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It’s a miscommunication.
Somewhere along the lines, Peter started thinking of Tony as his… father-figure. It’s not his fault, really, it’s Tony’s. Why would he do things like check over his homework, take him out for ice cream, invite him to stay at the tower every other weekend for takeout and movie nights, if he didn’t want to be thought of like that.
He’s over at the tower for one of his weekends, for father-son bonding as May had said when he’d said Tony wanted to watch Scream that night, but it would be the fourth weekend in a row in which he lost to Peter’s movie suggestion.
Nothing’s out of the ordinary. They’re eating pizza on the couch, Peter’s already in his pajamas, Ferris Bueller is playing on the TV – Peter had originally suggested Clueless but Pepper couldn’t join them until the second movie and she wanted to see that one with them – and Peter’s rambling about his and Ned’s most recent Lego set they’d completed. It’s the perfect Movie Night.
And then Captain America steps out of the elevator.
Of course, Peter knew that Tony was talking to Steve, trying to mend their mistakes. He even knew that there was supposed to be a meeting on Monday. Tony hadn’t wanted to keep it from Peter, despite wanting to keep him out of it.
Tony straightens, setting his slice of pizza down in the box. Within a fraction of a second, his expression goes from the soft, proud, happiness he’d had looking at the photos Peter had taken of Ned and their Lego, to calm, cool and collected.
Peter isn’t so graceful, fumbling for the remote to pause the movie and running a hand through his hair, further mussing his curls, eyes going unbelievably wide like a deer caught in the headlights.
Captain America looks just as flustered which makes Peter feel just a fraction better.
“I’m sorry, this is a bad time,” Steve says slowly.
“It’s okay!” Peter says, tugging his sleeves over his hands. “I can go to my room for a bit and you guys can talk, it’s okay, I’ve seen this movie like a thousand times before and I was more excited about Clueless, anyway, and Pepper won’t be back for another hour. I should probably call Ned, too, so we can talk about the upcoming English presentation.”
Tony catches his elbow as he goes to stand up. “You sure, kid? This is your weekend.”
Peter looks over Tony’s expression carefully, trying to find any hint of desperation, a reason to kick Steve out, but all he finds is an apologetic calm.
“It’s fine, really.” He tries for a smile. “Is it cool if I take…”
He trails off, one hand gesturing awkwardly at the pizza box.
Tony huffs out a laugh. “I might be a billionaire but you’re going to eat me out of house and home, kid.”
Peter pouts childishly. “I’m a growing teenager.”
“Take it, go, we won’t be more than half an hour, promise.”
He hops to his feet, picking up his phone and pizza box. He turns to the captain. “FRIDAY’s listening, so if you say something stupid, I will kick your ass.”
Steve doesn’t know he’s Spider-Man, but his eyes go wide, like he really is scared of a scrawny teenage boy hurting him. “Sure thing, son.”
It’s not his fault that he overhears. It’s not his fault that he has superhearing. It’s not his fault that Steve doesn’t know that.
So, around the corner and halfway down the hall, he hears Steve say, “How old is he?”
Peter freezes, fearing he’d been caught in his Spider-Man secret, but Tony’s voice give away any nerves. “Sixteen.”
“Wow,” Steve says. “How long have you…”
“Just over a year.”
“You didn’t say that you had a kid.”
Tony chokes. “I- What?”
“A kid. He was yours, right?”
“No!” Tony gasps. “God, no. It’s not- He’s not- I… He’s an intern, that’s all.”
Peter’s chest tightens. That’s all.
And as though he hasn’t already dug himself a hole, Tony keeps going, “You think I could be parent, Cap? That’s funny. I don’t want kids, never have, never will.”
God, he sounds like it would be the worst thing under the sun to be Peter’s dad. He’s been kidnapped, tortured, nearly killed time and time again, and yet he makes it sound like being Peter’s dad would be worse than all of that.
Peter closes himself in his room before he can hear anymore. He shouldn’t have assumed Tony would want to be thought of that way, it’s clear he blew things out of proportion, he’s just an intern, a superhero-in-training, a liability. He knew that from the start, he just figured with how much their relationship has grown, maybe there would be the possibility for more.
A liability. An intern. That’s all.
*
“Hey, kid, sorry about that, there’s going to be a proper Avengers meeting tomorrow and Cap had some questions, but it’s all been sorted. Pepper should be back in- Hey, you okay? You’re looking a little pale.”
“I think I might turn in early, if that’s okay. I’m really tired.”
Tony frowns, hands twisting. “What’s going on, kid? Was it Steve? I know it’s weird for him to-”
“It’s not him! I’m just not feeling well. I think I ate too fast.”
Tony doesn’t look convinced but he nods anyway. “Okay, Roo, but if you need anything or if there’s something on your mind, you know where to find me, okay?”
And for a moment, he can picture it. Picture Tony actually thinking of him as his kid, like he’s family. Picture Tony coming to parent-teacher nights at Midtown, being proud of Peter’s half-decent grades and Academic Decathlon standing, boasting to the other parents that his kid is going to go far.
But he remembers the disgust in Tony’s voice at the thought of being Peter’s dad, and his shoulders curl in a little further.
“Yeah, of course. I’ll see you in the morning. Night.”
He turns away before Tony can saying anything more. He’s a bad liar and every second talking to him is another second Tony gets closer to finding out the truth. If anything could ruin their precarious relationship, it’s Tony finding out how Peter feels about him.
*
“I don’t need a father figure!” Peter says, mid-rant to Ned the next day. He needed an excuse not to spend time with Tony all day, so he invited Ned and MJ out for coffee. He had spent the whole night tossing and turning, unable to stop thinking about what Tony said, how he said it, what that meant.
Ned coughs to try and cover his laugh, and Peter pouts at him.
“You have massive daddy issues, Peter,” MJ says with a nonchalant shrug. “I say that from a place of love as someone with similar mommy issues.”
“That doesn’t mean I should drag Mister Stark into my problems.”
“I still can’t believe he said that!” Ned gasps. “Say it again, word-for-word.”
“He said I hate kids, I would never be a parent, especially not to Peter.”
Ned and MJ roll their eyes in sync, they’ve both been around Peter long enough to have identical reactions to his behaviour. Peter huffs into his hot chocolate.
“Peter, dude, listen, you’re completely blowing it out of proportion. He probably only said that because Captain America was there. You can’t say that you haven’t lied because you’re flustered.”
Peter huffs again. “I don’t need a father figure! I don’t need him to be anything more than he’s already been for me. He’s Tony Stark. And I’m, you know, me.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ned says. MJ’s drawn a tic-tac-toe board on her napkin, he has no idea where she got a pen from, and she’s passing it to Ned.
“I’m… I’m a nobody. Without the mask, I’m just a kid with good grades and no money and who gets bullied by a kid with the name Flash.”
MJ rolls her eyes again. She’s winning the game of tic-tac-toe. “I’m not here to listen to you fish for compliments.”
“I’m not!” Peter whines. “I just need to know how to stop thinking of him as anything more than a begrudging mentor.”
“You can’t,” she deadpans. She finally looks up from the tic-tac-toe game she’s won. “He wouldn’t have personalized a room for you down the hall from his own if he didn’t want you around. If he were just putting up with you, annoyed with the liability, he wouldn’t be your friend, he’d be like a manager.”
Peter finishes off his hot chocolate. “He’s going to be at an Avengers meeting tonight so I have a while to mull it over, I guess.”
“Dude! You’re an Avenger!”
Peter freezes. Oh shit.
*
“You’re freaking out.”
“I’m not freaking out.”
Tony levels him with a disbelieving look, straightening his own tie before turning back to Peter. “You’re just going to be there as my intern who helps with Avengers weaponry and other things, so that’s why you’re there. You can offer drinks, you can’t drink anything with alcohol and you’re limited to one carbonated drink, you can snack all you want but if you’re uncomfortable, I will be ordering take-out after it’s all done. I just want you there so you can hear what’s discussed, there’s no pressure to tell the team about your identity.”
“That’s not why I’m nervous.” He doesn’t mean to say it, but he doesn’t want Tony to ramble about accommodations for the party.
“What’s making you nervous?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
Peter blurts, “I’m a big fan of Doctor Banner’s work and I want to make a good impression.”
Tony lifts an unimpressed eyebrow. “Right.”
“I’m serious! He’s my second biggest idol.”
Tony’s mouth twitches. “Second?”
Before Peter has to face that embarrassment, Pepper knocks on the door. “Time to face the music, boys.”
Peter trails behind as Tony marches down a floor and into the conference room where the Avengers have congregated. Peter doesn’t have any fancy clothing and it was on short notice so Tony didn’t have time to get anything altered for him, so he’s wearing jeans with rips in the knees, a t-shirt that he tie-dyed when he was in middle school for Ned’s sister’s birthday party that’s a little too short for him to still be wearing, with his duct-taped sneakers. In comparison to Tony with one of his fanciest suits, Peter looks like a stray he picked up off the streets. The nerves seem to have overridden the exhaustion so he’s halfway to bouncing off the walls.
Peter knows they’ve seen each other in person since the incident but it still feels weird to see them all acting like friends and not like a high school reunion.
Eventually, conversation turns to him.
“This is my personal intern, Peter. He helps with Avengers tech, so he’s just here to learn who he’s making tech for, that’s all.”
That’s all.
And he knows Tony doesn’t mean it in a malicious way, but it feels like he’s been stabbed – and he would know, he gets stabbed just about every other week. He keeps his face as neutral as he can and he shifts nervously from foot to foot, one of his shoes squeaking.
He lifts a hand as a wave and his wrist trembles noticeably and when he shifts back on his feet, the duct tape holding the bottom of right shoe on peels a little. It’s entirely a reflex to lift his foot up to put the tape back in place and then everyone’s staring at him with wide eyes because his shoes are held together with tape.
“It’s, um, an honor to meet you guys.”
“How old are you?” Black Widow asks, narrowing her eyes at him.
“My friend’s a big fan of yours. Well, half-friend. I think. And I think she’s a fan. She’s very confusing when it comes to that kind of thing,” Peter says instead. He’s so nervous, fuck. He tries for a smile. “I’m sixteen.”
Natasha looks at Tony. “Tony Stark doesn’t have personal interns.”
“Well now I do. Anyway-”
“Did you know while this whole mess was going on?”
Steve shakes his head. “There’s no way.”
“Really? He just found out?”
“It’s a sensitive topic apparently.”
“Why would he bring him in here if it was sensitive?”
Natasha and Steve seem like they’re ready to discuss Tony and Peter’s relationship in front of them for as long as their hearts desire and Tony’s just watching, completely unamused but quiet, so Peter rolls his eyes and says, “He’s not my dad. I’m just his intern. That’s all.”
Tony frowns, turning on him. “What’s with the tone?”
“I was just stating a fact. I’m your intern, I’m not your kid, that’s all.” He fights to keep his face impassive.
“Listen, son,” Steve starts in his high and mighty tone.
“I’m not your kid either!” If Peter knew he’d start raising his voice at Captain America, he would’ve found a way out of this. He tries to shake off his anger, but it’s the only thing protecting him from being upset and he doesn’t know what he’ll do if he cries over this.
“Woah, okay, kid, let’s go,” Tony says, taking Peter by the shoulder and guiding him from the room. Peter goes willingly, pouting at the floor as he goes.
They go into a separate conference-type room, something like a living room except there’s a bunch of small targets scattered around the room. A few has arrows in them, all bullseyes.
“What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing’s going on with me.” He gets defensive so much faster than he wishes he had, arms crossed over his chest and eyes stubbornly stuck on the floor. “I’m just a little tired.”
“Bullshit.”
“Nothing’s going on,” Peter repeats resolutely. He lifts his foot to reattach the duct tape again, he’s going to have to redo the duct tape eventually.
Tony frowns at his shoes. “Will you let me buy you a new pair? Jeez, kid, how long have you had those?”
The truth is, probably three or four years now, but he’s not about to tell Tony that.
“I don’t need your money.”
“That’s not what I… Is that what this is about?”
“What?”
“Money. I can pay you for your internship, you know. I can figure out the paperwork with Pepper. You spend so much time here working anyways, you might as well get paid for it.”
Peter’s jaw drops open. If he were just putting up with you, annoyed with the liability, he wouldn’t be your friend, he’d be like a manager.
“I’m not your employee!” Peter practically shouts. He doesn’t want to be upset about this, but every word out of Tony’s mouth just seems to make it worse. “I don’t want to be your employee.”
“I’ll be honest, I’m unbelievably lost right now, kid.” Tony does look genuinely upset and frustrated by his own confusion, and Peter would feel bad if it weren’t for the fact that Tony should understand, should see why his nonchalance to their relationship hurts him so much.
Peter crosses his arms, pouting down at the floor. “I’m not going to spell it out for you. If you don’t understand why I’m upset then clearly we’re nowhere near the same page and that’s my fault. I’m sorry.”
“Kid, listen, clearly something about me calling you my intern is upsetting you, but I don’t see why. You are my intern, aren’t you? I wasn’t about to tell the Avengers you’re in the Avengers Little League without your permission. What else was I supposed to say? That you’re just some kid?”
“Some kid,” Peter repeats. He swallows thickly, heart so heavy in his chest. “I’m just some kid to you?”
“You’re… I don’t know, Pete. You’re Spider-Man. I’m your mentor, isn’t that what I said? You’re my padawan, my ward.”
“I’m your responsibility,” Peter says. “I’m your liability.”
Tony frowns, eyebrows knitting together and forehead creasing. “That’s not what I said.”
“But it’s what you meant. I’m just… Some kid and I get it. I’m sorry for making this into more than what it was and being upset when it wasn’t. I’m just some kid. I’m just. Without the mask, I’m just nothing. And I get it.”
“Where the hell is this coming from?”
Peter takes a deep breath and adjusts the webshooters on his wrists. “Nothing. Nowhere. I’m fine. I just- I’m going to ditch the rest of the meeting. I don’t want to ruin this whole reuniting moment of the Avengers. Not when I’m just some kid. I’ll see you later.”
Peter tries to push past him, ready to change into his suit and disappear before Tony can put the pieces together, but the older superhero grabs him by the elbow, stopping in his tracks.
“Peter, kid, you’re not just anything. I don’t know where you got it in your head that you’re nothing without the mask, but it’s not true. Is this about the jackass from school?”
“It’s not about Flash! It’s about you!” Peter says, letting out a breath. Even if he’s completely wrong about their relationship, the least he can do is explain why. It would be cruel to leave him in the dark if this is it, if this is what ruins everything between them. Tony’s not exactly a stable person, he’d overthink and destroy his mentality and esteem if Peter didn’t explain. He can’t do that. He shakes his head, pulling away from Tony’s hand. “It’s about you.”
“I need you to spell it out, Roo. I’m so confused. And I’m a genius.”
Peter cracks a sad smile before letting it drop. “When this started, I was just a liability. I was a dumb kid and you needed me for the fight in Germany and then you didn’t have a choice but to look out for me. But why take me out for ice cream and celebrate good grades and help me study for tests and have me over for the weekends and make a room for me and have movie nights together? Why do all that if I wasn’t…”
“Oh.”
One syllable and Peter knows it’s over. It’s done. He’ll have to say his goodbyes to his third father-figure. He’ll lose everything again.
Will Tony still let him use the lab to repair his suit? Will Tony still come save him if he finds himself bleeding out in an alleyway? Will Tony still write the letter of recommendation for MIT? Will he let Peter keep the suit? Will Peter lose everyone else too? The Avengers? Happy? Pepper? Karen?
“I’m sorry,” Peter says, crossing his arms over his body protectively, like giving himself a hug. “I just…”
“It’s not your fault, kid. It’s complicated.” Tony’s frowning in that way he did when he found out about the collapsed warehouse.
“You don’t want kids, you don’t see me that way, and I get it. If there’s anyway we could still be, you know, mentor and padawan as you put it, then I’ll forget about it, and if not… I get it. I can pack up the stuff I’ve left around here and get lost.”
“No! God, no, kid, that’s not what I want at all, either of those.” Tony huffs out another sigh. He sits in one of the chairs, head in his hands for a few moments. Finally, he looks up. “You are my kid, Peter. I just can’t be your dad.”
Peter frowns in confusion. “Why not?”
“It’s complicated?”
“Daddy issues?”
Tony laughs, shoulders relaxing a fraction. “Something like that, yeah.”
“You’re talking to the King of Daddy Issues, so if anyone would understand, it would be me.”
“My father wasn’t exactly a good person, Roo,” Tony explains quietly. “What’s considered a father to me is very different to what you’d consider a father. I’m… I don’t want to be him. If I consciously take on that role in your life, I’m scared I’ll turn into him without realizing it and you’re too good of a kid to go through something like that.”
Peter shakes his head emphatically. “You could never be him, Mister Stark.”
“You don’t know that. You’ve had some incredible parental figures in your life so far, kid, and there’s no way I could ever live up to them. I don’t know how to be a parent. I don’t know how to do the right things or be a role model or take care of myself let alone you.”
Peter laughs and then immediately feels bad for laughing. “Even if you didn’t think you were, you’ve been acting like a father-figure to me for months now. And not to feed into your ego anymore, but you’ve been doing a good job.”
“Yeah?”
Peter’s never seen him quite so insecure before.
“Yeah. Last week, you picked me up from school, listened to me ramble about everything and actually listened, bought fast food and ice cream, let me eat it in your crazy expensive car, helped me with my history homework, let me pick the movies for movie night, and let me put my cold feet under your leg. I don’t know how much more you think you need to do to be considered a good dad.”
Tony smiles softly. “It’s not hard when I have such a good kid.”
Peter laughs for a beat and then his smile drops and he swallows thickly, a wave of shame washing over him. “I’m really sorry for freaking out.”
“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s- Daddy Issues, you know?”
“I do know, kid,” Tony says, another sad smile on his face, eyes somewhere far away. “And, listen, I need you to promise me that if I ever do something stupid like I did before, if I’m ever a jackass or oblivious or careless, I need you to just communicate with me. I’m clearly not very good with emotions and I’m new to this whole thing, so just talk to me, tell me what’s going on in that big brain of yours.”
“I will. And if you ever do anything stupid and don’t fix it, you’ll have both May and Pepper to deal with, so if that doesn’t keep you in line, you’re a lost cause.”
Tony winces dramatically. “God, kid, you have a lot of scary parents on your side.”
There’s a knock on the door and Pepper’s standing in the doorway, smiling fondly at them. “You boys ready to return to the meeting?”
“Ready,” Tony says.
They stand and Tony slings his arm around Peter’s shoulders, pressing a kiss to his head. They follow Pepper back down the hall to the conference room where the Avengers are lounging.
Nat grins when she sees them. “Was I right?”
“You were right,” Tony says, ruffling Peter’s curls who smiles shyly. “My kid.”