Work Text:
“Dad, can I ask you a question?”
“I think you already did there, Pete,” Tony chuckled, glancing up from where he was tinkering on a circuit board to smirk at the teen sitting across from him at his own work station, laugh lines crinkling around his dark brown eyes.
“Don’t be a tw-“ Peter began to cheekily snap back, but immediately halted in his unwise choice of words when his father instantly pinned him with a stern stare, which basically screamed ‘finish that sentence and you’re grounded for a month’. “-twisted old man?” The teen finished, voice slurring into a high pitch as he attempted to narrowly avoid a tongue lashing and lecture from the man, grimacing at his equally as appalling choice of words now that he had steered himself into the clear.
“Nice save there, pal,” Tony commented, dryly, raising an eyebrow, the mischievous smirk once more returning to his handsome features and he winked at the boy. Peter’s heart fluttered and resumed a steady beat after he knew that his Dad wasn’t holding any grudges at his unpredictable slip of the tongue. “What’s on your mind?” Tony asked.
Peter blinked in confusion, the whole reason why he had spoken up in the first place suddenly rushing back to him in a lightbulb moment. “Oh! Um, well I-I was j-just wondering whether I can go out on patrol after school tomorrow? W-without you, maybe?” He stuttered, shifting his gaze to his own circuit board and tinkering with the wires just for something to occupy his eyes with, anxious to hear his father’s reply.
The duo had gone out together a couple of times to slowly ease Peter back into his superhero duties after showing little to no interest in the first few weeks of moving in to the Compound and grieving his aunt’s death, however, now that two months had passed and things were returning to some state of normality again with his attendance at school, his adoration for swinging through the city had returned to him once again. Tony had been slightly reluctant at first, only allowing his kid to go if he accompanied him to ensure that he kept out of trouble and minded his actions whilst swinging around in a multi-million-dollar suit. Peter, being so desperate to go out and experience the superhero way of life again, had hastily agreed, despite the fact his adopted father was now also acting as a babysitter for him, which reminded him of the training wheels protocol Tony had installed into his suit. Even though his Dad could be ridiculously over-protective at times, it still filled him up with warmth to know that it was all done because the man cared about and even loved him like he was his own flesh and blood.
“Tomorrow? Really?” Tony spoke, inquisitively, leaning forward on his work bench and eyeing the kid with thoughtful eyes, the tone of his voice escalating in pitch as he mused over the teen’s unexpected request. He certainly wasn’t immediately against the idea of Peter going on patrol by himself, although he did feel a tingle of anxiety in his chest as he imagined all of the dangerous situations his kid could get himself into without his Dad being there to keep an eye on him. There was a reason he’d installed a tracker in Peter’s suit the first time he’d let the teen test how his capabilities; he couldn’t stand the thought of his kid getting hurt, but he supposed that he had to let go of the leash eventually and allow Peter the freedom to rediscover his love for acting as the superhero on his own terms. It was oddly endearing how the boy couldn’t look him in the eye when he made the request, stumbling over his words and bowing his head so the man was now speaking to his kid’s mop of chestnut curls which he loved so much. “You sure you’re ready to abandon the training wheels, kid?” He teased, lightly, just to get the teen to make eye contact with him again.
“Dad, c’mon…” Peter laughed, scraping his fingers through his hair and face blushing to the roots as the man seemed to be able to read his train of thought. “I’m being serious! I’ve been thinking about it for a little while now and I just think it’s the right time,” he said, leaning back in his chair and watching his father’s contemplative expression with eagerness and wide puppy dog eyes, hoping that bringing out the oldest trick in the book would eventually sway the older man into giving into his plea. It certainly seemed to make some kind of impression, as Tony’s lips twisted up into a knowing smile and he released an exasperated sigh, which wasn’t directed at Peter but at himself for falling for his kid’s insufferable charm. Like father, like son I suppose…
“Alright, bud, you’ve got me in a tight corner here,” Tony chuckled, warmly, subconsciously mimicking his son’s actions and running his fingers through his wavy dark chocolate hair as he gathered his concluding thoughts on the matter at hand. “How about a bit of a compromise? We’ll both go out tonight, just to give your old man the reassurance that he can trust in his SpiderBaby’s possible premature confidence, and then tomorrow he’ll let his little man go out on his own? Sound fair?” Tony spoke after a few moments, signature humorous smirk back again and eyes dancing with mischief, demonstrating just how much he loved playing with his kid and watching him squirm in embarrassment at his shameless teasing.
An adorable pout formed on Peter’s lips at the insistent winding up on the part of the ever-winsome Tony Stark, but the teen couldn’t help but love and give into it. It was nice to actually have a family member left to banter with and for it to be his personal hero, mentor and adopted father, who could ask for more? “Yeah it does, but only if you quit poking fun at me. What do you reckon people think when they see Iron Man goading on Spider-Man whilst I’m trying to stop some guy from stealing a lady’s bike?” Peter argued, rolling his eyes half-heartedly and grinning as the vivid memory of his father making one off comments about his alter ego’s heroic actions flashed through his mind. If someone had told him five years ago that he would one day be flying through the city with his hero turned adopted father expressing how proud he was in his accomplice in front of a group of random strangers, Peter would have shrugged it off and laughed in their face, but here he was.
Tony chortled at this, eyes sparkling with infatuated amusement as he recalled his less than subtle actions during their previous patrol of New York. “Sorry, bud, can’t make any promises. I’m just looking out for my reckless, superpowered kid, Daddy’s gotta make sure his baby is safe!” He shot back, raising his eyebrows suggestively whilst taking a quick sip of coffee and swiftly raising from his seat to head upstairs and get their dinner on the go, not before playfully messing up Peter’s already unkept chestnut curls and barely containing his laughter at the now beetroot shade of his kid’s face. Peter was, for the first time in a couple months, speechless.
…
Peter hadn’t anticipated just how much he would miss swinging around the city as his superhero alter ego, giving old ladies directions and rescuing puppies that had run away from their owners in the park. After he had a successful patrol with Tony, he was beyond excited to get out there on his own; when he once more took to the city rooftops, scanning the streets below in his high tech suit (the one he had been tinkering on the night before with the billionaire who had gifted it to him in the first place) and becoming reacquainted with Karen, the incredible rush of adrenalin and sense of limitless amounts of freedom soared back to him.
Tony had given him a curfew of nine, speaking with the unswaying air of paternal authority and finality he had gained since becoming Peter’s adopted father by stating that it was a school night and he didn’t want the teen out too late to risk being too exhausted to climb out of bed the following day. Peter just relented with the man’s request to keep him happy, mind too occupied with the overwhelming exhilaration he felt as he imagined how his very first patrol alone could go. Nothing had changed in the couple of months he had taken off his duties, not like it would anyway in such a short amount of time, but it still felt just as elating and rewarding as it did the first time he donned the Spider-Man costume. As promised, he called Tony to confirm that he was well and that things were going smoothly, shortly after he completed a variety of duties for the neighbourhood citizens such as stopping a gang of thieves from robbing a cash register at a corner shop; rescuing a little girl from falling out of a tree and helping an elderly couple find their way to the train station, who kindly bought him a cronut in gratitude for his help.
“Yeah, it’s amazing, Dad, honestly!” Peter spoke into his Starkphone, sitting on the edge of a block of apartments whilst he munched happily on his snack, swinging his legs back and forth rather like a small child than a fifteen-year-old boy. He took another huge bite of the cronut and in his excitement to inform his father of the many diverse situations he had found himself in over the past sixty minutes of his curfewed patrol, he continued to speak, forgetting one of his Dad’s previous lectures about talking with his mouth full. “A ‘eally nice ol’ couple go’me a c’onut cause I showed’em where ‘he ‘tation’s, ‘t’s soooo-“ The stunned parent could only hear crackle for a second and the distinct sound of his kid swallowing, before Peter finished with a chirpy, “-good!”
Tony was completely dumbfounded for a moment and if Peter could have seen his outraged, yet highly amused expression, the teen would have doubled over with laughter. Eventually, the billionaire regained his sense of composure, snorting and chuckling, warmly, at his son’s adorable childlike enthusiasm for something so simple and innocent as being given a sweet treat. This kid was a superhero, but he was still a child at heart and Tony’s heart bloomed with love; he didn’t even have it in him to chastise the boy for speaking with his mouth open as there was no way he was going to spoil is kid’s ecastatic mood. Lord knows the boy deserved some happiness after everything he’d been through. “Alright alright, kid, I’m gonna let you go. Just remember to stay alert and listen to Karen, okay? She’s my surrogate whilst I’m not there to keep an eye on you,” he instructed.
“I will, Dad, I promise. There’s nothing to worry about, I’ll be fine!” Peter immediately responded, tone earnest and eager to please. Yeah, that’s what kids always say before things go to shit…
Tony shook his head from that disturbing train of thought and smiled into the mouthpiece at his kid’s determination and confidence. God, he missed his little spider so much already and was impressed with how Peter was able to deal with his separation anxiety when he was given the chance to go out as Spider-Man again, it seemed to be the only time where the teen wasn’t always thinking about and missing his Dad and Tony could certainly understand that. It didn’t mean that it was easy on him though to know that his kid was out there on his own in the big wide world and even though he knew Peter was more than capable of looking after for himself, the paternal instincts he had adopted ever since he first met the teen flared viscously at the mere thought of Peter getting hurt. The kid was stubborn and reckless, just like he had been when he first started out, and he couldn’t help but be increasingly protective over the boy to keep him safe.
“Alright, bud, I’ll see you later. Love you to pieces, kid,” Tony spoke, passionately and he wished he could have been there to see the little smile and flushed cheeks on his son’s face that he loved so much.
“Love you more, Dad,” Peter replied and hung up. He took a deep breath and released it, before taking the last bite of his cronut, chewing slowly now, a thoughtful smile brightening his stoic expression as his mind replayed the conversation. For some reason, it always made him sad when he had to put the phone down on his father. He supposed it was because the action had become synonymous with his difficult times at school when he had first started going back and being subjected to a crazy amount of attention from his peers and the media, relying on texting and calling his Dad almost every hour of the day to get him through the madness that was surrounding him every time he left the safety and security of the Compound.
Shaking his head of the unpleasant memories and focusing on his current situation, he rose to a crouch, slipping his mask back over his mouth and chin again and spoke, “You ready, Karen?”
“Ready, Peter,” came the artificial reply which he had become so used to.
“Let’s go!”
…
It was around eight o’clock when Peter came across the warehouse and the sudden bang, followed by a quick flash of purple light streaming through the ceiling, which halted the teen’s progress immediately. He webbed himself down to a tree branch located towards the rear of the building, observing the area with a scrutinising gaze.
“Whoa, Karen, what the hell was that?” He voiced aloud.
“The beam appears to be the source of an incredibly advanced, high tech weapon with extra-terrestrial origins which was likely set off by an untrained member of the criminal gang currently residing in the building,” Karen replied and Peter’s heart rate instantly increased at the provided details and a sudden pang of déjà vu overcame him, with the setting and current complications being incredibly similar to his encounter with the Vulture not so long ago.
“So, there are more bad guys dealing alien weapons, then?” He concluded, thoughts ablaze with different actions he could take to deal with the situation. “How many are there, Karen?”
“There are six members and a currently in the building and a GMC Sevana is currently approaching from the northern gates, my sensors detect that the vehicle is also carrying a number of illegal, unlicensed weapons.”
“Holy cow! They must be weapons dealers! Karen, we’ve gotta stop them!” Peter exclaimed, already webbing to another tree to get closer to the docking bay, keeping well out of sight as he watched the black van pull up in one of the spaces and a group of men in dark gear jump out. Peter observed the men head to the back doors to collect whatever gear they had stolen from S.H.I.E.L.D. and without a moment of hesitation, he sprung forward to attack, deciding that it would be easier to take care of these criminals first as there were only two members of the supposed criminal gang and he could take them down before the others inside the building even realised.
Peter swung down, using the side of the warehouse and a tree across from the complex as leverage to aim his feet at one of the men’s chests, effectively landing a blow there and forcing him to the ground. He used the force of his landing to flip in the air and soar over the top of the other surprised dealer, aiming his webs at the older man’s face to stop him from taking his shotgun out of his back pocket. The kerfuffle between the three was quickly resolved when Peter managed to knock both men out within minutes and he breathed a sigh of relief, stepping over one of the unconscious bodies to open the back doors to the van and discover what illegal weapons they had in their possession.
Unfortunately, the frolicking outside had alerted the other gang members in the warehouse and each man grabbed a handy weapon at their disposal, before venturing out the back door to see what the commotion was. Peter only had a brief second to react to the sudden beam of electric aimed straight at him and if it weren’t for Karen’s warning, he would have been frazzled. He leapt out of the line of fire in the nick of time, aiming his web shooters directly at the weapons at hand, to swiftly disarm the men before they could do anymore harm with tech they probably had no idea how harmful it could potentially be. Peter had witnessed the devastating consequences of irresponsibly selling and dealing powerful alien weapons could be and this organisation quickly needed nipping in the bud before it got out of hand. The teen was pleased with the progress he was making as he managed to take down three of the goons, however, the next line to come from his AI caused his blood to run cold and his heart to freeze in his heaving chest.
“Peter, there are a five more vans approaching your present destination, my sensors detect that each vehicle is carrying more advanced, hi-tech weapons and there are approximately thirty more condemned criminals.”
Peter sucked in a breath and was suddenly caught off guard by the impending dread of his predicament. Not only was he fighting off one group of illegal weapons dealers, but now there appeared to be a rival gang looking for blood and he was severely outnumbered, his web shootings quickly losing ammo as the minutes ticked by. He tried to quell the overwhelming panic that was threatening to consume him, but that was near impossible when the sudden screech of car wheels alerted him to the five vans veering around the corner of the front of the building and the unmistakable sounds of the doors sliding shut with a huge bang as the other men unloaded their weapons. There was no way that he could have foreseen this or prepared for the gang warfare he was now projected right into the middle of, quite literally, and the inevitable confirmation that he was surrounded on all sides caused his whole body to tremble with anxiety. Great, Pete, perfect time for you to have one of your rebounds…
The teen desperately continued his fighting, even though his limbs were having a hard time responding to his brain considering the heavy, familiar feeling in his chest had returned and his could practically feel the air being drained from his lungs as he struggled to keep up with the high demand his current circumstances required of him. “Peter, your father has been alerted to your rapidly increasing heart rate and is currently only a mile from your destination,” Karen suddenly spoke, and the boy couldn’t have prepared himself for the unbelievable sense of relief that coursed through him at the mere mention of his Dad coming to get him out of this disastrous chaos he had landed himself in. This incredibly overbearing, over-protective streak that Tony had, in Peter’s young naïve eyes, was now the one thing that the teen craved and needed more than anything at this moment, becoming overrun with anxiety and petty criminals alike. He could just picture the man down in the Lab seeing the footage of him fighting off the goons and quite clearly losing the battle; instantly jumping out of his seat to summon the nanotech of his suit to encompass his body, before blasting off to track his kid’s destination. Despite the direness of the situation, the tightness in Peter’s chest was partially melted away by a warm fuzzy feeling at the knowledge that his father was coming. It’s alright, baby, I’m here, I’ve got you. Dad’s here, sweet boy, shh…
The very vivid memory of waking up from a horrific nightmare a few days ago in a puddle of his own urine and cold sweat, disgusted with himself for making a mess of his father’s expensive bed sheets and crying from the sheer humiliation, embarrassment and fear consumed him. Tony didn’t even bat an eyelid at the state of the boy, the only thing that mattered to him was that his son was shaking, whole body heaving with the force of his sobs and the incessant tremors wracking his chest and he could barely breathe because of his cries. He ignored the unpleasant dampness against skin and seeping into the thin cloth of his pyjama bottoms and wrapped his kid tightly in his arms, situating the distraught boy in his lap, cradling him like a small child and cuddling him close. Plenty of kisses were placed across the teen’s fore-head and temples and coarse fingers ran through messy, greasy curls, delicately caressing the fragile scalp of his precious cargo and he never stopped murmuring soothing words of encouragement and love, words that only Peter could ever coax out of him. Reassured of safety in his father’s arms, the boy drifted off to sleep again in no time and didn’t stir once when the man carefully changed him out of his sodden clothes, dressing him in a clean pair of pyjamas, before carrying him to the elder’s bed, where the two slept peacefully for the rest of the night.
The familiar roaring sounds of the iron suit’s jet packs in the darkening sky above tore Peter from his recent memory and after successfully dodging a beam from one of the weapons, he risked a glance up to see the iconic red and gold metal of his father’s suit zooming towards the warehouse. Although Peter was immensely pleased to see the billionaire, he didn’t let his relief cloud his judgement as he continued to disarm and knock out each gang member, the revelation of his Dad being there with him was enough to fill his body with a newfound vigorous energy and determination to get the job done. Tony descended towards the docking bay where his son was battling off the weapons dealers, heart racing as he saw the teen quickly becoming overwhelmed by the sheer number of rivals attacking him, but he allowed himself to some kind of consolation when he noted that Peter appeared to be relatively unharmed and was just managing to hold his own. The older man dove down and used his targeting technology to aim his repulsors and lasers directly at the weapons in the hands of the thirty plus men, effectively disarming all of them with a one swift blow, allowing Peter the element of surprise to instantly swing his webs and knock many of the criminals unconscious. Tony flew down to the ground and shot random members of the gang in a way which would only incapacitate them, so that the cops he had just called would have something to put behind bars for a long time.
Just when the duo thought they had finally successfully dealt with the situation and could actually take a break, one of the baddies on the floor managed to regain consciousness long enough for him to grab one of the nearby discarded weapons and shoot at the unprepared teen. Peter only just managed to dodge the purple beam due to his Spidey senses screaming at him and the warning cry from Tony, but he was still clipped in the shoulder as he fell to the ground. It was only a nick, so he was thankful for the protection that his suit offered him, just it still didn’t reduce the searing pain of electricity rippling across his skin. He could vaguely hear the tell-tale sounds of his father’s suit’s repulsors taking out the final gang member through the insistent ringing in his ears and he squinted upwards from his position on the ground to see the outline of the titular red and gold, before his vision came back into focus when Tony frantically crouched down in front of him.
Pure unfiltered rage and the uncontrollable paternal urge to protect his child had seared through him when Peter was caught off guard by the unsuspecting attack and, after disposing of the criminal with one shot to his own shoulder and causing him to howl in pain, did Tony rush over to check on the teen. “Pete, kid, you alright?” He asked, panic stricken and heart frozen as he reached out to touch the boy’s uninjured shoulder, whilst experiencing a peculiar sense of déjà vu as the weakened position that the teen was currently in reminded him of the battle at the airport just a couple years ago. Peter had looked so young and vulnerable then and, although he had grown so much since, he was still a child and now that Tony was his parent, it made seeing the boy in such a fragile state even worse to take in.
“Dad…” Peter groaned, roughly, voice low and hushed as he heavily turned onto his back and gazed at the man through the narrow slits of his eyes, his mask having slipped its way up his face during the chaos mere moments he took the hit.
“Yeah, baby, I’m right here,” Tony murmured, quietly, his own voice just as husky as he fought to regain a steady heartbeat now that he knew that his kid was at least responsive. Tears were pricking the backs of his eyes, but he paid no attention to it as he stroked his son’s uninjured shoulder in a soothing motion and smiling, reassuringly.
“Y’reckon t’was ‘oo early ‘o go out on my own…” Peter slurred, gruffly, the corner of his lips miraculously turning up into a smirk and Tony couldn’t help but release the laugh that caught in his chest at the kid’s jovial attitude, despite the circumstances.
Tony sniffled and carefully slid his hands underneath his son’s frail body, one arm around his back and one underneath the dip in his legs, very gingerly rising to a stand and being careful to not jostle the teen’s shoulder. “Yeah, buddy, maybe it was,” he agreed with a weak chuckle, leaning down to press a soft kiss to the boy’s greasy hair, missing the sweet scent of his apple shampoo when he nuzzled his nose amongst the sweaty curls. “How’s that shoulder?”
Peter grimaced as he shifted slightly in his father’s arms to rest in a more comfortable position, causing his injury to rub up against the titanium of the man’s suit. “’S not too bad,” he replied, honestly, as the beam had only clipped it after all and it would probably make for an easy patch up when they arrived back at the Compound. “Just stinging…Good thing you got here when you did,” Peter scoffed, lightly, resting his head against his father’s breast plate and nuzzling it there to feel the comfort and security of the man’s warm presence after being desperate for it whilst he was being overwhelmed by too many images and sounds at once.
“You’re damn right about that, honey,” Tony chortled, voice cracking as he barely managed to contain the sobs threatening to overwhelm and he buried his wet face in his kid’s matted hair instead, closing his eyes as he simply took in the feeling of Peter’s warm, living body cradled in his arms. “God, baby, don’t ever do that to me again. I don’t know what I’d do if I ever lost you,” he spoke, shifting to place little, delicate kisses across his son’s equally damp and dirty face and Peter released a small giggle at the scratch of the man’s goatee.
“I’ll try not to, Dad, I promise,” the teen spoke, earnestly, snuggling closer and sighing, softly as he allowed his father the time to collect his turbulent emotions. It took a few more moments of Tony simply holding the boy and kissing across his cheeks and fore-head for his racing heart and crippling anxiety to finally ease, before he pulled away and gave a gentle smile which reached his dark eyes.
“C’mon, let’s get that shoulder fixed, little spider,” the billionaire spoke, and when he received a small nod from the boy in his arms, he ignited his thrusters and shot off into the darkening sky, the distinct whirring of police sirens echoing around the valley as father and son departed.