Congrats, Itâs a Spider-Boy (Part 2)
Marvel MCU
7,022 Words
As promised, Peter and Tony go on a bonding weekend away.
Tony had hardly slept before the sun had begun its ascent into the sky, dawn spreading its rays further and further across the floorboards from the slightly parted curtains with every passing minute. The billionaire found it almost poetic, the previously pitch dark room becoming violet with warm streaks of pink and orange; a new dawn of its own broke last night, and instead of warm colors, Tony could still see the bright and sharp neon blue bands of DNA linking him to Peter before his eyes. Â Peter, no doubt still fast asleep in his room down the hall, had been a breaking dawn in the darkness of Tony and Steveâs falling out, even if Tony hadnât known it until the metaphorical noonâmidmorning really. Â
The mounting number of metaphors piling up seemed like a good indicator that he probably needed to eat something. Â Tony stretched as he sat up, and earned a few satisfying cracks in the process. Â Heâd pulled on some socks before leaving his room, and still tried to tread carefully past Peterâs room. Â In case the kidâhis kid, Tony reminded himself proudly, still had dialed up senses during sleep, heâd hate to wake him up. Â
First order of business upon entering the kitchen was turning on the coffee machine, before beginning what was probably somewhat of a ridiculous effort to make pancakes as close to silently as possible; ridiculous or not, Tony was determined to make a better breakfast than the one time heâd tried to whip up an omelet for Pepper, if one would be so kind to call the slightly burnt, very dry egg patty an omelet. Â Bacon was pretty safe, he figured, after all the only thing one needed do was drop a strip or eight in a pan and wait until the bacon was cooked however one preferred it. Â Tony took a sip of coffee, asked F.R.I.D.A.Y. to make sure his schedule had been cleared for the day, and flipped the first few pancakes onto a plate. Pouring more batter onto the large skillet, Tony checked that the pancakes wouldnât burn if he took a few minutes to go wake Peter. Â
He still attempted to walk quietly down the hall and knocked quietly on Peterâs door in case the teen already happened to be up.  Tonyâs eyes took a second to adjust to being back into a dark room after he opened Peterâs door, and saw his son curled around a pillow.  His sonâŠTony let out a content sigh.  He sat gingerly on the side of the bed; Peter shifted and let out a breathy mumble as he curled more tightly around his pillow.  Tony lifted a hand to brush though the sleeping boyâs brown locks. Â
âPete.â Â When the teen didnât react, Tony brushed a thumb over Peterâs cheek, âPeter, itâs time to wake up.â Â That time, Peterâs eyes opened slowly and locked with his as a lazy grin spread across his face. Â âHey bud! Good morning,â Tony greeted softly, and felt his own grin pull at the corners of his mouth. Â
âGâmorning,â Peter slurred, the pull of sleep still clearly tugging at his mind. Â Peter rubbed at his eyes, finally freeing his pillow, and the action made him look so much younger; Tony wondered if in a different life, heâd have seen Peter waking up at an even younger age, voice slurred with inexperience in speech instead of sleepiness, and tiny fists poking out of the cuffed sleeves of a fleece onesie. Â It didnât do to linger on such fantasies, and Tony was determined to enjoy what time he had from then on with his baby. Â
He ruffled Peterâs already horrendous bed head, âIâve got some breakfast waiting for you in the kitchen.â
Peter looked at the cup of milk quizzically, but before he could say anything Tony piped up after returning the milk jug to the fridge.
âYou can have some coffee after your growing bones get some calcium; drink that milk up, spiderling.â Â The billionaire smirked at Peterâs feigned pout, which lasted the few seconds it took for Peter to raise his glass to his lips, and Tony returned his attention to the bacon. Â
The scene was overwhelmingly domestic, what with the finished pile of homework and the backpack on the far end of the counter and Peter eating his fill of pancakes and what bacon had gone into the pan first. Tony made a mental note to schedule a day with May to go to the courthouse and amend Peterâs birth certificate. Â
âMr. Stark, is Ms. Potts having breakfast?â Peter asked, a bacon crumb at the side of his mouth. Â Tony hummed while grabbing a napkin.
âNo, little Stark, Pep had to leave around four in the a.m. for a business meeting with some partner company reps in D.C.â He didnât comment on Peter flushing pink at the nickname, but instead held out the napkin. Â Peter thanked him quietly and wiped his mouth. Â Tony turned his mind back to his mug of cooling coffee and took a long drink before topping it off again from the coffee pot. Â The rest of breakfast proceeded with comfortable silence, with brief interruptions of questions or reminders of forthcoming events, and soon enough Peter was packing away his homework and had changed into the clothes heâd brought along with him for the trip upstate. Â
Tony found himself operating on auto-pilot during the car ride to the Parkersâ apartment, the realization that it would soon come time for Peter to learn to drive at the forefront of his busy thoughts. Every so often heâd take a glance over at the teen, but Peter simply sat quietly, a content expression on his face as he watched the scenery pass outside the window. Â Yet, for all the quiet and peace that seemed to make the drive last forever, a moment suspended outside of the passage of time, the sun still did rise higher into the sky and it seemed that all too soon the traffic of the city began. Â Once an orange Audi was parked less than a block away, and the two had made their way to the door of the apartment, May swung the door open. Â An anticipatory grin stretched across her features, and Peter had to physically stifle the groan fighting to be born at the sight of Mayâs arms heavily laden with photo albums. Â
Tony was just happy he didnât have to ask to see Peterâs baby photos like a creep. Â May locked eyes with him, and her grin seemed to only get wider. Â She addressed him with a sing-song voice, âLetâs begin. Â Iâll make copies but the frames are on your dime.â Â
He chuckled darkly, looking at Peter. Â May joined him with her own feigned evil laugh before Tony responded, âFrames wonât be an issue. Â You have 15 years to debrief me on.â Â Tony passed Peter to walk into the apartment, ruffling the boyâs hair in doing so, as May shuffled to the breakfast table and plopped down the first photo album. Â Peter was in for a long, nostalgic, and slightly cringe-filled Saturday; good thing heâd had a filling breakfast. Â
Days bled together in the weeks leading to Peterâs weekend with Tony, and with the arrival of the Friday they were to leave, Peterâs excitement was born anew. Â Heâd rushed home from school, head full of details for stories to fill the car ride with, and upcoming events to share his excitement about. Â It would be the first day that week that Tony wouldnât need to call him for an update; the billionaire had adopted the habit of calling daily, although the timing could be sporadic, to check in on Peter and hear about his day. Â
As he was stuffing his laptop charger into his backpack Peter felt a small smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.  Tony really was trying where he could to be a fatherâŠ
Just the previous week Tony had met May at the courthouse and they had done the necessary paperwork to get Tony recognized as Peterâs father; Tony had made a point that he didnât have any intentions of changing Peterâs name however, since âThe name he grew up with is already part of his identity, it wouldnât be reasonable to change it.â Theyâd made plans to have Tony claim Peter to the public just before the Parkersâ lease on their apartment was up so that any paparazzi would have a harder time finding them once theyâd moved. Â Peter figured it was about as close to perfect as the situation could be.
Tony wanted to claim him as a son in front of the worldâŠ
Heâd finished packing just as a knock sounded from the apartmentâs front door; he could hear May welcoming Tony in seconds later. With his backpack over one shoulder, he hefted his duffle bagâs strap onto the other and walked out of his room to greet his father. Â When Tony saw him heâd held his arms out wide, looking about as excited for the weekend ahead as Peter felt, and Peter dropped his bags on the couch to accept the hug.
âHey kid, how was school today?â Tony asked, pulling back just enough to be able to look at Peter through his sunglasses. Peter shook his head in response.
âGood, but Iâm saving the details for the car.â
Tony nodded, âCanât wait to hear âem. Â You ready? Â Everything packed?â Â Peter gave him an affirmative âyeahâ and gestured to the dropped bags. Â âAlright, then, letâs get this show on the road. May, Iâll give you a call if we run into any snags on the way back Sunday evening.â Â
May simply hummed to acknowledge she heard him, far more occupied with giving Peter a hug and kissing his cheek, âAlright, call me if any crime fighting is done, young man. Â Have a good time, be safe, I love you,â May punctuated her reminders by kissing Peterâs other cheek for good measure, using one of her hands to cup and squish the boyâs face while she was at it. Â She didnât acknowledge his pink dusted cheeks when he gave her another farewell squeeze before going to pick his bags back up; she was just happy her little boy hadnât grown out of goodbye kisses, even if he mightâve been embarrassed Tony saw him get his face squished. Â Said man clapped Peter on the shoulder, took his duffle bag to carry and waved to her as he and Peter were walking out of the apartment. Â May sighed, a content smile on her face despite having no clue what to do with a weekend to herself; this would be good bonding time for Peter and Tony. Â
Tony chuckled quietly as Peter rambled on about his day, from thinking up a more water-resistant webbing formula during downtime in his chemistry lab, to having to pretend to be winded and tired after running a still questionably quick mile in gym. Â Tony interjected with a suggestion, âIf you want to join a sport to get rid of some energy, gymnastics seems like a good fit. Â Itâd be sorta like training for your spider-man business.â Tony glanced over to see Peter nodding. âOr a martial art, whatever. Â Male dancers are usually in short supply if youâd want to go down that road.â Â He remembered upon first meeting Peter that the teen had wanted to but felt he couldnât play football. Â Peter tapped a finger to his lip, apparently really giving the idea thought.
âGymnastics would be funâŠâ he trailed off as a wide grin broke out across his face, âIâd have to use a ton of that powder stuff so I wouldnât stick to the bars.â  Tony snorted and shook his head.  His kid thought of everything. Â
With a couple hours until closing, Tony pulled the orange Audi into a space and parked in front of a white building spotted with blues and greens. Â Tony could hear Peter gasp as they exited the car.
âAn aquarium?! Â Yes!â
After paying for tickets, which Peter appeared to vibrate with excitement while waiting for, Tony watched the teen go to each and every tank pointing out marine life he thought looked cool or interesting. Â The lights from the tanks cast the darkened rooms with an otherworldly glow, yet did nothing to dim the look of awe in Peterâs smile and wide eyes. Â Peterâs excitement couldnât have been more endearing.
âMr. Stark, did you see it? The stingray swam up to let me pet it!â
âLook, Mr. Stark, that sea turtle is huge! Thatâs so cool!â
âOh! Â Tony, I found the octopus! Â Itâs curled up in that little hole! Â That one there in the backâthereâyou see it?â
Tony had felt his heart stop for a moment when Peter had grabbed his arm in the shark tunnel, a large bull shark seemingly headed towards them only to swim overhead, following the shape of the tunnel and swimming away further into its tank. Â Peter had gasped, the sudden appearance of the toothy shark seemed to have surprised him, and Tony had heard a breathy âDad!â leave the teenâs lips. As Peterâs wide eyes followed the retreating form of the shark, he felt Tony wrap the arm heâd been clutching around his shoulders. Â The brief moment of fear was soon replaced once again with awe as more sharks and some large turtles swam overhead. Â
Near the exit of the sharksâ exhibit was the transition to the penguinsâ wing of the building, and Peter cooed at a few of the different chicks waddling about their enclosures, usually either chased by or chasing their parents. Â Peter watched a parent aggressively grooming a chick only for the chick to complain loudly and fail at trying to run from its caretaker; Peter had to giggle, reminded of May always fussing over his unruly curls on school picture days, but stopped when he felt a hand combing through his hair. Â Taking a moment to let himself savor the silent form of affection, Peter hummed and leaned into Tonyâs hand. Â He made no move to reject his parentâs attention as the chick did, even if at one point he felt Tony had been overbearingly protective and it had ended with a dropped building and a downed plane. Â
But such things were in the past. Â He still felt Tony was very protective, but he knew Tony was just looking out for him, so here he stood letting his newly-found father pet his hair as if heâd been doing it since Peter was small. Â It was food for thought, how different his life wouldâve been if heâd gone to live with Tony when his parents passed instead of May; heâd probably have been running around and tripping over things in the lab at a young age, and a lot less prone to stage fright. Â But he had Tony and May in the here and now, and Peter couldnât ask for a pair of parents that tried harder than they did. Â He was brought out of his thoughts when he felt Tony tilt his head against his own.
âYou know,â Tony started, and Peter could hear the grin in his voice, âI think the reptile and arachnid terrarium wing is next if you wanted to say hi to your cousins.â Â Peter snorted and lightly jabbed an elbow into Tonyâs side, effectively breaking the little side hug theyâd had as they walked on. Â
Peter settled into the car with a grin, âI kinda want to watch Finding Nemo nowâŠâ As he buckled his seatbelt he saw Tony in his peripheral lowering his sunglasses.
âTruly a masterpiece of cinema,â Tony remarked, nodding with finality. Â âWeâll watch it over dinner. Â Whatâre you in the mood for?â
Peter hugged the penguin and penguin chick plushies theyâd bought to his chest, running a thumb over the faux fur feathers of the stuffed toys as he thought. Â âIâm not really craving anything in particular, what about you?â
Tony took a few moments to answer, tapping the steering wheel with one hand a few times, âThereâs a sort of umbrella Asian restaurant a few blocks from the condo; we could just make an international take-out feast of it, get some lumpia, kimchi, steamed buns, the works. They do really good honey-garlic Korean fried chicken, too. Â Howâs that sound?â
To a boy like Peter who had an advanced metabolism and loved Asian food of all kinds, that was apparently the best suggestion Tony couldâve made, and he could guess as much before Peter even opened his mouth from the boyâs delighted brown eyes and anticipatory grin. Â âOkay I should set a good example so weâre going to order steamed veggies, and weâre both going to eat them before getting any second servings. Â Capiche?â
Peterâs expression became one that even with his glance while driving Tony could tell was feigned seriousness and completely accepting of the condition before Peter replied, âCapiche,â with an obviously forced bored tone.  Suddenly the car in front of them slammed on its brakes, and despite the Audi being programmed to automatically brake, Tonyâs hand still shot out in front of Peterâs chest.  Once the car ahead began moving again Tony let out the breath heâd been holding and he saw Peter relax in his peripheral.  At least they wouldnât have to been witnesses to report some kind of crashâŠ
Tony heard Peter let out a small laugh in the passenger seat, âYou do that thing May does when she drives. Â Ned and I call it a âparent reflexâ,â he explained. Â Tony whistled a generic video game achievement tune, one from a vague memory of his and Rhodeyâs MIT days, and tried to lower his voice an octave to emulate a game narrator.
âPlus 5 Parent Points obtained; Level Up!â
Peter snorted before pitching his voice and tone to what Tony always attributed most flight attendantsâ speech as he added âAchievement Unlocked: Dad Reflexes, one out of one son shielded. Â Four vegetables needed to unlock Achievement: Healthy Eating.â
Tony shook his head with a fond smile, letting Peterâs add-on hang in the air a few seconds so changing the subject wouldnât seem like a dismissal.
âYou have anything specific you want to do tomorrow?â Â Tony glanced at Peter to see him shaking his head, still smiling. Â âWell if you had fun at the aquarium we can see about hitting up the zoo tomorrow, maybe after a lazy brunch?â
Heâd had the boy at âzooâ when out of the corner of his eye Tony saw Peterâs head whip around to look at him, eyes still discernibly wide with a gaping, open-mouthed smile to match. Â Peter quickly realized he hadnât answered and cleared his throat, âYeah, the zoo sounds awesome, letâs do that.â Â
Peter had been unpacking his duffle bag in his designated room when Tony had called him to come out. Â Two large white take-out bags filled to bursting sat on the marble-topped island in the middle of the kitchen. Â Peter came into the room just as Tony was opening the first bag, a freshly washed stack of the seldom-used condoâs plates sitting nearby on the counter. Â Tony seemed to be searching for a particular container in the bags, and after the man had let out an exclaimed âA-ha!â, Peter was having a stare-down with the steaming container of vegetables.
âLetâs get this part over with and get to the good stuff,â Tony said, wrinkling his nose but still smirking all the same as he handed Peter a plate and fork. Soon enough Peter had a small mountain of veggies on his plate and the end of a broccoli stem hanging out of his mouth as he got a can of soda out of the fridge. Â He could hear Tony bringing the bags of food into the living room as the opening theme of Finding Nemo filled the apartment. Grabbing an extra soda for Tony and his plate of veggies, Peter joined Tony on the wraparound couch. Â The billionaire had an arm around the back of the couch, the other jabbing at the plate of vegetables balanced on his lap; as Peter sat down he felt the arm on the back of the couch fall around his shoulder.
As dinner and the movie progressed, Peter leaned more into Tonyâs side. Â Whether Tony had been conscious of it, at any times the titular character had been in danger the arm holding Peterâs shoulder would clutch him just a bit tighter. Â The rest of the evening was spent exchanging quips and passing food, and at Bruce the sharkâs sudden appearance Peter jumped.
âI always forget when he shows up!â he cried, and pouted at Tonyâs chuckling. Â Tony wrapped his arm back around the pouting teen and Peter settled his head back on Tonyâs shoulder.
âPete, thereâs no shame in being zero to two losing to shark jump scares in one day.â Â Tony offered Peter another piece of lumpia, to which the teen broke his pouting to take and nibble on the food, a mumbled âThanksâ meeting Tonyâs ears. Tony ruffled Peterâs hair as he turned his attention back to the TV. Â
As the jazzy ending credits began to play, Tony sat up with a satisfying stretch. Â He made a note to order grocery delivery for in the morning as he and Peter took their dishes to the kitchen to wash. Â As the sink began to run Tony glanced over at the piano in the corner for a moment, and it seemed Peter followed his gaze.
âDo you play it or does Ms. Potts? Â The piano, I mean.â Peter inquired, taking up a dish towel to dry the dishes as Tony washed them. Â âItâs really pretty.â He added. Â A grin pulled at one side of Tonyâs mouth; heâd said the same thing when Maria had first brought one into his childhood house. Â
âItâs mine. Â I havenât played it in forever, though.â He paused to hand Peter a washed plate to dry, âFunny enough, my mom first bought one for our house because she missed playing at her parentsâ before she was married.â Â Scrubbing the second plate Tony looked back over at the corner the piano sat in, no doubt needing to be dusted and maybe slightly out of tune from disuse. Â Heâd lost his other one when the Malibu house fell into the ocean.
Peter laid the plate heâd finished drying on the counter to take the second one as Tony rinsed it off, still curious about the sleek black instrument. Â âDid she teach you to play it, or did you have lessons?â Â
âWhen our first one was delivered, Mom wasted no time showing me what songs she remembered how to play. Â I was still small enough for her to scoop up and set me on her lap, and sheâd put her hands over mine to show me where to put my fingers and which keys to press. Â The boring stuff like keeping time and reading sheet music came later.â Â
Peter seemed content with that answer, and the pair went about finishing up doing the dishes quietly, only the clinking of ceramic and silver ringing through the space. Â After they were finished, Peter said he was going to go shower. Â Once heâd figured out which knob started the hot water and had grabbed a towel, he could faintly hear the tinkling of piano keys being gently pressed down the hall.
Tony expected the missed keys and such that came with years without practice, but it seemed like something to take up again while Peterâs hearing was muffled with the rushing water of a shower. Â Heâd tossed the cloth heâd used to clean off the dust from the keys a few feet away before sitting down, and tried to recall the notes to songs he knew Maria had sat down and taught him. Â He hadnât heard the shower turn off or the quiet footfalls approaching; he hadnât even noticed a whole teenager sitting on the couch a few paces away until some time had passed and heâd had his fill, finally looking up and over to where Peter lounged. Â It had gotten quite dark outside while heâd been playing, and it seemed Peter had been there for a little while. Â Peterâs hair, still visibly damp but not dripping, had become even curlier from the shower and a lack of a brush; Tony stood up from the piano bench and ran a hand through it a few times. Â Peter had evidently been asleep for some time, as throughout Tony petting his hair, the boy did not stir. Â With a sigh and a lopsided smile Tony picked him up to take him to his room.
The penguin plushies were sitting together on the bed, carefully placed together against the far-side pillow; Tony had to resist a snort as he tried to pull back Peterâs blankets without waking the teen up. Â Heâd managed to get Peter into bed and brought the blankets up to his shoulders, and as an afterthought removed the far-side pillow from the plushies to set down at Peterâs side, knowing the teen liked to curl around them while he slept. Â Tony took a moment to make sure Peter was tucked in, for the moment at least, and figured he could do some work on his tablet until he went to bed himself. Â Before moving away to leave Tony moved Peterâs bangs out of his face, and with a momentâs hesitation, leaned down and pressed his lips to Peterâs forehead. He tore himself away and sighed, âGoodnight, Son.â Â
Tony had expected a few things from waking up the next morning, like grogginess and a caffeine craving; he hadnât been expecting the split second heart attack heâd had upon seeing Peter sleeping on the other side of the bed. Â The massive jolt heâd had mustâve been enough to wake the boy, as a couple sleepy brown eyes blinked up at him and Tony was able to take a breath.
âHey Baby-Mine, didnât like your own mattress?â Noticing the grey fluff poking out from under Peterâs arm, Tony noted heâd brought the penguin chick plushy with him. Â
âI had a nightmare and I didnât want to wake you upâŠâ
âOhâŠâ Tony trailed off; he knew how that was. âYou wanna talk about it?â he asked, propping himself up on an elbow.  Peter shook his head and hugged the plushy just a little tighter.  Tony let out a breath through his nose.  âOkay, well,â he paused to brush Peterâs bangs out of his eyes, âWould you want to discuss breakfast plans instead?â The mention of food seemed to brighten Peterâs mood as a grin spread of his face.  âLook at me,â Tony continued, and Peterâs eyes met his again, âWake me up next time, okay?â
âOkay.â
With a final ruffle of Peterâs hair, Tony untangled himself from his blankets and got up to go make breakfast. Â Once Peter was eating his fill of waffles and yogurt, thank goodness for the grocery delivery that came shortly after Tony and Peter had gotten up, Tony had started trying to find the spare sunglasses and sunscreen heâd packed. Â Heâd set them on the counter once theyâd been found so he could get his own breakfast plated up. Â
âWhatâre those for?â Peter inquired, gulping down the waffle thatâd been in his mouth. Â
âYou. Â Weâre going out when the sun is high in the sky, so youâre going to need sunglasses for you precious little spider-sense eyes, and sunscreen because you are by no means tan or UV-proof, sweet child of mine.â Â Tony punctuated the explanation by shoving a yogurt-laden spoon in his mouth and taking a waffle off the waffle iron to plop on his plate. Â
Sure enough, true to his word once theyâd finished eating Tony had Peter practically bathe in sunscreen while he took care of the dishes. Â He picked the bottle out of Peterâs hand once his limbs had been covered. Â
âLook at me for a sec.â was all the warning Peter got before Tony started spreading the sunscreen over his cheeks and forehead, and at Peterâs pout âboopedâ his nose with a streak of sunscreen for good measure. Â Heâd cupped the boyâs face in his hands to finish spreading it under his eyes and on his nose, and at Peterâs expense had to coo at how adorable the boyâs face was with his cheeks squished. Â
Despite the harsh sun, the day carried on much like the one before it with Peter rambling excitedly in the car and running to and fro from the exhibits with stars in his eyes. Â After a couple hours Tony had the boy slathered with sunscreen again and Peter pouted for all of ten minutes, ready to jump back into the fray of exploring the park instead of waiting for the sunscreen to soak in. Theyâd gotten some water while waiting on Peterâs skin protection regiment, and some shaved ice as an afterthought; suddenly Peterâs pouting became delighted humming once more, and Tony didnât give a single care about what Pepper or May would say about him spoiling his baby boy. Â The resemblance was uncanny still when Peter had on a pair of his sunglasses, even if at the moment heâd been pale as a sheet. Â
Theyâd apparently come on a good day; there were only a dozen or so small families and a single field trip, so foot traffic hadnât been obnoxious and they could walk at their own pace. Â Peter would excitedly gasp at the âcoolâ animals, even if they were napping like the lions had been or cutely playing in a mud hole like the elephants; theyâd had a good chuckle over a rhino aggressively defending its ridiculously small mud hole from other rhinos that had been headed to a bigger mud hole nearby anyway. Â Tony was glad to see Peter acting like a carefree kid, cooing over pandas rolling down a hill or jumping up and down with excitement because a tiger chuffed at him before promptly jumping into its pool. Â
Even if he was over a decade late, he was content to spend time with his kid in the here and now; heâd be able to do things with Peter that Howard had never bothered to do with him. Â The thought made Tony glance down at his watch; Peter had forty-five minutes until it was time for a sunscreen reapplication. Â
âYou clearly want to ask me something,â Tony pointed out, briefly looking up from the tomato he was cubing. Â Halfway through the drive home and since theyâd gotten to the condo, Peter would look over at him and open his mouth to say something only to close it and look away again. Â âLook, I know sunscreen is tedious but I donât want to get an earful from May because our kid got sunburnt the first weekend he spent with me.â
Peter gave a little laugh at this, but no explanation. Â âCome on, kid, the sooner you ask the sooner I can answer.â Â Peter nodded at that, scratching the back of his head.
âI,umâŠthis isnât really the time or place, I think,â Peter shook his head. âDonât worry about it.â Â
Tony put down his knife and grabbed a towel to dry his hands, âIâm probably the worst person to tell not to worry about something, Pete,â he said, walking over to sit on the couch next to Peter. Â âWhatâs up?â
Peter brought his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, resting his chin on one of his forearms and pointedly not looking at Tony. Â
âIâm really happy you want to spend time with me, like, super happy, and Iâm happy youâre being more physically affectionate with me, okay?â
Tony nodded before prompting Peter, âBut?â
Peter brought a hand to the back of his head again, silent for a few moments. Â âWould you have still wanted to spend more time with me if you didnât know I was yours? Iâm not disappointing, am I?â
Frankly Tony was taken aback by the questions. Â He could see small signs of Peter getting more anxious with every moment he took to answer.
âF.R.I.D.A.Y.?â
âYes, Boss?â
âCould you pull up those receipts for my Florida plans from my email and display âem for me?â
Wordlessly the A.I. carried out her creatorâs request and several holograms appeared to shine out of Tonyâs watch. Â Peter saw Disneyland, Epcot, and Universal Studios among the fold.
âSo,â Tony started, and Peter heard no offense in his tone, âThese, which were meant to be a surprise, are all dated about three months ago, scheduled for your Christmas break with four tickets reserved all around for you, May, Pep, and I over the span of two-ish weeks,â Tony made a âso-soâ gesture with his other hand. Â âWith an Orlando resort suite booked as well. Â I can also pull up plans I made several more months ago for your birthday but that would ruin the surprises. I trust that answers your first question.â Â He turned to Peter who was staring at the holograms with a mix of surprise and relief. Â âDonât think for a second Iâm not delighted that youâre my son. Â I think youâre brilliant; youâve certainly started out a much better person than I ever was. Â I loved you way before that test, but it wouldâve been kinda creepy, you canât deny, for me to have been as affectionate with a kid I wasnât related to.â
That finally got Peter to crack a smile, âYeah, May wouldâve probably given you more than a side-eye.â Peter wiped at one of his eyes with his palm, incredibly relieved to have that confirmation. Â He willingly let Tony pull him into a hug. Â
âDonât ever think that youâre a disappointment; I am so, so proud of you, okay?â
Peter just nodded into Tonyâs shoulder. Â A loud rumble filled the room, and Peter felt his face flush as Tony pressed a kiss into his hair. Â âCome on and help me finish dinner. Â Weâll see what the spiderling can catch in his web.â Â
ââŠThanks, Dad.â Â
Tony knew he was grinning like an idiot while giving Peter another squeeze, âNo problem, Son.â
As they both got up to go back to the kitchen, Peter spoke up again. âCould I ask you something else?â
âGo ahead, anything,â Tony answered, clapping Peterâs shoulder before picking his knife back up to finish off the tomatoes.
âCould you tell me more about your mom?â Â
Tony looked up, quizzical but not opposed. âWhat do you want to know?â
Peter shrugged, while washing and tearing some lettuce. Â âAnything; Iâve heard about Howard in school but he doesnât seem like the greatest family man. Â I donât really know anything about my grandma.â Â
Tony let out a fond sigh, âLetâs seeâŠâ he started while dropping tomatoes into the lettuce Peter had torn.  âFirstly, sheâd probably want her grandbaby to call her âNonnaâ; whenever Howard wasnât home sheâd call me âAntonioâ and its pet name variants, and if sheâd known you, you wouldâve grown up thinking your name was âPietroâ.  Anyone who knew her knew Maria knew she was proud to be Italian.â  Tony considered the boy for a second, âYou wouldâve been fluent in Italian and Spanish by now if sheâd had any say in it, and aced all these Spanish quizzes.â
Peter watched Tony get a cucumber and some carrots from the fridge, and set the carrots to the side before continuing, âSheâd have been thrilled you were a band kid, and she wouldâve loved hearing you play, and playing duets with you.â Â The cucumber was chopped and added to the growing salad. Â âWhenever you learned to toddle she wouldâve had you on the bench with her at the piano. Â Sheâd sing if the song she was playing had lyrics; I was always falling asleep on the music roomâs couch when sheâd play.â Â
The knife was handed off for the carrots so that Tony could start the chicken in its marinade. Â Peter washed the carrots before carefully trying to peel them. âWas she super domestic or really career driven?â Peter could recognize the look of reminiscence in Tonyâs eyes that heâd seen in the mirrorâs reflection of his own whenever he thought about Ben.
âLittle bit of both; she took care of the behind-the-scenes work of planning Stark Industriesâ charity events and parties, and usually gave the resident chef the night off because she liked making dinner at home. Â Mom made all her pasta and pastries from scratch.â
Tony took the carrots Peter had finished cutting and stuck them in a pan with a splash of water and some butter. Â Peter watched him take down cinnamon and brown sugar, adding healthy amounts of both once the carrots has started to soften. Peter felt a lopsided grin form on his face, âWould she have been okay with you and I doing our âheroâ thing?â
A few silent moments passed before Tony smirked, âMom wouldâve screamed, and she didnât raise her voice often, but she would because sheâd be worried. Â At the end of the day, though, sheâd probably have some heaping plates covered in the fridge and a kind word for our efforts.â Â Peter nodded, an infectiously adorable grin on his features that reminded and reassured Tony just how much of a child Peter still was. Â
âI think I wouldâve loved her.â
âShe wouldâve adored you, and spoiled you rotten to boot.â Â Thinking it might be a bit soon still to reciprocate and ask about Ben Parker, Tony made a mental note to ask in the future; he was eager to know about the man who raised his son.
Sunday morning was spent lazily, as Sunday mornings should be. Â At Peterâs request F.R.I.D.A.Y. began a playlist of the Star Wars movies while he and Tony tried to figure out how to make muffins. Â The A.I. had transferred the movies to the TV in Tonyâs room, who didnât care a wit about crumbs getting on the sheets as he and Peter had their breakfast in bed. Â They had agreed to deliver Peter back to Mayâs care after dinner, and every so often tore away from their blankets and the different cosmic bodies and planets on the TV to get more snacks or refill drinks. Â Pepper had called to video chat for the first time that weekend during a transition between movies; sheâd asked how things were going, and jokingly asked Peter to forgive his âevil future step-momâ for interrupting his marathon with his father before mentioning that theyâd need to schedule him an appointment with a tailor among other reminders for Tony. Â
Peter had cocked his head to the side after Pepper hung up. âA tailor?â he parroted. Â Tony took a sip of his drink while nodding.
âPep and I decided you would make social functions much more bearable, and itâd be better for you to have a selection of suits custom made for you to choose fromâif youâd want to go, of course, no pressure.â Â
âAm I going to be looking like a mini-you? Sunglasses, the works?â
âIf I have anything to do with it, absolutely.â
âCool. Â Play the next movie, F.R.I.D.A.Y.?â
âSure thing, Peter.â
It was late when May finally heard a knock at the door; not absurdly so, Peter still had time for any homework he might have needed to finish, but enough that she had long since done the dishes from her dinner and the sun first meeting the horizon. Sheâd opened the door and quickly tugged Peter into a hug, and complimented how cute the penguin plushies sticking out of his bag were. Â
Almost immediately Peter began rambling about what he and Tony had been up to since theyâd left, and every so often she snuck glances at the proud father looking on from a few paces away. Â
When Tony announced he shouldâve been heading home, May saw Peterâs expression fall. Â Sheâd offered the billionaire some coffee before he left, but Tony politely declined. Â May nodded, before inquiring if Pepper would be back the next day.
âNo, Pepperâs going to be away for the week.â
âYou should have dinner with us then. Â Youâre family, after all,â May offered. Â Tony had clearly been flattered if his lopsided smile told her anything before he thanked her and accepted the invitation.
âIâll pick Peter up from school, and any groceries you might need you can just text me and weâll pick them up.â Â
May nodded her assent before announcing sheâd be going to her room, leaving Tony and Peter to say their farewells as they would. Peter dropped his bags just inside the door to the apartment before launching himself toward Tony, wrapping his arms around his dadâs middle. Â
âThis weekend was awesome,â he mumbled into Tonyâs shoulder. Â Peter felt a sigh displace some of his hair before a hand cupped the back of his head and another wrapped around his back. Â
âAnything for my spiderling; get thinking on what youâd like to do on your next weekend with me.â Tony gave the boy another gentle squeeze, âIâll see you tomorrow, and you can tell me all about your day.â Peter didnât lessen his hold around Tonyâs waist in the slightest, and Tony waited a few moments before prompting a response. âPete?â
Peter tightened his grasp on Tony for but a moment, and Tonyâs ribs were reminders that the boy had enhanced strength. Â He almost missed Peterâs comment.
ââŠLove you, Dad.â
The arms around Tonyâs middle held fast as he pulled away from Peterâs embrace just enough the cup the teenâs cheeks in his hands. Peterâs round eyes mustâve come from Mary, but his baby boy shared the same shade of brown with him. Â Oh no, he scolded himself, he was not going to choke up now, not until he was in his car. Â Tilting Peterâs head up slightly Tony placed a kiss on the boyâs forehead before giving him one last goodbye hug, ruffling Peterâs mess of brown curls as he did. Â It would be a long day of meetings to wait through until he could see his bouncing baby spider-boy again.
âI love you too, Son.â Â
( @nxtalia-rxmanova and @demigodwitch22 asked to be tagged, I hope you all enjoyed reading!)












