Work Text:
“Which car are we taking, Mr. Stark?” Peter asked as they entered the garage.
“Oh we’re not taking a car this time,” Tony grinned. When May had mentioned Peter’s interest in motorcycles, he’d latched onto it and made a plan “The weather is entirely too nice and we’re going far enough north that the roads should be wide open. We’re taking a bike.”
“A bike?” Peter questioned.
“A motorcycle, Pete. We’re going to take a motorcycle,” Tony chuckled. He wrapped an arm around the kid and led him into a completely different part of the garage. There weren’t nearly as many motorcycles as there were cars. Like so many other things, Motorcycles had been a passing fixation.
“Woah,” Peter said as they came up on the two short rows filled with a dozen and a half or so bikes. They were parked from smallest to largest and none of them were newer than the mid-nineties but they were all in peak condition. Even if Tony wasn't riding them on a regular basis, he had people to keep them maintained. No matter which one the kid was drawn to, it would run and it would run beautifully.
“Which one are we taking out, Pete?” he asked as Peter wandered around giving each motorcycle a good look. “It’s a long ride, so I suggest one of the cruisers, but it’s up to you. We can squeeze onto a sports bike if you’d rather.”
“Aunt May told you I really like motorcycles now, didn’t she,” Peter said, a smile spread from one ear to the other.
Tony smirked. “She might have mentioned it,” he casually replied. “Do you have a preference?”
Peter walked amongst the bikes for several more minutes before settling beside a mid-sized one. “I like this one,” he said, running his hand over the smooth, sparking red and black paint job.
“It’s a pretty standard choice,” Tony replied. He rattled off a few statistics. The make and model, the year it had been purchased, and a few random facts he pulled from the back of his brain. It wasn’t the best bike he owned. He had others that were far more mechanically advanced. But admittedly, it was extremely pleasing to look at. “I like it too,” he finally added. “I think it was one of my first ones.”
Peter’s hand moved from the cool metal to the soft leather seat. “It looks awesome.”
Tony chuckled and disappeared for a moment or two to retrieve what they needed to get going. He grabbed the keys from the lockbox and pulled his favorite red helmet from a locker. The custom helmet he’d ordered for the kid was still in the box. He pulled that out too and went back to where Peter was waiting for him.
“Here,” he said, tossing Peter the helmet and a pair of matching sunglasses. Peter caught them with ease and looked them over. The smile on his face grew impossibly wider.
“Is this for me?” he asked, as though Tony would have ever purchased a vaguely Spider-Man-themed helmet for himself.
“Of course, it’s for you,” he playfully scoffed, then reached over to ruffle the kid’s hair. “You think I would be caught wearing something like that?” Rather than waiting for an answer, he seamlessly moved into a crash course on motorcycle safety. Where to hold on, where to put your feet; what's safe to touch, and what will become too warm for prolonged contact once the bike is running. He calibrated the comm system he’d added to the helmets and explained how they worked. But more importantly, he made sure the kid knew that he should definitely let him know if felt uncomfortable or uneasy at any point during the ride.
As soon as they took off out of the garage, Tony could feel Peter press firmly up against his back and tighten his arms around his middle. He wondered if the kid was using his Spidey-Powers to stick to his shirt as well.
They came up on a corner, Tony slowed down just a little to round it. The bike leaned. Tony swayed along with it while Peter stiffened and fought to stay upright. “Relax, Pete,” Tony soothed through the comms. “It’s physics. Just lean into it.”
Several miles in, Peter finally became more comfortable. He stopped aggressively pulling against the turns. After that, the tightness around Tony’s ribs lessened and he could feel a chin resting on the back of his shoulder.
They stopped at the last gas station at the edge of the city to stretch their legs. After that, the number of buildings they passed began to dwindle and thick trees began to replace them. The road began to wind, weaving naturally through the low hills. Tony picked up the speed just a touch. He chuckled to himself as Peter squeezed him and squealed with delight.
The sun had just started to trend past the treeline when the compound came into view. The motorcycle was parked in the garage and the weekend progressed as planned. They stayed busy with overdue software updates, technical reworkings, training, and equipment upgrades. As such there wasn’t much time to discuss their method of returning back to the city. Tony kept a small collection of cars at the upstate facility. Just to make sure he always had options.
On the morning they were meant to be leaving, Tony checked the weather, smiling at the clear skies and mild temperatures. It would be sunnier than it had been when they'd left, but still optimal conditions for a long ride. Despite the early hour, Peter was unquestionably excited to return to the city in the same manner as they had arrived.
Tony took the bike around to the compound's private gas pumps to fill the tank. When he returned Peter was practically bouncing on his toes in anticipation. The unbounded enthusiasm shot an idea through his head and out of his mouth in a blink. “Do you want to learn how to drive it?” he asked without ever considering the logistics of such an inquiry.
Peter’s eyes lit up for half a second but dulled just as quickly. “I mean, yeah! Of course! I’d love to! But my learner’s permit is only for cars. You need a different one to learn how to drive a motorcycle.”
After allowing all of that to sink in, Tony looked thoughtfully into the distance. “The next six miles is private property that leads into backroads,” he stated. No one had jurisdiction over the compound's land and the area around it was hardly occupied. The likelihood of coming across another vehicle was slim. Absolute worst-case scenario, he could pay the fines and keep Peter’s name out of it. “If you want to learn, I can teach you. We can worry about the necessary state permissions later,” he assured. The word ‘permission’ hung in his head for a moment, prompting a small amendment. “Maybe check with your aunt though.”
Peter pulled out his phone and started to rapidly type into his phone. No more than three minutes passed before he got his answer. Tony could assume it was a positive one based on the grin that had spread across his face.
“She say doesn’t like it but it’s fine just this once,” he happily proclaimed. “I have to get a permit if I want to do it again,”
“Perfect,” Tony replied, clapping his hands together in satisfaction. “Climb on, Buddy. Let’s go over the basics.” He took his time going over the basics. He pointed out the dials and gauges and explained the technicalities of how everything worked. Peter confidently hummed along as he spoke.
“Okay, so typically speaking, you don’t learn to ride with a passenger. It’s twice the weight and twice the required balance, making the learning process a little murky for most people,” Tony said with a so-so wave of his hand. “But in this case, I trust your added Spidey enhancements will make up for that,” he grinned. “However, if you feel uncomfortable at any point or just decide you want to stop, we’ll stop, no questions asked, and switch places. Got it?”
“I got it,” Peter exclaimed, still sitting with his fingers wrapped around the handles. “This is so incredibly awesome!”
Tony chuckled, placing his own helmet on his head before handing Peter his. “Alright, helmet on. Nice and tight just like before,” he said, watching closely as the kid snapped the buckle into place. He wasn’t satisfied. “Turn around let me check it,”
“It’s fine, Mr. Stark. I swear!” Peter grumbled.
“Uh-huh. Let me check it anyway,” Tony replied. Peter turned his head allowing him to give it a tug. Then he unbuckled it and adjusted the straps without saying a word. Even as Peter scoffed. “There we go,” he said while turning his attention back to his own helmet. "If all goes well, you can drive us about twelve miles into the closest town. We’ll grab some breakfast-”
“We already had breakfast,” Peter interjected.
“Okay. We’ll grab you some more breakfast and me some more coffee,” he smirked. “Then I’ll take over. Sounds good?”
Peter grinned so widely, Tony wasn’t sure how it wasn’t hurting his cheeks.
When instructed, Peter turned the key, giggling wildly when the bike roared to life. Tony reiterated a few of the more tedious instructions, semi-prepared to take a small tumble the moment they got started. However, Peter managed to get through it all without a hitch.
Things were mostly quiet after that. Peter concentrated on doing the right things, while Tony offered him tidbits of advice or made small adjustments as needed. However, as Peter grew more comfortable and confident, Tony realized the kid was whooping and hollering as he drove. He didn’t even need the comms system to hear it. He smiled fondly and rolled his eyes.
Once they had exited the compound gates, Tony gave Peter a few directions. The scenery was nice; green fields, blue skies, and empty roads ahead of them. The company was even better. Very few things made him happier than making his kid happy. He relaxed into the bike's movements, one hand still loosely wrapped around his Peter’s waist.
“Nice work, Kid,” he praised as Peter continued to smoothly drive them toward the tiny nearby town. “You’re doing great.
