Missed You
Peter sat on the couch in the empty living room, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees. He fiddled with his phone nervously, knowing he was being ridiculous. But he couldn’t help it. Tony and the Avengers had flown to Washington D.C. two days earlier, and he missed them. A lot. The previously Rogue Avengers had been staying at the tower for almost 3 months now, and Peter enjoyed their company more than he thought he would’ve after having to fight them and then being attacked in his own house.
But enjoying their company meant he missed them even more now. He spent most of his time with them when he wasn’t patrolling or doing homework. He missed playing Mario Kart with Sam and Clint, who had shown up a few days later after trying to convince Wanda to return with them. She’d refused to come back, and the archer had shown up alone. Out of the whole team, Peter had warmed up to Clint the quickest. Everyone in the tower now knew that if they saw the two of them together, someone was about to walk into a prank. Either that or they were baking something. Clint enjoyed trying new recipes, and Peter was more than happy to volunteer as taste tester.
He was waiting for Tony to call and say they’d be coming home soon, as the meetings with Ross should be ending. His Dad had grumbled about “Ross being up their asses” and that he was going to “throw them all in the Raft unless they flew to Washington”. Peter had stiffened at the words, relaxing only after his Dad reassured him that they weren’t actually going to be put in the Raft.
He wished they were here. He wanted to train with Natasha, or sit on the couch and read with Bucky and Steve, or catch them up with all the movies they’d missed. Peter wanted to help Rhodey cook breakfast, or tinker in the lab with his Dad.
Peter was snapped out of his thoughts as the phone in his hands buzzed, a picture of him with Tony lighting up the screen. He fumbled, swiping his finger across the screen to accept the call, before holding it to his ear.
“Hey kiddo,” his Dad’s voice came through the speaker. Peter smiled a bit, relaxing at the comforting tone.
“Hi, Dad.” Peter leaned against the back of the couch. “Are you guys on your way back yet? I thought the meetings would only last two days.”
Tony’s sigh was barely audible through the phone.
“Sorry, Pete,” Tony started, sounding tired. “These meetings have been dragging on. We won’t be able to leave until late tonight.”
“Oh,” Peter said, face falling. “Um, that’s fine. Yeah just... no unnecessary pit stops, alright?” The teen forced out a chuckle, trying not to sound too upset over the phone.
“Oh, kid.” His Dad didn’t buy it. “I’m sorry. We’ll be home as soon as we can, alright? I love you.”
“I love you, too. I miss you.” Peter choked up at the end of his words, trying to cover it with a cough.
“I miss you, too, Underoos. I have to hang up now, but I’ll see you soon.”
They said bye, and Peter set the phone down on the coffee table. He felt ridiculous as tears began welling up in his brown eyes. The teen rested his head against the back of the couch and pressed his palms into his eyes, attempting to keep the tears from spilling. Sniffling, he grabbed a pillow and held it against his chest, drawing his knees up. Peter felt like such a baby. Most teens would be happy to have the house to themselves, but he just felt lonely. Usually he wouldn’t feel this bad when Tony was gone, but there was no one around this time. The Avengers were with his Dad, Happy and Pepper had to leave for a conference, and Ned was was visiting family out of town.
Peter wasn’t sure how long he stayed in that position before his legs started to cramp. He moved so he was laying down and grabbed the television remote off the coffee table. He scrolled through channels carelessly, knowing he wasn’t going to be paying attention to whatever he put on. The teen selected a random channel before pulling another pillow into his arms and pressing his face into it. He curled in on himself, squeezing his eyes shut as he wallowed in self pity.
When Peter woke up, it was to soft murmuring, the low volume of the tv, and a warm hand rubbing his cheek. He let out a soft groan, feeling the ache in his body as he moved from the position he’d stayed in for who knows how long. He leaned into the hand holding his cheek, feeling comforted by the touch. Then, he cracked his eyes open to look around the room.
He could see Steve and Bucky sitting closely on the couch, having a quiet conversation. Sam and Clint seemed to be arguing over the remote, thankfully keeping their voices low and their shoving to a minimum. Tony hovered over him, looking down with soft eyes. But Peter couldn’t see Rhodey or Natasha anywhere in the room. He panicked a bit. Peter liked being able to see the people he cared about, and to know they were safe.
“S’Uncle Rhodey?” Peter’s words were jumbled, but his Dad understood anyway and let out a soft chuckle.
“He had to stay in D.C. for another day, government stuff. But he’ll be back tomorrow afternoon.”
“An’ Tasha?”
“She’s in her room, kiddo.” His Dad looked concerned and a little amused. “Do you want to go to bed, Spiderling? You look like you could use some more rest.”
Peter knew his Dad meant well. He knew. But his eyes still widened at the words, and he shook himself out of the tired haze enveloping him. He sat up, shaking his head.
“No, no. I’m fine, I promise. I want to stay with everyone.” He looked up with wide, pleading eyes. Tony sighed, running a hand through his hair but smiling anyway.
“That’s fine Pete. You don’t have to leave, alright kid? Do you want Natasha to come in here, too?” Peter nodded, relaxing at the thought of being able to see everyone.
Tony moved away, no doubt to go retrieve Natasha, but Peter couldn’t hold back the whimper that escaped him. His Dad whipped back around at the sound, moving back to Peter’s side and asking FRIDAY to alert Natasha instead. Peter was embarrassed, but it was washed away as Tony carded through the teen’s soft curls. Letting out a sigh, Peter leaned into the touch.
“Movie night?” Peter asked quietly, not wanting to disrupt the atmosphere of the room. Tony said yes, and he could see the others nod in agreement.
“Can we all... sit together?” The question was asked timidly, and Peter’s cheeks went a bit red as he looked around the living room.
“Sure kiddo.” Tony’s eyes were soft and a bit guilty as he looked at his son. He hadn’t wanted to stay away for so long. “Want to build a fort?”
Peter let out a laugh at the question, but nodded anyway. The others in the living room moved to stand, Clint and Sam going to grab more pillows and blankets from the closet. Steve and Bucky pushed the couches so the cushions were pressed together, while Tony and Peter grabbed two chairs and placed them at opposite ends of the couches. Natasha walked into the room at the same time as Sam and Clint, whose arms were full of sheets, blankets and pillows. They dumped the pillows and blankets on the couch, while Natasha draped the sheet over the chairs and back of the couch.
“Hey, маленький паук.” Peter smiled at the Russian words. Natasha always spoke softer when she was talking to the teen. She smoothed his hair back before pressing a kiss to his forehead.
“Hi Aunt Natasha,” he giggled, attempting to wipe the lipstick from his face.
The team moved to the fort, sitting close together. Natasha’s back was pressed against the arm rest, her legs thrown over Clint’s lap as they talked quietly. She smirked as Clint rolled his eyes at whatever she’d just said. Steve watched fondly as Bucky and Sam shoved each other, his eyes shining with amusement. Bucky was using the metal arm to his advantage. Peter felt content as he looked around the room, considerably more calm than he’d felt earlier in the day. He curled into his father’s side, letting himself relax. Tony asked FRIDAY to dim the lights, turning on a Disney movie before cradling the teen to his chest and pressing a kiss to his hair.
“You feeling better Bambi?” Tony smiled as Peter hummed in his throat.
“Yeah. I just missed you guys.” Peter pressed his face against his Dad’s chest, feeling more comfortable than he had over the past few days.
“We missed you too, spider baby.” Peter’s cheeks reddened at the nickname, and he moved his head so it was under his Dad’s chin. Tony laughed, carding his hands through Peter’s soft curls.
“What? You don’t like your nickname, spider baby?” Tony asked. Peter looked up, face almost completely red. Tony let out another laugh, throwing his head back. The teen pouted, fake glaring at the man as he jokingly pouted back. Tony finally took pity on his son, cupping the boy’s face and planting a few kisses on his cheeks and forehead while Peter laughed.
“Okay, okay stop!” Peter said between laughs. “The movie is on,” the teen whispered before holding a finger to his lips and making a shhh sound.
“Alright kiddo,” his Dad whispered back, pulling the teen back against his chest and wrapping one of the blankets around them.