Pepper froze as Tony stepped through the doors, her mouth wide open and eyes agape, caught between her distraught fiancé and the even more distraught teenager, who was perched on the couch as if he could sprint away at any second.
Tony, however, seemed blind to the tension in the room—and the fact that Peter was there at all—and practically fell onto Pepper and into her rigid arms. Peter couldn’t see much from his angle, but over Pepper’s shoulder he caught a glimpse of Tony’s face, weary and sunken, as if the few minutes outside had lasted a lifetime. His eyes were squeezed shut so hard Peter was surprised they didn’t tear, and he was just whispering, “I fucked up” over and over into her neck. She shook her head quickly, seemingly clearing her head, and slowly, slowly brought her arms around Tony awkwardly. But, it wasn’t long before she was doing her best to soothe him and calm him down, making quiet shushing noises into his ear and dutifully ignoring the growing wet patch on her shoulder.
Peter grimaced, caught between the need to leave the two alone for now and to stay, because he felt like he was witnessing a god crumble. But no, Peter realized. He had been wrong all these years. His Iron Man T-Shirts and Halloween costumes and plush toys were all lies, because seeing this scene of sorrow and comfort, Peter saw for the first time that Tony Stark was just a man. Just a frightened, confused man. He didn’t know if that scared or comforted him.
Peter gasped when he realized he had never seen his parents cry, never Ben, either, and May only once (of course, his enhanced hearing always forced him to hear her soft weeping through the thin walls of the apartment every few nights, nights when she was lonely or stressed or just tired and in need of a good cry).
Tony’s eyes shot open at the noise, faint as it was, and they widened with recognition once his vision cleared enough to make him out. Immediatly he withdrew from Pepper and roughly rubbed his tears away. Pepper, still dazed, looked between the two boys in the room. She sputtered, “Shit, Tony—“
”Did you watch it?” Tony interrupted. Peter, still ready to run at a moment’s notice, only nodded and pretended he couldn’t hear the sniff that preceded the question.
“And have you been here the whole time?”
Another nod.
Tony dragged his hand down his face and sighed, “Great.” He took a deep breath and continued. “Okay. Well, I guess this is happening now.”
Tony tilted his head up and called, “Friday, call Rhodey and Sam to the communal living room. Don’t let anyone else in.”
”On it, Boss,” she replied, her monotonous voice calming.
Tony looked between Peter, whose eyebrows were furrowed and feet were surrounded by the remnants of his favorite pillow, and Pepper, who was frozen in the same position she had been since Tony moved away.
Tony sniffed again, and moved throughout the room and to the furthest side of the couch as if no one else was in the room, refusing to acknowledge the eyes following him in silence.
He patted the seat of the couch next to him, and wordlessly, Pepper snapped out of her trance-like state and sat down lightly next to Tony.
Tony shit a glance at Peter, who still hadn’t moved, and cocked his head towards himself, the universal symbol for get over here.
Peter complied shakily, and, feeling as though he were moving through molasses rather than air, scooted cautiously across the couch and came to a stop on the other side of Pepper.
A few minutes of tense silence followed, minutes where Tony repeatedly checked his watch, Pepper looked between the two people on either side of her so quickly it was surprising she didn’t get whiplash, and Peter just stared into the space in front of him. Because what could Tony possibly have been planning that required him, Pepper, Rhodey, Sam, and complete silence?
He didn’t have to wonder for long, however, because the elevator dinged and Peter started as Sam and Rhodey walked through the doors, looking just as confused as he felt.
AND THIS IS WHERE I TURNED MY ASS AROUND AND REWROTE BECAUSE I THOUGHT OF A MORE FLUID, SUBTLE, IN CHARACTER IDEA