A little angst, trauma, injury

The relationship that you had with Peter Parker was an unconventional one, as best as you could put it. He was new to the life as a superhero, thanks in large part to Tony's assistance, and by association, you felt a responsibility to the kid as much as he did. As an Avenger, you could help to train Peter in his skills and the ways of this life that he had yet to understand; as Tony's wife, you could run interference when his influence felt a little reckless, or when the fatherly advice pushed a little too far. It wasn't that you were trying to take May's place in any way; in fact, you were finding yourself in the position to offer your help in ways that she couldn't, and the two of you complemented each other all too well where Peter was concerned.

When it came to girl problems, Peter found solid advice from his Aunt, with tips on how to talk to them without sounding like too much of a doofus. When it came to Hydra agents who happened to be girls and he was afraid to hurt them, he found sound advice from you and the okay to use full force to take them down without a second thought. Between the two of you, his fear of female interaction all but disappeared within a matter of weeks.

With his new commitments to bettering the world around him, his grades slipped a few times, surprising even him, but Tony stepped up and used his influence to convince his teachers to look the other way just this once, only to find that once turned into several times, each of them mysteriously corrected with a little extra funding in the right places. Peter never knew why his marks suddenly improved, and Tony made sure to never let him; most of it was stuff that he could teach the kid anyway, so he didn't see the harm in a pass here and there.

What Peter didn't do well with, and what none of you handled any better, was the prospect of hurting or losing a teammate, or the fear of hurting an innocent with the work you were doing. Sometimes the greater good had to wait, because their saviors were the ones needing saving.

"Pete, look at me, alright?" you urged, grabbing for him as he struggled to reach out to you. "Take my hand, and I'll get you out of this, I promise."

"I'm trying..." he panted, stretching his arm to its limits. He had stumbled into a deep ravine, running out of his web fluid and holding on to a broken tree that was jutting out from its wall to keep him from tumbling to a horrible injury, if not death if he landed wrong. You were balanced carefully over the precipice, your arm stretched just as fully, your fingertips just barely grazing each other.

"You're almost there, honey, just a little further."

"(Y/N)...if I fall-"

"You're not."

"You and Tony have been the best...mentors...parents...that I could ask for..." he grunted, trying to force his arm to lengthen. "I love you guys."

"Thirty seconds."

Tony's voice in your ear was all you needed to feel safe, and that this would be okay. You tried to hold back the moisture building in your eyes so that Peter wouldn't see, but it was a pointless battle, and your tears dropped readily, landing on the poor kid's uniform as he struggled to hang on. "We love you, too, Pete. That's why we're not letting this-"

But his hand finally slipped, and time stopped as you watched him fall away from you. It might have been a kinder cut to your heart if he had been wearing his mask, and if you couldn't see the sheer terror in his eyes, but you doubted it and it fueled your decision; you pushed your entire body forward to grasp at him one more time, but your support gave way and you tumbled after him.

"Dammit, woman!" Tony shouted in your ear as he barreled past you and towards Peter first, as he was the closest to impact. "You're trying to kill me, is that what you're doing? How much stress do you think I can take? This is what I get for not demanding a pre-nup, isn't it?"

"Shut...up..." you grumbled, trying to extend your arms and legs to slow your descent. After successfully grabbing Peter, Tony spun around and changed direction to take you in his other arm, staying silent until he had the two of you resting once again, on solid ground.

"What the hell was that?!"

"I slipped," you answered, bending over to hold your knees as you caught your breath.

"Me too," Peter offered shyly.

The front of the suit opened to allow Tony to exit, and with the angry look on his face and the worried rage in his eyes when he stomped towards the two of you, you kind of wanted him to get back inside. "You run out of webs again? We talked about conservation, remember? You can't just sling yourself around like it's all fun and games. Save them for when you really need them. One shot could have saved this from happening."

"Yes, Mr. Stark."

"And you," he turned, pointing towards you, "you knew that I was on the way and you still flung yourself over the side for a catch that you couldn't make. Were you thinking at all?"

"I said, I slipped. Don't use that tone on me." A small, pained groan escaped your throat as you straightened, a cramp in your back catching your breath as you stilled, though it didn't cool your attitude. The only thing that could quiet the resentment that he was fueling was his touch, and Tony knew that; he never could handle the sound of you being in pain, even the smallest bit, and he quickly moved to your side.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked softly, so much gentler now and sounding like a husband and not a teammate. "Are you hurt?"

"No, Tony, I'm good."

"Parker?" he turned, only to release you and practically drop to the ground to kneel at the kid's side. Next to you, Peter was the only other person that he couldn't handle seeing hurt. "Shit, that wrist looks broken. Can you move it?"

"Only if you want me to cry."

Tony shook his head readily, reaching out to help Peter stand, holding his good arm to keep him steady as he walked. "Hard pass," he answered, "(Y/N) left her mommy bag full of tissues on the jet. Besides, let's save the tears for something worth the salt."

You let out a loud scoff at the insinuation, laughing off the idea that he was anyone to judge who could cry and when. You knew of far too many times when tears fell from Tony's eyes, and they were definitely not worth their salt content. "Puh-leeze," you huffed, "don't even start with that, Stark. You cried two days ago when Rhodey ate the last of the ice cream. Don't even play."

Little did Tony know, or any of you for that matter, that in only one weeks' time, he wouldn't judge a single member of his team for spilling tears as he would lead by unabashed example.

~~~

"How many feet under?" Steve asked aloud, over the sounds of workers scurrying past him, drills working frantically, and shouts from his own team with updates on progress to move the remains of a building that had toppled during their battle. It was a building that crumbled above you and Clint as you worked, and now laid between them a chance at a rescue.

"We don't know for sure, sir," a random construction worker answered, his voice strained and full of fear at saying anything that the Captain didn't want to hear, or that might be a mistake. "It depends on which floor they were on when it fell, and where they were standing. Hopefully they had the sense to hop into a stairwell or elevator shaft."

"Is there any way to send someone in?" Natasha joined in next to Steve. "Get in there with water at least, or to run oxygen down to them?"

"I can fit," Peter offered immediately, his frenetic energy seeping from every limb, his body unable to stand still. He looked to each member of the team, but no one seemed to hear him. "Cap, I can do it."

Tony had been standing at the edge of the rubble for nearly an hour now as the work and planning went on behind him, his stature held up only because he was still inside his suit; without it, he would have been a broken heap on the ground by now. He wasn't there when the building began to crack, but he heard it even through his helmet, and he felt the world around him shake despite being in the air at the time. He felt his own world crumble when Steve's words rang in his ears, and the mention of your name sent him into a crippling panic that left Friday to get him to the ground when he couldn't speak.

"FRIDAY, I need an update," he whispered, holding his breath.

"Heart rates are stable, but breathing has slowed. I believe that they're unconscious now, boss."

"Okay."

"Mr. Stark!" Peter hurried to his side, frantic, though it didn't draw Tony from his focus so much as a blink in response. "Mr. Stark, I can get down there! I think I can get in far enough to snake an oxygen line into where they're stuck if I just...Mr. Stark? Tony?"

"Yeah, sure kid...sounds good..." he answered absentmindedly. If Tony had known what he had really said, there's no way he would allow it, and Peter took advantage of the moment before he could understand the mistake he had just made.

~~~

Clint was nearby; you had heard him breathing, though shallowly, from not too far away before you slipped into unconsciousness for a few minutes. The air was thin around you, and growing thinner as the pocket that the two of you were caught in began filling with more of your own carbon dioxide than oxygen. Soon, you would sleep, and the risk of not waking again grew more imminent with every passing minute.

"Barton?" you tried quietly. You didn't want to use too much energy even to speak, but you needed to hear his voice to soothe your own worry. You couldn't see him with the darkness around you, and your body was twisted and contorted so severely that you couldn't move to see him. "Clint? Can you hear me?"

"Mmm hmm."

"Stay with me, okay?"

"Tryin'..."

You could feel yourself slipping again, despite your fight to keep your eyes open. Your lids had never felt so heavy, and the grit that was lining them wasn't clearing anymore as your tears stopped coming; it didn't take long for you to realize that you had likely lost more blood than you initially thought, and you were beyond the safe point of dehydration. Giving in, you closed your eyes and felt the relief of saved energy, but it was a tricky chance to take, as there was the risk of them not opening again. "Clint?"

"Yeah?"

"They'll save us."

"I...know."

"(Y/N)! Barton! Can you hear me?"

"Am I hearing Spiderboy..." Clint groaned, "...or are we...hallucinating together?"

A few hundred feet above, where Tony had made the mistake of agreeing to something that he would never agree to, the team was now frantically trying to save three people when the oxygen line that Peter was pulling along with him wasn't strong enough to hold his weight to pull him back.

"Tony, did you tell him he could go down there?" Steve asked urgently, waving another construction worker over to join them. "What was he thinking? Did he say anything to anyone?"

"He told me that he could fit," Tony sighed, shaking his head at his own stupidity, "and I wasn't listening. I said okay, but I wasn't even paying attention to what I was agreeing to. Oh my god, May is going to kill me if we don't get him out of there."

"(Y/N), here, breathe this in, okay?" Peter commanded, pushing a mask against your face before turning to your partner. He quickly slung a web to each side to hold himself in place as he stretched to reach, so that he wouldn't slip further into the hole beneath the rubble that was barely keeping you from doing the same. "Here, Clint, breathe slowly. Slow it down, you're hyperventilating."

"Got...it."

"Honey, you shouldn't be down here."

"Yeah, I'm sure that Mr. Stark has my punishment already thought out. I kinda hope we all get out of this so I can see what he's come up with this time."

"Wait," you gasped, pulling the mask away, "he doesn't know that you're doing this? Please tell me that someone knows you're here."

"I'm sure they put it together if they followed the oxygen line," he chuckled weakly, pushing the mask back down over your mouth. "I said breathe, (Y/N). I'm in charge down here...if that's...if that's okay....w-with you guys."

"You're in charge, Spiderman. You've got this," you conceded, hoping that you were right.

~~~

With each sharp whine of drills and the booming shift of concrete next to him, Tony's heart skipped and threatened to stop altogether when he allowed his mind to consider what the noise must be like for you beneath it, and the fear that you must be feeling. If he was this completely terrified in a safe position, it broke him to think about you and Clint; that fear extended even further now to Peter, who was stupid enough to throw himself into the earth without a guarantee that he could come back out.

"FRIDAY, update."

"From what I can tell, boss, they're awake. The addition of oxygen that Mr. Parker is providing is strengthening their heart rate, and there's more movement than before."

"Can you link into Karen?"

"I'm attempting to, but she's blocking me."

"How is that possible?" Tony asked angrily now. "I built that program, FRIDAY. You're supposed to be able to break into that suit in the event of an emergency, and this definitely is one-" he stopped, jumping nearly out of his own skin as the mass shifted in front of him with a deafening thunder. "What's happening? FRIDAY?"

"Tony, step back!" Steve called out to his friend, rushing towards him and grabbing his arm to yank him away from the edge. "They found a way to move the biggest debris without collapsing it. Just pray this works so we can get down there."

~~~

So many feet below the action, Peter had draped himself over you, trying his best to protect you from falling rocks and dirt as the piles moved and the air thickened with dust around you. One hand kept the mask in place over your mouth, his other arm stretched out to keep Clint's in place, with no consideration to his own safety. You wouldn't expect any less from him, a hero in his own right, then trained by Steve and mentored by Tony. You gave yourself just a second to feel pride within the fear of your imminent demise, but you then allowed that fear to wash away, wanting your last moments to be much more.

"We really do love you, Pete," you called out to him over the chaos. "I'm so proud of you."

"We're not doing this, (Y/N)!" he yelled back. "We're not done here!"

Despite his urge for you to stop, you ignored his words, knowing he could easily hear you. "He thinks of you like his own son. You've made him a better person."

"Seriously, (Y/N), stop. I can't do this...I have to focus." You could hear the panic in his voice as it cracked just slightly, and you caught him trying to catch a glimpse of you through the haze. As he began to think that you might be right, that this could be the end, the rumble slowed and finally silenced, allowing him to lift his head to look up and see that a new sliver of light was opening up to give him just a shred of hope that he hadn't felt until this moment. "See? I told ya! Not done!" he laughed nervously. "Alright, let's try to move you. Can you hold onto me?"

"I think my arms are broken, Pete."

"Well, crap."

"You're tellin' me. See if you can get Clint out first."

"Ugh, I don't like this," he argued, but still moved towards Barton. Slow and careful movements kept him next to you as he assessed the situation, playing out various scenarios and equations in his mind to figure out if it could be possible. "Karen, can you link into FRIDAY?"

"FRIDAY has been trying to access my systems since our descent, Peter."

"Why didn't you tell me that? We really need to have a talk about our communication lately, Karen," he barked. He paused and waited, hearing the connection open up in his comm and the sound of Tony's panicked breaths on the other end of the line. "Mr. Stark! She's hurt pretty bad, but I think if you can get that opening about 4 feet wider and throw down six climbing cables around 10 millimeters in diameter each, I can make a harness-"

"What in the hell were you thinking?! How could you put yourself in that situation-"

"I was thinking that no one was listening to me! Again!"

"You sure didn't try very hard to get my attention!"

"It wouldn't have made a difference anyway! At least now they can breathe and I can get them out of here!"

"Not now," you moaned, unnoticed.

"You know, it wouldn't kill ya to say thank you once in a while."

"Thank you!" Tony snapped. "Thank you for dropping yourself into danger without realizing that if anything happened to you, May would murder me!"

"I say this with all due respect, Mr. Stark," Peter said sternly, "but it's not all about you!"

You could feel the tension build in Pete's muscles of the arm still draped around you, without a hint of the nervous tremor that should be accompanying his words. Somehow, he had come into a moment of bravery and held in his convictions despite who he was talking to. Maybe a need to protect you had kicked in, or a need to stand up for himself once and for all, or it could just be that he was so tense that he had no idea what he was actually saying; no matter where his words came from, you were proud when you heard yourself in his tone.

"That's my boy."

Part 2

It was beyond frustrating how much Peter was taking on Tony's ways with their time together, and even more so when it affected you directly. It was bad enough that you took the brunt more than anyone else as Tony's wife, but now with the surrogate child that you hadn't really planned on ever having, your life was a dance around your overbearing babysitters. On top of that, lying prisoner in a hospital bed was enough to drive you fully mad once and for all, and your desperation to flee was leaving your body coursing with anxiety and energy that needed an outlet.

"Ma'am, please, you need to get back into bed," your nurse urged from a safe place at the door. "The doctor hasn't released you yet."

"Well, I'm releasing me, if that hadn't been made clear enough."

"It's clear, ma'am, but it's really not in your best interest-"

"I can stand up on my own power," you continued to argue as you stood steady, "see? Doin' it. Now get out of my way, I'm leaving."

"We don't want to have to restrain you," she insisted, and the door behind her opened to reveal a team of hospital security and a group of her fellow nurses, ready to intervene. "But if you continue to push us, we'll do what we have to."

You didn't mean to laugh at the woman, because it wasn't really about her as a person; you weren't quite that rude. But it was about the fact that she was clearly an idiot. "You're serious? Do you know who I am?"

"Yes, Mrs. Stark, we know exactly who you are." The nurse dared to counter you with a smile, taking a step aside to allow a few of her team to pass and enter the room. This only fueled your fire to free yourself, and it must have been too apparent; the security pushed forward and held their stance, restraints in hand and faces stern but just a hint of fear in their eyes. You would play off this fear, and you were readier than ever to taste freedom from this sterile jail cell.

You took another step forward, but your progress was immediately halted. Your hands were caught and pulled behind your back, tightly bound so that you couldn't free yourself, despite the leather restraints still holding their home in the security guard's hands.

"(Y/N), get back into bed," Peter warned, fully clad in his suit and holding the webs around your wrists with unmovable tension. He had somehow made his way into the room beyond your notice, crawling to his position behind one of the curtains, hidden right where you couldn't see him approach. "Don't make me call Tony."

"He didn't send you?"

"Nope. She did," he laughed, turning to point into the hallway where May was standing, arms tightly folded and giving you her best authoritative stare. "So, if you want to keep this between us, you should do as you're told and get your butt back into bed."

"Fine," you relented with a groan, "I'll go. But I can't until you cut these off."

"Promise?"

"Yeah, I promise."

Peter was a smart kid, believing you, but not trusting you. He moved out from the group and slowly wound the exposed webs around his hands to tighten his grip, and so he could pull them enough to direct you back to the bed you swore you would get into. Once he had you sitting in place, he cut the webs away and stood with his hands out and ready to take control again until you went along with it and laid down, pulling the covers up high.

"There. Better?" you snapped, turning away.

"Was that so difficult?"

"Yes. Barton got out yesterday. I don't see why I have to stay."

"Because the doctor hasn't said that you're clear to be discharged," the nurse interjected. "Once he does-"

"Well, well, Mrs. Stark," the doctor you had been waiting for said happily as he finally arrived, pushing his way past the few staff who still remained by the door, "it looks like you're set to go home..." He looked up from your file in his hands, his expression quickly shifting from a contented smile to absolute confusion; the security team looked relieved as if they had just dodged a lethal bullet, and Spiderman was still at your side, nervous but prepared to sling his webs again at the first sign of trouble. "Did I miss something?"

~~~

Back in the comfort of home, things didn't get much better than those last few hours in your hospital bed. Day after day passed in a sickening pace that felt as if each would never end, finding yourself trapped under the watch of both Tony and Peter, as if you couldn't be trusted with your own ability to stay safe. No one so much as batted an eye when Clint returned to mission work, but when Steve cleared you to get back on the team, the two most annoying men in your life argued that down within seconds.

"Take off the suit, (Y/N)," Tony barked, standing guard at the door to your room.

"We don't have time for that, Tony."

"No...no, not that," he huffed, but paused, suddenly introspective, "or do we? When did Cap say you had to go?"

"Five minutes."

"We can totally do that. Possibly twice. At least a good one and a half if I focus."

"Stop distracting me, you dork," you laughed, "I need to go. It's my first mission back and if I show up late-"

"Actually, I was serious about taking off the suit. You can't go. You're not ready."

You knew this was coming, but you still weren't prepared to hear the words actually being spoken. If anything, you had expected it to come from Steve before Tony, maybe even from Peter before Tony. Your husband had always been your biggest supporter, since long before you were together and you were merely teammates, and this wasn't coming from him alone. "Tony," you began carefully, holding back the anger that you felt, "I've never known you to be someone who caves to pressure. You sure as hell don't let anyone sway your opinion. So, I'm only going to ask this once, and I won't push for details, but who's words are you speaking?"

He shifted uncomfortably where he stood, lifting a hand to push it behind him to take a hold of the door as if he would need a quick escape. "I...I don't know what you mean."

"I want a name, Stark."

"Don't blame Parker, okay-"

"Move," you commanded, taking your pack with you because you knew full well that no kid was about to stop you from getting on that jet. Tony took a single step aside, enough to allow you to pass, but also enough to reach out and take your arm in hand to stop you. "Tony, tell me, before I give you a firm shove, do you think I'm ready?"

"I...yeah," he relented with a heavy sigh, "I do, but you know that Pete worries about as much as I do." He didn't want to admit it aloud, that he was still so worried about you after having to watch you heal from the worst injuries you had ever suffered, and from the closest he had ever come to facing your loss. It wasn't that you were unaffected by his concern, but you couldn't live in that fear anymore, and he knew that getting back to work was just as much a part of your healing. "Just promise me that you'll be careful. More careful than you've ever been, or I swear, I'll text you every five minutes until you get home."

"You do anyway, Tony, who are you kidding?"

The smile he gave you at that softened your resolve to murder your overprotective proxy son, knowing that it always worked. He took advantage of the moment and wrapped an arm around you, pulling you to him for a kiss that he had perfectly timed, leaving you with barely enough time to sprint across the complex to reach the hangar bay and to forget about your plans to punish his favorite prodigy. As soon as FRIDAY confirmed that you were in the air, Tony found his way to Peter's room, not sure what kind of a response he would get when he told the kid that he couldn't stop you. It wasn't that he had a single reason to answer to him, but he agreed to a certain point, and he shared in what was sure to be a disappointment.

"Hey, kiddo," he greeted, opening the door to Peter's room, "she's gone. I tried. But if it helps you to feel better about it, I stopped a murder."

"How is that supposed to help?" Peter asked, exasperated, standing with hands in the air. "Whose?"

"Yours."

"Oh," he gasped, visibly losing his energy, "w-well then...yeah, y-yeah, I guess that does help. Thanks."

~~~

The mission would go off without any trouble, no injuries, and not a single drop of Avenger blood spilled. You never once thought to return with arrogance or the I told you so attitude that you could have easily carried, no matter how much Tony and Peter expected you to; you were going to move on like nothing had happened, with the only desire to be getting your little family back to work as usual. But this was living as an Avenger, and nothing was usual by any definition of the word.

"(Y/N)!"

"And here you thought that we could get a quiet night at home," Tony sighed heavily, turning the movie off at the shrill sound of Peter's voice echoing around him. He leaned back into the couch with a gentle groan, closing his eyes but with his arm still around you, "let me know when you've solved the world's problems, sweetheart. I'm gonna catch a quick nap."

"Jerk," you answered, equally short and with a sharp nudge of your elbow into his side as you sat up to greet your unwanted guest. "Hey, Pete, what's going on?"

"(Y/N), you have to help me," he panted, fumbling his steps as he approached, nearly falling on his face more than once. "I have a date tonight, right? But May insisted that I have Karen run a background check on the girl first-"

"Why?"

"Because I met her at the deli and she's suspicious of anyone unless I know them from school."

"Sure, I get it," you nodded, "go on."

"Okay, so it turns out...she's not...well, she isn't exactly...she's not a very good...p-person, really."

"How not good are we talking?" you continued, yet to appear impressed. "Puppy kicker? Thief? Embezzler? Murderer?"

"Nazi?"

"Whoa, hold on, kiddo," Tony jumped in, now readily ignoring the nap he had wanted so badly, "are we talking Hydra, or are you shopping in the geriatric section these days?"

Peter's body had begun to show the tiring effects of his raging adrenaline, his shoulders slumping as he dropped himself heavily onto the couch at your side. He leaned over, resting his head on your shoulder, sighing contently when your arm slid around him to offer your comfort. "(Y/N)...why does this stuff always happen to me?"

"Aw, I'm sorry baby," you said softly, pressing a kiss to his head, "do you want me to shoot her?"

"What?! No!" he jumped up, looking at you as if you had shot him instead. "(Y/N), that's a bit extreme, don't ya think? I was looking for advice on how to bring her in, and maybe a little back-up."

"I thought she was being soft, actually. You know how she loves a good assassination," Tony smiled, leaning back to close his eyes again. "Tell ya what, you two go apprehend, and wake me up when you get home so we can get back to our quiet night in. I vote for shooting her so we can finish the movie before sun-up, but hey, it's your call, Parker."

"We're not shooting her!"

You paused, considering if this was really worth leaving Tony's comfortable warmth, and the first evening you had spent alone together in weeks, staring at Pete's expectant expression as the options rolled through your mind. You could go along and easily take this person into custody to drag back here for questioning, and for her to be interested in him definitely left you on edge and feeling extremely protective. But then if it sounded that easy, it started to feel like it just wasn't worth your time, and it wasn't worth letting Tony release you to go.

"Well, Pete, I'm sorry, but I can't help you," you answered with a curt smile, curling your body back towards Tony, "I have a date too. If you want to be nice to this chick, ask Steve to help you. He's into that letting them live, polite crap."

Part 3

As the years passed, and as Peter got a little older, you had hoped that the overprotective part of your relationship would end, but all it did was grow worse over time. Strangely enough, it wasn't that you were being protective of him, though you were to a point, but rather that he was constantly concerned for you. Maybe it was seeing you hurt so badly when you and Clint had been trapped under the crumbled building, leaving him to be the only one who could save you, but it was more than likely to be caused by the impending arrival of your first child that left him obsessively watching every move you made.

You thought that Tony was bad; after all, this was his first child too. With your husband, when you left a room for any reason, it left him counting the minutes until he saw you return, and if you didn't meet his ridiculous time constraints, you found him following you around for the rest of the day like a lost puppy. All that he was doing was wearing down your love for both him and for puppies.

"Ooph," you groaned almost inaudibly, shifting your weight on the couch to find comfort. You had been trying to rest for the evening, your feet up and pillows at all sides, watching movie after movie with your two babysitters, but now you had begun to feel a few aches in your back that made you wonder if you had been resting a little too long in the same spot.

"What?" Peter startled, turning to see you. "(Y/N), you okay? Do you need me to move something? Do you want another pillow?" He began to stand, looking away from his phone for the first time in hours just to help you.

"Pete, I'm not helpless," you answered with a point, "we've talked about this."

"I'm sorry, my bad."

"Yes, your bad," you agreed with a smile, and he visibly relaxed. To your left sat Tony, who didn't take your ability to stay calm as readily.

"(Y/N), look at me," he instructed, taking your hand into his tremulous one. "Where did that hurt?"

"It's just my back, Tony. I've had this ache in it all night. I just can't get comfortable, that's all."

"Mmm hmm," he squinted in disbelief. Since the day that you had told him that you were pregnant, Tony had been reading incessantly, going through book after book on pregnancy, labor, birth, and the care of a helpless human that would be fool enough to rely on him to stay alive. He was alert to every move you made that so much as hinted at pain, and as the evening had gone on, you shifted your weight more frequently with each hour that passed. "Lower back?"

"Yeah?"

"Does it wrap around to the front? Maybe shooting down into your hips and legs just a little?" He reached behind you, his hand in a fist to press against your spine at the perfect spot that you had been trying to find the entire time. "That makes it better, doesn't it?"

"Oh, my god, yes, it does. Okay, you're freaking me out now," you answered, looking at him inquisitively, "how do you know that?"

Tony stood up quickly and grabbed his phone, pointing to Peter and waving him away, with the young man responding as if this were a premeditated action, and that this was a coordinated effort that they had rehearsed several times. "I know that because you're in labor, sweetheart. It's time to go."

~~~

If you had thought that the past nine months were bad, they were nothing compared to what the next 24 hours would bring. They literally had to knock you out so that you could rest, and not just from what your body was going through, but the company that you were keeping at your bedside. Eventually, both Peter and Tony were able to catch a quick nap with you, but that was halted only minutes into the respite when you woke, pushing through the medication when a pain struck that wouldn't stop.

"Mr. Stark," your doctor called to him, shaking his arm to wake him, "we need to take your wife into surgery. Her labor isn't progressing because the baby's stuck and I can't manipulate it externally."

Tony was immediately awake and sobered from his fatigue, the fear of the word surgery alone enough to send his panic to new, never experienced heights. Even when you were surviving being buried alive, he had never felt this; then again, that was only one of you, and now he was terrified for two. "Parker," he panted breathlessly in his anxiety, "go update the team...I have to...I have to go with (Y/N)...tell everyone..."

Peter stood quickly and hurried to his mentor's side, taking his arms in hand with a firm grip, turning the man to face him. It wasn't like Peter to be so composed, and never like this to take charge when Tony was in the room. "Hey, Tony, you need to breathe. It's gonna be okay. Hold it together until she gets through this, and after that, we can find somewhere for you to lose it in private. Can you do that?"

"Yeah...I think so..." he answered softly. "Maybe...yeah, I can. Thanks, kid. You're gonna be one hell of a big brother."

"Pfft, what? No way, that's crazy...I'm not even really related-"

"Mr. Stark, we need to go," the nurse urged him, taking his arm from Peter's grip to lead him to your side.

"Hey, honey," he tried to comfort you, failing to fool you with his false calm, "piece of cake, okay? This is just a change of plans, but it's all going to be just fine. All good. Everything's good. Right, Pete? All good?"

"Totally," he answered quickly, stepping aside as your gurney was pushed past him, planting a fast kiss on your forehead before he lost his chance.

"I know," you exhaled heavily, only to take in another pained breath, holding it without realizing it. When you tried to breathe again, it happened just the same. "Tony...I can't..."

In a surge of adrenaline and an overwhelming protectiveness, that was all he needed to pull himself together and to be the husband and soon-to-be father that you needed with you when your own fears were becoming a reality. This wasn't how it was supposed to go, and with the medications swirling in your blood and scrambling your ability to think, he was the only constant to keep you from completely losing it. As the medical team pushed you towards the operating room, with Tony refusing to release your hand, Peter watched with a lopsided but hesitant grin, knowing that Tony was right; everything was good.

~~~

"T-that's...that's a baby..." Peter whispered to himself, his eyes wide in both fear and amazement at what he was seeing. Tony had just emerged through the door with the tiniest bundle in his arms, and without missing a beat despite the attentions of the rest of the team surrounding him, he made sure that the first one to hold his new son was Pete. "No, n-no, Mr. Stark, I can't..."

"You're really going to call me Mr. Stark at a time like this?"

"It happens when I'm nervous."

"Don't be nervous," Tony encouraged him, nudging the baby forward, "you've got this. You've also got the best hands on the team, so there's no way that you'll drop him."

"That's not reassuring me, you know," Pete mumbled, while reluctantly holding out his hands. It was as if they were moving under their own direction despite the screaming from his mind to pull back. He wasn't exactly sure why he was so nervous, but it was there nonetheless. "Tony...he's so little."

"Babies usually are. Here, just let me put him into your arms, it's easier." With precision and assuredness, as if he had been practicing this move for years, Tony gently settled the boy in Peter's arms, waiting for his hands to secure his hold before taking a step back. He quickly pulled his phone from his pocket and took aim, getting their first picture together just as you had insisted on. "Aw, he likes you already."

"You think so?"

"Of course. What's not to like?"

When Peter looked down again, his breath was snatched away at the sight of the boy staring back, his eyes fully open and trying to focus on the face looking back. Pete couldn't tear himself away, completely enamored with the little one, when a strange thing happened. He felt something shift inside his chest, and the air around him changed. The sense of protectiveness that he had always felt for you had grown a thousand times stronger, but it had found a new focus. "Tony...what's his name?"

"Anthony Junior, obviously," he smirked. "But we need a little help with his middle name. I wanted to mix up tradition and go with Peter, but (Y/N) says that Parker sounds better. What do you think?"

"I think..." Pete stopped, gasping at the lump in his throat, trying to find his breath, "I think that I'm gonna be the best big brother ever," he answered, finally looking up and smiling through the haze of tears that moistened his lashes but had yet to spill, "and sorry, Tony, but I think that (Y/N)'s right."

"Yeah, well, she usually is."