Chapter Text
Song of the Chapter: Interstate Love Song - Stone Temple Pilots
"Immature love says: 'I love you because I need you.' Mature Love says: 'I need you because I love you."
~ Erich Fromm ~
It wasn't every day that Peter got to travel to the Avengers compound. Sure, Mr. Stark had been trying to get more in contact with him, to make him a much more integral part of the team, but his classes at NYU would, at times, get in the way. Plus he could never abandon his duties to the people of New York. When he had first turned down joining the Avengers, he had wanted to keep close to the ground. Build up his experience. Look out for the little guy. Still try to live the life a kid like he was should have been able to.
Of course, a big purple alien decided to throw a big wrench in that plan. Or, rather, a giant spaceship. And a large golden gauntlet.
He knew he didn't have to go and help. But he had to. What else was he supposed to do? There was a giant spaceship shaped like a spinning donut in the sky. He had to make sure that his classmates didn't get hurt. And, obviously, the best thing his mind could come up with was to leap out of a moving bus with just his mask on and swing away after a distraction from Ned – he'll thank whatever deity he needs to for the fact that Ned was as surprised as he was – to go and stop the invaders. So, he got to reunite with and fight alongside Iron Man, meet a couple of wizards and a levitating cloak, and fight against and with a group of aliens. It could have been a power team. Maybe it should have been. Dr. Strange had looked into the future. He saw the one way that we could win. The plan was set. They had Thanos beaten. Mr. Stark was so close to taking off the gauntlet. He himself was so close. But the other human, Starlord, he had to go and lose control. It didn't make sense at the time. Everyone nearly died. Thanos nearly killed Mr. Stark. Strange gave up his stone. And then half the universe just disappeared. One by one they faded away. And, damn his senses, he felt it coming before it happened. It had felt horrible. Every fibre of his being screaming and tearing away, with nothing that he could do. Actually fading away caused no pain. Maybe it was because of how panicky he had been once he figured out what his instincts were howling at him. However, he still felt a lot of pain when it took hold. The fading, that wasn't it. The others that were dusted said that it just didn't feel like anything. They deduced that it was his healing factor working overtime to try and keep himself together. It had been so much that it nearly killed him a second time when the remaining Avengers succeeded in defeating Thanos and bringing everyone back to life. Mr. Strange magically transported The Guardians and them both back to Earth from Titan. Everything was finally over. The Avengers were, for the most part, back together again, with some new recruits; aliens, wizards, two humans that have travelled through the stars, and a high school student.
After the conflict, the public had, for the most part, rallied behind the Rouge Avengers, and the long fight to rectify the Accords fairly could carefully begin. The Rouge Avengers were pardoned, against the urges of Secretary Ross, and the others were invited to officially join the group. Everyone except Spider-Man, because everyone; the Avengers, the Rouges, the new recruits, and the few outside the superhero cohort still intricately involved, agreed that it would be a very bad idea for the world to find out his secret identity while he was still just a kid. So it was that Peter unofficially became an Avenger, and still is. The world still doesn't know who lies underneath the red-and-blue spandex, or whatever other suit is required for the job. And as far as everyone else knows, Peter Parker goes to the Avengers compound as Tony Stark's part-time assistant. Which isn't exactly a lie – he does do a fair amount of inventing and engineering for Stark Industries, alongside helping with some upgrades for Avengers gear. And, as far as he's aware, that is why he is being driven through the gates and up the driveway of the compound right now.
“You good, kid?” comes the voice of Happy Hogan from the driver's seat. Despite the years, he hasn't changed a lot from what Peter has seen. He still travels everywhere in a suit and hasn't observably aged. However, from his conversations and reports, Peter has noticed how he seems to have softened a little.
“Yeah. Why do you ask?”
“You're just … oddly quiet,” he answers as the car pulls up to the front of the complex.
“I'm just thinking about stuff. Things I can do during spring break,” Peter explains, lying through his teeth for the second part.
“Ah huh ...” Happy nods. For what it's worth to Peter, it doesn't seem like he's noticed the lie he told. Though, Happy was never one to wear his emotions on his sleeve, unless it was either stress or anger.
“I'm not carrying your bag, kid,” Happy says as he turns around, breaking Peter out of his train of thought. Looking around, he could see the car had stopped a while ago.
“Oh, uh … yeah, right,” Peter stammers, his hand quickly snaking to rub the back of his neck. “Thanks, Happy.”
Happy gives him a nod as the spiderling grabs the backpack beside him and slings it over his shoulder before dashing out of the vehicle. Striding out and climbing up the stairway, Peter arrives inside the sparkling clean foyer.
“Hello, Peter,” greeted the soothing feminine voice of F.R.I.D.A.Y. from above.
“Hey, Friday.”
“You're here early.”
“Yeah, Mr. Stark asked me to come in today instead of tomorrow,” Peter replied as he began walking through the complex.
“The boss has been alerted of your arrival. He's on his way down.”
“Thanks, Fri.”
Peter Parker continued his walk through the complex, passing multiple suits and artefacts from previous battles that were no longer in use; such as the dilapidated remains of several Iron Man suits including the battered and scarred mask of the first nanotech suit, a few pieces of weaponry out of War Machine's arsenal, Captain America's strike suit, sketches and designs of suits for several of the Avengers, and a jet-black hooded outfit and mask with blood orange and golden outlines, metallic gauntlets and a sleek katana that no one had bothered to tell the young Parker who it belonged to. It was while his gaze lingered on the more menacing outfit that the nearby elevator opened up, from within which Tony Stark strode out.
“Ah, there you are, kid,” the playboy billionaire says with a smile as he walks out of the elevator, snapping Peter out of his trance.
“Hey, Mr. Stark.”
“You know you can call me Tony, right?” he questions as he puts an arm round the young Parker and leads him into the elevator.
“Yeah,” Peter admits, shifting his weight from side to side as the elevator doors slide shut in front of them. “Force of habit.”
“Well, at least you were raised polite. School going alright? I've still got pull at MIT if you want to change-”
“It's fine, Mr. Sta- I mean, Tony,” the young adult catches himself, shaking his head slightly at his mistake. “No problems.”
“You sure?” Tony asks as he shifts his gaze down to his assistant.
“Yep. Work's all finished. Had an exam today. I'm pretty sure it went alright. Just got one more tomorrow and then-”
“Spring break, right?”
Peter nods.
“Ah, spring break, such fond memories … Lots of parties, plenty of girls …”
“Really?”
“Well I assume so,” Tony says with a shrug. “I was rich and a ladies man, but I also drank like a sailor. My memory isn't what it once was.”
“But you're one of the smartest people in the world!”
“Nah, everyone's starting to catch up,” Tony says, waving his hand as if to dismiss Peter's previous statement. “And a couple seem to be passing me by already – yourself included.”
“I wouldn't say that,” Peter chuckles embarrassingly, his hand snaking round his neck once again.
“So, you got any plans?”
“Uh, no … not really,” Peter replies as the elevator doors open, the billionaire and the spiderling walking through the shiny corridor towards Mr. Stark's personal laboratory.
“Really? Nothing? A good guy like you?”
Peter shakes his head.
“No parties? No girls? No heavy drinking?”
“No sir,” Peter answers, getting a grimace from the cocky philanthropist.
“That formality probably has something to do with it,” Tony mutters as they enter his lab.
Peter's face lights up as the room bursts into light, illuminating all the equipment, prototypes, particles, shiny metal and machinery thrown all over the place. He dashes over to the large pearl-white workbench in the centre of the room, his feet sliding along the polished floor as he comes to a stop. As soon as his hands press down on the work surface, the top dilutes to a dark cobalt-blue before sparking to life, an electric-blue hologram projecting upwards from the surface and shifting to form a large intricate design that appeared to be blueprints for a new type of Iron Man suit.
“So, what are we working on today, Mr- uh … Tony?” the young Parker inquires as his eyes dance with the light of the projection, remembering to catch himself on the name.
“First things first,” Tony interjects, sauntering slowly to the bench and waving a hand through the air, swiping the design back down into the table. He then reaches into his suit pocket and pulls out an envelope, handing it to Peter. “This is for you.”
Peter takes the envelope with an inquisitive look and opens it, pulling out a small folded page with a flowery pattern adorning the border. Unfolding it, he begins to read the words:
Mr. Peter Parker
You are cordially invited by
Tony Stark and Pepper Potts
to celebrate their union in holy matrimony.
“W-Wait,” Peter exclaims, his eyes going wide. “This is for your wedding!”
“That's right,” Tony bluntly answers, shrugging his suit jacket off his shoulders before tossing it through the air, a coat hanger descending from the ceiling and catching it somewhat roughly before elevating back up into the roof.
“Bu- Wha- Why am I-” Peter stammers, his mind and mouth both currently being completely unable to form a simple sentence. His disbelieving laugh dies as he looks up at the smirking face of his mentor. “Th-This can't be right.”
“And why's that?”
“Well, I mean, why would I be invited?”
“Hmm, let's see here … Uh, you're part of the team, you help me out in here plenty of times, I have a certain amount of care for you that goes well beyond what most people could even dream of ...” Mr. Stark lists off, counting off each point on his fingers.
“That can't be … Is that true?”
“Don't interrupt me, I wasn't finished,” Tony says, holding up a hand. “Now, where was I?”
“The Care Bear Protocol,” F.R.I.D.A.Y. answers from above.
“Wait, Care Bear Protocol?!” Peter exclaims, eyes shooting towards Tony Stark.
“Unimportant details,” he responds, waving away the young Parker's many unspoken questions both figuratively and literally as one of his hands sails through the air in front of him.
“Oh god,” Peter groans, a hand flying up to hide his shame as his face quickly heats up in embarrassment.
“You're smart, respectable, polite,” Tony continues listing, as if the previous interruption hadn't happened, “Everyone on the team loves having you around, you brighten everyone's day, you're a hero to the people and you're probably the best out of all of us. So, yes, you're invited.”
Peter hesitantly looks back at the invitation, taking in the information.
“So, this is why you wanted me here today?”
“Yep. Pepper and I are leaving tomorrow after we finish up with some meetings.”
“The wedding's in a fortnight, though,” Peter observes, reading from the invitation and looking up with a puzzled expression.
“We could do with a break beforehand,” Tony explains, crossing his arms over the reactor in his chest. “Won't really have too much time for a honeymoon afterwards, so might as well get it over with beforehand with the team.”
Peter goes to open his mouth, but is cut off as Mr. Stark adds, “And yes, that includes you.”
“Cool! But … I've got an exam tomorrow. I can't just leave tomorrow.”
“Check the envelope.”
Peter takes another look inside the envelope and pulls out two plane tickets, boarding passes and small cards similar to the ID scanners that everyone uses in the newly re-bought and re-furnished Stark Tower. Looking at the plane tickets, Peter noted the departure time for 0800 hours on Saturday; the day after tomorrow.
“You're not the only one who can't get there straight away,” Tony explains. “Some are still getting there mid-week. I'd already checked in with NYU about when your exams were and planned around it.”
“Um … Mr. Stark?” Peter says, looking back up at his mentor.
“That name's not going to go away, is it?” Tony sighs, causing Peter's eyes to widen at his comment.
“Uh … probably not,” Peter answers guiltily.
“Don't worry, kid,” Tony says with a smile, bringing a smile to his student. “What is it?”
“Why are there two of all these?”
“Oh, well that's because everyone can bring someone along, and you've been put down for a 'plus one',” Mr. Stark clarifies.
“But I don't think I'll be able to bring anyone.”
“Really? No one?”
“Well, May's going to be away in Hawaii for another wedding, and Ned's going on a holiday with his family and his girlfriend.”
“What about that girl you hang around?”
“Michelle? No! Nonononono!” Peter frantically utters, vehemently shaking his head. “That would not be a good idea.”
“Why not?” Tony asks, eyebrows raising up in surprise. “I thought you guys were pretty close.”
“We are- were. It's … uh … It's not great …”
“What happened? You always use to spew your guts about every little thing about her. It got pretty annoying.”
“Um … you remember what happened in Europe?” Tony nods. “Well … we were kinda supposed to go on a date …”
“Wait, you were supposed to go on a date, or you were kinda going on a date?”
“We were going on a date … kinda.”
Tony sighs and shakes his head, but motions for the kid to continue.
“Well … we were going to be going to a carnival, but I was running a little late. On the way, one of Beck's goons tricked me and I ended up fighting Beck. By the time I had him webbed up, I was super late and she was so frustrated at me. She just screamed and shouted at me at the hotel and then didn't speak to me for the next three months.”
“Did you tell her why you missed it?” Tony asks. Peter drops his gaze to the floor and shakes his head, sinking into a nearby chair. Tony sighs and goes up to the youth, clapping a hand down on his fallen shoulder. “Well, that would have been a start. It could've helped her understand-”
“No! No, I … I can't tell her,” Peter states, his hands fumbling in the air in front of him. “I-I … I just can't.”
“Kid, all relationships are built on trust-”
“You don't understand: I can't tell her because she doesn't know I'm Spider-Man!” Peter declares, looking up at Tony Stark. “I … I never told her.”
“Why wouldn't you tell her?”
“I didn't want her to be hurt. I-If more people keep finding out who I am, then they'll be in danger. Vulture threatened to hurt everyone and Mysterio used his knowledge to distract me and lure me away.”
“We can take care of-”
“It's not the same. The Avengers can take care of each other. May, Ned, MJ … I-If someone like that comes after them …”
“It's alright, kid. Nothing's going to happen to them,” Tony assures as he crouches down in front of Peter, rubbing the younger man's legs as his eyes seem to stare off into space. His breathing quickens and becomes shorter as the panic starts to set in. “Hey, look at me. Peter.”
Peter slowly lifts his head to look at his mentor's eyes.
“Follow my breathing, okay?”
The young adult nods and follows as Tony starts with a normal paced breath, waiting for Peter's to drop down and meet it before carefully slowing it down until the young Parker had calmed down.
“All good, kid?”
Peter swallows and nods in response.
“Do you want my advice?”
Peter nods again.
“Okay. If you want to fix things between the two of you, my suggestion is that you tell her.”
“But I-”
“Don't interrupt,” Mr. Stark says abruptly, causing Peter to shut his mouth. “Do you still like her?”
“It's … It's complicated.”
“Kid, it's a yes or no question.”
“Well … Yes,” Peter admits, running a hand through his short curls. “But, it's not that easy.”
“Sure it is,” Stark responds with a shrug. “Three simple words: I am Spider-Man. Nice and short. Just like when I announced myself.”
“No, it's not,” Peter disputes. “I can't. I can't bring her into this world. If … If someone finds out, and she gets hurt … I just can't lose her again. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if she's hurt because of me.”
“You realise you're saying this to a guy who's about to get married, right?”
“I-I didn't mean-”
“Look, kid,” Tony interjects, clearing his throat, “I know how you feel. It took me years to work up the courage to ask Pepper to marry me. And even then, it kept getting put off because of all these people that think they're powerful enough to rule the world. Or the galaxy. Or … whatever. Point is, in that time I realised something. It wouldn't matter how she felt about me, or whether we were together or not. So long as I cared about her, she would be in danger. People kept targeting her to get to me. Didn't matter what stage our relationship was in. So, if I was the one that was keeping her in danger, then I would do whatever it takes to make sure she's safe.”
“Also,” he continues as Peter opens his mouth, “if you want to be happy in life, then your better off being with the people you love. It'll hurt you to keep them at a distance, and it can hurt them too if they don't know why you're pushing them away.”
“So, what should I do?”
“Try to patch things up. I'm assuming you guys are at least in a civil acquaintanceship?”
“Yeah, I guess,” Peter answers glumly. “There are times were it seems friendly, and times where it still seems like she hates my guts. Then again, she is pretty dry and standoff-ish to everyone anyway, so that might just be her being who she is.”
“Then ask her to come. Tell her you're Spider-Man and bring her along.”
“Just like that? Hi, just thought I'd let you know I'm Spider-Man. Do you want to come to a wedding? I can't do that!”
“Fine, pick your moment. But I still want you to invite her.”
“And how do I explain that we'll be staying with The Avengers?”
“Why wouldn't The Avengers be there?”
“It's not that. It's just … what perfectly normal reason would there be for me to be there?”
“Well, if she-”
“One that doesn't involve me telling her I'm Spider-Man,” Peter cuts off Tony Stark, resulting in a glare from his mentor.
“Eh, we'll get there when we get there.”
“That's not really the kind of answer I was looking for.”
“Well, you keep wanting to make it difficult.”
“This is not going to go well,” Peter groans and drops his head into his hands before running them through his hair.
Tony sighs and stands up, walking over to the bench. He taps a couple of times on the surface, causing the bench-top to flash blue, before pinching the air and dragging upwards, springing up the holographic blueprints from earlier.
“How about we have a look at this?” Tony suggests as he folds his arms over his chest, getting Peter to look back up at him. “It'll help get your mind off your troubles, and get your head in gear for your exams tomorrow.”
Peter pushes himself out of his chair and stands next to Mr. Stark.
“Sure, but … um … I already planned to go to May's afterwards for dinner. I said I'd be there by 7.”
“What time is it now, Fri?” Tony asks, his eyes focusing on the designs.
“2:13,” the AI answers from above.
“Ah, we've got plenty of time,” Mr. Stark says, unfolding one of his arms and resting it on Peter's shoulder. “Hell, we'll probably have this all finished well before then.”
His arms shoot out to the holograms and brush a couple of designs aside before focusing in on the reactor and energy couplets and bringing his hands out wide, zooming into the design.
“How about we focus here first?”