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The only sound that could be heard in the living room was Peter tapping his heel against his chair, and it was driving Tony insane.
Peter had been staring at the paper on his desk for the past ten minutes, wiggling his pencil in his hand.
Tony sighed as he walked over to him. "Ok, what's up, kid? I can hear you overworking your brain from whatever it is that's bothering you."
Peter looked up at him. "I'm just doing my Chemistry homework. It's pretty hard."
Tony looked unconvinced. He knew full well that Peter was the top student in that class. To Peter's relief, though, Mr. Stark decided not to push. He would talk about it when he was ready.
"Hey, what if we go out for ice cream? You can take a break from school work and get some vitamin d."
Petter only nodded in response.
They were in Tony's car now, driving to the ice cream shop downtown. Tony kept glancing at Peter, who was staring out the window, lost in his thoughts. He wished he could make him feel better with a snap of a finger. He was Tony Stark, for crying out loud! He could probably make it happen. Throw in some money to make some invention that would instantly make this kid happy.
His kid. Even if they weren't blood-related, Tony was the most significant father-figure Peter had, and Tony would do anything to keep his kid happy.
"You sure you're ok, Pete?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." He kept staring out the window. Usually, he would be chatting his ear off about what he had learned at school or about his favorite tv shows. At this point, Tony knew almost everything about Star Wars without having watched a single episode.
"You know you can tell me anything, right?"
This time Peter turned to look at him. "I know."
After they got their ice cream cones, they went back into the car.
"Mint chocolate chip will forever be the best flavor. Don't know why you got boring old vanilla." Tony joked.
Usually, Peter always had a rebuttal, ranting about which flavor was best accompanied by a grin on his face. Now, Peter seemed . . . lost in his own thoughts.
"Aren't you gonna eat your ice cream?" Tony nudged his shoulder.
A moment of silence passed, and Peter finally talked. "I didn't know what ice cream flavor I liked. When I figured it out, I was happy knowing it because I spent so much time trying to figure it all out. And then I figured out I didn't even like ice cream cones. I thought I finally knew, but now I'm doubting myself. Again"
Ok, so now he was talking. But Tony had no idea what it was he was referring to! He was definitely not talking about ice cream. God, why couldn't this kid make it easier for him?
Peter continued. "I mean, I know I wouldn't want to ever eat ice cream with a cone because it's gross, but maybe with the right . . . ice cream it wouldn't be. I mean, I know I don't like cones, but I still have doubts, and they just won't go away."
Tony sat with what Peter had told him, having some kind of an idea of what he was talking about, and thought up a response. "Well, lots of people like to eat ice cream alone. It's ok if you don't like ice cream cones. Anyone that makes fun of you for it or forces you to eat ice cream cones can come to me, and I'll take care of them." He said, which earned him a small smile. "And if you're not sure if you like to eat ice cream cones, you'll find the answer, ok? With the right support system and time."
Peter stared at his feet, tears welling up in his eyes. He looked at Tony with a small smile. "Thank you, Mr. Stark."
"Come here." Tony extended his arms out for a hug, and with a smile, Peter accepted it. "Just so we're clear, we were talking about asexuality, right?"
Peter backed away and laughed. "Yeah."
"And you actually do like ice cream cones? 'Cause if you don't, I can buy you some-"
"No, I do like ice cream cones, Mr. Stark." He still had a smile on his face, which in Tony's opinion, suited him perfectly.
"Maybe this means that you are asexual. Maybe it means that you're not. Whatever it is that you are, you're still you, Peter. And I will always love the person that you are and the person you will become." He said. "You're not alone in this, bud. You have me, Ned, MJ, May. The whole Avengers team. We're here for you."
"Thank you."
"Don't ever hesitate to tell me about your troubles. And next time, please make it straightforward for me."
A grin crept up on Peter's face. "Or bi-forward."
"Ok, you know what? I take that back. If you're going to be making those bad puns, don't talk to me at all." He said as he struggled to keep a smile off his face.
"Oh, come on, Mr. Stark, you liked my pun!" Peter laughed. "You're smiling."
Now it was Tony's turn to laugh. "Whatever you say, kid, just eat your ice cream."