Chapter Text
“Hello Peter, my name is Henry. I know this is a difficult time, and I’m here to help you.” Henry says, crouching in front of Peter, who’s sat in an uncomfortable plastic chair.
Peter shuffles in his seat, uncomfortable with Henry’s gaze.
“I’ve been told your Aunt was your last living relative.” Henry says, putting a supportive hand on Peter’s knee. Peter doesn’t like the gesture, but makes no comment on it, letting his hand stay there.
“This means going into the system, I’m the social worker that will help you with that process.”
Peter concentrates on breathing, and, for the first time since receiving the news hours ago, moves.
“Where are you going Peter? We’ve got a lot of preparation work.” Henry asks, as Peter stands up, and slips past him.
Peter goes to his bag, carelessly tossed on an opposite chair, left there since he ran in and threw it down. He brings a shaky hand to the pocket, takes a second to unzip it, and brings out his phone.
“Oh, do you have someone you can call. Having another adult here can be helpful during the process.” Henry smiles, “I’ll give you a minute.” Henry walks over to the lobby and starts talking to the receptionist, still in view of the waiting room.
Peter sits on another hard chair, next to his bag. He unlocks his phone, and slowly goes into his contacts. He scrolls down to Mr Stark’s contact, but pauses.
He puts a shaky hand over his chest, where his soulmate mark is. His mark is, simply put, an arc reactor. It’s a blue circle, on the centre of his chest. It’s Mr Stark’s, and he in turn, has a large spider, stretched across his back. Everyone he meets says he is so lucky to have a soulmate, but Peter, right now, feels like the unluckiest person in the world. His parents died, then his Uncle, now his…
He presses the contact. Immediately, Tony picks up.
“Hey kid, what’s up? School already boring you? You’ve only been there 15 minutes.” Tony laughs, and Peter looks at the clock on the wall.
He was called in early, his Aunt had a night shift. She had a heart attack at 3 in the morning, Peter arrived at 3:30. It’s now 9:15.
“Peter, hello? Kid? Best soulmate in the entire world?” Tony drawls out over the phone, regaining Peter’s attention.
“Help.” Peter stutters out, his first words since screaming at May to wake up.
“Peter, what’s the matter? I’m tracking you now, just hold tight kid.” Tony rushes out, voice turning serious quickly. Peter can hear him shouting at people over the phone, and soon the sounds of the Iron Man suit’s thrusters are heard.
“Talk to me Pete, are you hurt?” Tony asks, not once hanging up the phone and abandoning Peter.
“They want me to go, please. Please, I don’t wanna go.” Peter begs over the phone, barely registering Tony gasp at the familiar words.
Tony takes a shaking breath in, pushing down his own anxieties at the triggering phrase.
“Who wants you to go? Who’s taking you?” He questions, engaging all available power into the thrusters.
Peter puts a hand over his mouth, attempting to stifle his sobs.
“Peter?” Tony mutters, his heart breaking at hearing his kid cry.
“Social services. I don’t wanna go, please. Help me. Tony.” Peter whispers, afraid that Henry will hear, and attempt to stop him.
“What? Why are social services there? Just hold on, Kid. Don’t go with anyone. I’m just a few seconds away, I can see the hospital now.”
Peter nods, and clutches the phone to his ear. Tony focuses on getting to Peter’s location as soon as he can. Henry walks back over.
“So, Peter, do you want to come with me to my office, then we can discuss what happens next.” Henry asks, and Peter quickly shakes his head. “Well, we don’t want to wait here all day, I find hospitals very depressing.”
“Get away from my kid.” Tony says, his Nanotech armour disappearing from around. He’s walking over from the doors, past the reception, over to the waiting room.
Henry turns around, surprised at Tony’s appearance.
“Oh, you’re Tony Stark.” He turns around to look at Peter, “Is this who you called, how do you know each other?”
Peter ignores Henry’s question, and let’s his phone drop to the floor, as he stands up. He runs over to Tony, and they meet in the middle of the waiting room.
Peter immediately clutches at Tony’s t-shirt, underneath a blazer, and starts crying into his chest. Tony brings his arms around Peter, holding him close, and gently patting his hair in an attempt to calm him.
“Someone, explain what’s going on.” He asks, throwing the question out to anyone who can answer.
Henry composes himself from his initial shock, at seeing the Tony Stark, and walks over.
“Peter’s had a tough morning. His Aunt died earlier, a heart attack whilst at work, and I’m here as his social worker.” Henry explains.
“Shit kid, I’m so sorry.” Tony mutters, slowly rocking Peter as he cries. “I’m sorry.”
Tony stands there, consoling Peter for a bit, as Peter tries calms down.
“How long have you been here?” Tony asks, pulling away slightly to look at Peter.
Peter looks up at him with teary, red eyes and Tony uses the pad of his thumb to wipe them away.
“All morning, please, Tony. I don’t want to be here anymore.” He pleads, not wanting to be at the location of May’s work place and death, it’s difficult to comprehend her not being here.
“Yeah kid, of course. Just get your bag, and we can start walking back to the tower, and Happy can meet us along the way.” Tony answers, gently pushing Peter in the direction of his bag.
“Just asking professionally, of course,” Henry starts, glancing through a file containing Peter’s information. “What relation do you have to Peter. I can’t let you walk away with him. I now have temporary guardianship over him, until we settle him elsewhere.”
Tony stares at Henry, aware that he’s just doing his job, though more annoyed that he wants to take Peter away.
“I’m his soulmate, so that means if he has no other blood relatives, his guardianship falls to me.” Tony says quietly, not wanting to draw the attention of passing doctors, nurses and patients.
Henry looks shocked, “That is incredibly rare, how can you be sure? It doesn’t mention a soul mark in his files.”
“They haven’t been updated since he met me then, obviously.” Tony states. Only a few hundred thousand people have soulmates, so, in comparison to the billions in the world, it is incredibly unique. “And yes, I’m positive.”
Peter walks back over, his phone in his bag, strapped to his back.
“Peter, can you confirm Tony Stark is your soulmate? I will need to see both your marks as evidence, then we’ll need to run examinations with an expert.” Henry says, already pulling out his phone. “We can do this somewhere private, would you both like to come to my office?”
Tony looks briefly at Peter, who shrugs in consent; knowing it will be the only way to shortcut the system, so Tony agrees, albeit reluctantly.
They’ve come up with a cover story, for Tony’s mark being a spider -as to keep Peter’s identity a secret-; Peter having arachnophobia. It’s unusual, for a mark to be something you fear, but if it’s a major piece of your life, it is accepted.
They leave the hospital, Peter breathing a sigh of relief.
“Well, my office is a few minutes’ walk from here, I hope that’s no issue.” Henry says and starts striding down the street. “If you’ll excuse me a minute, I need to make a phone call whilst we walk, and get my colleague to meet us.”
“Go ahead.” Tony agrees, and starts following the man, reading Henry’s name on his badge.
Henry starts talking over the phone, glancing back occasionally to ensure they are still behind him. Peter’s rubbing his hands together nervously, whilst Tony has a casual arm around his shoulders, and guides him down the street. Tony has sunglasses on, hoping no one will recognise him. Luckily only a few people spare him a glance, most people to busy with their own lives.
They reach a large building, one used for different businesses to use as offices. Henry unlocks the door with a code, and enters, Tony pushing Peter inside, before following and shutting the door behind him. Henry hangs up the phone, and shoves it in his pocket.
“Right, we’re on the 23rd floor. So, we’ll use the elevator.” He says, and calls for the elevator. He laughs to himself, before turning to Tony and Peter.
“You’re lucky you didn’t come here last week,” He starts, “The elevator broke, so everyone had to use the stairs. I’ve never had such a work out.”
The elevator dings, and the doors slide open, and they step in. The elevator quickly taking them up to the correct floor.
When they step out, they notice a hub of desks, all with computers, and papers stacked everywhere. Off to the side, are individual cubicles for private meetings, Henry leads them over to the first available one.
“Right, my colleague will be here shortly, just to do basic examinations to confirm you are in fact soulmates. You would not believe the amount of people claiming a false soulmate status.”
Henry looks at his watch. “Right, I’ll leave you for a few minutes, and get the necessary paper to transfer temporary guardianship over to you, Mr Stark. We will still need to ensure you will be a suitable guardian, so the same procedures for adoption will happen. However, due to your soulmate relation, this will be a much easier process.”
Henry leaves the room and closes the door behind him. They can see his figure through the glass wall, approach a desk.
“Mr Stark, you really don’t need to do all this! I don’t want to be a burden, you’re already forced to be my soulmate!” Peter stutters out, a little overwhelmed at how fast everything is moving.
“Shhh, kid. Don’t worry.” Tony says, leading Peter to the couch, and sitting down with him. Peter quickly calms down, perks of being a soulmate; instantly calmer in the others presence.
“Firstly, I heard you call me Tony earlier, so no going back to Mr Stark now.” He says, earning a small smile from Peter. “And kid, you called me earlier, not because you wanted me, but because you needed me.” Peter looks down, embarrassed. Tony lightly grabs his chin, and tilts his head back up.
“And I need to be here, with you. Not just because we’re soulmates, but because you’re already my kid. Your Aunt wouldn’t have wanted you to go with strangers, hell, she already brought up making me an official legal guardian over you anyway. I said no, because she was already doing an amazing job.”
Peter’s smile falters, as he realises his Aunt his truly gone. Tony instantly pulls him into a hug.
“This really sucks kid,” Tony says, letting Peter cry into him again. Feeling tears build up in his own eyes, May was such an incredible woman. “I’m sorry, Peter. You don’t deserve this, she didn’t deserve this.”
“It’s not fair, why does everyone die? She’s not allowed to leave me, it’s not fair.” Peter mutters, ignoring how childish he’s sounding.
They sit there for a few minutes, Peter letting out a tired sigh. Tony affectionately rubs his hair.
“You must be tired kid, it’s been a long day.” He says, Peter letting out a small laugh.
“Mr- Tony. It’s only 9:45.”
“God, it’s way too early.” Tony mutters, Peter throwing him an apologetic look. Tony quickly dismisses it. “Not your fault kid, I was already up for a meeting. You’ve successfully saved my sanity by dragging me out of it.”
The door opens, and Henry walks back in, followed by a woman.
“Mr Stark, Peter, this is the colleague I was telling you about earlier, the expert in soulmate relations.” Henry introduces.
She smiles pleasantly, and holds out her hand to Tony, who shakes it. “Hello, my name is Farrah. I’ve been made aware of your situation.” She smiles, “Now, I would like to take a few samples of your DNA, there should be some visible links between them. I’ll also ask you a few questions whilst I work, is this alright.”
She asks, moving his suitcase to the table, opening it, revealing all sorts of medical equipment.
“Yes, do whatever you need.” Tony agrees, and she turns to Peter.
“Yeah, go ahead.” He confirms, and she smiles.
“Good, now. Firstly, I’d like to see your marks. Henry can be excused if you find this to be to personal.” She says.
“That would probably be for the best, you know, the less people who know about my soulmate the better.” Tony decides, Farrah agreeing quickly.
“Yes, being a soulmate with your status would be exciting news indeed. Henry,” She turns to Henry.
“Fine by me, take all the time you need.” He leaves the room again.
“So, Peter would you like to start. Can I see your mark?” She asks, sitting on a chair opposite the couch.
Peter looks down at his pyjama top, only now realising what top he is wearing.
‘Sidekick to the Fe man’ shirt. He can feel Tony smirk at him, and notices Farrah containing a giggle.
“I hate you.” Peter mutters to Tony, the shirt being a gift from him when Peter passed a difficult Spanish exam.
He lifts his top, pulling it up revelling the blue circle, imitating an arc reactor.
“Well, that is obvious why that is the mark.” Farrah says, writing a note of it in her notepad.
Peter pulls back down his top, and reaches for a jumper in his bag. He grins, noticing it to be a Captain America one. He takes it out, and goes to put it on.
“Hey, I thought I made you throw that one away?” Tony asks, grabbing the jumper and holding it away from Peter. He puts it on the floor, on the other side of him, so Peter can’t get it.
“You did, so I hid it in my bag.” Peter replies, shrugging innocently.
“Mr Stark, would you please show me your mark.” Farrah asks, finishing her writing with an elaborate dot.
Tony shrugs off his blazer, tossing it onto Peter’s head. Peter shakes his head, the Blazer falling into his lap instead. Tony turns around, and lifts his shirt up. The bottom of the spider can be seen, and Peter silently hopes Farrah doesn’t put the facts together. Everyone knows that Iron Man and Spiderman work together closely.
She doesn’t comment on Spiderman at all.
“What is the story behind the spider?” She questions, looking at Peter, as it would be linked to him.
“I just, really hate spiders.” He mutters, nervously. She hums in agreement.
“Yeah, I completely understand that. When I was 7, I woke up to a giant one next to my pillow, never been a fan of them since. Thank you, Mr Stark.” She replies, jotting more notes in her book.
Tony turns back around and puts his blazer hack on.
“Well, this looks fine so far, but I do have to ensure they’re not tattoos. Although, I can hardly believe someone would let, you Peter, a minor, get a tattoo.” She explains briefly, before bringing out a small scanner.
“Right, the quick test is scanning your eyes, and comparing the results.” She announces, bringing the device in front of Peters face. She presses a button, and a small blue light appears, flitting over Peter’s eye. It beeps, and she pulls away.
“Perfect, thank you, Peter.” She says, and presses a few buttons on the device before holding it up to Tony. The process is repeated, and once over, she sits back down, looking at the small screen on the device.
She waits for a moment as the data is analysed, before the results appear. She studies them for a moment, nodding to herself.
“This all seems perfect. Clear signs of platonic soulmates are present.” She pauses, transferring the numbers on screen onto paper. “Lovely. I’ll only ask for one more test, a simple fingerprint.” Soulmates typically have symmetrical fingerprints, only slightly varying.”
She puts the eye scanner away, and pulls out another, similar looking device.
“Place you index finger on this panel please.” She asks Peter, and he does. Tony repeating the action afterwards. She looks at the screen again, copying down the results.
“Yes, it seems you are soulmates. I would congratulate you, but it seems you already knew. I’ll call Henry back in now, and he can proceed with your guardianship.” Farrah opens the door, and waves Henry over.
“All done?” He asks as he enters.
“Yes, I can confirm them as soulmates.” She nods, tidying up her equipment and folders. She hands over a copy of the information to Henry, who briefly looks at it, before focusing his attention back on Tony and Peter.
“Okay, let’s continue then.”
Soon, Tony is signing paper after paper. Peter occasionally putting his name down. Tony’s eyes blur, from reading every line of print as thoroughly as he can, not wanting to waste time for a lawyer to arrive, but not wanting to sign anything he or Peter don’t agree with.
12:30 falls come around quickly, and Henry shuffles all the paperwork into a folder.
“Right, that’s everything so far. You have guardianship over Peter. We will be in contact with more information, however, you’re free to go.” Henry says, with relief, tired of all the paperwork himself.
Tony looks over at Peter, who in on the verge of falling asleep on the couch. Tucked underneath Tony’s blazer. Tony sends a quick text to Happy, asking to be picked up. He walks over to Peter, gently cupping his cheek, causing Peter to stir, and slowly sit up.
“You ready to go?” He asks quietly. Peter nods, enjoying the feel of Tony’s hand against his cheek.
“Hmm,” He hums out, “The tower?”
“Yeah, Kiddo. We’re heading to the tower right now, then you can properly fall asleep there.”
Tony grabs Peter’s backpack, and swings it over one of his shoulders, and helps Peter up. Peter grabs Tony’s hand, and Henry leads them back to the elevator.
They get out onto the street quickly, after saying thank you and goodbye to Henry, and start walking towards the tower.
They hold hands, mostly so Tony can guide an emotionally and physically exhausted Peter around.
“I should go to school, Tony.” Peter says suddenly, lightly pulling his mentors arm in the opposite direction.
Tony sighs, “Peter, of all the excuses to get out of school, this is the most valid one. School is the least of your concerns right now.”
Peter still pulls on Tony’s arm though, so they stop walking, “I’ve got this really important, grade depending homework, in my bag though! May wouldn’t-“ He sniffs, a suspiciously sad sniff, with an equally suspicious accompanying eye rub, “-she wanted me to hand it in on time, as she helped me proof read it! She said it’d be the best essay anyone’s ever read, it’s still in my bag.”
“Okay, we’ll swing by the school, and you can hand in your work. But then, immediately after, we go to the tower.” Tony compromises, just as Happy pulls up to them. Tony opens the door for Peter, and gets in behind him.
“We’re going to the kid’s school first, then to the tower.” Tony says, and realises no one will have informed the school of the situation, so he should do that as well.
The school is 30 minutes away, and they spend the trip in silence. Peter leaning himself on Tony’s shoulder, and Tony sending messages to Pepper, informing her of the situation, and asking her to organise the funeral.
They pull up at the school quickly, and Tony and Peter jump out, Tony still carrying Peter’s bag.
They walk up the stairs to reception, and the receptionist does a double take, at seeing Tony Stark walk in.
“Oh, hello. What can I help you with?” He asks, instantly turning to Tony.
“I’m here with Peter Parker,” Tony says, the man turning to type something in on his computer.
“Ah, yes.” He says quickly, “Peter has not been registered in attendance for any of his classes. I’ll put him down for a late arrival, lunch has just ended.”
Tony quickly intervenes, “No, he’s not staying school. He’s just wants to drop off an assignment.”
Peter waves a couple of pages at the receptionist. “It’s for Miss Warren, can I drop it off here?”
“I would be able to give it to her at the end of the day.” The receptionist says.
“They need to be in now, we have to hand them in at the same time, otherwise it would count as additional time!” Peter says urgently, wary his class will be handing in the assignments any second.
“I can’t leave the desk unattended, but you can go in yourself.” He says, opening the door remotely for Peter.
“Thank you.” Peter replies, and rushes into the building.
“Mr Willows, why is there a student, specifically Peter Parker, running through the halls, with your permission?” The Principal asks, walking into reception, surprised at Tony Stark, hanging around. “Mr Stark, what are you doing at Midtown?”
“I’m here with my intern, Peter. He wanted to hand in some homework, and I want to speak to someone about him having the next few days off.” Tony says, swiping his sunglasses of his face, and flashing the Principal with a charming smile.
“Oh, you can speak to me, personally, in my office. I’m the Principal here.” He introduces, offering Tony his hand.
“Yes, Mr Morita. I know, Peter’s mentioned you before.” Tony says casually, shaking his hand. They walk into his office, nearby the front reception.
“So, as I said earlier, Peter’s not coming into school.” Tony starts, getting straight to the point.
“Is this due to his internship?” Morita asks, sitting down behind his desk, Tony taking the seat in front of him.
“No, it’s more of a personal matter.” Tony explains, wondering how to approach it. “His Aunt, May Parker, died earlier this morning.”
“Oh no, she was his last living relative. The poor guy’s gone through so much.” Morita replies, shocked.
Tony nods, “Yes, so I’ll be taking custody of him. We’ll need to amend his emergency contacts, to himself and my partner, and head of security et cetera…”
“Of course, I can change this right now.” Morita says, pulling up the necessary files on his computer.
Tony lists of his contacts first, registering himself as the primary information, and Pepper, Happy and Rhodey are secondary details.
“Is it necessary for 4 contacts, students typically only have 2.” Morita asks, but Tony quickly waves him off.
“I have no idea who will even be in the state, never mind able to help Peter is required. I want those 4 contacts available.” Tony briefly explains, Morita not questioning him again.
“Okay, I’ll organise some work now for Peter to do at home. I understand he needs personal time, but he can’t let this get him behind on his studies. He is a smart student.” Morita says, trying to be both sympathetic and a responsible teacher.
“That’s fine, he will probably appreciate the distraction.” Tony agrees. “If it’s easier, you can drop it off at my tower each day. So, his scheduled curriculum isn’t interrupted.”
“That would helpful, thank you Mr Stark.” Morita replies. There is a knock at the door.
Morita turns his attention to the source, “Come in.”
Peter pokes his head around, and Tony stand immediately, walking over to him.
“Hey kid, you done?” He asks, and Peter nods.
“We’ll be seeing you later then, Mr Morita.” Tony doesn’t wait for an answer, and focuses on getting Peter into the car, and back to the tower, as quickly as possible.
Peter leans against the car window, finally going to the tower, letting his eyes close for the first time since, it happened.
“Come here, kiddie.” Tony says, pulling Peter to lie down in the car, using his lap as a cushion.
“Thanks Mr Stark,” Peter mutters, looking up at Tony.
Tony looks down at Peter, and starts playing with his curls.
“For what kid,” Tony smiles.
Peter attempts a shrug, laying down. “Just for, being here.”
Tony shakes his head, “You don’t need to thank me, but I accept nonetheless.”
Peter quickly falls asleep, as they make drive over.
They pull into the Tower’s garage, and Happy gets out the car, walking over to open the door for Tony. Tony engages the nanotech around him, so he can carry Peter, he wouldn’t have the strength otherwise. He gently manoeuvres Peter into his arms, careful so he doesn’t wake.
He walks over to the elevator, Happy receiving a message from Pepper.
“Boss, I’ve got to go, you alright with the kid?” He asks, clearly concerned for Peter.
“Yeah, we’ll be fine. Is Pepper here or at the compound?” Tony asks, starting towards the elevator.
Happy shakes his head, “No, I’ve got to drive her to the airport, she’ll be out of state for a few days. She’ll be back for May’s funeral though, it’s been scheduled for next Tuesday.”
“Right, okay.” Tony sighs, and walks into the elevator. FRIDAY immediately sends them up to the penthouse.
Peter remains asleep, so Tony takes him straight to his bedroom. Peter doesn’t spend much time at the tower, usually him and Tony meet at the compound upstate, but still, Tony has a bedroom prepared for him.
The walls are a light grey, a colour – Tony recently learnt – helps nullify Peter’s senses when he experiences sensory overload. There’s a desk, with a custom-built desktop on it. There’s a bookshelf, filled with books. A Star Wars encyclopaedia, a shelf full of comics, and a box of classical clarinet music, just to name a few items. Posters are framed in the room, a periodic table, an Iron Man one, and several bands Peter mentioned he likes; Gorillaz and Ramones. Tony even slipped in an ACDC one.
Tony carefully lowers him onto the bed, and pulls the covers over him. The nanotech retracts, and he leaves Peter to sleep, the exhaustion knocking him out deeply.
Once outside Peter’s bedroom, Tony falls onto the floor, letting his own tears fall. Although, he’s become much more of a parent to Peter, than a Mentor, he still doesn’t feel ready. May would handle any actual ‘parenting’ aspects.
“Tony?” He hears from down the hall. He wipes his eyes, hoping they’re not too red, and investigates the familiar voice.
“Tony, you here?” Rhodey says, voice loud, but not shouting.
Tony rounds the corner, and leans against it. “Hey Rhodes,”
“Oh, you’re looking rough, what’s up?” Rhodey asks, following Tony on the large sofa, in the main room.
“Well,” Tony starts, sighing, “My little soulmate’s Aunt died earlier this morning, and he called me in tears, whilst fighting off the advances of social services. I now have temporary custody over him, which will eventually lead me to adopting him because, as he has no blood relatives now, I am his soulmate, so I’m the next legal guardian for him. But, everyone’s neglecting the fact that I’m going to be a shitty father, as I’m going to end up just like Howard.”
Tony leans back against the couch, rubbing his hands over his face in exasperation. Rhodey sits there, taking in all the information.
“Shit. That is a bad day.” He says finally, folding his arms. “So, before we start, I’ll warn you, this will be a heart to heart moment.”
Tony laughs sarcastically, turning away. “Oh god, just make it quick.”
Rhodey doesn’t let this faze him, used to Tony’s sarcastic quips. “You are not Howard. You worrying about this, already makes you a better father than he was.” Tony goes to interrupt, but Rhodey raises an eyebrow, and he quickly shuts up.
“And I completely agree, you will be the next best guardian for Peter. You’re a caring person, and so selfless.”
“The media wouldn’t agree with you there,” Tony says humourlessly.
“No, they wouldn’t, because they don’t know the real you. I’m your best friend, and yeah, initially you were a sarcastic asshole.” Tony throws a smile at Rhodey, “But I’ve seen you grow over these past years, and you’re already the best dad Peter could ask for.”
“God, I don’t want to replace anyone. Peter absolutely loved his Uncle, and already had a father. His mother too, and now May.”
“You’re not. Peter barely knew his mother and father, and nothing can replace anyone he’s lost, especially his Aunt and Uncle. But, you can still be his dad. Your soulmate status proves this. You already have a deep connection to each other, more so then many other people can. And honestly, you can’t afford to abandon Peter. He needs the support, you leaving him now, well, he wouldn’t have anyone left. You would be heartbroken. You need him as much as he needs you.”
Rhodey stops, letting his words settle, before concluding his speech.
“You will be a great dad. Peter already thinks you are. Hell, I already see myself as the kid’s uncle. So, just stop worrying about it. You’ll make mistakes, but honestly, you just need to be you; that’s all Peter wants.”
“Wow, that was, borderline heart-warming.” Tony comments, and Rhodey scoffs.
“That’s it. That’s last time I’m nice to you.” Rhodey says, raising his hands in defeat.
Tony sits up, and coughs, muttering his words, “Thank you, Rhodey.”
Rhodey pulls a shocked face, gasping dramatically. “Wow, FRIDAY, save that footage. Tony Stark thanked me, what an honour.”
Tony ignores him, and goes into the kitchen to make himself a coffee.
“I hope that isn’t the only thing you’re eaten, or drank, today.” Rhodey offhandedly comments, and Tony’s eyes widen.
“Oh shit, the kid! I bet he hasn’t even had breakfast, and it’s way past lunch.” Tony says, immediately putting down his coffee, instead searching through the fridge and cupboards, in hopes of finding anything.
Rhodey enters the kitchen, and tugs Tony away from his search.
“Right, I’m giving you permission to go and hide in your workshop for a bit. I’ll make lunch, dinner, whatever the meal is. The kid can sleep, you can reset, and then everyone can eat and feel rested.” Rhodey insists, leaving no room for argument.
Tony smiles gratefully at him, “I would thank you again, but you don’t need it going to your head.”
“Shut up,” Rhodey laughs, and shoves him away. Tony enters the elevator, going down to his workshop, lab space.
The lights automatically turn on when he enters.
“FRIDAY, turn on the music. Make it loud, I want Rhodey to hear it. And, enhance the muffler in the kids’ room.” Tony asks, ears filling up with the familiar tunes of ACDC.