It’s driving me Crazy
"I'm sorry. That's not what I meant. What I meant was - Actually -It's just weird, isn't it? Peter being so close to a couple of SHIELD agents? Did you know his parents?"
Fitz still felt off - ever since he'd walked into Peter's room and saw him lying there on that bed - nothing could have prepared him for that. Nothing Doctor Strange said when he showed up at their door - thankfully, Daisy had been home for a visit, and stayed with Alya. Nothing Shuri could have said when they got there, giving them the full report. No number of words or even pictures of scans and injuries did anything to prepare him for what he saw when he walked in that room and saw him lying there, unconscious next to all of the Wakandan machines, and oxygen and IV's and their version of the hyperbaric sphere completely encompassing him.
So when they left the room, prepared to wait for Peter’s surgery, and Tony was suddenly asking how they knew Peter, making it sound like some huge conspiracy or something, it completely caught Fitz off guard.
He blinked at Stark, unsure how to respond- his mouth gaped open like a fish and glanced over at his wife who looked just as stunned as he did. When he looked over at May, she looked less shocked by Stark's outburst - instead she looked almost like she was waiting to see their answer too. Which was odd- because she definitely knew how they had met Peter.
They had to be missing something.
"We met at the Stark Expo years ago," Fitz started the exact same time Jemma said "No, we didn't know his parents."
"Why would we know his parents, I'm sorry, did we miss somethin-" Fitz continued, looking between Tony Stark and May, like they both just grew an extra head, his own shoulders hunching as his left hand started to shake more violently at his side. Instantly he grabbed hold of it with his right, massaging it to keep it from shaking.
"Wait, wait - The Stark Expo? One of mine?" Tony interrupted, his own eyes going comically wide with confusion. "You're telling me Peter was at one of my expos? Which one? Was I there? Please tell me it wasn't --"
"I believe it was one of your first, after becomin' Iron Man. The one where -"
"Hammer. Oh my god." Tony's face paled, and Fitz worried for a second that the man might suddenly be sick. But he quickly regained his composure, and opened his mouth to say something else, but this time May cut in.
"Why were you there though? Was it coincidence that you ran into Peter that day, or..."
"What? No, of course it was. I was there for research. I saw a kid trying to take on the droids by himself with an iron man mask after Iron Man or er- you swooped in and destroyed the droid and ushered him away from the crowds. Wait - I'm sorry. What's happening right now. What's with the 20 questions? Is any of this important right now? When Peter is in there about to lose his arm!?" Fitz snapped, immediately inhaling through his nose and took a step away, flexing his hands and Jemma's hand was instantly on his arm, the connection bringing instant comfort. Already he could feel his breaths, that had started to hitch, return to normal.
He nearly missed the way both May and Tony blanched at his outburst.
"It is important. It's important to me," Tony retorted, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers, and for a moment his lips moved silently, like he was having his own internal argument before his hand dropped and he looked back at Fitz and Jemma. "It's just odd - his adoptive parents were SHIELD agents- scientists too from my understanding, and then later, he's taken in by another pair of SHIELD scientists who claim to be like family too - Peter once said you were like brothers. Just.. feels odd, right? Almost like too much of a coincidence."
It was Fitz’s turn to squeeze his eyes shut, and pinch the bridge of his nose between his fingers. He didn’t even know that Peter was adopted. Let alone that those parents were SHIELD agents. But when he opened his eyes again, and looked to his wife, he was shocked to see that she looked... a lot less surprised than him. What did she know that he didn’t!?
”Jemma, I-I think somethings funny goin’ on with my brain, because obviously none of this is real.”
She shot him glare, that quickly morphed back into something more gentle. “Fitz. That’s not funny. And no, this is all very real.” But when she turned back to Tony Stark, her expression was fierce.
”Sir, with all due respect. I’m not sure what Doctors Richard and Mary Parker have to do with us. I’m not blind to the coincidences you’re pointing out, but if you’re trying to make this into some sort of conspiracy to help yourself cope with what is happening to Peter right now, you’ll just drive yourself mad. Is this conversation really worth talking ourselves in circles?”
”You knew that Peter’s parents were with SHIELD?” Fitz interjected, before Tony had a chance to respond.
”Honestly, Fitz. I’m surprised you didn’t. They were quite popular at the Academy.”
Tony snapped his fingers and pointed accusingly at Jemma. “So you did know them then.”
Jemma closed her eyes, letting out a deep sigh, clearly collecting herself before making eye contact with Tony. She was starting to lose her well practiced patience, and Fitz would have gave Stark a warning that he should stop but he was too busy trying to wrap his own mind around everything. There was obviously something he was still missing, and he at first assumed that Jemma was missing that key part of the conversation too, but now he was less sure.
“Mr. Stark, not that it is any of your business really, but as I said before- no, I did not know the Parkers. Only knew of them. Now, before we all lose our heads here over something so trivial- can we all just take a breath. We don’t know when Peter is going to wake up, and when he does, he’s going to need a strong support system. How strong will we be for him if we are just constantly bickering at each other?”
Tony opened his mouth, but was once again cut off when May finally broke her silence and stood up from where she’d been sitting on the floor, with her fingers on her temple during most of the argument aside from her one earlier question.
”Tony, she’s right. I understand that you want answers. I do too. But we are the people Peter counts on most. It doesn’t matter what we feel right now for each other. What matters is him.”
Fitz watched as a range of emotions flickered across Tony’s face- a lot of them mirroring his own feelings. Confusion, anger, offense, defeat.
”This isn’t just something I’ve cooked up because I’m grieving. It’s not just driving me crazy now, it’s been driving me mad for the last five years. But I thought-“ Tony snapped his mouth shut, inhaling sharply through his nose.
“What I don’t get is, if you didn’t want us here, why did you have that Doctor Strange come get us in the first place?” Fitz asked, narrowing his eyes at the man who was massaging his hand in a way that was incredibly similar to the way he did himself under stress. Perfect, Fitz. So much for stopping the argument.
“Because you’re all right. It’s not about me. It’s about Tom- It’s about him - it’s about Peter!” Tony snapped, pointing is hand at the door, and his eyes went slightly wider when he used the wrong name and his shoulders visibly tensed.
”Who the hell is Tom? Is this whole thing you projecting something about someone else completely? Because seriously, I had heard you could be a lot to -“ Jemma started, full of exasperation as she folded her arms against her chest.
”It’s Peter.” May cut in, her voice quiet, and barely above a whisper, but it was enough to stop both Jemma and Fitz from their impending questions. “I’m assuming it was his name before- before he was adopted. My brother-in-law named him Peter when they adopted him. Tom is Peter.”
For the first time since this whole conversation/ argument started, Fitz noticed the silent tears that were sliding down May’s cheeks, and there were tears now on all their faces. Tony still looked angry, but for the first time, Fitz didn’t actually feel like the anger was directed at him. Which- was at least a small fraction of a relief.
He watched as realization dawned on Jemma’s face, followed by more confusion and then one second later it clicked.
“Peter is Tom- “
“Tommy.” Tony corrected.
”Tommy. And you’re...” he pointed at Tony and then at Peter’s door.
”Got it one, kid.” Tony huffed, staring at the floor as if the marbling might hold all the answers to the universe.
“His name is Peter.” May snapped, agitation and pain written all over her face, and it made Fitz’s heart clench tighter in his chest.
“So you think you can just give up your kid and then show up years later and stake a claim? It doesn’t work like that Tony Stark.” Jemma had took a step closer, standing almost protectively in front of May as she glared at Tony, and the man immediately put up his hands, fingers splayed out in defense.
”I know, May. And I didn’t give him up.”
”Then explain to me how he ended up adopted.” Jemma’s lips moved as if she were going to say something else - but thought better of it.
”What do you think I’ve been trying to figure out for the last five years. I was told he was dead. I held a funeral for my son a week before his second birthday.”
Fitz’s eyebrows shot up, his stomach now twisting right along with his heart. He couldn’t help, instantly he thought of his own daughter and having to do the unimaginable. No. He couldn’t think about that. Alya was home and safe. One look at Jemma and he knew she was in the place he was. Instinctively, he reached for his wife’s hand and gave it a squeeze.
“I want to believe you, Tony. I actually do. But if Tony Stark had a son, wouldn’t we -“
“Why the Hellwould I lie about this!?” Agitation were coming off Tony and May in waves, and they had both taken a step closer to each other.
”Tony.”
A new voice startled all of them, and completely wrapped up in their own tense little bubble, none of them had heard the familiar sound of a portal opening down the hall. Four heads whipped to the side all at once towards the newcomer.
The man was glaring at Tony, and was quickly stalking down the hall towards them. Fitz recognized him, had seen him on the news with Stark a few times. War Machine. Or was it the Iron Patriot? What was his name — Colonel Rhodes.
”Tony, what the hell, man. This isn’t cool.” Rhodes’s expression turned apologetic as he looked at the rest of them. “Excuse us. I’d like to have a word with my friend here. Mrs. Parker,” he nodded at her, then placed a hand on a scowling Tony’s shoulder, pushing more than guiding him back down the hall.
”You just got here and you’re already yelling at me?” Fitz heard Tony grumble as he left with his friend. “I thought you were supposed to be on my side.”
The three of them were left standing there in silence - none of them sure what to say now. They had at least another hour until they would be allowed back with Peter.
“I’m gonna go find us something to drink.” Fitz announced, walking in the opposite direction that the two men had just left down. “I’ll be back.” This was Wakanda, surely there was something around there somewhere.