Bug boy || Peter Parker

Fifteen

Tate woke up to the sound of beeping. It was a noise he instantly recognised, much to his displeasure. The beeping of hospital monitors and the smells of antiseptic. His head was pounding and everything hurt with the familiar dull ache of paint being dulled by drugs. There seemed to be other people there. He chords hear whispers and the rustle of shifting clothes. So he groaned, loudly.

Instantly fingers were brushing the hair out of his face. "Hey buddy", Tony voiced gently. "You gave us quite a scare". Tate blinked open his eyes. Tony was at his bedside in jeans and a tshirt. He looked exhausted. The bags under his eyes only darkened by the white hospital lights.

"Where's everyone?" Tate slurred. These were good painkillers.

Tony sighed deeply and tiredly. "Happy is still at the hotel with Peter. Pepper is flying over now. She'll be here in a few hours".

Tate hummed. "They get away?"

"Yeah". Tony dragged and hand over his face.

Tate shifted and made a little noise as something tugged painfully. Tony jumped up and helped him sit up. "Careful Tate. You had to have surgery". Tate grimaced. His legs felt weird and uncoordinated. Too heavy and lumpy.

"What happened to my legs?"

"Tate", Tony's voice was irritatingly gentle. "You went to fast too soon. I warned you of this. You tore your ligaments in your knees and ankles. They had to do surgery to deal with the bleeding in your abdomen as well as fix your legs. Fuck Kid if I knew this would happen I would have never agreed for you to come".

"Rhodes is alright though?" Tate replied. "And Peter? He had fractured ribs".

Tony blinked, momentarily derailed. "Huh? Oh yeah. Rhodey had broken ribs and a broken arm but he's fine. Peter's all healed up already. I sent him back to the hotel. He's heading back to New York in the morning".

"Oh", Tate's voice became small. He stared at the lump of his legs under the hospital sheets. The knowledge of several weeks of recuperation souring his stomach. It would be months before he could skate well again.

"Are you going after Steve?" He asked.

Tony sighed deeply. "I should but if you need me here, then I shall stay. Not matter what Ross and the rest of those government arses say. Nothing is more important than you". He rubbed a hand over Tate's head. The touch warm and soothing.

"Dad. I'll be fine. You can go. I'm not seriously injured. It's fine".

"Not seriously injured", Tony snorted. "Only after hours of surgery. Listen kid you're not getting back on a skateboard for at lest three months. Pepper is going to have my head for even giving you the suit. I'm surprised that I'm not dead just from the conversation I had with her on the phone. Besides, T'Challa and Nat have gone after them. I trust them to notify us of any findings". Tate nodded and then winced as his head throbbed.

Tony sighed. "Get some sleep kid. I'll be here when you wake again". Tate was going to argue out of teen principle but he was actually exhausted. He leaned back on the pillows and was out like a light.

——

The second time he woke up it was to the sounds of a viciously whispered argument. He blinked lazily. The room was dimmer and the windows showed a city night sky. Pepper and Tony were in the other corner of the room where two leather arm chairs were positioned. Looking around Tate could see a large flat screen tv on the wall and a partially open bathroom door. Tony just have paid for a private hospital, judging from the furnishings.

Pepper was still in her slim office wear but her long ginger hair was ties haphazardly in a bun. She was pointing at Tony in visible anger. "I can't believe that your would take him into that situation!" She snarled in a hushed voice. "Who the hell takes their son into a fight with super powered people. Trained people! And not the mention the other boy! How dare you!"

"You think I wanted to take Tate there?" Tony shot back. "He had already met Peter and knew enough by that point that I couldn't of kept him out of it if I tried. You know what he's like. If I hadn't told him he would have done something reckless like hack the files. I told him he was done. That him and Peter were done but he disobeyed my orders".

"That's not the problem! It's the fact that you let two fifteen year old boys fight against trained killers! Did you even ask Peter's guardian? How the hell did you get permission for this? Does shield know?"

"No and I plan to keep it that way", Tony sighed and ran a hand over his face. He looked worn and exhausted. He obviously had not gotten any more sleep since earlier. "Peter's aunt doesn't know. She thinks he has a Stark internship. The kid was off being a hero anyway. At lest this way I can monitor him and make sure he doesn't get himself killed".

Pepper opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted by a gasp as Tate made the mistake of shifting in the wrong way. Instantly both adults head were turning to him. "Tate honey", Pepper cooed as she crossed to his side. "You okay? Need anything?"

"I think the drug have worn off", Tate groaned.

"I'll get the doctor", Pepper rose but Tate grabbed her hand.

"It's not dad's fault", he said, coughing. Tony grabbed a cup of water from the bedside table and passed it to him. Tate took a long drink. "He told me to take Peter to the ambulance. Then Vision misfired and Rhodes got hit. His suit went dead. I calculate the distance and speed. If I reached a certain speed then I could catch him before he hit the ground. The momentum would mostly transfer to me and we could both escape with minimal injuries".

"Minimal injuries?" Pepper asked. "Tate, darling, you have four pins in your legs and surgery scars on your stomach and knees. You won't be able to walk for at lest two weeks. How is this minimal?"

"If Rhodes had hit the ground he would have died. At the very least the suit would have taken the brunt of the force and he would have ended up paralysed. He's a hero. People need him. I will heal".

"Tate", Tony ran his thumb over Tate's forehead. "You are worth just as much a Rhodey. Don't ever think your life is any lesser than his just because he's a hero". He leaned over and wrapped his arms round Tate's shoulders in a attempted hug. The drip in Tate's arm and the many wires making it hard. "I'm so proud of you bud. I'll make sure you're up and back on your skateboard as soon as possible. Okay?"

"Okay", Tate breathed into his dad's shoulder.

"Dad", he voiced as Tony pulled back.

"Yeah?"

"Can you transfer me to a hospital in New York? I'm a bit sick of Germany now".

Tony laughed. "As soon as you've recovered enough Kid".

Tate grinned then winced as a thought entered his head. "Shit! Callum is going to kill me when I get back. I haven't texted him! Where's my phone?"

Unedited