Chapter 3
“Hey Mr. Stark.” Wade greeted Peter and giggled. The glare he sent Wade was one that could kill. Wade had gotten home from his nightly patrol, and Peter was all bundled up in his sweatpants and a sweatshirt. He did not feel like moving an inch as Wade plopped down on the couch right next to him.
“Truly, shut the fuck up.” Peter took the night off to mentally prepare himself for dinner tomorrow. He was going to call Tony in the morning, ask what time he should come over, what he should bring, and anything else he would need to know. He had called his therapist the morning after they figured out that his father was around, and made an emergency appointment that had helped a little. Peter’s therapist was one he’d had since Uncle Ben had died, and she was very surprised to learn that Peter had found his father.
They'd talked about how Peter wanted it to go, how he wanted to keep their lives separate because he felt like he needed to. They talked about how he would tell May if he decided to, and then they talked about how to cope with being anxious around him. Overall, a valuable appointment but Peter did not want to deal with it. They made their next appointment for Monday.
“Did you have dinner?” Wade asked off-handedly, doing something on his phone. Peter shook his head, groaning.
“No, my stomach doesn’t feel very good.” Peter stretched his legs and Wade ‘tsked’ him.
“Petey, you’re feeling that way because you’re anxious and haven’t eaten anything today. Am I right? Did you eat literally anything?” Wade asked matter-of-factly and Peter rolled his eyes.
“I can’t eat. I tried to eat lunch. All I could eat was a little bit of the brownies I made to bring tomorrow. Was that stupid, by the way? Should I have made anything?! My stomach is in knots. I can’t stop thinking about what tomorrow is going to be like. What am I even gonna talk about?” Wade could tell that Peter was almost at his limit and he was hoping that they could stop it before he was pushed too far.
“I know it’s awkward being around that jackass anyway-” Another hard look sent Wade’s way. “But knowing that he’s your father makes it tougher. I know you can do this, and I know from what you’ve said that you at least want to talk to him again. And anybody would be lucky to try your brownies. They’re some of my favorite things on God’s green Earth. ” Wade was trying his hardest to reason with Peter, but it was hard. It was a precarious situation that neither of them knew how to deal with.
“How am I supposed to hide Spiderman from him? There is no way in hell I am EVER letting him find that out.” Peter fiddled with his fingers and Wade threw his hands up.
“The whole world doesn’t know that you’re Spiderman! Just stay away from him as Webs, and you’re good to go! Plus, I know you could totally kick his ass if you needed to so you shouldn’t be nervous!” Peter laughed a little at that, and Wade was finally happy to see a little smile.
“I’m never seeing him again as Spiderman.” Peter vowed to himself and to Wade, he was staying as far away from Tony as possible when he was in his suit.
“Fuck yeah! We can avoid Tony for the rest of our lives. Well, in our suits at least. Hey, when are you gonna tell him that we’re dating?” Peter laughed out loud at that, cackling at the thought. Tony would never know about him and Wade.
“I know that was a joke but you’re laughing a little too hard. Tone it back. Anybody would be lucky to have me.” Wade pretended to pout but Peter could hear the grin in his voice.
“Can you imagine what he would do? I'm a minor AND his son. He would kill you. He would kill me!” Peter giggled a little at the thought of Tony's face when he found out his son was dating the Merc-with-a-Mouth.
“I would like to see him try. Now, what do you want to eat? I will buy you anything. You are eating if it literally kills me.”
~
Peter’s face was shoved into Wade’s shoulder as his hands trailed up his back. They were sitting on the couch in Peter’s apartment, lounged back, about an hour until Peter had to leave for Tony’s.
“I don’t wanna go.” Peter mumbled, hugging onto Wade tighter. Wade laughed a little underneath him.
“Then why’d you call him this morning?” Wade asked, and Peter had to think about it for a second. He called because he did want to go, did want to spend time with his father and Steve, learn about them. Just wanted to do it as safely as possible, meaning they couldn't know anything about him.
“Shut up.” He grumbled, nuzzling his nose further into Wade’s neck. “I don’t know why I called. I just want to go on patrol and then get a gyro.” Wade groaned at the thought of a gyro.
“You have no idea how much I want that gyro.” Wade commented, but then continued. “You know why you called. You want to know your daddy. No problem with that.” Peter lifted his head and gave him a swift whack.
“Do not call him my daddy. That is so disgusting.” Wade laughed at Peter’s anger, waggling his eyebrows.
“Only I get the pleasure of being your daddy.” Peter smacked him again, sitting up to leave the couch and Wade whined at the sudden loss. He reached up and grabbed Peter, bringing him back down.
“Will you swing with me to Stark Tower?” Peter pushed his face back into Wade’s chest.
“Anytime baby boy. Know what daddy Stark is cooking for dinner?”
They chatted as Peter got dressed, picking new outfits every five minutes, pacing around the apartment, and harassing their cat trying to distract himself. He finally settled on a pair of gray pants with a patterned buttoned-up underneath a navy blue sweater. Wade assured him he looked sexy, much to Peter’s dismay, and they made their way swinging across the city.
They were waiting on top of one of the neighboring buildings as Peter nervously shifted his weight.
“What if… what if he doesn’t like me?” Peter’s voice was quiet, reserved, and Wade’s heart reached out to him.
“If he doesn’t like you, he’s stupider than I thought. Also I know a really good hit man you can hire.” Wade captured his lips in a sweet kiss, hoping to remind him of all the great things Wade loves about him.
“You’re gonna do great. Smile through the awkwardness. Send me a nude in the bathroom.” Peter cracked a smile at that. “Text me if you need me okay? I’ll stay close. Love you sexy!”
Then Peter was alone, standing on the roof of some random building, thinking about what he was walking into. He took a deep breath and lowered himself quickly to an alley adjacent to Stark Towers. He brushed himself off, straightened up his clothes, and practiced one of the coping skills his therapist had taught him. One thing he could taste, two things he could smell, three things he could hear, four things he could touch, and five things he could see. He opened his notes app. He wrote.
1. The aftertaste of the tacos Wade had force fed him this morning
2. The stale smell of the city, his own deodorant
3. The bustle and chatter of the people around him, the taxicabs zooming down the street, and construction being done
4. He could touch his own sweater, the brick wall next to him, the sidewalk beneath him, and if he really needed to, he could call Wade and he would be there in a second for him to touch
5. He could see a woman, obviously going to work, a red car that reminded Peter of the red he used in his suit, a piece of pizza that somebody had thrown away onto the street, a little mouse that skittered across the street, and finally, he was looking the entrance to his father’s tower
The building towered over him menacingly. He thought of every single thing he could do to get out of this, including simply just not showing up. Tony had his number though. The burner number, so not a humongous deal, but still. And Peter had an inkling that Tony would not give up easily if Peter decided not to show up.
The revolving door automatically moved and Peter watched it for a couple of rotations as the sun started to go down. It was a cold December evening, just changed months and Christmas was coming up. Peter loved Christmas, excited to spend time with Wade and May, but left wondering where Tony was going to fit into the equation -- would he want to fit into the equation? He hoped that they wouldn’t even have to talk about it. A little part of Peter hoped he did, hoped he wanted to spend Christmas with Peter, but he shoved that down.
He found his way over to the door and into the building. He was intimidated every time he came in, while he was Spiderman or Peter. The security guard eyed him up, the same as last time, and Peter shyly waved at him.
“Mr. Stark told me to give you this.” A hand extended to Peter, a badge in his hand. It read Peter Stark, full security clearance. Peter’s heart sped up as he looked at the name Peter Stark. He immediately pressed the badge into his torso, protecting the name from other eyes, and the security guard raised his eyebrows.
“I have to sign an NDA to even work here, kid. Your secret’s safe with me. He wants you up on his floor.” Peter blushed and was ushered past security after going through the metal detector. They searched his bag, finding the brownies and his phone. Peter walked over to the special clearance elevator and shifted his weight from one foot to another. He rubbed his elbow as the doors closed and he pressed 93. The elevator moved past all of the other floors and Peter’s muscles were tight as he felt them twitch.
Peter felt the elevator begin to slow down as it got closer to his destination. He took in a deep breath and let out a sigh, trying to focus on the feel of his lungs. His therapist has told him that he needed to use his coping mechanisms when he felt like this, when he was starting to feel so overwhelmed that he was feeling suffocated.
“I’m okay.” He mumbled to himself, watching the floor number change to ninety-two. One more. “You’re okay, Peter.” He reassured himself, wrapping his arms around his body for a quick second in a self-hug. The elevator dinged and he let go of himself, taking a steadying breath. The door opened and he was greeted with Tony and Steve waiting for him.
“Peter!” Tony’s eyes lit up, obviously happy to see his son. Peter nervously smiled at them, lifting his hand to wave.
“Hi.” Peter’s voice was shy, and Tony came over and set a hand on his back.
“Nice to see you, Peter.” Steve smiled at him and they walked over towards the living room.
“How was your week? How was school?” Tony asked, a gentle look on his face. He was treading lightly, trying not to ask anything too personal and frighten Peter. Peter followed Steve and Tony’s lead, sitting on the couch and trying to get comfortable. He tapped his thigh gently, looking for a calming sensation.
“It was good. Went by quickly. The weeks usually do, classes aren’t too hard.” Peter responded while Tony laughed a bit.
“I had an easy time in high school too. What classes are you taking?” Peter looked deep in thought for a second, considering what to say. Tony’s heart caught in his throat, worried he’d maybe asked too much, but as Peter continued he slowly relaxed.
“I’m in AP Calculus, AP Physics, AP Computer Science, World History II, and AP Literature. A pretty full class load, but I’m also doing a self-study of AP Chemistry with the help of my Physics teacher.” Tony listened intently, nodding as Peter talked.
“So you’re obviously like your father.” Steve added, and they laughed together, while Peter forced a little laugh out. He needed to try to relax. He was being too tense, too polite.
“That is quite the class load! And you said easy? You really must take after me.” Tony joked. “I thought you liked biology though!” This small talk thing was going to kill Peter, but honestly, what alternative was there?
“I took AP Bio last year.” Peter looked at his surroundings again, second time he was in Tony’s penthouse. It was nicer than he remembered it, warm light everywhere. It had a panoramic view of the city with the sunset. It was beautiful. There was a funky looking chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and although it took some deep thought from Peter, he decided he did indeed like it.
“Anything else I need to know about you, boy genius? Won any awards?” Peter swung his head back to Tony, knowing he was fishing for information. Tony looked at him with an innocent look, and Peter couldn’t help but laugh a little bit.
“Nope. I lay low.” Peter was wondering how Tony was so good at this whole nonchalant thing. How could he not be so nervous, talking to his son? Peter was practically quaking in his boots when Tony seemed to be so calm and collected.
“Oh!” Peter reached into his backpack, pulling out the pan of brownies he’d made yesterday. There was a noticeable chunk missing and Peter internally cursed at Wade. “I made brownies for after dinner. I-I… didn’t know what to bring, or if I should bring anything, and my friends always say my brownies are good so I thought maybe that was a good idea-” Peter was babbling, and although he knew it, there was no way he could stop.
“Peter, that’s so lovely. I am very excited to try them.” Steve stood up from the couch and grabbed the pan, setting a hand on Peter’s shoulder. “Thank you so much for bringing them. That was so thoughtful of you.” Peter felt like Steve was talking to him like he was a child, but he didn’t mind so much.
“That is one thing you did not get from me.” Tony joked from the back, and Steve laughed at that.
“Tony is the worst cook I’ve ever met. I’ll go put these in the kitchen.” The pan was in Steve’s hands as he walked to the kitchen.
“He’s been working on dinner all night.” Tony leaned across the couch and whispered to Peter. “He is very excited for you to try it.” Peter smiled, and even though he felt a little awkward, it was really nice to feel this type of love. May adored him, but she was often so busy that she did not have time to show him affection like this or to dote on him.
“What is it?” Peter whispered back as they could hear Steve puttering in the kitchen.
“Hell if I know. He won’t even tell me. Supposed to be a surprise.”
The surprise was beef wellington with truffle mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus. Peter didn’t think he'd eaten something so delicious in his life. The small talk continued, Tony asking questions and Peter avoiding the ones that divulge too much information.
“Do you know what classes you’ll take next year? You only have one year of high school left after this, have you been touring any colleges? Peter stopped for a second. One year before college? That wasn't right. Peter had applied to all of his colleges already and was waiting to hear back from his top choice Empire State University. He was young to be a senior, turning eighteen the August before his freshman year in college, so he could see why Tony was confused. He also vaguely remembered Tony asking and Peter not correcting him. Tony absolutely believed that Peter was only a junior, not a senior.
“No, I don’t know what classes I’ll take. I’ve looked at some colleges, but haven’t decided on anything.” Peter didn’t like lying, but it was an extra step to protect himself a bit.
“Maybe we could tour together. I have connections at Harvard and could get you admitted on the spot.” Peter couldn’t help the sour look that came to his face but it was easily hidden by taking a bite of food.
“I think I want to stay local.” Peter told him, regretting it the second it left his mouth. But now that it was out, he had to continue. “I’ve looked at a couple places. I’ll let you know if I want to see any others.” Peter shut that down as soon as he could.
“There are amazing schools in the city.” Steve could sense the change in Peter sooner than Tony did. “And it’s nice to stay close.” He added, and that seemed to relax Peter a bit.
“Of course it’d be great if you stayed close.” Tony added, now realizing that he’d made Peter uncomfortable. Guilt spread through his body. “Sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Pete.” Peter perked up at both the apology and the nickname. His eyes lit up a bit. The apology was nice enough, sure, but nobody had called him Pete since Uncle Ben, and it was actually really nice. Tony immediately added it to the list of things he needed to know about Peter: likes to be called Pete.
The rest of dinner went by without a problem. More smalltalk, more avoiding too much information, and more of Tony trying to get to know his son. As they finished dinner, Peter got more comfortable around them and was finally able to relax and Tony noticed it. He was delighted at how Peter had been coming along.
“Brownies?” Steve asked, and Peter enthusiastically nodded. They cracked the brownies out and shared them, Tony talking about how good they were, Peter swearing secrecy for the recipe, and before they knew it, it was 10pm and Peter was starting to get ready to go.
“Thank you for having me again. I’ll call you in two weeks?” He was trying to stay as casual as he could, no emotions, no sooner meeting times, because he could do this every two weeks. Peter said his farewells after Steve made sure to wash out the brownie pan, and pack up the leftovers of dinner. Peter had packed them all in his backpack carefully, knowing he didn’t want anything to happen to them.
“Stop thanking us for having you.” Tony started, grabbing the back of Peter’s neck. Peter straightened up a bit, but ultimately decided he liked the feeling of it. “Come over anytime. I mean that. Don’t even have to call me. But two weeks is great, and I look forward to getting your call. Do you want me to walk you down?” After insisting Peter could find his own way out, Tony finished up, and they all did an awkward hug. Then Peter was in the elevator leaving.
Tony turned to look at Steve.
“JARVIS, send drones 1-10 to follow Peter. If he uses the subway, send one of the bugs after him. Get me his address.” Steve scowled as Tony talked to JARVIS.
“This is breaking his trust, Tony. You should know that.” Steve glared at Tony, but Tony made a pained face.
“Steve, he won’t let me get close. I just want to know where he lives so I can protect hi-”
“He won’t let you get close, Tony?! It’s been a week! A week since he figured out his father has been here, in New York City, the entire time! And on top of it, this guy is some millionaire superhero!” Steve was lecturing Tony, but Tony wasn’t really having it. Tony needed to know where Peter lived, if he was safe, who his mother was, and who he lived with.
“I need to know, Steve. I know you don’t agree, but once I know I will respect his boundaries and give him the space he needs.” Tony dismissed him.
“Sir,” JARVIS started and Tony pulled up his main screen to see the cameras. None of the cameras had eyes on Peter, and he looked closer. “We lost Peter.” Tony was amazed.
“What do you mean, lost him? These drones have never lost anybody!” Tony exasperated, throwing his hands up in the air. “JARVIS, this is insane! How did a seventeen year old kid get away from you?!”
On the flip side, Peter was panting as he and Wade crouched in the subway tunnel, hiding from the drone zooming by.
“I can’t believe he sent drones after you!” Wade exclaimed, and Peter shook his head.
“I can. He wants to know where I live so badly. He tries to get any information he can out of me.” Peter paused for a second, feeling bad for him for a second. “I would probably be the same way if I found out I had a son. It’s not his fault I’m Spiderman and can’t let him know anything.”
Wade seemed to be deep in thought, but Peter knew he was just talking to the voices. He was lucky that he had the Spidey Senses, as his whole body was tingling as soon as Tony deployed them. He knew he was being followed, and he thanked every bone in his body that he was able to do that.
“I’ll just have to be a little more careful. We’ll figure it out.”