The Press Conference
When Peter and Pepper finally returned from their trip, Tony enjoyed listening to every minute of Peter’s rambling. He felt, after what he went through with the whole ‘multiverse’ thing, closer to the kid than ever before. When he listened to him speak, it was the best thing in the world.
Tony and Pepper went over to the Parker’s apartment every Friday for dinner. Peter didn’t realise when it happened, but Happy joined them after a few times. Peter tried not to notice how the two adults looked at each other, but he couldn’t. It was sweet, however, and he was excited that his Aunt was moving on (as much as they both missed Ben).
After dinner, which was a takeaway from a restaurant downstairs, Tony took Peter out for a walk in a nearby park.
As it turned to night, It was dark and cold; Peter liked the night, however, as it reminded him of walks with his Uncle Ben. So, Tony made sure that the kid was wrapped up with the thickest scarf (which he brought with them, just in case) and a puffer coat. He didn’t want to risk any kind of sickness.
“Peter!” Tony groaned, when the kid ran in front of him with his scarf flying off. The kid really had zero self preservation skills.
“What! I’m one with the wind, dad!” Peter laughed, running a circle around Tony.
“Your energy astounds me, Parker,” Tony shook his head with a laugh, remaining at the same speed as Peter sprinted.
Sometimes he forgot that the kid was a superhero. With that wild smile and his free spirit, it confused Tony how carefree he was. But, as carefree as he was, he needed to wear that scarf properly.
Tony rushed to his side, adjusting the boy’s red and gold scarf. He tied the fabric around his neck (not too tight, he didn’t want to constrict him), humming as Peter tried to pull away.
“Nope! Not letting you get ill, little Spider,” Tony sighed, looking at him with a frown.
Patting the top of Peter’s head, Tony heard the sound of a camera behind them. Pulling the kid into his side, he wrapped his coat over his face. But, it was too late. The paparazzi had already seen them.
Peter looked up, confused. He was wrapped up, head against Tony’s chest. “Mmm- Dad? What’s going on? Are you okay?”
“Hang on, Pete,” Tony said, agitated (but not with his kid).
Tony rushed down the path, grumbling under his breath as people continued to take photos of them. Peter was trying to keep up, but he was struggling to do so as he couldn’t see where he walking.
The flashes kept coming, making Tony more and more irritated. He stared at the cameras, shaking his head.
“Would you all piss off?” Tony shouted, making sure Peter’s face was obstructed. “I’m not letting you get any photos of him!”
“Who is he, Mr Stark?” One of the people said, walking a bit closer, a large camera in his hands (that’s pointed at Peter, who looked like a bump in Tony’s coat).
Tony’s anger overtook him. He raised his free hand, close to calling the Iron Man suit. A scowl was present of his face, pulling Peter even closer. His hand was shaking, both scared and furious that these people were trying to harass his kid.
“If you lot don’t leave us alone, you’ll be blasted away,” Tony said, gritting his teeth. “I’m not letting you get anywhere near this boy. Got it? If I ever see you lot again, I’ll sue every single of you and shut down the companies you work for.”
Most of the people scurried away. When one stubborn camera man stood there, Tony formed a gauntlet around his hand. “Five-,” He started, counting down to one.
The last man rushed away, leaving Peter and Tony alone between some trees. When Tony moved his coat, letting the kid free, he watched as Peter took a deep breath (looking at him with terrified eyes).
“Jesus, kid-,” Tony said, looking down at the gauntlet that enclosed his wrist. “I’m so sorry- I hope I didn’t scare you.”
Peter looked down at his hand, and then back up at Tony’s face. “That was- awesome!” He said, “You’re so cool, dad! You were like boom- you all stay away- or I’ll get you!”
Tony stared at Peter’s face, making the gauntlet go down. Peter was staring up at him like he was the best person in the world, like he could never do anything wrong.
It scared him. It scared him that someone so brilliant was his kid. But, then again, it really wasn’t scary. He knew that, they would always be close. What was actually scary was the thought of his boy hurt. He’d do anything, in the whole world, to protect him.
He pulled Peter into a big hug, making sure he was safe in his arms. “Well, I’m glad you think I’m awesome. Considering your opinion is all I need,” He said, kissing the top of his head. “I love you, kid. I just want you to be safe.”
“And I am, dad,” Peter said, looking up at his father with those sparkling eyes. “You keep me safe, always. I never feel intimidated by anything when you’re here. I love you too.”
“Vultures,” Tony mumbled, “I hate the paps. I just hope you know that whenever you’re with me, they’ll always be around. It’s a hard life, kiddo. I don’t want- I mean, I’d understand if you wanted to walk out.”
Peter pulled away from Tony, looking at him as if he had just said stabbed him in the back. “Why would you even say that?” He whimpered, looking hurt. “I’d never-,”
“Kid...,”
Peter’s bottom lip trembled. He put his hands around himself, defensively, staring down at the muddy floor.
“It’s fine,” Peter mumbled, “Let’s just go back to the apartment.”
“Woah, Pete,” Tony frowned, taking his hand. He put his other hand on the boy’s jaw, tipping his face up to look back at him. “Look at me, kiddie. I’m not saying that you would, or that I’d ever want you to, but- it’s not a good life in the spotlight. Being associated with me, people will always be on your back. I don’t want that life for you.”
“It’s worth it,” Peter said, tears coming out of his eyes. “It’s all worth it, dad. I said I love you and I do. My life isn’t- it isn’t anything without my family. You’re my family.”
Tony sighed. He squeezed his hand, giving the boy a soft, defeated, smile. “Okay, Petey-Pie, you win. It’s me and you against the world, isn’t it?”
Peter nodded, the smile returning again. Tony wrapped his arm around the boy’s shoulders, resuming their walk. Listening to Peter talk about theories of May and Happy (he insisted that they were together) he simply enjoyed the time with him.
All without knowing what was about to happen.
Meanwhile, in a random office in New York, the paparazzi sent photos over to their journalists of Peter and Tony. Then, before Tony even got back to his penthouse that night, articles all about Tony Stark’s secret son popped up all over the internet.
The first one Peter saw was sent to him by his best friend, Ned. The first photo used was of Tony adjusting his scarf, making sure he was warm. Both of them were looking at each other with love in their eyes, as if they were looking at the most important in the world (well, they were). Tony’s mouth was a gape, half way between a sentence. The photo reminded him exactly of how warm their friendship made him.
The second one, however, shocked Peter. Tony’s coat was around Peter. The only sight of the kid was his curls poking up from the fabric. Tony’s face was curled up into a frown, looking as if he was shouting at the person who taking the photo (he was). The gauntlet was around his wrist, raised straight up at the lens (it was a good picture, actually. If it wasn’t Peter himself in there, he’d be impressed by the framing). He didn’t realise how protective the man really was.
Although the man looked terrifying, to an outsider, the photo just made Peter feel... appreciated. It made him feel protected. He knew Tony would always be there for him, but seeing it was something else.
And after Ned sent that article, messages from his classmates (some that he had never spoken to before) started to come in. People were in disbelief. Some asked him to introduce them to Tony and some even apologised for not believing the internship was real.
When Tony saw it, however, he was sat with Rhodey (who had come over to visit for the first time in a while). Rhodey had been scrolling through his phone, reading some articles when Peter’s face came on his screen.
“Uh, Tones-,” Rhodey said, wincing when he started to read the headline. “You’ve got to see this.”
When Tony read it, he bit his lip. Oh, shit. The last photo of him threatening someone looked bad. However, the main problem was that they published Peter’s face. The kid’s life was be er going to be the same, after all. He had ruined it.
“I’m going to kill them,” Tony said, getting up from his seat. “Peter’s going to get non-stop attention. They’re going to follow him everywhere-,”
“It’s going to be okay, honey,” Pepper said, putting a hand onto his shoulder.
“How is it, Pep?! His life is going to be ruined!” Tony exclaimed, taking a deep breath. His breathing was out of control, as he started to panic.
“Tony,” She said, standing up. She took him into a hug and pressed a kiss against his cheek, “We’ll call a press conference,” She whispered into his ear, “And we’ll tell them that he is a minor and that it’s illegal for them to harass him. Also, Pete can have his own say in this situation. You haven’t ruined him.”
Tony remained silent in his wife’s embrace. He let himself calm down, remembering what Bruce taught him.
Moments later, he had tried to rationalise his feelings in his head. He let go of Pepper, getting the article of him and Peter up on his phone. Thousands of people had already read it, and it was raising. When he checked his twitter, ‘Tony Stark’s son’ was trending.
Most of the responses were in Tony’s favour. It made him more relatable, that he’d protect his child from everything. But Peter wasn’t actually his... He didn’t want to replace the kid’s actual guardian who had raised him since he was a child.
Everyone was talking about Peter, about how much he looked up to his ‘dad’. They all argued if this was his son... and the people who thought he was used that photo as proof. That, apparently, was an iconic ‘dad’ look.
Luckily, nobody knew much about who Peter Parker actually was. When Tony first met the kid, and his secret identity, he put up walls of protections from hackers just in case of this exact situation. All they knew was that this kid was close to Tony Stark (so he must be important).
But most of the conversation was about the gauntlet photo. Apparently threatening civilians wasn’t something an Avenger should do, although some said it was...
Tony didn’t regret it, however, as long as Peter was home and safe; it didn’t matter.
May and Peter sat on a couch together, watching the news when the subject of Tony Stark’s son came onto the television. She didn’t take her eyes of the screen as they watched, making Peter feel a bit insecure.
May didn’t know Peter called him dad. He didn’t do it around the apartment, too scared that she’d think he was replacing Uncle Ben or Richard.
“I knew you were close. I mean, they come over to the apartment for dinner every week. But, Pete- the way he looks at you. What’s going on?” May whispered, her eyes still focused on the screen.
Peter sighed, not really knowing what to say. “I- well, uh- I call him.. dad when i’m at the tower. H-He’s a really good person, May. I love him.”
Peter wasn’t sure how she’d react. Ben had been gone for about a year and it was hard for the both of them. Losing another parent figure killed Peter. He spent weeks off school and when he came back, he remembered pushing Flash against the lockers from anger when he came over to apologise. May lost her husband and had to pick up more hours just to afford to keep their apartment. She had been drained for so long...
So, due to all their feelings still being fresh, Peter really was nervous that she’d freak out. He still loved Ben, and he always would, but he did love Tony too.
He looked at her, anxiously. Playing with the watch on his wrist, he bit his lip as he stared at May’s face. But, all that anxiety left when she began to smile.
She looked at him, pulling her nephew into a hug. “Baby, that’s brilliant,” She grinned. When she heard his tears, her happiness turned into worry. “What’s wrong?” May asked, pulling back to look at him. “Did you think I’d be upset with you?”
With teary eyes, Peter nodded a few times. He looked at his Aunt, who took his hands. She was smiling at him, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Honey...,” She sighed, “Did you think I’d be mad? I know that he doesn’t replace Ben. I can tell that he loves you, baby. How could I be mad at you?”
“I-I don’t k-know,” Peter said, through his tears. He scooted up into May’s personal space, cuddling into her side. “I just- I- I was scared that you’d think I’ve moved on already a-and I haven’t! I-I miss him- a-a lot! T-Tony- he’s just- he’s so nice to me and-,”
“Baby,” May said, rubbing his back as he cried into her chest. “I miss him too, Peter. Just because we met other people, doesn’t mean we’re forgetting him. He’s always with us, sweetheart. He’s right here,”
Placing a hand over Peter’s heart, May held him tight to her. With her free hand, she turned their TV off to stop all of the background noise about the photos of Peter and Tony.
“I-Is that you confirming something is going on w-with you and Happy?” Peter said, looking up at her with a small giggle.
May put a finger over his lips, giving him a wink. “My lips are sealed, Mr Parker.”
Peter came over to the tower that next day. It was a Saturday, so he hadn’t seen what the aftermath of the articles were from school. But when he stepped out of his apartment with May, he realised that people were looking at him (like they knew him).
As he was stood waiting for Happy’s car, a man approached him. He looked shady, but Peter didn’t like to judge by appearances.
“You look familiar,” he said, with a rough tone of voice. “You Stark’s kid?”
“Um-,” Peter started.
As Peter started to speak, the man grabbed his arm and started to pull him. Peter freaked out, not knowing what to was going on. Before he knew it, the man was knocked out on the floor. When he looked up, Happy was stood there with bruised knuckles.
“Happy?” Peter asked, terrified.
“Come here, kid,” Happy said, taking him into his arms. “Nobody hurts our kid.”
Peter looked up, confused. Happy never really showed too much emotion. Peter was used to his closed-off body language, or an odd smile whenever May looked at him. But, this? This was different. He was protective.
“I f-forgot you were actually dad’s bodyguard, you know,” Peter whispered, walking with him over to the car.
“Think he does too, kid,” Happy said, making sure he was safety in the back of the car.
As Happy started to drive, Peter was uncharacteristically silent. He stared outside the car window, holding his backpack to his chest. He couldn’t believer someone had tried to take him. Did they want to hurt Tony? Maybe get some money from him? Whatever they wanted, he was terrified.
When the man’s arm touched his, he had frozen. He forgot that he was Spider-man, that he could easily overpower him. But in the moment, he was just a kid. A petrified, young, kid that someone had tried to kidnap.
“Peter? You okay?” Happy asked, when they parked up at the tower. “You know I have to tell Tony about what happened, right?”
“N-no! Happy please don’t! You know that he’ll just worry endlessly! He’ll think that it was his fault,” Peter frowned.
“Tell me what?” Tony asked, standing in front of the car. He looked between the two, who remained silent. “What? What happened?”
Peter looked at Happy, as if to silently beg him to not say anything. But it didn’t work. Happy explained to the billionaire what he saw as he drove up to the apartment. When Tony’s face fell, Peter wanted to reassure him that it definitely wasn’t his fault. But Tony walked away.
Peter rushed after him, grabbing his hand. “Dad, please!”
“Pete-,” Tony sighed, glancing around his employees (some that had turned to watch the two).
“It wasn’t your fault,” Peter said.
“I know, kid,” Tony said. Of course he knew it wasn’t his fault. He wasn’t the one who told the man to grab his kid, but, on the other hand, it was. The man wouldn’t have laid a hand on Peter if he hadn’t been labelled as ‘Tony Stark’s son’. “I’m just scared.”
Tony walked up the stairs, waiting for Peter to catch up to him. They got to the penthouse, needing somewhere private to speak.
“Why don’t we just let people think that I’m your son?” Peter asked, “Come on, dad? I mean- you basically are... so,”
“That’s not a good idea, Peter,” Tony told him.
Peter’s face fell. He wasn’t sure why that hurt so, damn, much. He should’ve known that Tony didn’t actually want him. He was a waste of a space, a burden and Tony deserved better.
“Oh. Okay. I’ll just be in my room. Thanks for inviting me over, Mr Stark,” Peter said, calmly.
Peter took one last look at Tony, before storming out of the living room towards his room down the hallway. He slammed the door, jumping down onto the bed to cry into the pillow.
Tony looked at the spot where Peter was stood. Mr Stark? He didn’t want to hear that come out of Peter’s mouth again. He missed hearing ‘dad’. He wasn’t sure what he had done, but the kid looked so upset.
He knew that he’d eventually hurt Peter, if given time. But, this time, he didn’t know what he said, or done. Was it because of this whole situation? It couldn’t be... he had said that he wanted people to think of him like that.
“You’re trying to figure out why he’s sad, aren’t you?” Pepper said, from the sofa.
“Yeah-,” Tony mumbled.
“For a genius, you can be so dense. He thinks that you don’t want anyone to think that he’s yours. He thinks that you don’t want him,” Pepper explained.
“What? Why would he think that?”
“I mean, you did just tell him that you thought it was a bad idea to let people think that your his dad,” Pepper shrugged.
Tony didn’t say anything back. He sprinted out of the room, leaving Pepper on her own in the living room. Well, she definitely needed to rest, so she wasn’t too bothered. She just hoped those two got their shit together.
“Peter?” Tony said, knocking on the door. When he heard the tears, he opened the door and walked in. “Hey, bud.”
“Hi, Mr Stark,” Peter mumbled, sitting up. He wiped his eyes, looking at the man with the biggest frown.
“No- please, please don’t call me that,” Tony said. He rushed over to the bed, grabbing a tissue on his way. “I’m your dad, kid.”
“But- but you said it was a bad idea,” Peter recalled, taking the tissue to wipe the tears away.
“No, not that. That would never be a bad idea,” Tony affirmed, sitting beside him. “Just opening it up to the public, Pete. People don’t care for privacy. Things like what happened today- that could become more and more common..,”
“I told you that I don’t care! I love you, I don’t care if the world thinks you’re my dad... Because you are! It’s the truth,” Peter pouted, leaning his head onto the man’s shoulders.
“I love you too,” Tony whispered. “How about we set up a press conference and set some things straight, huh? That sound good?”
“Whatever you like,” Peter whispered. “Now, should we go help Pepper with dinner? Or, well, should I?”
“I’m actually a brilliant chef, you menace. I won’t take this slander from you, Petey-,” Tony mumbled, taking his hand as they walked into the kitchen.
The press conference was, apparently, a brilliant idea. According to Pepper, anyway. In only a few hours, it was all organised for the evening.
Peter wore a suit, one that Tony had brought him a back-up for homecoming. Peter insisted that he didn’t need it, but apparently he was wrong. He did need it.
This time, he managed to do the tie himself. Although Tony didn’t say anything, he was a little upset that he didn’t need any help.
It was unplanned, but they ended up wearing matching outfits. Both of them wore a basic black blazer, with a statement tie for a pop of colour.
With matching slacks, to the blazer, Peter looked at himself with a nervous face. He told himself that it would all be okay, but staring at the size of the crowd made him sick to his stomach.
To make matters worse, he got a call from May just before walking in.
“I can’t talk right now, May!” He said. He went to hang up, but was interrupted by his Aunt shouting.
“Why?! Got some Spider-man related thing going on? Before you try and lie, I found the bloody (very high tech) suit underneath your pillows! So, that’s why your close with Stark, huh? Was that dad thing a cover up, Peter? What the fuck is going on here?”
Peter froze. Oh, shit! What incredible timing, for one. But he didn’t want her to know about Spider-man. Ever. He wasn’t sure what to say. So, instead, he remained silent.
“Peter, put him on the phone. I need to talk to Tony.”
Peter stared at the man, who was across the room. He was stood with Pepper, evidently waiting for him to come and join them. He met Tony’s eyes. He realised that Tony immediately knew something was wrong as he rushed over.
“Kid?” Tony whispered. “What’s wrong?”
Peter moved the phone away from his ear. With a distant look in his eye, he caught Tony up on what was wrong.
“She knows-,”
Tony knew what he meant as soon as it came out. He cursed underneath his breath, gently taking the phone from Peter’s hand.
“Hello Mrs Parker,” He said, professionally.
“How dare you let my nephew fight crime! He’s a child, Tony Stark! I can’t believe you! And you didn’t tell me? I can’t- I’m so angry!” She shouted, and Tony was so scared (she was a scary woman).
“May- listen, I didn’t let him. When we met, he was already out there. In fact, I didn’t know he was Spider-man when we met. I only figured it out when the other Avengers recruited him. I made him the suit as I wanted to keep him safe. He wouldn’t give up, so I did the best I could to make sure he was okay out there,” Tony explained, stepping into a closed room (with Peter) so no wondering journalist could hear them. “Also, he begged me to not tell you. Trust me, I wanted to. But those puppy dog eyes can get you to do anything.”
Tony waited to hear a response, but just heard some heavy breathing. He put her on speaker phone, letting Peter listen in. When they heard a sniffle, Tony’s eyebrow raised in shock.
“May? You okay?” He asked.
“Yeah,” She said (although, she clearly wasn’t). “I just... Tony, he means so much to me. I can’t watch him die too. I’d- I’d be nothing. I’ve already lost Ben. I can’t loose my Peter.”
“Trust me, May. I can’t do that, either. I’ll do everything in my power to not let that happen,” Tony said. “I love him too. Everything I do now, is to make sure he’s okay.”
“I’ll trust you, Stark. But if I end up regretting that, so help you,” She said. “I see you’ve got s press conference to go to.. I’ll let you be.”
She hung up before Tony could reply.
“She’s scary,” Tony mumbled.
“Oh, I know,” Peter replied. “I don’t think I’ll be allowed out on a patrol for a little bit.”
“Maybe not,” Tony laughed. “Come on, kid. Let’s go tell those journalists to leave you alone.”
Standing in front of flashing cameras and hundreds of people with pads of paper, Peter gulped. He stood in between the two Stark’s, holding their hands to keep him calm.
In the back of the room, he noticed MJ and Ned. He realised that Tony must’ve called them in, to make sure he was okay afterwards. Wow, he really loved his dad.
He was so nervous, squeezing Tony’s hand to let him know that he was ready. He probably wasn’t actually ready, but he getting more freaked out the longer he waited.
“So, I understand that you all know why you’re here today,” Pepper started. “Before we formally start, I’d like to remind you all that Peter is a minor, so he legally cannot be harassed by any paparazzi or journalists. If he is, there will be legal action. I’ll hand it over to Tony now.”
“Okay,” Tony said, glancing around the crowd. “I figure you’ve seen the photos. It may be obvious, but I’m very protective of this boy.”
The crowd laugh, as if they were all in on a joke. But Tony didn’t say it as a joke, he meant every word of it.
Keeping a straight face, he continued. “Pete’s wormed his way into my heart. He’s loyal, kind, funny, strong and a genius. He’s everything people should try and be like. I love him.”
Tony glanced down at Peter, and then back at the cameras who were still taking photos. He subconsciously stepped in front of Peter, obstructing him slightly from the journalists.
“He’s not my kid,”
Roars of questions came from the crowd, asking him who this boy was. They took photos as Peter’s face fell. Tony glanced back at the boy, noticing how upset he looked. He realised he had to make his point, quickly, otherwise the boy would be distressed for the rest of the day.
“Hang on!” He shouted, waiting for the noise to die down. “He’s not my kid, biologically. But he’s the closest thing I have to one. So, really, he is mine. And if anyone touches him, I won’t hesitate to ruin them.”
Tony looked over at the crowd as they took in the information. He leant over to kiss Peter on the forehead, whispering to him if he was okay. And, of course, they all kept taking photos of their interaction.
When he turned back to the crowd, Tony didn’t bother to plaster on his fake ‘press’ smile. “Right. Any questions?” When hundreds of hands flew up, he ignored them. “None? Cool, we’ll be going now.”
“I think that went well,” Peter said, sat on the penthouse sofa with his friends, only moments later. “We’re trending on Twitter.”
They had been trending since the article, but this just added fuel to the fire. The photos were ‘adorable’, according to all of the internet. People couldn’t believe they were seeing such a different side of Iron Man. The love for his son was something else and people admired it.
“Of course we are, I’m Tony Stark,” Tony winked, “How about you three musketeers go and play some games in Pete’s room? I’ve put some new stuff in there. Just so you can clear your mind.”
“Thanks, Mr Stark!” Ned grinned.
“Yeah, thanks Dad!” Peter added, giving Tony a look that said MJ was thankful too (she just didn’t bother to say it).
“That did go well,” Pepper agreed, as the three children left. “I’m proud of you, Tones.”
“Well, I did have the best person beside me,” Tony said, leaning over to give her a kiss. “Thanks, Pep. I couldn’t do any of this without you.”
“I love you too,” Pepper smiled. “You’re a good dad, Tony.”
“Yeah, I think I actually am,” Tony smiled, admitting it to himself for the first time. “And you’re a good mother to him, Pep.”
Pepper turned away, grabbing something from her bag. She placed it into her husband’s hand and smiled at him. “How would you like to have another?”
“What?!” Tony said, looking down at the positive pregnancy test in his hands. “You’re not kidding? Pep, seriously? You’re pregnant?”
Tears immediately came to Pepper’s eyes. As she cried, Tony started too. He couldn’t believe it. They were going to have another kid! He was going to have a little baby...
Tony grabbed her, hugging her tightly. He got down to his knees and pressed a kiss to her stomach too.
“I love you,” he whispered, “I love both of you so much.”
Tony was so excited to meet whoever this little baby was going to turn out to be. They had the best mother and the best big brother. And their father? Tony was going to spoil this baby as soon as it took its first breath. And he really, really, was going to love this person with all his heart. How could he not? He was a sucker for his kids.