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"You look like a toddler." Tony glared at his fiancee's retreating back, no real heat in the words. Still, he thought, face reddening just a little as he dropped his arms. She wasn't exactly wrong.
The text message on his phone shouldn't have bothered him so much. He knew that. He also knew the fact that it did meant something. Something serious. But it wasn't something he wanted to think about. Not now.
It was just...Peter had never turned him down before. Not for anything. Especially not for something like this! The conference was in Belgium! Tony had planned on taking him to several countries afterward...just a fun trip around Europe. Hell, it was the middle of the summer...Peter was on summer vacation. They could have made it a long trip! He felt like he and the kid had been gotten a lot closer. Almost like family. So...he'd just thought….Tony had to fight the urge to be hurt. Jealous. Fight the urge to pull away.
The internship had been going strong for months. Peter had worked with Pepper as her personal assistant, had helped Tony in the lab, and had spent plenty of hours watching movies with the both of them. Okay, so that last part hadn't been for the internship. Still, he'd improved his web fluid, helped Tony with the suit, worked on independent research...the kid had been doing amazing. And Tony had wanted to reward him. Had wanted to spend more time with him...like his father had never done with him. So he'd sent the kid a text asking about a trip to Europe for a conference...and had almost immediately gotten a response.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark. I can't."
And that was it. Not that Peter owed him an explanation. The kid had his own life and he was entitled to whatever plans he had. He hadn't ordered the kid to come with him or anything. Hadn't made it part of his internship. It had been kind of a spur of the moment thing, and he hadn't asked about the road trip around Europe part. (Well, probably more like train trip. Still.
So he might have been sulking. Just a little. And Pepper was amused. "What day had you planned on leaving?" She had asked. "Maybe he just needs to push it back a little. Maybe he had plans." Tony fought the urge to ask what kind of plans were more important than a trip to Europe with Tony Stark. That sounded a little vain even for him.
It took quite a bit of prompting, and a little outright ordering on the part of his fiancee, but he finally sent another text, this one to May. "May, do you know if Peter has plans on Monday? I had planned on taking him to a conference in Europe for a week or two if that was okay with you." Okay, so he probably should have asked the kid's aunt first.
And then his phone was ringing. "May?" He asked. Her voice was soft when she answered, making him think she might be at work.
"Tony, Monday is June 6th."
"Yes…". He trailed off, brain searching for the relevant information. It wasn't his birthday...that was in August. It wasn't any other major holiday. His uncle had died in January, so it wasn't that anniversary. He knew all about that anniversary. Last June, he and Peter hadn't really been talking...he'd been knee deep in Accords bullshit after the fallout with Steve. Still, he couldn't think of anything that happened in June.
"Oh. I'm sorry. He hasn't told you...um..." She took a deep breath. "June 6th was the day his parents died."
Tony blinked in surprise at that. Peter had lost his parents when he was little...he knew that much. When he was...six? Seven? He couldn't remember off the top of his head. "Oh. I...I'm sorry. I didn't know…"
"He doesn't really remember them, but he and Ben always did something special every year and now...well, last year he and I went out to dinner and…". She trailed off, voice sad and tired. But then, she seemed to perk up a little. "Why don't you join us?"
"Join you?" He repeated, surprised. Join them for what sounded like a very personal family tradition?
"Yes. Peter sees you as….well, surely you know…". Yes. Tony knew. Tony knew very well how that kid saw him. And how he saw Peter. "I just thought...he'd love to tell you about them. He likes to look at pictures of them. Said it helped him remember a little. And it's only the second year since Ben…"
"Are you sure I wouldn't be intruding?" Or worse? What if the kid thought that he was trying to replace his uncle? What if the kid thought he was butting in where he wasn't wanted?
There was a smile in her voice when she responded. "You're never intruding, Tony. Peter loves you."
Which was how Tony found himself outside of the Parker's apartment on that Monday afternoon. Staring at the door. Motionless. He'd driven himself and had sat in his parked car for about twenty minutes before finally getting up and taking the elevator to their floor. Drumming his fingers on his pants, he stared at their door, taking deep breaths and reminding himself again that he had been invited. That May didn't think he was imposing. That Peter most likely wouldn't either. That Peter loved him.
May had said it. She'd said that Peter loved him.
Peter loved him. The kid that he cared about so much...the kid that he had started to love as a son...that kid loved him back. Felt the same way. And that was what finally convinced him to tap his knuckles against the door, knocking three times before taking a deep breath and a step back. "Peter? Can you get that?" He heard May call from another part of the apartment. Then there were footsteps, and a very confused looking teenager was opening the door and staring at Tony.
"Mr. Stark? Hi…" Then his eyes went huge, jaw dropped. "Oh no...did you not get my text? I should have just called you...I'm so sorry, Mr. Stark…" Tony held up a hand with a gentle smile.
"I got your text, Pete. It's okay. May invited me." He hesitated, clasping his hands in front of him. "If that's okay with you. If not…" Peter was already shaking his head, looking no less surprised, but also not unhappy.
"No...um...come in. Please." He stepped to the side, ushering him in, and so Tony stepped inside, still feeling a little self-conscious. "Did May tell you...what...what day it was?"
He nodded. "Yeah, bud. She did." Peter shoved his hands in his pockets, biting down hard on his lip for a second and looking so heart-breakingly lost. This kid had lost just about everyone and he was still so young. Tony felt for him...but he also knew that he wasn't going to let this kid face anything else alone.
"You, uh...I should have told you why I couldn't come but…"
"Hey." Tony dropped a hand on the boy's shoulder, squeezing gently. "The conference goes on all week. How about we leave tomorrow?"
Peter's eyes lit up. "Are...are you sure? I mean, I know you wanted to leave today, and I know…" Tony held up a hand.
"I'm positive, Pete." The next part was hard to say, but he managed it, putting on an air of nonchalance. "You're the whole reason I wanted to go anyway. I don't care to wait an extra day." Peter blinked at him, then ducked his head down low, but not before Tony watched his eyes fill. Moving closer, Tony put an arm around him, rubbing his back before gripping his shoulder. "I thought we'd turn it into a road trip if you wanted. Go to a few countries...do some exploring." The boy looked up at him then, eyes huge.
"Are...are you serious?"
"Of course. It'll be fun. What do you think?"
"That would be amazing!" Peter cried, practically bouncing on his toes. "I have to pack and...oh...I don't have a passport!"
Tony chuckled. This kid was cute if he thought that Tony wouldn't have prepared for this. "Don't worry about it, Pete. Already taken care of."
"How did you…"
"I know people, kiddo." He pointed a finger at his chest, teasing grin in place. "Tony Stark, remember?" Just then, May emerged from the back room, dressed in a nice blouse and jeans. Tony was glad he'd also worn relatively nice clothes instead of a suit because Peter was dressed about the same way. "Alright. Dinner? Everyone ready?" Peter smiled, nodded and looking more grateful than he should, following along at Tony's heels until the man reached back and pulled him to his side, an arm draped over his shoulders.
Dinner was a quiet affair at a Thai place that Peter and May had apparently been to more than once. The waiters didn't seem to care that Tony Stark was in their restaurant. Instead, they were shown to a table tucked into a back corner, Tony insisting they order whatever they wanted. It was all on him. They didn't talk about anything, really. Tony told him a little more about the trip. Peter told him about the last few days of the school year. May talked briefly about work. After dinner, they went back to the apartment, Peter tucked between May and Tony on the sofa, an old photo album on Peter's lap. Inside were pictures of Mary and Richard Parker. Scientists. Possibly involved with Shield. Peter told the stories he knew, slowly drifting closer to him, his shoulder resting against Tony's.
By the end of the night, May was asleep on the sofa, and Peter had reached the last page of the album. The last picture of himself with his family. Tony knew exactly which picture had been the last. He knew what the last photo of his mother looked like. What the last photo of his father looked like. It was something he didn't think he'd ever forget, despite the fact that he rarely pulled them out. Under Peter's fingertips, the boy's mother smiled at the camera, her head resting on his father's shoulder. And between them was Peter. A tiny child, posed in front of his parents. Unlike Tony in all of his family photos, the boy was smiling, obviously happy. Under one arm was a stuffed bear, his other hand being held by his mother's.
Did Peter remember that day?
Tony hadn't asked. Wouldn't ask. The boy leaned against his side, and Tony brought a hand up to cup the side of his head. "I know...I know it's kind of dumb…" Tony shook his head, but the kid kept going. "I barely remember them, you know? If it weren't for these photos...but it was something Ben and I did every year. And now...now he's gone too, and all I have left is...is May…" His voice caught, but he kept talking, taking a deep breath. "I really wanted to go to the conference but…"
"It's not dumb, Peter." Tony whispered, pressing his nose to Peter's hair. "Nothing about this is dumb. They were your parents, kiddo, and I can tell, just by looking at them, that they loved you so much. I think they still love you so much." Peter sniffed beside him, and Tony leaned his cheek on Peter's head, shifting so that the boy could rest against him. It was late, and Tony had a feeling that it had been a long day for the kid. "And...May isn't all you have left. You have me too." The next words were hard. Nearly impossible. But the room was dark and no one else was around to hear him make himself vulnerable. No one except Peter. And he trusted Peter. "Your parents loved you. Ben loved you. May loves you. And I...I love you, Pete."
There was a long silence, and Tony almost wondered if he might have gone to sleep. But then the boy spoke, his voice wet and so grateful. "I love you too, Mr. Stark."
Tony squeezed him hard, daring to press a kiss to his head. Soon, the boy was sound asleep, Tony not bothering to get up and risk disturbing him. The next morning, Peter would pack his things, and the two would leave for their European vacation. But for the moment, Tony just wanted to hold his kid.