Peter
MJ hangs up the phone with Mr. Stark and they both just look at each other for a moment.
“You’re actually Spider-Man?” MJ asks quietly, breaking the silence.
“Yeah. I’m actually Spider-Man.” Peter replies, matching her tone.
MJ turns away and sits back down at the table, a look of disbelief and shock on her face.
“Wow.” She whispers, almost to herself. “I can’t believe I actually figured it out.”
Peter follows her and sits back down across from her. “Yeah, me neither. Apparently it was pretty obvious though.” He says sarcastically, using her words from earlier. She snickers at his statement, and then suddenly all the tension from the room is gone. MJ starts laughing hysterically, and Peter can’t help but smile with her.
“You’re Spider-Man and the biological son of Tony Stark? Your life is ridiculous.” She says through her laugher.
“Tell me about it.” Peter replies.
Once her laughter dies down, MJ looks at him seriously, remembering the rest of the conversation before he admitted to being Spider-Man.
“So, what we’re you saying earlier about you not telling Stark that you’re his son?”
Peter groans and drops his head into the table.
“It’s a long story, MJ, but pretty much Mr. Stark got ordered by the government to give me superhero training because of the Sokovia Accords and at first he was a total asshole but then he actually got really nice and then Ned stole my DNA without my permission and figured out that Mr. Stark is my biological father and I was too scared to tell him for like 6 months and then I told him last week and he was really pissed and told me he never wanted to be a father and now things are just super weird and I don’t know what to do.”
MJ stares at him for a moment as she processes all the information.
“So…you told Stark that you were his kid and he didn’t want to be your dad?”
“Yep.” Peter replies, forehead still firmly on the wood of the kitchen table.
“And then he found out your foster parents were abusive and took you back to the tower?”
“Uh huh.”
“And you figured because he told you he didn’t want to be your dad that he was going to send you back to foster care and so you ran away?”
“Yeah that pretty much sums it up.”
MJ takes another moment to think.
“Have you two talked about any of this since the day you just sprung it on him that you’re his son?”
Peter lifts his head off the table and puts his chin in his hands instead so he can look at MJ.
“What’s there to talk about? He doesn’t want to be my father. He said that himself to my face. It doesn’t get clearer than that.”
MJ shrugs. “I don’t know, Peter. From what he said on the phone, it sounds like maybe he’s trying to apologize for saying that to you. It was probably a pretty big shock to hear that you’re his son after already knowing you for months.”
Peter rolls his eyes. “Of course it is. I know I’m way in the wrong here. I lied to him and I knew he was going to be mad. He’s told me before that he never wants kids.”
MJ rolls her eyes back at him. “That’s not what I’m saying, loser. I’m saying maybe he’s thought about it more since then and changed his mind. He said he made a bunch of mistakes and is sorry. Isn’t that what he’s talking about?”
Peter shrugs. “I mean, maybe? Why are you trying to defend him anyway? I thought you hated him.”
“Because it doesn’t really matter what my opinion of him is. I don’t know him. You do. And he clearly cares a lot about you. You deserve to be around people who care, Peter.” She says seriously.
“Ugh.” Peter groans, burying his face in his hands. “I don’t know what I should do. Why does my life have to be so complicated?”
“Just call him.” MJ says. “You need to talk to him yourself. He really sounds like he’s trying to apologize to you.”
“Yeah. I know.” Peter says into his palms. “I just need some time to think about it first. I think I might go for a walk around the city or something.”
“Oh, okay.” MJ says a little oddly. “Did you want it to be like, an alone ‘clear your head’ kind of walk, or can it be a…together? Walk?”
“Oh!” Peter exclaims. “Yeah, you can totally come. That would be,uh, cool. Really cool.”
“Okay, great. I’ll just go get my shoes on then.” MJ says, smiling and tucking another strand of hair behind her ear. Is Peter reading this wrong or is MJ…flirting with him? Is this like a date kind of walk? Not that he would mind either way. MJ is just…awesome.
He doesn’t have much time to dwell on it because a minute later she comes back with shoes on and Peter is holding the door open for her. Today is already turning out better then he thought it would. He hopes this good luck streak continues through the inevitable conversation with his dad. He’s going to need it.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
A couple hours later, he drops MJ back at her house after their maybe possibly a date but he really can’t tell. They had a lot of fun though. MJ really helped him take his mind off everything. They walked around a while, went to a park to sit for a bit, got some ice cream that MJ paid for but Peter promises to get the next one since he didn’t have any money on him at the time. It was really great, and exactly what he needed to get mentally ready for this phone call.
He does feel bad about keeping Mr. Stark waiting for so long. He’s sure the man is probably worried, but he really needed some time to himself to think about it all and figure out how he feels about everything. He spent a while after his walk with MJ just wandering around and getting ready to make the call. MJ told him he’s welcome back if things don’t work out, so he feels a little more reassured since he has a backup plan.
When he finally stops, he’s found himself in Central Park. He finds an empty picnic table that’s pretty isolated from all the people and he pulls out his phone. Once his phone is on, he doesn’t dawdle at all, he just hits the call button right away.
It barely rings once before the call goes through, and a wave of nervousness washes over his body. What is he supposed to say? How does he even start?
“Pete? You there, kid?”
He supposes he should’ve started with hello.
“…yeah, I’m here…hi.” He ends up saying, cursing himself for his awkwardness.
Mr. Stark just laughs, but it sounds like a sad laugh. “God, kid. You really had me scared there for a bit. Are you doing okay? Did you find somewhere safe to stay?”
That’s really the first thing he wants to know? He isn’t going to yell or scream or even ask Peter why he left? He sounds really worried, and it’s making Peter feel awfully guilty about leaving in the first place.
“I’m safe, and I’m really sorry, Mr. Stark.” Peter says honestly. “I didn’t mean to worry you so much.”
“It’s okay, bud. I understand why you left. I’m not mad.”
“…you’re not?” Peter questions suspiciously. People are never not mad that he runs away. He’s gotten in trouble so many times for that in the past.
“No, kid. I’m not. I’m just worried about you. Is there any chance you’ll come back to the tower so we can talk about everything?” Mr. Stark pleads.
Peter doesn’t want to upset the man any more, but if he knows why he left then he knows why Peter can’t come back.
“Look, I’m really sorry I had to run away, Mr. Stark, but I can’t come back. I know what’s waiting for me there, and I can’t go back to foster care. I just can’t do it. I won’t.” Peter explains, trying and failing to not to get worked up at even the thought of going back to foster care.
“Hey, Pete. It’s okay. You’re not going back to foster care, I promise. I’d never let that happen.” Mr. Stark explains softly, but it just doesn’t register in Peter’s brain. What does Mr. Stark mean he’s not going back to foster care? Where else would he go?
“…I’m not?”
“No, kid, of course not.” Mr. Stark insists, sounding like he’s getting a little upset. “You think I’d ever let you back there after what they did to you? No way. Never again. If you really don’t want to stay at the tower with me, then we’ll find somewhere else. Maybe with Rhodey or at the compound or something. We can figure it out.”
If he doesn’t want to stay at the tower? Did Mr. Stark think Peter ran away because he doesn’t want to live at the tower? Peter wants nothing more, but he thought Mr. Stark was the one who didn’t want him there.
“Pete?”
Peter had to say something. He’s taking too long to answer, so he decides to just tell the truth.
“…I didn’t know staying at the tower with you was an option.”
Mr. Stark is silent for a moment before responding.
“I think we need to sit down and talk about some things, kid. In fact, I think it’s long overdue. Will you meet me at the tower? I promise you’ll be safe there and no one is going to try to send you back to foster care.”
Hmm. Maybe MJ is right. Maybe Mr. Stark changed his mind. He doesn’t want to hope for something just to get let down again, but MJ is rarely wrong. And Mr. Stark has never lied to him or broken a promise before, so he doesn’t see why he would be lying about this now.
“…okay. I guess we can do that.”
Okay, great.” Mr. Stark says right away, sounding very relieved that Peter said yes. “Can I send Happy to pick you up somewhere?”
“No thanks. I’m not far. I can be there soon.”
“Okay, kid. I’ll see you soon then.”
Peter ends the call and starts walking.
He makes it to the tower in no time since he was already in Central Park, and takes his normal route through the garage to Mr. Stark’s personal elevator. He feels really odd. The last time he came up these elevators was the day Mr. Stark rescued him from the Patterson’s. He didn’t think he’d be doing this again.
Peter rides the elevator up to the penthouse with a huge pit in his stomach. He doesn’t know what to believe right now. If Mr. Stark was telling the truth on the phone, then maybe Peter will be allowed to stay.
He doesn’t have a lot of time to regret his decision on the quick ride up to the top before the elevator doors are sliding up and Peter is very hesitantly exiting the elevator. He hears his dad before his feet even hit the penthouse floor.
The man is pacing the kitchen like he always does when he’s stressed, but as soon as Peter steps out, Mr. Stark looks up from the floor and rushes towards him.
“Peter, thank god.” He hears his dad exclaim, and the next thing Peter knows, he’s wrapped up in a tight embrace. This is different than all the other times they’ve hugged. For one, Peter has always been the one to initiate, and Mr. Stark always seems a little reluctant. This time, the man is holding Peter tightly to his chest, one arm around his shoulders and the other on the back of his head, almost protectively. Peter doesn’t reciprocate, though he desperately wants to. He can’t. Not until he finds out what Mr. Stark was talking about over the phone.
After a few seconds, Mr. Stark pulls away, keeping his hands on Peter’s arms.
“Are you alright?” He asks, sounding more concerned then Peter thinks he’s ever heard him before. He’s looking Peter over quickly, probably checking for injuries.
“Yeah, I’m fine, Mr. Stark. I’m not hurt.” Peter responds. He’s really regretting his choice to run off last night without leaving anything telling the man where he was going. He thought his dad wanted him gone, but he just seems so worried right now and Peter knows he must have been panicking like this since he discovered Peter was missing this morning.
“You were somewhere safe overnight?” Mr. Stark asks, looking Peter directly in his eyes. Peter can see the worry in them, and the guilt buries itself deeper into his chest. “Have you eaten anything since last night? I ordered some food just in case you were hungry when you got here” The man asks next.
“Yeah, I had some food.” Peter tells him. He really doesn’t want Mr. Stark to go out of his way to feed him right now with how guilty he’s feeling. He doesn’t think he can stomach a nice meal.
“I was with MJ. I told her to lie to you and tell you I wasn’t there, but I was.”
He expects Mr. Stark to be angry about another lie, but he just lets out a sigh of relief.
“Okay, good. I called Ned and he said he wasn’t home, so I was so worried you were out sleeping on the streets somewhere.”
He called Ned too? He really must’ve been worried. Peter selfishly feels kind of good about how worried Mr. Stark is. It feels nice to have someone who cares so much.
“I’m sorry I ran off. I shouldn’t have done that to you.” Peter says completely honestly.
“It’s okay, kiddo.” Mr. Stark replies with a sad smile, squeezing Peter’s shoulder reassuringly. “I think I understand why you did it, but I also think it was maybe just a misunderstanding. Can we talk and clear some things up?”
As soon as it’s brought up, Peter is much more nervous about this talk then he was before. He can see clearly that Mr. Stark cares about him, but he’s been getting so many mixed signals and he’s afraid of what the man is going to say. It doesn’t look like he has much choice though as Mr. Stark leads him to sit down on the couch before pulling up the footstool to sit directly across from him.
They both sit and look at each other for a moment before saying anything, Peter nervously fidgeting with anything he can get his fingers on. It doesn’t look like either of them really know how to begin.
“Look, Peter. I-“ His dad begins, cutting himself off abruptly and rubbing his hands over his face. “I owe you an apology. Actually about 50 apologies.”
Peter opens his mouth to interrupt, but Mr. Stark cuts him off. “Don’t try to tell me I don’t, because I won’t believe you. Just let me say it, and then you can tell me what you think, okay?”
Peter just closes his mouth again and nods. His dad takes a deep breath and continues.
“I am so, so sorry about how I treated you the few days before i came to get you on Saturday. I can’t tell you enough how much I regret everything that I said to you, especially that night that you told me that you’re my son.”
Peter feels like he has to hold his breath to not gasp at what his dad just said. It’s the first time since that night that either one of them has said that out loud. He tries not to react yet, because his dad isn’t finished.
“It’s not that I didn’t care about you or want you as my kid.” Mr. Stark continues. “If I’m being completely honest, I’ve been thinking of you as my kid for months now, way before you told me the truth. It’s just, when it turned out you really were my kid, I panicked. This isn’t an excuse for my behavior, because nothing can excuse that. It’s just an explanation. I was so afraid that I would mess up and hurt you that instead I just pushed you away, which was by no means the right thing to do. Rhodey came by Saturday morning and finally talked some sense into me, and I went to your apartment originally to tell you all of this, and ask you if you would give me another chance. That’s when I found you.”
Peter feels like his entire world has been turned upside down by the time his dad is finished with his apology. Is he saying…he actually wants Peter to stay?
“So…you weren’t just letting me stay here out of like…pity? Because of what happened?” Peter asks hesitantly, not surprised to hear the emotions he’s feeling seeping out into his voice.
“No, of course not.” His dad insists firmly, looking Peter in the eyes. “I was going to tell you all of this before I even knew the extent of what was going on. And I should’ve said all of this as soon as I got you back here, but frankly I was worried that you wouldn’t want to stay after what I did to you.”
Peter shakes his head. “I’m not mad at you. I don’t want to leave, and I’m really sorry I ran off. When you said my case worker was coming today, I thought she was coming to take me back to foster care because you didn’t want me here.” Peter explains, voice cracking with emotion. He can feel his eyes begin to water. This whole conversation has been a lot. He’s been so convinced that he was completely unlovable even by his own father, and now he’s being told that he actually is wanted somewhere for the first time in years. He can’t help it as the tears start to drip down his cheeks.
“I just…I couldn’t go back to foster care again.” He croaks out.
Mr. Stark’s face completely falls at the sight of Peter’s tears.
“Pete….” He says, sliding off the foot stool and onto his knees. He quickly reaches his arms out and pulls Peter into another tight hug. Peter doesn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around the man this time and buries his face in his dad’s shoulder. He doesn’t even have it in him to be embarrassed as he lets out a loud sob into his dad’s T-shirt. The man just keeps rubbing his back soothingly and giving him quiet reassurances, undeterred by how wet his shirt must be getting by now.
“You’re never going back to foster care again, Peter. I promise.” His dad tells him.
“What if you decide you don’t want me later?” Peter cries into his shoulder. Now that he’s letting all his emotions out, he decides now’s the time to ask questions about all of his fears.
His dad just hugs him impossibly tighter. “That’s never going to happen, kid. I’ll always want you. I never didn’t. You’re better than any kid I could’ve imagined. I just thought you deserved better than the shitty father I’m turning out to be.”
Peter sniffles, trying to slow down the stream of tears, and turns his head to the side out of his dads shoulder. He doesn’t move away, though. He’s not quite ready.
“I don’t think you’re shitty.” He tells the man truthfully.
“Well I’m glad one of thinks so.” His dad chuckles sadly. “Either way, I’m going to try so hard to be better for you. You deserve that from me.”
His dad pulls away from the hug, keeping his hands on either side of Peter on the couch like he doesn’t want to completely move away yet.
“So what do you say?” His dad asks, looking a little nervous. “Will you stay here and give me another chance to be your dad?”
Peter wipes at his eyes, sure he looks like a completely mess, but his dad doesn’t look like he minds.
“Yeah, I’d like that.” He says, getting a wide, happy smile in return. “Although, it’ll probably take me a little while to believe that all of this is real and, uh, permanent.” He warns. He’s sure his dad is telling the truth right now, but he also knows that people change their minds. His dad told him one thing last week and is telling him something completely different now. Of course he forgives him, but he’s not counting out the possibility that this could happen again.
His dad’s smile drops just slightly. “Of course, Pete. I understand. I broke your trust, but I promise I’ll prove to you that I’m really in this for good. Like lifelong, you’re living here with me until you’re at least 50 kind of thing.”
Peter finds himself laughing a small, wet laugh. “50?” He asks. “Isn’t that a little excessive?”
His dad huffs dramatically and looks shocked. “Excessive? Me? I was going to tell you 70, but I figure you’ll need some independence at some point. Let the baby birds leave the nest and all that.”
Peter can’t help but giggle and roll his eyes. Maybe things actually can get back to normal. “What about for college?” Peter asks, surprised that he’s even considering college since it’s been off the table for so long.
His dad just waves away his concerns. “You don’t need college. I can teach you everything you need to know.”
Peter gives him a look of doubt. “I don’t know about that. You went to college an awfully long time ago, old man. I’m sure a lot of things have changed since then.
His dad gasps loudly, hand going to his chest like he’s been wounded. “I can’t believe I’m getting insulted like this from my own flesh and blood.”
Peter just smiles widely at him in return. He finally thinks that, just maybe, everything might turn out alright.