Chapter Text
‘Okay, what about this?’
Ned held up an obscenely overpackaged cologne with fancy gold lettering stamped on it. Taking one look at the price tag, Peter’s nose wrinkled for what seemed like the fiftieth time in under an hour.
‘Dude, if I had that much money, I wouldn’t be saving up for college.’
Nodding solemnly in agreement, Ned placed the cologne back where he had grabbed it from a display case. He didn’t put it back into the formation properly and it wobbled perilously before tumbling from the shelf.
Thanks to Peter’s insanely fast reflexes, they were saved having to pay the price of the shattered bottle. They still moved on swiftly under the intense glare of the perfume sales girl who’d been watching them with hawk eyes ever since they entered the store.
It turned out that trying to buy a Christmas present for Tony Stark was a nigh on impossible task. What could Peter possibly buy the man who already had everything? Enlisting Ned’s help after he’d been too embarrassed to ask May, his best friend had loyally accompanied him after school to seek out the perfect gift.
They’d spent hours going to all the best places that New York had to offer, stores that Peter would never have dreamed of stepping foot into if he hadn’t been shopping for Tony. Armani, Gucci, Oscar de la Renta. He’d picked up a tiny bracelet in Tiffany’s for Pepper that had made a severe dent in his savings, and the latest Disney doll for Morgan. She’d watched the movie on repeat the last time Peter had slept over, so he figured the gift would go down well. They’d been relatively easy to buy for, unlike Tony.
Aside from the pressure of finding the perfect gift, their presence in the high-end stores hadn’t been warmly welcomed. In fact, Peter was starting to feel more and more like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman when yet another store clerk started whispering to her colleague while eyeing his ratty jumper.
Thanks to his enhanced senses, Peter was already uncomfortably aware of how much he and Ned stuck out, and not in a good way. They traipsed around in their sneakers and jeans- impossibly threadbare and faded in Peter’s case- and bulky schoolbags threatening to wreak havoc by knocking expensive gifts to the ground every time they moved. The looks they were receiving from the staff and other customers was enough to remind Peter that they didn’t belong here, and his spidey senses itched distractingly.
Ned was blissfully oblivious, talking Peter’s ear off as he examined a table of ties and pocket squares.
‘-not that you even have to worry about college, because Tony will have you all set up, right? He said he had some pull at MIT, he’s basically your dad at this point anyway- ooh, no, wait, what about this?’
He held up the tie with a flourish, and Peter smiled despite himself as he took it. The crimson silk with gold embroidery was a bit on the nose, sure. It was also very Tony, and he thought his father figure mentor would approve of the gift. Looking at the price tag made his stomach somersault nervously, but whatever. It was worth it.
‘You’re a genius, Ned. But he’s not my dad- he has his own family now.’
Ned snorted.
‘Yeah, which you’re a part of. C’mon dude, you sleep around at the Tower most weekends, you’re constantly in the lab with him after school, Morgan calls you her brother!’
Peter flushed.
‘She’s only saying that because she’s too young to know any better.’
Right on cue, Peter’s phone blared obnoxiously loudly, attracting a few scowls from their fellow shoppers. The ‘Shoot to Thrill’ ringtone could only mean one thing, and Peter beamed widely as he picked up the phone.
‘Hey, Mr Stark!’
‘Hey Pete, how’s my favourite spiderkid doing? Not getting into any trouble I hope?’
Peter’s eyes widened as he watched Ned’s bag nearly knock the rest of the ties onto the ground, and narrowly avoid disaster by yanking his friend out of the way. Judging by the steely glares of the snooty cashier, Peter knew it was high time they left.
‘Er no, nothing important going on here, nope definitely not, don’t know why you’d ask such a thing.’
Clutching the tie as if worried Tony could see it through the phone, he subtly tried to put it under his arm, then released exactly how awful that would look. Shoplifting charges would totally not be a cool way to start the holidays.
Tony chuckled, and the warm sound filled Peter with ease. His mentor had become much more relaxed after retiring as Iron Man following the events with Thanos. Not that he’d ever say it to Tony’s face, but retirement suited him.
‘Uh huh, sure kid. You have a terrible poker face and I can’t even see it right now. Don’t tell me I’m going to have to put a tracker in you as well as your suit?’
Peter blushed furiously.
‘It’s bad enough that you track me in the suit, I can take care of myself you know’ he mumbled, waving Ned over to the till point.
‘It’s not about that, kid. It’s about knowing you’re safe.’
The man paused, as if remembering something distant yet raw at the same time.
‘You know… the last five Christmases weren’t the same without you, Pete.’
Peter blinked. Of course he wasn’t an idiot, and knew exactly what lengths Tony had gone through to bring him back. He remembered the fierce hug that Tony had swept him into, the kiss goodbye on his forehead when he’d returned Peter to a weeping May. Their relationship had only grown from there, and it made Peter smile to think of how far they’d come since their first fateful meeting featuring badly made walnut date loaf and an even poorer spider suit.
But Tony hadn’t changed the structure of time and space just to bring him back. Half the world had been snapped along with Peter. Tony had just been doing what was right, risking life and limb to set everything back to how it was- albeit five years in the future. He was a hero, and that’s what heroes did. He’d have done it for anyone.
‘So naturally,’ the man continued ‘when I get a call from May asking if you’re with me because you haven’t been home after school, I have a right to be concerned.’
Eyes widening, Peter took a quick look at his phone to see he’d missed six calls from his aunt.
‘Crap.’
Peter couldn’t imagine the pain May had endured, having lost both Ben and then Peter. She didn’t like to talk about it, but he had seen the haunted look in her eyes when she thought he wasn’t looking, the way she hugged Peter more tightly than ever before, the reduced shifts at work so she could make up for lost time with him. Guilt trickled uneasily down his spine as he thought of her pacing the apartment, restlessly running her hands through her hair.
‘So what gives, kid?’
Racking his brains, Peter decided honesty was the best policy.
Within reason.
‘I’m sorry, Mr Stark, I screwed up. I went out after school to buy May’s present on the downlow, but I didn’t want to lie to her. I guess I figured she’d think I was with you…?’
He trailed off lamely.
‘Don’t sweat it, Pete. As far as May knows, you’re in the lab with me right now.’
Peter heaved a sigh of relief.
‘Thanks Mr Stark. I don’t know what she’d do if she thought I was missing again.’
‘Sure thing. Just…’
The man paused again, and Peter held his breath, not sure whether to expect a lecture on responsibility. It wouldn’t be the first time, after all.
‘Let me know next time, yeah? I won’t tell May, but you need to tell at least one of us before you go off grid like that. Otherwise, you kinda make us suck at this co-parenting thing.’
Ned, who’d been eagerly eavesdropping on the entire conversation, fist pumped in victory as Peter’s brow furrowed. He’d always thought the ‘co-parenting’ comments were a joke…
‘U-uh, sure, Mr Stark. I’ll do that.’
‘That’s what I like to hear. Anyway, Pete, I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I’ll have to cancel our lab sessions next week. You know how busy it gets with Christmas, and I have my hands full with a certain toddler-’
‘PETEY!!!’ Morgan shrieked down the phone in greeting ‘PETEY PETEY PEEETEEEY!’
Peter laughed, letting the sound cover up the sting of disappointment. As much as he loved Morgan and Pepper, lab time was the only time he had with Tony one on one, just the two of them.
‘It sure is, little miss, but remember that Petey has sensitive hearing, yeah? So maybe don’t scream at the top of your lungs when he can hear you just fine’ Tony admonished gently. Morgan was the spit of her parents- determined, incredibly bright and energetic, a bundle of joy to be around. Tony was always so patient with her, unconditional love shining out of his eyes as he gazed down at his only child.
Swallowing around the sudden lump in his throat, Peter blinked away the moisture pooling in his eyes.
‘Hey Mo,’ he replied softly ‘are you excited for Christmas?’
‘’Excited’ would be an understatement,’ Tony said dryly ‘you haven’t stopped talking about it, have you little miss?’
‘Daaaddy,’ Morgan whined, and Peter could almost see her burying herself into her father’s neck ‘when is Petey coming over for Christmas? Is he coming to California with us? I wanna play dolls with him!’
Peter’s heart almost stopped, hearing Tony pause awkwardly. Tony hadn’t mentioned anything about going to California, and why should he? Peter wasn’t family.
He didn’t want to stay on the phone, couldn’t listen to Tony try and awkwardly explain to Morgan that her ‘brother’ wasn’t involved in their Christmas plans.
‘No worries about lab time Mr Stark, I understand. But- um, I-I gotta go now. Speak later.’
He hung up, ignoring the splutter from the other end of the phone, and tucked it hastily back into his pocket.
‘Dude,’ Ned breathed, his eyes wide ‘did you just hang up on your dad?!’