best friend. "Johnny's gonna be ok, right?" He set the breathing machine and medicine next to Steve and sat down beside Peter. He pulled his oldest son close to him, rubbing his back gently as he felt the tremors running through the thin frame.
"As far as I can tell it's a mild asthma attack with a light fever but with Johnny's immune system I'm not to sure. JARVIS hasn't found anything unusual and Steve said Johnny hasn't felt well all night."
"I-i did this, m-my experiment made Johnny sick, didn't it?" Peter kept his gaze on his younger brother. Watching the shallow rise and fall of his chest as he leaned back against Steve. He could see the light blue veins just under the surface of his skin, could hear the rattling in his chest as well as the rapid beating of his heart and wondered again if maybe he was to blame with his science experiment. "H-he said the smell bothered him but..." Peter looked up at Tony then Steve, tears filling his eyes. "This is my fault isn't it?"
"No, Pete, you know how Johnny's immune system can get sometimes. This isn't your fault, we know you'd never do anything to hurt your brother." Tony pulled him closer, pressing a kiss against dark chestnut curls, much like his own. "Your Uncle Bruce will make sure nothing happens to your brother, ok?" He gave Peter a gentle squeeze then turned to Steve. "Hey honey, how are you holding up?"
Steve turned haunted eyes towards Tony. "W-we can't...Tony, please...t-tell me h-he'll be ok?" Steve was shaking, trying to tamp down the fear racing through him. He looked at Tony, knew Tony would do everything in his power to save Johnny. "Please..."
Tony pulled Peter closer as they moved closer to Steve. "He'll be fine honey, I swear it. Bruce and I will do everything we can to make sure Johnny is ok." He looked over at Peter, noticing the fear that he thought he was the cause of Johnny's sickness. "Hey champ, stop worrying so much. Leave that up to your father and me, ok? How bout you and your pop get us something to drink, you know Johnny's going to want something once he's settled."
Peter looked up at Tony then turned to look at Steve. "Pop?"
Steve gave him a tremulous smile, trying to hide his anxiety from him. "Yeah, your dad's right. Let's, ummm, let's go grab a couple of water bottles for everyone." He looked down at the blond in his lap, his heart clenching at the shallow breaths and rapid heartbeat. Looking back over at Tony then to Bruce, Steve took a deep breath. "Bruce, w-where should I lay him down? H-he said it hurt to move but..."
Bruce gave him a comforting smile. "Go ahead and put him in his bed. I'll be right there to check on him." When Steve left, Bruce turned to Peter. "Hey Pete, give me a minute to talk to your dad. We need to go over some things."
Peter nodded as he stood up and headed to the bedroom. Stopping before he reached the door, he looked at Bruce. "Uncle Bruce, are you sure this isn't my fault? I-I swear I wasn't trying to hurt Johnny, I just...I was working on an experiment..."
Bruce chuckled, "No, Pete, I think it may just be his asthma acting up. Don't worry buddy, your dad and I got this."
Peter nodded his head then entered the bedroom, closing the door behind them. Shutting Tony and Bruce on one side and Steve, Johnny, and himself on the other.
Tony watched as Steve and the boy's disappeared into the bedroom then turned to Bruce. His expression filled with more than just fear and desperation. "Tell me what's going on Bruce and I want the truth 'cause there is something wrong with Johnny, he's never had an attack this fast before and not with a fever or vomiting."
Bruce shook his head. "He might actually just be tired and after their day outside I'm pretty sure he just needs some fluids, a treatment, and some rest. They spent a lot of time at the park then I think they went swimming but they both came back flushed and happy. I didn't really notice a change in either of them." Bruce glanced over towards the bedroom door when it opened and smiled as Steve and Peter walked out. "How's he doing, still in pain?"
Steve sighed, "So far he's sleeping but his breathing is still fast and shallow and his heart..." Steve stopped, biting his bottom lip. He could remember how it had been for him when he used to have asthma attacks. How it had felt not being able to breath or move. "We're going to go grab a couple of water bottles and be right back." He nodded his head towards Bruce then walked over to Tony. He reached up and framed the tan face between his hands. "Promise me..."
"He'll be fine and if not I'll find a way to make sure he will be." Tony would promise Steve anything if it meant it would erase the look on his face. He pulled him close and gave him a kiss. "Go grab the drinks and by the time you two get back we should know something. I'll give him his breathing treatment and JARVIS is still monitoring his vitals."
Steve nodded, taking a deep breath he gave Tony a quick kiss in return then turned to Peter. "You ready, champ? Just going to the kitchen and back." He gave the brunette a smile when he nodded. Turning back to Tony, Steve whispered. "We'll be right back. I-if anything happens..."
"I'll let you know immediately babe I promise, now go we need to check on Johnny." Tony pushed him gently towards the door and grinned as Steve gave him a small frown. "Go, the sooner you go the sooner you'll get back." He gave Steve a small smile then turned towards the bedroom.
Steve watched Tony as he walked away, realizing that he was just as worried and scared as he was. "Tony?"
Tony turned before opening the bedroom door. He gave Steve a quirk of his eyebrow and a crooked grin. "Steve?"
Steve smiled, "I love you."
Tony grinned, "Love you to, sweet cheeks."
Steve shook his head, smiling as he followed Peter to the kitchen, sure that Tony and Bruce would to everything they could to help Johnny. Turning back to his oldest son, Steve gave him a smile. "Come on Pete, let's see if we can find some ice cream too."
Peter grinned, "I think we still have some Rocky Road and Chocolate Chip Mint. You know dad's going to want some so we may as well just grab some bowls too." He was getting excited thinking about what all they would need. "Maybe we should just get everything for sundaes? Johnny loves sundae's..." He paused before opening the door to the refrigerator and sighed.
"Pete, what's wrong?" Steve turned from the cabinet, his attention caught by the soft sound. Looking at the pale face, Steve frowned. "Hey, Pete, this is not your fault, ok? Your dad and I know that you do everything you can to protect your little brother." Steve walked over to where Peter stood, his hand holding the handle to the fridge. "Come here champ." Steve pulled the small brunette close to him, pressing a kiss to the crown of his head. "Don't beat yourself up over this Pete, we all know how Johnny's immune system can be. Your Uncle Bruce is right, he may just be tired and need some rest."
"H-he said something earlier about a-a bite on his arm? I, uh, I put some hydrocortisone on it, j-just like Uncle Bruce showed us." Peter looked up at Steve. "I swear Pop, Johnny said it was fine after that. H-he said the itching had stopped..."
Steve paled, if the bite was the cause of what was going on with Johnny... "Come on champ, let's grab the drinks and we can come back for the ice cream." He gave Peter a smile, trying to hide the fear Peter's statement had brought on.
"Pop? Did I...did I do wrong?" Peter asked softly.
"No, Pete, you did what you were taught to do." He hugged his oldest son tight. Steve could remember a time when Peter had been sick but he always bounced back after a few hours. With Johnny, things had been different, it could take weeks before he was fully back on his feet again. "Let's go tell your dad and Uncle about the bite and see what they can come up with."
"I should have told you guys about it earlier but I really thought Johnny was ok." Peter whispered dejectedly. He hoped nothing happened to his younger brother because he hadn't told his dad's about the insect bite. The nagging feeling that there was more to it, bothered him as well, Peter knew there was something else he should remember but couldn't right now.
Steve laid an arm across Peter's shoulder's and pulled him into a tight hug. "You did fine champ, don't doubt that and we're not mad or blaming you for any of this." Steve said softly. He pulled Peter with him and headed back towards the bedroom. When they finally arrived, the room was silent. "Tony?" Steve called out cautiously.
"Steve?!" Tony jerked the door open, his face pale and eyes wide and dilated. "He's been infected with something, w-we don't know what yet. Bruce found a-a rash on the inside of his arm." Tony was gesticulating wildly as he moved towards Steve. Despite the hard ass facade Tony wore for the public, he would lose it in a second when it came to Steve and the boys. "S-something, uh, in his system...I don't...I don't know Steve...I can't help him if I don't know what it is or how long it's been..."
Steve moved forward, grabbing Tony tightly against him. "Shhh, calm down Tony. You'll figure it out..."
"What if I don't! W-what if we can't figure this out Steve?! W-what do we do then?" Tony asked breathlessly, wide sable eyes stared up into sky blue, fear and worry swimming in their depths.
"But you will Tony, you always do." Steve looked at Tony with big, bright sky blue eyes. "No matter what, you always make sure everything is taken care of." He had to believe that, if he believed it then it would become true. Tony had been known to get them out of the worst situations possible, he would be able to fix this as well. "He's our son, you and Bruce will make sure he gets better." Steve whispered as he pressed their foreheads together.
Tony closed his eyes and sighed. This was their son...his and Steve's...he would be ok. "Yeah, yeah, ok. Well, if you say so." Tony tried to ignore the shiver that ran down his spine. Of all days for Johnny to get sick and so quickly. It was a huge coincidence that after Ross' warning, his youngest son would turn up sick. A huge coincidence and Tony Stark did not believe in coincidences...not...at...all.
