I. fatherhood
Pepper has been working for Mr. Stark “please just call me tony” for two years when she gets a phone call. Which isn't strange at all. The largest part of her job has to do with answering and fielding phone calls so that Tony doesn't have to deal with anyone who isn't her, Rhodey, and Obadiah in that order.
It's not even that surprising that it's a woman claiming to have had Mr. Starks son. With his playboy lifestyle, it wasn't surprising.
“Look I get what this sounds like, and you people will probably want a paternity test,” the woman continues, filling in the silence left by Peppers platitudes, “but it's true and I think-I want my son to have his father in his life.”
The strain hurt in her voice, audible over the phone, tugs at her heart, the very thing she's learned to guard carefully while working. Pepper resolves to oversee the matter personally instead of delegating as she has done in the past at various instances of women claiming the same thing.
One of the reasons she's so good at her job is her ability to think on her toes and have a litany of contingency planes all sorted out for the various moods and happenings of Tony Stark who's a year younger than her and is about to step into the role as CEO of stark industries after taking a backseat and settling in as a board member and R&D project leader.
Eye drops for hangovers and weed and cars ready after parties to take various women home. Manifests that are good for delays as a result of Tong losing track of the time in his lab.
“What did you say your name was again,” Pepper asks out of politeness because the woman never did say her name. She would've remembered.
“Mary Parker.”
“Okay Miss Parker just give me the details and I'll have someone over to collect a sample of hair. Meanwhile I'll inform Mr. Stark about his son.”
*
Mary can't help but smile as her son launches himself out of the car at the sight of his father standing outside the hotel, waiting for him with a bag of cheeseburgers.
“Someone's excited,” Richard, her boyfriend soon to be husband, notes as the both get out of the car. He's helping the bellhop get the luggage out and she grins, ever the gentleman.
He's kind and dependable and working of the same biotech project she's on. And most importantly, he gets along with Peter, or did. Ever since she told him that she was getting married Peters been distant and moody around Richard.
She's hope this trip with Tony and Richard will fix that. Make everyone get along like a real modern family even though the distance between New York City and Los Angeles feels immense even with the weekend trips Tony tries to stick to.
Keyword, tries.
Sometimes all Peter gets is a call and “sorry bud,” as Stark Industries drags Tony away.
She's both relieved and annoyed that Rhodey's here. He'll be a mitigating any moods Tony falls into, where his sarcastic comments take a turn for the bitter and angry and has him reaching for whiskey without restraint.
But that means she'll have to put up with all the boys for the week. She should've invited her sister along, May would've been game.
“Hey buddy, you've gotten so big,” Tony says, the total sum of his attention on his son, “sure you still like cheeseburgers or shall i give it to Rhodey?”
Peter laughs, wrapping his skinny arms around Tony, and May watches, hanging back with her bag and Richard. “It's only been a month dad!”
“And you lost a tooth!” Tony says surprised obvious in his eyes, glancing at Mary who shrugs. She can't help it.
Mary's home was in New York. Her work was in New York. Her family was in New York. And they'd both agreed to Peter living with her and Tony being free to visit as long as he gave her a heads up, which mostly came from Pepper as they'd both complain about Tony over the phone.
Tony should be used to missing out on these things by now.
“What do you mean,” Rhodey asks, “Did you not get me a burger? Because I told you too-”
“You didn't wait for me-”
“You were two hours late,” Rhodey protests as Peter laughs and Tony takes hands him the bag before picking him up and carrying him.
“Everything should be sorted,” Tony tells her.
For a second she's tempted to ask where they're going. She can't help it. Mary's a mother first and everything else second. But she doesn't, doesn't think she should in front of Richard and Rhodey because Peter’s Tony's son too.
“I'll see you both for dinner then?” Mary asks, smiling as Peter catches her gaze before burying his head into his dad’s neck. She really hopes this works. That Peter gets whatever he's feeling out because as much as she loves Richard. She will postpone the wedding if Peter continues on like this.
“Yup.”
“Bring them back in time,” Mary says, looking to Rhodey. Tony was hopeless at being on time.
“Of course Mary.” Rhodey says, ever the kind soldier, “Nice meeting you Richard.”
“Likewise.” Richard says in acknowledgement.
“Richard.”
“Tony.”
And then they're disappearing into a sports car.
*
They're waiting in line to ride it's a small world, again. All for Peter.
It's was obvious at a glance who Peter resembled, Mary. There was little of Tony in there.
Right now he was pouting despite the churros in his hand.
“What's wrong buddy,” Tony asks him gently, “ready to call it a day?”
Rhodey still remembers the night he'd found out his best friend, his party boy genius best friend who shrunk from his responsibilities like a petulant kid, had a son. Bottle in hand, eyes wide in shock, laying on his sofa.
He'd been lost and scared and Rhodey only had cliche advice to give, another man married to his work.
It had been Pepper who rolled her eyes, told him to get on a plane and be a dad, be the man Pepper caught glimpses of between meetings and parties, the man Rhodey had met at MIT, obsessed with figuring out what to do with spent nuclear fuel.
It had felt like family then, the three of them sharing a drink and teasing Tony about fatherhood. Had become family since then, dragging Tony home for Christmas and watching him at a loss.
Peter shakes his head, silent for a change and Rhodey, a Stark expert knows this means something's wrong. Starks never shut up much to his dismay.
“Wanna tell me about it,” Tony pushes gently, “That could help. And maybe I could try and take care of it?”
Peter stays silent, eyes on the ground.
“Can't help you if you don't let me bud.”
Peter’s pout deepens, and Tony and Rhodey exchange looks.
Tony sighs, at a loss. Rhodey can't blame him. Kids are hard. Being a parent is hard. He doesn't have to have kids to know that much.
They move up to wait for the boats, ready to loaded. It had been Tony's idea to come here, on the very rare occasion that Peter came here instead of the other way around.
In a small voice, Peter finally utters, as they step into the boats, “Can I live with you?”
Tony looks over at Rhodey in alarm and he can only shrug back. Your problem here Tones. I'm just the fun uncle. The moral support.
It was up to Tony to explain that no, he couldn't. Because of lots of things like Mary having custody, and Tony traveling for work a lot to Nevada for weapons testing, to New York, for business to Washington DC to meet with the military and members of the pentagon, and staying up all hours of the night finishing projects.
Deflecting, Tony asks, “Why buddy? Mom not give you frosted flakes for bed?”
Peters crinkles his nose and shakes his head. “Just cause.”
“Oh no you don't,” Tony teases gently, “first you have to say Los Angeles is much cooler than New York.”
Peter giggles, “the pizza is better in new york!” Like any true new yorker would.
The answers clear and they'd talked about this. Tony had told him and Pepper how Mary was worried about Peter, worried about the impact of her getting married on him, thinking it was too much change. To his credit, Tony had never been an ass about that. About Mary dating and finding someone.
Tony had been truly happy for her. Had a friendship with the mother of his child and wanted her to be happy.
But Rhodey doubts Tony knows how to go about talking to about all that to a five year old who probably hoped his parent would work out and get married because what kid wouldn't hope for that.
“I know,” Tony states, “we’re going to have to get some next time I'm in town.”
It's obviously the wrong thing to say because Peter immediately deflated, curling up in Tony's arms. “Peter?”
“Are you gonna come?”
“To what?”
“Momswedding?”
Tong shrugs honestly, “Do you want me to?”
“Idontwanttogo. I wanna stay with you,” Peter whines.
Tony winces in sympathy, “I thought you liked your mom’s boyfriend. Didn’t he take you to that baseball game.” He makes a face, nose scrunched up in distaste. Tony was only about sports that gave you an adrenaline rush, taking Rhodey up on all his jet lesson offers with gusto.
“I guess?”
“Then what happened?”
Peter shrugs.
The cheery singing and bright colors provide a jarring contrast to Peter’s sulking and silence. Rhodey thinks Pepper might have been better suited for this outing, but then who would fend off the boardroom wolves that were always nagging Tony. After years of handling Tony, he thinks Pepper must be handling the company with ease for the day.
“Peter,” Tony starts carefully, “you know you can always talk to me. I’m your dad. And I’m always going to be here for you. Or on the next plane out. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you kid. And nothing’s going to change that. Got it?”
Peter hugs Tony hard, “can we go on the white mountain next?”
“Of course kiddo!”
*
Tony shows up three days late, after disappearing for the week. He hadn’t even bothered to call. That’s what really pissed Mary off.
She’d called Pepper. Hell, she’d called Rhodey, but Tony had been to busy doing god knows what with god knows who to even bother calling his son to say happy birthday when he’d promised to be here.
“I’m sorry Mary,” he says, smile strained as he tries peering over her shoulder, large dark brown eyes, the same as her son’s, standing on the doorstep, “I messed up. But I’m here now,” gift bag in his hand.
Peter had called, had called him ten times before giving up. Had refused to cut his cake until the next day. In short it had ruined his birthday party that he’d been so excited about, inviting all his class, playing seventeen rounds of guitar hero with his best friend Ned.
“You couldn’t even call! Really Tony,” Mary says, not bothering to keep her voice down, her hand tight against the door, holding it it open without inviting him inside.
“I fucked up.”
“Yeah, you did. And I get that you’re a very important man and you run a company and you’re really fucking smart Tony but so am I and I’m here because my son needs me to be. I can’t just disappear on him.”
“Mary can I just see Peter,” Tony utters, voice heavy, desperate. “I need to see him, to talk to him. It won’t happen again.”
“When-you said you wanted to be a part of his life. That means being here when you say you’re going to. He’s your son Tony! Not just some-you can’t do shit like this. I want him to have his father, but if you can’t-if you can’t be a father, then I don’t want you around my son!” It’s hard, but Mary’s a mother and she never wants to see her son as sad as he has been these last few days.
Pepper had offered to fly here last minute for fuck’s sake and Peter wasn’t even her son!
Tony winces and Mary’s glad she hit a nerve. She can only hope he gets it and changes. “I’m sorry,” he says quietly, “I’m sorry.”
Mary swallows down the anger that feels hot and raw in her chest, at the sight of him. She had wanted her son to have a father, but- “being a father is more than just being biologically related Tony,” she tells him, eyes narrowed, “it’s more than signing a check every month.”
“I know Mary.”
“Do you?”
“I just want to see my son.” Tony repeats, voice cracking.
Satisfied that she’s made her point, Mary lets him in, sure he’ll fallow inside. She can’t remember if he’s been inside since they’d moved in. A house, finally. With Richard’s shoes there, a picture of her and Peter and May on that wall, drawings Peter had made on the fridge, mugs they’d painted together, Richard’s idea, in the sink.
“I’ll go get him,” Mary says, leaving Tony alone with Richard.
Richard who’d tried to cheer Peter up, who’d been there.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Tony’s been flaky before. Hadn’t made it when he said he would before, but there was usually a call at least.
It makes her wonder if she’d made the right call when she’d gotten in touch with Tony to begin with. Maybe it would have been better not to have ever told him. To have Peter all to herself.
“Honey,” she says, poking her head into Peter’s open door, where he’s sitting on his bed, tinkering with some spare computer parts Ben and him had found at the flea market. It was great having May and Ben there. Better than having to find a stranger to babysit. “You’re dad’s here.”
It’s crazy to think how big he is now. Seven. Already in first grade. Shit. He’d be in high school before she knew it.
“I don’t care,” he says, brow furrow, eyes wet.
“Peter,” she says, silently in agreement, “don’t you think you should at least go talk to him?”
“I don’t want to,” he says, roughly wiping the tears in his eyes, refusing to budge even as she sat down next to him.
“What do you want me to tell him then?”
“I don’t want to see him.”
Mary sighs. Knows he’ll regret it before long, but she isn’t going to make Peter go downstairs either. “Should I tell him to come around next week?”
Peter stays silent.
“He’s your dad Peter.”
His hands still, setting the circuit board down.
“Peter?”
“I don’t want to see him.”
“Okay.”
And she goes downstairs to tell Tony. She’s sure Peter’ll come around. He loves his dad. Lights up when he visits. He’s just hurt and needs time.
*
One night Mary and Richard are dropping Peter off, all smiles and last minutes kisses and “I love you Peter,” and, “be good for your aunt and uncle,” and next she’s getting a call saying her sister, her smart beautiful younger sister, the one her parents called their miracle baby after years of wanting a second child, is dead.
May drops the phone.
And then Ben’s rushing to her, calling a cab, “Let me get my jacket,” he’s telling her and she shakes her head.
“No,” she tells him, distantly, feeling like she’s a stranger in her own body, like this has to be somebody else’s life. Some other unluck woman’s life. “Stay with Peter.” And fuck.
Mary can’t be dead. Richard can’t be dead. Peter needs his mom, needs her family and oh god she’s going to have to call Stark.
She can’t do it. May can’t do this all. It’s too much. Peter’s eight, gonna turn nine soon. He needs-Mary, her sister.
Oh, god. Oh, god.
She feels cold despite her jacket and sweater, pulled over her pajamas. There’s still dirty snow on the ground, and strands of christmas lights up.
The doctor places a hand on her shoulder as she identifies her sister. May wants to throw up but there’s no time for that now as she signs the paper, and it feels out of body. She knows the doctor’s touching her but she can’t feel it and how’s she supposed to tell Peter?
How’s she going to tell her parents?
How do you go about preparing a funeral?
She feels sick and cold and empty all at once.
They were going to go get pancakes in the morning. Mary had just gotten a promotion. They were all planning a cruise along with her parents for the summer.
Mary with her light auburn hair and easy smile, never had a bad word to say about anyone. She’d always been the one to win award and stay in studying while May had been busy at parties, sneaking in past dawn and running off to go protest oil pipelines.
Had run off to protest the war.
And now she’d never see Mary again. Not really. Never hear her sister complain about the lack of funding. Having to pay to study patented genes and how dumb patent law was. She’d never hug her again and tease her for being a nerd.
And Peter-
How was she supposed to tell Peter.
*
The funeral’s a somber affair. It’s January and the sky’s dark and gloomy and it rains as they make it out to Jersey.
Pepper had managed to pry the bottle from Tony’s fingers before they’d laned two days ago, making up excuses for everyone for why Tony Stark had to run off just as they were about to launch a new missile into production.
She watches as the two coffins are alid into the earth to rest. Listens to all the kind words and cries.
Mary had always been kind to her. A sharp woman who’d invited her out for drinks when she was in town, drinks and hot greasy pizza, the best kind, and a good game of ice hockey. Who called Pepper last minute and asked what people even wore to fancy galas when she was invited to one.
Despite the layer of professionalism Pepper tried to keep even after years as Tony’s right hand woman, a thin layer but still, Mary and been more than Peter’s mom to her, more than just a person she dealt with for Tony, she’d also been her friend.
She watches as Peter hugs Tony, crying, with red rimmed eyes, and dark circles under his eyes and wonders if they room she’d sorted out from day one for Peter back in Malibu will be put to good use.
No one’s brought it up yet.
Between the-
And the driver lived because of course he did.
The world was unjust on top of being unfair.
*
Long after everyone’s left, after Pepper had kicked her out of the kitchen and had gone straight to putting everything away and cleaning up, only stopping to pull her into a hug, letting May sob, cry like she’d wanted to all day, Peter falls asleep and she’s left with a hole where her sister once was.
“I laid him up in your guest room,” Tony says, sitting down on the couch next to her Ben, looking as punched as she feels.
“That’s-,” her voice cracks and she looks to Ben, unable to sit down, unable to stop because she’s really gone. She’s in the earth and the worms will be eating her soon and if she stops- she can’t live with that.
Pepper pours them out drinks. “It’s supposed to help,” she offers, sounding doubtful herself.
May takes a long gulp, downing it in one go, before telling Tony, “We should probably talk about-,” she gets too choked up to finish. She can’t stop. She can’t let herself rest because then she’ll just be left with that empty seat in her soul where her sister once was.
Still stuck on that night, waiting for her to come home even though she knows that she won’t.
“Oh yes,” Pepper utters, digging into her bag and coming up with a folder, “I have all the paperwork here. Mary had sent a copy of her will and testament for our records.” She sniffles, smiling apologetically.
“Pepper you’re an angel,” Tony remarks, looking over at her the same way Ben had when he asked her to marry him the day they met so long ago among the trees as dozens of businessmen calculated the profits of destroying a forest.
“I couldn’t sit around,” she says, pain visible in the lines of her forced smile, more for them then anything.
With the foremost gentleness, she meets her eyes as she utters, “she wanted you to look after Peter should anything happen to her.”
“I-,” she looks around. At Ben, his once brown hair streaked with grey, with sad set eyes that lent him an air of wisdom and sadness despite his outgoing nature, at Tony, hands shaking as he hold his empty glass, stupid goatee still in place.
They’d never had kids, never planned to. Between backpacking around India, bouncing around with Greenpeace from protest to protest, trying to stop pipelines and waste dumps being built among small towns written off as collateral much like the midwest town of Ben’s youth, everything else had taken a back seat.
This’ll mean taking a job here. Full time. Not just dropping in and being with Ben between projects because her sister, her baby sister entrusted the thing most precious to her, Peter.
“It makes sense,” Tony finally says, breaking the silence, “He’s grown up here all his life. And-he shouldn’t be uprooted. He needs stability.”
“I’m sure he also wants his dad right now,” Ben tells him, clasping a hand on his shoulder, “I can’t imagine how hard it must be for him. He needs you.”
Tony closes his eyes, swallowing hard.
“I’ll clear your schedule after afghanistan,” Pepper offers, already pulling out a phone labelled, bible, “and I’m sure I can get a place nearby for you.”
“Afghanistan,” May asks, sure she heard wrong.
“We’re launching a new missile and some top brass want me to be there,” he responds, sighing. “It should just be two days.”
“Probably why Mary choose me,” May says ruefully.
Tony laughs humorlessly, “I-my dad was never around. Always working and I never wanted to be like him and yet-god.”
“You’re not that bad,” May tells him, sure he wasn’t going to win any award soon but, Peter loved him. And Tony made an effort. Was here right now.
“We all do the best that we can for the people we love,” Ben states, “we can only hope it’s enough.”
*
Tony is kidnapped.
It’s a secret for the first few days, but Pepper calls May to let her know.
He’s kidnapped and Peter really doesn’t need that right now. And there’s only so much Ben and she can do.
Tony’s kidnapped and found and then he’s Iron Man.
Fuck.
May doesn’t know what she’s supposed to do with any of that.
*
Ben notices, despite the smiles and hugs and smartass comments as Peter launches into a tirade, asking question after question and catching Tony up on everything he missed these last few month, Tony Stark is a changed man, fear sunken into his eyes like all the families he regularly deals with as a social worker.
“And then Flash told me that his grandma knew Captain America but that can’t be true because they were in Canada according to Liz-,”
“Your granddad knew-,”
“-because flash wouldn’t invite Ned so we went to the movies with Ben instead and then Pepper came over for a few days-,”
“Are your trying to steal Pepper from me?”
“She likes me more because I’m much nicer and am almost always on time,” Peter states. “And she said you were missing but I knew you were okay because you had to be!”
“Of course kiddo,” Tony adds, “wasn’t about to lay down in the sun and tan.”
“And then you said you were Iron Man and I had to tell everyone that my dad was iron man but no one believes me!”
“No one thinks I’m Iron Man,” Tony’s asks skeptically, looking over at Ben.
“Noooooo,” Peter says shaking his head, like Tony’s really dumb and needs things explained slowly to him. Some things that are obvious to kids are completely lost on adults, “no one thinks you’re my dad.”
“Ah,” Tony responds, which makes sense because Mary had kept everything private and Tony agreed. Peter deserved a normal life. Not living under a shadow, with the Stark legacy on his shoulders, both good and bad. “We’ll who cares what they think kiddo.”
“Dadddd,” Peter says, rolling his eyes, smiling and bouncing around, unable to sit still, eyes trained on Tony, like he might vanish again if he takes his eyes off.
Ben frowns, thinking about whether they were all making the right choice. Whether they were doing the right thing by Peter.
“Yup kiddo,” Tony says with a grin, letting Peter tap the arc reactor on his chest, clearly visible through the thin shirt he wore while inside. He was now one of the most recognizable men in the world. An arrow painted on his back by his own doing.
They all agreed that it was for the best.
“Is it always on?”
“Yeah,” Tony answers, “a little arc reactor, and soon there’ll be one powering every city. Clean renewable energy for all.”
Peter grins back.
And Ben busies himself with making dinner for when May gets home in an hour.
“Listen, Peter,” Tony sighs, “you know how everyone knows I’m Iron man?”
“Yeah.”
“That means my enemies know I’m Iron Man too,” He continues, waiting for Peter.
“Okay.”
“So, kid, we’ve got to keep you a secret. To keep you safe. So that no one hurts you to get to me. To get to Iron Man. Because I want you safe.” Tony watches Peter carefully, the downturn of his lips, his fingers fidgeting at his sides, “do you understand Peter?”
“Does this mean you won’t come anymore?”
“God no. Never. I love you too much to stay away kiddo. But we’ll have to be careful. Like spies. And-,”
“Aren’t you proud of me? Is that why I’m not a Stark,” Peter asks with the earnestness that only children possess.
“No. Peter. Never. You’re my son. And that makes you a Stark. Peter Parker Stark, always. Okay? Never forget that,” Tony says, his hand ruffling Peter’s hair, “and I’ll always be proud of you. But I want you to be safe and that means making sure no one even knows to hurt you because I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to you. Do you understand Peter?”
Peter nods, going to hug his dad, arms tight, as he presses his head into Tony’s chest, ignoring the glowing reactor now there.
“I love you.”
*
Peter watches the battle on New York youtube, after. After Queens is declared safe and Pepper calls and promises Aunt May it is safe.
Tony never calls, but then he’s sure it’s because his dad’s still hard at work, making sure things are safe.
He’d gone into the portal, it had gone up on youtube.
Peter breaks and calls, “Dad?”
“What’s up kiddo,” Tony answers, “Everything alright?”
“Yeah, yeah, got out pretty early and queens isn’t too close to manhattan,” and Peter tries not to be hurt that his dad hadn’t called. He’d been worried. “Just wanting to know if you’re okay.”
“Of course I am,” Tony answers, “I’m iron man after all.”
“Yeah, right. I was just worried. It looked crazy online. I mean aliens.”
“Haha I know what you mean. Listen I’m going to go visit next week, deal with some crazy bad guy, hopefully get back on track for Stark Tower and then go get ice cream. You’ve got to tell me all about middle school.”
“Okay, yeah, sounds like a plan.”
*
It never pans out. The whole country watches as Iron Man saves the president on live TV.
*
Peter mixes the frozen yogurt, letting it melt into much as he sits across from his dad shamelessly clad in an Iron Man hat.
It's summer and humid and hot. Peter can feel the sun on his skin from their spot under the shade in some park that Happy decided was empty and secure. Away from prying eyes.
“Come on talk to me kid,” Tony says, glancing over at him. “Feels like I haven’t seen you all year.”
“That’s because you haven’t,” Peter replies cuttingly. Stark Tower’s location in New York was supposed to mean they’d get to spend more time together, but Peter only ever sees his dad through screens these day so
Tony’s smile falters, his yogurt forgotten in his hand. “Sorry, but I’m here now right?”
Peter rolls his eyes. “Aunt May always tells me sorry doesn’t fix things. That takes actual effort. And don’t say you’re Iron Man! I know that.”
“Peter,” Tony sighs, head in his hands. “You’re right. You’re absolutely right. I should’ve called after New York. You shouldn’t have had to hear about it on the news. There’s no excuse for that.”
“So how about this,” Tony continues, taking his orange tinted glasses off, looking ver un iron man, very un tony stark billionaire playboy philanthropist in jeans and a t shirt, “I’ll talk. I’ll tell you everything that’s being going on since New York. And after, if you’re still annoyed at me we can try again tomorrow. Does that sound fair to you?”
“Okay,” Peter mutters into a bite of his now swirled froyo.
“So last time we chatted was before New York. Up in Stark tower. So much of it is wrecked now but we’re working on bringing it back up to speed. Got a room in there for Bruce Banner and the rest of the Avengers, but it’s just Bruce really.
New York happened.
It was a top secret thing, the avengers. Still should've told you, never did learn to follow rules, but I wasn’t going to join really. First they wanted me and then I said no. Then they didn’t want me and I was offended,” he says, glancing over at Peter who can’t help the smirk on his lips. “Then there was no choice what with Loki hell bent of world destruction and domination. So S.H.I.E.L.D gathered up the world’s superheros and sent us out.”
“Me, Banner aka the hulk who is every bit as smart and angry as I imagined him to be. Captain America who can be a real stick in the mud but maybe he just doesn’t like me.”
“You can come off as an ass,” Peter retorts.
“Hey! I’m letting that slide for now but I’ll wash out your mouth with soap bud.”
“Two super spies, Natasha who was briefly the new Pepper but to Pepper since I made her CEO. Barton who I don’t even know. And Thor with his hammer. Love that guy.”
“Can I meet them,” Peter says looking up hopefully, remembering the time they’d learned about Captain America in history. It had been mostly him and Ned playing in their gameboys under their desks, but he’d perked up at Captain America and Howard Stark. His grandfather. The man who’d built the company.
“You can meet Banner. I’ll have to ask him first. Kind of a shy guy.”
“Okay.”
“Then I had to deal with the mandarin and Pepper yelled at me a lot. Mostly about being so busy being iron man that I forgot about the people closest to me and she was right. So I’m dialing back the Iron Man thing. So I got heart surgery. No more arc reactor necessary.”
“Really,” Peter asks, glancing at his dad’s chest, remembering the glowing light that was often visible.
“Yup,” Tony replies. “So what’s the verdict kid?”
“I want to meet Bruce Banner.”
“Oh I see how it is. New super heros, gonna just forget about your old man,” Tony teases, running his hand through Peter’s long hair, falling into his eyes, like all those california skater kids from the benefits and various projects Pepper has the Stark Foundation run.
“Dad,” Peter says, pulling away, hands going up to fix his hair.
*
It’s the day before his birthday and Happy picks him up. “Do you have everything,” Aunt May shouts, running down the stair to where Happy stands by a boring honda, more low key than any of the many nice cars that his dad owns.
“Yes,” he says, exasperated. “I’ve got everything so I’m going.”
“You’re toothbrush!”
“That too.”
“Okay,” Aunt May nods, pulling him into a hug, “just be safe! Do whatever Pepper says!”
“Shouldn’t I do whatever dad says?” Peter says amused, hugging his aunt right back.
“No! Absolutely not. Your dad is a menace.”
Peter laughs, “see you tomorrow Aunt May! Say goodnight to Ben for me.”
And then he’s greeting Happy, “So I don’t think I ever asked you, what’s it like to be Iron Man’s security? Got to be really ironic right! Iron Man needing security, cuz he’s Iron Man.” Like most adults in Peter’s life, he sighs with exasperation.
*“Hi Mr. Banner hulk sir it’s really nice to meet you,” Peter babbles, shaking the man’s hand trice before remembering to let go, “my dad’s told me a lot about you and your work. I thought your improvements into cancer research were amazing, the specific targeting using modified cells and lower doses of radiation was amazing. My mom worked on genetic engineering too, more focused on diseases but still.”
“Nice to meet you too,” Bruce Banner says, looking over at Tony who shrugs in response, “you’re only the second person to meet me and love my work outside of the hulk.”
Peter beems.
“Bruce,” Tony says, stepping forward, wrapping an arm around Peter, “this is my son. See I wasn’t kidding.”
“Sorry tony,” Bruce snorts, “i just don’t see you as a dad.”
“That’s because I’m a cool dad,” he responds, wiggling his eyebrows.
Peter snorts, “the first time he brought me up here he did the lion king thing!”
“He did not,” Bruce says, quickly moving onto the ganging up on tony train.
He nods, “right as we were looking out from the helicopter pad.”
“Wow,” Bruce says, laughing, “I’m going to tell Steve and Nat next time they come up to New York.”
“You will do no such thing!”
“So what are you guys working on?”
*
“Are you city slickers ready to go brave the outdoors,” Ben asks, finishing loading up the car. They’d been planning this trip for ages and no amount of shield turning out to be hydra was putting a stop to that.
“You can’t even light a fire with a stick Ben,” May teases, wearing shorts and a t shirt, ready for the long trip up to Canada. “And you call yourself an outdoorsman?”
Peter is glued to his phone. “Dad says the tesseract’s missing.” He’d been texting with his father since the news had broken. But Stark was too tied up in clean up efforts and bureaucracy to do much else.
“I’m sure the states will still be standing when we get back,” Ben reassures him. Peter looks so much like May, like Mary, that he sometimes looks at him and wonders if that’s what their own kids would’ve looked like. Most of the time, Peter feels like his son.
Taking him back to school shopping. Making sure he’s finished his homework. Going to his decathlon events and racking his brains to remember the little amount of math he’d learned. School hadn’t been his strong suit, not like it was Peter’s.
But with Mary as a mother and Tony for a father, there wasn’t any way Peter wouldn’t be smart.
“I know,” he says flushing red, “I’m just worried.”
“He’ll be fine Pete,” May adds, “he fought aliens remembers.” Then turns her head towards Ben, “and States? Are you Canadian now?” Never one to let a thing slip by.
“I’ve made playlists,” Peter suddenly announces surging forward.
“We don’t have an aux cord kiddo,” Ben reminds him. Their ancient car had seen better days, but it ran just fine for what they needed.
“You do now,” Peter tells them, “I messed around a bit and was able to install one. Surprise!”
“Peter,” May yells without any real sting, “I knew it and you lied to my face!”
“It wouldn’t have been a surprise.”
“Kid’s right May.”
“Are there going to be bears? And Moose? I want to see a moose. I read that a moose can get hit by a truck and the truck’s the one that get’s wrecked!”
“It’s a national park Peter, I’m sure we’ll get to see lots of wildlife.”
“Last year Flash went on a safari in Kenya and saw all these animals and he wouldn’t shut up about it for the rest of the year. Like we’ve all seen a tiger at the zoo but he saw one on safari! And it was so dumb because not everyone’s family can go on a safari.”
“That’s very true,” Ben responds with a smile. Despite how much wealth and privilege Peter had been born into, could have if Mary had made Peter go by Stark, he has a good head on his shoulders. And he knows Tony gives Peter way too much money outside of the monthly checks he sends them.
It’s a lot. They could choose not to work, but they’ve never been those kinds of people and he loves his job, knows May loves her jobs right back. And it’s Peter’s money really.
So they’ve deposited most of it into a college fun, and used a small bit to go on family outings to broadway and paintball and donating some to the same food kitchen they volunteer at during christmas.
“But Flash has always been such an ass.”
“Language,” May says slapping the dashboard.
“I’m fourteen,” Peter whines.
“And your point is?”
“Okay okay but still he is!”
*
His dad greets him with, as he arrives, pulling out to the curb in an orange lamborghini throwing away years of secrecy. “Pepper broke up with me,” while eating straight out of a tub of ice cream in his lap and wearing sweatpants.
“Do you want to cancel?” Because Peter doesn’t know what to do with a sad and depressed dad. Tony’s always been fine, cracking a smile, happy to see him.
“Oh god no,” Tony responds, shaking his head, “just wanted to tell you. She’s back on the west coast and all my calls go to her secretary.”
“Ouch,” Peter offers.
“Yeah,” Tony nods, “want to go for your first driving lesson?”
“In this,” he says, eyes growing wide as saucers!
“Yeah,” Tony responds with a smirk, “just don’t crash. I mean don’t crash in any car! Like any car! You’ll give me a heart attack and then what will the avengers do?”
“Move aside old man,” Peter replies.
“Old! I just saved an entire country! The entire world!”
“You have white in your beard now dad!”
“That’s it,” Tony jokes, “I’m leaving everything to my favorite son, Vision slash Jarvis. Not sure where one ends and one begins but you get the picture.”
“So which pedal do I press?”