Work Text:
“Pete, you’ve been pretty quiet today, everything alright?”
The mentor-protege duo is, as usual, tinkering in the lab. Music is playing in the background, the sun is shining through the windows; it’s just a chill Saturday.
Well, almost chill.
Tony’s normally babbling teenager isn’t doing any babbling.
Which almost always means that something’s up.
“Just-Just fine, Mr. Stark. Just don’t have a lot to say.”
Yep, something is definitely up.
“Okay….”
They work in silence for a few more minutes and Tony can almost feel the kid’s anxiety sweating off of him. The atmosphere in the room gradually becomes more and more tense.
Finally, Tony slams his tools down on the table, “Okay, I can’t take this anymore. What the hell is going on, kid?”
Peter jumps when he hears the sound of tools against the table, “Wha-nothing, I already told you -”
“And you’re clearly not telling me the truth, kid. I’ve known you for what, over three years now? And this is the quietest I’ve ever seen you. You know that I’m here, right?”
“I know, I know, it’s just...it’s kinda complicated.”
“See, Pete, you’ve come to the right person, I’m the king of complication. Whatever it is, I’ll fix it.”
Peter lets out a humorless laugh, “You can’t fix this one, Mr. Stark.”
“Try me, I dare ya.”
Peter sighs heavily, “There’s nothing really wrong. That’s the complicated part.”
“Well, something must be wrong if you're feeling like this.”
A grunt of frustration escapes Peter before he lightly lays his head on the table in front of him. He finally asks in a small voice, “Am I ever gonna find someone?”
Tony winces in sympathy. To anyone else, it just sounds like a typical angsty question that is meant for someone to respond with “Of course you will, you're a catch.” But with Peter being asexual, Tony knows how heavy this question actually is. He has to respond to this delicately.
Tony wheels his chair over until he's next to Peter, “What makes you think you won't?”
Peter turns his head slightly towards his mentor while it's still laying on the table, “It's kinda obvious, Mr. Stark.”
Tony casually puts his legs on the table and leans back in his chair, “Y’know, when you came out to me a few months ago, you seemed relieved; like you finally understood yourself and didn’t give a shit as to what other people would think. What’s changed, Peter?”
Peter turns his head until he's facing the table again. His tone of voice doesn’t change, “I've never had sex.”
Tony raises an eyebrow in confusion, “So?”
“So how do I know if I like it or not? I mean, am I really asexual or am I just...scared?”
“Do you know what sex is?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you want to have sex?”
“Well, no -”
“Then you're asexual, so what's the problem?”
Peter lifts his head up and turns to face his mentor, “Everyone's had sex, Mr. Stark. Even people who are asexual, they find out they don't like it when they do it.”
“That doesn’t apply to everyone, kid.”
Peter is so wrapped up in his self-doubt that he didn’t hear what Tony said, “Society just assumes that I've had sex at this point, and I haven't, so now I'm just considered weird.”
“You're only a teenager -”
“And all the movies and TV shows are about sex. Y'know that one ‘What If?’ episode of Friends and Monica is ashamed of being a 30-year-old virgin? She was even made fun of for it. What's wrong with being a 30-year-old virgin?!”
Tony puts his feet down and wheels his chair until he's right in front of the kid, “There's nothing wrong with tha -”
Peter just continues his rant, “And literally every episode of Two and a Half Men is about sex, it's all they even think about. Why am I the weird one for never thinking about it?”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, what the hell are you doing watching Two and a Half Men, of all things? That's one of the most misogynistic shows out there.”
Peter shrugs, “I couldn't sleep and there was a marathon...I was curious….”
Tony just shakes his head, “Kid, don't do anything that Charlie Sheen does and you'll be in good shape, alright?”
Peter nods his head, but he still looks tense, like there's more.
Tony taps Peter's knee, “What else? It's just us two in here, you can tell me anything.”
The teen’s gaze goes to his hands that are in his lap. After a few seconds, Peter blurts out, “I downloaded Tinder.”
Tony's head snaps right up, “What?! Peter, y'know that's only used for people to -”
“To hook up, yeah, I know, I just...I thought I might just...get it out of the way?”
Tony can feel his hair going grayer by the second, “Why would you want to put yourself through that?”
Peter stares at his lap in embarrassment, “Society already assumes that I've had sex. If I just do it once, I can say that I've done it. If I meet someone down the line, I can say that I've done it, and they won't think I'm weird. Maybe I'll know if I actually like sex or not.”
How the fuck does Tony respond to that?
Tony feels bad for the kid because what he's saying is true. In today's society, it's weird to be the one to not have sex. There's so much pressure to follow the rules, and if someone's different, then they have a “problem.”
Tony grabs Peter's shoulder with one hand and lifts the teen's chin with his other hand, “Pete, you better listen to me, ‘cuz what I have to say is important.”
Peter reluctantly complies and looks at his mentor.
Tony lets go of Peter's shoulder and instead rests his hand on the kid's knee. His voice is firm, but still has a soft undertone, “No one knows your body better than you. If you don’t have any desire to have sex, then don’t do it. The only time you should ever do it if it's because you want to, not because you feel like you have to. If you agree to a random hookup that you don't even want to do, you're just hurting yourself, bud. If anyone tells you differently, or thinks you're weird, or tries to pressure you into something you don't wanna do, then fuck them...no pun intended.”
Tony smiles when Peter lets out one of those adorable giggles of his.
Tony continues, “Now, I'm gonna be logical for a second: okay, you know that there are more people in the world who have sexual attraction than people who don't, right?”
Peter nods, unsure of where this is going.
“Okay, the reason why so many shows and movies talk about sex is because it's a subject that most people can relate to. And yes, most of the sex jokes are made in bad taste, but that doesn't mean that you have to follow what they say. So what if you'll be a 30-year-old virgin, or a 50-year-old virgin, or even an 80-year-old virgin. The only thing that matters is if you're happy.”
Tony sees Peter's eyes start to turn glossy with unshed tears.
“And if you do want to have sex sometime down the line, then that's your prerogative, and it'll be because you want to. Understand?”
Instead of answering, Peter leans across his chair and wraps his arms around the hero in a hug. A few tears fall down his cheeks before he responds, “Thank you.”
Tony hugs right back, awkwardness from the chairs be damned, “No need to thank me for this. You're an amazing kid, and you're gonna find someone someday who's gonna love you so much that they won't care about any sex.”
Peter pulls away from the hug, but he doesn't let go, “It-It's not even like I'm looking for anyone. I'm happy like I am, I don't need a person like that to make me happy, but...sometimes I think it'd be nice….”
“And there’s nothing wrong with that. And hey, if you'd rather not find someone, that's okay too, you hear me? As long as you're happy.”
Peter nods in confirmation.
“Now...how far didya get with this ‘Tinder’ thing?”
Peter looks down in embarrassment, “I never made an account or even opened the app. I, uh, chickened out and deleted it after about ten minutes.”
Tony laughs, and Peter can't help but laugh himself, “Good, I'm proud of you. Promise me that you'll never do something that you're not comfortable with.”
Peter tightens his grip on Tony, “I promise.”
Peter leans in for a second hug, and Tony happily gives it.
This isn't the first time Peter has felt like this, and he can bet his Spider-Man suit that it won't be his last. But he has a father figure, aunt, best friend, and a secret alter ego.
And honestly, he is more than happy with that.
Tony whispers in the kid's ear, “Told you I'd fix it.”
Peter’s laugh echoes throughout the whole lab and it becomes one of Tony’s favorite sounds.