You and me together
Tony takes a few seconds at the top of the stairs to gather his thoughts before going down.
He feels like a teenager all over again and he’s just crashed his parents car for the third time and he’s about to go tell them. The funny thing is that it’s in the exact same house.
But now he’s here with his son.
He takes a calming breath then walks down the stairs and enters the living room after being gone for a couple minutes. His eyes land on his mother first and he sees that she’s still worked up but not looking like she’s about to pass out on him anymore. Win.
As soon as his mother sees him walk in, she races to his side. “Antonio, tell me what’s going on? Is this some kind of prank?!”
Tony shakes his head and gently pulls her over to sit on the couch. “No, ma. Not a prank. Just… let me explain.”
“That boy is Spider-Man.” His father says, matter of fact.
“Dad.”
“No, Tony. Peter told me he’s Spider-Man. Then he climbs a fucking wall! And the ceiling! So you better start explaining quickly.”
Tony groans and sits back to rub a hand over his face. He wants so badly to just go back in time and make sure that Peter never tells them. But then again, the Spider-Man secret was destined to come out sooner or later, Tony had just hoped it was going to be way way later.
Preferably never.
“I know I fucked up. Badly. Okay? And I really don’t need my parents giving me a lecture like I’m fifteen years old again.” He says all while rubbing a hand over his face. When he looks up, his mom and dad are staring at him, both looking extremely unimpressed and hurt, surprisingly.
“He’s thirteen years old, Antonio! How on earth did you think it was okay to turn him into the Spider-Man?!”
Tony backs up. “Wait. Mom. I didn’t-you think I made him into this?” He asks, now he’s confused. And a bit hurt to know that his parents think so low of him. As if he’d ever be capable of turning a child into something like Spider-Man.
“Well I don’t know what to think. My mind is all over the place.” She says, breathing heavily. “Peter is… he’s so young, Antonio, and… I refuse to believe this.”
Howard places a hand on Maria’s thigh. “Tony. How about you start from the beginning. Just explain this to us. Because I’ll admit, I’m a bit lost myself right now.”
Tony sighs and tries to gather his thoughts. Where the fuck does he even begin. “Alright. Um, alright… well, about six months ago, when Peter was twelve, before I even met him or knew about his existence yet, he went on a school trip-”
“To where?” His father asks, interrupting him.
“To Oscorp.”
Howard groans and shakes his head.
It was the reaction Tony was expecting.
“Oscorp? Oscorp did this to your son? And you’ve done nothing about it?”
Tony feels anger bubble up inside him. “Don’t talk to me like I’ve failed my son. You asked me to explain the story so that’s what I’m doing. And this was three whole months before I even met him. I had no control over this happening to him or-”
“Please!” Maria yells, cutting Tony off. “Just… continue.”
Tony gives his father a dirty look. “Peter got bit by a radioactive spider on that field trip. He told me later on that the bite hurt but the pain was a dull ache and eventually went away so he didn’t think anything of it. Then later that night he spiked a really high fever. He was really sick, vomiting, high fever, chills, body aches, for a few days then he woke up a few days later and felt fine. He told me that’s when he realized he was stronger, had better eyesight, and he only started learning more and more things about his capabilities from there.”
“How did you meet him?” Maria asks.
Howard has a totally different question however. “What else can he do, Tony?”
Tony looks down at his lap. He shakes his head. “We don’t know everything yet. He’s still so young. But what I do know is that he’s ridiculously strong. Like he can block a punch from Steve strong.”
“Captain America?”
Tony nods.
“Well, Rogers was holding out on him.”
“No, dad. I mean, he wasn’t going to punch a child full force, but he wasn’t going easy on him either.”
Howard sits up straighter. “Impossible. Peter is a boy. I helped create the super soldier serum that made Steve Rogers Captain America and there’s no way Peter is stronger than him.”
“Not now. He’s thirteen. Peter doesn’t even know what he’s capable of yet. But one day, when he’s older, we think he’ll be stronger than Rogers.”
Tony sees a familiar glimpse of anger cross his fathers face.
“How did you meet him?” His mother repeats her question so Tony goes back to the story.
“His Uncle had died a few weeks before the spider bite. And so when Peter realized he had these new powers, he put on this ridiculous onesie and went out to try and stop crime.”
Tony smiles slightly, thinking back to the conversation he had when he first met Peter about him running around in that little onesie of his. As much as Peter hates to admit it, it was definitely a onesie.
“How did his uncle die again?”
The question brings Tony back to the conversation. “He was shot outside a gas station. Peter and his Aunt were at home at the time.”
“So awful.”
Tony agrees. He never met the man but he’s incredibly grateful to him for raising such an amazing little boy. Now it’s Tony’s turn to make sure Peter grows up to be a great man.
“So I saw a few YouTube videos of him as Spider-Man and decided to make him a suit. I knew he was young. But I didn’t know how young until I finally hacked a surveillance camera in some god awful back alleyway of him changing. Then I found out where he lived no problem and paid him a visit.”
God, that feels like a lifetime ago and it was only three months… so much has changed since then.
“I never knew at the time that he’d become my son and the most important person to me. That feels weird to think about now.” He admits out loud.
“And you still gave him a suit even after seeing how young he was? How could you, Antonio?”
Tony turns to his mom, betrayed.
“No. I didn’t. I told him I had an internship at Stark Industries. Of course I told him I knew he was Spider-Man. But I didn’t tell him about the suit I made for him. I just wanted… I wanted to see how smart he was. And keep him safe. From a distance. But he was still going out in that awful suit… I can’t even call it a suit, it was literally fabric sewn together. But he wouldn’t stop going out. So I figured, I’ll give him the suit so at least he can stay safe and I can keep my eyes on him… we got close, he came over after school some days, he started sleeping over, then three months later his Aunt dies in a horrible car accident and the rest is history.” Tony concludes, missing out the parts where after his kids aunt died he spent days on end crying so hard that he would throw up or where he’d refuse to eat anything or even drink anything unless Tony forced him.
It was so hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel back then, but Peter had come out stronger than ever. Tony can’t be more proud of him.
“And is he still Spider-Man now?” Howard what’s to know but honestly, Tony doesn’t even know the answer to that question.
He runs a hand through his hair, grateful that he’s done explaining and his parents aren’t looking at him like he’s killed someone anymore.
“I honestly don’t know how to answer that, dad. He’s gone out in the suit a few times since his Aunts died. But I told him he needs to take a break from Spider-Man and he didn’t really fight me on it. So yes and no… I guess.”
“If Peter didn't tell your father, would you have told us, Antonio?”
Tony feels bad for what he’s about to say. But it’s the truth. “Absolutely not. I specifically told Peter not to say anything about Spider-Man. But my kids got a big mouth. So it’s kinda my fault.”
“You were teaching him to lie?”
Tony didn’t really think about it like that, as obvious as it is. “Um… I guess. Yeah. I’m not proud of it. But I knew you guys would freak out.”
“Of course we would! Our baby grandson is the Spider-Man and you let him! You encourage him!”
Peter comes running down the stairs and jumps in front of Tony. “Stop. Stop getting mad at him. It’s my fault I’m Spider-Man. I-I wanted to… to help people! So I made a suit! Dad just made it safe for me. He couldn’t stop me from going out to help people, at least not back then.”
Tony puts a hand on Peter’s arm to pull him back. It’s obvious the boy was listening to their whole conversation. Great. Tony should have expected that.
“Peter. The adults are talking. Go back upstairs-”
“No! Because they’re mad at you a-and I don’t want you to get in trouble!”
Tony’s eyes soften when he looks at Peter. “Buddy. I’m not in trouble. I’m just explaining everything to them, alright?”
Peter looks back at his grandparents and his eyes land on Howard who’s staring at him.
“Peter?”
“What?”
“What else can you do?”
Peter shrugs and looks back at his dad. “You can tell him if you want. The cats out of the bag now.”
So Peter sits down next to his dad, reaching out to hold his hand. He shrugs again, leaning against Tony so Tony takes it in his own hands to answer the question. “Well… strength we covered. He has excellent hearing, which is no doubt how he was listening to us… which I’ve explained to him is an invasion of privacy,” Peter tenses next to him, mumbling a soft, ‘sorry’.
“He also has dense bones which is why he’s so light. He has a fast metabolism so it doesn’t help that he’s a picky eater on top of that. And the rest, we don’t know yet, as he gets older and when he eventually goes through puberty, he’ll most likely find out more about his body and what he’s capable of.”
Beside him, Peter remains quiet and still.
“I don’t like this.” Maria admits. “I don’t like that you’re Spider-Man, Peter. My only grandson. My only baby. I already have my son as Iron Man and that’s hard enough for me. Now you.”
Peter looks up at her through his eye lashes. “I’m sorry. I-I don’t… I’m sorry, grandma.”
Tony squeezes him then Maria stands up and walks out of the living room, disappearing in the hallway, probably going upstairs.
Tony sighs then looks across from him at his father who is studying Peter with his eyes.
After a few more seconds, Howard looks at Tony. “So, Spider-Man. Does he have any… spider capabilities? Besides crawling on the walls.”
Tony blinks at his father. “No. Not that we know of. At least not yet. But he’s still young. He hasn’t even had these powers for a year yet.”
“Hmm.” Howard hums and goes back to studying Peter but this time Peter stares back at him.
“Stop staring at me. I’m not some… lab experiment. I’m still Peter. And so… you can’t treat me any differently.”
Peter snapping at Tony’s dad was definitely something Tony wasn’t expecting but he’s proud as hell of him for doing it.
Damn.
Something that took Tony years of bravery and courage, Peter did in a single week.
Tony knows he should tell Peter off for snapping at his father but he doesn’t. He knows his father deserves that.
“Alright, Peter. I suppose you’re right. I’ll admit, I’m still trying to process everything… but I trust that your father will keep his eye on you. So all I’m left with are questions.” To Tony’s surprise, is all Howard says to Peter.
Tony knows Howard wants to backhand Peter for snapping at him like that but Howard also knows there’s no way in hell Tony would let that slide so he doesn’t hit the boy.
Maybe Tony will get his ear chewed out later but for now, Howard seems to know better than to attack him for this.
“What questions do you have?” Peter asks, slightly timid.
Howard briefly looks to Tony then back at Peter. “Questions about you and your capabilities. But I know you or your dad don’t have those answers yet. So I know I’ll just have to wait until you’re older.”
Peter doesn’t respond so Tony pats his knee and leans down to kiss the top of his curly head. “Pete, can you give grandpa and I a few minutes to talk? Go upstairs. And please no listening. You know better.”
Peter hesitates. “Talk about… me? Or Spider-Man?”
Tony tries not to laugh at the ridiculous question. “You are Spider-Man, kid.” He tickles underneath his boys chin, making him smile as he gets up to walk away, hopefully to give them some much needed privacy with no spider boy ears listening in and being nosy.
Tony sighs, rubbing a tired hand over his eyes. This whole conversation has exhausted him.
“You know if you aren’t smart with him, and if you are in fact right about him being stronger than Steve Rogers, then you better watch out.”
“I’m not scared of him.”
“Not now. He’s a small child. You can snap him like a toothpick.” Tony doesn’t appreciate his fathers words. “But wait until he’s older, bigger, stronger, when he realizes what he’s capable of, he’ll be stronger than you.”
Tony shrugs. “Without my suit, I have no doubt that right now he is stronger than me. But he knows he’s not allowed to use his Spidey powers with me.”
“He’s a child. And what happens if he gets angry and lashes out? I’ve seen him, he’s got a temper, Tony. That makes him dangerous. But also powerful if taught correctly.”
Tony’s thought of that already. He knows he has to carefully teach Peter how to control his powers and use them for good because if he got too strong and powerful one day and didn’t know how to use it, then that can get dangerous.
It’s not like Tony can simply take his suit away. No. Peter is Spider-Man even without the suit on.
And sometimes that scares Tony.
“I know.” He sighs. “I know.”
“You just have to really consider what all this means moving forward.” To Tony’s surprise, Howard gets up and sits next to him, placing a hand on Tony’s shoulder. “You know, I am grateful Peter told me the truth. I am. I know you didn’t want your mother and I to know… I get that. But I can help you train him.”
Tony immediately shakes his head. “He isn’t a weapon, dad. He’s a child. My child.”
“You made him a weapon the minute you gave him access to a suit.”
Tony didn’t even consider that. At least to that extent.
“And you’re Tony Stark. I know damn right that suit doesn’t just look good but it is filled with protocols and weapons in itself.”
Tony stays silent.
It’s true.
He hates himself.
“I want to see it.”
“I don’t have it here. It’s in my lab. At the tower.”
“Okay. Then your mother and I will plan a trip soon. Shortly after you go back home. And I will see the suit. And Peter in it.”
Tony doesn’t know how to feel about that. “Look. Dad. Thank you for not freaking out too much, but Peter won’t be giving you a fashion show in the suit. He isn’t going to be your lab rat to satisfy your curiosity of super soldiers and creating powerful weapons. Remember that at the end of the day, he’s a child. Practically a baby. My baby. So… you can ask me questions but don’t obsess over this. And most importantly, no one else will find out about this.”
“Of course not, Tony. I’m not going to go around telling the guys at my golf club that my grandson is Spider-Man. I’m not painting an even bigger target on the back of that child’s head.”
The words cause Tony to cringe.
“He doesn’t have a target on the back of his head, dad.”
“You're his father. He makes you weak.”
“He makes me feel alive.” Tony corrects, eyes narrowing.
Howard simply gets off the couch and goes back to the couch he was occupying before. “The sooner you realize I’m right, the sooner you’ll be able to keep him safe. And god forbid the world finds out he’s Spider-Man…”
Tony sits at the end of the couch, getting anxious at the thought of Peter being in danger. “I am keeping him safe. It’s all I do. All I can think about. So don’t imply I’m incompetent at being a father and doing my job of protecting my son.”
“If I’m going to admit I’m right about anything, it’s this. Protect that boy, Tony.”
Tony looks at his father, hating how nonchalant he’s acting about this but mostly hating how right he is.
.
.
.
Upstairs, Peter walks into the master bedroom, sensing the tense energy.
He’s felt welcome ever since he’s arrived at his grandparents house but as he’s walking into that room, for the first time, he’s feeling everything but welcome.
He walks in anyways.
Mainly because he doesn’t want his dads parents to hate him but also because he doesn’t want them to hate his dad.
He tiptoes into the room and comes across his grandma sitting on the round couch, looking outside with a tissue box in front of her. Peter hears a sniffle and immediately feels guilty.
You made her cry, way to go.
“Grandma?”
Maria jumps a bit, clearly not having heard Peter come in. Peter stops walking any further.
She doesn’t say anything so Peter suffles fell foot to foot. “Are-are you mad at me?”
She hesitates briefly then holds her arms out for Peter. Peter immediately crosses the distance between them and stands in front of her but she’s not wasting a second before pulling him onto her lap, tucking his head underneath her chin.
Peter breathes a sigh of relief.
“I’m not mad at you, ragazzino.” (Baby boy) “I’m just trying to wrap my head around everything.”
Peter nods. Fair enough.
“Are you-are you mad at my dad?”
She takes a few seconds to answer. “No. Not mad. Just… disappointed.”
Peter tenses. “That’s even worse.”
“It’s not. I’ll get over it. It’s just… a lot to take in for now.”
Peter pushes himself up and can see that her eyes are red. Most likely from crying. “You’re upset. At me?”
“No, honey.” Maria has to reassure the boy again, knowing how sensitive and emotional he can get. “Not at you. I promise. But… you being Spider-Man. That scares me more than your dad being Iron Man. I love you so much and it scares me to know you’re putting yourself in harm's way purposefully. The world is a dangerous place. Not a place where a little boy belongs.”
Peter frowns, clearly misinterpreting what Maria means. “So… I shouldn’t be in the world?” He asks, his voice going a few octaves higher towards the end.
“No. No, honey. That’s not what I mean. Gosh no. Not at all.” She’s quick to reassure him, caressing his face. “What I mean is I don’t think you belong in the bad part of the world that fights crime like Spider-Man does. Save that for the police. You should be a kid. Live your childhood because it’s going to be over way too soon.”
Before Peter can answer, he looks up at his dad walking into the room, almost as reluctantly as he just did a few minutes prior.
Peter gives him a tiny smile.
“Hi mom.”
“Antonio. Have a seat and join us.”
Tony sits down on the couch opposite them and looks at Peter, trying to make out his mood.
“What are you two talking about?”
Peter makes a move to go sit with his dad but Maria holds him down so he accepts it and doesn’t fight her, only relaxing back against her chest with a sigh.
“Spider-Man.” Tony simply nods. He expected as much. “And that I don’t think crime fighting has any room for a child.”
Peter lifts his head up again. “I need to. You don’t understand. No one does. It’s not like I choose to, I was given these powers for a reason.”
“It was a horrible accident you got bit by that spider. It could have very well been one of your classmates.”
“But it wasn’t!”
“Peter.” Tony says to try and calm him down. He’s had this conversation with him a million times. Before Mays died and after. Peter is dead set in his ways and no one can dare to change his mind.
“You’re a child, honey. You shouldn’t be out there, fighting crime.”
Peter shakes his head. “You don’t understand-”
“Peter. Come here.” Tony reaches forward to pull on his arm. “Come.”
Without any hesitation, Peter gets up and goes to sit with his dad, wrapping his arms around the man’s neck. “She doesn’t understand.” He whispers into his fathers ear, letting out a shaky breath against his skin.
“I know. And that’s okay.” Tony rubs a comforting hand up and down Peters back. “Let’s just move on from this conversation for now. Okay? Mom, Peter is Spider-Man. That’s not going to change for now. He’s my son, and I’m keeping him safe. Let’s just enjoy our time together for now. Can we?”
Maria looks at Tony, giving him an unimpressed look that Peter can’t see since his back is to her.
She looks down then agrees reluctantly. “Alright. Then I want some alone time with my grand baby. Without you. Please.”
Tony pats Peter’s back. “Are you going to be okay if I go for a bit?”
Lifting his head up, Peter nods. “It’s fine, dad.”
“Alright.” Tony stands up and lifts Peter up with him, walking in front of his mom to gently place the boy back onto her lap. “He’s all yours, mom.”