I'm Right Here

Chapter 1

Tony dozed unsuccessfully in his place next to Peter on the Milano, the rumble of the ship lulling him, then flashbacks jerking him awake. They'd gotten everyone back, not without injury, and were on their way back to Earth, unsure of what waited to greet them. Their reunion with their teammates had been bittersweet, full of tears of both joy and sorrow.

Perhaps the most impacted Avenger was Peter. At only 17, he had lived and died the life of a hero, then lived again. Tony had only stared as Peter coughed and choked on the dust, blood dripping down his face from his right eyebrow, before pushing his way through the mass of Avengers on Titan. He had grabbed Peter and held on tightly, as if at any moment the boy would dematerialize before him. Peter stood in shock before realizing where he was and who was holding onto him, then desperately clutched his mentor, one arm going around his chest and the other wrapped around his shoulders, hands clasped behind the man's trembling back.

What happened next nearly threw Tony into a panic, and he knew from that moment on that hugging this child would never be the same. It would always be filled with dread and desperation. Peter's knees buckled and he sobbed in exhaustion and relief. Tony struggled to keep them upright, the familiar action choking him, and he looked down. The boy was still there, all of him. He choked back his own sob, but could not manage to keep the tears from running down his face. Together they hit the ground on their knees and Tony brought his hand up to hold the back of Peter's head, the teenager pressing his face into Tony's neck.

"Oh, my God. You're all right," Tony said shakily, falling back onto his backside, legs moving to allow Peter as close as possible. The boy shuffled forward at this, sitting down sideways with Tony's right leg trapping both of his, the man's left leg falling and curling around his back. The arm over Tony's right shoulder came down and clutched at his hoodie, where Peter had buried his face. Tony held his shoulders tightly with his left arm around his back, his right curled around Peter's face and into his hair. He didn't care how it looked to anyone else. Didn't care that strong, cold Tony Stark was a babbling mess in the dirt, wrapped around a child he thought he'd lost forever. This was his boy, and he was back, and he would rock him in his arms as long as the boy needed, let him sob until his shirt was soaked, let him squeeze him until his back broke. He pressed a kiss to the crown of Peter's head before burying his face there, rocking him back and forth. "Shh, it's okay now. It's over. You're safe."

"M-Mr. S-Stark! I-I'm sor-ry! I'm s-so sorry!" Peter choked out between gasps and hiccups, gritting his teeth and letting out a high-pitched keen to try and hold back his sobs to no avail. He produced a gut-wrenching sob and pulled himself closer to Tony, seemingly trying to climb inside of him.

Tony had a feeling that if he unzipped his hoodie, Peter would be perfectly content to have it closed around them both. The force with which Peter was bawling frightened Tony a bit, hearing him gag and choke on his cries. He had been there a few times himself, and knew what was about to happen. He let go of Peter's head and used his left arm and leg to push him forward and lean over his right leg, holding his chest with his hand and rubbing his back as Peter vomited into the hard dirt that was Titan. He carefully pulled his leg out from underneath him and knelt, right knee and left foot planted on the ground as he tried his best to comfort the sick Avenger.

"Let it out, kid. It's okay. You're all right. Just let it out," he said, looking up for the first time.

Natasha was holding Wanda, who was just as distraught as Peter. Steve clutched Bucky, who looked absolutely exhausted. Sam and Rhodes had their arms around each other's shoulders, taking in everything. Bruce, Thor, and Strange were off to the side discussing what was to happen next. The Guardians were in a group hug, Quill looking as if he would never let Gamora go for the rest of his life. Tony caught Steve's eye and just looked at him in misery, not knowing what to do to help Peter. Steve whispered something to Natasha, then to Bucky before passing him to her after she released Wanda to Sam's comforting embrace. Bucky looked startled, absolutely out of it, and panicked, grabbing for Steve as he tried walking to Tony.

"Hey, hey, calm down. It's okay. He's gonna be right over there," Natasha said in a gentle voice, arm wrapped around his waist, pointing to Tony and Peter. Bucky wasn't having it, grabbing Steve's arm with his flesh hand and holding tightly. Steve stopped and turned around, maneuvering his arm out of Bucky's hand and putting it on his bicep, his other hand coming up to cup his cheek as he looked him in the eye. Bucky managed to hold onto his sleeve.

"I promise, I'll come back, Buck. Tony needs my help with Peter for a moment. You'll be able to see me the whole time. I'm not leaving you, and you're not going anywhere without me. I promise. I'm with you to the end of the line, remember?" Steve told him confidently, stroking his temple and giving him a smile. Bucky nodded with dismay and slowly released his uniform, folding himself into Natasha's arms. "Nat, tell everyone to get on the ship. We're heading out soon."

Steve jogged over to Tony and Peter, who had finally stopped throwing up, but was still sobbing on his hands and knees. He knelt next to Tony, close to Peter's head, and put his left hand on Peter's back, the right coming to press on the front of Peter's shoulder.

"Hey, kid, you doing okay?" he asked gently, knowing the answer. Peter shook his head as he coughed and Tony looked sadly at him, removing his hand from his chest and sitting back, his left hand not leaving its position on his back just below Steve's.

"He's been through the ringer, Rogers," Tony said. Steve nodded and patted the clenched back in front of them.

"Yeah, I know this part sucks. Peter, you think you can sit back for me? I just wanna look at you real quick." Steve helped him sit back against Tony's left leg that was still pulled up, away from the mess. Peter looked up at him with dazed eyes, his gaze rolling miserably up to Tony, who smiled down at him and rubbed his stomach gently. Steve ran a hand through the damp brunette hair and looked at his blown pupils, laying a hand on his clammy cheek. That's when Peter began shivering almost violently, teeth chattering. He clenched his eyes shut and rolled over onto his side to bury his face in Tony's stomach. They let him, giving him rubs and pats of encouragement. Steve leaned over to whisper quietly to Tony, not wanting to frighten the kid. "He's going into shock, Tony. We gotta get him on the ship."

"Okay, kid, we're going for a ride. Hang on, and don't barf on me," he grunted softly, lifting Peter in his arms under his knees and shoulders. Or trying to. He was heavier than he looked after being bitten by the spider. On top of that, the adrenaline rush that finally stopped had drained him of his energy. He struggled and almost fell over, Steve catching him with one hand at his elbow and the other around his back. His legs shook, though, and he had to kneel again. "Jesus, kid, you're heavy for a scrawny twig. You're going for a ride with Cap. Easy, take it easy, calm down. Stop flailing, spider monkey. I'm here with you. Don't worry, I'll be right behind you."

"All right, here we go," Steve said, lifting the boy under his arms to carry him on his hip. He didn't know how much space they would have once they entered the ship, so this was safer. Peter would have been burning with embarrassment, but he found that he didn't care as he laid his head on Steve's shoulder, his glazed eyes sluggishly connecting with Tony's as he reached a hand out to him. The older man took it and walked next to them, gently holding Peter's hand, and breathing a sigh of relief when his eyes slipped shut, as they walked to the ship to get the hell out of here.

Steve sat Peter down in a chair and strapped him in, sitting between him and Bucky while Tony sat on Peter's other side. Tony removed his hoodie and tucked it around his shoulders and chest like a blanket. Peter, however, did not like being so far from Tony and his eyes flew open as he jumped, letting out a panicked whine.

"Shh, everything's all right. We're here," Tony whispered, brushing Peter's hair back from his forehead. He held Peter's hand under the jacket after buckling himself in. "Hang in there, pal. We're going home."