Chapter Text
Peter let out a breath as he stood outside the small cafe. His heart was thumping so hard, that he could barely hear the wild New York City traffic around him. He sucked in a breath, trying to stay calm.
However, it wasn’t every day that he went on his first date with MJ.
After returning from Malibu and getting a full medical check from Dr. Cho, Peter had texted MJ. After the chaos in France, Midtown had ended their European trip early. So, by the time Peter had been given a clean bill of health, MJ was back in New York.
So, after panicking and asking his dad for advice, Peter asked MJ out on a date. And she had said yes. Of course, he shouldn’t have been surprised, since she did kiss on the bridge in Paris. But he was also naturally anxious (he blamed his dad for that), so he was way more nervous about this first date than anything else he had done in life. And that included stealing Cap’s shield in Germany.
“Hey.” Peter smiled when MJ walked up to him. She was dressed as she normally did and yet Peter thought she was gorgeous. God, he really liked her.
“Hi,” Peter managed to get out. “I figured we could get croissants and pretend for a little that we’re still in Paris?”
“That sounds really nice.” Peter smiled as they went into the cafe. As they waited in line, their hands brushed against each other. Peter felt his ears heat up but when he saw MJ smile, he felt brazen for a moment and let his fingers wrap around hers. And when MJ really took ahold of his hand, Peter felt himself grinning.
They ordered their baked goods, the cashier tilting her head as she studied Peter. As they went to a table in the corner, the cashier looked back and forth between Peter and the small TV in the corner of the cafe.
“So,” MJ said as they sat down. Peter let go of her hand, since they were sitting across from each other. “Europe. What a trip.”
“Yeah sorry,” Peter said, laughing awkwardly. “I guess you didn’t plan to have your summer vacation hijacked by a government conspiracy and cover-up.”
“That’s exactly how I wanted to spend my summer break.” Peter chuckled and MJ smiled. The cashier brought over their croissants and as she did, Peter could feel everyone staring at him.
“Is it true?” The woman asked.
“Um,” Peter said awkwardly, not sure what she meant. “What?”
“The news,” She said, pointing to the TV. Peter felt the hairs on his arm stand up as everyone’s eyes were on him. He could hear people whispering and pointing. But he didn’t understand why.
Until the news report appeared across the screen.
Iron Man’s son is Spider-Man?
He gasped as his face appeared on his screen. Well, it was actually a grainy photo of him in Paris, in the suit but with his mask off. It wasn’t a clear photo but the news anchor kept saying his name along with Spider-Man.
“Peter Stark is Spider-Man?”
“It would make sense, he is Iron Man’s kid.”
“Do you think Stark made him do it? Like to keep up the family business?” Peter felt his breathing pick up, hearing every single person in the cafe talk about him. And they were all staring, looking at him like he was some kind of spectacle.
“Come on.” He felt MJ grabbing his hand, tugging him up and out of the cafe. She was about to say something when he heard a shout.
“There he is!” People were moving towards him, their phones pointed at him. He had avoided the press for most of his life. He remembered his dad’s press conference, all those years ago, when he admitted he was Iron Man. He had been away from all of that, his dad dropping that bombshell and then taking Peter out to ice cream like nothing had happened. Of course, as nice as that had been, Peter didn’t know how to deal with these swarming vultures now.
Luckily, MJ was there. She tugged on his hand, dragging him back to the present. He looked at her and nodded.
“Run!” Her hand tightened around hers as they started running. Thanks to his powers, he knew he could run pretty fast. And luckily, MJ had long legs, which meant she could keep up with him. As they ran, he couldn't believe this had happened. How had this happened?
As they ducked into an alley and hid behind a dumpster, Peter remembered Beck’s words.
“People will believe anything if you make it look believable enough.”
“Oh god,” Peter said, trying to catch his breath. He looked over at MJ, who was watching him, slightly out of breath. “MJ, I’m…”
“It’s okay.” Peter shook his head. Just when things were finally going his way, Beck seemingly was getting the final laugh. But now he wasn’t just ruining Peter’s summer. He was ruining Peter’s life.
“No it’s not!” MJ just watched him as Peter felt his chest tighten. “I just...I just wanted to…” He was cut off by MJ kissing him.
“I’m not mad,” She said, pulling away, an earnest look on her face. “Your life is super weird and honestly I kind of really like that about you. So, I’m not mad.”
“But.” He stared at her, surprised by her comment.
“You’ll make up our date another time,” MJ said, kissing his cheek. “Now go. I’ll distract the wannabe paparazzi.”
“You’re amazing.” MJ blushed at that. “I’ll uh, I’ll call you later.” She nodded and then disappeared out of the alleyway. Peter sucked in a breath, the tightness still in his chest. He didn’t know what he was going to do about this news report. But he knew two people who would know exactly what to do.
His parents. So, he had to get home.
“Oh my god.” Tony and Pepper were in the penthouse, staring in shock at the TV screen. The news report kept playing over and over, like a bad nightmare. It didn’t matter what channel they turned to, it was everywhere.
Iron Man’s son is Spider-Man?
“Tony, breathe.” Tony realized he was gasping for air, grabbing for his chest. Pepper's hand was on his arm, attempting to anchor him back in the present and away from the panic.
“This is why I didn’t want this for him,” Tony said, gasping for air. Pepper just rubbed his arm as his breathing slowed down, his heart not beating as rapidly. “I didn’t want this life for him Pep.”
“I know,” Pepper said. “But I learned a long time ago that the Stark men are a stubborn bunch.” Tony sighed. He was about to say something when the elevator dinged. A moment later, Peter was running into the room.
“Dad!” Tony could see the absolute terror on his son’s face. It was clear Peter didn’t want this either. He wore a mask for a reason. But now every news outlet was reporting that he was Spider-Man. “Dad, I…”
“It’s okay, Bambino,” Tony said, getting up. Peter rushed over to him and Tony pulled him into a hug. “It’s okay.”
“I don’t…” He could feel Peter’s tears bleeding into his fabric and Tony just hugged him tighter. “I don’t want this. I don’t...people can’t know.”
“We’ll figure this out,” Tony promised. He needed to stay calm, since Peter was freaking out. But internally, he was panicking too. The press had been pretty ugly when he had admitted he was Iron Man. Now people were reporting that Peter was the one under Spider-Man’s mask? They would be absolutely vicious. And it would be at him. Because what father let his son run around as Queens’ favorite crime-fighting vigilante?
“How?” Peter asked, stepping away and wiping at his eyes. “How are we going to figure this out? They have a photo? Beck...he set me up.”
“A press conference.” Both father and son looked over at Pepper as she spoke up. She walked over to them, gently swiping some of Peter’s hair off his forehead. “We’ll hold a press conference and deny the story.”
“But…” Peter looked back and forth between Pepper and Tony. “The photo?”
“Grainy at best,” Pepper said, cool, calm, and collected as always.
“I was in Europe with my school.”
“Lots of people go to Europe, sweetie,” Pepper said. “Peter, I’ve been helping your dad get through press conferences since before you were born. We can handle this.” Peter let out a long breath and Tony gently patted his shoulder.
“It’s going to be alright, kiddo,” Tony said with a smile. “Now, how about you go hang out in your room while we figure this out? Oh and turn your phone off.” Peter nodded, hugging Tony and Pepper before leaving the room. Once he was gone and Tony heard his door close, he let out a long sigh. He looked back at Pepper, who offered him a composed smile.
“We’ll figure this out?” He asked. Pepper nodded, taking his hand.
“We’ll figure this out. Together.” And Tony nodded before pressing a kiss to her cheek. Hopefully, this press conference would fix their problems. Because as much as Peter had been stressed out lately, he loved being Spider-Man. So, Tony wanted to make sure his son could still do that, with his privacy intact.
Besides, it would just be a simple press conference. What could possibly go wrong?
“Mister Stark! Mister Stark!” Peter tried not to grimace as he stood next to his dad. They were in the press room of the Tower, Pepper having thrown together this press conference at lightning speed. Then again, people wanted to know if Peter really was Spider-Man, so it probably wasn’t that hard to wrangle these reporters.
The voices and the lights were becoming too much for Peter. He wanted to turn and run. He didn’t want to do this. But then his dad gently laid a hand on his arm before holding it up. The room grew silent as Tony spoke, the microphone squeaking slightly from feedback.
“Probably the arm,” Tony said, nodding to his prosthetic arm. “Damn thing messes with my WiFi daily.” There was a soft laughter throughout the crowd and Tony smiled with ease. “So, you’re all here because of some crazy news report about my brilliant and wonderful son.”
“Is he Spider-Man?”
“Is that why Spider-Man’s suit suddenly updated years ago?”
“Have you been training him since you revealed your identity as Iron Man?” Peter gulped, anxiety thrumming through him.
“What kind of father do you think I am?” Tony asked incredulously.
“Mr. Stark, you’ve hardly worried about the safety of others before,” A reporter called out. “The Avengers have done a lot, but they also caused a lot of damage.”
“Hence the Accords,” Tony said, adjusting his sunglasses. Peter just watched his father, in awe of how calm he was.
“Which Spider-Man never signed,” The same reporter said, continuing on. “Spider-Man, who’s suit got an upgrade right as he assisted you in Germany. Spider-Man who is constantly seen going into the Tower. Spider-Man, who was the only Avenger in Europe trying to stop Mysterio. Your son lives here. Your son goes to school in Queens, where Spider-Man frequently patrols. Your son just got back from a school trip in Europe, according to some of his classmates’ Instagrams.”
“Stalking teenager’s social media pages,” Tony said with a scoff. “That’s low, even for the Daily News.”
“It all makes sense,” The reporter said, pressing on. “Which begs the question, your own question Mr. Stark; what kind of father are you? What kind of father lets his son become a hero at such a young age? What kind of father puts his son in that kind of danger? And even if he isn’t Spider-Man, your son was in Europe where a dangerous criminal was. Why weren’t the Avengers there? Why weren’t you there?”
“That’s enough!” Peter stepped forward, his chest heaving with rage. Even though his dad seemed calm, Peter could see the ticks of anxiety rising up; the way he adjusted his glasses, the way he pursed his lips, and the unsteady beating of his heart (which Peter could hear because of his enhanced senses). The reporters all grew quiet as Peter stepped in front of his dad.
“Peter.” But Peter shook his head. No one was going to disparage his dad like that.
“In case you all forgot,” Peter said with a huff. “My dad is a hero and doesn’t deserve this disparaging line of questioning."
“The public is just looking for the truth,” Another reporter said. “Something your father and Stark Industries hardly provide. He’d rather make himself look good then defend the safety of civilians.” Peter frowned and he could feel Pepper reaching for his arm. But he ignored her. He had a point to prove.
“My father has sacrificed his life more times than I care to count to defend the safety of civilians,” Peter said. “He is the strongest person I know and a hero, even if you don’t think so.”
“Perhaps, but that’s still not the truth of the matter.” Peter sighed. The press would probably keep harassing him and his dad. And it was clear they were always going to use the past to poke holes through the hero that Peter knew his father to be.
There was only one option then.
“You want the truth? Fine. The truth is, I am Spider-Man.” He could see Pepper’s eyebrows shoot up higher on her face than was possible. He could see a neutral look on his dad’s face. And he could hear reporters yelling questions and taking photos. But he didn’t care. The truth was out there now. He wasn’t going to run from who he was. He wasn’t going to be silent while the press attacked his family. He was out in the open now.
He was Spider-Man. And now, everyone was going to know.
“What on Earth were you thinking?” Peter was standing in the penthouse after the press conference. The press conference had ended very quickly after Peter’s announcement. Pepper shepherding Peter and Tony off the stage before grumbling that they would talk about this upstairs.
If looks could kill, Peter was sure Pepper would murder him. He remembered the annoyance on her face when his dad had pulled the same move. This intense look in her eyes did not match that moment.
“It was necessary,” Peter said, crossing his arms over his chest. “They were running their mouths about dad.”
“I know sweetie,” Pepper said with a huff. “But they have been doing that since the 90s. This isn’t new for us. What is new is a teenager admitting that he is a superhero!”
“I had to.”
“No you didn’t,” Pepper insisted. “We could have dealt with this. We could have made an alibi and convinced the press you weren’t Spider-Man. And maybe they wouldn’t have believed it, but it would have eventually gone away. But this? What you did today? Sweetie, that will never go away.”
“What if I don’t want it to?” Pepper raised an eyebrow at that. Even his dad, who was standing by the windows of the penthouse, turned to glance at Peter. “I have these powers for a reason. Everything that has happened; the spider-bite, Homecoming, Europe, Beck. It all happened for a reason. And I can’t keep running from my destiny, mom. This is who I am. I’m Spider-Man. I think the world needs to know that now too.”
Pepper stared at him, almost studying him for a moment. Peter sucked in a breath, standing up a little taller. He was expecting Pepper to tell him that this theory of his wasn’t how life worked, that he wasn’t meant to be out in the open.
But then a soft smile crossed her face. She walked over to him, her hand cradling his cheek.
“You’re not the little boy I looked after for months all those years ago anymore, are you?” She asked, her voice tinged with a slight sadness. “You’re all grown up.”
“Almost,” Peter said and Pepper laughed a little, fixing his hair like she always did. “I know what I’m doing mom.” Pepper nodded before letting her hand fall away.
“You’re just lucky I love you,” Pepper said with a sigh. Peter chuckled a little as she pulled him in for a hug. “And next press conference, you’re wearing a suit.”
“Next one?”
“You’re an out and proud superhero now, sweetie,” Pepper said. “Lots of press conferences in your future.” She kissed the top of his head and he sighed. “Now, I’m going to check on Morgan before dealing with some more damage control.” Peter nodded as she left the room. He turned towards his dad, who was still staring out the huge windows of the penthouse.
“Dad?”
“An A for flair,” Tony said as Peter crossed to him. “I mean, you even said it the same way I did all those years ago. Definitely got the Stark flair for the dramatic.” Peter nodded. “I never wanted this for you.”
“And yet, here we are.” Tony just nodded. “I’m going to be okay dad. You were.” Tony glanced at his arm and sighed. “And you still are. Besides, I’ve kind of got my own team now.”
“Oh really?” Tony asked, an amused look on his face.
“Yeah,” Peter said, smirking. “Between Lila, Cassie Lang, Harley, and Shuri. It’s kind of like a whole Young Avengers thing. Actually, I should call them and thank them for all their help.” Tony chuckled.
“We’ll see what Nat has to say about that,” Tony said. “It is her team after all.” Tony wrapped his good arm around Peter and pulled him closer, pressing a kiss to the side of his head. “You’re really doing this, huh?”
“Yeah dad, I am.”
“Well then,” Tony said with a smile. “I couldn’t be anymore proud of the man you’ve become. And I do mean man. You’re not the little boy I brought home from the hospital anymore. But, you’ll always be my kid, my first-born, my bambino.” Peter smiled and Tony kissed his head again. “You’re going to do amazing things, kid. And I can’t wait to watch.”
“Thanks dad. For everything.” Peter smiled and hugged his dad. Maybe, this summer hadn’t gone the way he planned. But he knew who he was and who he was going to be.
“Daddy! Petey!” Morgan came running into the room, Pepper trailing behind her. “Mommy says you're done with your boring work. Can we watch a movie now?”
“Boring work?” Tony asked, crossing over to the couch. He sat down and Morgan quickly climbed onto his lap.
“I did not call it boring,” Pepper said, sitting down on one side of him. “The little miss is exaggerating. I wonder where she gets that from.” Peter smiled watching them. Maybe the world knew his secret and he was sure there was a whole mess of fallout to come, but that didn't matter.
“Joining us, Bambino?” Tony asked, glancing at Peter. Peter nodded and walked over to the couch. He sat down on his dad’s other side and smiled when his dad wrapped an arm around him. He knew this was just the beginning. But at that moment, he didn’t care. He glanced at his dad, who smiled and tugged him closer.
He didn’t know what the future held. But as long as he had his dad and the rest of his family, Peter knew that he would be okay.