Beep... beep... beep

Peter didn't have to go inside to be able to hear the machine. He stood outside the room and peered through the blinds at the figure on the bed.

The doctors had said he'd be okay, that the saviour of the universe would be able to make a full recovery.

He was stable and improving but still unconscious. Peter was starting to despair. It had been two weeks already. Two weeks of sleepless nights and vending machine food and endless hoping and praying.

I'm not going to lose you again, Mr. Stark.

Two weeks and not once had he been able to muster enough courage to go inside and see him.

But he'd gone to the hospital anyway. He'd sit outside the room and wait for word from the doctors, fetch coffee for Ms. Po— Mrs. Stark (that would take some getting used to) and Mr. Rhodey, and keep May updated on the phone.

Aunt May had looked older than he remembered: more grey in her hair, deeper crow feet. But none of that mattered when she'd seen him. Her smile was the same.

She'd crushed him to her chest and sobbed. He'd teared up as well. She'd then cried again during dinner and Happy had comforted her.

May and Happy.

He was happy for them, he really was. They lived together now. In his mind, his Uncle Ben had died only two years ago. But in actuality he'd been gone for seven years.

Had he really been away for so long?

He remembered turning to dust in Mr. Stark's arms. He had held onto his mentor desperately. And then they'd all come back again. It was like no time had passed at all.

But it had. Five long years.

He remembered that day on the battlefield. How close they'd all come to losing Tony Stark.

Peter had heard the man's heartbeat grow weaker with each minute and a fear like never before had seized him by the throat.

He couldn't lose Mr. Stark, not after all of this.

Taking a deep breath, he turned the handle and opened the door.

was asleep in the chair by the bed, he'd right hand holding Mr. Stark's remaining arm. The doctors hadn't been able to save that. But except for the missing arm, he looked fine.

She woke up at the disturbance and Peter felt guilty. "Sorry," he whispered apologetically. "I didn't mean to bother you."

She smiled at him softly, looking put together despite the messy hair, the bags underneath her eyes and her wrinkled clothes.

"Of course not, sweetheart. I'm glad you came in."

"Do you um... is it okay if I sit with him for a little while? You could, I don't know, go home and get some rest? You look like you could use it." He mentally whacked himself for that. "Not that you don't look good, because you do and I'm not saying it only because I said you need rest but it's also be—"

"Tony mentioned that you had the tendency to ramble. He said it was adorable. I can now see why."

He felt himself blush at that. "Mr. Stark talked about me?"

"Nearly all the time. He missed you terribly, Peter."

A lump formed in his throat when he heard that.

"How's Morgan?" The woman asked as she stood up from the chair.

"May told me she's okay. She and Happy are with her at the cabin right now."

Morgan Stark.

Mr. Stark had a daughter. That was enough to wake him up to the realisation that time had indeed flown by.

He'd seen her briefly the other day in the hospital but they hadn't been formally introduced yet. He hadn't been brave enough for that. May loved the little girl though. Absolutely adored her.

"Okay. I'll be back in the evening. Call me if there's any changes?"

"Promise."

Once Mrs. Stark was gone, Peter occupied the chair that she'd vacated.

"Hey, Mr. Stark."

There was no response, but then Peter hadn't expected any (maybe he had).

"I'm sorry I didn't come by earlier. I was... I was afraid."

Afraid of seeing you like this.

The Tony Stark he'd always seem was strong, powerful and invincible. The sight of the man at the battlefield that day had shaken him to the core.

"I'm... I'm glad you're okay (alive). I just wish you'd wake up soon. Things are sorta boring without you."

Peter laughed weakly at that. Who was he kidding? Two weeks and he was already missing his mentor so much that it was painful.

Just like May, even his mentor looked older than he remembered.

"I see you've got more grey in your hair. Now you can't blame me for any of that. That's all Morgan. She's amazing by the way."

He hadn't met her, but he could say she was amazing without even speaking to the little girl. She was the daughter of Tony and Pepper Stark. She was bound to be awesome.

"I haven't spoken to her yet cause you know... Mrs. Stark said you would have been super happy to introduce us. I'm waiting for that introduction Mr. Stark."

Once again, there was no response.

"Can you believe May and Happy are dating? Who am I kidding, of course you'd know all about that. I'm gonna need your help to come to terms with that so you know... you've gotta wake up."

Peter leaned forward and rested his elbows on the bed. "You owe me a lecture. Don't think I've forgotten. You still need to yell at me for getting on that dumb spaceship, remember? Come on, one time deal. I'm actively offering you the opportunity to give me the world's biggest 'I told you so'. If I were you, I'd take the chance."

He almost laughed at himself. Never had he thought he'd be pleading with his mentor to actually yell at him.

"The other Avengers miss you. Captain Rogers, Dr. Banner, Mr. Rhodey. Thor even said he'd let you have the title of 'Strongest Avenger' if you wake up. I'd say that's a pretty sweet deal. So that's two deals on the table. You're a genius, so I know you'll take them. Heck I'll make it a proper three. If you wake up, I won't even call you old; for like a whole year. You can even talk me into two years. You wouldn't find a better offer anywhere else."

He felt the treacherous burning sensation behind his eyes and swallowed thickly, forcing the tears away.

"Your family misses you. Mrs. Stark, Morgan, Happy, Mr. Rhodey and... me." He whispered the last word, afraid that he was overstepping.

"I know I've never told you this before but... you are one of the most important people in my life. I know I've got May and Ned but you're... you're too important to me. I lost my dad and then Uncle Ben. Now I can't lose you too. The truth is... I need you, sir."

Peter took Mr. Stark's hand in his, unable to hold the tears back any longer.

"Please... just come back okay? I still need you. You've always been my hero, Mr. Stark, my idol, role model, my mentor and friend."

He was something else too, but Peter was too afraid to say that word out loud.

"You're my mentor right? It's your job to..." he roughly swiped at his tears with his free hand. "It's your job to keep me in line, make sure I don't do anything stupid, stay out of dangerous situations... the whole works. Let me warn you. If you don't wake up soon, I will do lots of stupid things. Tons of it."

He was openly crying now. But then he couldn't care less.

"I love you, Mr. Stark. So you've gotta wake up. There's a whole new world out there and I'm not sure if I can do it without you."

Peter pressed his lips to the man's hand before letting his head fall on to the mattress.

Come back, I still need you.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there like that. Eventually, his eyes closed of their own accord and Mr. Stark's hand slipped out of his.

Peter smiled in his sleep, relishing the comfort from the fingers that were combing through his hair. He leaned into the hand and when it gently squeezed the back of his neck. May really k—

Wait. A. Second.

He wasn't at home. He was in the hospital. He remembered it all.

Hardly daring to hope, he raised his head slowly.

"Mr. Stark?"

The man smiled, that soft fond grin that he reserved just for his kids. It reached his eyes, making him look ten years younger.

"Hey, kid."

And that's a wrap.

With Endgame's anniversary just round the corner, I felt the need to write something with a happy ending.

So tell me how it was and most importantly, stay safe!