The announcement came very shortly after all of Peter’s legal documentation had been finalized. It was inevitable, honestly. With Tony being more popular than ever thanks to Iron Man and press that seemed determined to uncover every secret he hid behind that mask, it was amazing that no one found out sooner.
It all started with one simple picture that a photographer somehow managed to get of the mansions backyard. It would have been nothing special, just a shot of the pool and a few pieces of lawn furniture that was scattered around the deck, if it wasn’t for the little boy who had been caught with them. A young boy in a red t-shirt and blue jeans, with an unruly head of brown curls. Peter
It had been a cooler day in September, and Tony, trusting Jarvis’s security measures, had let Peter go play outside for a little bit while he finished up some paperwork inside. Even though the boy wasn’t great at swimming, he loved to splash in the shallow end of the water and throw various toys into the pool to see if they would float. It was completely innocent and safe. Or so they had thought.
Only a day or so later, the news broke. On the front page of every newspaper, magazines, and online article; Tony Stark's secret son revealed. That very same picture filtering from site to site, and even making an appearance on the news later in the night. It was every single one of Tony’s biggest fears come to life, and the only good thing that came out of it was that none of the photo’s clearly showed Peter’s face.
A press conference was scheduled shortly thereafter, and by the end of the week the whole world had been introduced to Tony Stark's son. The one and only Peter Anthony Stark.
By October, most talk about the whole ordeal had calmed down. Rhodey had also taken that time to forgive Tony for keeping the boy’s existence from him for so long, and quickly took up the rule of doting Uncle. While Tony wanted to laugh at his best friend for going so soft over a boy he had just met, he knew that Peter just seemed to have that effect on most people.
Peter was confused by the whole situation, but happily held Tony’s hand as he led them through seas of flashing cameras and shouting voices. Closing his eyes when the lights and noise became too much, and clinging to the man like a baby koala. He was also mildly disappointed when he wasn’t allowed to go outside for a few weeks while they installed a taller fence, but he kept his mouth shut and instead built the new lego sets he had received from his Uncle Rhodey.
Since the whole world now knew of Peter’s existence, Tony decided that it would be fine for the boy to accompany him on trips outside of the mansion. The pair was always followed by a disgruntled Happy, who also seemed to be going soft whenever he was around the kid, and were sometimes also joined by a slightly confused but eager Pepper. Pictures of those trips always seemed to surface online as well, only adding fuel to an ever growing flame.
Pepper and Tony had started dating shortly after the expo disaster, which never failed to confound Peter. From the way the man always talked about her, the boy knew she must be special. But to see them actually being affectionate and all lovey-dovey around him, was entirely new and weird.
Despite all this, Peter really did like Pepper and she seemed to be warming up to him. The CEO had been very confused and bewildered when Tony had first introduced her to his ‘son’, but after the announcement and subsequent reveal, she learned to live with the news. After all, the man's past was in no way clean and it was kind of a miracle that no children had shown up earlier.
So everything was going really well. Tony had signed Peter up for online school and he had already tested out of two grades and was working on middle school level math and science. He had also seemed to find a new love for history, opted to read historically accurate books instead of his usual fiction books. That’s why Tony wasn’t all that surprised when the topic of Captain America and Howard Stark was raised in the household one afternoon.
Peter sat curled up on one of the living rooms loveseats. A fluffy blanket was tucked around him and the book about War World Two that Tony had bought for him was placed securely in his hands. It was a high school reading level book, but Peter was still able to understand most of the words. Besides, if there were any that he didn’t know, all he had to do was ask Jarvis and the AI would explain the meaning of them to him.
He was already about half way through the novel, deeply intrigued by the history that surrounded this planet. He wasn’t sure why it interested him so much, especially since he knew that he was technically from here, but it had been nearly two hours now and he didn’t have any plans to put down the book anytime soon.
He flipped the bag to chapter six, and was met with a name that he… recognized. The Rise Of Captain America, the chapter was titled. The big, bold writing sticking out to him like a sore thumb. It was something that happened to him occasionally, Peter would see a word or phrase that looked familiar, but would be unable to figure out where he had read or heard it before. Tony always explained it away by claiming that it was probably his mind trying to bring back all of the memories that he had forgotten after the fall.
Tony was always right so Peter never tried to push it any further, but something about that name stirred something in the boy's stomach. Extremely eager to learn more he continued to read.
It started simply by telling the story of a boy named Steven Grant Rogers, the man who would eventually go on to become the great Captain America. It told about his life growing up in the 40s, his family, his friends, and how he was eventually chosen to be the first test subject for the supersoldier serum.
That’s when Peter realized why he recognized that name and why the mention of it had made his stomach churn. The story then proceeded to mention the man who helped with the creation of supersoldier and who was notorious for helping build many of the weapons and eventually won the war. A man who Tony had talked to him about before, with nothing short of venom dripping from his voice.
Howard Stark.
Almost involuntarily, Peter recalled a conversation that him and Tony had had while he was still living in the basement. One that he had almost forgotten about entirely.
It wasn’t unusual for Tony and Peter to find themselves sitting in front of the television rewatching their third Star Wars marathon of the week. As high tech and awesome as the mansions basement was, after a while the pair always ran out of stuff to do. And like moths to a lamp they would find themselves back in front of that screen.
On this night they decided against Star Wars, and instead were mindlessly flipping through the various stations and watching reruns of old sit-coms. Peter was bundled up in his favorite light blue sweater, even though it was late April, and was haphazardly laying against Tony’s side. A bowl of popcorn was balanced between them and two glasses of apple juice sat abandoned on the coffee table.
Peter was already half asleep, staring at the TV with glossy eyes as infomercials continued to flash across his vision. Tony was scrolling through messages on his phone with one arm, while the other was securely placed over Peter’s shoulders. Neither of them were really listening to what the man on the screen was trying to sell them, until the commercial abruptly changed and new product was presented in front of them.
“For a limited time only.” A new voice said, gaining both of their attention. “Every vintage Captain America movie in one place. Remastered in beautiful HD and perfect for the whole family!”
Peter watched with new intrigue as black and white footage of a man with a shield played across the screens. There were scenes of him leading a group of people through a waste land, running from (obviously fake) gun fire, and even punching a man with a mustache in the face. A cheesy song with dancing ladies played in the background as the low low price of $19.99 was presented on the screen.
It wasn’t until after the commercial had mostly finished, that Peter noticed that Tony had gone completely still next to him. His eyes were glued to the screen and his phone had been forgotten on his lap. The man's whole body had gone tense and his arm had instinctively wrapped tighter around Peter’s form.
“Tony?” The boy asked, obviously concerned. “What's wrong? Are you alright?”
Captain America was a name Tony had tried to forget about long ago, especially after he realized his father would never love him more than the man he had lost in the ice. And yet somehow it always seemed to creep back to him at the most unsuspecting of times.
“Uhh, yeah kiddo.” He told the boy, breaking out of his daze. “I’m alright, sorry about that.”
Who was that?”
It was those three words, that broke down a dam of emotions that Tony had been holding in for the better part of twenty years. Nearly two decades worth of bad memories and failed expectations, that the man had tried so goddamn hard to bury forever. Who would have thought one kid would be able to unpack all of that?
“Well...” Tony started, unsure where he was going to go with this sentence. “Have I ever told you about my dad?
That seemed to catch Peter off guard, as the boy jerked around to stare up at Tony. He silently shook his head no, and the billionaire took that at his queue to continue talking.
“There’s good reason for that.” He continued, keeping his voice as steady as he could. “My father wasn’t a great person. He was loud, and brash, and didn’t really care about anything other than his business. But he did have one good quality going for him, and that was that he was incredibly brilliant.”
Tony paused, and Peter waited with baited breath for him to keep talking. “Nearly seventy years ago at this point, he helped create something that would forever change the world as we knew it at the time.” He recalled the story his mother had told him so many times growing up. “That creation, was the super soldier serum. It was a drug that could give any normal person superhuman abilities. Including the most sickly and weak of people.”
At this point, Peter’s mouth had made a small o shape as he listened intently. Tony resisted the urge to tell him to close it before he caught flies, instead just smiling at the boys amazed expression.
“That’s how Captain America was born.” He finished, the show they had been watching long forgotten. “He helped us fight the war we had been in the middle of, and then vanished when he sacrificed himself to disarm a plane full of bombs that would have killed a lot of people if he wouldn’t have crashed them into the ocean. And that's the end of his story. They were never able to recreate the serum so he reamined the one and only.”
Peter wide eyes almost made the anxiety Tony was feeling in his chest worth it. “That’s so cool!” the boy shouted, suddenly very awake. “He was a superhero like you!”
“Yeah, I wish kid.” Tony laughed, trying to ignore the way Peter’s face fell at his words.
“What do you mean?”
Tony hesitated for a moment, figuring out how to best phrase his next sentence. “I never got to meet good ‘ol Captain America.” He told Peter, repressing a grimace. “But I heard about him, a lot, growing up. No matter what I made or did, it was never good enough for my father. None of my many inventions or grades was enough to even garner a glance from him. No matter what I was able to accomplish or prove, it was nothing when compared to America’s golden boy.”
Tony sigh, and jumped slightly when two little arms tightened around him in a hug. “I think you’re great.” Peter mumbled into his nightshirt. “No matter what any old people say.”
Pulling the boy closer, Tony could help but laugh at Peter’s words. “Thanks buddy.” He responded, an unfamiliar warmth spreading throughout his stomach. “That means the world coming for you.”
And it really did .
The realization hit Peter hard, as he realized that he was, technically, reading about his grandfather. The man who never thought Tony was good enough and constantly compared him to a man who had disappeared decades prior.
The blanket that had previous offered warmth now felt suffocating, and Peter had the strange urge to chuck the book across the living. He, however, never got the chance to, as Tony chose that moment to appear in the doorway leading from the kitchen. \
“Hey kiddo.” He greeted Peter, as the boy kicked his blanket to the floor. “Are you hungry? I was thinking I could make us some grilled cheese and-”
“Do you hate Captain America?” Peter suddenly blurted out, interrupting the man mid sentence.
The living room went deathly quiet as Tony processed what Peter just said. “What?” He asked, his voice coming out almost as a whisper. “Peter, what are you talking about?”
Peter took a deep breath, not really thinking through what he was about to say before he said it. “A long time ago, you told me that you dad always compared you to him.” He explained to Tony, as the man seemed to recall the conversation they had months ago. “Do you hate him for that?”
Tony face shifted from confusion, to almost amusement. “It’s hard to hate someone you never met.” He told Peter, taking a seat next to the boy and picking up the discarded blanket. “I would be lying if I told you that I never wanted to hate him. To be jealous of the man who always earned my father's attention, even in death. But I never really hated, not truly.”
Peter went silent, staring down at his feet. “Do you hate your dad?” He whispered.
Peter leaned back on the futon, letting out a long exhale. “In a way, kind of. Especially now.” He started, looking down at the boy next to him. “I used to hate him for caring more about his work than his family, and obsessing over a man from the past instead of focusing on what was right in front of him.”
He paused, looping an arm around Peter and pulling him closer to his side. “But, now that I have you.” He continued, a now very familiar warmth flooding his entire body. “I more hate him over the fact that he had so many chances to be a good father and to be the man I needed in my life at the time, but he never even tried. Not even once. And I’m not making that same mistake with you.”
As soon as those words left Tony’s mouth, a question materialized in Peter’s thoughts. A question that had been haunting him for weeks now, with no definitive answer in sight. A question that he was almost too afraid to ask out loud.
It was a question that had been resting in the back of Peter’s mind for a while now. One that had popped up shortly after Tony had legally adopted him and told the world that he was his biological child. A question that no amount of books or cheesy Disney movies could answer.
“Tony… are, are you my dad?” Peter asked, that very question forming on his tongue.
Silence filled the whole living room and Peter momentarily panicked, thinking that he must have overstepped a boundary or something. He regretted even thinking question in the first place, wishing he could take it all back and just go back to reading his book.
But Tony’s grip around him didn’t loosen and his voice didn’t waiver when he responded in a sure, and knowing tone. “Yeah, I guess I am.” He finally told Peter.
And he was. He really was.