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The longer that Tony knew Peter, the more he learned about the boy. He still had a lot of questions, but for every answer he received, there were at least another two questions.
Some of the things he learned about Peter came from Peter himself. Either prompted or unprompted.
He learned that Peter had known Norman Osborn. But, he didn’t know how or why he knew Osborn.
He learned that Peter hadn’t always been enhanced, but he didn’t know how his enhancement came to be. Peter had said it wasn’t from the X gene.
He didn’t exactly get why Peter had decided to call himself Spider-Man. When he had asked all Peter had said was - “Because I am a Spider-Man.” Whatever that meant.
Some of the things he learned (most of them) he learned because he watched Peter. Not obsessively or creepily. He just did some slight digging, maybe a little bit of hacking.
He learned Peter’s schedule and would drop by whenever he was working the closing shift. The shift when there was next to nobody. He didn’t know why Peter kept picking that shift. When did the kid sleep? Peter said that he had time to sleep and that he always got the sleep he needed. But, Tony never knew when that was. It seemed like the boy was always going.
Not that he had much room to talk
One of the most important things that Tony learned about Peter was that he showed affection through his actions.
It was something that Tony had to work to get used to. As months passed, he had gotten somewhat used to it though. It still left a warm feeling in his chest, but, the disbelief and shock had slowly faded.
Tony was no longer fazed when a cup of coffee or a muffin from the coffee shop Peter worked at appeared on his desk or counter. He was no longer fazed when he would walk into the kitchen to see Peter in the middle of making food for them.
He’d even gotten used to Peter dropping by when he was in the middle of a lab binge. When he learned that the music bothered Peter’s ears he had FRIDAY programmed to turn the volume down whenever Peter entered.
He had gotten used to Peter making sure that his fridge was stocked. He’d even gotten used to turning around and just seeing Peter lounge on the couch or do his own work at the station Tony had set up for him.
Peter stared blankly at the station.
“All yours, kid.” Tony gestured with a smile, trying to hide the anxiety that was swelling in his chest. Inwardly chanting and hoping that Peter didn’t reject this, reject him.
Peter turned to him and then looked back at the station then gave a soft smile. “Thank you, Tony.”
Tony waved his hand and discreetly let his shoulders sag in relief. “I’ve seen what you’re capable of with stuff that you found out of a dumpster and I can’t wait to say what you can do with stuff that’s not from a dumpster.”
But, nothing could have prepared him for this. Tony blinked at the flowers laying on his desk. It was a bouquet of sunflowers. Turning his gaze just beside the bouquet, a Twix bar and a note sat beside them.
"Don't question me.” And a doodle of the spider symbol.
-
Hours later, Tony walked into his lab where Peter was waiting for him idly scrolling on his phone while petting Dum-E.
"Did you buy me flowers?" Tony asked, sitting on the couch next to Peter.
"Mayhaps," Peter replied, a telling smile on his face.
Tony frowned, confused, "Why?"
"My motives are beyond your comprehension." Peter dodged, waving a dismissive hand.
Instinctively and without missing a beat, "I doubt that."
With an exaggerated sigh, Tony moved so that he could tuck his cold feet under Peter. "Come on, Peter! Tell me!"
Peter tossed his phone to the side and gave Tony his full attention. "Do I have to have a reason to buy you flowers?"
"Um. Yes. C'mon Petey-pie apple pie. I wanna know what exactly went through your mind when you got these flowers."
Peter raised an unimpressed brow, “Don’t call me that. Also, you could never understand my motives.”
Tony did not shift his gaze off of Peter.
Peter lasted against Tony's (pleading) gaze for five seconds before groaning and caving. "Fine. Once upon a time, I was on my way home, saw someone was selling sunflowers, thought 'I should get some for Tony', so I bought a bouquet and gave them to you. The end. Do you want me to tuck you in now?"
Tony processed the story, then shook his head. "Nope. There has to be more to the story."
Peter narrowed his eyes, "There really isn't. Stop prying."
"There is more! Otherwise, it wouldn't be prying. So, spill."
Peter leveled Tony with a warning look. A look that Tony, of course, did not pick up on. At all.
"Did you break something? Do you want something? Is it a special occasion? Oh, no, did I forget something? What day is it? FRI-"
"Tony." Peter interrupted. "Did you not like the flowers?"
Tony shook his head and answered with an honesty that Tony didn’t know he was capable of. "I did! I'm just confused, why would you get me flowers?"
“Why can’t I? Friends get each other flowers all the time. You just have to be careful about what flowers you get them.”
Tony pursed his lips. “I know that there is more to the story.”
Peter shrugged. “Okay, Tony. Let me know when you figure it out.”
Tony flopped into a laying position on the couch, “So you admit it!”
“Yep.”
“But, you won’t tell me?”
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
Peter turned to him with a teasing smile on his face. One that let Tony know the next line out of his mouth was going to be something snarky. “Because I like the thought of me taking up space in that big brain of yours.”
Tony rolled his eyes. Typical. Oh, well. He’d figure it out. Eventually. In the meantime, he allowed Peter to distract him with a new web formula combination.
.
‘Dwarf, Sunflowers.’
‘What?’
‘That’s the kind of flowers I got you’
Tony hummed and filed that knowledge away. Right now he needed to figure out how to pot this plant and make sure it stayed alive for as long as possible.
-
There were no other flowers that appeared in the next few days. And it had almost slipped his mind until another bouquet had appeared.
This time it was a bouquet of Yellow Tulips. This was a flower that Tony had recognized.
There was also another note: “I’m glad you like the sunflowers.”
Tony belatedly realized he was smiling as he held the bouquet.
.
Walking into the lab he saw Peter sitting at his workstation fiddling with the mask of his suit.
“Tony, perfect timing. I want to show you something.”
Tony felt a warm feeling wash over him as he watched Peter light up when he saw him. He didn’t ever think he’d get used to someone being so genuinely happy to see him. Especially not someone as good as Peter Parker.
Tony set the tulips on the desk, “What am I looking at here, Pete?”
Peter shifted the mask so that Tony could see better, “You see these lenses?”
Tony nodded, “Yes, what about them?”
Peter slid out a thin film, “I can see a lot better than an average person.”
“Like, 20/15?”
“Even better. However, my eyes are also very sensitive to light. It’s very helpful at night or in dark abandoned warehouses. Seriously, go in one of those and cut the power - they start freaking out. It’s hilarious.” Peter shook his head to refocus himself. “But, during the day, it sucks a lot.”
Tony nodded, “So, you can see in the dark?”
“Yeah, better than a human can, at least.”
Tony flicked him on the forehead, “Quit speaking like you’re not human.”
“Well, when I’m talking about my mutation, I can’t help it.”
Tony softened, “Just because you’re enhanced doesn’t mean you’re not fully human.”
Peter shot him a confused look. “No, I’m not fully human.”
“What do you mean?”
Peter blinked, “Tony, I’m part spider.”
Tony froze and his mind blanked. “What?”
“Yeah. When I got bit by the spider at Oscorp it changed my DNA. It’s now a mix between a human and a spider.”
Tony took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. “I accept you no matter what, but, uh, why did I not know about this? I’ve known you for, what, almost a year and I am just now finding out you’re part spider.”
“I told you that I was a spider man.”
“I thought- never mind. I don’t know what I thought.” Tony buried his head in his hands.
There was a moment of silence, both for Tony’s sanity not that Rhodey would ever agree that he had any and so that he could process things.
Then Peter, the helpful bastard, added: “Truthfully, I thought you knew.”
“How?! How would I have known?! Explain to me!” Tony asked as he flailed his arms.
Peter chuckled, “I call myself Spider-Man, I use webs to swing around, and I can stick to stuff. Seriously, how did you not guess?”
Tony glared and tried to resist the urge to throttle him. “Okay, you swing around with technology and webs you created in a lab…”
“I only started creating them in a lab after a few months.”
“...And being strong and sticky does not scream spider- I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“I can create webs biologically. I just prefer to create them in a lab. Since it’s easier on my body.”
“I don’t believe you.” Tony shook his head.
Peter scoffed and shoved his wrist out. Shooting a web on Tony’s knee. Without wearing web shooters. “Believe me now?”
Tony stared at his knee for a moment, “First of all, get this off of me. Second of all, I wanna see.”
Peter got to work on removing the web from Tony’s leg. Tony was only slightly envious of the way Peter was able to grab and release the web. A web’s stickiness was one of the reasons that Tony did not like them. It took forever to get them off.
After a moment of hesitation, Peter passed over his wrist. And sure enough, there was a hole in his wrist.
“It’s a spinneret. Not a hole.” Peter corrected.
Tony hummed and put pressure on it, which made Peter yank his wrist back.
“I did not say you could do that. I said you could look.” Peter glared at him and held his wrist close to his chest.
Tony half considered making a joke but decided it would not go over well. “Sorry, I didn’t think.”
Peter took a deep breath and relaxed slightly. “It’s alright. It just felt really weird.”
Tony tilted his head and decided it was time to change the subject. “So, what else can you do?”
“I have a sixth sense. It makes it impossible for surprise attacks to work.”
Tony raised a brow, “Then how come I always spook you?”
Peter pursed his lips and he looked away. “I thought we agreed that you’re just really good at sneaking up on people?”
“We did not agree on that, ever. In fact, I seem to remember denying that.”
Peter huffed and mumbled something under his breath.
Tony furrowed his brows, “What?”
Peter scowled and looked away, his ears were slightly red, “It doesn’t work around you. It has never worked around you.”
“So what does that mean for me?”
“It means that you are one of the few people my mutation likes. And has never considered a threat. Congratulations.”
“So, it’s good?”
Peter shrugged, “It used to piss me off. Back when I first met you, it drove me crazy. But, now I understand why.”
Tony looked around and waited for Peter to elaborate. And when he didn’t, “Wanna share with the class?”
Peter smiled and produced a box of chocolates.
Tony spluttered, “Where did you get that? Where were you keeping that?”
“Up your butt and around the corner,” Peter responded without missing a beat.
Tony scoffed before remembering something. “That reminds me! Did you know one guy had a brown recluse spider in his ass?”
“Tony, what the fuck?!”
“You did this.” Tony pointed at Peter, “Until you said that, all thoughts of the recluse in that guy’s ass had faded from my mind.”
“I’ll never say that phrase again. If you promise to stop bringing shit like this up.”
“I make no promises. If it comes up, it comes out.”
“I almost don’t want to give these to you now.” Peter looked down at the chocolates in his hands.
Tony gasped, “No, wait, please. I didn’t get lunch.”
Peter pulled the box further away from Tony’s grabbing hands. “What? You didn’t eat lunch? I’ll make you something. What do you want?”
“The box of chocolates in your hand, the one that you’re walking away with!” Tony called from his chair as Peter exited the lab.
Tony grumbled before getting up and trailing after him.
.
A few days passed and Tony was returning to his office after a long meeting. He had three ideas and had only managed to get them to agree with one of them. But, that was fine. Progress was progress. As slow going as it was.
The sight of a bouquet on his desk lifted his mood considerably. Next to it was a coffee, still hot and fresh, and some donuts.
‘You’re a saint’
‘The guy I beat up last week would say otherwise.’
‘Good thing I’m not asking him. And I thought you didn’t beat people up?’
‘Exception not the rule’
Tony downed the coffee and started working on the donuts. He was halfway through the box when he noticed the note. “This is probably my favorite one.”
‘White Camellias. Have you made any progress?’
‘No. I’m waiting you out’
‘Good luck. Let me know when you crack.’
.
The next bouquet came the next day. This time Tony discovered it after a long day of meetings. When he was ready to either rip his hair out and scream or burst into tears. One of the two.
Tony sniffed, truthfully he was leaning more toward the latter option at the moment.
This time the note had the flower name ‘Yarrows’ and a message. “Have you figured it out?”
Tony grabbed the candy with a shaky hand. Tony furrowed his brows and picked off the sticky note that was on the back of the candy bar.
It looked like a URL.
Tony grabbed his phone and typed it in.
‘Flower Meanings: The Language of Flowers’
Tony blinked and began to type in the name of each flower he had received. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the white camellia’s meaning.
.
“You’re ridiculous,” Tony announced as he walked into the lab.
Peter hummed and looked up from where he was stitching together one of Tony’s old shirts. It had a tear in the bottom from a previous lab accident.
Tony fought to keep a smile off his face. He lost. “I have no idea if I did this right, but, here.”
Peter tilted his head at the bouquet. “Heliotropes?”
“Correct! Point for you.” Tony held out the bouquet for Peter to grab.
Peter smiled as he grabbed it. “I assume that means you know what the others meant?”
Tony nodded. “Personally, I think the tall, sunflowers would have been more fitting.”
Peter tapped Tony with his foot, “Hush. I picked out each flower and had to jump through a lot of hoops to get my hands on every kind of flower.”
“And I appreciate it. Maybe not the white camellias, but-”
“I thought those were very accurate.” Peter interrupted with a shit-eating grin.
“I assure you they are not.”
“Two against one, Tony,” Peter said in a sing-song voice.
Tony huffed and crossed his arms, “Who is the second one?”
“My mutation.”
Tony snorted, “Nice try.”
Peter ignored his response. “My mutation and I are entitled to our own opinion. If you complain again I will begin to leave webs everywhere.”
“Please don’t.”
“Then no more complaining.”
Tony sat on the couch and kicked his feet into Peter’s lap. Peter resumed his sewing with a content smile on his face.
Tony smiled to himself.
Maybe this time he would be brave enough to say those three words.