Chapter 3
Officer Chang knocked on the screen door before taking a step back. Tony stood anxiously behind him. Chang had driven them into a wealthier neighborhood than Tony had expected. Though to be fair, what did Tony know about what kind of places Peter frequented? A teenage girl opened the door. Her blonde hair was pulled up in a clip but Tony could see streaks of blue running through it. She was wearing a black lace bralette and a pair of green men’s boxes that Tony hoped weren’t Peter’s.
“Can I help you?”
“We’re here for Peter.” Chang said.
“What makes you think he’s with me?” She crosses her arms over her chest.
“Because he’s alway with you. Especially when he’s upset.”
“Sorry Chang, he’s not here and you clearly don’t have a warrant.” The girl started to close the door but Officer Chang reached out and stopped it.
“Skyler. Come on. He can’t stay here forever, you dad never allow it. Let us at least talk to him.”
Skyler glared at Tony before opening the door further and walking down the hall. Chang and Tony followed her into the house.
“Where’s you’re dad Skyler? I should probably explain the situation to him.”
“With any luck he’s floating dead in the Hudson.”
She leads them into her bedroom, where, wouldn’t you know, Peter is sprawled out on the bed. Clothed, thankfully.
“I thought you said you were gonna get rid of them.” Peter groans.
“But that was before I knew it was Officer Sexy knocking. I figured you could sort out your daddy issues while we had a go at it.” Skyler retorts, winking in Officer Chang’s direction. Chang’s jaw clenches ever so slightly, but he doesn’t seem fazed by Skyler’s comments. His lack of response makes Skyler deflate somewhat and she sits down cross legged next to Peter.
“Peter, you can’t just leave in the middle of the night with out telling anyone! Do you have any idea how worried I was?”
“About as worried as you were when you shipped me across the country 12 years ago?” Peter stood up.
“Pete, please just come back. I know there is a lot we need to talk about. A lot we need to work on. But I need you to know that I have regretted everything about what happened for years. Letting you go as the biggest mistake of my life. At the time I thought it was for the best. I wasn’t ready to be a father.” Tony would normally be uncomfortable with being so emotionally vulnerable in front of other people, but he couldn’t go another moment with Peter not knowing how much he loves him.
“You weren’t.” Peter said, “What your were was never a father. You are a sperm donor at best. In the years I lived with you, I only saw you a handful of times and you never once spoke to me. So don’t try to pretend like you couldn’t take the pressure of being a father, because you never even tried.”
“You remember that much about living with me in California?” Tony’s voice was quiet. “Obadiah said that you wouldn’t remember. That you would be adopted and loved and safe. And you’d forget your life with me.”
Peter laughed scornfully, “I was almost 5 Tony. What, did you think he’d hit me hard enough this time to give me amnesia? Get real. We both know that you didn’t think about it at all. He told you he could get rid of me quickly and quietly and you were all to happy to agree.” Peter’s voice was starting to shake and he took a shuttering breath to try to calm himself down. “People don’t want toddlers that are screwed in the head. When Stane sent me to New York I was terrified. I couldn’t look anyone in the eyes much less speak to them. Every time someone touched me I flinched. I was a sobbing mess. No one wants that.”
“Peter, I-“ Tony didn’t know what to say. What could he say to make it better? To get Peter to forgive him? He couldn’t turn back the clock and do it all over again.
“Don’t. Don’t ask for forgiveness because I will never give it. Out of all of the horrible things that have happened to me, all the monsters I’ve lived with, you were the worse. Because I wasn’t damaged yet, and I still wasn’t good enough for you. You are the only person in the world who was supposed to care about me. And you were the first person who didn’t.”
Peter stepped closer to Tony, fist clenched when Chang interrupted them. “Why don’t we step outside Tony? Give everyone a minute to calm down.” He placed his hand on Tony’s bicep and lead him out the front door.
Tony sat on the steps, his head on his hands, “I’m sorry you had to see that Officer. I’m sure this is the last thing you want to deal with on your day off.”
“Please, just call me Simon. It feels odd for you to call me Officer when I’m out of uniform. And I don’t mind helping Peter when he needs it.”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
Tony looked at Simon, “Why do you care so much? With all the kids in New York, I’m sure you’ve met ones easier to deal with than Peter. Why put so much time and effort into a random kid?”
Simon paused, not to think about his answer, but to decide if he wanted to tell Tony, he still wasn’t his biggest fan. But Simon figured that if Peter was going to be living with him, than Tony should have at least a little background information.
“I met Peter years ago while I was working a community outreach program. He was ten I think. He was so enthusiastic and full of questions, he made what is usually something I hate into one of the best shifts I’ve had in my entire career. Then I saw him a few months later when I was on a domestic abuse call. The foster family he was staying with were treating the kids like crap. Making them clean the house for hours every day, refusing to feed them and keeping locks on the cabinets and fridge. There were two other boys in that house besides Peter, and while they each had a couple of bruises, it was nothing compared to the ones Peter had. Bruises and cigarette burns covered his arms and chest. When we were talking to the kids in the police station, the other boys said that Peter would try to pull the foster parents attention onto himself when they got angry so that they would hit him instead of the others. He was ten Tony. Ten years old and he was sacrificing himself to protect others. I know he’s rough around the edges. I wish I know what it took to finally break him down and harden his heart. It must have been something truly terrible. But deep down, he’s still the happy, intelligent kid I met that afternoon at the community center. He’s still the kid who would do whatever it took to protect someone else.“
“I don’t know how to help him.” Tony admitted quietly.
Simon sighed and sat down next to Tony, “Be there for him. He has never known what it means to have a parent that is there to love and support him. All he has known is that adults hurt and use him. Prove to him that you’re different. And accept the fact that you and Peter may never have a great relationship. What happened sucked, and it’s not something that he can just get over. But if you try your best and don’t force him to have the perfect relationship with you, he might just surprise you.”
“I’m honestly surprised that you never took him in. You clearly care about him.”
“I thought about it. I still think about it. But I’ve never been in the position to care for him. My mother had to move in with me a while back. She has dementia and can’t live alone. I couldn’t add a kid into the mix, not with her getting worse every year.”
“I’m sorry.” Tony tells him. He never had to deal with an aging parent, much less one with such a difficult disease, but he can imagine it’s extremely stressful. “I didn’t mean to question you. I really appreciate you keeping an eye on Peter for all these years.”
Simon nodded “If you ever need help with Peter, you can call me.” He’s a good person, he just forgot somewhere along the way.”
“I’m not giving up on him.” Tony said, and his tone was so determined that for the first time since they had met, Simon Chang actually believed that Tony Stark might be exactly what Peter needs.