Questions
"Tony...can I talk to you?" Stark felt a chill run down his spine from Peter's words, turning around to see the teenager standing in the doorway of the lab, holding onto one of his arms, head hanging a little low, unable to look at him. "Of course, kid." He patted the stool next to him and offered Parker a smile when he seemed to run over to the seat. "What's going on?" He asked and Peter sighed deeply, slumping onto the table, arms folded and his head resting on them. "...Is it... Is it normal to be attracted to, to another man?" Stark felt his cheeks flush a little; he knew Peter trusted him enough to talk about his private life, and that he saw him as a father figure, but he didn't think this question would be popping up so soon.
"It is. And there's nothing wrong about that, or with you. It's perfectly normal for you to feel attracted to another man." Tony spoke, fully turning to face Peter now, since he had been working on his project when the question was asked. "But, how...how do you know that you're actually attracted to men and not just finding them beautiful?" "Peter, is there someone you think you might be attracted to?" Tony bit his lip when he saw Spider-Man's cheeks turn red and he turned his head away from the older man. "...Yeah."
Peter glanced back to Tony when he placed his hand on his shoulder. "Look at me, son." He waited until he saw Peter's chocolate eyes before going on. "Do you feel ashamed to admit that?" "...Well, well no. Just...really embarrassed." Tony felt himself smiling in relief. He knows that not everyone was like him, kind of knowing his sexuality before puberty hit, but he didn't want Peter to feel ashamed for feeling something that isn't part of the 'social norm'. "Okay, so how long have you thought you might be attracted to men?" "Um, about...two or three weeks." Damn. That's much more recent than Tony originally thought.
"And do you still find yourself being attracted to women too?" "That's, that's just it. I-I think that I do, but I can't..." Peter sighed deeply. "I can't tell if I really am anymore..." "Hey, hey. It's okay." Tony hushed as he grabbed the bottom of the stool Peter was on and yanked him closer, wrapping his arm around his shoulders. "And that's perfectly fine too. It might take you a long time before you really figure yourself out, it might not. But it's not a race, Petey." "...You mean that?" "Yes. I mean, I knew that I was bisexual before I hit puberty, but it took until I was 30 before I realized that I was panromantic." "Panromantic?" "People who are pansexual or panromantic don't really 'see' the gender of someone they're interested in, they more 'see' who they really are as a person, and fall in love with who they are, rather than what gender they are. Yeah, like everyone, those who are pansexual or panromantic have preferences, but it's not based on the gender of the person."
Peter hummed. "So...it's possible that I'm pansexual?" "It's also possible that you're bisexual like me, or actually homosexual, but biromantic or panromantic." "God this is all really confusing..!" Peter groaned as he let his head greet the table and Tony gave him an affectionate laugh. "It's always confusing when you're trying to figure yourself out. And it's possible that you could be demisexual or demiromantic, since those who are tend to not really feel any kind of romantic or sexual attraction for someone until they've really gotten to know them." Peter rolled his head to the side to look at his father figure.
"...You said that I could be homosexual, but also biromantic or panromantic. I thought that if you were, ya know gay, that you were only attracted to men?" Tony nodded his head with a gentle smile. "And for some people, that's the truth. But your sexuality doesn't dictate who you have romantic feelings for." "But, if I'm in a relationship, doesn't that mean what we're doing is both romantic and sexual?" "Well yes, but that doesn't mean you can't have a solely romantic relationship either." "Huh?" Peter sat up a little bit and faced Tony a little more, the older man reaching for one of his hands, which Parker quickly offered.
Tony stroked his thumb over the back of Peter's hand before he lifted it up to his mouth and pressed a kiss to the back of it. "Now, that right there, can be as far as you take a romantic relationship." Tony chuckled when Peter's face turned bright red. "Romantic relationships are only as physical as you and your partner want to be." "What are they typically?" "Typically? Well, it's normally a lot of dates, and holding hands, and cuddling. Sometimes there's kissing in a romantic relationship, but it's not always wanted or needed." "Are you in a romantic relationship with anyone?"
Peter's question caught Tony off guard. Was he in a romantic relationship with anyone? "...I think I'm in one with Thor, Steve, and Natasha." "You think?" Peter asked with a laugh. "I'm not really sure; I tend to pamper everyone, so it's hard for me at times to really know if I'm in a romantic relationship or not." "...So what do you do then?" "I ask them if they think we are in a romantic relationship first, and if they think we aren't, ask them if they'd like to be in one with me." "What do you do if one of them says no?" "Nothing. I understand that they might not want to be in a relationship at the time, or don't want to be in one with me."
"Okay, so...um, what should I do if I'm not sure if I want to be in relationship yet, but want to kinda explore who I am with them?" "You tell them exactly that. Depending on who it is, they'll be willing to help you explore yourself while still avoiding doing things you aren't ready for." "Will they do something I'm not ready for if I ask them?" "Again, that depends on who it is. But before you ask them to do something you know you aren't ready for, or aren't sure if you're ready for, I want to ask yourself just how much you truly trust them. If you feel like they might hurt you if they do the thing you're asking for, don't ask them. Being open with each other, talking to each other, and having trust in each other is absolutely key for a safe, sane, and healthy relationship."
"Is that why you lost Pepper?" Peter felt himself pale seconds after the question left his lips. "M-Mr. Stark! T-Tony, I-I'm sorry! I, I didn't--" Tony gently placed two fingers against Peter's lips, quieting him. "It's alright. And...yes, it's why I lost her. There was things I didn't tell her, mostly because I was too scared of how she'd react when I did, but by the time she found out what I was keeping from her, we would argue. I have trust issues, which makes it extremely hard for me to open up to people, even more so with my own PTSD--because yes, I've got that too--and then you add in my anxiety issues, drinking, and the amount of time I spend in here," Tony gestured to the lab they were still in, "and no matter how hard I try, no matter how hard my partner and I try to make our relationship work, 9 times out of 10, it's just going to fall apart."
"...Clint says that's why you need to date someone like Steve, or Rhodey, or even Natasha; people who won't put up with your bullshit, who will make sure you're taking care of yourself." "Is that what he says?" Peter nodded to Tony with a little smile, seeing as the older man's shoulders slumped back down. Tony glanced to Parker when he wiggled his stool a little closer, lost at what he was trying to do, but let out a light laugh and wrapped his arm around him tighter when the teen hugged his middle, his face nuzzled into the fabric of his shirt. "So, who's this guy that has you questioning your sexuality?" "Um...about that..."
Bucky grunted as he was slammed against the wall next to his room, Tony's hand wrapped around his throat. "Still trying to get revenge?" Bucky asked when he saw the venom in Tony's eyes. "No. But I'm giving you one warning." "About?" Bucky asked, shifting a little so he had a little height on Tony again. "If you hurt him, in anyway, I promise I will make you regret it." Bucky cocked a brow, confused. "What do you mean? If I hurt who?"
"Peter."
Bucky, who had been shifting a little more to try and get leverage against the shorter man, stilled. Tony, after noticing that, released his grasp on the ex-HYDRA assassin, taking a step back to give him a little more space. "I'm not sure when he'll talk to you about it, but...he's told me that he's attracted to you." Barnes chewed on his lower lip. "...What?" "You and I both know that I've flirted with him before, but I...I didn't think..." Tony shook his head. "I mean, that might have been part of it, but he's questioning who he really is. As far as he knew, he was just part of the 'social norm' and attracted to woman."
"And then he started to have more than friend feelings for me..." Bucky spoke, putting the pieces together. "...You can't hurt him." Tony spoke up and Bucky gave the man a shy grin, opening up his arms and let the shorter man into his embrace. Bucky had made it his mission after Tony had cleared him, Steve, and the others of their charges and were welcomed back into the United States to properly apologize to Tony for the things he had done, even if he wasn't in control when they happened; it was during one of these many attempts to actually apologize to Stark that he had found him drunk and took the man back to his room so he didn't get hurt--or more drunk.
It was right as Bucky was going to leave the man that he grabbed his metal arm and spilled years of bottle up emotions to him. Howard Stark turned out to not be the best of fathers, which disappointed Steve greatly when Bucky told him everything Tony did; the man had publicly shamed Tony for being bisexual, and he never accepted Tony after he came out. The emotional neglect was real, Tony begging Bucky for answers of why his father never accepted him, asking him if there was something wrong with him because he was attracted to both men and women.
Steve was the only one Bucky trusted enough back during the war to know that he was bisexual. Unlike Tony, however, Bucky had someone who supported and accepted him when he came out. Having been forced to keep his sexual orientation a secret while he was in the military, Bucky knew how hard it was to keep those kinds of dark feelings at bay. He had sat down on Tony's bed, pulled the sobbing man into his arms, and told him--flat out told him--that there was nothing wrong with him, that he didn't know why his father couldn't let go of his ego for long enough to accept the wonderful man Tony was, and he stayed with the man until the following morning.
Bucky understood the fear he heard in Tony's voice when he said that Bucky couldn't hurt Peter: Tony doesn't want his adopted son to go through what he did when he was a teenager. "If I do, then ignore whatever Steve, or anyone, says and kick the fucking shit out of me." Tony gripped Bucky's shirt a little tighter, nodding his head as he tried to keep from making noise as the tears feel down his face. "Hey, Buck, I... What happened?!" Barnes turned his head to see Steve running down the hall towards them, worry on his face. "He's had a rough bump in his day so far." Bucky told his friend and Steve nodded his head.
Tony jumped when he felt Steve's hand touch the small of his back, but relaxed when he started to rub circles into the area. "Wanna watch a movie?" "Can...Bucky and Peter join?" Only the Winter Solider knew the real reason Tony asked that, but he kept silent about it. "Of course. FRIDAY, can you call Peter to the second floor commons?" Steve asked as he carefully took Tony out of Bucky's arms and cradled him against his chest like a child, the three men heading towards the named area as FRIDAY confirmed the request.