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Peter didn't want to do it. He really didn't. But it wasn't the sort of thing you could put off forever. Hell, he'd met Percy's dad. Accidentally, but still. He'd met his actual, flesh and blood, living, breathing, father. Well, whatever flesh and blood, living, breathing meant for a god. The point was, Peter had met him!
He'd met Clarisse, and Annabeth, and nearly been killed by the whole of the Athena cabin because he was so spidery. But he'd met them. He'd been to camp. He'd met Grover, and had an argument with a god or two. He'd met Sally, and Paul, and he'd been showered in blue sweets. And blue first aid supplies because Sally was smart and she could put two and two together and actually get four not five or three or forty four.
And still he didn't want to do it.
It wasn't like he could put it off forever. He knew that. At some point it would stop feeling like he was worried about it, and like he was ashamed of Percy. Which, obviously, wasn't the case.
It wasn't like he could walk down to the shop and pick up a guide book called 'Tips and Tricks for Introducing your Lover to your Overbearing Family but Not Quite Family'. Peter had checked, twice. There was no book with that title, or with the right premise. And he'd already simplified it!
He hadn't gone searching for a book specifically on how to introduce his demigod boyfriend to his super-hero 'family' that wasn't really family but had certainly started to feel like it. He hadn't gone searching for a guide on how to introduce his demigod boyfriend to a super soldier from world war two that had been frozen until modern day, or said super-soldier's boyfriend that was also a super soldier turned brainwashed assassin turned unbrainwashed super soldier full of guilt. He hadn't gone looking for a book on how to introduce your anti-capitalist boyfriend (who happened to be a demigod) to a world famous billionaire (who happened to be a modern day genius and super-hero).
And yet, he'd found nothing.
Still, he really didn't want to do it.
Could you blame him?
Tony was bad enough. Don't get him wrong, Peter loved Tony. Tony was a third father figure in his life! But he wasn't exactly the easiest person in the world to introduce your boyfriend too. Then there were Steve and Bucky, both terrifying old people that shouldn't still be alive and yet they were. Not to mention the others, Natasha, Clint, the royal family of bloody Wakanda.
Peter didn't need to know all these people! But he did, and they'd become like family. Shuri would probably put him through hell if he put off introducing his boyfriend to them for much longer. But the Wakandan Royal Family required more planning, especially as he couldn't put his boyfriend on a plane.
Not to mention Percy.
The longer they put it off, the more nervous Percy got. And a nervous Percy was not a good Percy. Well, Peter liked any Percy just fine. Which is a bit of understatement, he loved the boy thank you very much. But a nervous Percy was prone to accidentally bursting pipes, if he got too nervous.
Prone was an overstatement. It had only happened once. But the point still stood, thank you very much.
The longer they waited, the more likely Percy was to accidentally flood an apartment. And not necessarily his own.
"We should just get it over with," Percy said, greeting Peter as he walked into his bedroom. He'd been at an AcaDec practice, but Percy had come by right after school. Peter hadn't been expecting him though, not until he'd got into the apartment. Percy's skateboard had been propped up by the front door and he'd heard the extra heartbeat in the apartment. He'd gotten better at figuring those sorts of things out.
"Get what over with?" Peter asked as he dropped his school bag by his door and crouched down to pull out his homework.
"The whole meet the family thing," he said. Peter glanced over his shoulder as his spidey-sense flared, the pen Percy had been fiddling with was actually riptide and he'd just accidentally flicked the lid off. His spider-sense died down again, it always flared when godly weapons were near. A sort of built in warning from Arachne being his mother, he supposed. He wasn't actually all that sure.
Peter considered playing dumb. It would be oh so easy to act like he didn't know what Percy was talking about. But, Percy deserved better than that. And really, Peter wasn't good enough at lying for that.
"The longer we think about it the worse it'll be," Percy added.
"Rip it off in one, like a band-aid," Peter muttered, sighing. He knew it was a good idea. Really, he did. He wasn't stupid.
But he didn't want to do it. He wanted to leave the band-aid on until it feel off on it's own, or got forcibly removed by someone else. And maybe that was taking the metaphor too far, but he didn't want to do it himself.
If it had to be ripped off, then someone else could do it. If they had to meet that weird eccentric part of Peter's family that was only family in name and not in blood or in marriage, then it would be purely thanks to them. Or Percy getting sick of waiting, and storming up to the tower himself to very politely introduce himself as Peter's boyfriend.
Or, it would be a complete accident.
Peter was happy with the complete accident route. Maybe if he got lucky it could happen completely by accident. Say, one of the times Percy found a hidden spot on a roof to watch him fight. It was common enough, not that Peter liked it all that much. But well, he knew Percy wasn't going to stop. It made him more comfortable, being close to the action, feeling more able to help if things were to go south. Rather literally too, if Peter were to fall he knew Percy would find a way to catch him.
But maybe on one of those days that Percy was sat on a roof watching him fight, Tony or one of the others could spot him. And then it would be easier to introduce Percy to them, just like 'oh yeah, that's my boyfriend, he prefers to be close by when I put myself in danger'. That would be a nice approach. Easy too, nothing needed planing. It would just happen.
He couldn't do that though. No matter how much he wanted too. No he had to actually plan something. Face down the avengers and introduce them to a previous nationally wanted criminal turned kidnapping and cult indoctrination survivor that just so happened to be his boyfriend and was neither a cult indoctrination survivor or a twelve year when he got kidnapped. That time, he'd willingly run across the country.
"I don't know how to do it," Peter confessed. He wasn't about to tell the avengers the whole truth. No, he rather thought the fact his father had slept with a half-spider woman would be a secret he took to his grave.
"Just, go for it. We don't need to tell them about the godly stuff," Percy said, pushing the lid back onto riptide.
"It's scary!" he said, standing from his bag to drop his homework on the desk.
"No it's not," Percy said, swirling the pen easily between his fingers.
"Tony Stark is a billionaire, and my mentor. Natasha is an ex spy, Clint is probably related to Apollo or Hermes, and also an ex spy. Steve Rogers, is well you know, the Steve Rogers. Bucky is an ex brainwashed assassin and also a super soldier with like a really cool metal arm. Shuri is a fucking princess, in case you forgot that," Peter started to ramble. Percy stood, and pressed a finger to his mouth to shut him up. Peter pouted.
"My dad is a god, my mum used Medusa's head to turn her abusive husband into a statue and sold him. Oh and you know, my dad, the god, happens to be a king and so technically I'm also a prince," Percy said, grinning happily at him.
"Don't bring up the prince thing, please," Peter muttered, Percy's finger still pressed to his lip. Percy laughed then, and moved his finger so he could drop a quick peck to Peter's lips.
"It's not like all that matters Pete, they see you as family," he reminded. Peter sighed but nodded.
"Well, Shuri is one of my best friends. Don't tell Ned," he said. Percy laughed but nodded.
"Call Tony, and we can head over right now," Percy said. "Introduce me to whoever's there, and rip the band-aid off."
"With no plan?" Peter asked. Percy nodded slightly.
"Well, it is a plan, but sure," he said.
"That's not a plan," Peter said, gently pushing Percy back to the bed. Percy dropped to sit back down and watched Peter pace in circles. In circles that went up the wall, over the ceiling, and back down the opposite wall. It was strange to watch, but he liked it.
"It's a plan," Percy said, giving him a lopsided grin.
"Ok," Peter said, stopping in the middle of the ceiling. He flipped smoothly and landed in front of Percy near silently. "Ok," he repeated.
"Let's do this," Peter said, grabbing Percy's wrist and pulling him up. From his jeans he pulled out his only slightly beat up Stark Phone, and pressed call on Tony's contact. He grabbed Percy's hand and gave him a small smile as the phone rang.
"Hey, Mr Stark," Peter said, a little higher pitched than he'd usually speak. "Hey," he repeated, calmer. "So," he continued barely giving Tony a chance to talk. "Um, I was wondering if I could come over to the tower. There's someone I really want you to meet."
"Sure kid, you're always welcome," Tony said, once Peter gave him the chance to speak. "And tell your friend they can come too."
"Yeah, ok. Um, we'll be there soon then," Peter said, voice going an octave higher again. Percy did his best to offer Peter a supportive smile. They could do this, it was just a billionaire super-hero and some of his friends that were sort of family.
Percy didn't want to do it.
In theory it had been great. He ran on plans in battle, quick adaptive plans that usually had their base in Annabeth's planning. He actually, Percy was quickly realising on the spot, rather liked plans. Plans were brilliant. He'd have to tell Annabeth she was right about plans some other time.
In theory, it was brilliant. No worrying. No stressing. Just doing. Planning it all would be stressing and worrying and overthinking. And Peter was brilliant at overthinking. He didn't need more of it. And yet, Percy sort of wished they'd stopped and made a plan.
This was their plan though. Or at least it was now.
"We can do this," Percy said firmly. Peter nodded. "We'll stop by mine and grab the car, it'll be quicker." Peter nodded again.
Sally was elated to find out that Peter was finally introducing Percy to his super-hero family. It was about time, after all they were the only ones left to meet. Other than well, Percy's siblings on the godly side. But they were all good never doing that thank you very much.
"I don't want to do this," Peter muttered as Percy drove them to the tower.
"Too late," Percy muttered back. He didn't want to do it either, but it would be worse if they backed out. "Time to rip off that band-aid. We've already started."
"Can't we just, replace it?" he asked, glancing to Percy. Percy shook his head. The metaphor was really getting out of hand.
"If we put it off forever we'll be regretting it," he said. Peter said, but nodded.
"Yeah, we're going on a date after this. Away from anyone that knows us," Peter said.
"Deal," Percy agreed.
"Something nice, and relaxing," Peter went on. Percy nodded.
"Deal," he repeated. Peter nodded and Percy moved his hand from the wheel to squeeze his thigh just slightly in support.
"Deal," Peter echoed, though he didn't really need too.
Tony was waiting for them the moment they pulled up near the back of the tower by the friends and family entrance.
"No chance you wanna drive away and vanish?" Peter asked quietly, looking over his shoulder as if it would give him a way out.
"We're doing this," Percy said, rolling down the manual window. Peter sighed but nodded.
"Kid, other kid," Tony greeted, nodding to them both. "This who you wanted me to meet?"
"Of course not Mr Stark," Peter said, happily falling back on sarcasm. "He's in the trunk."
"Were else would he be?" Percy added, smiling at Peter. Tony sighed slightly, but he couldn't hide his smile.
"So, who's this?" Tony asked, still stood outside the car.
"Can't we park first?" Peter tried.
"Should I be offended?" Percy whispered, leaning over to Peter slightly. Gently, Peter whacked his arm. Percy laughed then, and turned back to Tony.
"Fine, fine. Get this lump of junk into the parking garage, and then I want answers," he said. Percy, and Peter, let out annoyed complaints as Tony insulted the car. Percy drove slowly into the small parking lot under the tower, Tony following on foot behind them. Part of Percy really wished he'd taken Peter up on that offer to drive off at the gate and never resurface. There were a few nice places they could vanish too, and he knew how to get iris messages without drachmas.
Still, it was too late now.
"We've got this," Peter mumbled. Percy echoed it, and nodded. They exited the car and met Tony out in the open of the parking garage. Percy itched to take Peter's hand, but he knew Peter wanted to say not show he was dating Percy. That would have to wait. Instead he shoved them into his pockets, and gripped riptide.
His sword's pen form was a common feeling in his hand, rather calming too. Probably something to do with being forced into two godly wars and spending years of his life fighting for, well, his life. He didn't need to think about that though. He could just find the comfort in spinning his pen in his pocket.
"Well," Tony said, glancing briefly to Percy, but keeping his focus on Peter.
"This is Percy," Peter said, smiling slightly as he met Percy's eye. "Percy, Mr Stark." Percy nodded to him, not bothering to offer his hand in a handshake.
"And?" Tony said, raising an eyebrow under his sunglasses. And really, what sort of person wore sunglasses in a parking garage under a tower?
"Who's upstairs?" Peter asked instead, tilting his head slightly as he tried to figure it out from heartbeats alone. Peter was good, but he wasn't that good. It wasn't like the avengers and friends were the only ones in the building.
"People, who's your friend?" Tony shot back.
"Oh fucking gods," Percy muttered. Peter could be stubborn when he wanted to be, and now was definitely one of those times. But Tony was a billionaire, with years more experience being a stubborn bastard.
"Who's upstairs?" Peter asked again. Percy was really considering slipping back into the car, and just driving off. It'd make for an awful first impression, but at least he wouldn't be stuck there. He hadn't thought this through. Title of his life story.
"Who's he?" Tony asked.
"Please before I start praying to someone just tell Pete who's upstairs," Percy said, sighing.
"Who'd you pray to?" Peter asked. Percy shrugged.
"Someone, probably," he said. He'd figure it out. Not Apollo, he'd be too tempted to just show up. Maybe he'd just pray to his mom, she was better than any god. Hestia could be a good option, he supposed.
"I'm not telling you who's upstairs until you tell me who your friend is," Tony said. Peter sighed, looked between Tony, Percy, and the car, and sighed.
"Let's just go, this was a bad idea," Peter muttered, turning back to the car. Percy, as much as he wanted to leave, knew they couldn't. They'd started to pull the band-aid off, they couldn't just stop now. He pulled a hand from his pocket, and shot it out to grab Peter's arm.
Sure, Percy was stronger and faster than a normal human, but he was no where near Peter's level. If he really wanted to, Peter could break out of his grasp. And yet, he didn't. Instead he sighed again and turned back.
"Please Mr Stark, just who's up there?" Peter asked. Tony stared at him for a moment, looked between where Percy was still gently holding his arm and over to Percy, before turning his eyes back to Peter.
"Nat, Steve, and Bucky," he answered. Peter nodded. He could do that. "Wanda and Vision are on a date, somewhere, in disguise, they didn't say when they'd be back," Tony added. Peter nodded again. He could do that.
"Alright, I'll explain in front of everyone," Peter said, gently pulling his arm from Percy's grip. Percy nodded along with him, and followed after Peter as he took the lead towards the elevator.
At least, he thought as stood in the elevator, there was no music. He wasn't the biggest fan of them anymore. Not that anyone could blame him. Discreetly, Peter grabbed his arm, and offered him a little support.
"I want a full explanation," Tony said, staring straight ahead at the elevator doors.
"I almost feel like I'm going up to floor six hundred," Percy whispered to Peter. Peter snorted and shook his head. It was almost worse than floor six hundred. At least with the gods you knew were you stood, a pawn in their games. An object to do their petty chores for them. An insect to be inspected and held in curiosity, in Peter's case anyway. Though he was arachnid not insect.
With the avengers though, it was hard to place. They liked Peter well enough. They were teammates. Percy was an outsider though.
"Really wishing I'd taken you up on leaving," Percy whispered as his foot started to tap on the elevator floor. Surely there were stairs they could've taken instead. Sure, it would have been tiring, but it would have been nicer.
"Just, rip the band-aid off," Peter repeated. Percy nodded. They'd go get something blue after this, Percy decided. Something bight, flaming blue, and they'd avoid people for the rest of the evening. Maybe Percy would even let Peter talk him into doing his homework, though he'd promised to stick with it. School that was. He'd stick with it, and work on getting good grades. He'd promised both Peter and Annabeth, and he was scared of both of them. They were already capable of being terrifying, but when they teamed up oh that was scary. It was horrifying. He certainly didn't want to get on their combined bad side.
"Is it a blue one?" he asked, laughing slightly. Peter laughed too, and Percy grinned.
"Sure," Peter agreed.
In front of them Tony sighed. The elevator started to slow and Percy smiled slightly to Peter. They could do this. There wasn't anything scary about meeting Tony Stark, Natasha, Bucky, and Steve Rogers!
Nothing scary at all.
Nothing that could possibly make him want to run the other way. Nope, not at all. Not one thing.
Percy wanted to run the other way.
He wasn't sure if it was the elevator ride putting him on edge, being so high up even if he was in a building, meeting an ex spy, an ex assassin, a super soldier, and a billionaire that was scary protective of Peter, or just general nerves.
"Who's this?" Steve asked, looking Percy up and down.
"If I jumped out a window, would you catch me before I got smited?" Percy whispered to Percy.
Bad idea, he realised a moment too late. Peter wasn't the only person in the world with enhanced hearing, Steve Rogers, the captain America, and Bucky Barnes both had enhanced senses.
"It's smote, and no," Peter whispered back.
"Traitor," Percy muttered.
"I'd be too busy falling beside you to catch us," Peter said, rolling his eyes.
"Yeah, but see the worst that happens to you if you jump out a window is you go splat. The worst that happens to me is a god smoteing me," he said.
"Smiting, and yeah but if I catch you I have to catch myself," he pointed out.
"I think we should be concerned for these kids," Steve decided aloud. Percy swore under his breath, in ancient Greek so he couldn't be understood. Peter, who had been learning ancient Greek, laughed beside him, but repeated it. Percy swore again, this time in English. Peter swore in Italian, just to show off.
"If you two would kindly stop the swearing," Tony muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose and shoving his sunglasses up in the process.
"Excuse our French," Percy said. Beside him, Peter started laughing, and swore in perfect French.
"You're a show off," Percy muttered, sticking his tongue out at Peter. Peter again laughed, but grinned at him.
"I like him," Natasha announced. Peter and Percy grinned then, and Natasha nodded in return, the tiniest smile showing on her face.
"Hi, I'm Percy," he said, nodding to the group.
"He's my boyfriend," Peter added, finally grabbing Percy's hand. The tension that Percy had been doing his best to ignore left his shoulders as he squeezed Percy's hand slightly.
"He blew up a thing, a few years back," Bucky said, tilting his head as he tried to remember what it was. Percy swore in ancient Greek again as he tried to remember the exact cover story he'd ended up with.
"That was the terrorists that kidnapped me," he said. "And, I was twelve."
"Two very good points, you know. He's perfectly innocent," Peter jumped in to add. Percy snorted, and grinned at him. Bucky shrugged, but nodded.
"I like him," he said, echoing Natasha's statement.
"I don't," Tony said. "What makes him good enough?" Both Percy and Peter stiffened slightly, and Peter gripped Percy's hand tighter. Damn his super-strength.
"Tony," Steve admonished.
"Fine, fine. But if he hurts my kid, I'll drown him," Tony declared. Percy gripped Peter's hand tighter, even as Peter laughed it off.
It was fine, he tried to remind himself. He wasn't going to drown. It had been special circumstance, and he was still very much alive and breathing. He could sit underwater for hours and be fine.
"Mr Stark, kindly don't bring up drowning," Peter said, catching onto Percy's rising heartbeat. "Percy is a great person, he wouldn't hurt me."
"Damn right I wouldn't," Percy muttered.
"Have we got anything blue?" Peter asked, pulling Percy further into the penthouse. "Like foodwise?"
"No," Bucky said. "But there's blue food colouring in the cupboard. Wait about forty minuetes I can whip up some blue cupcakes."
"Thanks Mr Bucky, that'd be great," Peter said grinning at him. "Oh! Perce, you've never had Bucky's cooking!" Peter said, jumping on the distraction. Percy shook his head, he hadn't. He'd heard about it though, and it sounded brilliant.
"You're going to love it!" he said, happily pulling Percy to the sofas.
"What do you think happened to him?" they heard Steve whisper to Tony. Peter glanced back in time to see Mr Stark shrug and shake his head.
"So Perce, finding nemo?" he asked, dropping onto the sofa. "Or the Little Mermaid?"
"Gods no," Percy said, shaking his head, and laughing slightly. He did enjoy those movies, there was no denying it, but he really didn't want to watch them for the fourth day in a row. Especially not in boyfriend's father-figure's penthouse.
"Suit yourself," Peter said. He used his webshooters to grab the tv remote from the coffee table without having to move from his spot next to Percy, despite FRIDAY being able to control the TV with simple requests. He mindlessly flicked through the channels and relaxed into Percy's side.
"How are you calm?" Percy whispered. Peter snorted.
"I'm not," he admitted just as quietly. "The good old fake it till you make it."
"Ah, the best skill in Spider-Man's arsenal," Percy joked. Peter stuck out his tongue at him, and Percy laughed, relaxing slightly. It wasn't really as bad as they'd feared.
"Perseus," Natasha said, nodding to him slightly as she settled in an armchair. Percy stiffened slightly, and his hand itched to reach for riptide. The only people, things, that called him that anymore were the monsters. He hadn't realised how tied it had become to fighting, he hadn't realised it triggered his fight or flight response, and Percy was a fighter. Peter held him in place though, acting a sort of weighted blanket against him.
"It's Percy," he said coldly. He didn't mean to be rude, but he knew what Natasha was trying to say, and he didn't like it. He also just really hated the name.
"Percy," she said, smiling slightly.
"Miss Nat, please don't do the whole scary super-spy assassin thing and try and scare Percy. He knows not to hurt me, he's had the threats from May, his own mom, and like a bunch of other people," Peter cut in. Percy laughed, but it was true. After Sally had given Peter the shovel talk, and gotten to known him, she'd become rather fond and had turned that terrifying protective streak onto her own son. Gods forbid he hurt her future son-in-law.
"Oh gods, don't remind me. My mum is terrifying," Percy muttered. Peter laughed beside him. He had to agree, Sally was a terrifying woman, and he never wanted to get on her bad side. He'd prefer to face Athena in battle, though he wouldn't admit to that ever.
Natasha nodded at them, clearly content with not verbally beating Percy down just to protect Peter. It was then that Steve and Tony reappeared, settling on the other sofa.
"What're we watching them Bambino?" Tony asked. Percy groaned, already anticipating his answer.
"Shark Tale," Peter announced. Percy sighed and gently shoved at him.
"I'm filing for divorce," he muttered.
"Fine, but I'm taking Sally," Peter shot back, grinning at him. Percy gasped dramatically, and dropped to the side in his best over-dramatic fake-faint.
"How could you?" he asked, falling into their joke easily.
"She loves me," he said. Percy gasped again.
"If you take Sally, I'll take May," Percy said. Peter gasped then, and fell dramatically ontop on Percy.
"How could you?" he asked. Percy laughed.
"Well, you're taking my mom," he pointed out.
"Rude, she's my mother in law and she's amazing," Peter said.
"And?" Percy asked. "She birthed me!"
"I," Peter said, pausing for a moment as he tried to think of something, "don't have a counter for that."
"Hah, I win again, another successful divorce," he said, laughing.
"Ok, I like the kid," Tony admitted. Peter and Percy both turned to grin at him. Really, it wasn't anywhere near as bad as they'd set themselves up to fear.