Twenty-Three

"So is he-" Steve trailed off unsure of how to continue. The Avengers were sitting in a circle as if they were doing a team building exercise instead of discussion the potential death of one Peter Parker. They had been in complete silence for over ten minutes once Tony had finished telling them the news. "Is Peter going to-"

"We're trying to avoid that," Tony snapped trying not to lose his temper. He couldn't lose the kid. He had already lost the kid once. He wasn't going to lose him again. "Look, Bruce, Helen Cho, and I are going to do everything we can do to buy the kid more time. But I'm asking you guys to stay put anything you hear, any useful information, any idea you tell me or Banner. We're running on a clock here people."

Bucky glance at Tony, he hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Shouldn't we-shouldn't we find a way to find HYDRA? If they could manage to get Parker so sick then they probably have the cure as well to cure him."

Tony tense up at bit at Bucky's suggestion, mainly because he had thought of it before, but he had no idea how they would even get in contact with HYDRA again since thanks to Fury's brilliant plan they had all scattered like roaches. "We don't have time, Barnes. That idea is on the backburner for now."

"Stark is right," Natasha chirped as she gave Bucky a sympathetic look.

"How about Thor?" Wanda chirped up as she squeezed Vision's hand. "Or Loki? I know Loki is not the most reliable, but maybe he can help."

"We have no way of contacting them." Bruce explained patiently. Him and Dr. Cho were huddled in the corner looking over Peter's blood test and medical journals to see if anyone had been kidnapped by HYDRA agents and infused with a chemical that was slowly turning them back to their human form. As if.

"So now we're stuck looking the old fashion way." Tony quipped as he drank his 4th cup of coffee this morning. "Keep an eye on Peter and May-they need all the help they can get. Dismiss."

As the Avengers went their separate ways, Steve stayed behind. Tony snorted. "I have no time for pity parties, Rogers I have way too much to do."

"I know," Steve trailed off, unsure of what to say. Tony hoped that Steve wouldn't try to hug him otherwise he would really loose it. "It's going to be ok, Tony. Peter will live to drive you crazy for many years to come."

"I know, but he isn't going to get any better with you getting all sentimental on me, Rogers." Tony managed to quip as he waved him away so that he didn't have to see the pitying look on his face. He had enough pity to last a lifetime. No wonder Peter had been so cranky lately. "We're not going to solve anything if we have a Gilmore Girls moment right now. Now let's get to work."

Peter looked around the room that Tony had given him. Tony had told him that his room was next to Vision's, but he had never really stayed the night. When he stayed the night it was always in the tower in an equally grand bedroom.

Right now he was standing in a bedroom that was covered head to toe in Spiderman well, everything. Spiderman bed covers, Spiderman wallpaper, and even a Spiderman bobble head. If he wasn't freaking out about his potential death he might had been fanboying a bit more. It was really nice of Mr. Stark to have done this and suddenly Peter was feeling bad about how childish he had acted.

There was a knock on the door and Peter turned around and saw Tony there looking slightly uncomfortable. Like him he was probably hoping to avoid another fight especially since they were going to see a lot of each other in the next couple of days.

"I was just seeing how-" he trailed off. "Do you need anything? You look beat." He blurted out. Peter had dark circles under his eyes as if he had stayed up all night when in reality he was getting more than his 8 hours of sleep and he seemed to be getting paler and paler as if that was even possible.

Peter shook his head as he attempted a weak smile, but it looked more like a grimace. "No, everything is ok. I'm going to take a nap in a little while." He looked around the room and smiled at Tony. "Nice room, did you decorate it all by yourself?"

"Pepper did actually. She thought it would be cute." Tony said as both of them stood in awkward silence. "Listen, Pete. I just wanted to warn you that the next few days are going to be tough, we are going to be poking you and giving you different medication to see if we can kill this thing inside you. Do you understand?" Peter nodded. "If you are feeling any pain, just let us know ok and we'll stop."

Peter nodded silently and since Tony didn't know what else to say he nodded and went outside.

"Mr. Stark, if you can't-if you don't find a cure. It's ok. You tried. It's ok."

Tony turned around and managed to put on his all too familiar smirk. "Please, Parker. You are talking to Tony Stark a certified genius. We are going to find you a cure."

For a week Tony, Bruce, and Helen worked non-stop only taking small breaks for quick naps and lots and lots of coffee or in Tony's case scotch imported from Germany. But the three of them might as well be trying to cure Alzheimer's because if felt near damn impossible.

They would always run into a dead end wall. Peter's blood cells kept diminishing at a faster rate with this injection. This medicine didn't do anything. This liquid caused him to throw up instead of keeping food down.

Meanwhile, Peter was feeling like a pin cushion for being prick and prodded for so long that just the words Dr. Banner, Dr. Cho, or Mr. Stark send irritation down his whole body. But he did it. He did it for May. He did it for Tony. He did it for himself because he wanted to live.

"Peter, Peter honey." May was shaking him awake gently. He had been at HQ for exactly two weeks and Peter felt like he could barely lift himself out of bed anymore. He opened his eyes slowly and saw May standing there with his daily pain pills and a glass of water that had become his breakfast. "Wake up for me, sweetie."

Peter struggled to open his eyes and sit up as May gave him the pills and the water. "How are you feeling today, baby?"

"Tired." Peter said as he swallowed the pills. They were bitter in his mouth. "I am so, so tired."

May choked back on her tears. "I know baby, I am so sorry that this is happening to you."

It's my own damn fault, Peter though but he couldn't even be angry anymore. He was just exhausted and sad. "May, if this-if this doesn't go as planned. . .Promise me that you will bury me next to Ben."

-End of Chapter Twenty-Three-

Thank you so much for your support. School is kicking my butt, so it's taking me a little while to upload new chapters.