ThoseIronDadfics

There was something wrong with the kid, Tony could tell. It wasn’t just that he was completely quiet which, in and of itself was already pretty weird but Tony could attribute that to the tiredness the kid must be facing since he was out late fighting some sort of giant lizard or something weird like that. And then he had had to get up early to go to school since he had a History quiz.

Maybe what was weird was that Tony knew Peter’s schedule almost by heart even if he didn’t know his own.

But, regardless, Peter had been completely quiet since he got to the lab, he hadn’t eaten anything and now, he wasn't even bothering to pretend like he was listening to Tony; only humming along while he told him about the latest of Morgan’s antics.

He figured he could let it slide, the kid had been through a lot with coming back from the dead and that whole thing. Also, he imagined that it was probably hard on him to see Tony in the hospital for so long and to find out he had a pseudo- sister who was 5. But, then again, he was still Tony Stark and even though he bothered Peter endlessly about his inability to keep quiet, he still was just as bad when it came to tolerating silence.

“So, yeah. Morgan was all like “I’ll be a superhero when I grow up”,” Tony continued his story, eyeing Peter to see his reaction, “And I said, “When you grow up?Why wait? Let’s start right now”, and I built her a suit.”

Peter didn’t even look up from his homework as he responded, “That’s great Tony” and the silence overcame them once again.

“Okay kid. Focus up.” Tony grabbed the rag he was using to wipe his hands from the car oil and threw it at Peter, he caught it without even looking up. Great to know his reflexes still worked. “What’s going on with you? You’ve barely said a word in the hour and a half we’ve spent here. Everything okay at school?”.

“What? Yeah- yeah. Everything’s fine” Peter sighed, knowing that once Tony knew something was wrong, it was only a matter of time before he found out what. That didn't stop him from trying to lie to him. “I’m just, you know, tired from the whole lizard thing. And- and, the quiz was kinda hard so, you know, just tired. Yeah, jus-just tired.”

“Mhm” Tony said while looking at him. He had known the teenager for a really long time, longer for him since he had grieved him for 5 years, had moved heaven and hell to bring him back, so he was aware of the fact that all it took to catch him in the lie was to get him to look him in the eye. “Well, I suppose there’s no need for you to be here in the lab if you are so tired, Pete. You can go to your room and have a nap, I’ll call you when dinner is ready”

Peter looked at him then, almost dissapointed. But it was really a testament to how much better the kid was at lying through his teeth that he just sighed once more, got up and with a quiet “Okay, thanks” he left the lab.

“Friday, let me know when Peter reaches his bedroom please” he said as he slid under the car to continue his tinkering.

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It was almost an hour later when he heard his lab door open and a soft pair of footprints approach the car. He didn’t need to look to know who it was.

“ Daddy, Mommy told me to tell you to wake Peter for dinner”. Morgan told him in a tone that suggested that she was very excited at the prospect of being the message carrier. He got out form under the car and sat on the board.

“Okay, Moguna” He told her sweetly as he got up and washed his hands on a cloth. “I’ll be in the kitchen with Pete in a minute, why don't you go wash your hands?”

With that Morgan turned around and ran upstairs while Tony followed after her until he got to the hallway towards the bedrooms. He walked up to Peter’s room, right in front of Morgan’s and quietly opened the door, just in case Peter was still asleep.

What he found, however, was a shocked, mask-less Spider-man staring at him with wide eyes standing in front of an open window.

The minute Peter saw Tony he started getting out of the suit while rambling nervously.

“Mr Stark, I-I-I can totally explain” he started saying while he grabbed a Stark Industries sweatshirt and some pants. “I was just- you know, um, just getting fresh air.”

“Mr Stark, huh?” Tony answered, his arms crossed and his eyebrows knitted. “Let me get this straight, you were so tired that you couldn't even speak, so I send you to bed like the responsible parent I am,” Peter blushed at that, “and you decide to go out to “get fresh air” in the Spider-man suit?”

Peter’s shoulders slumped, he sat on the edge of his bed and dropped his head between his hands.

“Okay so,” he started looking up at Tony, who decided to walk closer, “ I wasn’t actually tired and, I didn’t really went outside for fresh air”.

“Oh, really?” Tony answered sarcastically, “Well, you had me fooled”.

Peter groaned at that, frustration evident and making Tony feel particularly bad. “C’mon, Pete.” He said, sitting next to the young hero, “tell Papa Stark what’s going on”

“Please don’t ever call yourself Papa Stark again”. Peter mumbled, letting his head drop on Tony’s shoulder. “I’ve just been having a hard time with this whole being back thing. Like, you guys have been great and I’m so grateful that Ned is with me through all this even if that is a bit twisted,” he started, Tony whispered that it wasn't twisted at all. “But 5 years have gone by and now I have to compete with fucking Brad and I am never gonna beat him because he is tall and sporty and smart”

“Wait,wait” Tony stopped him because he was honestly kind of lost. “Who the hell is Brad?”

“That’s what I said” Peter answered almost with a squeak. “He is just this guy who goes to my school who was 5 years younger but know he is our same age and he has a massive crush on MJ and I just, I can't compete with him”.

“So I take it, you have a crush on MJ too?” He asked, not wanting to make any assumptions.

“Well, duh.” Peter replied as he got up and started pacing around the room, “She is just so smart and pretty, and great and I really missed her while I was gone even though I don’t really remember any of it. But, I just, I feel like I can talk to her.”

“Kid , you can talk to literally anyone. I once saw you have a conversation with the tree alien from Wakanda and he only says three words”. Peter glared at him, so Tony put his hands up in defense. “But look, if you like this girl, just ask her out. It really is that easy, if she says no then she says no but at least you’ll know you tried.”

“I can’t ask her out Tony,” the kid was trying to get impatient, throwing himself face down on the bed, “She’ll say no and then I’ll day. Again.”  

Tony flinched at the memory. “You won’t die because I won’t allow that.” Tony started running his fingers  through Peter’s hair, “And why would she say no? You are the best kid out there”.

“You have to say that ‘cause you are like my dad. It’s like when Aunt May says it, it doesn't count” Peter explained almost patiently. “But Brad is gonna ask her out because he told Betty who told Ned who told me that he would. And MJ will say yes and I will be screwed. I mean, the guy is literally the school’s star basketball player”

“Dude, you are literally Spider-man” Tony told him like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Yeah, well. She doesn’t know that” Peter sighed disappointed. “ And I won’t tell her that just to get her to go on a date with me because then she would be going on a date with Spider-man, not Peter Parker”

“They are one and the same, kid” Tony got up and pulled Peter with him, “But okay, say you don’t tell her you are an avenger. You still have a lot of things going for you.” He started, “Like, you are super smart, and kinda funny. In a dorky kind of way. You are kind and you have known this girl almost your entire life, you have the whole shared experience going for you.”

“That’s true”, Peter mused as he opened his bedroom door and they started walking towards the kitchen.

“I know, I’m a genius”. Peter rolled his eyes at that while Tony put an arm around his shoulders, “I say you go to school tomorrow and ask her out, first thing in the morning. That way, you beat Brad to it and it will be like taking a band aid off.”

“You know what? I’ll do it” Peter smiled at him. Then he sat down at the table next to Morgan while Tony went to the kitchen counter to help Pepper grab the food.

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Tony found himself nervous all morning after dropping his kids off at their schools. He knew the kid would be fine though.

It was still nice to get confirmation. Which he did via text a couple of hours later.

“Guess who has a date this Friday?” - Spider-kid

“Actually don’t guess”- Spider-kid

“It’s me”- Spider-kid

“With MJ”- Spider-kid

“That’s great underoos, I’m happy for you”- TS

5 times Peter tried to fill Tony’s shoes +1 time Morgan asked him to 

He feels empty. Mostly he walks around missing something, wondering if he lost it back when he lost his life. He remembers coming back very clearly, he remembers the way May cried on his shoulder and whispered sweet nothings (that really meant everything) in his ear. He remembers how Mr. Stark hugged him for what seemed like forever and then looked him in the eye and told him firmly “you’re not allowed to die anymore, not on my watch”. The thing is, he remembers all of that; it’s just that he can't place the right emotion anymore.

And sure, he feels happy when he is working on the lab. And he is comfortable lying on the couch watching movies with aunt May or Ned or whoever’s turn it is to keep him company so he doesn't go insane. But he feels empty, like there is a happiness that he had Before and he can't seem to get back.

At first he thinks it must be Spiderman. He can't seem to get back into the suit no matter how hard he tries. The thought alone is nauseating. But then one afternoon, while coming back from school he stops a robbery as himself, and he feels the thrill of doing the right thing, the power flowing through his veins but then it’s gone. Almost as fast as he found it. Ned seems to know that something is wrong because they hardly ever talk anymore. They sit around watching movies and doing homework but they don't talk. He believes that May is just trying to give him space, she always said she didn't know how to deal with the ‘super-hero stuff’ and she doesn't know that the ‘super-hero’ died on Titan and that know he doesn't know how to deal with the ‘Peter Parker stuff’. Mr. Stark is a little bit out of his element with Peter so quiet. He is treating him like he is made of glass all the while Peter is trying to figure out how to tell him that the web shooters they have been working on for the past month are not going to work because they no longer have a web-shooting hero.

Needless to say, Peter doesn’t know what to do. He is falling behind in school, he feels far from his loved ones, he feels like everyone around him is treating him like he might just break and inside he just feels empty.

On the news they all talk about ‘the snap’. About how it affected every aspect of our society. They have experts day in and day out talking about how those who stayed are traumatized because of the grief and those who came back are simply in shock.

School is no different, everyone is asking a million questions but at the same time it just seems quiet. Teachers don’t know what to say when a student asks and so they, too, start to bring experts. Counseling sessions become the new normal and classes on healthy coping-mechanisms are shoved into everybody’s schedules. That’s how Peter finds himself in a lecture on “how to cope with being a zombie”. That’s not the actual name of the lecture but that is the vibe Peter is getting. Dr. Zombie is talking about possible mood changes and the likelihood of having mental issues. Peter isn't really paying much attention until he says something that really catches him by surprise.

‘ A lot of the victims are choosing coping mechanisms that are not healthy’ Dr. Zombie started while walking around the class. ‘There has been an alarming increase in drug consumption. Drugs such as crystal meth and cocaine are being used by a number of people because of their capacity to change a person’s chemical constitution for a while’.