I'm Right Here

Chapter 4

Try as they might, they couldn't break the billionaire's hold on the sick teenager. Steve pulled on Tony's shoulders while Bucky did the same to Peter, each sitting behind the two as they lay tangled in the blankets. It was especially difficult because Peter was clinging to Tony just as tightly. They each seemed to be caught in the throws of their own nightmares.

"Guys, we gotta break this up or they're both gonna overheat," Bruce said on the sidelines, getting a couple bowls of lukewarm water and some washcloths ready. Tony and Peter were drenched in sweat, tears, and grime.

"Working on it, Doc," Steve grunted. He didn't want to hurt Tony, but they had to get them apart.

When Peter had finally regained a normal body temperature, he had left the mattress and gotten dressed again, now in his blue UnderArmour shirt, uniform pants, and socks. He had noticed that the kid was a bit warmer than what he'd consider "normal," but Bruce told him he had a similar metabolism to Steve and his temperature would surely be higher. He had gone back to check on them after dressing and saw sweat dripping down Peter's and Tony's faces, and went to get Bruce. They had removed a couple of the blankets, hoping that would cool them off just a bit. When it didn't, they tried to gently separate the two. That's when all hell broke loose, and now here they sat, trying to rip Peter away so they both didn't get hyperthermia.

"Steve, I think we're done being gentle," Bucky said with a tinge of sadness as he removed his armored top, leaving him in exactly the state in which Steve was.

Steve nodded and sighed. They pressed down on the blankets, soaking up the sweat on their backs and arms so they could get stable grips. Steve slipped his left arm under Tony and between his and Peter's chests, bringing it up to grasp the opposite shoulder. Bucky followed suit oppositely. Tony and Peter had their hands locked around each other's back, which was going to make this more difficult. Bruce watched them work in coordination, knowing this couldn't have been the first time they'd done this.

"Bruce, when we tell you, grab Peter's arm and don't let him pull away," Steve said as he and Bucky sat Peter and Tony up a bit, both of them moving to dig a foot into the mattress. Bucky took hold of Tony's wrist with his flesh hand behind Peter's back while Steve did the same for Peter behind Tony's. "This isn't gonna be pretty. Ready, Buck?"

"Let's go. One, two, three!" Each super soldier pulled firmly on the clasped hands they were charged with, tightening their grips around the chests of the sleeping man and teenager.

"Now, Bruce!" Steve bit out, waiting barely a millisecond after Bruce got a grip on Peter's arm before grabbing Tony's now-free right hand with his own, bringing it up to Tony's chest and pinning it with both arms. Bucky did the same to Peter with Bruce's help, knowing how strong the kid was. "Bruce, let go. Buck, get him back."

Bruce moved back and watched the scene in front of him unfold, Natasha by his side in an instant to hold his hand. Steve shoved himself and Tony back, twisting their bodies to the left toward the wall while Bucky did the same to the right toward Bruce and Natasha. Bruce gave a sigh of relief now that they were separated, but knew they had to work quickly now.

Peter and Tony both cried out when they were broken apart, fighting to get back to each other in their sleep, as well as in their nightmares. Steve rolled over on top of Tony, pinning his wrists in the small of his back and wrapping his ankles around Tony's knees to keep him immobile. Bucky, being that Peter was so much smaller than Tony, had quickly dragged him to the other mattress so Steve had room to maneuver. He moved to sit back against the wall for support and wrestled him to sit back between his legs, crossing Peter's arms over his chest in an X with his metal hand and curling his legs tightly up over the boy's. He held him to his chest, using his right elbow to press down on his hand holding Peter's arms while holding the boy's left cheek. He pressed Peter's right cheek to his left to keep him from breaking his own nose.

"Peter, wake up. Come on, open your eyes for me, kid. It's all right. You're safe," he whispered, daringly turning his head to press his forehead against Peter's temple so he could speak into his ear gently. He rubbed Peter's scalp in what he hoped was a soothing manner. "You gotta wake up, kiddo."

"H-help...please..." Peter moaned miserably, tears streaking his grimy face. He fought against Bucky, twisting and pulling, but in his weakened state he didn't stand a chance.

Natasha could see that Bucky wasn't having any luck waking Peter, so she took matters into her own hands. She knelt facing Bucky, their left thighs pressed against each other's, and pushed Bucky's hand away from Peter's face, quickly getting a grip on his cheeks so Bucky didn't get hit. Leaning in, she kissed his cheek, temple, and the side of his head, speaking soothingly into his ear while stroking his cheeks. Peter finally began calming down, his struggles all but stopping completely. His eyes fluttered open and he took in several shaky breaths, looking around. Bucky sighed and let his head fall back against the wall, rubbing Peter's arm with his thumb. Natasha pulled back and smiled, stroking Peter's hair.

"There he is," she said gently, wiping the tears from his face. Peter's entire body was trembling, not from the cold, but from overexertion. His mouth was dry as a bone, his hair was soaked with sweat, and he struggled to get his breathing under control. His eyes looked past Natasha's shoulder faster than she could move to block it. He saw Tony being held down by Steve, sobbing in his sleep, struggling to get away. His breathing got worse.

"Don't look, kid. Look at Natasha. Focus on your breathing," Bucky said as he unwound his legs and loosened his grip. Peter had slipped down a bit as he woke, so Bucky pulled him back up so he could breathe easier, resting the boy's head on his shoulder. Natasha moved to block Steve and Tony from his line of sight.

"Let's get you cleaned up a bit, huh? We want you squeaky clean to see Tony, right?" she said, reaching up and grabbing a bowl of the cool water and a washcloth. She smiled gently at him, but it didn't do much to distract him. Peter was still panicky, crying softly as he clutched Bucky's flesh forearm. Bucky leaned his head down, rocking him slightly.

"Shh, you're all right. You're fine. We're here. Take a deep breath for me," he soothed, waiting until Peter did as he was told. He smiled and looked at him from the side, glad when Peter turned his head and eyes up toward him. "That's it. There ya go. Good job. Gimme another."

"'S h-hard," Peter wheezed, but he tried anyway. It was a stuttering breath from crying so much, but he managed. Bucky reached to grab a bottle of water sitting on the platform and tried to let Peter go so he could open it, but the poor boy grabbed at his arms.

"Calm down, Pete. I'm still here with you. Just gotta open this for you," Bucky said, pausing until Peter's arms dropped to his sides, landing on Bucky's thighs. He opened the bottle and twisted to the side a bit, cupping the back of Peter's head as he tilted the bottle to his lips. Peter guzzled the water, whining when Bucky took it away every few seconds. "Easy, you're okay. Take it slow."

"Great job, kiddo. This might be a little cold, but it's gonna help," Natasha told him, dipping the cloth in the water and wringing it out. She then gently began wiping down his face, going slow so the cold water wouldn't shock him.