Chapter 5
Tony stood to pop some popcorn as his kid got up, mumbling something about leaving to change into comfortable clothes. The adult sighed, he just wanted to help him. Tony remembered how it felt when that kid died in Sokovia, but he was an adult. He wasn't being paraded around as some killer by his friends. Peter was just a kid. He had enough going on in his life as it is, let alone being Spider-Man. Tony wanted to reach out and hug him or something. Tony always worried about the kid- he cared about him, for God's sake! Tony was never shown how to express that in a fatherly way. Tony had been sort of flying solo trying to do this whole parent thing. Did Peter see him as a dad? Or was Tony just crazy?
The microwaved beeped and he grasped it tightly as he poured it, trying to not burn his hands. It took Peter a hot minute but he came out in sweatpants that fell over his feet and an oversized Stark Industries sweatshirt. The whole getup made him look a lot younger than he actually was, adding onto his babyface. Tony shooed Steve off the main couch and onto an armchair, but Bucky already occupied it so Steve sat on the floor in front of him, absorbing the movie. Bucky ran his metal fingers through Steve's hair, which didn't seem the most comfortable, but he seemed infatuated with it. Tony sat on the end of the couch, giving the rest of it to his kid.
"Careful, it's hot," Tony told him, handing him the bowl. The teen's bubbly happiness obviously faded after being reminded of his singular mistake, and that told the billionaire that he was taking it really hard. Peter nodded and murmured thanks, and at this point, it was difficult to tell if he was tired or sad or both.
Setting the pizza on the coffee table, the five picked at it occasionally. Peter had only eaten half of his own which was surprising- a normal boy could eat an entire pizza on his own. Not that Peter wasn't normal! It's just that the teen always insisted he was the most average person in the world, of course besides his physical capabilities.
Tony watched the movie, at loss for words at how amazed Steve was. He looked like it was the best thing he'd ever seen. Like, dude, there's better CGI out there than this. But Peter liked it, so Tony liked it.
Peter seemed upset and needing affection. Was that what you do with kids? Steve was asleep, Bucky's robotic hands still running through Steve's hair. So, gently, Tony moved his hands to Peter's hair, running them through his soft locks. They smelled strawberries which wafted through the air. Peter seemed as if it relaxed him, as he was leaning into the touch. His eyes closed longer and longer every time he blinked and it looked like his mesmerizing eyes begged for sleep. With no warning, Peter's eyelashes became slick. He scrunched up his face and tucked it in Tony's arm.
"Hey, kid," Tony said to him. Peter gripped his sleeve, and that made Tony realize something was up. He pulled him so his face was against his shirt instead of his arm, so he could wrap it around him. There wasn't a warning and his shoulders quaked as he cried. Tony couldn't pinpoint anything specific in the last ten minutes of the movie unless Peter got really emotional over bad green screens. Tony assumed he kept thinking about the kid, which made Peter's entire predicament worse. Tony felt so bad. He sighed and hugged him, Bucky also asleep. His hands kept moving through Steve's hair, which made Tony shift Peter. He was next to him, his head diagonal to his arc, right over his heart. Tony kept an arm around his shoulders, the other in Peter's hair. The teen had his arm around Tony, tight as if he'd disappear into the thin air. Peter cried quietly and Tony just kept him close, soothing his hair and rocking him slightly.
They sat like this for half the movie, hugging and rocking and hugging. Near the end, Peter's eyes closed for much longer. Small tears leaked out of them but he adjusted how his head was laying and his breathing evened, and he soon enough was asleep.
Tony hugged him close, waiting until the movie was over to lift him. Peter weighed a lot less than Tony expected and he lied the boy in his bed, tucking him in. Tony moved his hair out of his face, getting off the bed to leave- "Mis'r Star'..." A voice murmured behind him. Tony whipped around, Peter's eyes barely open. The boy put his arms out which could only make Tony smile. Peter was much different when he was sleepy.
"Okay, okay, Spider-Baby." Tony chuckled. He held him close as Peter hugged him around his neck. His grip loosened as Peter fell back asleep, comfortable. Tony walked out to the group, grabbing apple juice out of his cabinet and gently pouring it into a glass. Taking a sip, Tony sighed. He'd switched all the alcohol in the house for apple juice a few months back, about a month before he met Peter and the accords went down. He was getting better. For the kid was the thought most of the time, especially as of late.
"Hey, Tones." Rhodey came in, tired as hell. "Is that scotch?" He reached for it, obviously nursing a headache. Tony slapped his hand and pushed the drink farther down the counter, surprised at his friend's sudden actions.
"No, it's apple juice. Pepper tossed all the scotch, and you don't drink anymore."
"I've had a long day, man, and it's not like I had a problem with it." Tony glanced at the prosthetics and kicked himself. Every single day he thought of how he fucked up. It was his fault bringing Rhodey and it was equally his fault that he got hurt. Tony was the one to blame. Tony had done everything that he could after the Accords.
"Yeah, me too." Tony sighed, head in his hands. He shot a glance at the couple behind him. Steve's head was on the chair Bucky sat on, hand in his hair. They were both unmoving beside the soothing rising and falling of their chests.
Rhodey took a seat and poured the childish drink. "Yeah? You wanna compare? I had to work with a ton of new recruits who nearly bombed the place. It was a dummy grenade, in case you were wondering."
"Good thing I never joined the army." Tony scoffed, a small grin creeping onto his lips. "Peter's really torn up. Did you hear about the fire on the main street? The apartment building?" Tony looked at his friend. Rhodes nodded, pouring himself a glass of sparkling water. "Yeah, it was pretty crazy, I think Peter got hurt in there and escaped, but there was a little boy inside. I emailed asking for the forensics."
"How's the kid taking it? I remember how it felt about that kid in Sokovia. Charles?"
"Charlie Spencer, yeah. I wanted to do anything for the family I could. You know, throw money at a problem and it solves itself. But Peter... he's just a kid. He wants to make it right himself. I'm gonna head down to the family tomorrow with him, dress nice."
"As Spider-Man or as Peter?" Rhodey asked, raising an eyebrow. Rhodey and Vision were the only people that knew his real identity, as they were all on Tony's team. FRIDAY knew, obviously. She was AI.
"Not sure yet. Whatever he wants to do, I guess."
The next morning Tony had informed the kid of what they were going to do. Peter got dressed nicely, a button-up. Tony grinned at his kid and his slicked back hair. Tony ran his hands through it and tousled it up for him- he would never let Peter leave the house with such prim and proper hair. He wasn't like that. They walked together and Tony sighed proudly. Peter had always been the kid to admit to when he'd done something wrong, and though he could be a rebellious little shit, he had good morals. He could fight Flash or anyone he wanted with his powers, but he never did.
"You know I'm proud of you, right?" Tony turned to him. It obviously snapped Peter out of his trance of whatever he was looking at on his phone, making him turn to him and give him a look, one that asked for him to repeat the question. "I'm proud of you. As a person. You've done a lot more good than I did at your age."
Peter's emotions were usually easy to read but right now he was a blank slate. Shit. Tony wasn't a good people person, and he was never really good at reading others. Tony hesitated before speaking. "I never knew what it was like to have a good dad. Not saying I'm trying to replace your dad or your uncle, but I want to be there for you. I've done a lot of bad in my life, and you're full of such positive energy and I want to give you an outlet. I want to help you. I want to break the cycle of bad dads. And what you've been doing and what you're doing today shows a lot of character. Even though you make mistakes, you always work towards what's right. And mistakes are what make us human."
Tony looked at the kid as he stopped the car in the lot. He was deep in thought, obviously. His eyebrows were furrowed together and his mouth was quirked and he stared at the ground. Did I say the wrong thing? Is that not how you say it? Shit, Tony, you're a bad dad. Fuck, whoever said you were his dad? Dammit, dammit, dammit, go back in time, unsay it, unsay it, unsay it-
Suddenly, the teenager he'd called 'kid' in his own head for forever, the kid he loved unconditionally, the kid he saw as a son and an amazing person, a kid with so many opportunities it was like a dream, turned to Tony. The confused look still stayed on Peter's face. They stared into each other eyes for a moment, and suddenly he was rising from his seat and towards Tony. His arms wrapped around Tony, which totally caught him off guard. It took Tony a solid minute before he realized he was an idiot and wrapped his arms back around him. They hugged for a moment, Peter's rise and fall of his chest against Tony's.
"We should head in," Peter said, letting go. He had a big grin on his face. He got out and Tony quickly followed, a little shocked in all honesty. They walked up to the shelter. Peter asked very sweetly to speak to the family, and they were lead into a room after the receptionist gawked at Tony. They sat down in chairs, Tony taking off his sunglasses.
Tony had a history of sunglasses. In public, they were his shield. He wouldn't break down his walls. He never wore sunglasses at home, with Pepper, or with Peter. They had broken his walls bluntly and entered into his life. Not saying it in a bad way, because he was so thankful for these people in his life. All these people in his life. They were there when he was at rock bottom. And in all honesty, Peter made him feel... Tony couldn't name it.
A mother and father walked in. They sat down and looked confused. The dad kept staring at Tony, which made him want to snap at him.
"Can we help you? Are you with Social Services?" The mother asked, mostly to Peter shockingly.
"No, um-"
"You're Tony Stark!" The dad erupted.
"Yeah, the one and only, but this isn't my show. He's the one that wants to talk to you."
"Hi, yeah, um, I'm... um," Peter glanced at the closed door, obviously doing a quick scan around the room, searching for cameras. Tony had already checked the blueprint plans the night before and called several times. Tony had no idea why Peter looked so nervous as he spoke, but the next sentence... that's what shocked Tony. The braveness of his kid. The gut move, the boldness, and the pride Peter showed. Tony wouldn't have imagined in a million years the next three words his intern/son/kid said. He finally admitted it, and Peter took this so seriously that he needed to get it off his chest. And that sentence was: "I'm Spider-Man."