Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Peter, wake up. It’s time for school.”

Peter groaned, turning over in his bed. He blinked one eye open, taking in his surroundings before sitting himself up - grabbing his phone as he scrolled through his notifications. 

He was sixteen today - officially. 

Peter scans his texts from Ned, strings of emojis and Star Wars memes that Peter got a good laugh at. 

He sees the text from Michelle, reading the simple ‘happy birthday dork’ three dozen times - glad that no one else was in his room to see the embarrassing flush of his cheeks at the thought that she’d woken up early enough to text him happy birthday.

Sure, he knew Michelle woke up at the crack of dawn every day anyway so she could sit at her window and, in her words, sketch people in crisis. 

But it was nice all the same.

Peter smiled before he replied, glad that his embarrassingly obvious crush on her hadn’t damaged their friendship. 

Yet. 

He tries and fails not to feel a little put out that no one else had texted him happy birthday, only for his heart to leap a little when he sat his phone down to get dressed and hears it ding.

Peter scrambles towards it, almost tripping on his jeans as he reaches for it only for the smile on his face to fall. 

The notification is an email, automated and impersonal from the ice cream shop he and May usually went to, letting him know that he could redeem a free ice cream cone for his birthday. 

Peter made a face, feeling vaguely disappointed before shaking it off and setting his phone back down.

“Well Parker, that’s as good as it’s gonna get,” he mutters to himself, grabbing a shirt and smelling it to be sure it was clean before putting it on.

It wasn’t completely unexpected, the lack of attention - Peter had been nearly invisible for his whole life. Completely unremarkable in almost every way.

But today was different. The start of a new part of his life, Peter thought - grabbing his phone and heading out the room.

Today was his sixteenth birthday. 

Peter was going to make the best of it. 

“Happy birthday, kiddo.” May grabbed his face, giving him a kiss on the cheek that Peter only mildly laughed at before hugging her tightly. 

“Thanks May.” May burrowed her head into his hair, squeezing him tightly until she leaned back - Peter seeing the smile and the tears in her eyes. 

“Can’t believe you’re growing up so fast.”

“ May .” Peter says pleasingly, watching as she shakes her head and quickly wipes a tear.

“Okay. Okay. I won’t say anything but Pete,” May brings a hand to his chin, the smile on her face trying so hard to overshadow the sorrow in her eyes. “You are a great kid, have I ever told you that?”

Peter smiles back, feeling that if he didn’t crack a joke that he might start to cry too which was completely embarrassing. “Every day, all the time. Pretty much nonstop.”

His words have the intended effect on May, watching as she rolls her eyes and ruffles his hair. “Okay smartass. So,” she turns towards the kitchen, grabbing her coffee before facing him again, “What’s the plan today?”

“I’m gonna go to school.”

May nods. “Yep.”

“Go to class,” Peter says, counting on his fingers.

“Good plan.” 

“Kill my bio presentation.”

“Murder, got it.” She takes a sip of her coffee, Peter grinning as he continues.

“Get some ice cream with Ned.”

“You got the coupon?”

Peter nods. “Got the coupon.”

“And then?”

Peter shrugs. “Hang around with Ned till you get off work?

“Ned mentioned a new LEGO set he’s got that we can do.” 

May sighs, her eyebrows furrowing as she says, “I’m gonna see if I can get off work early again. You shouldn’t have to—“

“I’m fine, May,” Peter says, forcing the smile a little more even as her expression turns into more of a frown, “I got a lot of homework to do anyway and if I get hungry, Delmar’s makes the best sandwiches.”

“I thought I was going to cook for your birthday?” May says, Peter grinning as he says, “Like I said, I’ll go to Delmar’s. I’d like to see my seventeenth birthday.”

May playfully ruffles his hair as Peter laughs, heading out of the kitchen and grabbing his backpack from the couch.

“Don’t work too hard, Pete. Enjoy today.”

“I will. Love you May!”

“Love you too, Pete. See you tonight.”

Peter waves once more before heading out of the apartment and to school - ready to make that day the best birthday he’d had yet.

Peter should’ve guessed that Parker luck wouldn’t let anything be easy for him. 

To start, his bio presentation went well right up until the midway point - the powerpoint missing half their slides. Peter shot Ned a panicked look only to remember that this was his portion of the presentation, one that he had saved on another USB drive likely still sitting somewhere on his desk.

They managed to cover the rest mostly from memory but Peter could see from the look on Dr. Octavius’ face that he wasn’t pleased.

Peter slipped on some french fries during lunch, causing such a ruckus that half the lunch room burst out laughing - enough that Peter turned beet red even if he should be relatively used to being a constant source of embarrassment by now.

And to make matters even worse, he was so distracted from staring at Michelle during decathlon that instead of answering ‘Avogadro’s number’ in practice, he said ‘MJ’ - causing Peter to immediately want to crawl into a hole and die as Flash started teasing him. 

Michelle blessedly shut Flash up by reminding him of something stupid Flash had said at a party once, Peter glad for the save even if it still embarrassed him and Michelle barely looked at him for the remainder of practice. 

As he and Ned walked towards the ice cream shop, just a block from their subway stop - he could only hope that the rest of his birthday would pick up.

Only for his face to fall when he and Ned walked up to the closed ice cream place.

“They’re closed? But how? Didn’t you just get an email from them today?” Ned asked, Peter cupping his hands together and peering into the dark window. The whole place was deserted, like everyone had left in a hurry. Peter frowns as he stands back, completely confused as he glances around.

A guy passes then, Peter calling out, “Hey you know what happened?” 

The guy doesn’t even acknowledge Peter, walking past them as Peter mutters, “Figures.”

“Oh man, look,” Ned says, scrolling through his cell phone and showing the screen to Peter. It’s a twitter feed from some of the locals, talking about how the ice cream shop owner got busted for something - a fleet of cop cars where they were currently standing not even three hours ago. 

“Says here that he not only owed rent but the guy was apparently running some kind of smuggling ring. They had to take everything for evidence,” Ned says as he flips the screen back to him.

Peter frowns. “Ice cream as evidence ?”

Ned just shrugs, scrolling through the feed again as he says, “I don’t know man, sounds like he was hiding stuff inside the ice cream.”

Peter shivers at that, not particularly interested to know what exactly the ice cream guy was hiding as he sighs and says, “Well, at least we can head to Delmar’s. He’s always open for some sandwiches.”

“Yeah man, for sure,” Ned says with a smile, putting his phone up. “We don’t have to go here you know. We can go somewhere else too, for some ice cream.”

Peter shakes his head. “Nah, it’s fine. Ice cream’s kinda ruined for me right now.”

Ned nods understandingly, Peter tightening his grip on his backpack as they walk towards Delmar’s.

“You sure you don’t want to go and get something special? It’s your birthday, we should celebrate,” Ned says gently, Peter pointedly ignoring the look on his best friend’s face as he shakes his head again.

“I’m sure, Ned,” Peter replies, forcing a smile on his face that he doesn’t believe and neither does Ned it seems from the slight frown on his face.

Ned doesn’t push it though, pursing his lips before saying, “Well, you’re gonna love the set I got. My mom made sure it was expedited so that we could get it today. I was thinking…”

Ned continues to ramble, partly for Peter’s benefit as he lets his mind drift - glad that his best friend understood that sometimes all Peter wanted to do was space out a little with someone close by him. 

If Ned had his way, Peter knows that they wouldn’t just go get some expensive dessert but that the LEGO set he’d gotten would be given to Peter rather than just shared. As it was, Peter didn’t like to accept fancy gifts, especially ones as expensive as Peter knows that LEGO set would be, not when there was a pang of guilt running through him for how much that money could be spent towards things that were important.

It was something that Ben had always stressed to him - the importance of hard work, the value of a dollar and how meaningful it was to have earned your place in the world. Ben was generous, with his time and the little money they had, but he was inherently frugal - Peter remembering all the times he would move things around for them to truly enjoy the fun things they were able to do because of how special they actually were. 

He missed Ben all the time, but especially today - a faint smile on his face at wondering what he would say about their favorite ice cream guy’s double life.

Ben would likely have tried to argue that he was innocent, a product of circumstance as much as bad decisions - a man who had encouraged Peter time and time again to make the right choices, even if they were hard. 

He smiles at the memory, walking side by side with Ned as they make their way to his place.

By the time Peter finds his way home, it’s late - later than he expected as he walks up the steps of their apartment building. He’d texted May to let her know that he was on his way but she hadn’t responded, checking the time once again as he walked up to their door. 

She should be home by now but knowing May, Peter thinks, she was likely trying to surprise him with some kind of decorations - too distracted by putting things up to check her phone and had likely called Ned’s mom already to make sure he was coming home safe. 

That notion’s quickly dismissed when he hears raised voices behind his and May’s door, his back straightening when he sees two burly looking guys in suits posted at each side.

“Who are you?” Peter asks, neither of them responding as his eyes dance between them. Peter goes to take a step forward only for one of them to put a hand across his own door, Peter looking back at them incredulously as he says, “Excuse me? What the hell--”

Before Peter can say anything further, the door flies open - May looking at him with an expression he’s never seen before.

“Peter, you’re home.”

“Hey May,” he says cautiously, giving the stink eye to the guard who had stopped him from entering into his own apartment, “is-- is everything okay?”

“Let him in!” He hears a voice call out from inside the apartment, the weird suit guy finally moving his hand as May scowls and yells back, “Don’t tell me what I can do in my own apartment, Stark.”

“That’s King Stark, ma’am,” the other guy in the suit says, Peter’s eyes bulging as he turns to him before looking back to May.

“King who ?”

Peter steps in and sees the man behind the voice - a man with a weird goatee, a suit that looks more expensive than everything they have in their apartment combined, sunglasses on even though it’s nearly dark and they’re all inside.

“Hello Peter, nice to finally meet you,” he says, a smile on his face that Peter doesn’t trust for a second.

“Who are you?” Peter asks, May coming up from behind him to stand by his side - Peter watching out of the corner of his eye as she folds her arms and sighs. 

“This is your uncle Tony, Peter. Your dad and Ben’s oldest brother.”

Peter looks to May then back to the strange man in his living room as his mind puts two and two together.

“My uncle? But the guy back there said he was a King?”

May presses her lips together, Peter turning as Tony laughs.

“That guy is Happy Hogan, part of my security detail. King Tony Stark of Sokovia, at your service.” 

“But if you’re my uncle and you’re a king then my dad was—“ Peter begins, turning back to May as a sinking feeling forms in the pit of his stomach. 

“A prince,” Tony answers for him, taking off his sunglasses. “As are you.”

Peter blinks a few times, letting out a huff as his attention shifts between the two of them. 

“I’m a what ?”

Peter didn’t know how Parker luck played into this but he was speechless. 

Which was fine since the screaming match between May and Tony - uncle was a designation he hadn’t even said to Ben growing up, much less the stranger in his living room - hadn’t lessened in the slightest, wringing his hands together as he watched them go at it.

His mind was still reeling from the groundbreaking revelation that King Tony Stark’s presence had brought about - a part of him wondering if this was just some kind of elaborate dream and he just hadn’t woken up yet. 

Not only was this guy supposedly his uncle, making both his dad and Ben royalty for some small country in Europe that Peter hadn’t even heard of, but that he was somehow now in line for the throne. 

Logically, Peter understood how royal bloodlines worked - especially from the info that he’d gleaned from the short respite in May and Tony’s screaming match.

That his dad had been the youngest brother, never thought to be in line for the throne and thus had married for love - only to be killed with his mom in an assassination and not the plane crash that he’d been told. 

That Ben, the one had been designated as Peter’s caretaker in his dad’s will, refused to move the three of them to Sokovia because of it - keeping his life as a commoner and thus Peter’s identity a secret. 

That when Ben died a few years ago, neither Tony nor May had wanted to disrupt the life that Peter had created for himself - a life that up until an hour ago was blissfully unremarkable. 

And that now, the reason for Tony’s entrance into his completely ordinary and boring life, was because of cancer - a diagnosis that he’d apparently beaten but with the sole consequence being that he would no longer be able to produce an heir. 

Peter knows rationally that that means that he is now the only heir to a country that he’s never heard of. And even if May continues to argue against their ‘archaic bullshit patriarchal laws’ when adoption exists, it’s becoming increasingly clear to Peter that it’s a route that won’t be easily taken. 

“Do I have to move to Sokovia?” Peter asks, Tony and May stopping themselves short as they turn to him.

“Absolutely not.”

“It’d be best.” The two of them say, both sharing a scowl between them as Peter’s eyes shift between the two of them.

“He is not moving to a country he’s never been to.”

“It’s his birthright , May. He is the heir to--” Tony begins, May waving a hand in the air.

“He’s sixteen , Tony. And no, it’s not his birthright or responsibility. Ben wanted nothing to do with this. And after Richard and Mary--” Peter watches as the two of them flinch before May takes another deep breath, “We wanted to protect him.”

“We can’t protect him from his responsibility--”

“No,” May puts a finger up, “This is your responsibility, Stark. You are the one who couldn’t ever get off your ass and settle down. You mean to tell me that for all your nonsense for the past twenty years, no one ever got pregnant?”

Tony makes a face at that before he deadpans, “You think we didn’t check? Apparently my little swimmers were always DOA.” 

Peter groans, putting his head in his hands as he tries to make sense of this. 

He’d woken up thinking he was going to have a good day, but not anything like this - May’s gentle hand on his shoulder causing him to lift his head up.

“Pete, you know you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” she says as she sits beside him.

“Actually, if Peter doesn’t take the throne than Sokovia will cease to exist as we know it,” Tony says flippantly, polishing off his sunglasses as Peter stares at him.

“The fate of your country rests on my fifteen year old?” May counters.

”Sixteen,” Peter mutters, both of them turning to him as Tony says, “That’s right. Happy birthday, kid.”

Peter just stares at him, Tony looking back to May as says, “And I don’t make the rules, I just enforce them.”

“You’re a King. You literally can change the rules,” Peter says, Tony seemingly caught off-guard for a second.

He stares at Peter for a beat before shaking his head, straightening his shoulders and saying, “Not this one, I’m afraid. I’d sooner be able to launch myself into the sky than get this through parliament. And while I plan on living for as long as possible…” He trails off, a faraway expression in his eyes that Peter can’t decipher.

Tony clears his throat, looking back to Peter and May as he says, “I’ve just learned you can’t take chances with these kinds of things. And Peter, like it or not, is Sokovia’s only chance.” 

“This is a nightmare,” Peter mutters to himself, May soothingly rubbing his back as she says, “You can say no, Peter.”

“I wish you wouldn’t,” Tony says, “not so suddenly.”

”You can’t just spring this on him out of nowhere. This wasn’t the plan, Stark.”

”Plans change,” Tony says more determinedly, Peter watching as the two of them engage in some kind of stand off.

Tony finally relents, sighing as he punches the bridge of his nose. 

“In a few weeks, we’ll be having an annual ball,” Tony says, Peter watching as he seemingly actively tries to look more patient, bringing his hand down, “I was-- I am hoping that I can present you to the press by then. However, you desperately need some instruction. I speak for the entire Sokovian parliament and the royal family.”

“And I speak for this family,” May interjects, “And if doesn’t want to do this then--”

“Can I say something?” Peter says, May looking to him thoughtfully as Tony nods.

“I uh, I don’t-- I can’t run a country. I don’t even-- I can’t even remember do a presentation right, much less run a parliament .”

“Did the bio presentation not go well?” May asks, Peter quickly shaking his head as Tony says, “And that’s exactly where I come in. I can train you. Teach you to walk, talk, and act like a prince. Like you were born to be.”

Peter bites his lip, looking the man in the eyes as he says, “But I’m not, am I? I wasn’t born for this. You’ve ignored me for the past sixteen years and for what? Now all of a sudden you need me?”

Tony falters at that, May’s hand still gently rubbing his back as Peter turns to her. “And you and Ben lied to me.”

“To protect you, sweetheart,” she says, her eyes filled with the same kind of fierceness and love that he’s grown up seeing, “after your mom and dad died, Ben wouldn’t have been able to live with himself if anything happened to you.”

“Believe me, kid. If there was any other option, any other way than to bring you out in front of the wolves, I’d do it,” Tony says, Peter looking back to him and seeing something in his eyes that reminds him so much of Ben it almost hurts. “But I can’t. I searched, I practically begged parliament to give me another way.”

Tony sighs. “But this is it.”

Peter tries to absorb this information, wringing his hands together as his knee bobs up and down. 

This was way beyond anything he could’ve imagined for his life, laughing to himself in an ironic way when he thought that a LEGO set would’ve been an extravagant gift - much less an entire country . 

He looks between May and Tony, pressing his lips together as he thinks.

This was way too big of a decision for him, way too big of a life . But considering everything else that had ever happened in his life - much less today - Peter was beginning to think that Parker luck didn’t care about what he wanted at all. 

“Hey uh, Mr. Hogan?”

“It’s Happy, Prince Peter.” 

Peter cringes at the honorific, shuddering slightly as he says, “Uh sorry. Happy, can we eighty-six the flags?”

Happy shakes his head once, Peter watching from the backseat of the limo as he says, “The flags allow me to park anywhere. We keep the flags.” 

“Sorry Happy.” 

Happy doesn’t answer, Peter messing with the edge of his shirt before saying, “Can uh, can you call me Peter then?”

“I’m afraid that would be out of protocol, Prince Peter.”

“Sure, I get that but also like, we’re picking up my friends and they… don’t know about all of this. You know,” Peter says, staring at Happy’s reflection.

He watches as Happy glances to him for a beat before looking back to the road, nodding once as Peter deflates.

“Thanks, Happy.”

“No problem Peter,” Happy replies, Peter looking out the window as he tries to come up with a believable lie to tell his friends.

He was terrible at keeping secrets, always had been - remembering the one time he’d tried to lie to Ben about who had broken what during a sleepover only to spill the beans immediately. Ned was even worse though if anyone was likely to keep this a secret, it was Michelle. 

Yet the warning that Tony had given about the precarious position Peter was in rattled around in his mind. The uneasy truce that Tony and May had come to was a half-in/half-out situation that Peter didn’t think was really going to be sustainable to begin with.

Peter would have protection in the form of Happy and take ‘lessons’ on how to be a prince until the ball where Peter would finally decide for himself if he was going to take the throne. May wasn’t particularly pleased with the idea, though Peter knew from having lived with her his whole life that it was more borne out of the fear - the reminder that his own parents hadn’t died in the plane crash he thought they had but assassination.

Though Peter doubted that anyone would be interested in killing off the sixteen-year old heir to a tiny country now , he also welcomed the chance to keep this whole prince thing under wraps - not when he still wasn’t sure how he was supposed to feel about all of this to begin with.

On the one hand, Peter had hoped that his sixteenth year would be the start of a new life - a chance for him to be more than boring, nerdy Peter Parker. 

On the other, Peter in no way felt equipped to run an entire country - even if the chances of that happening in his lifetime felt slim since Tony, despite being in remission, seemed healthy and fine. 

Peter doesn’t get the chance to dwell anymore on the fate of a man he’d just met as the car slows in front of Ned’s apartment building, Michelle already standing outside with him as Peter looks on.

“What the hell? Who died?” She asks as Peter opens the door, Ned’s eyes bulging out as looks inside the nice car.

“No one, just-- just a fun surprise from my uncle.”

Ned and Michelle both stare awkwardly at Peter, only for him to grimace as he says, “I got another one apparently.”

“Dude what? He shows up out of nowhere and rents you a limo?” Ned asks, Michelle shrugging as she slides into the limo.

“My uncle smells like cheese puffs and rants about the birds working for the bourgeoisie so, can’t be too bad,” she says with a smirk. 

Peter raises an eyebrow before saying, “I thought you believed that too.”

“Yeah,” Michelle says, Ned slipping into the limo and closing the door behind him, “But at least I don’t smell like cheese puffs.”

You smell like strawberries , Peter thinks to himself but does not say - swallowing down that feeling he always gets in his throat when he stares at Michelle a little too long. He’s thankful for the distraction when Ned whispers, “Dude, what’s up?” 

“Nothing,” Peter lies, catching Michelle’s frown out of the corner of his eye. “It’s like I told you. My uh, uncle Tony felt bad about missing my birthday so--”

“He rented you a limo?” Michelle prods again, Peter feeling a trickle of sweat down his back when Happy speaks up.

“Mr. Stark actually owns a limo company,” Happy cooly lies, “I’m his driver and while he’s in the country, he thought that Peter would appreciate a chance to utilize his services.”

“Yeah, uh exactly. You know, beats the subway,” Peter says with a forced laugh, neither Ned nor Michelle looking like they believe him.

They share a look between them, communicating something between them before Ned says, “That’s nice I guess.”

“Yeah, totally nice,” Peter says, fingers awkwardly tapping against his thigh.

It’s insufferably silent for a moment, Peter realizing how thin his excuse must sound to the two of them - a curse of going to a science school that suddenly made a lot of sense to Peter how they were able to afford it in the first place. 

Ned and Michelle weren’t dumb and both had been friends with him long enough to sense that he was lying to him, Ned more so from the look on his face as Happy begun to drive towards school.

Yet if this thing that he had to deal with had any chance of staying a secret, Peter knew he had to keep it - if only for the peace it would give him until the time came to make a decision that either way, would change his life forever. 

“So what’s the purpose of this again?” Peter asks, rubbing the back of his neck as he stands in the middle of a very expensive looking lobby - the Sokovian embassy being a building that from the outside looked completely benign but on the inside, was anything but.

Peter should’ve guessed - two days into learning that he was a prince - that when it came to Tony Stark, no stone went unturned.

“The ball, regardless of your choice, will be your introduction into Sokovian society,” Tony says as he straightens his suit jacket. “If you make the choice to be our future leader, then it’s absolutely vital that your first impression be a good one. And that includes having some rhythm.” 

“And if I don’t choose to be a future king?” Peter asks, as a beautiful woman that had introduced herself to Peter as Pepper just a few moments ago smiles at him.

“Then you’ll have the best chance of impressing that special someone when prom comes around,” she says, her whole being radiating with a calm that instantly puts Peter at ease.

He takes her hand as she adjusts his arms, Tony still talking in the background.

“Now this dance is between a waltz and a tango—“

“So it’s a wango?” Peter jokes, Pepper stifling a laugh as he looks over to Tony - watching as the man sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose.

“No,” Tony replies, Peter sharing a look with Pepper who gently guides him back and forth across the dance floor.

Peter’s not particularly coordinated and it shows, stepping on her feet more than once - enough that it’s another few minutes before Tony says, “Stop, stop, stop. That’s… that’s enough for the day.”

“Sorry,” Peter mutters to Pepper, only for the grimace on her face from his most recent snafu to be replaced by a kind smile.

“Don’t beat yourself up. Rome wasn’t built in a day.” 

She shoots Tony a pointed look before continuing, “Not all of us are used to this kind of thing.”

“Thank you Ms. Potts,” Tony says not unkindly, Peter’s eyes shifting between the two of them as they seemingly communicate without saying a word. “Can you please see if Mr. Hammer is still set for the makeover?”

Pepper nods, only for Peter to do a double take and ask, “Makeover?”

Tony smirks as Pepper leaves the room, eyes following after her before turning back to Peter and saying, “Like I said. By the time I’m done with you, you’re gonna walk, talk, act, and think like a prince. It’s who you are, Peter.”

Peter shifts his weight back and forth before saying, “Look Tony—“

“I want to apologize, Peter.”

Peter stops, looking back up to him and seeing an unreadable expression on his face.

Tony purses his lips before saying, “Your dad was my baby brother. When Ben said he was keeping you in America, a selfish part of me was glad.”

Tony glances away from Peter. “I’ll never forgive myself for what happened to him. And I knew that you being so far away would keep you safe. But I,” Tony takes a deep breath, looking back to Peter as he says, “I am sorry that my selfishness meant that you had to live a life without knowing who you really are. Without knowing your family.”

Peter doesn’t quite know how to respond to that, realizing then that this is the first time that they’ve truly been alone for the first time since they’ve met. He doesn’t see the family resemblance if he’s honest, aside from the brown hair and brown eyes - the most basic of genetic traits. 

But there’s something in the way he smiles, almost looking sad that strikes him as being achingly familiar until Peter’s mind puts together that it reminds him of Ben.

Pepper’s heels signal that she’s walking back into the room, the moment between them ended before it really has the chance to begin when Peter asks, “Can I go home now?”

Tony smiles but it doesn’t reach his eyes, nodding as he says, “Yes, Peter.”

Peter nods to Pepper. “Thanks again, Ms. Potts. Sorry for stepping on your toes.”

“It was no trouble at all, Peter,” she says warmly, Peter giving her a half-smile before waving.

“Okay. So… bye.” He says awkwardly, walking backwards until he turns and heads towards the direction of the the front doors.

He can hear their voices softly whispering in the background, though the further he gets the less he can decipher what they’re saying - grabbing his backpack before Happy looks at him from post.

“You ready to head home?” Happy asks, Peter nodding gratefully as he replies, “Yes please.”

Peter follows behind Happy in silence towards the vehicle that’ll take him home - the thought occurring to Peter not for the first time that if he makes the decision that everyone in the building wants him too, that his place with May won’t be home for long.

Peter fiddled with his hands, knees bobbing up and down as Happy drove towards Ned’s apartment building. 

Michelle had already texted that she wasn’t going to school that day - her little sister apparently having contacted some flu bug that had made the entire Jones family walking and talking petri dishes. 

Peter smiled as the thought of their banter via text and the slight flirty edge to it - only for his smile to fall when they pull up to Ned’s building, shaking away that feeling as quickly as it comes.

He can’t even dream of getting the courage to ask her out now, the fear of ruining their friendship being compacted with the very real possibility that he could end up being a ruler of a small country someday.

Michelle had never talked about her views on royal families but Peter could guess - by virtue of knowing her - that any governmental system based on birthright wouldn’t bode well with her.

It was all too much pressure on anyone, much less Peter - a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that if he accepted this new thing as part of his identity, than any person he’d want to ask out would be subject to the kind of scrutiny and attention Peter had spent a lifetime trying to avoid.

Peter - for better or for worse - had been invisible. And he was good at it. Being a prince was the complete opposite of that. 

His perfectly tailored jeans still felt stiff and smelled new, Peter adjusting himself in his seat as Ned opened the limo door.

“Hey man— whoa! Did you get a new haircut?”

Peter nods, smiling as Ned looks at him up and down - curiosity written all over his face as he closes the door behind him.

Another feature of “prince lessons” was a literal makeover. May had put her foot down about Tony buying Peter a car, something Peter himself was grateful for since he didn’t have a license, but the newness of his sneakers, jeans and backpack all felt to Peter like he was quickly becoming something that he wasn’t.

Yet he was this person - remembering the look on Tony’s face that looked so similar to Ben’s. 

Rejecting this part of him felt in a way like he was rejecting his dad and Ben, even if the two of them had clearly done the same long before Peter had ever entered the picture.

“Yeah, you think it’s okay?” Peter asks, Ned looking at him up and down before nodding.

“Yeah dude, it looks great,” he says genuinely, Peter being glad that of all the people in the world he could call his best friend - it was Ned.

But there’s something in Ned’s eyes that tells Peter that there’s more he wants to say, Ned glancing in the direction of where Happy is before saying, “Did you get to level 47 of Beast Slayer yet?”

Peter raises an eyebrow. 

There wasn’t a level 47 for Beast Slayer - something Ned would absolutely know. Peter can guess this is his coded way of asking if everything is okay, nodding as he says, “Yeah, it was really hard but I think I got through it okay. Gotta figure out what I’m gonna do for level 48.”

Ned catches on to his meaning, nodding again before saying, “Yeah that sounds like a good idea.”

They exchange small talk until they arrive at school - or at least, three blocks out like Peter had consistently requested. 

After all, keeping his identity a secret would be undone if he rode up to school in a limo.

As soon as they exit the car, Peter waving to Happy as he turns the corner - Ned corners him, poking him in the side as he asks, “Dude, is everything okay?”

Peter chews on the inside of his cheek before saying, “Yeah man, I’m--”

“Stop lying to me, Peter.” Ned says with a frown, Peter feeling more uncomfortable by the minute. “You’re my best friend. You’ve been my best friend since we were like four years old. Come on Pete, fess up. What’s going on with you?”

Peter looks at Ned, a million things passing through his mind - the crushing weight and burden for holding on to this mind blowing secret for the past week and the overwhelming sense of responsibility that he can barely reconcile.

He knew he had May to talk about this with. He arguably had Tony and even Happy, though not the most talkative, seemed open to talking with him about all of this. 

But in that moment, all Peter wanted wasn’t a parental figure to talk about this with but a friend, leaning in closer to Ned before whispering, “Can you keep a secret?”

“ Will your face be on a coin?”

“Ned shut up ,” Peter furiously whispers during chem class, regretting now his impulsive decision to tell Ned the biggest secret of his life. 

“Will you have to drop out of school? Do you even need school?”

“ Ned ,” Peter warns again, just as Dr. Banner passes by their table.

“Everything alright boys?” He asks, a gentle smile on his face as Peter smiles back.

“Yes, Dr. Banner everything’s fine ,” Peter says, pointedly glaring at Ned who looks rightfully chastened. 

As soon as Dr. Banner has passed their desk though, Ned leans over and whispers again, “I’m sorry Pete. This is like the single greatest thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“Glad this is so exciting for you , Ned.”

“Then again, are you really sure you can run a country? I mean, you can barely keep a goldfish alive for more than a couple of days.”

“You know, I’m not really sure of anything right now,” Peter whispers, glancing around the classroom. “Except that you have got to keep it down.” 

“I’m just saying dude, there are pros and cons to being a prin--”

“ Ned .” 

Ned stops himself, Peter groaning as he brings his attention back to their lab experiment. 

He couldn’t fault Ned for his excitement - if anything, it was rubbing off on Peter. For the first time in a week, Peter started to think of all the possibilities that being a royal would mean - the gains he would have in his life rather than all the losses.

Peter would never have a normal life ever again if he chose to be declared heir to Sokovia but then again, it’s not like Peter was destined to any kind of greatness to begin with. He’d likely have to leave New York someday or maybe even before the end of high school, the idea of getting away from Midtown being something that filled Peter with both dread and excitement.

It’s not like anyone here - outside of Ned and Michelle at least - would miss him, but actually having to leave everything behind didn’t have the same kind of appeal it did when he was seven years old, going off on imaginary adventures in his daydreams.

He thinks of May, wondering what role his new world would have for her - the idea of leaving her behind while he was whisked away overseas with a man he barely knew being something he couldn’t reconcile with himself.

But if Ned’s thought process is right, Peter would eventually be king - bringing May along being exactly something that he can make happen. 

Ned keeps whispering questions but Peter’s too distracted now, mulling over all the different possibilities in his mind for the remainder of class. 

“Hey Pete?”

“Hmm?” Peter asks, glancing up at May to see that she’s looking at him with a stare that he recognizes instantly.  “Sorry May, what’d you say?”

“I asked how your food is” she says with a smirk, pointing a chopstick at him. “I thought you loved larb. Too larby? Not larby enough?”

Peter smirks, May sighing as she says, “How many times do I have to say larb before you talk to me?”

She leans forward, a faux serious look on her face before saying, “You know I larb you.”

“I’m just-- it’s just the lessons you know, I’m tired.”

May pinches her mouth together at that, Peter watching as she fiddles with her chopsticks. “Hmm. Gotta tell you, not a fan of that Tony Stark .”

“It’s King Stark,” Peter says cheekily, May giving him a look as she tilts her head. 

“Does he make you call him that?”

“No, no,” Peter is quick to say, shaking his head as he swirls some noodles around, “he’s-- he’s actually kinda nice.”

May softens at that, Peter’s mind drifting back to a memory from earlier today. 

Tony wasn’t the most… gentle person to be around, Peter getting the distinct impression that he wasn’t around kids or teenagers much. After a twenty minute lecture on the geo-politics of the region that neither Peter nor Tony seemed particularly interested in from his advisors, Tony had offered Peter a scotch - Peter smirking at the memory of him looking at the man like he’d grown another head. 

Tony was awkward, more than Peter would’ve typically expected from an adult much less a king. If there was any doubt in Peter’s mind that they were related in some way, that alone had been enough to convince him. 

“How are you feeling kiddo?” May asks, bringing him out of his thoughts.

Peter shrugs. “I don’t know. It’s a lot you know?”

May tilts her head, pursing her lips before saying, “Ben didn’t like talking about it.”

Peter’s eyes flick up to meet hers before looking back to his food, moving the noodles around as he asks, “Were you ever gonna tell me?”

He looks back up to her, seeing the pained expression on her face. They’d danced around this topic for the past week, May apologizing for withholding the truth from him but not really discussing it any further. 

Peter was upset but he couldn’t very well blame her, not when two people had made that decision - and the one that was really to blame died in an accident Peter still felt responsible for. 

“Of course, Peter. When you were eighteen and could choose, as an adult , about what you wanted. Ben didn’t—“ May cuts herself off, a shadow passing over her face before continuing, “he just wanted you to be safe.”

“So everyone keeps telling me,” Peter mutters.

May puts her chopsticks down, Peter glancing up at her as she says, “This isn’t how we wanted you to find out. And all of this… stuff you’re doing, you know you can back out any time.”

Peter nods. “I know May.”

She extends a hand out, Peter looking at it before putting his own chopsticks down and taking it - a smile on her May face as she rubs her thumb across his hand.

“I love you, Peter. You know that right? I just want what’s best for you.”

Peter smiles at that, squeezing her hand.

If there was anything he was sure of, one of the very few things in his life he could be sure of - it was that.

“Yeah May,” he says with a smile, “I know.”

“So.”

“So,” Peter says, shoving his hands in his pockets as he, Ned and Michelle walked towards school. 

Happy had just dropped them off, the three of them sitting in an awkward silence until Ned started to ramble about something Peter couldn’t keep track of.

He’s on his left side, chattering on as Peter sneaks a glance towards Michelle - only to realize she’s staring right at him.

“What?”

“You’re being weird,” she says plainly, nodding towards Ned. “Him too. What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Ned quickly says, “why? What’s going on with you?”

Peter inwardly groans, Michelle just frowning as they continue to walk.

“Somethings going on. I’m like sixty-seven percent sure.”

“Only sixty-seven?” Peter tries to joke, watching as Michelle squints at him before smirking.

“Can’t be too sure. Need to collect more data.”

Peter smiles, going to say something more when Ned says, “Holy shit, what’s going on at school?”

He turns his head, looking around to see a mass of photographers and cars all parked in the front.

“Did Dr. Banner win another award?” He asks as they make their way closer, Michelle shaking her head.

“No, they would’ve sent an email. Hey,” she calls out to a lone photographer, “this is private property. Get out of the way.”

“I’m standing in the street,” the photographer deadpans, Michelle going to argue with him when Peter hears a familiar voice yell, “That’s him! That’s Peter Parker!”

His stomach drops, turning towards where Flash was - cameras and news people all turning in his direction.

The photographer that Michelle was talking to immediately springs into action, bringing his camera up and snapping so many pictures that for a second - the flash of the light nearly blinds Peter.

“What the fu—“ Michelle goes to say, only for the clamor of voices to drown out everything else.

“Prince Peter, have you decided what you’re going to do?”

“Prince Peter, what's your plan to raise the GDP of Sokovia?”

“Prince Peter, look over here! What are you wearing?”

They all start to mob him, a rush of panic flowing through him before a voice cuts through, Principal Morita suddenly at his side.

“Come on Peter, let’s go.”

Peter has no choice but to follow him, the voices around him getting louder and louder as they rush into the school.

He looks back to try and get Ned and Michelle to follow - only for them to get lost in the sea of photographers, the sinking feeling in Peter’s stomach growing as he realizes what all these photographers mean.

“How the hell did this get out, Stark?” May fumes, Tony looking just as annoyed as he rubs a hand over his face.

“Turns out our stylist friend is as loose with his lips as he is with his hands,” Tony says with a sigh, “I should’ve known Hammer wasn’t to be trusted.”

“You can’t do this to him, Stark,” May says as she points a finger in his direction, Peter glancing to Happy who just watches in mild amusement. “A week ago, Peter was a normal kid.”

“He has never been normal. He was born royal,” Tony counters, standing up straighter and pushing his sunglasses up. “We cope with the press every single day and we’ll do it again.”

“How is he supposed to go to school with those vultures camped outside?”

“I think I can help with that ma’am,” Happy says, May turning to him. “Part of my job is to keep Peter safe. I can extend that from driving services to monitoring the school.”

“I don’t want someone following me around all day,” Peter protests, shooting a look towards Happy. “No offense.”

“I believe this is where I come in,” Principal Morita speaks up, his calm and gentle presence settling Peter’s nerves. “Midtown is a school that’s had its fair share of ambassadors and celebrities who have chosen to put their children through our selective programs. There are protocols in place to keep him safe, for the time being.”

May looks to him with a grateful smile before turning back to Peter - love and concern written all over her face before asking, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Peter says with a nod, “I’m fine. I’m okay. I— I think I just need a minute to think.”

“Do you want to go home?” May asks.

Peter shakes his head again. “No, no I’m okay. I think, I just--”

He looks around to all the people in the room, biting his lip before saying, “I think I just need a moment.”

“Thought I’d find you up here.”

Peter looks up and sees Michelle, watching as her head nods towards the roof door. “Ned thought you’d be in the band room. He owes me five dollars.”

“You guys bet on where I was hiding out?” Peter asks, Michelle smirking before saying, “Yeah, we were gonna just ping your cell phone but thought this would be more fun.”

Peter laughs at that, Michelle taking that as encouragement to come and sit down beside him. 

An awkward silence falls between them, Peter trying to find the courage to try and explain when Michelle says, “So a prince huh?”

Peter bites his lip again, twisting them around before saying, “Yeah. I’m sorry, MJ. I was gonna tell you. I just--”

“It’s okay,” Michelle says with a shrug, “seems heavy.”

“Yeah,” Peter laughs but there’s no humor in it, “you can say that again.”

Peter sighs. “This is just… a lot. I mean, I don’t wanna run my own country. I just wanna pass sophomore year.”

“Would you have to quit high school?” Michelle asks, one of her eyebrows raising. “That doesn’t seem like a smart move to make their future leader a high school drop out.”

“I don’t know, I don’t think so? I’d probably just,” Peter shrugs, “have to go some Sokovian school I guess. I don’t know, we haven’t really talked about all of that.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I technically get a choice, I guess,” Peter says, fingers tapping against each other. “There’s a big ball coming up and that’s when I have to like, officially decide. Which you can come to. My uncle says I can invite whoever I want, so—“

“But you don’t know what’ll happen if you decide to do it?” She asks, Peter shaking his head. 

“You should,” Michelle says, pursing her lips. “It’s not like you can make a good decision without knowing all the facts.”

“But I shouldn’t even have to make this kind of decision,” Peter interjects, “I’m sixteen . How am I supposed to decide if I can do this?”

“Why do we make eighteen year olds decide what college they want to go and set the course for the rest of their life?” Michelle asks in that way that she does, Peter pausing as he considers it. “No one ever knows what they’re doing, Pete. Least of all you.”

“Thanks,” Peter replies sarcastically, Michelle giving him an actual smile - the sight of it unleashing butterflies in his stomach. 

A comfortable silence falls between them now, Peter fiddling with his shirt before he asks, “Do you think I should do it?”

Michelle stays quiet, long enough for Peter to turn to her - wondering if he hadn’t spoken up loud enough. Only for Michelle to look to him, an unreadable expression on her face as she says, “I don’t know. Cause on the one hand, that’s really messed up to make a sixteen year old decide if they want to run a country.”

Peter huffs, Michelle continuing, “But on the other… I mean, you’ll be able to really affect change. Make people listen. How many teenagers have that kind of power?”

Peter hadn’t thought of it that way, not in so many words - Michelle sighing as she says, “I can’t say I wouldn’t be freaking out too but to have the chance to actually do some good in the world?”

Michelle shrugs, “I don’t know. Seems like something worth considering.”

“Yeah,” Peter says, the door swinging open - causing them both to look and see Ned.

“Hey no fair, you didn’t text and let me know you found him.”

“Found him,” Michelle deadpans, Peter laughing as they both go to stand.

“Principal Morita finally got the paparazzi off school grounds. You should’ve seen them. He was like--” Ned begins to say, Peter smiling at his best friend before looking to Michelle - seeing the same unreadable expression on her face. 

He wasn’t sure what to decide - convinced that Michelle was right and this was entirely too much power for any teenager to really have.

But the idea of what that kind of power could do if it fell into wrong hands, a creeping sense of responsibility tingling up and down his spine, motivates Peter to think more about this new development beyond what it would selfishly do for his own life.

Ben had clearly chosen against this life but he was never in line for the throne - a part of Peter wondering now if that had been part of the motivation for him to cut off a whole part of himself. He’d rallied with the disenfranchised when he was alive, the mugging that had killed him being something Peter wished he could go back in time and stop.

It’d been Peter’s fault that he hadn’t stopped the guy, even if May had told him time and time again that there was nothing that a fourteen year old could’ve done. But Peter wonders now if this was his chance to make it right in a different way, to use the considerable power and influence that being a royal would mean towards making people’s lives better. 

As he shoots a glance toward Michelle and Ned, he smiles - glad that even if he wasn’t sure what to do next, at least that in the meantime, he had his friends by his side. 

“Kid, you still with me?”

Peter turns to Tony, a sheepish smile on his face as he nods.

“Yeah sorry, I’m sorry. You were talking about the Sokovian Accords?”

Tony stares at him for a beat, a thoughtful expression on his face as Peter waits.

It’d been a week since his identity had been revealed to the world - still filled with prince lessons and added security. Despite it all. Peter wasn’t any closer to figuring out what exactly he wanted to do.

Tony, in an effort to try and ease him into Sokovian society since his identity was already out there, had the bright idea of bringing him to a fancy dinner at the ambassador’s mansion.

To Peter’s great mortification, he ate a gob of wasabi thinking that it was ice cream and ended up setting the person next to him’s suit on fire. It was resolved quickly enough - gulping down water and extinguishing it respectively. But Peter still burned with embarrassment, distracted now during yet another lesson on the finer points of Sokovian diplomacy even if Tony had tried to reassure him.

“How about we do something different today?” Tony asks, Peter looking at him expectantly. 

“What do you mean?”

Tony purses his lips, his fingers tapping against his thigh before saying, “You’ve been learning an awful lot about Sokovia but I feel as if I barely know anything about you .”

Tony sighs, coming to sit by Peter as he says, “Regardless of what you choose, the truth’s out there now and I— I wanna know you, Peter. You’re my nephew and I regret that it took something like this for me to finally introduce myself.”

“It’s okay,” Peter says, not entirely meaning it but not wanting the man to feel any more guilty than he looks. But Tony doesn’t seem to buy it himself, frowning as he shakes his head, “No, it’s not. Your dad wanted better for you, clearly, leaving you with Ben.”

Tony looks away from Peter, a faraway expression on his face. “Rich was my baby brother. And then when I lost Ben and couldn’t even come to the funeral…”

Tony trails off at that, Peter feeling a pang of empathy for the man next to him - even if there’s a part of him that tells him that by all accounts, he should still be angry.

Tony hadn’t shown any care or attention to Peter up until the throne needed him - a sign for a lesser person that Peter should refuse it out of spite.

But there’s something in the look in Tony’s eyes, a lesson that Ben had taught him not so much in words but in actions - about extending grace to people who needed it most.

“It was the hardest thing I ever had to do,” Tony finally says, looking back to Peter. “But I’d do it again, if I had to. It made you safe.”

“Too late for that now huh?” Peter says jokingly, Tony somehow looking sadder as he amends, “I mean, even if I say no to all of this.”

“Yes, an unfortunate consequence I’m afraid.”

Peter considers that for a moment before Tony says, “I do hope that whatever you decide that we’ll still have a chance to know each other. It’s nice, to finally get to know my nephew.” 

Peter smiles at that. “It’s nice to know I have another uncle.”

Tony smiles a bit more genuinely at that, looking pleased with himself as he says, “So nephew , what do you like to do for fun?”

Peter grins. “Have you ever had a corn dog?”

“When I asked what you like to do for fun, this isn’t exactly what I had in mind,” Tony says with a huff, Peter laughing as the cool breeze washes over them from the top of the Ferris wheel.

“You’re telling me the king of Sokovia is afraid of heights ?” Peter asks cheekily, Tony scowling at him as he grips the safety bar in front of them even tighter.

“No, I am not afraid of heights,” Tony says, pointedly looking over the edge of their seats. “ Falling from great heights however…”

“We’ll be fine,” Peter says dismissively, swinging the cart they were in as Tony’s white knuckled grip gets even tighter. “People ride these things all the time.”

“Do you know how many people die from those rides? Or are you just willfully oblivious?”

“Willfully oblivious. It’s the American way,” Peter says with a smirk.

Tony glares at him before playfully rolling his eyes. “If only my father could hear you now.”

“Not a fan of Americans?”

“Not a fan of much of anything,” Tony mutters, fingers flexing over the safety bar. “Much less his children.”

An awkward silence falls between them, Peter glancing out over the city before Tony says, “Trust me when I say, you didn’t miss much. Not knowing him.”

Peter doesn’t press it, fingers lightly tapping against the safety bar. 

“Is that why—“ Peter stops himself, not sure if he wants to know the answer. But Tony seems to pick up on his question all the same, watching the way his face falls as he sighs.

“Ben never liked any of this. Thought we could do more with our money and influence. Your grandfather and him… didn’t see eye to eye.”

Peter puts his hands in his lap, eyes firmly set on the city skyline before asking, “And you?”

Tony has the decency not to try and dance around the topic. “We didn’t always agree either.”

Peter forces himself to look at Tony, the man still staring out into the city yet something in his eyes appearing as if he was seeing something else entirely as he says, “Ben left as soon as he was eighteen. Renounced the throne, renounced everything. He believed our prime minister was corrupt. When I took the throne, he wanted me to get rid of him but I was— I was young and foolish. I thought Ben was just misguided.”

Tony sighs, closing his eyes as he says, “I didn’t find out the truth till Rich and Mary came to visit, after you were born. They were trying to get us together again.” 

Peter takes a beat to absorb that information, Tony pressing on. 

“Unfortunately that was around the same time the prime minister was planning a coup.”

The sentence hangs there for a second, Peter feeling like the wind’s been taken out of him.

He’d never known his parents, going to live with Ben and May when he was barely two years old. Tony and May told him it wasn’t a plane crash that had killed them but to still hear it again made Peter realize just how serious, how dangerous, this life decision would be. 

Tony speaks again, bringing Peter out of his thoughts. “I’ll never forgive myself for what happened to Rich and Mary. If I’d just listened to Ben, if I hadn't been so stubborn…”

“It’s not your fault,” Peter offers, the memory of May’s words ringing in his ears after he’d told her what happened with Ben. “You can’t control what other people do.”

Tony looks to him then, a crack of vulnerability in his facial features as Peter says, “You can only do what you know is best.”

The corner of Tony’s mouth upturns at that. “Didn’t know my nephew was so wise.”

Peter laughs at that, shaking his head. “Nah, May told me that.”

“Ah, May. Ben met his match when he married her,” Tony says with a wistful smile on his face. 

“I think you guys would be friends, if you ever stopped yelling at each other.”

Tony laughs at that, the Ferris wheel stuttering to life and Tony’s hands gripping the safety bar once again.

“If we die on this ride, I think she’d personally resurrect me just to kill me again.”

Peter grins, Tony smiling at him conspiratorially. 

Peter always missed Ben - there wasn’t a significant moment in his life that passed where he didn’t think of him. But it was nice, Peter thought - to have Tony. Someone else who loved Ben just as much, if not more as he did.

Someone else who, in his own way, felt just as guilty about him being gone too.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Peter asks, Ned nodding his head excitedly.

“Yeah man, you got invited to Liz Allan’s for a party. A senior party, Peter.”

“They only invited me because they think I’m a prince.”

“But you are a prince,” Ned counters, Peter frowning slightly before Ned nudges him.

“Dude, if you really wanna leave we can. But last month, you were just saying that you were tired of always being left out of things. This is your chance, Pete. If you take the throne, it’s not like you’ll have a chance to be a normal high schooler again.”

Peter hadn’t thought of it that way, pursing his lips before looking at Ned.

“You’re right.”

Ned smiles, adjusting the hat on his head. “Course I am. Come on, let’s head inside.”

Peter feels a flutter of nerves in his stomach only for a group of pretty senior girls to pass by, waving and smiling at the two of them as they call out, “Hi Prince Peter!”

Peter blushes only to stand up straighter, putting some of the “prince lessons” into play as he smiles and waves.

The girls respond predictably to that, giggling and waving back at him as a surge of something completely unknown to Peter flows through him then.

“ See ,” Ned whispers, “come on, Pete. This’ll be fun.”

Peter smiles, nodding his head.

“Yeah, yeah it will.” 

Peter’s head is pounding as he sits in the chair across from Tony, the man glaring at him with a look so severe that if he was less hungover - he’d feel more guilty about it.

“What were you thinking?” He asks, Peter groaning slightly as he adjusts his position in the seat.

“I was thinking I wanted to have some fun,” Peter says with a wince. “Like a normal teenager.”

“But you’re not a normal teenager, Peter. And don’t even try to convince me that May was okay with this ,” Tony says, flashing a video in front of him.

Peter winces again at seeing himself - blessedly without sound - drunkenly dancing around in the middle of Liz Allan’s living room. May had been pissed - less that he was drinking and more that he’d lied to her about what he and Ned were doing in the first place, helping him sober up when he got home and then lecturing him this morning about what could’ve happened to him.

Tony himself looks just as peeved as he says, “If you wanted to drink so badly, you should’ve just asked.”

“Cause that’s normal,” Peter counters, still feeling a little loose. “Asking my royal uncle if it’s okay if I get wasted?”

“What if something would’ve happened to you?” Tony asks. “I don’t give a shit if you want to drink but lying to me? To May?”

“I was just being like you.”

The words are out of his mouth before he can stop them, watching Tony’s eyes widen before they turn hard.

“And I wanted you to be better.”

The words are harsh, bitter - Peter immediately feeling guilty for what he said. But Tony dismisses him, looking back down to the tablet in his hands as he said, “You may go. I have some damage control to do.”

Peter glances at Tony before listening to his request, standing up and walking out of the room without saying a word - wondering for a second time in his life if he’d made a mistake that would make him lose an uncle.

“My mom says I’m grounded till I’m thirty-five.”

Peter laughs, though he knows he shouldn’t - shooting Ned an apologetic smile as they eat their lunch. 

They’re in the courtyard now, away from everyone as much as possible - the whispers and the stares from people he’d never spoken to. 

Pictures and videos of him dancing drunk in the living room weren’t the only thing that was going around, Peter inwardly wincing at the picture of him making out with Felicia Hardy from gym class being posted on the internet. 

Peter barely even remembered it, if he was honest - but it still was embarrassing, another thing for the tabloids to talk about when all Peter wanted to do was to be left alone.

It didn’t help that Michelle hadn’t answered any of his texts, Peter wondering to himself if she was upset that neither he nor Ned had invited her along with them to the party. 

“Yeah, I think May’s never gonna let me out of her sight now,” Peter finally replies, glancing up to see Michelle.

He freezes, Ned looking up.

“Hey MJ,” he says, Michelle’s face completely blank.

“I didn’t know you guys were out here.”

Peter gestures towards the spot next to them. “You can join us if you want. I’ve been trying to—“

“I have to go,” Michelle says, pressing her lips together before turning around and leaving the way she came.

Peter’s dumbstruck at that, torn out of it when Ned whistles.

“She still not talking to you?”

“No,” Peter says, his shoulders sagging. “I don’t know why. We should’ve invited her to the party.”

Ned lets out something almost like a snort, Peter turning to him in confusion as Ned says, “ That’s why you think she’s upset? Dude.”

“What?” Peter asks, eyebrows furrowing as Ned shakes his head. 

“It’s cause of the picture. Of you and Felicia,” Ned says as if it’s something obvious, Peter’s eyebrows furrowing.

“Okay?”

Ned gives him a look. “Cause she likes you, dude. Almost as long as you’ve liked her.”

Peter burns bright red at that, before saying, “I had no idea.”

“Yeah well, that’s why you have me,” Ned says with a smile. “But if you’re gonna be a prince, you gotta work on your observational skills.”

“I don’t know if I am gonna be a prince,” Peter quietly replies, Ned going still next to him.

“You think so?”

Peter nods. “I don’t know. I— I thought that maybe I could do something. Something good.”

Peter thinks back to the conversation he had with Tony on the Ferris wheel, only for his shoulders to sag as he says, “But I don’t know if I’m responsible enough for it. Clearly,” he says with a humorless laugh, “I can’t make good decisions.”

“I’m sorry for pushing you,” Ned begins to apologize, Peter quickly shaking his head.

“No, it’s not your fault. I was the one who took the drink from Flash. I shouldn’t have done that.”

Peter picks at his sandwich before saying, “I don’t know, Ned. I don’t think I’m cut out for this.”

Ned’s quiet for a moment before saying, “Well, you’re my best friend Pete. Prince or no prince.”

Peter smiles at that, glancing up to him. “Thanks, man.”

Ned smiles back, Peter wishing it were just that simple.

The ball was this Friday - the day he would have to make a final decision coming up sooner than he had ever expected. 

Yet sitting in a courtyard with Ned, Peter wondered if maybe this was the universe’s way of telling him what he should choose. 

“You sure about this?”

Peter nods, forcing himself to hold Tony’s gaze.

The man looks so different than he had been the last time they spoke, gentler and with a bit more compassion in his eyes. Pepper had not so subtly glared at Tony when Peter walked into the embassy, wondering if there was more between the two of them then just an assistant and her king.

Whatever was the case, Tony was more subdued - apologetic as he says, “I was wrong to be so harsh with you, Peter. That wasn’t my best moment.”

Peter shakes his head. “It’s not that. I promise I—“ he takes a deep breath, “I just don’t think I’m meant to do this. I’d be so afraid that I would disappoint the people of Sokovia.”

Peter glances away before looking back to Tony as he says, “And I couldn’t bear to disappoint you again.” 

Tony looks pained at that, saying, “You could never disappoint me, kid. I’m— I’m sorry I made you feel that way.”

Peter smiles before saying, “It’s okay.”

“It’s not,” Tony says more determinedly, a sad smile on his face. “And you shouldn’t expect that from anyone, much less me.”

Peter says nothing to that, fiddling with the end of his shirt before saying, “What’s gonna happen to Sokovia?”

Tony waved his hand around. “Don’t worry about that. Your aunt was right, Pete. That’s something for the adults to figure out. Not you.”

He leans in, a genuine smile on your face as he says, “But just cause you’re not gonna be our prince doesn’t mean you can’t attend the ball. You okay with Happy picking you up at 7?”

Peter’s knee bobs up and down before shaking his head, “No it’s okay. May’s gonna drive me.”

The lie comes easily to Peter, Tony laughing to himself before saying, “Figures. Your little friend coming too? Ted?”

“Ned. Yeah he is,” Peter amends, Tony smiling before saying, “And your girlfriend?”

Peter turns bright red at that, rubbing the back of his neck as he says, “She’s not my girlfriend. And um, I don’t— I don’t know.”

Tony hums in acknowledgement, Peter thinking back to the awkward text that he’d sent Michelle.

He didn’t quite know what to do with the knowledge that Michelle actually liked him, especially since now all Peter heard from her was radio silence.

Peter wanted nothing more than to talk to her and explain - but then a part of him wondered if maybe this was for the best, considering the half-baked plan he had in his head.

He knew that everything would be okay - that Tony seemed genuine about inviting him to the ball, that May would love and support him no matter what he chose. 

Choosing not to be the prince of Sokovia had to be the right decision, Peter had proven that.

But the thought of not being the prince of Sokovia and yet still living in New York, knowing the scrutiny and the pressure would never go away made Peter’s skin crawl - an unbearable need to get away from everything and everyone.

Of all the stupid decisions Peter had made lately, there was a part of him that wondered if this was yet another one.

But Peter doesn’t say a word, already thinking of what he could possibly say in his note to May. 

Peter drops his hood over his head, the subway car rattling forward as his knee bounced up and down.

He didn’t have a plan - not a good one anyway, his one-track mind to getting out of New York faltering slightly as he considered what he was doing.

What was he doing? Peter sighed, curling into himself even more - waves of shame washing over him.

What would Ben think if he saw him now? Running away? Avoiding responsibility? Just like he had the night Ben died, forgetting to lock the door at the shelter they were volunteering at - leading to the mugger who came in from the back.

Peter closed his eyes, the hum of the subway the only thing he can focus on - beating himself up over the head as he thinks of Ben.

Ben wanted nothing to do with his royal life, doing the exact same thing as Peter - albeit when he was eighteen. It shouldn’t feel him with guilt to follow in his uncle’s footsteps, not when the fact that Ben never told him about this whole other life must have meant that he never wanted Peter to have to accept it.

I wanted you to be better . 

Tony’s words come right back into focus at that, Peter opening his eyes - remembering how sharply they had hit, not just for what they said but from the look in his eyes. Eyes that were undeniably the same as Ben’s.

Peter’s hands begin to shake, a new sense of panic running over him.

What was he doing ? He couldn’t run away - not now, not ever. May and Tony deserved better than that, but so did Peter - the promise he made to Ben in his dying moments to never give up rushing back to him.

He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t run away. Not from New York.

Not from his responsibility. 

He had to do this - thinking of Michelle’s words once again. He’d made a mistake, but it wasn’t the end of the world. Peter had a lot to learn but that was just it - he had to learn , something he’d never get the chance to do if he gave up his shot at making a real difference. 

“I’m sorry, Ben. I’ll make it right,” Peter says, glancing up and looking around - wondering if it would be too late for him to head back to the ball. 

The subway car rushes up to the next stop, Peter bolting out of his seat and through the subway - pushing past the crowds of people as he heads towards the exit. 

He fishes his phone out of pocket and turns it on, taking two steps at a time.

As soon as the phone turns out, it rings - Peter answering it as he exits the subway.

“Hello?”

“Peter!” He hears Happy say, “Are you alright? What’s—“

“Happy,” Peter interjects, “I’m okay. I promise I’m okay.”

He huffs, a shot of adrenaline rushing through him as he says with a smile, “Can you come pick me up?”

Peter rocked back and forth, staring at the crowd of reporters in front of him - the attendees of the ball all intermixed. 

He was still in his hoodie and converse, shooting a glance to Tony who smiled encouragingly. 

Tony and May had immediately gone searching for him, as soon as they realized what Peter had done - only for Peter to call just as Happy was driving through the city. They hadn’t had enough time to change, Peter rushing forward just as Tony was about to make the announcement.

Now, standing in front of a podium with microphones and cameras all trained on him, Peter wished that he hadn’t been so dramatic and thought to run away in the first place.

He shakes that away, taking a deep breath before saying, “Earlier this evening, I had every intention of giving up my claim to the throne. And my aunt May,” Peter smiles at her, “helped me by telling me that it was okay and by supporting me like she has for my entire life.”

May is beaming at him, Peter taking that as encouragement to continue as he says, “But then I wondered how I'd feel after abdicating my role as Prince of Sokovia. Would I feel relieved? Or would I feel sad? And then I realized how many stupid times a day I used the word ‘I’. In fact, probably all I ever do is think about myself. And how lame is that when there's, like, 7 billion other people out there on the planet and when—“

Tony coughs just then, Peter glancing at him and realizing that he’s rambling. He grimaces, looking back out to the crowd before starting again. 

“But then I thought,” Peter begins, “if I cared about the other 7 billion out there instead of just me, that's probably a much better use of my time. See, if I were Prince of Sokovia then my thoughts and the thoughts of people smarter than me would be much better heard, and just maybe those thoughts could be turned into action.”

Peter takes another deep breath, fingers gripping the podium and summoning up all the courage he can muster as he says, “So when I woke up this morning I was Peter Parker. But now I choose to be forevermore, Peter Benjamin Parker Stark, Prince of Sokovia.”

He immediately hears the cheers and the whistles from the crowd, the clamor of reports barely being overheard as Pepper steps in.

“Please save the rest of your questions for after the ball. Thank you for your time. Enjoy the evening.”

Peter exhales, stepping away from the podium and back towards Tony.

“Hey.”

Tony laughs, smiling at him for a moment before saying, “Come on, kid. Bring it in.”

He leans forward into a hug, Peter feeling surprised for a second before returning it and saying, “Oh. This is nice.”

Tony leans back, the two of them smiling at each other as May rushes toward.

“May, I’m so sorr—“

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she says, engulfing him in a hug. 

“I’m sorry for leaving. I’m sorry that I didn’t—“

“Peter,” May says, letting him out of the hug. “All I care about is that you’re okay. That you’re safe.”

She looks him in the eye, bringing a hand to his chin. “Is this what you want?”

Peter nods, the conviction stirring in his gut as he says, “Yeah, I’m sure.”

May nods at that. “Then we’ll figure everything else out. Starting,” she turns to Tony, “with a better security detail.”

Tony puts a hand up. “Don’t look at me. You take that up with Hogan.”

“Maybe I will,” May says firmly, before glancing back to Peter. “Don’t ever scare me like that again okay?”

Peter shakes his head before saying, “I won’t.”

Tony puts a hand out just then, motioning for Peter to come join him.

“Come on, let’s get you out of these clothes. I got your suit ready for you.”

Peter pauses, looking between the two of them. “Wait, how’d you know that I’d choose to do this? I— I told you I didn’t want to.”

May and Tony share a look, Tony looking back to Peter before saying, “Cause I recognized the same spirit in you as someone else I used to know.”

“Who?” Peter asks, thinking Tony will say something quippy or smart like himself. 

Only for Tony to smile, his eyes crinkling at the side and a glimmer in his eye as he whispers. 

“Ben.”

Peter sighed as he glanced out towards the empty courtyard, glad for a moment of peace.

Officially announcing himself as Prince of Sokovia should’ve felt like a burden but if anything, Peter felt the opposite - emboldened in a way that he hadn’t thought possible.

He was still terrified, a small part of him wondering if he made the wrong decision. But another part of him whispered that it was exactly as it should be, Peter smiling to himself at the thought that the little voice in his head sounded like Ben.

“Hey.”

Peter turns, heart skipping a beat when he sees who it is.

“MJ? You’re uh, you’re here.”

His eyes widen, taking her in. She’s in a dress, something Peter isn’t sure he’s ever seen her in before. It’s green and shimmery, almost sparkling in the moonlight - Michelle’s hair put together in a way he’s never seen it before.

“Yeah, you uh. You invited me. So,” she shrugs, sounding a little more like herself. “Figured I’d show up.”

“You look really pretty,” Peter says, Michelle smirking at him as she walks forward.

“And therefore I have value?”

Peter’s eyes widen, wondering how in the world he’s still messing this up as he shakes his head and says, “No, not— that’s not what I—“

“I’m messing with you,” she says with a smile, Peter’s heart starting to return back to its normal rhythm. “You look pretty too.”

Peter laughs at that, Michelle standing right beside him as he turns to her.

“MJ, I—“

Before he can say anything else, she leans in - Peter completely caught off guard as her lips brush against his.

“You kissed me.”

Michelle blinks, twisting her lips together before saying, “I wasn’t upset because you didn’t invite me to the party.”

“I know,” Peter says, summoning up his courage as he stands up straighter. “Ned told me.”

Michelle smirks at that. “Good old Ned.”

“Yeah,” Peter says, scratching the back of his neck, “he said he’s sick of us. You know.”

“Yeah,” Michelle whispers, “I think I do.”

Peter’s gaze shift down to her lips then back to her eyes as he says, “I really like you.”

Michelle smiles. “I really like you too.”

She leans in again, kissing him quickly - his heart feeling like it was gonna burst out of his chest.

She smiles, Peter taking that as the encouragement to go in for a third time - slower and with more care, slowly bringing a hand up to her arm as they lean in.

When he turned sixteen, Peter hoped that it would be the start of something different. Something new and exciting and maybe a little interesting.

Now he was officially a prince - an unknown future waiting for him to explore.

In his wildest dreams, Peter couldn’t have ever expected that this would be his life - his whole world changing in a few short weeks. 

But then Peter thinks as he brings Michelle in closer, maybe that was okay.

Maybe his life had become something even better.