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Peter had been quiet all day. If he was being honest, it was worrying Tony. Normally, the kid was a chatterbox, always going on and on about whatever new project had caught his fancy, and, though he would never admit it, Tony liked to listen to whatever the kid had to say. So his sudden silence was, pun intended, slightly disquieting. Maybe that kid had been picking on him, the one with the stupid name, what was it? Slash?All day Tony had been thinking about a file on his computer. It was tucked in one of his locked private folders, under a pile of subfolders, and encrypted to his highest capability. The folder was named E.D.I.T.H. or Even Dead I’m The Hero. It was full of code for a new AI and some emergency plans. This folder was his legacy, or more a way to light the path for his replacement. Now he had no plans of dying anytime soon. Far from it, however, this line of work was dangerous, and continuation plans were a must. All of that he had under control. But his internal turmoil stemmed not from the folder itself, but from the oddly quiet boy in the corner of the room.Tony's pondering was disrupted by a small sneeze from Peter’s work desk. He would come back to this later. He put it out of his mind for now.“Gesundheit”“Thank you.” came the muffled reply.Tony turned around. Peter sounded terrible. His eyes landed on his intern, who had his head laying flat on the desk, brown hair spread out in a halo around him.“Hey, Pete, buddy, you’re lookin’ a little rough, you okay?” Peter lifted his head and blinked sluggishly at him “Hmph? Oh, yeah, I’m fine, just a cold.”Tony raised a single eyebrow, taking in Peter’s glazed eyes, red nose, and pale cheeks. This kid was going to be the death of him. Peter ignored his pointed look and attempted to school his face into alertness. “I’m fine. See?”Tony sighed. “Yeah, no, that’s not gonna cut it. You look like a freshly risen zombie. Let’s go, lab time’s over.”Peter’s gaze turned pleading “Please Mr. Stark! I’m fine! I can stay I- I can keep working!” as Tony’s expression remained unchanged he crumpled, shoulders slumping, and shrugged on his coat.“Kiddo, what are you doing? Are you cold? Fri, set the temperature to 75 please.” Tony eyed Peter closer “Do you have a fever? We should check c’mere.” In two strides he crossed the room and set a hand on Peter’s forehead. “Hmm.. you feel warm, Fri? Can you run a scan?”“Woah! Mr. Stark, I'm fine. I was just grabbing my jacket for the walk home, I’m okay, really.” Peter said, bewildered“Walk? Pete, it's 10:30 in the middle of January, you are not stepping foot outside until you get a clean bill of health. I said lab time’s over, not tower time. Fri, what’s the update on the scan?”“Peter currently has a temperature of 101.3 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the CDC, that categorizes it as a fever.”“Okay that’s it, c’mon, drop the project, we're going upstairs. We’ve been down here for a while anyway, I wouldn’t want you leaving any later than 11.”Tony grabbed Peter’s bags and walked him into the elevator, sending a quick text to his aunt.“So, kiddo, here’s what I’m thinking, we get you set up on the couch for now, get some meds into your system, I’ll whip something up for you while you relax a bit, we eat, and then you can sleep in the guest bedroom. That sound okay?”Peter nodded.The elevator dinged and they stepped into the penthouse. Tony gently placed Peter's stuff next to the couch and lifted a section of pillows to reveal a compartment full of blankets.“Take your pick underoos”“You have a Star Wars blanket!? I knew you were a nerd!” Peter exclaimed“What? The head of Stark Industries? A nerd?” Tony deadpanned “Whoever would have thought. I need to warn my PR team.”Peter was still grinning as he pulled out a black fuzzy blanket, decorated with mini Deathstars. He sat down and pulled the blanket up to his chin. Tony’s heart threatened to burst. How dare Peter give him paternal instincts. That had to be against the rules. He would have to consult the official superhero-mentor handbook.He grabbed a bottle of Tylenol from the wall-mounted med kit and silently handed it over.Tony cleared his chin “So, Kid, what do you want to eat? I can order take out or…”Peter sat back up “Could- uh could you make something? I just- homemade food when I’m sick is- May normally- Nevermind, takeout is fine.” He was avidly avoiding Tony’s eyes.When Tony finally responded his tone was far softer. “Yea Pete, we can do homemade food. I’m not the best cook in the world so you’ll have to bear with me but Pepper keeps this floor stocked so whatever you want, I can make, anything in particular?”“Anything’s fine, May normally makes pasta, that’s pretty good, but yea anything really.”“Okay here’s what I’m thinking; Pasta, homemade sauce, and a side of garlic bread. Your throat sounds a bit scratchy so I’ll throw on some tea. Oh, and do you have a favorite pasta type?”“I like the Bow tie ones” he murmured“Of course you do. It's the second-best type. Alright, I’ll get started on that, you put on whatever you want, I’ll be back in a few.”Tony walked into the kitchen and cracked his knuckles. It had been a while since he had cooked for anyone other than himself. He hoped the fridge was actually full. He had only really said that because the kid had obviously felt uncomfortable. He steeled himself and pulled open the door. He was met with a full face of tomatoes, mushrooms, greens, and other veggies. He sighed in relief and took a moment to thank whatever guardian angel had sent Pepper Potts to him.After starting a kettle, he grabbed a cutting board, pan, and his ingredients then set them down on the counter.As he chopped the onions and tomatoes he thought about the boy on the couch in the other room. Peter must have been sick for at least 24 hours, but he had gone to school, decathlon practice, and on patrol before anyone had noticed. Not for the first time, Tony felt a flicker of annoyance for the boy. He respected May, he really did, but she just was always busy and couldn’t give the attention that Peter desperately needed. It was obvious in the way he lit up the second anyone showed interest in his work or even acknowledged his existence. Hell, Peter has been Spiderman for months and May still hasn’t figured it out.The Tea kettle whistled and Tony startled. He grabbed two mugs out of the cabinet and a pair of tea bags.“Pete, You want Honey?”“Yes please!” came the hushed replyHe padded into the living room, careful not to spill a drop, and set the steaming mugs down on the coffee table.Peter was laying down and wrapped in a blanket cocoon like a fluff burrito. His head was pushed into the pillow and he looked as though he might prefer to just stay there, wrapped up, forever. (Tony really hoped he wouldn’t ask because he wasn’t convinced he’d be able to say no.)
At Tony’s arrival, Peter perked up and wormed his way upright. He shimmed his arms out and made grabby hands at the closest mug. Tony struggled to hold back a laugh. Peter looked adorable with his hair all spiked up and his eyes half closed. He handed the tea over with a smile.Peter took a sip and said “Thank you”“No problem, the pasta’s almost ready and the bread should be out any minute. You feeling any better?”“I’m okay, thank you though”“Sure, I noticed you didn’t put on the tv, do you want music instead?”“That would be great Mr. Stark.”“Are we still doing the Mr. Stark thing? Call me Tony for god’s sake”“Of course Mr. Stark,” Peter said with a mischievous smile.Peter was saved from Tony’s retort by Friday“Boss, the bread is done.”Tony pushed off the couch and made his way to the oven. He turned the stove down and strained the pasta before sliding the garlic bread onto a cooling rack.As he waited a few seconds for the sauce to finish, the soft rock began to play over the speakers. He smiled as the quiet music filled his ears. Go figure this was Peter’s favorite genre, it fit him well.He glanced through the doorway to check on Peter only to hear him softly singing along with one of the songs, swaying slightly in time with the music. Tony couldn’t stop the small smile that crossed his face. Peter looked so happy like this, relaxed and comfortable, he wished he could see him like this more often.He shook himself and went back to the kitchenA few minutes later, he plated the food, scooping a hearty portion for peter and a smaller one for himself. He ladled a portion of sauce onto each plate and sliced the garlic bread. Once he was satisfied, he balanced as many plates as he could carry and set them down on the table.Peter’s eyes were wide with amazement as he ogled the food. Tony was oddly nervous as he set the last plates down.“So…what do you think?”“It looks so good! I thought you said you couldn’t cook! This is- this is really nice. Thank you.”Tony smiled “You haven't even tried it yet, don't get all starstruck now.”They dug in, making small talk about anything and everything.“So you said that Dash kid’s backed off some, right?”“You know his name is Flash, don’t you.”“Maybe”Or“So Mr. Stark, Ms. Potts said you were thinking of adding a hologram feature to the stark phone, how are you going to downsize?”After the last bite was finished, they were both left feeling full, satisfied, and sleepy. Peter had convinced Tony to watch a show with him so after the plates were in the dishwasher, they settled onto the couch together.The show was actually good, much to Tony’s chagrin. He was sure to be the butt of many pop culture jokes later, but for now, he was busy calling the main characters idiots (Fuck you, Rachel deserved way better than Josh)and making Peter laugh. As they approached the end of the season, Peter stopped responding as quickly, and eventually, stopped responding altogether. As the credits rolled, Tony gave Peter a once-over.He was slumped over, halfway between sitting and laying down, and his blanket was sliding off his shoulders. His eyes were closed and he was making cute little puffs as he breathed.“Hey, Friday, dim the lights please”As the room darkened, Tony considered his options. He could try to get Peter over to the guest bed but he couldn’t bring himself to disturb his slumber. That left only one thing to do.He eased Peter onto his back, careful not to jostle him, and stepped back.He gazed at Peter in the semidarkness, the world didn’t deserve this kid. He was everything Tony could have been and more. He displayed kindness and compassion even when unnecessary, he had looked at the mess of the city and rather than passing it over like the rest of them, had gone “I can fix this.”. And so he did. Every day Peter was leaving, risking his life, to protect and change. He saw the good in everyone and it showed. God, it showed. Anytime anyone showed even a crumb of trust in him, he just looked so proud. Tony often found himself worrying over the future, and then, he would see this kid, this bright, intelligent, flashlight in a dark room, and suddenly everything would be okay. Even when he was gone, Peter would be there for this city, Hell, for the world.There, in the soft yellow light of his tower, Tony Stark made a decision.“Fri, initiate E.D.I.T.H. protocol.”“Yes boss”And if anyone saw him tuck Peter in that night? Well, it would be their little secret.