Chapter 8
“Did your dad say what the project was?” Peter asks you at lunch the next day.
“Babe, I don’t ask what my dad does in his lab. If you want to know just text him.” You lift the apple slice to your lips and take a bite.
“I just can’t think of anything that he would think to bring up after telling you ok about the trip.”
“Knowing him, it probably doesn’t have anything to do with the trip. It’s probably just he knew I was going to text you the minute I got the ok and he figured having me tell you that he’s allowed back in the lab was easiest.
“Your dad got the ok to be back in the lab? That’s awesome!” Ned says from across the table. “Does this mean that Iron Man will be back in the sky soon too?”
“I don’t know.” Peter notices the minute panic that slips into your features even if no one else at the table does. His arm slips down to grab your hand. Your eyes look over to catch a look at his. He flashes a smile in your direction, while his hand squeezes yours slightly. “I’m not sure if Mom will let him do that anymore. This last time was a bit too close of a call.” You shrug like it doesn’t bother you. But it does. The idea of your dad going back to be an Avenger scares the living hell out of you. And it probably always will now. Has your chest always felt this tight? You try to swallow and you can’t. In your head the only thing you can see is your dad laying on that bed in the medbay.
“Y/N?” Peter says your name, but you don’t even register it.
“I need to go.” You stand up and walk, or more so run out of the cafeteria. You feel like you can’t get a full breathe in. And the walls of the hallway feel like they are closing in on you. Everything feels too small. So you slam the door next to the gym open and race outside. Peter is only a few hundred feet behind you, but he’s trying to text the one other person who might be able to calm you down if he can’t. You crash into the brick wall and are going to sink into the ground when arms are wrapping around you.
“I gotchu.” Peter holds you close. “Everything is ok. Your dad is ok. He’s at home. He’s safe. He’s alive.”
“I can’t… he can’t…” You can’t form full sentences.
“I know. He scared a lot of us that day. But I think you and your family took the worst of it.” Peter’s arm is rubbing your shoulder. “He wouldn’t do anything to leave you on purpose.”
“Everyone wants…”You let out a sob, “Iron Man.”
“Not everyone.” Peter reassures you. “Not the people who want him safe over everything else. And your opinion matters to him. Have you told him how much the idea of him being Iron Man would stress you out?” You shake your head into his chest. “You know he wouldn’t do anything that would hurt you. He would listen to anything that you voice to him and do whatever he can to make sure you are happy.” You’re too in your head that you don’t even hear the quinjet landing on the soccer field. Tony is out of the jet before the engines are even off, making his way towards where he can see you crying into the arms of a barely sixteen year old.
“But-but-but Iron Man ma-ma-makes him hap-hap-happy.” You get out in between sobs. Tony can’t stop himself from speaking out before Peter can.
“If it makes you like this, it doesn’t make me happy.” Your head pops up at your dad’s voice. Tony takes in the sight of your tear streaked face and the redness that rims your eyes.
“What-what-what-what…” You can’t even get the thoughts out of your head. But Peter knows what you’re wondering.
“I texted him. I had a feeling when you ran out of the cafeteria.” You take a deep breath and try to choke down the sob that wants to break free.
“You didn’t need to come.” You manage to get out without tripping over the words.
“I think I did.” Tony opens his arm towards you. You step out of Peter’s embrace and fall into your dad’s embrace. The tears you had gotten to calm slightly pick back up and wet the Black Sabbath shirt your dad is wearing. “I’ve got you bambina.” His hand draws circles on your shoulder blade. “Peter can you grab her stuff from the cafeteria? I’m going to take her home.”
“I don’t-”
“You had a panic attack bambina. And you have at least part of a lunch you’ve bolused for that you haven’t eaten yet. I think that makes for a good reason to leave for the rest of the day. Plus I can just sign you out.” A sob rips from your lips and you know your dad is probably right. “You can just come home, ok?” And you nod into his chest. “I got you bambina. Nothing is going to stop that.” While Tony whispers little nothings into your ear, Peter makes his way back into the cafeteria to get your things.
“Is Y/N ok?” Betty asks as Peter makes his way towards the table. Peter shakes his head and then realizes he should say you will be.
“Tony came to pick her up. She had a panic attack. He’s going to take her home.”
“Shit. I didn’t think asking about Iron Man would mess her up.” Ned says, the guilt starting to coat his features.
“I don’t think she realized it would either.” Peter shrugs as he starts to pack up your lunch that you had barely touched. “This whole post Blip thing has been weird for all of us.”
“How did Mr. Stark get here so fast? Isn’t the cabin like 45 minutes from here?” Betty asks.
“He uh flew here. With the quinjet.” Peter explains before picking up your books. “I’m going to go get Y/N’s backpack. I’ll be back.”
“Want to go get signed out while Peter gets your stuff? Then we can head home?” Your dad asks as he runs his hand through your hair. Your sobs have died away into nothing and your breathing has calmed down.
“Yeah, I guess that would be ok.” You admit as you drag a hand up to wipe away some of the loose tears running down your cheeks. Tony’s arm drapes around your shoulder and pulls you close. You pull the door you had run through earlier back open, your dad and you walking through it, towards the front office. “They’re going to be confused on why you’re here.”
“So let them be. I’m Tony Stark. I can do what I want.”
“I don’t think that applies to my school.”
“It does today.” Tony walks into the front office. “I’m signing Y/N out. We have a family emergency.”
“Of course. Sign here.” The receptionist, who’s name you think is Mrs. Clemmons, points to the book that your dad has to sign, but seeing as your dad’s dominant hand is gone, that’s going to be a problem.
“So fun fact, he can’t write right now.” You explain motioning to his arm that’s gone.
“Oh right, well just this time, you can fill it out Y/N.” You pick up the pen sitting next to the book and fill out the information needed. Most of it you know, apart from your dad’s date of birth and driver’s license number. But he tells you what to write. “Bye Y/N. Mr. Stark.” Your dad nods towards her as you open the door leading out of the office. Peter is waiting outside of the office with your backpack and your lunchbox. He holds them out towards you and you slide your backpack on before taking the lunchbox from him.
“Thanks.” You take Peter’s hand and he walks alongside you and your dad only until you get near the cafeteria.
“I should go finish eating. But text me if you need anything.” You let a slight smile release towards the guy who at the first sign of trouble reached for your dad because he knew that’s who you needed. You want to kiss him, but not in front of your dad; that’s just too weird.
“I won’t look kiddo.” Your dad makes a show of covering his eyes with his hand. Peter looks confused until you lean forward to place a kiss on his lips.
“Thank you.” You say into his lips.
“Any time.”
“I love you.” You mumble before placing one more kiss on his lips.
“I love you too.”
“Can I uncover my eyes now?” Tony stage whispers as you pull away from Peter.
“All PG rating now Dad.” You say, not letting go of Peter’s hand yet.
“Good to know. We should head home and certain people who’s metabolism runs high need to go eat.” But before your dad and you walk away, he looks Peter in the eyes. “Thank you for texting me. And for taking care of her.”
“Always will.” Peter says before turning to walk into the cafeteria. Your dad’s arm goes back around your shoulder.
“So you don’t hate my boyfriend then?” You say, teasing as much as you can post panic attack.
“I would say out of all the guys you could be dating, I think you have picked the best one. And I can’t hate him.” Tony admits.
“Good.” You lean into your dad’s side. Walking back out towards the soccer field, you see the soccer team staring at the quinjet.
“Guess we should move that so they can play.” Your dad teases and you let out a solitary chuckle at that. The team looks in shock at Tony Stark walking across the field. No one has really seen him since everything that happened, so to see him at your school it makes many jaws drop. A couple of kids that are in some of your morning classes and also on the team notice that you look different than you did this morning, but can only watch as you climb on the jet with your dad. When you get inside and see no pilot waiting, you look at your dad.
“You’re not supposed to be operating machinery on the meds you’re on?”
“FRIDAY can pilot this. I just sit and relax. I don’t even know how to fly one handed yet.” You roll your eyes at the yet that your dad added. “We have about ten minutes to the cabin if FRIDAY jets it, twenty if she takes it at a leisurely pace, which would you rather?”
“I don’t care.”
“Let’s go for the middle of it then. FRI- take us home.”
“Of course boss.” Tony sits down on a bench-like chair and motions for you to join him.
“Wanna talk about what happened at school?”
“Not really.” You say honestly.
“Not really like I should talk about something else or not really like you don’t want to but you will?”
“I guess the second one.” You mumble. Tony waits for you to start, but after a few moments of silence he decides to approach the topic.
“So the idea of me being Iron Man scares you?”
“Wouldn’t it scare you?” The words explode out of your mouth before you can stop them. “I came back from being gone for five years and then found out my dad saved the universe but nearly died.”
“I’m not gone though.”
“I almost lost you though. I-I can’t lose another parent.” You say.
“If it scares you that much, I will retire.” Tony states without having to think about it.
“Wait really?”
“Pepper and I had this similar fi-discussion too many times for me to count. Literally on the morning that I lost you, I promised her no more surprises right before everything that happened. So if stepping away from Iron Man is what will make it so you can live a happy life, I will do it for you. Because you deserve to be happy. After everything that you lost the five years you were gone, I will do anything and everything to make sure you get to be happy.”
“But Iron Man makes you happy. Why should I get to be the one that takes that from you?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure if it does anymore. You, Morgan, your mom, you three make me happy. Knowing that I get to be around to see all the amazing things that you and Morgan will do as you keep growing, getting to live a long happy life with Pep, that makes me happy. I don’t need Iron Man to be happy.”
“You won’t be able to threaten Peter with the Iron Man suit-”
“I didn’t say I’d get rid of the suit. I’ll keep it just in case a certain boyfriend of yours needs a reminder of what happens to boys who hurt my daughter. But I wouldn’t go out being Iron Man.”
“What about the Avengers?”
“They can manage without Iron Man. I’ll still help making them tech, but I won’t be there for battles. I think I’ve done my time in battles. I can do the behind the scenes stuff from now on.”
“And if another Thanos level threat happens? What then?”
“We let the Avengers take care of it.” Tony says, pulling you back into a hug. “Retirement sounds pretty good to me. I can tinker and invent. I can focus on you, Morgan, and Pepper. I don’t need to be Iron Man to have a happy life.” He repeats.
“You’re sure?” You look up at him, unsure about it.
“Positive.” His hand draws small circles on your shoulder. “You, your sister, and your mom. That’s what I need to be happy. Being your dad sounds like a much better job anyway. Plus you heard your mom that day, if she lost me, she’d be looking for a new husband. I don’t want that for her. I want to be the only husband she ever has.”
“I want that too. Mom is the best you’re ever going to get.” You state.
“You’re very right. I’m lucky to have Pep.” You can’t help but nod as you lean into your dad’s shoulder. “I’m lucky to have all the girls I have in my life.” His hand comes up to smooth your ponytail.
“I’m lucky to have you too Dad.” For a few moments, you just lean into his shoulder, him smoothing your ponytail. Then he speaks.
“So how about a movie afternoon? Something to distract us from everything that happened today?”
“I’m always down for a movie afternoon.”
And that’s how Pepper found you, Tony, and Morgan asleep on the couch later that afternoon, the fourth Harry Potter movie playing on the TV and Finn curled up at your feet. She’ll ask later why you are home so much earlier than you should be, but for now, she’ll snap a picture of the three of you all curled up together and save it to show Tony later.