Chapter Text
“Welcome to the underground parking lot,” Mr Stark said when they finally left the car. “Much more private than parking up front.”
It looked fancy. Peter had no idea that parking lots could look fancy.
There was an elevator right right next to their spot. They went straight for it.
“Welcome back, boss, Miss Potts, Mr Parker,” a voice said.
Peter flinched and looked around, then up.
“Take us up to Medbay,” Mr Stark said, watching Peter with faint amusement. “This is FRIDAY, my AI.”
The door closed behind them and the elevator started going up very smoothly. It was easily the most luxurious elevator Peter had ever seen.
“An AI? That’s– That’s so cool! Nice to meet you, FRIDAY!”
“You too, Mr Parker.”
“Oh. My. God,” Peter muttered in disbelief. Tony Stark’s AI had just said that it’s nice to meet him. Maybe this was actually the greatest day of his life in disguise. ”Is she in the whole tower?”
“Yup.”
“Can everyone talk to her? Or just you?”
“Mostly me. She doesn’t speak to randos.”
Peter nodded, his mind working at lightning speed, thinking about all the possibilities. Having his own AI would be the most amazing thing ever. If only– Maybe Mr Stark could teach him how to make one? Unless the test result was negative and he never wanted to see him again because it’d bring up bad memories. He’d totally understand that. He’d be cool with that. A little hurt, maybe. But they were both superheroes so perhaps they could get over all the emotional trauma and have a healthy work relationship anyway?
He was so lost in thought that it took him a while to notice something.
“Wait!” he suddenly exclaimed. “She spoke to me! I’m… not a rando?”
Miss Potts let out an amused exhale. “Maybe she likes you.”
Peter blinked. Was FRIDAY capable of liking people? Or was Miss Potts joking around? Did Miss Potts joke at all? After all, she was a CEO. That job seemed to suck all the humor and soul out of people. She didn’t seem to lack soul though.
Maybe FRIDAY spoke to him because he could be her boss’s son. It would be rude to ignore him in that case, right?
But then the elevator stopped and the door opened. Following Tony Stark, who made his way forward without delay, he decided that he’d ask all about FRIDAY another time, if he ever got the chance.
The floor had a distinct laboratory feel. In a good way. Less ‘mad scientists doing illegal stuff’, more ‘the brightest scientists doing respectable work, making the world a better place’. Modern and spacious, but welcoming.
Man. It would be a dream come true to work at the Stark Industries one day.
An Asian woman was waiting for them close by. She wore a lab coat of sorts and her black hair was tied up in a bun.
“Everything ready?” asked Mr Stark, straight to the point.
She lifted her hand, showing them the item she was holding. It looked eerily familiar, almost exactly like the kit Agent Bryant had.
“Great. Here.” Mr Stark pushed Peter forward. “Get to it.”
The woman didn’t seem offended by his brusque manner, stepping forward and simply taking the swab out.
“Could you open your mouth?” she asked.
He did and she rubbed the tip of the swab against the inside of his cheek a few times. It was a bit like a visit to the dentist, but not nearly as thorough, and in the middle of a hallway. Overall a weird experience, but the woman had a clear aura of professionalism that made it less awkward.
“This is Dr Helen Cho, since Tony didn’t bother with introductions,” Miss Potts added with some exasperation as Dr Cho finished taking the sample and stepped back.
Mr Stark tsked. “I’m impatient. Can you blame me?”
The corners of Peter’s mouth lifted in a small but sincere smile. “Nice to meet you, Dr Cho.”
“Yeah, yeah, very nice,” Mr Stark interrupted. “How quickly can you get it done?”
Dr Cho rolled her eyes. “Shouldn't be too long. I’ll let you know the second it’s done.”
With that, she turned around and quickly walked away. Peter looked at the other two adults. When he met Miss Potts’s eyes, he wordlessly asked her what was going to happen next.
“Come on, let’s go to the penthouse, shall we.” She smiled, tugging on Mr Stark’s shoulder, who seemed reluctant to leave. “Waiting in the hallway is not gonna make it any faster, Tony, trust me.”
After a few more seconds of staring in the direction Dr Cho had disappeared to, Mr Stark sighed as his shoulders relaxed. “I know. I know. You’re right. Let’s go up.”
Much less urgently than before, they made their way back to the elevator, and then to the penthouse.
“Are you hungry, Peter?” Miss Potts asked as they stepped out of the elevator.
“Uhm…” His metabolism made it so he was almost always hungry. “Yeah, a bit? But you don’t have to, uh, give me anything.”
“Nonsense. We have some leftovers in the fridge, if you’re okay with that.”
“I don’t mind at all! If you’re sure.”
“Very sure.” She glanced to the side. “What about you, Tony?”
“Oh, I’m not hungry.”
She ignored that. “FRIDAY, when’s the last time Tony ate?”
“Boss hasn't eaten since breakfast.”
“You’re eating now, Tony.”
“Jeez. Alright.”
Miss Potts made her way to the fridge and Peter took a moment to admire the interior design of the penthouse. It had the same style as the rest of the Tower – elegant and modern with excessive amounts of space. Enough seats to accommodate an army. Furniture straight out of a catalogue. Neutral, subdued colors. The home of a billionaire.
Windows reached the ceiling and showed off a view that was simply to die for; Peter saw similar sights on the daily while swinging through the city, though – the perks of being Spider-Man. Looking at the position of the sun, he realized just how much time this whole ordeal had already taken. It wasn’t quite getting dark yet, but it wouldn’t take much more time.
“Is lasagna fine?” Miss Potts asked, surveying the inside of the fridge.
More than fine. “Yeah, it’s great!”
She nodded, reaching for said dish and then swiftly preparing everything with the efficiency of someone doing it every day.
It didn’t take long before they were sitting at the table, each with a steaming plate and a drink in front of them.
“Now that we have some time to kill…” she said. “Why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself?”
“Uh, sure?” Peter hesitated despite his agreement. It was just like the first day of school… or an interrogation. And was there any point in telling them his life’s story when the paternity test was about to prove that he wasn’t related to Mr Stark in any way? Soon, they would lose all interest in him. He was about to start getting all self-deprecating but then suddenly, he got an idea. A brilliant idea. “Only if you tell me about yourself too!”
The lives of Tony Stark and Pepper Potts were bound to be interesting, and he wasn’t about to waste this once in a lifetime chance. Inspiring stories about saving the world, funny anecdotes about their daily life, even the most mundane routines they had – he’d gladly listen to it all.
“Yeah, I think I can do that.” She smirked. “Let’s start with the basics. How’s school?”
Peter shoveled a forkful of hot lasagna into his mouth to stall and think about his answer. It tasted really good.
“I go to Midtown School of Science and Technology…” he began slowly as soon as he finally swallowed.
He told them about his favourite subjects (science, obviously – Mr Stark seemed to approve), about his extracurricular activities (mostly explaining how academic decathlon worked) and even about his best friend (Ned Leeds, also known as the Guy in the Chair – he would freak out later that Iron Man and Pepper Potts knew about his existence).
In return Miss Potts told him about her job: making sure Tony took care of himself, dealing with way too many annoying people, and somehow overseeing the entire company.
Mr Stark went last. Most of his time was spent in the lab, tinkering and working on new ideas. Peter listened attentively, with stars in his eyes, almost forgetting to eat. As much as he respected Miss Potts and her badass CEO energy, her job didn’t sound anywhere near as exciting to his young science-oriented mind.
He wanted to be like Mr Stark. Invent something for the people. Something he could be proud of. He had his web shooters and web fluid: a combo that could immobilize criminals, which was very helpful, but that was not what he had in mind. That wasn’t an invention he was willing to give out for mass production and send into the world for everyone to use. Not in its current state, at least. That was a Spider-Man thing, after all. He wanted something that a regular person could benefit from. Something that couldn’t be used for mass destruction. No one needed a repeat of what happened to Tony Stark years ago.
Since they were still sticking to basic information, they talked about their hobbies, likes and dislikes next. Peter learned that Mr Stark would blast some old rock or metal music at unholy volumes while working, and when he wasn’t working on anything he’d usually hang out with friends or watch movies. On the other hand, Miss Potts was a big fan of reading books and shared a few of her favourite ones, none of which Peter had even heard of before. Which wasn’t that surprising.
Peter told them how Star Wars were his favourite movies, about building Legos with Ned, and even his interest in photography. Of course, hands-on science was also very high on his list of interests, as proven by his web shooters and web fluid.
That last one split the room.
“You make it during class?” Miss Potts’s face reminded Peter of an ‘I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed’ teacher after their favourite student did something wrong for the first time. “Peter…”
“All the materials and equipment are at school,” Peter argued. “I don’t have them at home. And I mean, if I already know the material, why not? Right? I wouldn’t be learning anything new. It saves time that I could, uhm, use studying something I’m not that good at?”
“And do you use it this way?”
“I think it’s impossible to precisely determine which portion of time is the one that was saved…” Peter faltered, seeing Miss Potts’s unimpressed stare. “Yeah, probably not.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“Don’t listen to her, kid.” Mr Stark waved his hand nonchalantly. “That stuff is seriously impressive. Couldn’t figure out how you’ve made it, but its tensile strength is off the charts.”
“Uh. T-thanks.” Peter was distinctly aware of his face heating up. “It’s really not that hard. A high-schooler could make it, I reckon,” he added after a moment, fighting off a grin… and failing.
Getting all sassy on his favourite superhero now? Apparently so.
“The audacity.” Mr Stark shook his head in fake offence. “A genius high-schooler, maybe. You’ve gotta tell me what you did.”
Mr Stark… just called him a genius? He could drop dead happy right now. “Maybe I could show you sometime. If you have the ingredients.”
“Anytime is fine with me. I have everything. Everything and anything. And if I don’t have something, I can just buy it.”
“Just– Please finish eating before you try to disappear into the lab…” Miss Potts sighed.
Nobody argued with that.
Strategically changing the subject, Peter asked both of them if they had any funny or interesting stories to share. Stories people weren’t aware of.
They did not disappoint.
A worrying amount of those anecdotes included Avengers in circumstances that would make the general population doubt whether they really were the best protectors Earth had to offer. Peter carefully committed those to memory. Oh, he just couldn’t wait to tell Ned.
Some other stories described working at the Stark Industries and either putting arrogant assholes in their place, or dealing with the weirdest scenarios in the labs. ‘Cause really, how do you even accidentally blow up a wall in your workplace? As an intern delivering coffee?!
Miss Potts’s anecdotes involved a lot of Tony Stark himself, in situations ranging from mildly embarrassing to absolutely mortifying.
After years of putting his idols on a pedestal, Peter was now being repeatedly hit over the head with the reminder that they were all human, just like him.
Peter’s own stories involved his patrols. Not as memorable or exciting as everything the Avengers had done to save the world, but he was just a fourteen year old beginner, okay? He even made sure to pick ones that didn’t involve any injuries or guns or knives!
Like getting the same cat off of the same tree, three times in a row. Helping an old lady with her shopping bags and getting food as a thank you gift. Friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man stuff.
He was about to tell them about that one time a teenage girl asked him for fashion advice regarding her first date outfit (he met her again a few days later and the date was a success!), when they were interrupted by a familiar Irish voice.
“Boss, I have a message from Dr Cho.”
Everyone froze and Peter’s temporary peace of mind took an abrupt nosedive as his body remembered what it feels like to have an anxiety attack with overwhelming accuracy.
He… really got comfortable sitting there with them. Enough to forget about the situation, just for a moment.
“...Well? Don’t just stop there,” Mr Stark snapped after a few seconds of tense silence.
“The test result is a match.”
The test result was a match.
The test result was… a match?
But they couldn’t be related. Tony Stark was not his father. He already had parents and they died years ago.
Was it… another mistake? First the fingerprints scan and now the DNA test?
Two in a row?
Yeah, that… didn’t sound possible.
Who was he kidding – he couldn’t share fingerprints, DNA and age with a missing person without being that person. That wasn’t how science worked. That wasn’t how probability worked.
But… the reality felt even more impossible and he just wanted to disappear so he wouldn’t have to think about it.
Because those results meant that Peter really was Jonathan Stark, the son of Tony Stark, mysteriously kidnapped years ago. That he had somehow ended up in Queens, so very close to the Avengers Tower, completely fine, with a loving family of his own and never suspecting a thing.
It was like a punch to the stomach.
Did his parents know? Did they have anything to do with it? Or was it all a coincidence? He thought Mary and Richard Parker were his birth parents. Nobody had ever told him that he was adopted, if that’s what happened. Maybe they didn’t know who he was and adopted him, but just never told him about it, since he was so young. Maybe they wanted him to live a happy, carefree life without worrying about all that complicated stuff.
Or maybe they kidnapped him.
The sound of a chair scraping the floor made him look up and see Miss Potts, standing up with glistening eyes and moving in his direction. He pushed himself out of his chair quickly so she wouldn’t have to hover over him. As soon as they were face to face, she reached out with shaking hands and enveloped him in a tight embrace.
“I– I hope it’s okay, sweetie…” she whispered.
To be honest, it was awkward to have a woman on the verge of tears hugging him, but he didn’t mind. During his patrols, he had dealt with some very emotional people and he would always try to calm them down or cheer them up.
So why was he at a loss now?
“Uhm, yeah, sure?” he stammered, clumsily half-reciprocating her gesture.
“It’s been so long. We didn’t know if–” She sniffled. “Tony. Get in here.”
Peter looked over her shoulder and saw the man, his idol, his father – he looked about as sure of himself as Peter felt in that moment.
His life could’ve been so different – and somewhere deep inside, in the darkest corners of his heart, he was starting to realize it. It should’ve been different. The weight of their gazes on him, searching for a little kid that didn’t exist anymore, was making him self-conscious.
But there was nothing he could do but bear it. They did nothing wrong. He understood.
When Mr Stark stopped next to them, looking lost and like he expected to wake up for a dream at any moment, Peter didn’t know what to tell him, but he knew that he really, really didn’t want to make him feel… unwanted. Rejected.
He caught his eye and shrugged with one arm, careful not to disturb Miss Potts too much. I’m just as lost as you, he tried to say. Just… whatever’s fine.
One heavy exhale later, the man relaxed a fraction. Just as Miss Potts started withdrawing from the embrace, he reached out around the both of them and joined the hug. Miss Potts smiled at him, and Peter–
Well, he was there too. Not knowing how to feel.
Maybe none of this was real. Maybe he had an accident, fell into a coma and this was all one big elaborate hallucination.
Yeah, that was probably it.
They stayed like that for a few very long moments. Like a happy family, almost.
And who knows how long they might have stood there if not for another interruption.
“Dr Cho wanted me to tell you that she has never seen anything like this DNA sample before. She would like to do proper tests later.”
It had been about a minute since the results were revealed, but Peter managed to completely forget about Dr Cho’s existence. In his defense: he had other, life-changing things happening.
Mr Stark looked to the ceiling and shook his head like he was dealing with an unruly pet. “Read the room, FRI.”
Even though he tried to sound nonchalant, his voice was strained in a way that Peter hadn’t heard before, not even at the police station.
Taking the opportunity, Peter backed away slightly. “Do you mind if I use the bathroom?”
It was too crowded. Too suffocating. He needed to be alone, just for a moment.
“Oh, of course not. It’s right there.” Miss Potts pointed behind him, swiping a tear off of her cheek with the other hand.
Mr Stark frowned. “Wait, weren’t you going to the bathroom at the police station?”
“Yeah?” Peter smiled nervously, already retreating. “Yeah… But I didn’t really need to back then, don’t worry!”
Mr Stark’s raised eyebrow was the last thing Peter saw before turning away and running away in the direction indicated by Miss Potts in the most casual manner he could manage. He disappeared from their view into the hallway, and fortunately found the correct door on the first try.
Just as the door was closing behind him, he heard voices from the living room. It was easy to eavesdrop from such a short distance – in fact, it would be just as easy to do it from a different floor. Even so, he instinctively slowed down, lingering and leaving the door open a crack.
“How are you holding up?” Miss Potts asked gently in another room.
“I’m… managing.”
“If you don’t feel–”
“I don’t have the time for a breakdown now, Pep. Maybe later.”
She hummed. “Alright. But I’m here if you need me.” A sigh. “He’s so similar to you. But so different.”
“Definitely didn’t get those manners from me.”
“God, no. You were never that cute.”
“I’m the badass type,” Mr Stark reminded her, but his voice… didn’t really sound badass at all. “Wouldn’t suit me.”
“Guess not.” She chuckled. “But he’s smart like you. Brave like you.”
There was a pause. “He’s– He seems happy.”
“Yeah. I think he really is. This is… probably the best case scenario. Everything we could have hoped for.”
Mr Stark hesitated. “It... is. But– It’s just that I’m painfully aware of how much I’ve missed.”
“You can’t change the past, but you can create new memories,” Miss Potts said softly. “Trust me. I have a feeling that everything’s gonna be fine. He’s a good kid, Tony. A really good kid.”
Mr Stark’s response was heavy with emotion that Peter didn’t want to think about. “Yeah. I know.”
That was enough. Peter finally closed the door and focused on other noise to drown out the conversation. His own heartbeat. The low buzz of electronics in the building. Wind howling outside. Anything.
He used the toilet and washed his hands, finally getting rid of the blood under his fingernails. His reflection in the huge, spotless mirror stared back at him, looking scared, but otherwise fine.
Did he even look similar to Mr Stark? The key features were the same, but Peter was a nerd with a baby face while Mr Stark… Well. Mr Stark was an old man with an ego the size of the state of New York and it showed in the way he carried himself. Completely different vibes.
Sighing, he checked his phone. Nothing from May. A new message from Ned, asking about their homework. And a meme.
A welcome distraction.
He answered his question, liked the meme and tried to figure out how much he should say.
Peter-Man: I’m actually having the craziest day of my life today
Peter-Man: I’ll tell you everything later
Ned’s reply was almost immediate.
Guy in the Chair: crazier than you know what??
Hmm. Getting his DNA modified by a radioactive spider was no small matter, but was the day itself that unusual?
Peter frowned, thinking about it. He went on a field trip and then got sick: that sounded boring. Sure, superpowers were cool and all, but the way he got them wasn’t very riveting. He just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
Actually, he almost died, so more like the wrong place at the wrong time.
But he lived, which made it right again!
And today? Helping out a civilian without his convenient disguise, getting interrogated by the police, having his fingerprints scanned, triggering a hit from an extremely famous and more than a decade old kidnapping case, meeting Tony Stark and Pepper Potts, going to the Avengers Tower, eating their leftover lasagna in their penthouse, and then eventually getting a definitive confirmation of parentage from the DNA test?
Yep. Today was the most insane day of his life. Even crazier than the day he got bit by a spider.
Peter-Man: Yes. Dude, YES
Peter-Man: Or at least at the same level
Peter-Man: I can’t explain now ‘cause it’s a long story and I gotta go soon
Guy in the Chair: how
Guy in the Chair: what even is your life dude
Guy in the Chair: !!! wait
Guy in the Chair: did you get bitten by a dog and have dog powers now??
Feeling a bit cheered up, Peter sent a dog meme that didn’t explain a single thing, and locked his phone.
He still had some time to himself before anyone would begin to worry about him passing out and hitting his head on the tiles. Completely coming to terms with the situation was not something that could be done in a day, but he just needed a breather.
There was a lot to consider. None of it truly hit him yet. A part of him was stuck in denial, while another kept wordlessly pointing to the evidence.
Jokes about identity crisis aside, everything was getting more and more tangled in his head with every second.
How he wished it could be the other way around.
Peter Parker, Spider-Man, Jonathan Stark. Three completely separate identities contained in just one person.
Peter Parker was just a nerd, a loser; weak and easy to bully. Spider-Man was a hero who used his supernatural abilities to help New York citizens. Jonathan Stark was a child meant for greatness, whose path was paved with endless expectations.
He could never truly become Jonathan Stark.
He wanted to be Spider-Man.
And who he actually was, deep down, was Peter Parker.
Call it childish, but he was very attached to his name. And maybe, just maybe, forgoing Peter Parker and accepting his birth name was as good as erasing everything he’d been working for his entire life and his link to Ben and May.
What a scary thought. He really hoped they wouldn’t force him to go by Jonathan.
Was he just being dramatic? Was it really that deep? Should he care more about the name his biological father wanted him to have? Was it unfilial of him not to?
So many questions were running through his head. Questions about his future. Questions that he needed to ask before any decision was made for him by the adults. Questions about May, Spider-Man, his name, his school, his living situation… Organizing the list in his head, he made a mental note to himself to ask about at least some of them today.
Speaking of names… there was no good name he could use for Tony Stark. Every option had cons and only cons. He was so doomed.
No. He couldn’t give up so easily.
He had to at least try before he resigned himself to never calling the man by any name, like that one co-worker whose name you forgot but don’t want to ask because it’s been five years since you’ve started working together and it was way past the point of asking.
“Mr Stark,” he muttered, looking in the mirror.
Objectively speaking, it was not that bad. He’d used it multiple times before.
He cringed anyway. Calling one’s dad this way didn’t feel right.
“Can I help you, Mr Parker?” asked FRIDAY and Peter almost jumped.
“What? Oh, oh no, I don’t need anything,” he protested, waving his hands. “...Wait, are you in the bathrooms too?!”
“There are no cameras in the bathrooms, but I can still react to voice commands.”
“That’s… good to know.” He scratched the back of his head. “But I was just talking to myself. Please ignore it. Continue as you were.”
“Of course, Mr Parker.”
He took a deep breath to calm himself from the miniature heart attack, but…
“Are you going to keep calling me ‘Mr Parker’, by the way?” he asked.
Technically, his birth name was ‘Stark’. Was the AI about to start calling him ‘Mr Stark’? Just the thought of that made his stomach churn.
“Yes, until my instructions change. Would you like me to call you something different?”
It only took him a second to come to a decision. “You could just call me Peter? If that’s alright.”
“That’s perfectly fine, Peter.”
“Okay! Thanks, FRIDAY.”
“No problem, Peter.”
Maybe it was just his imagination, but FRIDAY’s voice seemed warmer at the end.
Turning his attention back to the mirror, he tried again.
“Tony,” he whispered.
No. No way. That was so casual.
“Dad.”
He wanted to squeeze his eyes shut and hide his face in his hands. So he did.
This was not going well.
Okay. Another try.
“Iron Man.” He cringed. “Sir?” He cringed again. “Tony Stark?” And again. “Stark. Just Stark.” And again…
He wanted to scream, but settled for a groan.
Hopeless. It was so hopeless. He’d just wait for Mr Stark to say something and then he’d do his best to comply. Within reason.
Or maybe he would just never address the man ever again. Like that one co-worker whose name you forgot but don’t want to ask…
With one last shake of his head, he headed out of the bathroom to face whatever was awaiting him outside.