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To say Tony Stark was protective of his son Peter, would be the understatement of the year. Now that’s not to say Peter was so sheltered that it was dangerous for the young boy. Yet everyone knew -everyone- that Tony was protective of his son, it was a worldwide known fact, so much so that no one even thought let alone attempted to kidnap the kid in fear of what the father would do. It was obvious that Tony loved his son. Another fact or rather a belief, if Peter hadn’t come into Tony’s life, many believed the genius would no longer be around.
So whilst the whole world knew of Tony’s protective behaviour, no one knew or suspected Peter to be protective of his father. After all, whoever expected the child to be protective of the parent. No one. That’s who. Even the man himself didn’t know the depths of his son’s protective behaviour. So Tony and the rest of the world were in for a surprise when the ball would eventually drop and Peter would need to do something to save his father.
——LINE BREAK——
“Hello everyone. It’s certainly been a while. I think five years since I stood up here to give you all some speech that you wanted and demanded. Much like now.” Tony started as he stood on stage before a sea of reporters, he leaned against the podium that his notes laid on alongside a microphone. Tony and everyone else doubted he’d follow his written speech. “Well, you all demanded I come up here again, so here I am. Awake from my month-long coma with a metal arm made alongside the lovely Princess Shuri of Wakanda. I heard that the public and press all but refused to let anyone give anything but the barest details because you all wanted me to talk about…well, everything that’s happened. So, where to start?” He mumbled the last piece. Truth be told, Tony would’ve preferred it if he didn’t have to do this. He just wanted to live in his cabin in the middle of nowhere and be at peace. He also didn’t want anyone to see his new arm.
“Five years ago, everything changed. Nothing was the same. Everyone -everyone- lost at least one person they knew. Sons lost their mothers, daughters lost their fathers. Sisters lost their brothers, brothers lost their sisters. Wives lost their husbands, lovers lost their partners. Mothers and fathers lost their children. Everyone lost somebody close, somebody they loved. People became widows and widowers. People became orphans.
“In life, there’s an unwritten law. As a child, you know that one day you will be an orphan. Children are to outlive their parents. It’s nature, I suppose. It’s something that’s almost…predetermined. There’s even a word for a child losing their parents. They become orphans. But, there are no words for a parent who loses their child. No word. In the Snap…I lost -I lost Peter, my son. My baby boy. He died in my arms. The one thing in my life that made it worth living was gone. So as the surviving half knows, I packed up and all but vanished to live the rest of my days in as much peace as I possibly could get.
“Some months ago, Steve Rogers, Scott Lang and…” Tony paused to blink away a few tears that began to appear as he recalled his dear old friend, “and Natasha Romanov came to my home and told me there was a way. Chances were slim to nought but there could be a way to reverse the situation and bring everyone back. They asked for my help.” Tony gave a bitter and self-deprecating laugh, “I said no.” As expected the public began to shout regardless of the fact that he clearly went through with helping them in the end. Tony waited patiently for everyone to quieten down.
“And so the remaining Avengers attempted Time Travel and as expected, failed.” Tony sighed, “then there was a night when I was doing the dishes -Pepper and Happy were out so I was babysitting Morgan, my unofficial niece when I saw a picture of Peter. Somehow…I tried and succeeded at making time travel a thing.” He shrugged, “which leads me to the middle act of our mission.” He talked about their Time Heist of sorts and the gathering of the stones,
“As I’m sure you’ve seen, the Original Avengers are missing one member. Without her sacrifice…” the emotion in Tony’s voice stood out as he spoke proudly and sadly with tears welling in his eyes, “none of this would’ve happened and we’d still be living in a world -a universe with only fifty percent of life living. Which leads me to a slight detour of our story. In honour of Natasha Romanov’s sacrifice, her belief and determination to fix the universe, I am opening a ballet studio in her name for the less fortunate, more details will be given at the next Stark Industries press conference but that’s a small charity I’d appreciate people donating too.” Tony murmured ignoring the small tear he let fall down his cheek. He continued to talk about Professor Hulk’s bravery with restoring the Snap victims and how Thanos from the past came back causing yet another battle.
“And then…I used the gauntlet to Snap Thanos and his army away. As you could see from my month-long ‘sleep’, it took a lot out of me. I lost my arm but I was expecting to lose my life, so small miracles and all that. But, the world is at peace -for as long as it normally is. Children, parents and families have been reunited. Now here we are. 2023 and nothing seems to have changed in regards of the press demanding my attention.” Tony released yet another bitter chuckle. There were some questions, but the genius didn’t answer many. He nodded and turned to walk off stage before stopping and remembering he had just one other thing to say. He took a deep breath and knew there was no coming back from this.
“Oh and before I go. Effective immediately, I am resigning from Iron Man.” The crowd began to shout but Tony spoke over them, “I have retired my suits and will not be an active Avenger, but then again, there’s enough of us that I don’t think the lack of my presence will be noticed.“ Of course, that was a blatant lie and when Tony had previously informed the Avengers of his resignation, they had all been upset and told him they’d miss him and nothing would be the same without Iron Man on the field, which was true but it wasn’t like they’d never see him again. “But, don’t worry, if there’s another Armageddon, I’ll be there to help.” With that, Tony turned and sauntered off stage. He ignored the protests and shouts of anger that followed behind as he headed off stage.
——LINE BREAK——
The genius froze as his son stormed past him. The whiskey in Peter’s eyes burned bright with rage as he stopped in front of the podium and stared straight into the eyes of the beasts known as reporters. Tony was still visible as he moved around to watch his son with confusion. The volume seemed to rise as Peter stood there, back straight and face blank, the fire in his eyes was the only sign that he was angry. He said nothing and merely waited until the press finally fell silent, much like his father had.
——LINE BREAK——
“How can you all be so…wrong and stupid?” Were the first words that fell from Peter’s lips and Tony didn’t know how to react -amusement or shock and slight horror- so a strangled choking sound found its way out of his throat. “My father, Tony Stark, has given and given and given. And you all take. You take and you take and when he has nothing else to give because you’ve got everything, you still…demand more. You should all be ashamed. Tony Stark is one of the greatest men alive. He’s done everything he can to protect you and fight for you and avenge you, but when he says he’ll no longer be an active superhero, you freak out and call him out on it, like he’s in the wrong.
“No one realises that there’s more to my dad than Iron Man. You all forget that Iron Man is Tony Stark and vice versa. There’s nothing separating them except for the suit. Just because he doesn’t want to fly around in it and shoot things down doesn’t mean Iron Man won’t continue. He just won’t be wearing the suit as he makes the world a better place. I’ve seen the list of announcements on new projects from SI and honestly? I haven’t seen so many promising actions anywhere.”
“You say that but what of your father’s part in creating Ultron? And the Civil War? He isn’t as good as you think he is and you’re merely a foolish boy blinded by his love for his dad.” Some reporter shouted, ignorant of the glare coming from both Tony and Peter, though neither knew the other was glaring and both were doing so in defence of the other.
“If you blame my dad for Ultron and the Civil War then you’ve got your facts wrong. Don’t interrupt me.” He snarled, a sound and tone that was wrong coming from such an innocent-looking teenager. “Ultron was originally a program designed to protect the world from forces such as Thanos.” Peter inwardly revelled in the flinch and gasp that come from the press at the name, yeah when it came to defending and protecting his dad, Peter was a little bit evil in a way. “However, when Ultron came to life, the program was nowhere near completed, which means that something happened to make this AI live.
“What you don’t know is that thanks to the Maximoff twins and the Sceptre -which contained the Mind Stone. With this, the being you knew as Ultron came to life and was able to do…well, I’m sure you remember. A lot of Ultron’s existence was a joint force between the Maximoff’s, Tony Stark and Doctor Bruce Banner -now known as Professor Hulk. So really, it was partly my father’s fault, however, had it not been for the Maximoff’s handing the Sceptre over, Ultron would’ve been a protective shield around the world, or the program would’ve been tossed into the bin and forgotten.” Peter paused to breath, he smirked slightly at the reporter who had spoken and now looked ashamed.
“Now the so-called ‘Civil War’ was not my dad’s fault. At all. He sided with you all and agreed with the Accords, yes they needed to be worked on but what better way to do that than by agreeing and changing the bits you don’t agree with instead of disagreeing and running off creating as much destruction and death as the Chitauri battle had. My dad tried his hardest to get the other’s to come in peacefully and to talk things over. They refused. They are at fault. Not my dad.
“As much as I may have forgiven the Rogue’s and welcomed them back into my life, I will never forget the harm and damage they caused to my family. I will always remember that my dad went to Siberia to help them with the other Winter Soldier’s that were supposed to be there. I will never forget my father being shown his parent’s being murdered by the brainwashed man beside him. As much as I forgave the actions prior to that, I will never forgive or forget my uncle beating my dad until he was so close to death that it’s a wonder he made it out. Nor will I forgive the fact that my uncle knew my grandparents had been killed by his best friend and didn’t tell my dad.
“So as much as you claim to know and as much as you may believe that everything is my dad’s fault. You are so wrong it’s hysterical. My dad is a great person. He stands up when he falls down and he fights harder and faster. He has been thrown in the dirt too many times by you people and yet for some reason, he still finds the strength to stand back up and fight for you.
“And so I’d appreciate it if you’d all stop pushing the blame onto my dad and if you should know,” here Peter stood -if possible- straighter and taller, his shoulder’s back as he spoke loud and clear, “had I been through everything my dad has, I wouldn’t fight for you. I wouldn’t be the hero. If anything? I’d be the villain.” With those parting words, Peter turned abruptly and like his father, he walked away with his head held high, stopping only to wrap an arm around his dad’s waist as he led Tony off stage, the older man’s arm wrapping around his shoulder as the two walked out of sight. The press was deadly silent.
——LINE BREAK——
After the press conference was over, the father and son duo hopped straight into their car and went home to their cabin on the lakeside. They’d move back tot he city when Peter returned to school the next year, but until then, the cabin was their home and truthfully, they preferred the peace and nature to the polluted and noisy city. That being said, they weren’t actually that far from New York, but it’d be easier for Peter to be in the city for school, once he finished high school though, Tony was moving back to his lakeside cabin in the middle of nowhere and he’s staying there, his words exactly.
——LINE BREAK——
“Petey, what was that all about?” Tony asked later that evening as the pair were making dinner together -domesticity was a good thing for Tony. The young man just shrugged,
“I was defending you.”
“My honour doesn’t need defending, kiddo.”
“Someone’s got to prove them wrong and I didn’t see you or anyone else speaking up.”
“Pete, I’ve dealt with them my whole life, I don’t want them turning against you especially after what you said today.”
“Dad,” Peter stopped what he was doing and turned to Tony, who did the same thing, “I love you, okay? And it hurts every time I see them belittle and insult you. You’re a good man and you’ve made mistakes but you’ve done so many good things too, yet no one lets you forget the mistakes you made when you were only young. It’s not right. I don’t accept it.” Tony didn’t know what to say and so he pulled his son in for a tight hug.
“You know your Aunty Pepper’s going to give you Hell for not warning her, right?”
“Yeah, that’s why I insisted we leave immediately.” Came the cheeky response and with a chuckle, Tony pulled away after pressing a kiss to Peter’s forehead. They returned to cooking. “Oh and dad?”
“Yeah, kiddo?”
“Don’t think I didn’t notice you wince and the hitch in your breath. Your arms hurting again, isn’t it?”
“Peter-"
“Don’t lie to me, dad.” There was a heavy sigh from Tony and out of his peripheral vision, Peter saw the older man pause in his movements and look at his metal arm that was designed after his Iron Man suit -in fact it was practically the same as the suits just with additional features due to there not being an actual real arm controlling and moving inside said Iron Man arm.
“It’s just a bit sore where the arm meets my flesh. It’s nothing.” He added at Peter’s wide-eyed and worried expression,
“How long has it been hurting?” Tony sighed as Peter rushed over and pushed his sleeve up to have a look at the red scar that separated the false limb from the real,
“Peter-“
“Dad.”
“It’s been sore all day.”
“Dad you need to tell me these things!”
“I know, I know and I’m sorry, Petey-“ before Tony could finish and spit out any excuses, Peter was switching off the stove and ensuring the house wouldn’t burn down before grabbing his dad’s flesh and dragging him off to the lounge.
“Come on, dad, I’ll get the cream for your shoulder.” And then the young man proceeded to rub the moisturising cream into the wound, “dad, I think you need to go to the doctor’s and just have your shoulder checked out, it looks a bit bad.”
“I will, kiddo.” At Peter’s raised eyebrow look, Tony rushed to repeat himself, “honest, I will.”
“You better dad or I’ll tell Auntie Pepper, Uncle Rhodey and Uncle Happy, and we’ll all drag you there.” Tony chuckled at his son’s attempt to look threatening and the man wrapped Peter in a hug,
“Thank you for everything, Petey, you’re the best kid a person could have. I’m lucky to have you.”
“And you’re a good dad, who’s done a lot for me. I want to make sure you’re alright.”
“Love you, kiddo.”
“Love you too, dad.”
——LINE BREAK——
The Stark’s are protective of the things they love by nature. So when Peter is protective of Tony and Tony is protective of Peter, it’s really due to the blood coursing through their veins. Also, the fact that they love each other.
And that love? It forms a shield of protection from one to the other. They are each other’s shields of protection, whether they are happy about the other putting themselves in danger for each other is just a slight issue that usually ends with a large fight and a movie marathon night about two hours tops later.