So I thought I'd jump in a little late to Whumptober. I can't promise I'll post every day, but here's day 8: Fever. (I'll also post on FF and A03). These are going to be unrelated to my Penny Parker fic which will, at some point, get a sequel :)

Fever

Ever since her spider bite, Penny had managed to avoid every cold, sinus infection, and flu that had passed through her school. In the last year and a half, Ned had been sick several times, and MJ had even sneezed on her once (on accident…but it had still been gross.) Then May had come down with that flu that had left her exhausted and throwing up for four days straight. Penny had been the one to take care of her, although Miss Potts had come over one day to help, bringing soup and a bunch of medicine. After May had been feeling better, Mr. Stark and Miss Potts had had them over for dinner, and Mr. Stark had asked if she was feeling okay, but Penny was feeling fine, and she had been ever since.

Ned had wondered aloud if she even could get sick. Once in the lab, after she'd brought up the question herself, Mr. Stark had drawn a little blood and had run some tests, but nothing had been conclusive. Mostly, he was just impressed at her mutation and together, the two of them had looked through the research he'd done so far. He had managed to study her DNA without making her feel like a science experiment, and at no point had she felt uncomfortable. They'd looked at her metabolism as well, him trying to figure out exactly how much she needed to eat, and her admitting that she felt exhausted and hungry most days between breakfast and lunch, which had led to Mr. Stark developing some special protein bars that he'd had delivered to her house in bulk. They tasted like chocolate and were delicious.

When Doctor Banner and Thor had reappeared from…well, wherever it was they'd disappeared to (she hadn't been given a lot of detail, but Mr. Stark had promised to tell her the whole story someday soon when things settled down) with Loki and a bunch of Asgardian people, Mr. Stark had brought her down into the lab, introduced her to Doctor Banner, and, after getting her permission of course, they'd taken another look at her blood, working together to come up with a somewhat effective pain medication for her. Mr. Stark hadn't told Doctor Banner about her alter-ego, but she had when they'd been working. So now Thor and Doctor Banner, who were living with Mr. Stark in the tower for the moment, knew about Spidergirl, along with Loki who didn't seem to care one way or another.

Ever since the Homecoming incident, she'd been going over to the Compound, then the Tower, every other weekend for her 'internship.' He'd been nice enough to make sure she got school credit for it, assuring her that it really wasn't a problem, and while May went out with Miss Potts, Penny and Mr. Stark worked together in the lab, him messing around with his armor and her tinkering with her web-shooters or trying to improve her web-fluid. Slowly, he'd gone from distant mentor to a…well, she didn't want to say father figure. It seemed too intimate…to informal. Still, he seemed to like having her around, they texted sometimes, and he even had her stay over after the lab work so that they could watch movies some nights. Lately, Doctor Banner and even Thor had joined them.

It was pretty cool…she was Spidergirl and she had an internship with Stark Industries that she was getting college credit for and she got to spend personal, one-on-one time with her idol, Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man! So, despite the occasional incident with Flash, the piling up of her homework, trying to keep her identity a secret from her classmates along with the rest of New York, and other normal teenage girl problems, she had to admit, life was pretty great. And then she'd gotten a cough.

It wasn't a bad one. She'd woken up on Tuesday morning with a sore throat and a cough and had immediately ignored it, taking a shot of cold medicine, drinking a glass of orange juice then downing a whole glass of ice water. All day, she'd drank ice water and at lunch, she bought more orange juice. She thought maybe she should skip patrols, but she felt mostly fine by the time school was over so she went on as usual, cheerfully greeting Karen as she swung her way around the city. There wasn't a ton of action…she managed to stop a guy from breaking into an apartment…it turned out that it was his apartment and he'd just been trying to get back in after being locked out, but still…her heart had been in the right place. She'd said hi to Mr. Delmar and had given a confused tourist directions to the ferry. And then she'd stopped a guy from stealing a bicycle.

She hadn't done anything particularly strenuous, but by 7:30, as she sat on a rooftop a few miles from home, she felt a cold sweat on her forehead, and her whole body felt several pounds heavier. She knew she could make it home, but her throat was killing her and she was exhausted. Unfortunately, she had several hours worth of homework, so she had no choice but to ignore Karen who suggested she get some rest and webbed her way back home, then worked until she passed out at her desk and May had to rouse her and coax her into bed.

The next morning, she doubled down on the cold medicine and the orange juice, feeling her heart sink when it didn't do anything for the sore throat. She felt even more tired than before she'd gone to sleep, and her stomach was sick, but she figured that could be the cold medicine mixed with the huge glass of orange juice. May, thankfully, had left early for work, so she hadn't noticed Penny's predicament. So she did her best to choke down one of those protein bars, then hurried to the subway, surprised at how weak she felt by the time she finally sat in her seat on the train. Leaning her head against the window, she swallowed back the nausea, wincing when the swallowing sent sharp stabs of agony through her throat. It felt swollen…more swollen than before, and she wasn't sure how much good orange juice was going to do.

As the day went by, she felt worse and worse. By lunch, she was just laying her head on the table, brushing aside Ned's concern and choking down the orange juice MJ handed her. She did her best to focus in her last two classes but when she was called on by her Chemistry teacher to answer a question, she had to admit that she wasn't sure what the answer was, much to Flash's delight. By the end of the day, she was too exhausted to even think about patrolling, so she decided to skip it and go straight home after school, crawling into bed and drinking the last of the orange juice, the last of the cold medicine, and dropping into an uneasy sleep. Her phone woke her a few hours later, and she groaned as she reached a hand out from under the covers, slapping her nightstand before finally finding her Starkphone and holding it up to her eyes. 'Don't you usually patrol on Wednesdays, Spiderkid?'

Barely coherent enough to form a response, she managed to type out 'too much homework had to do it and sleep.' Then she promptly dropped back into sleep, not waking until her alarm went off the next morning at 6:00. Her body refused. Her throat hurt so bad that she couldn't even swallow. And her brain felt like soup, chills racking her body as she huddled under the covers one minute, then threw them off the next. Her whole body ached, especially her neck which felt swollen, and a coughing fit had her eyes watering. May was at work by the time she dragged herself out of bed, knowing instantly that school was out of the question. Even though she would have liked to have May there to help, she knew that her aunt had been working more shifts to cover for a coworker who had just lost a family member. Instead of getting dressed, she swallowed a glass of water, barely managing to get it down, then dropped weakly onto the sofa. She knew she needed to eat in some part of her brain, but there was no way she could get off of the sofa.

She must have slept because when she opened her eyes again, she felt like death. She was hot…no…cold. And she hadn't felt so weak since before the spider bite…like she could barely lift her arms or head…barely walk into her room which she managed to do by leaning on the walls and grabbing at furniture. She wasn't sure what made her grab for her Spidergirl suit…looking back, she thought that maybe she knew that something was wrong and that she needed help. She'd never been to a doctor alone and wasn't really sure how to make an appointment, so she thought she must have decided on the next best thing.

Karen sounded worried when she pulled her mask on, slapping the emblem on her chest and feeling the suit tighten around her pajamas. "Penny, your fever is dangerously high. Would you like me to alert Mr. Stark?"

"No…" She muttered, stumbling toward her window and crawling out, holding onto the walls with her sticky hands and crouching on the fire escape. She didn't want to bother Mr. Stark, not when he could be busy. But, she thought in her fever-addled mind, she just knew that she needed to get to Stark Tower which was, thankfully, closer than the Compound. But even just saying that word made her throat catch fire, and when she tried to swallow the saliva in her mouth, she found that it was almost impossible. Tears gathered in her eyes, and she sniffed, not wanting to cry in the Spidergirl suit. But it hurt so much! "Need…Tower."

"Do you need the fastest path to Stark Tower?" Karen asked, her voice patient.

"Mhm."

"Okay. I'm lighting up the fastest path." She couldn't even thank Karen…her head was pounding and as she shot a web at the closest building, she felt her whole body ache as she swung off of her fire escape. She let her eyes close until her spider sense went off, letting her know that she was approaching the building, and she snapped them open again, grasping anxiously at the building before she could slam into it.

She made it about three blocks before she inevitably missed. Her web didn't catch, but she leapt anyway, and the next thing she knew, she was on the ground, dazed and in even worse pain. "Penny? Penny, you have sustained multiple injuries. Would you like me to contact Mr. Stark?"

"No." She rasped, sitting up slowly, vaguely surprised at how much effort that took. Her head had gone from pounding to…whatever was worse than pounding. Her brain couldn't come up with the word at the moment. Or figure out how to stand. Or how to get to Mr. Stark who she knew would help her. All she knew was that she needed him but she couldn't bother him…for some reason. Or maybe it was Doctor Banner she needed…she couldn't remember. Using her web-shooter, she shot a web at the closest building and pulled herself up, sprawling on the roof and hitting her face on the ground. Moaning, she pushed herself up again, coughing and fighting tears as she tried to cope with the pain. She just wanted to stay on the roof, but some part of her brain knew that wasn't safe…not in her suit and not as hot as she was. Or was she cold? She couldn't figure it out. "Karen?"

"I have highlighted the shortest route to Stark Tower, Penny. You need to follow that path and get help or I will be forced to alert Mr. Stark."

"K." She lifted the lower half of her mask, spitting saliva onto the ground rather than swallowing it, and limped her way to the edge of the roof, wondering if she'd hurt her leg. She shot another web, leaping and, thankfully, she made it a whole seven blocks before falling again, barely managing to pull herself back up this time, then, finally, she could see the tower.

She landed on the side of the building, crawling up the side until she found the window that led to the living room, and FRIDAY let her in. The next thing she knew, she was sprawled out on Mr. Stark's floor, staring very closely at the fibers of his expensive carpet, and even though she pushed as hard as she could against the floor, she couldn't get herself off the floor. Then she was coughing, and she couldn't stop the tears anymore. But she couldn't wipe them away…couldn't move her arm as she sobbed on the floor.

"Penny?" She knew that voice. Opening her eyes, she found herself staring at someone's knees, and then she managed to look up and met the eyes of Thor. She thought she should be embarrassed, but she was so hot. So, so hot and so cold and her leg hurt and so did her head and everything else. "Penny, are you alright?" Thor asked, a huge, gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Don't feel good." She sobbed, lips trembling, and then he got an arm under her, lifting her easily and then easing her down onto the sofa.

"Alright. FRIDAY, we need Banner." Thor called at the ceiling, and usually Penny would find it amusing to see the Asgardian shouting at the air, but all she could think about was how much she wanted to sleep and escape the awful pain.

"Why is the Spider child crying on the sofa?" Another familiar voice asked, sounding less interested than his words would imply, and she wondered if she was still crying. Hands slipped under her mask and pulled it off, careful of her hair, and then let her head back down onto a pillow.

"I…I am not sure." Thor answered right before a freezing cold hand touched her forehead and she bit back a whimper.

"She is very hot…"

"Penny? What happened?" That was Doctor Banner, but she couldn't answer, sobbing and then crying even more when it just hurt. "Her head's bleeding…FRIDAY?"

"Miss Parker crawled in through the window. Her AI informed me that she is running a high fever and fell several times on her way from her house, twice from a height of over twenty feet. She has a sprained ankle, a mild concussion, and several abrasions along her arms and on her face."

"How high is her fever?"

"103.9."

"Okay…FRIDAY, get Tony here now. Penny? Can you hear me?" She made a noise, trying to ignore how much that hurt. "Penny?"

"Hm?"

"Try to stay awake, Pen. Thor, can you pick her up? I need to get her to the Medbay."

"Of course." The large hands lifted her again, holding her against a massive chest, and then she was being placed on a less comfortable bed. Had she fallen asleep? She didn't remember. All she knew was that she was so cold and everything hurt and she wanted to sleep. So she tried to ignore the hustle going on around her, to weak to keep her eyes open. But then she was coughing and sobbing once more, and a wooden stick was pressing down on her tongue.

"Penny, can you open your mouth?" Doctor Banner asked. She did, shivering and wishing she had a blanket. "Thor, can you get me an ice pack and wrap it in a towel? FRIDAY, where's Tony?"

"Boss is on his way, Doctor Banner."

"I'm cold." She whimpered when something touched the emblem on her suit, and then someone was holding her up and easing the suit off of her, leaving her shivering in just her pajamas.

"I know, it's okay." Doctor Banner assured her softly, and then something cold was laid across her forehead. She cried out, trying to push it away, but it hurt too much to make any kind of noise so she gave up.

"It looks like she has a pretty severe case of strep throat. We need to get her fever down. Thor, sit with her for a minute? I have to get a fever reducer and I need to start her on antibiotics. Penny?" He tapped her cheek but she just turned away, whining and shivering on the cold table. "I'll be right back."

Penny opened her eyes, finding Thor sitting by her side, looking out of place in a metal folding chair. "I'm cold." She whined again, barely able to get the words out.

"Yes, that is your fever." He told her, a hand landing on her shoulder. "Banner will bring you medicine that will bring your fever down." She shuddered, fingers twitching as she tried to find a blanket, and he caught her hand, squeezing gently. She must have fallen asleep, because the next thing she knew, someone was poking her in the arm and she jerked away, crying out hoarsely when someone else held her arm down, letting the first person stick a needle in her arm.

Then someone was running a cold rag over her face, wiping gently, and she settled a little, dozing and wishing it was a warm rag, then wishing it was colder. Her thermostat seemed to be broken, and her whole body was heavy…too heavy to move. She couldn't even make herself open her eyes until the elevator beeped and someone approached her bed.

"What's going on?" She deflated at the voice, crying in relief. Mr. Stark. He would protect her. She couldn't lift her head up to see him, but she knew that voice anywhere. "Penny? What happened?" His hand took hers, a thumb rubbing over her knuckles, and another brushed her hair back. "Penny?"

"Mr. Stark?" Her voice barely came out a rasp and just saying his name made her throat hurt so much that tears dripped down the sides of her face, trailing down her cheeks.

"Yeah, I'm here, kid." He murmured, wiping tears from her cheeks with his thumb. "It's okay…Bruce?"

"It looks like she had a pretty bad case of strep throat…her fever is worrying, but I've got her on antibiotics and a fever reducer."

"Why is there blood? What happened to her face?"

"Apparently she fell a couple of times swinging over here." Mr. Stark swore under his breath.

"Okay. FRIDAY, call May. Tell her we have Penny here. Call her school too. Tell them she won't be in for the rest of the week." A hand brushed her hair out of her face, thumb brushing more tears away. "Penny?" She tried to make a noise, and apparently, that was enough. "It's okay, kiddo." She begged to differ…nothing had ever hurt this much and her brain wasn't working and she was so tired that she could barely keep her eyes open, but she didn't have the strength to argue.

She must have slept again. The next time she opened her eyes, someone was shaking her a little, a straw held to her mouth. "Penny? Take a drink, kiddo. You need to stay hydrated."

"No." She whimpered, turning her face away and knowing that she'd rather be dehydrated then swallow something. "Hurts."

"Just a little, Pen. Please?" She couldn't deny him, not when he was saying please, and she took a sip of the water, tears dripping from her eyes when she swallowed. "Good job, kiddie. Go ahead and sleep some more if you want." She did, but then she was cold. So cold…so much colder than before. And wet…she gave a strangled scream, sobbing and fighting as someone eased her into a tub of what felt like ice water.

"No…no, please…Mr. Stark!" She gasped, opening her eyes and finding the man hovering over her, a hand under her neck.

"It's okay. We have to get your fever down. It's okay."

"No…no…cold…"

"I know, honey. I know." He murmured, stroking her hair and keeping her head above water, supporting her neck. "It's not for much longer. Just relax." Her lips trembled but she couldn't fight, so she slumped into the water, shivering and then swallowing the pills he held to her mouth, flinching when she had to follow them with a drink of water.

"We have to up her nutrients…her healing isn't working as fast as it usually does…that scrape on her head is still bleeding." Someone pressed something to her head and she realized that Bruce was still in the room. Doctor Banner. She called him Doctor Banner. She wondered where Thor was, but she couldn't even open her eyes, much less ask. Mr. Stark stayed by her side, stroking her hair and making her drink every few minutes until she finished a full glass of water.

After what felt like hours, and long after she'd stopped shivering, she was pulled out of the bath of what had turned out to be room-temperature water, and Miss Potts appeared from somewhere, changing her out of her wet pajamas, drying her off, and dressing her in warm, new-smelling pajamas. Penny felt pretty bad…she didn't even have the energy to thank the woman, but Miss Pott's put a towel around her hair and rubbed a hand over her cheek, promising that she'd feel better soon. When she was settled into a bed, a sheet placed over her, Mr. Stark taking his spot at her side again, Doctor Banner returned, checking her temperature and nodding to himself. "It's down to 101.2…still high, but a lot better." He said something else, and then Mr. Stark was talking but she was so tired. She just closed her eyes, letting her head slump back against the pillow as Mr. Stark continued to stroke her hair.

When she woke again, Mr. Stark was sitting at her side and she was in her bedroom at the tower. "Hey, kiddo. How are you feeling?"

"Mr. Stark?" She asked, surprised that her throat, while still painful, was now bearable.

"Yep. And you are?"

She frowned. "Penny…"

He grinned. "Just making sure. That fever was pretty high." He ran a careful hand over her forehead, nodding to himself. "Still not, but not nearly as bad. How's your throat?"

"Better."

"Think you can drink this?" He held out a glass of water with a straw, and she took a long drink, wincing but managing to drink all of it. "Good." He took the glass back, then took her hand, squeezing a little. "May is here…she's taking a nap. You want me to get her?" Penny shook her head. As much as she wanted to see May, she knew her aunt needed sleep…she was always working so hard.

For a moment, Mr. Stark was quiet. Then he leaned in a little. "Pen…why didn't you just call? I could have had Happy pick you up." She shrugged, uncomfortable with the question. "You have my number. You have the direct line to the Tower…you really freaked Thor out, you know? Bruce too."

"Sorry." She muttered.

"Don't be sorry, kiddo. But if you're sick or in trouble…if you need help, you can call me. Always. No matter what's going on."

"I just…I didn't want to bother you. You were in meetings and…" She trailed off, shrugging again, and his face turned serious.

"Kiddo, you're not bothering me when you need help. That's what I'm here for. It's why I gave you a suit with an AI and my direct line and the direct line to my Tower and Happy." She rubbed a tired hand over her eyes and he pushed some more of her hair back when she accidentally disrupted it. "So next time, don't try to swing to the Tower on your own when you have a ridiculously high fever." He smiled a little, and she nodded. "Alright, kid. You're obviously too tired to take any of this in. Try to get some more sleep." She glanced around her empty room, and he rested a hand on hers, then shifted a little closer. "I'll be right here, Pen. We'll talk when you wake up, okay?"

"Thank you, Mr. Stark." He smiled as her eyes drifted shut, his face the last thing she saw before slipping back into sleep.

"Sure thing, Spiderling."

Thank you for reading!