Spider-Kid
Spiderman sat upon the tallest building in Queens, his mask lifted just above his lips so that he could stuff his sandwich in his mouth (the sandwich he had brought as Peter Parker from the best shop in town: Delmar’s). It wasn’t quite afternoon anymore yet, it was not quite evening either. The sky was in-between, a deep blue colour with the first impression of stars coming in.
Peter was preparing for another day ‘Spiderman-ing’. Fighting crime always took a lot of him so, he had to be prepared. Aunt May always gave him the most amount of food that she could, packing his lunch-box with all that she could afford at the time. Food was a symbol of love. Although May couldn’t cook very well, she always did try her hardest (that’s all that mattered, really).
Suddenly, Captain America landed next to him with Black Widow by his side. Peter dropped his sandwich out of shock. Watching the pickles falling onto the floor, Peter’s whole body shook with anger. How dare somebody come between him and the best sandwiches in Queens? He glared at up at the two intruders through the mask, ready to start yelling with all he had.
Captain America spoke first. “Spiderman?”
“Well. I don’t really look like Pigman, do I?” Peter said.
It really was easier to act like somebody else behind the mask. In reality, Peter was freaking out that a national war hero was stood in front of him. However, he didn’t let that show. Spiderman was supposed to be grown, not somebody who stuttered at their childhood hero.
“That you don’t, son,” Steve said, a smirk tugging at his lips.
“Why are you here?” Peter asked.
“How would you like to be an Avenger for a day?” Natasha said, joining into their conversation. “We need your help.”
This time Peter couldn’t keep his excitement hidden. He had done a mission with the team a week before but, it hadn’t been official. He was just in the area when it happened. He even got to wave at Tony (he wasn’t sure if the man knew who he was waving back at but, it was so cool). “Yeah! Of course! Why would I say no? When do you need my help?”
“Now?” Natasha said.
Peter looked up. Sure enough, floating above them, they were stood (and sat) underneath a huge jet. How Peter didn’t notice its presence, he wasn’t sure. So much so for his Spidersense (he’d have to do a test to make sure that was working properly)
With a nod, Natasha and Steve led Peter up to the jet. When the teenager took his first step into the jet, his eyes widened. It was huge! It was designed just like Stark Industries, the place where he interned at. In fact... the design was so similar that it looked like the man himself designed both.
Looking to his left, he looked into the eyes of ‘said man’. Peter gulped. Tony was a genius. If Peter spoke, the man would definitely recognise his voice. Maybe he wouldn’t? Maybe Peter was nothing but a fleeting memory. Although, they did only meet three days before...
All of them sat around the table, including the new recruit. Tony led the meeting that day, debriefing the team on their latest mission. Peter was far too excited. He just hoped that he would be back in time for his curfew.
“Any questions?”
What Peter Parker didn’t know was this question was generally used as a way to finish a meeting. Nobody ever pressed further. All they wanted was to go into their respective areas before the actual event started. Peter, however, did have many questions. Also, nobody told him of this ‘rule’. It was only his first (and only?) day, after all.
“Yeah,” Peter said, raising his hand as if he was back in the classroom. He decided to speak, risking that Tony would recognise him. “What time will this mission end? I have, uh, things to do.”
Tony narrowed his eyes. That voice was familiar, he had definitely heard it somewhere before. But, it couldn’t be? There was no way. “What would that be, Underoos?”
“Underoos?” Peter tilted his head.
“The commercial?” Tony said. Peter’s head tilted in confusion, letting him know that he had no idea what the man was about. “Kid, what stuff do you have to do?”
“Kid? I’d have you know that I’m a grown man,” Peter mumbled. “I have, uh, personal stuff that I need to attend to.”
“Sure,” Tony mumbled, catching on to what was going on here. “Spiderling, may I have a chat with you somewhere private please?”
Peter’s heart started to beat just a little bit faster. Oh shit. He nodded and waved to the team, walking towards the room Tony stepped into.
When Peter entered the room, Tony was sat on-top of the table with a judgemental look on his face. He pushed a chair out with his foot and gestured for Peter to sit in it.
“So, why do you think that I’ve brought you here today?” Tony said, leaning down on his elbows as he looked at the kid (well, he was pretty certain that it was Peter. If it wasn’t, he would be quite embarrassed).
“I feel like I’m back in school,” Peter awkwardly laughed, trying to lower his voice to make himself sound different.
“Back, huh? To me, you sound like someone I know who hasn’t even left school yet. Is that fair, Peter?” Tony asked.
“Uh, no? Not fair at all, Mr Stark. I do taxes. I’m an adul-,” He said. He stopped his rambling when he realised he had just played right into Tony’s hands. He hadn’t corrected the man and he definitely wasn’t a good enough liar to come up with an excuse. “Ah, shit.”
“Language, Mr Parker,” Tony said, “But, thanks for confirming what I thought.”
“You are welcome,” Peter said, looking over to the door. He locked it, taking his mask off so that he could talk to Tony freely. He tried to act like he wasn’t bothered but, inside he was freaking out. What if Tony told May? What if he cancelled his internship?!
“This isn’t a joke, Peter! What on earth were you thinking? This isn’t play time, you could get hurt out here!” Tony shouted, glad that all the rooms were sound proof (as much as he wasn’t happy, he didn’t want to reveal his secret identity to the team).
“I’m doing the exact same thing as you, Mr Stark,” Peter said, his eyes big and wide as he looked up at Tony.
Tony looked down at the kid, the kid who was giving him some serious puppy dog eyes that rivalled Pepper’s. He had a pout on his little face, his hair a mess from where he pulled his mask off. If Tony wasn’t so angry, he might have melted down onto the table at the sight. The kid was adorable, it was hard not to admit it. But, he was just that. A kid. He had no place fighting people who could kill him with one hit.
“Nope, stop it. It’s not going to work on me, Peter,” Tony said, shaking his head. “Is that your superhero suit?” He asked, feeling the fabric of the kid’s suit (it felt more like a jumper). “How is this going to stop bullets?”
“Well, Mr Stark. I have a thing called my Spidersense. Well, it wasn’t working that well earlier but, alas, it helps me sense things before they happen. If somebody shoots a bullet at me, which is rare in Queens, I can just jump out of the way! I promise! I really like being Spiderman, I love saving people because, I can! I have these powers and if I don’t use them then, well, I feel guilty for all the people who died.”
Peter stood up from the chair Tony pushed out, joining the man on the table. He was oblivious to how Tony froze up, staring at the man with a big grin on his face. Peter was far too excitement to go on a mission with him, he couldn’t stop being Spiderman now.
Tony looked over at the kid and saw someone young and innocent that was going to be ruined from their lifestyle. He saw a kid that he already knew and sighed. He positioned himself so that he was facing him, taking one of the kid’s hands into his.
“Look at me,” Tony said, strictly. “Kiddo, you can’t do this. I can’t let you die, then I’d feel guilty for you, just as much as you’d feel guilty. You’re far too intelligent to die out here.”
Peter looked down at their joined hands and then back at Tony who was staring at him with a protective face. It almost reminded him of Uncle Ben, just a little. He was about to reply when Tony took his hand away, obviously insecure of what he did.
“I can, Mr Stark,” Peter said, his voice more of a whine. “Please. I just want to be like you, like I always have. Y-You’re intelligent, you’re the smartest person in the world, and you’re out there! Why is different for me?!”
“You’re just a kid,” Tony said, his voice a whisper. “If I had a kid, I’d die if I knew they were out here like this. You need to take care of yourself.”
What Peter didn’t know was, Tony was still so desperate to have a kid. He wanted to be a father for years. The want to have a child hurt him more than he could ever imagine. He knew that he’d love his kid no matter what. It crushed him that kids were out there without a father when he could give them the love they needed. He could’t believe that people like his own father, Howard, existed. To have a child and not love it unconditionally confused him and it was something he’d never do.
“I’m fine!” Peter said, breaking Tony’s chain of thought.
“No, you’re not!”
“B-But Mr Stark-,” Peter said. He felt embarrassed as his tears started to well up. His eyes were glossed over from the tears as he refused to look Tony in the eye. “P-Please. I-I love being Spiderman!”
Tony’s hands were working by themselves at this point. He cupped Peter’s cheek into the palm of his hand, wiping his falling tears with his thumb. He couldn’t bear to see upset kids, he wasn’t even sure why.
“Hey, don’t cry. Peter, please,” Tony sighed. “Look, we’ll sort it out. Hey, look at me,” When Peter looked up with teary eyes, Tony’s soft smile emerged onto his face. “That’s it, buddy. We’ll make a suit together. How does that sound?”
Peter nodded, sniffing. He felt himself leaning into Tony’s touch, confused at how much he trusted him already. “Yeah, that’s g-good.”
“And we’ll make it extra safe so that nobody can touch a hair on your body, okay?”
Another nod. Tony let his hand drop, using his other one to ruffle Peter’s curls.
“So, we’ll do this mission today and then I’ll start to get to work on that suit of yours. In fact, how does ‘personal intern Peter Parker’ sound? I think it sounds amazing. So amazing that we’ll make it reality.”
The smile on Peter’s face was brighter than the sunshine; this is what Tony would say if he cared. The kid’s response was undeniably a yes and Tony couldn’t wait for Peter’s next shift as an intern. He hadn’t had anyone else in the lab for a long time, it would be good for him. Maybe.
Peter pulled his mask back on and went to leave to join the rest of the team, with Tony’s instructions to do so. He placed his hand on the doorknob but, he was stopped by Tony’s voice.
“Kid, don’t think this means I’m happy with you doing this whole thing. Trust me, it’s not a good thing that you want to be like me. Don’t do what I’d do and don’t do what I wouldn’t do. The grey area, that’s where you operate. Got it?”
“I think so?”
Tony looked weirdly protective over the new recruit, Natasha immediately noticed. The jet hovered over the spot of the mission, before all the team dropped down to start. Tony’s arm was near the kid, hovering, as they all started to jump in. Her friend whispered something into the kid’s ear, making the kid (he definitely looked young, in her opinion) giggle.
The mission was far too dangerous for Spider-Children, Tony believed. It was the standard, run of the mill, invasion that seemed to happen every fortnight. Tony made sure to stick to Peter’s side, to protect him from anything that went wrong. Especially whilst the kid didn’t have a new suit (the suit that Tony was already planning in his mind).
Tony looked away from the kid for two seconds. When he looked back, somebody slashed one of the kid’s webs which made him free fall down from high up. The scream Peter emitted made Tony freeze up from fear. He used all of his thrusters to fly up and grab the kid from the sky.
As he caught the kid, Peter let out a little surprised noise. “Hey Mr Stark!” He called, holding onto to Tony’s arms. “I was okay, I had it!”
Tony flew, holding Peter bridal style, to a part of the street which was far away from any fighting. He placed Peter down and zipped up the jacket that had un-done. “I don’t think you were,” He said, pulling Peter to the side of a blast. “I think you were free falling about 30ft.”
“I’ve got webs. Webs I can use to attach to buildings that keep me from squashing like the bug that I share DNA with,” Peter quipped, which made Tony laugh quietly in response.
Unbeknownst to the duo, all eyes (that weren’t focused on combat) were looking at them. Nobody had seen Tony this worried over a teammate, ever. Especially a teammate that hadn’t been seen with the team before. Flashes from cameras surrounded both of them, taking candid photos of the two of them (that might just end up on the front of magazine covers the next day).
“Mr Stark,” Peter whined, grabbing his armoured hand and pulling him, with a surprising amount of force, towards the fight.
When a stray bullet flew toward Peter, Tony jumped in front of him and let it ricochet of his armour. To be fair, Peter was glad for that one.
They both fought epically, side by side. Even if Peter wanted some distance to fight, Tony didn’t allow it. He was far too scared for the boy’s safety.
The invasion only lasted for an hour or two. Peter could feel bruises that were beginning to form on his body but, he knew that they’d be gone in a week.
When he got back into the jet, Peter walked to the table where all the Avenges were sat. He couldn’t wait to meet the team, officially, without the threat of a foreboding invasion on their shoulders. He took a spot, in between Steve and Natasha. Tony, noticing he sat down, rushed to sit on the opposite side.
“Spiderling, little Spider, how are you feeling?” Tony said, staring at the kid to make sure none of his suit was ripped. “Anything hurt? Any blood? Bruises?”
“No, Mr Stark. I’m fine, like I said before we came up here,” Peter said, with a little laugh. “I promise, nothing is hurt.”
“Ok, cool,” Tony nodded. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure,” Peter nodded. “If I was hurt, I’d tell you.”
Natasha glanced between the two of them. A knowing smile came onto her face, believing that she knew what was happening. This ‘Spiderman’ had to be someone Tony cared for. A son? A nephew? Well, something was up.
Tony watched as Peter walked around with Steve, as the man showed the kid around the jet. Even beneath the mask, Tony could tell that the kid was excited. He was having a good time, therefore Tony felt as if he did too.
“What’s going on?” Natasha said, jumping onto the table in front of Tony, making him jump.
“What? What do you mean?” Tony said, looking up at Natasha with confused eyes. She glared, making him more confused. “I can’t answer you if I don’t know what you mean, Nat.”
“You and the Spider,” Natasha said, waving an arm to where he was standing. “What is his relationship to you? Ward? Maybe even a family member?”
“What?” Tony said, again. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“You’ve been acting like he’s made of glass all evening. He fell of a building, yes, but you acted like he had no way of getting back up. He was fine... yet, you went and grabbed him like he was a damsel in distress. So, I’ll ask again, what’s the issue?” Natasha said, propping her head up with her hand. “Come on, tell me.”
“There’s nothing ‘happening’ here, Nat. Just worried for our new comrade, that’s all,” Tony said, feeling a little agitated (self conscious, maybe) that he was acting so obvious about how he cared for the kid. Well, he didn’t. He didn’t actually care that much. “Nothing at all,” He added in the silence, playing with the pen in his pocket.
“Hmmm, well, sure,” Natasha sighed, “I believe you. Of course I do.”
“It’s nothing!” Tony shouted, “Okay?!” He didn’t have anything to do with the kid. He wasn’t a father, an uncle or anything. The kid wasn’t anything to do with him and he didn’t want anyone to think that.
Natasha put her hands up. “That really helps your case, Tony. I’ll talk to you when you’ve calmed down.”
Peter went home that night with a huge smile on his face. He even got home before curfew, without May thinking that anything was wrong. He got into bed, underneath the Iron Man covers he owned since he was younger, and let his eyes close. The bruises and wounds burnt but, he didn’t focus on any of it. He couldn’t believe the day he had, that’s all he could focus on.
His first day as Tony’s intern was incredible. Working in the lab, even just looking at it, was something that Peter had dreamt of ever since he knew it was something people could do.
“It’s beautiful, Mr Stark,” Peter said, wearing his nicest clothing as he walked in. He thought that was the dress code but, Tony looked as casual as ever in his ACDC t-shirt and ripped jeans.
“Am I going to have to loan you some of my own clothes again, Pete?” Tony laughed, looking at his outfit. He wiped some grease onto a rag close to him, a big smile on his face as soon as made eye contact with the kid.
“I-I thought-,”
“Adorable, Petey-Pie,” Tony rolled his eyes, he grabbed an extra t-shirt he kept in case of a spill and threw it over. “I swear, one day you’re going to steal my whole wardrobe.”
“Thanks Mr Stark!”
Peter walked back in, the new t-shirt on, acting as if this was the first time he took a step into the lab. A re-do, of sorts. He waved at Tony, “Afternoon, Mr Stark.”
Tony laughed, walking up to the kid. “Hey, there he is. I’ve been waiting for you.” He looked over Peter’s arm and winced when he saw the bruise. “I thought you didn’t get hurt?”
Peter’s eyes fell to the same wound Tony was looking at. “That didn’t hurt, Mr Stark. It’s just a little bruise.”
“Hmm, okay kid,” Tony mumbled. “I set your desk up. I also put some snacks in the drawers and some new pens and paper.” The man smiled, showing him over to the desk.
Peter went over to the new, fancy, desk and sat on the chair (the fanciest chair, ever) with a grin. He looked through all the drawers and took a snack out, eating it. “Man, I’m starving,” He said, the chocolate bar in his mouth.
“Starving? Are you getting enough to eat?” Tony asked, pulling his chair out. He pushed his chair close to Peter’s, “Because you know that I’m a billionaire, don’t you? I have pull, kid. I can get you some food.”
“I’m always hungry, Mr Stark. It’s fine,” Peter smiled, turning around in his chair to face Tony. “I’ve been so excited for today! I’ve been talking to Ned about it, if that’s okay, and he was so jealous! I mean, I don’t like him to be jealous and all, I-I mean- you’re Tony Stark, you’ve been our hero for so long and-,”
“Woah, slow down. You’re going to choke on the chocolate bar,” Tony said, “I’ve been excited for today too, kiddo.”
They worked until late, making Peter’s Spiderman suit. Tony snuck in some safety features that Peter didn’t need to learn about; he added both a tracking chip and a way to track his visuals. He wasn’t going to let this child-prodigy die under his watch. Peter Parker’s head was far too good, it needed to be protected.
The suit wasn’t ready yet but, that’s why Peter was his personal intern. They had work to do and Tony loved it, he loved working with new things and enjoyed having somebody else in the room to bounce off. He hadn’t had this much fun in the lab since working with Dr Bruce Banner.
Peter left that evening, his backpack slung over his shoulders. Happy gave him a tired look as he took off from the tower but, Tony didn’t even notice as he was too busy waving Peter goodbye from the backseat.
“Coffee boy?” Pepper asked, putting her arms around Tony’s waist. “Peter, was it?”
“Yeah,” Tony smiled, pressing a kiss to her lips. He pulled away, looking into her eyes. “He’s a good kid, Pep. He’s my new personal intern.”
“Personal intern, huh?” She smiled, turning to look at the car that just left. She noticed the look in his eyes, she had seen that once. He hadn’t had that look in a while, not since Harley. He cared for this kid, more than he’d admit. “You care for him, don’t you?”
“Well, yeah. He’s just a kid. He’s got promise, you know. He could rock the industry. I’m just making sure he chooses us in the future,” Tony said, his smile forming into a fake one. Pepper could tell.
Pepper shook her head, knowing a little bit about what was actually going on in her husband’s head. “Ok, honey. Lets go to bed.”
Tony woke up and checked the news, just like he always did. He noticed his own name, rolling his eyes. He pressed the article, his eyes going wide.
The headline read ‘Is New Hero ‘Spiderman’ Tony Stark’s Secret Son?” Below the headline was a photo of Tony adjusting Peter’s Spider-Man suit during the battle.
Tony closed his phone, putting it on the beside table. He took a deep breath and climbed out of bed, walking into the bathroom. His hands clenched around the sink, biting down on his lip. He blinked fast, not knowing what was going on with him. He couldn’t focus. His heart was beating, fast, as his legs wobbled. He couldn’t breathe. Was he having a heart attack? It couldn’t be, could it? It felt like that day with Rhodey, when he got his first panic attack. This couldn’t be a panic attack, he didn’t know what he was panicking about.
He thought about it. The word ‘son’. Peter wasn’t his son. He didn’t have one, he couldn’t have one. It was unfair. He wanted one, more than anything. When all you ever wanted was plastered across every new outlet, it hurt. People talked about his family like they knew, like they had a right to do so. He had enough.
He had to separate himself from this kid, maybe. People were getting suspicious about everything and he didn’t want to let that continue. He sent Peter a text and told him that he should go back to the intern labs next time. When the text delivered, he turned his phone off and let himself fall back into bed.
Tony was lethargic. That one headline had drawn all the energy from him. When he woke up again, the skies were dark. He turned his phone back on and saw 10 messages from Peter. They all were similar. The kid was upset but, he didn’t want to show it.
Tony had to do this. It was for the both of them... Wasn’t it?