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First day officially out of the hospital felt SO nice. Tony had been couped up in that stupid, dull white room, forced to stay in bed 24/7 while every person he’s practically ever met came in with sympathetic frowns and apologies. The only person who visited who didn’t even get close to crossing his last nerve was Peter.
After five years of mourning his son, that teen could’ve thrown an egg at his head, and he’d still pull him in for a hug; but of course, Peter was nothing but gentle and kind. However, unlike Tony’s other loved ones, Peter did have to go back to school, and also started patrolling again, so Tony saw him less and less.
Life had changed slightly for Peter after coming back from the blip. It was odd that there were different teachers in his school, freshmen from what felt like yesterday were now in college, and the city was further advanced than before. The hustle and bustle of the tempered drivers not used to the newly crowded streets filled his ears as he made his way nervously to the Avengers tower.
He liked the feeling of the cold wind whipping against him as he swung through the concrete jungle, but his joy was replaced with nerves as he got closer to his destination. He knew Tony wanted to see him, the man at told him so himself; but after a while, Peter started avoiding hospital visits. He blamed it on school and life, but there was more to it he couldn’t explain. Tony was never the clingy type before, sure he’d give him a pat on the back, a side hug, or mess with his hair once in a while. However, Tony had constantly been attempting to break the doctor’s rules of bed rest just to ‘hold him’, as he said, only relenting when Peter laid with him.
Peter loved the feeling of being embraced by his mentor, he’d always looked up to Tony, more recently in a paternal way, but couldn’t help worrying he’d ruin it somehow. Tony probably was just loopy on meds and wanted to be kind to him. Peter refused to let himself believe more than that, because the sadness of denying the belief of Tony’s love would be easier than handling the loss of it when it would inevitably disappear, because Peter knew he didn’t deserve it.
Tony was fiddling around in his workshop, trying his best to not blow up Peter’s phone with a million texts. He desperately wanted to see the teen, but he knew that his now clingy nature was a bit foreign to Peter and he didn’t want to scare him away. It’s true, Tony didn’t do great at expressing his love for Peter before the blip, and he’d been kicking himself for five years because of it. All the times he wished he could just go back and hold him, feel him breathing against his neck and heartbeat against his chest; to hold the boy’s warm form close and never let go. Tony leaned forward against his desk, grasping uselessly at the fantom sensation of Peter pressed against him in the hospital bed.
“H-Hey, Mr. Stark.” A sweet voice called Tony out of the depths of his wind. He whipped his head around and breathlessly stood and stared with awe at the teen; Tony hadn’t seen him in the workshop in SO long. “…Surprise…?” Peter said with an adorable quiet awkwardness.
“Peter.” Tony said in barely a whisper, his vision blurred with tears as he quickly ran towards the teen. Peter let out a laugh of surprise, tossed his bag against the floor which contained his suit, and met his mentor halfway; Tony pulled him into a protective, loving embrace. Tony cupped the back of Peter’s head, his fingers intertwining with the teen’s curls as he held it against his shoulder. “Peter…Peter.” Tony mumbled in disbelief, holding him closer. He buried his face in Peter’s hair, pressing kisses against his scalp and filling his lungs with the sweet, familiar scent of Peter’s shampoo.
Peter sluggishly blinked in peaceful disbelief; silent tears rolled down his cheeks as Tony continued to overwhelm him with love. For a moment, Tony pulled back slightly, only enough to make eye contact with him. “Hi.” Peter said, his eyes glistening with tears, and smile spread wide across his face.
“Hi, kiddo.” Tony laughed lovingly, moving his hands to cup Peter’s warm cheeks, caressing them gently with his thumbs. Tony pressed a gentle kiss against Peter’s forehead, holding the position for a moment, memorizing the feeling.
Peter’s face scrunched with slight confusion when Tony suddenly pulled back and bent down. Peter then let out a yelp of joyful surprise and a fit of giggles when Tony swiftly brought his arms around his legs and strongly lifted Peter into a cradled position against his chest; Tony instantly decided it was his favorite sound in the world. “My legs work, you know?” Peter half-heartedly protested.
“I know.” Tony teased, only tightening his grip as he carried his beloved kid to the couch. Peter’s giggles slowed to deep, calming breaths of content as he rested his head against his hero’s chest, sinking all of his weight trustingly in Tony’s arms. Tony gently laid him against the extended part of the ‘L’ shaped couch; Peter fought his vocal chords not to whine at the loss of contact. However, even if they had, it would’ve been from nothing as Tony immediately plopped right next to him, wrapping him in another embrace, practically pulling him on top of him. “My bambino.” Tony whispered softly into the kid’s ear.
Peter’s heart fluttered and his throat tightened at the nickname. It was new, only spoken once or twice in the hospital. He knew it meant ‘baby boy’ in Italian, and he knew he absolutely loved hearing Tony call him it. But the love with quickly switched with dread as Peter worried how real it was. “We didn’t used to do this.” Peter commented. Tony tensed slightly,
“Sorry.” He mumbled, loosening his grip, and trying hard not to show his hurt; Peter quickly tightened his hold around Tony’s waist.
“That’s not what I meant.” Peter explained. Happy tears welled up in Tony’s eyes, he pressed a loving kiss against the teen’s cheek and wrapped his arms again around him, pulling him impossibly closer. “I guess I mean…why now?” Peter asked innocently, genuinely curious. Tony let out a sigh, rested his chin atop Peter’s curls, relishing in their soft, ticklish, bouncy texture.
“I always loved you, kid. From the moment we met, and you didn’t wanna fight in Germany cause you had homework.” Tony giggled, allowing himself to visit memories he’d considered off limits for so long. “I took you for granted, Pete. I always just assumed every Wednesday and Friday I’d get to see you. I never imagined there’d be a day where the only place to visit you…would be a graveyard.” Tony’s voice cracked on the last word; he took a pause to press a kiss onto Peter’s head. “You always felt like my kid; I just never had the…courage to tell you because…” Tony’s voice trailed off.
“Because what?” Peter asked, nuzzling his head against Tony’s collarbone.
“…I thought…you wouldn’t want it.” Tony whispered sadly. “…and I-I thought I didn’t deserve to say it.”
Peter swallowed painfully, he shifted slightly to look up at Tony. “I’ve never wanted anything more.” Peter admitted truthfully. “I love you…dad.” Peter hesitated slightly on the title. Tony’s eyes lit up, erasing any possible desires of wanting to take it back. His chosen father cuddled him closer, pressing endless amounts of tiny kisses against his cheeks. All of Peter’s previous doubt washed away for good, finally excepting the fact that Tony DID love him.
Tony guided Peter’s head into the crevice of his neck, soaking in the warmth of Peter’s soft breathing against his skin. “I love you too, bambino. I love you so, so much.” Tony’s throat tightened as tears fell down his cheeks. His one hand started rubbing calm circles onto Peter’s back; the other latched onto the kid’s curls, scrunching them and fidgeting with their silky texture. They both laid there until their emotional exhaustion pulled them into slumber.