Peter wasn't ready for this. If he knew this was what his life would be coming to, months after mentioning his boyfriend to his aunt - the one he didn't have - he would be a lot less stressed than he currently was now. But of course, after months of pestering from aunt May about who he was dating, Peter lied and said he had met a nice guy named Tony and was seeing where it went. She of course asked about him constantly after that, and Peter had too many moments of almost being caught in the lie before he started regretting his decision. And then Happy, one of the volunteers at the shelter, who also happened to be May's long-time partner, had proposed. And Peter had two options: Tell his aunt he had been lying for three months or just find a fake boyfriend before the wedding. There was no way he would tell the truth to his aunt, especially after months of getting her hopes up. So all he needed to do was to find a boyfriend, preferably with the name Tony, who could be his plus one.
Peter started trying to date organically, by joining about a million and one dating apps, making profiles until his eyes blurred. He went on about a dozen and a half dates, over the course of a couple of months, and thought things might have been going somewhere with one guy. That was until the guy broke it up a couple of days later, having gotten back together with his ex. Peter really wanted to quit then but thought he would try one more time before giving up. He ended up having one of the worst dates of his life. It had been with a guy named Beck who wouldn't stop talking about his job, not letting Peter get a word in edgeways, and then asking to halve the bill when Peter had only ordered a salad. Peter deleted all of the accounts he had made after that.
Peter then decided, after feeling sad at three a.m. about the state of affairs, that he would go to new places and try to meet people that way. He went to new coffee shops every day and always went to a different place for lunch, even though some places were so far away from his job that he would almost be late getting back from his lunch break. He also went out to a different bar every weekend, wondering if he would ever be able to meet a guy that could meet his requirements. But after months of sitting in a corner, people watching, and hoping that someone would come over and talk to him, no one ever did. Another wasted attempt that left him only a couple of months before the wedding was supposed to happen.
Peter really wished that he could ask his friends for help, but Ned was across the country after getting a job in California working for a video game company; MJ was even further away, living in France and working at a marketing company, where she was painting on the side, and her art was starting to get noticed. He remembered many nights where he received late night facetime calls from her where she had been extremely stressed before an art showing, but with a few words from him, she calmed down and did amazingly, if the thank you call from her hours later was any sign. They still tried to visit each other every year or so, but life kind of took over which meant that sometimes the visits were few and far in between.
Peter kept trying different methods for the next couple months, until he couldn't think of anything to do anymore. He had just about given up and was about to throw in the towel, when he received a surprise visit form Ned and MJ who had flown in for his birthday, the wedding only being a month away. One night, after drinking too much wine, he told them of his misfortune, and all of the troubles that he was having in finding someone to stand in for a fake boyfriend. MJ just laughed at him, which was on par for her. Whereas, Ned lit up and promised him that he knew exactly who could help Peter out, but didn't give any extra information, wanting to know if this mystery person would want to go on the date before telling Peter anything. Ned had left with a promise to Peter that he would have a date to the wedding, and every time Peter tried to bring up who it was, Ned would just shrug with a smile before changing the subject. The closer it got to the wedding the more stressed Peter got, but he had faith in Ned, especially when he got confirmation that his "boyfriend" would be coming to New York a couple days before the wedding so Peter could get to know him better. But Ned knew exactly what he was doing by not giving Peter any information about the guy, because there was nothing that Peter could use as information to back out of the date - not that he really wanted to, because at this point he couldn't deny he was desperate.
Peter spent the day before the arrival of the mystery guy, deep cleaning his apartment. He scrubbed the floors and did laundry, made sure the fridge was fully stocked, and actually made his bed, despite the fact that his "boyfriend" would probably never even be in his bedroom. He would be a gracious host, no matter who the guy turned out to be. Once everything was done, Peter was so tired that he stumbled into bed with his jeans still on, and asleep before his head hit the pillow. He woke up with a start the next day, picking up his phone before rushing out of bed, realizing that the plane had already landed and he only had thirty minutes to get ready for the arrival of his guest. He ran into the bathroom, stripping out of his dirty clothes and taking the shortest shower he had taken in a while, before quickly drying off and moving to his closet. He picked out a nice button down and a pair of his work slacks, wanting to look nice for whoever was about to show up at his place.
He moved back into the bathroom with only one sock on his foot to dry his hair some more, freezing when he heard a loud knock on his door. He cursed quietly, hopping over to the door to get his other sock on, before standing on the other side of the door. He pushed his hair back, still damp, and let out a deep breath before pulling the door open to find the person's fist raised to knock again. The guy lowered his hand and Peter was dumbstruck by how hot this guy looked. He was pretty sure he stood there a bit too long, mouth gaping open like a fish, and no words coming out, if the smirk the guy was wearing said anything. Peter was dying a little bit inside by how handsome this man was, sure that life was out to get him by making them meet like this. And it wasn't until the man spoke that Peter knew he was absolutely screwed.
"Hey sweetheart, I'm Tony."
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Peter let Tony in, the man quickly dropping his things and making himself comfortable on the couch in Peter's living room. Peter moved to the kitchen after Tony asked for a glass of water, filling up one of the least chipped glasses, and letting out a shuddering breath at having to be around the hottest man alive and pretend to be his boyfriend. Peter began to desperately wish that it was no longer a lie and he had actually spent months dating this man, or that he never even told the lie in the first place so he didn't have to be in this situation any more. Peter pulled out his phone and sent a quick message to Ned, basically asking him why Ned had never introduced them before, but it was more just a series of question marks and skull emojis. Peter shook out his arms, hoping to ease some of the tension he could feel in the back of his neck, and let out a shaky breath before wiping his sweaty palms on his pants. Peter walked out of the kitchen, mouth open to speak when his eyes fell upon Tony, passed out and gently snoring. Peter screamed internally as the man only got hotter when he was asleep. Quickly he turned back into the kitchen, dumping the water out and pulled out his phone to scream at Ned, who at Peter's earlier message, sent a cry-laugh emoji in response. The asshole .
Ned picked up after three rings and Peter just whined into the phone, incapable of words, causing Ned's laughter to ring loud in his ear. Peter spent the rest of the call waxing poetics about Tony's face, eyes, and his body to Ned, who really didn't understand the attraction, but happily listened anyway. Peter still wanted to stay quiet just in case Tony woke up, but the man stayed asleep for hours only to finally wake up when Peter had just started to make dinner. Tony meandered into the kitchen mid-yawn, his shirt rumpled up, and one of his hands scratching at the skin of his stomach exposing tanned skin, a happy trail and hip bones that Peter wanted to get his mouth on. He picked up the glass next to the sink, filling it with water before standing back and watching Peter as he cooked. Peter wanted to blame his blush on the heat in the kitchen, but really couldn't...not when Tony's eyes were trailing him as he moved around.
Peter wanted to dunk his head in the pot of boiling water when he realized he was getting hard just from Tony being in the same room as him, but he realized he didn't want to be seen as even weirder than he probably already was, with the way he was stumbling through conversations with Tony. The longer they talked the more comfortable Peter got, so by the time dinner was on the table, they were laughing and joking like old friends. Peter knew the time would come where Tony would inevitably leave, having his own life across the country, but something possessive in Peter wanted Tony to stay. As much as Peter was wanting to deny it, a small part of him had already claimed Tony as his. They chatted all through dinner about their jobs, Peter just as interested in Tony's work as Tony was in his. They talked about their childhood and laughed about similar stories from summer camps and schoolyard battles, leaving the food on Peter's plate sitting untouched for long periods because he was so focused on Tony's stories. But eventually their plates emptied and they moved to the couch, Peter grabbing a bottle of wine and two glasses on the way. Peter walked in and saw Tony curled up in a blanket he didn't recognize, but brushed it off as Tony must have dug it out of his own bag. Never mind the fact that his bags were in the doorway, still in the place that they had been dumped hours earlier.
Peter filled the glasses and handed one to Tony, lifting up one side of the blanket and getting comfy underneath it. Peter looked Tony in the eyes, taking in his features, before looking away and searching the room for something they could talk about. He spotted a picture of him and aunt May with their arms wrapped around each other, smiling goofily into the camera, wearing lopsided Santa hats sitting on their heads. It had been from one of the many Christmases when he volunteered at the shelter, back when he was still in high school. So many things had changed since then, and he was then reminded of the man sitting next to him next to him when he cleared his throat.
"Sorry, Tony," Peter apologized, taking a small gulp of wine. Tony just waved the apology away and rested his hand atop Peter's, where it was resting on the top of the couch. "We should probably talk about a cover story. I talked about you, or a version of you, to my aunt, and we should get those facts straight," Peter said, turning and pulling a leg underneath him.
He told Tony all about the things that he had previously told his aunt and the more Peter told Tony, the more of what he said directly matched Tony's own life. There were things he missed, like growing up in the 1%, having an abusive father, and how his parents died young, but he got a lot of things right too. Like how Tony went to MIT, and how he runs his own company, but Peter played it off as a small start-up...not one of the biggest tech conglomerates in the United States. May would be shocked when she heard about that, Peter was sure. Tony warned about paparazzi, despite not being the face of the company for many, many years, having handed it off to his best friend, Pepper. Some people still cared about his life. Tony was sure they would be splashed on the front page on the gossip rags by the end of the weekend, which made Peter keeping the relationship secretive more plausible, but also more difficult. Because, if they had been dating like he had said, Peter was sure that there would have been at least one picture of them together. Tony just said he shouldn't worry about it and that he hadn't been in the tabloids for a while, having done nothing noteworthy for a while. He also reminded Peter that a million and one celebrities have secret relationships, and Tony had already done a lot worse than date a guy twenty five years younger than him.
Peter just nodded, not wanting to get too anxious about what was to happen this weekend before it had started. Of course, this was the moment that he remembered that he would have to act intimate with Tony, kiss him and hold hands...Peter got so nervous, spooked by the idea by getting any closer to the man, when Peter already wanted to jump him, that he upended his half full wine glass all over himself. He let out a choked gasp as the red wine stained his white shirt, and a second later, Tony was pressing a towel to his chest, sopping up what he could. Peter shooed away the helpful gesture, knowing he would have to wash the shirt to get the stain out. He told Tony as much before moving to the bathroom, stripping out of the wine-soaked shirt and putting it in the sink to run cold water over it, asking Tony if he could get another shirt from his closet.
So much for Tony not going into his bedroom… at least it was clean. Peter turned the water off and rang out the shirt, water running pink, before throwing it in his washing machine with some detergent and turning it on. Peter moved back to the living room, where Tony was sitting on the couch, hand held out with a shirt, which Peter quickly pulled on. Tony was looking at Peter with concern, asking if he was okay. Peter told Tony he was fine and that his shirt was already in the washing machine.
Tony visibly relaxed against the couch cushions and Peter joined him, joking that maybe he had drank too much. Tony laughed along, but still placed a hand on Peter's shoulder asking him again if he was okay. Peter realized, he probably wanted to know why Peter had reacted so strongly to talk about the paparazzi. Peter played it off as just being a bit nervous about seeing his face on the front cover of a magazine, because he couldn't say that he had been so excitedscarednervous to kiss Tony that he had spilled wine on himself. Tony didn't seem satisfied with that answer, but didn't ask again and Peter was thankful. Peter grabbed the remote from the coffee table and pointed it at the TV, the screen coming to life as Peter asked Tony if he wanted to watch anything. Tony just said that he wanted to be surprised, so Peter reverted to one of the classics, finding The Fellowship of the Ring and settling back into the couch cushions. They chatted through the movie, talking about the plot and the characters. Peter maybe gave a bit too much away about his crush on Aragorn by the way Tony looked at him every time Aragorn was on screen after that, once joking that he should leave the room so they could be alone together. Peter just smacked him with a pillow, laughing softly at the jab.
It wasn't until the movie ended, that Peter realized how close he had got to Tony through the movie. He turned his head to look at Tony and giggled softly when he found Tony fast asleep. The flight probably took a lot out of him, Peter guessed. He moved Tony so that he was laying down properly, covering him fully by the blanket before retiring to his own room. He changed into his pajamas and crawled into bed without a second thought, falling asleep soon after his head touched the pillow.
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He woke up the next morning to find Tony cooking bacon and eggs in just his t-shirt and boxers, a perfect image of domesticity, and Peter couldn't help but take in the view, leaning against the threshold of the kitchen. He entered the room after a few more moments, not wanting to look weird in case Tony turned and spotted him watching. He grabbed the carton of orange juice out of the fridge and moved around Tony to grab a glass. He set it down and filled it before returning the orange juice to its rightful place.
"You're out of eggs." Tony said abruptly as he shovelled a piece of omelette into his mouth.
"What? I just bought a full carton a couple of days ago," Peter voiced confusedly, looking to Tony for answers who just looked at him with a furrowed brow.
"My first attempts at making this omelette failed. You should definitely think about getting a new oven, faulty wiring," Tony explained jokingly, smirking at Peter. Peter wasn't about to take it lying down… well, he was, but that was different … so he threw a barb back at Tony, loving their easy banter.
"Did you ever realize that maybe you're just not a good cook?" Peter joked in return, taking another sip of his orange juice.
"That really hurt my feelings, kid. You'll send me to an early grave if you keep that up," Tony shot back smiling at him, before the smile dropped and his expression became unreadable. Peter looked at him concerned, not liking the look on Tony's face. Tony looked up at him, a bit shocked, before clearing his throat and speaking. "When I was a kid, I had a butler. He was a great man, kept me young when everything else was making me grow up. I owe my life to him," Tony said, looking past Peter, a sad look on his face. Peter rested a hand on Tony's upper arm, offering condolences to what surely were painful memories, based on Tony's expression. Peter could tell there was more there than Tony would probably ever tell him, so Peter was glad he got even this much.
"I'm sorry that happened to you, and I'm glad he was there for you," Peter replied softly, afraid that speaking any louder would break the moment they were having. Tony smiled softly before pulling away, straightening, and taking another bite of his slightly burnt food. Peter turned, saying nothing. He opened a cupboard, rummaging through it for his cereal, grabbing his favourite and deposited it on the counter. He grabbed a bowl and filled it to the brim with Lucky Charms, grabbing the milk from the fridge and pouring it over top, before settling against the counter with spoon in hand as he took a big bite of his cereal.
"You got any plans for today?" Tony asked, just as Peter took his first bite. Tony laughed as Peter choked on his cereal, trying to answer his question. Tony came over and patted Peter's back as he started coughing, and Peter took it as a sorry for making him choke on his food. He coughed a few more times before being able to speak.
"I don't have any plans right now, but I was thinking we could go sightseeing," Peter suggested, wanting to be able to share his version of New York with Tony and felt extremely excited when he got a nod from the man. He scarfed down his breakfast and then walked quickly to his room, wanting to get changed as fast as possible to have enough time to show Tony around. Peter threw on his best pair of jeans - and if they made his ass look good, that was for no reason at all - and one of his nerdy t-shirts before walking back into the living room just as Tony was pulling on a shirt. That quick flash of a toned chest and stomach made Peter turn around and stammer out an apology, only to turn back when he heard Tony's laugh, wanting to see what it looked like when the man laughed. Peter smiled sheepishly at him before motioning to the door, where he put on his shoes and coat, leading Tony from the apartment and locking it behind them.
The first place Peter took Tony was the subway, not having a car to get around. He only had a bike, never having needed a car -not that he had his license anyway -and knew that it would be impossible for the both of them. Tony sat down in the last free seat, which led to Peter standing in front of him. Peter was okay during the travel for the first couple stops, before a sharp turn pushed Peter closer to Tony when he then realized that his crotch was right in Tony's face. He spent the rest of the trip trying not to think about what it would be like to get a blowjob from Tony, and hoping that his boner wasn't too obvious. Peter was grateful when he was finally able to move away from Tony, leaving some distance between the two of them.
Peter took Tony around to the touristy spots: the MoMA and the Met, Times Square and the Empire State building, Central park and the Rockefeller center, but then also to the spots that he loved the most. He took Tony to the New York Hall of Science, and talked about all of the exhibits as if he hadn't been through them a thousand times before. Peter didn't know how it started but they began talking about A.I. and bioengineering, bouncing ideas off each other with rapid fire, making Peter's brain go a million miles an hour. He had never really been able to talk to someone the way he was talking to Tony about what he did, having someone who was on his same level of intelligence outside of the people he worked with.
Despite having been told that they would probably have paparazzi following them, Peter never expected that they would show up outside the science museum, but someone must have seen Tony and word got out. He wasn't ready for the world to know before his aunt, and it also seemed like Tony wasn't too keen on being spotted with Peter. Tony put on a pair of sunglasses and a hat that seemed to appear from nowhere, before urging Peter to do the same. Peter reminded him that he would be fine, not needing a disguise as he wasn't nearly as famous as Tony was. Tony nodded, like he had forgotten, and they managed to sneak out in a large group, walking right past the unassuming paparazzi.
Peter walked down the street with Tony, who was still wearing his disguise for just a bit longer, not wanting another run-in with the paps when they were still so close. By the time Peter and Tony got to the boat docks, that would take them to the Statue of Liberty, the disguise was off and Tony and Peter were back to joking around like nothing had happened. The closer they got to the statue, the more excited Peter got, looking forward to sharing this experience with Tony, having spent many summer days over the years climbing up to the top of the statue. They made their way slowly up the steps, pausing every once in a while to catch their breath, until they reached the top. And when Peter saw the view from the crown, he was just as breathless as the first time he was there. He looked to Tony to see his reaction, but saw him just watching Peter, a soft smile on his face, before his gaze turned to take in the view.
Peter watched Tony take in the sight, seeing as the man got to watch him react to it. After taking in the view for 15 minutes, they started the descent back down, stopping in the gift shop before getting back on the boat. Peter got Tony a small Lady Liberty keychain and Tony decided to get Peter and himself a foam crown, putting it on their heads, before pulling Peter in for a picture. With one hand around Tony's waist, Peter looked up at the camera and smiled before getting a better idea and pressing his lips to Tony's cheek, closing his eyes. Peter waited long enough for Tony to have taken a picture before pulling away, hoping for another moment they could do that...just between them, without anyone watching. But knowing this weekend, all eyes would be on them.
"What was that for?" Tony asked, looking curiously at Peter, his arm still wrapped around his midsection.
"Just in case," Peter replied, not giving the real answer of, ‘ because I wanted to’.
Tony said nothing else, grabbing Peter's hand and pulled him to the ferry so they could get back to their sightseeing. Peter didn't realize, until they got off the boat, that Tony was still holding his hand, and he didn't think he ever wanted to let go. They decided that they had seen all the sights; Tony hadn't been in New York the same way Peter had been, so they just wandered the streets to window shop, and slowly made their way back to Peter's apartment. Tony stopped Peter outside a jewelry store, asking politely for Peter to wait outside while he went in and looked at what they had. Peter waited outside, sending a quick message into the group chat with Ned and MJ that was a picture from when Tony and him had gone ice skating; Tony standing with his legs spread and arms out wide as he tried not to fall over. At the time, Peter had been slightly baffled when only ten minutes later, Tony was lapping him, but he had just guessed that it was muscle memory. Tony came out twenty minutes later with a small bag, but just grabbed Peter's hand again and kept walking. Peter didn't bother asking about it.
Late in the day, after hours of walking around, Peter's stomach made a loud rumble. He realized he had been so busy showing Tony around that he forgot to get them food, other than a hotdog hours ago. Peter was going to drag him to his favourite sandwich shop, but he didn't think that would be enough after being active all day. He asked Tony if there was any specific type of dish he wanted, and Tony thought about it for a moment before giving his answer. When Peter had to ask what minestra maritata was, Tony gave out a shocked gasp and demanded that Peter lead him to the nearest grocer so that they could get the ingredients. When they arrived after a couple minutes of walking, Tony walked into the small grocer like he owned the place, and then pulled Peter by the hand down the different aisles, collecting the ingredients. Tony quickly swatted away Peter's card when he tried to pay, pressing his own black card on the debit card machine and grabbing the bag from the cashier, throwing out a quick 'thank you' to the cashier as they walked out.
They walked the short distance to the subway and then rode the train back to Peter's apartment, managing to grab seats next to each other this time. They got in the door and Tony set the two bags down on the kitchen counter, tossing a small box at Peter from the bag that he had carried out of the jewelry store. Peter juggled it for a moment, not expecting it before grasping it and pulling it close to his chest. He opened the small package and let out a soft gasp at how beautiful the necklace was that rested inside. He lifted it out of the box so the pendant of the necklace was resting in his palm. He brought it closer to his face to look at it properly, and saw all the detail and care that had been put into the piece. It was a compass, and the north marker was facing just a bit to the left, so it would be pointing at Peter's heart when he wore it. He held it out to Tony and the man helped put it around his neck, Peter reaching up to feel where it was resting against his sternum.
"It's beautiful, thank you," Peter said, pulling Tony in for a hug, before pulling away and looking down at it. "I love it so much." Peter gushed and Tony just smiled at him, before pulling Peter in for another hug. They pulled away from the hug at the same time and Peter desperately wanted to feel what it would be like if Tony was to kiss him, his gaze flicking down to look at Tony's soft lips. It seemed like Tony wanted to do the same thing, until he pulled away abruptly, as if remembering where he was and what this relationship was for, before moving into the kitchen. Peter trailed behind a moment later. Tony started pulling the ingredients out of the grocery store plastic bag, laying them out on the workspace. Peter helped, grabbing whatever Tony asked for, before assisting in cutting up the vegetables and helping to prep the meatballs. Peter was starting to recognize the dish as something May always made when he was young and home sick. And when the meatballs were browning in a pan and the stock was simmering gently on the stovetop, Peter decided to confirm his suspicions.
"We're making italian wedding soup, aren't we?" Peter asked. Tony looked at him with a raised eyebrow, as if he had never heard of it, but based on the blush high on his cheekbones, Peter knew he was right. "I love this soup, my aunt would always make it when I was sick," Peter explained, hoping that this soup was just another thing that they might have a shared experience with.
His hope came true when Tony launched into a story about the many times when Tony was feeling pressured by his parents, and when the world was too heavy on his shoulders… Jarvis made him this soup. It became a sign of comfort that he craved when his parents were dead, and every time he started to feel like the world was crumbling down around him, he would make the soup. Tony left Peter to stir, leaving the kitchen and telling Peter that he was going to set the table. Peter wasn't sure how he would do that, as Peter didn't own anything that fancy that Tony could use. Peter brought out a few pieces of pasta, chewing them to see if they were done, and turned off the heat. He grabbed his mismatched oven mitts and picked up the large pot to carry it out to the table, almost dropping it when his eyes landed on the table.
The table had been decorated beautifully; covered with a white cloth, two candles set in the middle with a small vase in between, and full of roses. Rose petals were spread on the table, and they were sprinkled on the floor around the table as well. Peter watched as Tony lit the candles, walking over and setting the pot of soup on the table. Peter didn't even know how to ask how Tony had collected all of this extra stuff, but the moment was too special… the gesture was so romantic, that Peter didn't want to ruin the moment. Tony directed Peter to take a seat, pulling out the chair for him before disappearing into the kitchen, coming back out after a few moments with a bottle of wine and two glasses. Peter just gaped at Tony before shaking himself out of the shock and confusion, smiling at Tony instead. He picked up the glass of wine that Tony had poured and initiated a cheer.
"To us." Peter clinked his glass against Tony's before taking a sip, Tony repeating his words softly, a happy smile on his face. Peter served himself some of the soup and let out a happy noise at the first bite, quickly spooning some more into his mouth. They ate silently before Tony let out a hum, wiping at his mouth with a napkin.
"I gotta say, you're a pretty good sous-chef, sweetheart," Tony murmured, looking at Peter through the dim candlelight. Peter blushed hotly at the nickname, not realizing it would affect him that much, but it coming from Tony was probably the reason.
"You're an okay chef, old man," Peter said without thinking. He froze, hoping the words didn't come across too mean, especially when Tony was being so sweet. Tony just reached across the table to grab Peter's hand, rubbing his thumb along the ridge of Peter's knuckles with a bright smile on his face.
"That wounds me, darling," Tony chuckled softly, obviously not hurt at all by the jab, withdrawing his hand to continue eating. Peter took a few more bites before he remembered something Tony had said earlier, and Peter was curious what Tony's answer would be.
"Why did you make the soup this time?" Peter asked, one eyebrow quirking up just a bit as he put his spoon down next to his bowl. Tony made a confused noise as Peter brought his elbows up to rest on the table's edge. "You told me earlier that it's comforting, and that when you're dealing with something difficult...you make it," Peter explained further, resting his chin in his palm. "So what's the difficult thing right now?" Tony shifted in his seat, wiping his hands in his napkin before replying.
"I guess… I just don't want to screw up at this wedding, and say or do something wrong." Tony shrugged, but it looked like there was something else that was bothering him, something bigger than just the wedding. Peter was wondering if Tony would ever tell him about it, but then he reminded himself that after this weeked Tony would no longer be a part of his life, not in the way Peter wanted him to. He would just be that guy who was desperate for a wedding date and Tony was kind enough to say yes to, but that was something they could deal with after the wedding was over.
"There's nothing you could do that would ever be wrong," Peter comforted, his hand moving across to rest over Tony's and hoping the motion was soothing. When Tony grasped Peter's hand with a smile, Peter knew he had done the right thing.
"You wouldn't say that if you had met me twenty years ago," Tony countered, and Peter didn't know how to respond to Tony's words. Peter thought for a moment about how to explain exactly what he was feeling to the other man.
"I don't know him. I know you, and you're the one I care about," Peter responded softly, squeezing Tony's hand. He blushed once he realized what he said, but decided by the look on Tony's face that it had been exactly what Tony needed to hear. The soft smile spurred him on. "I don't care what he did, I care about what you've done. And from what I've seen so far, you've done nothing but good."
Tony just shrugged, but Peter could tell that Tony's eyes were a bit misty. Peter shot Tony a quick smile, Tony returning it briefly before letting go of Peter's hand. They finished their dinner in silence, enjoying the quiet. Peter took the dishes into the kitchen to deal with later and pulled Tony over to the couch, sitting right next to him on the cushion. Their bodies were leaning into each other when Peter grabbed the remote and started up a random movie that was playing. Peter shifted, a bit uncomfortable from where Tony's elbow was digging into his side. Tony moved his arm up and around his shoulders, pulling Peter into his side, and Peter let out a sigh as they started cuddling on the couch.
Peter woke up some time later, Tony turning off the tv with a soft click and Peter rubbed at his eyes. "How long was I asleep for?" Peter asked, hoping that Tony wasn't too put out by Peter falling asleep on him.
"It wasn't long, only about half an hour," Tony replied, getting up from the couch to blow the candles out before flopping back down onto the cushion next to Peter. Peter let out an indignant noise at being jostled, but was soothed by a hand wrapping around his shoulders. Tony asked if Peter wanted to do anything else, and Peter nodded before falling asleep once more. He heard a soft good night before he fully succumbed to sleep and his dreams were filled with Tony.
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He woke up early the next morning, his alarm blaring loudly on his phone. He lifted himself up from his mattress and wondered how he had got there, when he remembered falling asleep in the living room, curled into Tony's side. Tony must have carried him into his room, before going to bed himself. He checked his phone to see what the alarm was about and shoved the covers off himself a moment later. Getting out of bed and staggering over to his closet, he got changed into a nice button down and some black slacks. The wedding was today, and Tony was about to meet May for the first time. Hopefully nothing was too awkward between them, but with how Tony had been treating Peter for the last two days, he was sure May would have no complaints. Peter got out of bed, stumbling out into the living room to wake Tony up, only to find him already awake, despite the early hour.
"Sorry about falling asleep on you there. I didn't mean to," Peter blushed, fiddling with his hands, hoping his behaviour hadn't been too obvious as to how much he liked Tony. But the dinner that Tony had organized last night, made Peter think he could lay it on thicker. He had told May many times that he was deeply enamoured with his boyfriend, and it would be odd if he was acting awkwardly. "Glad I wasn't the first one to sleep with you," Peter said casually, his ears burning once the words he said registered in his brain. "Not like that! I- you- you know what I mean," Peter stammered out, Tony smirking at him from across the room.
"I'm afraid I don't, sweetheart. Why don't you tell me?" Tony joked, approaching Peter slowly. The closer he got, the more tongue tied Peter got. It wasn't until Tony was a foot away, that Peter finally got his words back.
"Just that I fell asleep on you, which I still want to apologize for, by the way, especially since you had to carry me to bed." Peter rushed out his words, stumbling over them a bit with how fast they were coming out of his mouth. Tony just smiled at him sweetly, before moving back to the couch, Peter getting a chance to breathe.
"It's all right, you're not the first one who's praised me on my abilities of being a good pillow," Tony said, chuckling, pulling his shirt off over his head and grabbing a button-up, putting it on quickly. Peter told Tony that they would be having breakfast with the happy couple, before realizing that there was one fatal mistake he made. He had been meaning to talk to Tony about his desired level of intimacy, and if kissing was going to be okay, but they had been so busy the past couple days that Peter had completely forgotten to ask. He took a deep breath, facing Tony before asking the fated question.
"Would it be alright if I kissed you?" Peter blurted out, hands curled at his sides. Tony's eyebrows shot up on his forehead, as if not expecting the question, before smoothing out as Tony approached Peter.
"I think if I said no, someone would need to have me admitted to a mental hospital," Tony joked, running a hand through his hair. Peter made a noncommittal noise and Tony looked at him, smirking. "Do you want to get some practice in before I meet the mother, so to speak?" Tony asked, continuing in his joking tone,, and Peter's heart rate doubled as he smacked Tony lightly on the chest at the dig.
"Sure, if you want to," Peter joked back, but with the way Tony's hand came up to rest on his cheek, he realized Tony was being completely serious. He watched as Tony inched closer and closer, stopping right before their lips touched. Peter let out a soft whine, and his hands came up to fist in the fabric of Tony's sleepshirt.
"Come here then, sweetheart," Tony whispered, pressing his lips gently against Peter's, pausing for a few moments as if he wanted to give Peter a chance to back out of it... as if he hadn't been wanting this for the whole weekend. Peter moaned softly into the kiss and that seemed to be what Tony needed to hear, as he didn't wait to bring his hands up and rest them on either side of Peter's face. They kissed softly for a few moments before Peter got impatient, drunk on the feeling of Tony's lips against his, and fisted his hands tighter in Tony's shirt, his tongue teasing at the seam of Tony's mouth. Tony's lips fell apart, and his hands trailed down Peter's body until they were wrapped firmly around his waist. Peter didn't want to be the one to pull them apart and say that they needed to get to breakfast, but he knew that May would get worried if they didn't show up on time. He pulled away, but he could have spent the rest of the day kissing Tony and would have been happy.
"Gotta get to breakfast," Peter said, wishing he had never pulled away. Tony must have seen the want on his face, because he only pulled Peter back in for more kisses, muttering that May and Happy could wait five more minutes. Peter lost track of time under Tony's travelling hands and soft mouth, beard scratching at his cheeks.
He wished he could just stand here kissing Tony forever, and never have to pull away;never have to say goodbye to Tony after this weekend and keep him here forever. But his dreams were dreams, and once this weekend was over, all of this would end. He wasn't sure how much time had passed once Tony pulled away from the kisses, but a ball of despair and melancholy was sitting right in the middle of his chest now, making it hard for him to breathe.
"We should go." Peter pulled himself from Tony's grasp, instantly wishing he could curl himself back in the man's embrace and hide away from the world. Tony just nodded and turned away from Peter, finishing getting dressed. Peter went back into his bedroom, and stood in front of his closet, silent tears falling down his face.
They pulled up to the restaurant 25 minutes later, May standing worriedly outside while looking up and down the street for them. When she spotted them, Peter got an armful of his aunt, pulling him into a hug as she ranted and raved at him about how worried she was that he had shown up late. Peter almost started crying again, wanting to tell May about everything, but he wouldn't tell her now. It would have to wait until Tony was safely back home on the west coast, and May had gotten back from her honeymoon. May seemed to sense that something was wrong though, just as she always did, ever since he was a boy.
"Are you okay, bunny?" May asked him and Peter just nodded, not sure if he could trust his voice right now. May pulled him in for a hug without any prompting, knowing it was exactly what he needed. They hugged for a few more moments, Tony standing off to the side awkwardly and shuffling his feet. Peter pulled away from the hug, gesturing for Tony to join him, and Tony took the opportunity to wrap an arm around his waist.
"May, this is Tony," Peter said, looking between them to gauge their reactions to each other. Even though Tony wasn't actually dating him, May's opinion was extremely important to him. It was important that they got along. He looked at May, wanting to see if she thought well of Tony, but saw a glint in her eye that he had never seen before. Almost something of a knowing directed at Tony, and Peter wasn't sure what that meant for Tony...or himself, really.
"So, Tony, would you ever do anything to hurt Peter?" May asked, giving him a bit of a stink eye, but there was a knowing smile on her face. Peter just looked between them, the same knowing glint in Tony's eye as there was in May's. Peter decided to stay silent for the time being, wanting to know where this would go.
"No, ma'am," Tony said, sounding completely honest. Peter didn't know what to think about that, but he didn't want to get his hopes up too much and make himself think that there would be anything to come out of this.
"Are you planning on breaking up with him soon?" May asked, and Peter made a shocked noise, trying to get her to stop, but she just shushed him and turned her gaze back to Tony.
"No ma'am," Tony repeated, sounding just as sure as the first time, and he owed it to Tony for being such a good actor. Any time May would directly ask Ned a question, he would try to lie but then break within seconds.
"What are your intentions with my nephew?" May asked, Peter letting out a huffed noise, embarrassed by the questions, before walking away from them to find Happy inside the diner. Peter found him quickly and they chatted about the shelter, including Peter's job, Happy seeming to want to save the topic of Tony until he was actually at the table, and for that Peter was thankful. They were sitting there for a few minutes more before May and Tony joined them, both of them smiling happily. Tony settled next to Peter in the booth, wrapping a hand around his waist and pressing a soft kiss to Peter's cheek.
"You really picked a keeper, Peter," May piped up from where she was sitting across the table, a smile on her face as she looked at the two of them. Peter just smiled, saying a soft thank you, before changing the subject back to something that Happy and him were talking about. The conversation changed a few times before the topic of Tony came back up. Peter was just surprised it had taken Happy this long. Happy was fiercely protective of Peter and treated him like a son, and Peter knew that there was no one better for May.
It had been a long time after Ben until she started dating again, and it was a couple days later that she met Happy. Peter got to watch them grow comfortable with each other; got to see how nervous Happy was when May had agreed on a first date. He looked even more nervous on the second date, and Peter knew then that May had a lot to look forward to. And he had been right. It had been five years of dates, good times, and hard times, but everything that happened only made them grow stronger. Peter couldn't see anyone better for his aunt than Happy.
Watching them together now just reminded of all the times he sat across from them in this exact same way, but now they were getting married. The thought of this same thing happening on the day of his and Tony's wedding entered his head, and he immediately wished he had never thought of it. He yearned for a moment like that to happen, and every fibre of his being was begging for it to be with Tony, no matter how hard he tried.
The waiter came by, interrupting Peter's inner monologue asking for their orders. Peter realized he hadn't even taken a look at the menu, and with a brief glance ordered a plate of eggs, bacon, sausage, hashbrowns with a side of pancakes, and a hot chocolate for his drink. Peter would be embarrassed at the amount of food, but yesterday had really tired him out and he knew he would need lots of food now, because he wasn't sure what kind of food would be at the wedding later. May ordered a vegetable omelet and a mimosa, Happy ordering the same thing as Peter minus the hot chocolate, and Tony ordered eggs and toast with a black coffee on the side.
Peter became more involved in the conversation as they waited for their food, praising Tony as he thought he should, when the conversation of Tony's work came up. He was so invested in the conversation that he almost didn't notice the flashes coming in through the window they were sitting next to. Peter's head turned directly into the lens of a camera as the flash went off, Tony noticing a few seconds later and leaving the table. Peter looked confusedly around to see where Tony had gone, but he spotted him near the bar chatting with one of the servers and pointing outside. They chatted for a few moments, Peter watching on, until Tony came back to the table. He turned and watched as the paparazzi was forced off the premises, Peter hearing the loud conversation through the window as the waiter threatened to call the cops. Tony returned, apologizing for ruining breakfast, but May just waved it off saying that some things like that were unavoidable when you were Tony Stark. Tony thanked her, and the instance was forgotten about shortly after when their food was brought to the table.
Peter had a great time at breakfast; although, Happy and May had to leave sooner than expected, because the wedding planner needed their opinion on where they wanted certain things to go at the venue. Tony and Peter sat in comfortable silence as they finished their meal, Peter walking up to the front to pay, only to be told that his aunt had already paid the tab. He sent off a quick text to her thanking her for the gesture, but telling her that he would get the next one. He joined Tony at the door and they walked out of the restaurant and down the street to the subway station, needing to get back to Peter's apartment to get dressed for the wedding.
They made quick work of changing and before Peter knew it, they were at the venue, Tony seated somewhere in the crowd, and Peter was standing next to Happy at the altar, waiting for May to walk in the double doors at the end of the hall. May and Happy had kept a lot of the details private from him, wanting him to be surprised when he walked in the room. The chairs were covered in white cloth with gold bows adorning the chairs closest to the aisle. Each third row had a tall vase full of colourful calla lilies, but the backdrop to the altar was made up of a wall of red roses, petals littering the ground where Happy was standing and where May would soon join him. The room took a collective breath in as the doors opened and May stepped into the room, looking beautiful in her wedding dress. It was an off-white strapless dress with a long train, and the bodice was completely covered in sparkles that flowed down into the fabric of the skirt. As May walked, the dress twinkled and shone under the light of the room, Peter started crying as she got closer. He patted Happy's shoulder a few times, so proud of what he and May had accomplished together. Happy turned his head and smiled at Peter, tears in his eyes.
Peter watched on as their marriage became official, cheering and clapping as they kissed and walked down the aisle out of the room. Tony waited at the doors as people began leaving, holding out his arms as Peter approached and pulling him into a hug, Peter's tears quickly staining Tony's suit jacket. Tony soothed him, running a hand down his back, letting him cry. Peter calmed down after a few minutes, trying to speak through his tears about how beautiful everything was and how good May looked. Tony just smiled softly at him, rubbing his hands soothingly up and down his back.
"It was beautiful, sweetheart," Tony spoke softly, his voice rumbling in his chest. Peter smiled as the tears slowed, Tony's hand coming to rest on his cheek, Peter reaching up and holding it there. "Let's celebrate now, huh?" Tony said, pulling Peter out of the room and out onto the street so they could join May and Happy at the ceremony space. It didn't take them more than 5 minutes to get there, as it was just down the street. They entered the ceremony space together, hand in hand, but Peter was quickly pulled away by the wedding planner as May and Happy had asked for him; he brought Tony along, wanting him to be included as a regular boyfriend would. May pulled him into a hug on sight and Tony shook hands with Happy, congratulating him. The same process followed with Happy, the air being punched out of his lungs as Happy pulled him in for a hug. May surprised Peter by pulling Tony in for a hug, and seemed to surprise Tony as well, based on the look on his face. She whispered something in Tony's ear and Tony blushed, gaze flickering over to Peter, before nodding at May. Peter rejoined Tony's side, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek and wrapping an arm around his waist, before leaving the room and going down to the dining hall, finding their seats and Peter recognized a bunch of them from the shelter. Peter introduced them all to Tony, who shook hands with all of them from across the table. They got to talking about the wedding and future plans for the shelter, now that there was an influx of volunteers and donations. Peter chatted with them, checking in every now and again to make sure that Tony was okay. Every time, Tony just smiled and nodded, fiddling with his tie or cufflinks with nervous energy, slipping away a few times to grab a drink or go to the bathroom.
Eventually, gentle music started playing through speakers in the corners of the room and May and Happy came out to cheers, being introduced by the DJ, Tony just having gotten back to the table with a drink. The DJ called out for the first dance, which went off without a hitch, May and Happy dancing to their song. Peter watched as they moved across the floor, completely fluid in their movements. Peter would be somewhat surprised with Happy's abilities, but he knew that May had coerced him into taking dance lessons a couple months back in preparation. They finished their dance to cheers and claps, and the DJ announced that dinner would be served. Peter got the choice of seafood or steak, and Peter chose the steak option, Tony choosing the seafood option so they could share food. They both enjoyed their meals, Peter stealing bites from Tony's plate with Tony trying his best to ward off the attacks, before doing the exact same thing back to Peter. When dinner had been served and everyone was finished eating, Peter was called up to the front to dance with May for the mother-son dance. They had thought long and hard about what song to dance to, so much of Peter's childhood with them being filled with music and dancing, but couldn't come up with the best of the best until Happy threw out a song option. They instantly knew it was the right one and as the opening chords played over the speakers, Peter couldn't help but smile. As they twirled around the room to the song they picked, Peter saw Tony watching him. He grinned at him and waved slightly in his direction, before being spun by May to where he could no longer see Tony.
"He seems to like you a lot," May said, that same knowing look in her eye from before. Peter blushed, knowing Tony's attraction was all an act that he had to put on for Peter's sake… so Peter didn't have to tell his aunt the truth. He wasn't sure how he would be able to tell her it was all fake, after he'd brought Tony into her life like this and especially into his own. Peter looked to Tony and let out a small sigh, feeling the heartbreak that would come on Monday already, even though he wasn't supposed to have any feelings for him at all. But after the weekend Tony gave him, there was really no way Peter couldn't have fallen madly in love with Tony.
"Well, I hope so, I like him a lot too," Peter said, turning May around the room as the song played on.
"Peter, you can tell me the truth," May said, her gaze moving to Tony before returning to Peter. "I know you and Tony aren't actually dating. Although, you really did luck out finding someone with the same name," May added, patting Peter on the middle of the back gently. Peter just gaped at her, not sure how she had figured it out, but knowing himself, he couldn't have lied to save his life. He resigned to his fate, knowing he would get a million and one questions from May and Happy later, but Peter was hoping it could at least come after their honeymoon.
"How did you know?" Peter asked, already somewhat knowing her answer, but still curious as to how she had found out.
"There's only so many times someone can forget to turn their oven off, or have their car break down, or have their grandmother die. And while I see those as completely normal things, that are devastating in their own right, the frequency at which they were happening really gave you away. Along with the fact that you don't know how to lie, you can be a pretty open book, bunny." May chuckled softly, before her expression changed to one of worry and guilt. "But maybe I was going too far and being invasive, or overprotective. I want you to be able to come to me with this kind of stuff. You thought you had to lie to make me feel better, and I'm sorry," May said, her voice lower, not looking Peter in the eye, and Peter was hit in the chest with guilt.
"No, it wasn't your fault. I just thought it would be easier, make you worry about me less," Peter replied, not sure how to make May understand his side or help her see where he was coming from, but it looked like she knew anyways what with the look on her face giving her away.
"Bunny, it's my job to worry about you," May said, pulling him in for a hug. They swayed slowly as the song came to an end. "I love you so much, bunny," May whispered into his ear, Peter repeating it back to her. They swayed in their hug for a few moments more, before they pulled apart to applause and Peter returned to his table. Not long after he sat down, dessert was served as everyone watched May and Happy cut into their cake together. Happy fed May with a nice bite, but May smeared the cake on his cheek, kissing some of it off, before handing him a napkin. Everyone clapped, laughing, before tucking into their desserts. Peter took a large bite of his cake, and made a happy noise as the red velvet hit his tongue. The cake was gone shortly after, right in time for Peter to give his speech.
"There was a long time, after Ben, that aunt May couldn't look at another human being without feeling guilty. She dove into her work and not much else mattered to her anymore, and just when she had thought she could start dating again, Happy came into our lives," Peter paused, looking directly at May. He knew how much she had struggled, spending a lot of days in bed, before doing a complete 180 and almost working 24/7, feeling bad when she wasn't working. It had taken a long time for her to get back into a healthy schedule, but he's glad she did.
"He was a force to be reckoned with, and gave May a run for her money with his work ethic. They made the perfect pair, but it didn't come without its own problems. Like when Happy would leave the toilet seat up, or May would leave a mess of makeup in their bathroom sink. But every problem they came across, they handled together," Peter continued, May's eyes getting a bit misty and Happy wiping at his eyes with a tissue. Seeing them getting emotional made him feel the same way, his voice catching in his throat. "And then the problems started mattering less, and they became the couple you see in front of you today, equally matched in every department, and enjoying date nights just as much now as when they began. You guys are what I hope to find for myself one day. Cheers to the happy couple," Peter choked out, tears coating his throat and one slipping down his cheek as he finished his speech. He walked up to them to give May and Happy a big hug, congratulating them one more time before returning to his table.
Now that Peter could finally relax, the first thing he did was hit up the bar, getting two shots and a sex on the beach. He tipped back both shots before returning to the table and sitting next to Tony. They sat together chatting before the DJ returned to his booth and started playing dance music, and by then the alcohol really started to hit him, so he immediately pulled Tony onto the dance floor, leaving his empty glass behind. Tony and Peter danced, getting drinks from the bar when they got thirsty; the alcohol giving Peter a flush high on his cheeks. It had taken a while for the DJ to play a slow song, and it was Peter's favourite song from growing up, one that he still listened to regularly.
He pulled Tony onto the dance floor from where they had been at the bar, placing his hands around Tony's neck and pulling the man close, Tony's hands coming around Peter's waist and resting low on his back. They moved in a small square, and Peter could see May and Happy dancing together through the crowd; a happy smile on May's face, her eyes closed as they swayed together. Peter let out a pleased sigh at the look on May's face, so incredibly happy for her, before his gaze returned to Tony to see the man's gaze firm on Peter's face. Peter looked at him confusedly, wondering why Tony was looking so intensely at him, thinking he had something on his face. He wiped a hand on his cheek, brushing at his skin to remove whatever Tony was staring at. Tony noticed what Peter was trying to do and just smiled softly at him, pressing his lips to the skin of Peter's cheek where his fingers had just been.
"Did anyone tell you how beautiful you are, sweetheart?" Tony asked. Peter got embarrassed, never having been complimented like that before, especially from someone he liked this much. Usually, his crushes looked down on him because he was too awkward, or his intelligence made them uncomfortable, but Tony held his own with Peter and never judged him for his intelligence. If anything, he was smarter than Peter, if their trip to the science museum was any sign. Peter never had been able to talk about half of the stuff he talked about with Tony, with anyone else before. And even then, some of the stuff Tony had mentioned had Peter asking questions. Peter realized he had gotten in his own head too much when Tony looked at him, confused.
"Uh, no, not really," Peter stuttered, blushing hotly under Tony's gaze.
Anytime he was complimented, it always made Peter blush and stutter, still not used to it. Tony just smiled, running his hand up and down Peter's back gently. Tony kept him in the small space they had created for themselves on the dance floor, Peter still looking down every so often wanting to make sure he didn't step on Tony's feet. Tony's hand came up to cup his cheek, pausing for a moment until pulling Peter into a kiss. Peter let out a happy noise into the kiss, hands pulling Tony closer from where they were wrapped around his neck. Peter lost track of time the longer their lips stayed connected, not even noticing that they had stopped dancing. Tony pulled away and chuckled, taking a deep breath, before pulling Peter in for another kiss. Peter was drunk on the feel and taste of Tony's mouth, being able to taste the red velvet cake they had just eaten, as well as the alcohol of the drinks that Tony had been drinking all night. But underneath all of that, there was something so uniquely Tony that Peter craved. Peter pulled away from the kiss, needing to catch his breath, his gaze lingering on Tony's face being lit from behind by the fairy lights that were hung above the dance floor. Peter looked up at them with a smile, wanting to commit the whole night to memory.
Tony looked up as Peter did, hoping no one had noticed how the lights hadn't been there before. He looked across the floor at May, hoping he hadn't been too obvious, but she just shook her head at him, smiling. Tony let out a sigh of relief at May not being too upset with him, but also it being something that she could play off if she needed to. Tony looked back to Peter, pulling him into another dance that was a little harder than what they had been doing, but he never minded when Peter stepped on his toes. Instead Tony brushed off all apologies, silencing him with kisses. Eventually, the DJ changed the music to something more fast-paced, but Peter and Tony kept their slower one, not caring about the people around them, happy in their own little bubble.
It was a couple hours later that Tony and Peter were at their table, Peter half asleep next to Tony but not wanting to leave just yet. Tony had been trying to convince Peter that they could leave for the last half hour, but he didn't want to listen and just kept sipping his drink. Tony gave up, looking across the dance floor, spotting May and Happy in the crowd. He had always wondered if anyone would ever love him, but seeing May and Happy so joyful together, he had to believe it was possible. He had never told anyone his secret, never planned to. But as he got older, the want to settle down and have a family of his own became greater, but that meant sharing his secret with someone. He wasn't sure he would be ready to tell anyone when the time came, but seeing the love that May and Happy shared gave him hope that it would one day be possible. His gaze returned to Peter and he hoped it could be with him. He hadn't really known what to think going in to this weekend, but upon Peter, he fell into easy lust. He couldn't deny that Peter was hot, but what came next surprised him. The easy conversation, and Peter's obvious intelligence made him fall in love. He had never felt more comfortable in someone else's presence since his parents and Jarvis. He knew that he would never be able to truly tell Peter everything, for his safety and Peter's, but he was the first person that made Tony truly desperate for those rules to change.
He watched as Peter just got sleepier and knew he would have to do something now, before he really fell asleep. He reached over, placing a hand on Peter's cheek, and nudged him awake. Peter mumbled something that Tony didn't understand, letting out a soft snuffle, hands coming up to rub at his eyes. Tony just smiled softly, pulling Peter to his feet and walking them both over to May and Happy to wish them a good night. As they made their way outside, Peter woke up more and more, draping himself all over Tony. Tony pushed open the door to the street, Peter in his arms, and was barraged with flashes. He knew he couldn't get away from it, but he was angry at it happening in the first place. He had warned Peter about it at the start of the weekend, but he was sure Peter wouldn't want to be splashed across the front page half asleep… even if he did look adorable. He covered Peter as much as he could and rushed them to the car, closing Peter's door before running around to the other side, flashes lighting him up as he went. He said nothing to any of the paparazzi, just slammed his door and sped off, trying to protect Peter as much as possible.
Peter woke up more once he was in the car, watching Tony jog around to the driver's side and slam his door; pulling away from the curb, leaving behind the bright lights and loud noise. Peter stayed silent, not wanting to bother Tony when he seemed so upset. He waited until they were back at Peter's apartment, doors locked and settled together on the couch, glasses of wine in hand, before he asked.
"Why did you do that?" Peter asked, before realizing that Tony would probably need clarification. "Why did you cover me up like that? It's not like it really matters. You warned me that it could happen," Peter clarified, almost not wanting to hear the answer if it meant that Tony would tell him that everything he had been doing had all been a lie, that this whole weekend had been fake. Well, more than it already was.
"I didn't want you on the cover of every gossip rag in existence for just being with me," Tony said, looking down into his wine glass before taking a sip. Tony didn't want to keep Peter attached to him in any way by the end of this weekend, if Peter didn't want it. "No need to tie you to me like that, especially with everything," Tony elaborated, wishing he could say what he meant. With everything meaning: ‘how much I like you, how much I want this to be real, how much I wish I could stay after this and we could try it out, see where it takes us.’
"So, that's it, then? You go back to California and leave me here?" Peter realized that once the words left his mouth that he was both too tired and too drunk to be having this conversation. Peter put his glass of wine down on the table, not wanting to dump it all over himself like he had the first night, before turning his body to face Tony.
"But you did. You needed me here, and now you're getting mad about something I warned you about when I first showed up?" Tony said, this solidifying that he could never trust anyone with his secret - with himself - all of the quirks and insecurities. He took the last gulp of wine from the glass before setting it down on the table next to Peter's. Peter felt anger bubble up inside him, something nameless but all consuming.
"So, you go back and I stay here, and we, what, pretend that this never even happened?" Peter asked, hands fisting in his lap, his carefully created world that had existed for this weekend crumbling around him.
"Yes that's usually what happens after a fake relationship," Tony nodded, relaxing back into the couch, a hand reaching over and picking up a pair of tinted glasses and putting them on. Peter was stunned silent, having hoped that some part of the relationship that they had created would remain, but Tony seemed pretty disinterested in trying it out.
"Well, of course you would know," Peter said petulantly, wanting Tony to feel as hurt as he was in the moment. He knew he would try blaming it on the sleepiness and the alcohol tomorrow, but Peter was wide awake and fairly sober, so he really had nothing to excuse what he was doing.
"That's a low blow, darling. Not what I expected from you," Tony said, just looking disappointed. Peter felt like a child being reprimanded by a parent, more than anything, so he lashed out.
"You know nothing about me," Peter growled, despite that being so far from the truth. Tony knew more than most, from the long nights on the couch chatting and the day trip where Peter may have divulged too much information about himself.
"Exactly, just like how you know nothing about me," Tony said with an angry look on his face, and Peter wanted to shout at him, make them stop arguing and tell him all the things he knew about Tony, but he knew he couldn't now… when he already said what he did.
"What are you gonna say then, when the magazines hit the shelves?" Peter tried to pivot, get Tony's attention off the last couple minutes and hopefully stop the fight in its tracks.
"Nothing, just like I always do. Let the people think what they want," Tony responded, his face relaxing some, but he was still tense as if he expected the fight to ramp back up. His hand came up to fiddle with the glasses on his face, but he didn't take them off.
"I didn't sign up to be some talking piece in your life. I never should have said yes to this." Peter said, flopping his head onto the back of the couch and closing his eyes, bemoaning the situation. Peter could feel Tony tense up further from where he was sitting on the couch. Peter opened his eyes and took in the expression on Tony's face. He was staring holes into the couch, jaw clenched. He looked up at Peter as he lifted his head from the back of the couch.
"But you did. You're the one who couldn't pony up and tell his aunt the truth, dragging me into this mess," Tony ground out, like he almost didn't want to say it, but knew he had to. Peter fell silent, anger flying his chest again, but this was worse than before.
"You didn't need to say yes!" Peter shouted, gesturing across the sofa at Tony. He wanted the man to fight back, but he wasn't. Just staying still, only moving to fiddle with his glasses.
"I thought I should try and do the right thing for once, lend a helping hand," Tony said, dejected. Peter thought back to the weekend and realized that though Tony had helped significantly, he also made things so much more difficult for him. Having to pretend to be affectionate with someone, when he so desperately wanted it all to be real, was one of the more difficult things he had done in a while. Peter clenched his fists where they were perched on his thighs and knew he needed to end it now if Tony wasn't wanting anything more out of it, if only to save himself the heartbreak.
"I didn't want you! You should never have come here," Peter bellowed, hands hitting the leather of the couch in anger. Tony just stared at him blankly for a moment before shifting and standing.
"If you're so desperate to have me gone, then fine, I'll go." Tony moved to the front door, shouldering his bags and turning to look at Peter one last time. Peter stayed sitting on the couch, not sure if he would be able to trust his legs if he did stand, so desperate to go to Tony and plead with him to stay… but he couldn't. Tony was going back to California and he had to accept that.
"Fine!" Peter shouted one last time, his voice cracking as tears threatened to spill. But he wouldn't let Tony see him cry. Not now. Or ever, if he was being realistic with himself. Tony would be gone tomorrow, and there was nothing Peter could do about it. He watched as Tony picked up his last bag and opened the door.
"Fine," Tony said, walking through the open door and shutting it behind himself. Peter wanted the door to be slammed, not have Tony be so resigned to his fate, but what's done was done. Peter wanted to chase after him and apologize, to make sure Tony knew how real the weekend had been for him, even if Tony still didn't feel the same way. But it didn't take long for Peter's eyes to fill with tears, sobs wracking his chest moments later. He didn't know how long he cried for. He only knew that by the time he was done, his face would be covered in snot and tears and his eyes would be ringed red and sore. Peter, once he was done crying and washed his face, laid down on his bed still in his suit, and grabbed the necklace from around his neck twiddling it in between his fingers as he started crying again, wishing Tony was still there.
Peter was laid out on a bed, Tony's body over his own, and Tony's kisses rendering him incapable of thought. Peter arched up into the hands running down his chest, rough hands tweaking his nipples on their path down, sending a sharp heat shooting through his body. Tony pressed hard kisses down the line of his neck, his teeth scraping against the column of Peter's throat. Peter let out a small gasp, wanting more faster… harder. Apparently Tony got the memo, because his teeth dug into the skin of Peter's throat as his hand found its way into Peter's pajama bottoms and stroking up and down with a rough grip, the pleasure and pain mingling until Peter wasn't sure what was happening anymore. Not even where Tony ended and he began. It didn't take long for Tony to get impatient, pulling away from Peter and hovering over him, his hand letting go of Peter's dick causing a high whine to slip from Peter's lips at the lack of stimulation.
Peter watched as Tony's hand came into view and his thumb rested against Peter's bottom lip, Peter's mouth opening on instinct. Tony let out a low moan, placing two of his fingers in Peter's waiting mouth and telling him to suck. Peter slathered Tony's digits in his saliva, wanting to make sure the glide was as smooth as it could be for when Tony decided to finger him. Tony pulled his fingers out of Peter's mouth after a few more moments, Peter whining and following the hand as it moved away from him.
"So pretty, my perfect boy," Tony whispered, as if the claim he was laying on Peter was something secretive, that Peter shouldn't have been able to hear it. But he wanted the claim to be loud, covering him from head to toe;Tony's marks covering every inch of him. He whined and begged as Tony dug his teeth into his neck and chest, wishing they could stay on his skin forever.
"Yours," Peter whispered, repeating the word until he felt Tony's fingers at his entrance, unsure as to when Tony had taken his pants off with mind in a haze. Tony smirked at the muttered word before pressing one finger in, Peter letting out a loud moan at the feeling of his body finally being breached by the man he had come to love in every fashion of the word.
Peter woke up in a sweat, legs tangled in his sheets, cock hard between his thighs. Peter let out a moan, hand wrapping around his dick, remembering the phantom pleasure of dream Tony fingering him open. He slicked up his own fingers, pressing them against his hole until they slipped inside. It was a pale imitation of what it would be like if Tony actually fingered him, and filled him up with his fingers and tongue until he finally gave Peter what he really wanted. Peter came a few moments later, pulling his fingers out and wiping them on his sheets, not worrying about cleaning up. He rolled over, away from the mess, and pulled his sheet up under his chin, falling asleep quickly. He woke up again later to the sun shining directly in his eyes. He let out a sleepy groan, throwing his arm over his eyes, planning on going back to sleep, until he heard his phone chime. It must be May checking up on him after last night. Peter knew he wouldn't be able to avoid her now, so he reached for his phone. Opening his eyes, he looked at the notification. It was from the Twitter app and he almost didn't look at it, but his face staring back from the screen made him do a double take. Peter was kind of surprised it took this long, until he saw the time stamp. It was posted 6 hours ago. Peter checked the comments of the tweet, just to see what people were saying about him. He knew the internet could be nasty, but being called a cheap whore by thousands of people hurt. He put his phone down with a deep sigh and rolled over, hoping to forget about everything.
He got out of bed a couple hours later, if only to go to the washroom, wandering into the kitchen to grab the orange juice. He heard a car laying down on the horn, and Peter wandered over to his window, curiosity making him look at what the honking was about. He saw a few people standing around, waiting with cameras, and he immediately ducked down despite them not being able to see him at all. He was at least glad he wouldn't have to leave his house until tomorrow, but he knew getting to work would be a pain if he had paparazzi following him around. Peter let out a deep sigh, leaving the view of the window. He put the orange juice back and crawled back into bed, not wanting to have to deal with the world for a while.
He was lucky Monday morning when no paparazzi were outside his house, not expecting them to be waiting anywhere else for him. As he was walking down the street to work, he noticed a few people loitering around and recognized them as the same people that had been outside of his apartment the day before. He tried to think of an alternate way to get into work, but they had noticed him at that point, calling out to him and snapping photos. He just tried to get through the doors as fast as possible, not answering any of their questions and keeping his head down. He let out a sigh of relief once the doors closed behind him, moving to the elevator to get to his floor. He made his way through the work week at a slow pace, fielding the questions from his coworkers as well as he could. He wasn't even sure what he could say, not wanting to incriminate Tony for something that never even happened. When he wasn't working, he was at home, trying not to be spotted outside. The picture from Monday had been plastered on the front page of the gossip rags the next day, but Peter was thankful that the paparazzi seemed to have backed off somewhat when they realized he wasn't going to do much else.
He had been looking forward to the weekend since the week started, knowing he wouldn't have to leave the house for anything for two whole days. He knew that May would most likely be at his doorstep sometime that weekend as well, as she would be returning tomorrow. Peter was tired of seeing his face plastered everywhere, and could only imagine how Tony must have felt. Tony still hadn't said anything to the press, and hadn't been spotted anywhere the past week. Peter was kind of curious what Tony would be up to, what the man had worked on that week, and if he had thought of Peter at all during that time. Peter let out a sigh as his mind strayed to memories of Tony. The way they had kissed, held hands, and danced together under the shine of the lights. But thinking about him made Peter remember the fight they had just as much. He wondered if he would ever be able to forget how Tony made him feel.
He had just gotten home from work, toeing off his shoes and collapsing on the couch, when he heard a soft knock at the door. May wasn't supposed to be back yet, but maybe she came home a day early. He called out a quick ‘coming’ and opened the door, not expecting who was on the other side. Tony. Peter stood shocked, staring at Tony, before remembering himself and letting Tony in wordlessly. Tony walked in and stood in the middle of the room, Peter closing the door with a soft click and locking it.
"What are you doing here?" Peter asked, never having expected to see Tony again after what had happened. He was happy to see him, but couldn't help but feel a bit wary. He wasn't sure why Tony was back, when he had been so clear about his intentions the last time. Peter motioned for them to sit on the couch, and couldn't help but think about the last time Tony had been sitting there.
"Well, I got back to California, and immediately went to work in my workshop to see what I could do to get my mind off you. I probably drank too much, trying to get you out of my head, but it didn't work. I went to work the next day, more hungover than I had been in a while. Ned saw me and asked what had happened. I told him about the argument we had, and we got to talking about the whole situation, and he was surprised that things had ended the way they had. I asked him what he meant, when you had seemed so sure in what you had last said to me… when he showed me the messages you had sent to him. Now I realize that might be a bit of a privacy breach, but I definitely wasn't expecting to see you waxing poetics about me, sweetheart. Really knew how to stroke my ego with that one," Tony paused, clearing his throat, taking another moment before speaking almost as if he was thinking about what to say next.
"I, of course, wanted to come back right away and talk everything out, but I was stopped by Pepper, telling me that I really needed to think this through. To wait a couple days for things to blow over, in terms of press. I couldn't stop thinking about you, darling, and I barely got any work done because I was so desperate to get back here and talk things out with you." Tony said, looking at Peter like he was still questioning what Peter's reaction would be. Peter let Tony speak, the hope in his chest sparking and turning into a strong blaze. Peter wasn't really sure to expect when Tony had started talking, but by the end of it, Peter was moving into Tony's space, asking him if it was okay if Peter kissed him. Tony just smirked, shaking his head as he pulled Peter into a deep kiss. There was a lot they would have to talk about, but Peter could wait, happy to finally kiss Tony knowing everything was going to be okay.