It's time for Whumptober 2023! I hope you enjoy!

Poisoned

Peter had one job, and he'd messed it up. Tony smirked a little to himself, shaking his head as he took a drink of the sweetest coffee he'd ever had in his life. Actually, he thought, he took that back. This thing was more like a milkshake with a shot of espresso. Calling it coffee would be a travesty. But beside him, Peter was absolutely engrossed in Helen Cho's speech, so the black coffee that had presumably been for him sat untouched in the boy's hand.

Tony fully planned on teasing him for this…for being so excited to hear her talk on cellular regeneration that he'd practically thrown his own Frappuccino at Tony as he'd dropped into in the seat beside him, then leaned forward, eyes wide as soon as Helen Cho, who the kid had met plenty of times before, started to talk.

Honestly, Tony was more excited to see his reaction to the next speaker. Pete didn't know that Bruce Banner was scheduled to give a talk, and he'd done his best to hide that fact over the last two days of this expo so he could watch the big reveal. With Morgan at home with Pepper and May out with Happy, this was the first time they'd had in a while to hang out, just the two of them, so when Bruce had told him that he was going to be the surprise guest speaker he'd jumped at the chance to invite Pete away for a long weekend before he left for his trip to Europe (which Tony would be accompanying him on as a chaperone…not that he knew that either. He was planning to surprise him and hoped that Peter wouldn't be upset or anything.). After Bruce gave his talk, the plan was the take Peter out to dinner with Bruce and let the two of them get to know each other.

There hadn't been much of a chance after Peter had come back…after that final fight with Thanos, for everyone to talk…to just sit down and let the kid get to know the team he was now a part of. He wanted to remedy that. He wanted to remedy a lot of things.

So far, it was going well. Really well, actually. Any lingering awkwardness between them, which Tony guessed was inevitable considering the kid had missed five years of his life, had dissipated. They'd spent the day before walking around the expo while Peter caught him up on school and his life in general, including his half-formed plan to woo MJ, which Tony may or may not have had some notes on. Either way, he was sure the kid would do great, and he was already planning to have MJ out to the cabin to try and win her over. He may have helped save the world, but she was still kind of leery of him, possibly because of her latent distrust of any billionaire (fair) or maybe because Peter spent so much time with him and she didn't know about Spider-Man….another thing he figured Peter would eventually tell her.

Peter glanced back to him, wide-eyed and absolutely entranced, and Tony had to chuckle, patting him on the back. The kid gave him one of those curious little smiles, like he didn't know exactly what he'd done to earn Tony's new softness, but that he was happy for it. Tony still wanted to talk to him…to sit him down and explain how important he was to him. How important he'd always been. But he figured there was plenty of time for that. Peter was already like a big brother to Morgan, and Tony had a room for him at both the lake house and the penthouse he'd bought in the city. Surely he was starting to understand.

Then, right before Peter turned back around, he froze, eyes widening when he spotted the coffee in Tony's hand, and Tony smirked.

"Oh…Mr. Stark…" He glanced down at the coffee in his own hand, then back at Tony.

"You had one job, Parker." He took a sip of his overly sweet coffee and Peter held out the black coffee but Tony shook his head. "Oh no," he whispered, not wanting to distract anyone else from Helen's speech. "I already have my drink. You kept it, you drink it."

He'd only planned on teasing him a little more before switching their drinks back, but the snarky little spider just smirked right back. "Fine. Enjoy your iced pumpkin caramel frappuccino with extra whip and caramel drizzle." Then he took a long drink of the black coffee, doing his best to suppress his grimace at the taste, and Tony had to bite back a bark of laughter.

"How is it?"

"Great," Peter bit out, taking another long drink and literally shuddered. Then, turning back to Helen on the stage, he pointedly didn't look at Tony for the next several minutes. Shaking with suppressed laughter, Tony wrapped an arm around his shoulders and the kid had to fight a grin, but fight it he did, doing his level best to focus on Helen.

How had Tony kept that wall up between them, he wondered as he squeezed him in a half hug. How had he seen this kid that so obviously looked up to him and not let himself love him? Why had he been so afraid to do anything but keep him at arm's length?

"You need some cream or sugar? Extra whip?" Tony asked after a moment, expecting Peter to roll his eyes or even try to snatch his own drink back. Instead, the kid wiped a hand over his forehead, blinking a few times and looking…strange. He wasn't watching Helen on stage anymore, and Tony realized his breathing had gotten louder…like he was having trouble catching his breath. Tony put his own drink down, leaning forward. "Pete?"

"I…I'm okay," he muttered, putting the coffee on the floor and leaning back in his chair. Tony removed his harm, resting his hand on his shoulder instead.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah…I…I'm okay."

Tony didn't believe him. He wasn't okay. Tony might not have the kid's weird spider-sense but he knew that much. "Are you hurt?" It made no sense…of course he wasn't hurt! The kid had been with him all day and the most strenuous thing they'd done was walk around the expo.

"No. I'm…I don't know…" Peter pressed a hand to his chest and Tony felt his chest clench with a fear so all-consuming it almost strangled him.

"Peter?"

"I'm…I'll be right back. I'm gonna…". Peter trailed off, and before Tony realized it, the kid was hurrying down the aisle and towards the exit. He got up too, following, thankful they'd gotten seats at the end of a row right by the back door. Closing the door as softly as he could behind him, he turned just in time to watch Peter sit down hard on the stairs in a barely controlled fall, legs seeming to give out as he landed on the third stair from the bottom of the landing. One of his hands gripped the railing like he was trying to get up, and he took slow, deliberate breaths as sweat poured down his forehead and he struggled to get his knee out from underneath himself.

"Woah…hey, kiddo, talk to me," Tony urged, sitting beside him and resting a hand on his back, struggling to speak through his panic. "What's going on? What's wrong, buddy?"

"I…I feel…weird," he gasped out, blinking too many times like he was trying to focus.

"Yeah? Do you need to eat?" That didn't make sense either. They'd had lunch, and Peter had eaten his typical super-sized portion. Then they'd had ice cream. It had been less than an hour ago!

"I don't…I don't know…"

"Okay. Hold on." Grabbing his phone from his pocket, Tony selected Bruce's contact, knowing that his friend was the closest person that wasn't currently giving a speech that could help and cursing his lack of a medical degree. Beside him, Peter started coughing, his whole body shuddering as he pressed a hand to his mouth, and Tony spotted the red flecks on the boy's palm right as Bruce answered.

"Hey, Tony. I'm up in…"

"I need your help. Please. Back stairwell. Peter…somethings wrong," he stuttered, not able to look away from the blood in Peter's palm. "Hurry."

He hung up without waiting for an answer, moving to kneel in front of Peter and brace his hands on his shoulders. "Woah…easy…easy, buddy. It's okay. Bruce is coming." Peter didn't even react to that…just continued to cough, blood running between his fingers until Tony yanked a handkerchief out of his pocket and pressed it into his hand. "There you go. You're okay. You're okay, Pete. It's okay."

It wasn't okay. He finally had him back. Five years…he couldn't do it again!

"My shirt…sorry…"

Bright red blood stood out in stark contrast on the white fabric of his button up shirt and the sight nearly made Tony throw up, but he made his voice as calm as he could get it. "It's okay. Don't worry about the shirt. You're okay."

He'd said the same words on Titan.

"Talk to me. How are you feeling?"

"Weird...chest hurts…can't breathe right…"

"Okay…that's okay. Help is on the way, kiddo. Dr. Bruce Banner…it doesn't get any more helpful than that."

"You're…doctor too…"

"Wrong kind of doctor buddy. I should probably just go ahead and get a medical degree too, huh?"

"Should I…" Peter choked for a second, shuddered as his eyes started to glaze over, and Tony braced him, moving in closer.

"Stay with me, Pete! Should you what?"

"Call…you…Doctor…"

"Nope. Mr. Stark is fine. Hell, Tony would be better." Then he wouldn't have to remember Peter calling out for him as he turned to dust, stumbling forward and calling for 'Mr. Stark' and collapsing into his arms. "Just call me Tony."

"When I get…doctorate…call me…Dr. Parker…"

"I'll be calling you Underoos no matter how many doctorate you've got, Pete," Tony told him with a weak grin that died when Peter took a raspy, wheezing breath, then started to fall backwards. He put a hand under his head, easing him down to lay on the stairs, too afraid to move him. "Come on, kiddo…don't…don't fall asleep on me, okay? I'm not that boring."

"Sorry…Tony…"

"There you go. Only took you two years to call me by my actual name."

"Se…sev…"

"Blip years don't count, Dr. Parker."

Peter's bloody lips twitched into a pained smile. "Stupid…name…"

"Tell me about it, buddy. Listen, Bruce is almost here. He's going to be here soon and we're going to get you some help…you're fine. Probably just a cold…"

The smile widened as sweat poured down his temple, a cough racking his body as more blood soaked the handkerchief Tony held to his mouth to try and clean him up. "You're really…not much of…doctor…"

He barked out a laugh and tears ran down his cheeks. "I'll take some online classes. Tony Stark, MD. I think it has a nice ring…Peter…Peter!" The boy's eyes were closed and Tony couldn't breathe either but he had to because Peter needed him! "Please…honey…"

The door to the stairwell flew open, giving Tony a brief glance at the hallway that led to the auditorium as Bruce practically sprinted through, then slammed shut behind him as he took in the scene before jumping into action. "Any idea what caused it?" He barked out, dropping to his knees in front of Peter's prone body…the boy didn't even open his eyes. That wasn't right…Peter thought Bruce was amazing…had always wanted to meet him! Now he was meeting him and…and he didn't even open his eyes. Why wasn't he waking up?

"No…he was fine…all day he…I thought it was his blood sugar but…"

Bruce pressed his fingers to the side of Peter's neck, checking for a pulse, and his hand came away bloody. "Has he eaten anything…drank anything? Anything out of the ordinary."

And it hit him then, with the force of a baseball bat to the chest. If he hadn't been panicking, he would have seen it sooner…would have connected the dots so big and close together that Morgan could have done it with a crayon. "Coffee…he went to get us coffees and he…he accidentally drank mine."

Only it hadn't been an accident. Tony had told him to. Because he'd mixed them up and Tony had been teasing him only…only someone had…

"Do you have the coffee?" Bruce asked, breaking into his thoughts before they could go any further.

"It's…" he started to point but Bruce cut him off.

"Get it. Hurry." He got an arm around Peter, not struggling at all to lift him…the kid was all muscle thanks to the spider, but Bruce was almost always part Hulk now. "Get the coffee! I'm taking him to the first aid room. I've got a couple of guys setting up there."

Tony felt like he was moving through molasses as he snatched the cup of black coffee, ignoring the eyes on him and the iced pumpkin caramel frappuccino with extra whip and caramel drizzle. Friday had to tell him how to get to the first aid room, guiding him in his ears as he raced through hallway after hallway with tears still running down his cheeks, then finally made it through the unremarkable door that led to an unremarkable room where Bruce was laying Peter on a bed and a man Tony didn't recognize was taking the coffee cup and all he could see was the blood dripping down the corner of Peter's mouth and onto the white sheet he was laying on.

"Pete…"

The boy didn't open his eyes. Didn't so much as stir. He'd lost him for five years. He had turned to dust in Tony's arms and this time he wasn't even holding him and it had been his fault. He had told Peter to drink the coffee. It had been meant for him!

"Find out what's in that coffee! Now! Yesterday!" Bruce barked, injecting Peter with…something. He pulled a pole over and pressed a mask to Peter's face and time was moving so fast…one second he'd been teasing the kid about giving him the wrong drink and…now…

"Tony. Sit," someone urged, and he turned to find Helen in her dress with her hair in a twist at the back of her head and dangling silver earrings catching the light as she steered him into a chair in the corner. Alarms were going off and someone was swearing and the bright red spot of blood by Peter's face stained the white sheets and his white button up shirt and this couldn't be happening. It couldn't. Not after everything…after Thanos and five years and Thanos again.

"No…Peter…" but his voice died in his throat and Peter couldn't hear him…he was too far away but if he went over there he'd be in the way and they wouldn't be able to help him.

He didn't know how long he sat there…how long he stared at the boy in the hospital bed who just twenty minutes ago had been fine, offering to grab Tony a coffee as they'd made their way towards the auditorium. "I'm an intern! I'm supposed to get your coffee and carry your briefcase!"

Tony had laughed at the words, passing him a twenty and asking for a black coffee. "None of that pumpkin spice shit or I'm selling your suit on ebay."

"Pumpkin spice shit is delicious, thank you very much. You just don't have any taste buds."

And then the boy had turned on his heel, hurrying towards the coffee cart on the other side of the room as Tony had gone to save them two seats.

"Tony?"

Bruce appeared in front of him like magic and Tony forced himself to speak. "I'm going with him to Europe…he's never really been and there's a school trip and I volunteered to chaperone and…"

Bruce's eyes went soft and he rested a hand on Tony's shoulder just like Tony had done for Peter. "Tony, hey…look at me."

"I didn't even tell him…"

He hadn't even told Peter how much he meant to him…how he loved him so much and how, when they were working in the lab sometimes, Tony would look down at him as he concentrated on a project or chocolate covered pretzels from the bag or laughed at something Tony had said and he would feel like he might burst with all of that love. How seeing Peter scoop Morgan up into his arms and hold her on his hip like he'd known her his whole life was like a cure for an illness that Tony hadn't even known he'd had. How Peter had taught him how to be a father because his own father certainly never had.

How he didn't think he could survive losing him twice.

"He's enhanced. If anyone has a chance of surviving this, it's him, okay? His healing factor is even better than Cap's. We're working on identifying the poison…we're almost there."

"I told him to drink it."

Bruce shook his head. "Tony…"

"He gave me his and I was messing with him and I told him he had to drink it."

"Tony, you didn't know it was poisoned! And if you'd been the one to drink it, you'd be dead now."

Dead. He'd have left his daughter and Pepper…he'd have left Peter. He'd never have gotten to go with Peter to Europe or work with him in the lab or tell him that if they wanted, he and Morgan would inherit Stark Industries and run the company together. He'd never have given Peter the glasses with Edith, the AI he'd designed specifically for Peter, or explained that everything he'd done to program her had been to keep Peter safe. To be backup if he couldn't be there.

"We're doing everything we can. Just…don't give up on him. Not yet."

Not yet. Not ever.

"We're taking care of him. So just breathe."

So he breathed. And he moved to Peter's side and gripped the boy's too-cold hand and watched the scientist on the other side of the room…he wondered if he should be helping but he couldn't make himself let go of Peter's hand, much less get up. Besides, he knew that Friday was analyzing the compounds in the coffee and comparing them to every known poison and he'd designed Friday so it was almost like he was helping. Instead, he held Peter's hand in both of his. "Buddy…please…please hold on. Please."

Five minutes later an alarm went off and they put a tube down his throat and more blood dripped down the corner of his mouth but Tony just held his hand.

"Please. I can't lose you again. Please, baby. Please. Hold on. I…I love you so much, Pete. You're my kid and I can't do this without you."

The seizure almost caused Peter to crush the bones in Tony's hand but he didn't care…would gladly have given up a hand if it meant Peter was okay.

"I'm here…I'm right here with you. You're not alone, Pete. I've got you."

And then Bruce was yelling and a needle was plunged into Peter's arm but Tony didn't let himself hope or even look away from the boy's face until Bruce grabbed his shoulders once more. "We got it! We have the antidote."

And only then did it feel like Tony could breathe again, his head dropping against Bruce's shoulder as the man wrapped his arms around him, slumping in relief.

"He did even know you were giving a speech…I was going to take both of you out to dinner tonight," Tony whispered, his hand still in Peter's.

"We can do it tomorrow. He'll be feeling a lot better by then."

Tony let the words wash over him as Bruce stepped away. Tomorrow. Peter would be better by tomorrow because they'd found an antidote and because he was enhanced…but none of this would have happened if it hadn't been for Tony's stupid joke. "I'm so sorry…buddy I'm so sorry…" he whispered resting his head on the bed, his tears soaking into the fabric where Peter's blood had already left a stain.

They took the tube out after an hour, but it was another three hours before Peter's hand twitched in his, and he squeezed it, leaning in so Peter could see him when he opened his eyes. "Hey…buddy…are you with me?" On his other side, Bruce put his tablet down and leaned in, checking the monitor that sat back behind the boy's head. The time for his speech had come and gone, but there would always be time for that later.

"Peter? Can you hear us?"

After a moment, his eyes fluttered open, and glanced between the two of them, a slow hand coming up to touch the oxygen mask still on his face. "Huh?"

"Don't take that off just yet, kiddo," Tony urged, catching his hand and holding it. "How are you feeling?"

"What happened?" His voice was barely loud enough to be understood, but it was one of the most wonderful sounds Tony had ever heard.

"Someone poisoned Tony's coffee and you drank it." Bruce told him, his voice so impossibly calm. How had he managed to sum up the second worst moments of Tony's life so easily? "Don't worry…we caught the guy. He's in custody."

Peter took a long moment to take that in, eyes narrowed as if in thought. Then he turned to Tony. "You okay?" he rasped, wincing when talking must have hurt after the tube down his throat.

Tony brushed his hair back, trying to smile. "Yeah, Spiderling. I'm fine. I drank yours, remember?" Tony would never forget…would never again send Peter to get coffee. Hell, he didn't know if he could even drink it again after this.

Peter let out a breath and rested his head on the pillow once more, smiling a little.. "Oh…good."

Tony's blood seemed to freeze in his veins, the whole world going silent around him. "I'm sorry," he cut in, incredulous, jaw dropping. "Good? Did you just say 'good'?"

"Tony…" Bruce started, but Tony shook his head, heart pounding so loud he wondered if Peter could hear it before remembering the enhanced senses. Of course Peter could hear it.

"You were coughing up blood! You…I thought I was going to lose you!"

"But you would have died," Peter told him, so soft and reasonable that Tony wanted to scream. "You can't die. We need you."

Gripping his hand as tightly as he dared, Tony rested his other hand on Peter's cheek. "I need you too, Underoos. You hear me? I already had to live without you for five years. Don't make me do that again."

Peter gave him a weak, tired smile, not looking nearly as concerned as he should have been considering he'd nearly died four hours ago. "Okay. Sorry." Then he glanced at Bruce. "Hi, Doctor Banner."

"Hi, Peter."

"Mr. Stark didn't tell me you'd be here."

"It was supposed to be a surprise." Tony informed him tiredly. "We're all going to dinner once you're back on your feet. Also, I'm going with you to Europe. You need someone to keep an eye on you at all times apparently."

Peter just smiled. "Oh…good," he murmured. "I was going to miss you."

"No need to miss me Spiderling," he told him, voice catching, but if Peter noticed, he didn't say anything about it, and it was easy to ignore Bruce's knowing little smile. "You're gonna be sick of me soon enough."

"Never," the kid whispered, eyes drooping.

"Get some sleep, Pete. I'll be right here. Also, no more coffee for you. Ever."

"What about Frappuccinos?"

"Not unless I make them myself."

"You don't know how…"

"I'm Tony Stark, kiddo. I think I can figure it out."

And, with a tired smile, Peter let his eyes close completely, relaxing back against the pillow. "I know. You can do anything, Dr. Stark."

Thank you for reading!