nevablossom

[nevablossom]

i love it so much!!! it was so wholesome and fluffy - i kinda want a part 2 to this where we get to see tony's reaction to the prosthetic peter makes for him 👀

AI-less Whumptober Day 16: Amputation

Read on AO3

Thank you to @nevablossom for the prompt today!

Peter hesitated outside the door to Mr. Stark's bedroom, a hand raised to knock, then dropped it. He didn't even know why he was here…not really. Well…he knew what had led to him being here. He just didn't understand why Pepper had thought he would be the right option for this particular job. He hadn't seen Mr. Stark for weeks, since the man had first been released from the hospital, and it wasn't that he hadn't wanted to see Mr. Stark! He just…he hadn't wanted to impose and Mr. Stark had been so sick and he knew that his aunt had been texting with Pepper but he hadn't heard anything. And he knew that Mr. Stark was busy with his new family and trying to heal after everything that had happened. So Peter had busied himself with helping his aunt with her new charity and making an occasional appearance as Spider-Man and patrolling and talking to Ned and MJ about how insane all of this was.

The world was back to normal. Kind of. People were trying to find new homes after being displaced and yeah, there were people who didn't think that everyone should have been brought back, but overall, his world felt mostly normal again. Since they'd returned at the end of April, schools were canceled until the following August and the school boards were all trying to figure out how exactly they would handle the influx of students and teachers. But he had been given a huge packet of summer homework that was sitting in his backpack in the bedroom that Pepper had insisted was his.

She'd called him the night before, for the first time ever, and he'd answered with a hesitant 'hello?'

"Peter? This is Pepper. How are you?"

"I'm…uh…I'm good, Miss Potts. Or…Mrs. Potts?" he hadn't known if she'd changed her name, but she'd just laughed a little.

"Still Potts. But please, just call me Pepper."

"Right…sorry. Is everything okay?"

"It is. Actually, I wanted to ask you a favor."

Pepper had already cleared it with May apparently. She and their little girl were going on a trip to see Pepper's family in Maine and she had been hoping that Peter would stay with Mr. Stark for a week. "He's doing much better, but I would feel more comfortable if someone were here to keep an eye out just in case he needs help with something."

When he'd arrived about an hour ago, she and Morgan, who had watched him shyly from behind her mom's leg, had been in the kitchen, their bags by the front door. "He's still asleep," Pepper had explained. "The pain medicine tends to knock him out. He'll probably wake up around noon if you wouldn't mind helping him with lunch."

She'd moved to the counter where several pill bottles and a pill organizer had sat. "I already have everything portioned out for the week. Sometimes he has trouble opening the tabs so if you wouldn't mind."

"Oh…yeah, of course."

Her smile had been soft as she'd touched his shoulder. "Thank you, Peter. I really appreciate it."

Now he stepped away from Mr. Stark's bedroom door, walking back to the kitchen and pacing around the island that held the pasta Peter had made them for lunch. It was going to get cold…but the thought of waking the man up was too scary to contemplate. It wasn't that he thought Mr. Stark would be mad at him. Over the year or so between when Peter had started his internship and the snap that had turned him to dust on Titan, the two of them had gotten closer. He thought Mr. Stark probably liked him, and they had worked together in the lab and eaten takeout together and Mr. Stark had smiled at him sometimes, looking almost fond. So…yeah, he'd really liked spending time with Mr. Stark, but he'd never really been in the man's house! Or…well, he'd visited the Compound twice a month and that had been where Mr. Stark had lived, but he hadn't gone into the private apartment where he'd lived with Ms. Potts and he certainly had never knocked on the man's bedroom door while he was sleeping!

But Pepper had asked him to help and he'd told her he would and she'd asked him to help with lunch and he didn't know what to do!

Taking deep breaths, Peter walked to the door once more, steeling himself as he lifted his hand. He was Spider-Man. He was brave. He found bad guys and stopped drug dealers and he'd fought Thanos! He could knock on a door.

So he did.

"Um…Mr. Stark," he called, rapping his knuckles on the door.

A long, heavy silence. Then, "Peter?"

Mr. Stark sounded a little too confused for his comfort, but he wasn't sure how to ask what exactly was confusing.

"Um…yeah? I made lunch if…if you're hungry."

Another long pause. Then the sound of movement inside, and the door opened to reveal Mr. Stark, dressed in sweatpants and a MIT sweater, one of the sleeves folded up to reveal his bandaged arm that ended about three inches under his elbow. Peter forced himself not to look, meeting Mr. Stark's confused eyes with his own.

"Is…uh…is spaghetti okay? I can make something else…maybe. I didn't think that anyone delivers here or I would have gotten pizza or something."

Mr. Stark shook his head. "No…uh…spaghetti is great, kiddo. Thanks." The confusion was gone, and he rested his left hand on Peter's shoulder, squeezing gently. "It's good to see you, Pete. How have you been?" he asked, steering him towards the kitchen. He did seem glad to see him…surprisingly glad. Well…no…glad and surprised. And that's when it hit him, his jaw dropping in horror.

"Ms Potts didn't tell you I was coming," he whispered, eyes wide, and Mr. Stark chuckled, shaking his head, not really looking bothered.

"She did not. She thinks I need a babysitter, and I think she figured you were the only one I wouldn't send away." Contrary to his words, his tone was light as he patted Peter on the back, grabbing his plate and taking a seat. Feeling a little awkward, Peter hovered for a second before doing the same, but perched in his chair, ready to take flight at any second.

"I can…I'm sorry! I can um…I can go…"

"No way. It's been weeks, kiddo. How have you been?" Carefully, he used his left hand to twirl the spaghetti on his fork, and Peter felt like an idiot.

"Oh…Mr. Stark, I should have…" he waved a hand towards his plate and felt his ears go hot. "I should have made something else…"

"Can you make something else?" the man teased with a smirk, and Peter crossed his arms when he chuckled. "It's fine, bud. I'll get the hang of it."

"But…do you need help or…"

He opened his mouth, maybe to tease him again, but when he met Peter's eyes, he softened. "I've got it. Don't worry, Pete." Before Peter could say anything else, he went on. "What have you and May been up to? You settling in okay in your new place?"

Mr. Stark and Pepper had helped them find a new apartment close to where their old one had been, and Happy had helped them move. It was weird…especially with the way the two of them whispered and giggled when he wasn't in the room. Still, Peter was trying to make the best of it. And his aunt did seem happy. Although the fact that she called him 'Harold' was hard to get used to.

"Yeah, uh…it's good. We've got pretty much everything put away. And May's been working a lot with a local charity. Feast. I've been helping her too."

"I did hear about that. Didn't that Spider-Man guy make an appearance?"

Peter grinned. "Yeah. She thought it might get more people to show up if he was going to be there."

"I'm sure it did. If Pep ever lets me put on the armor again, maybe Iron Man can visit too." Peter dropped his eyes at the reminder…Mr. Stark might never be Iron Man again. But how could the Avengers ever function without him? Before he could dwell on that, Mr. Stark went on, like this was a totally normal situation they were in. "How about school? Did they ever figure that out?"

"The plan for now is to have us go back in August so they have more time to decide where to put everyone. And I've got a whole packet of summer work."

"I'm sure you'll have it done in no time, Underoos."

"I don't know," Peter admitted. "It's a lot."

"You want me to do some?"

Although he was pretty sure the man was joking, Peter shook his head, wide-eyed. "No…that's okay!"

He chuckled, smiling down at his food and looking surprisingly happy for a man who'd been stuck in bed for weeks now. But he seemed to be moving around okay, and he didn't act like his arm hurt. Peter had no idea how to ask, so he just focused on scarfing down his food.

Still feeling bad about making something so difficult to eat, Peter grabbed the dishes the moment they were done eating, taking them to the sink to wash them. Mr. Stark watched him with a fond smile, coming to stand beside him at the counter, then began carefully drying and putting away the dishes as Peter washed them.

"Oh…you don't have to…"

"I don't mind, kiddo. Hey, after we get this cleaned up, you want to take a tour?"

"Yeah, sure," Peter agreed. "I mean…if you're up for it."

"I think I'll make it."

Peter had been given a quick tour of the Avengers Compound back when he'd first started his internship, which had been pretty cool. He'd only ever spent time in the lab, though, so it was kind of cool to step outside and walk around the farm. He'd never actually been to a farm, although he wasn't sure if this technically qualified, but it was so quiet and peaceful…it was hard to believe that Mr. Stark lived here now. They passed lots of trees and a little playhouse that Mr. Stark told him was Morgan's. And further from the house was a chicken coop and a little barn where he met an alpaca that gave him a cursory sniff before going for his pockets. Nervously, he backed away, hands up, and Mr. Stark swatted grinned.

"Don't worry. He's harmless…just looking for treats. He doesn't have anything for you, Gerald. Give him some space, huh?"

"Sorry," Peter told the alpaca, reaching out a hesitant hand and touching his neck. He was so soft! Mr. Stark must have seen the surprise on his face because he put an arm around him, which wasn't all that uncommon, but it still felt different than before.

"Don't worry, he doesn't bite. You can pet him," Mr. Stark assured him with a smile, so Peter did, starting with just his neck, then moving closer to scratch his back, laughing when Gerald kept sniffing his pockets.

"I'll bring you treats next time," he promised softly, and the animal grunted, bringing his head up to sniff Peter's hair as if there might be treats in there.

"Think you could give me a hand tonight? We'll have to feed everyone."

"Oh…of course! Yeah! I'm here to help. Whatever you need!"

The man smiled at him again, patting him on the back, then guided him towards the lake. "Pep collects the eggs from the chickens every day or so. They really do taste better. Morgan likes to help. And there's the canoe." He jerked his head towards the boat sitting on the ground right at the edge of the lake. "That's pretty much everything." He kept walking until the two of them reached a bench, and Mr. Stark sat down, Peter following suit.

"This is really nice," Peter told him softly, looking out at the lake. It was so quiet and peaceful…he didn't know if he'd ever been anywhere like it. The Compound had been nice too. Quiet. Secluded. But sometimes there had been government people there, and it had felt more like a government facility than a home. But this…this was a home. Still, he couldn't help missing the place he'd spent so much time, and he couldn't help remembering how it had looked when he'd stepped through that portal…piles of smoking rubble and twisted metal. A ruin.

"You can swim if you want. Last summer we took Morgan all the time. Pepper wants to get her swimming lessons. I guess that's better than how I learned."

Peter didn't ask, considering what little he knew about Mr. Stark's father wasn't good.

"You do know how to swim, right?"

He nodded, lost in thought as he stared at the lake, trying to picture Mr. Stark with his daughter…trying to picture what kind of a father he would be. He was a good one…Peter knew that just from how he'd been before. Sure, he hadn't been overly affectionate or anything…there hadn't been lots of hugs or heart to hearts or anything, but Mr. Stark, after the whole Vulture thing…he'd always been there. Any time Peter had needed him. He'd been there when Peter's web had snapped once, picking him up and taking him to the Compound and half carrying to the sofa in the medbay when the concussion had made it hard to walk. He'd been there when Flash had been an asshole one week, not talking but distracting him with a new project in the lab. He'd been there on the anniversary of Ben's death, asking if he wanted to help work on the old car that always sat in the lab, Friday playing old rock and roll music in the background.

Yeah, Peter thought with a smile that felt kind of sad, he was sure Mr. Stark was a really good dad. The thought made him feel unexpectedly lonely.

"Because we have those water wings if you need them."

Peter blinked at him, taken aback, and he laughed.

"Just checking to see if you were listening."

He huffed out a laugh. "I was listening," he muttered.

"Yeah? I could tell." He squeezed his shoulder. "What's on your mind, kiddo?"

"Nothing," Peter tried. But Mr. Stark just watched him, waiting, so he went with a different tactic. "It's just…you don't have to entertain me or anything…I know you weren't expecting me and you probably have stuff to do…"

"Nope. I'm retired, kiddo. I've got all the time in the world to do whatever I want. And what I want to do right now is give you a tour of the place. I was thinking we'd check out the lab next. What do you think?"

That actually sounded really good.

The new lab was similar to the old one, and Peter was selfishly glad. This was something he knew. It was familiar and he felt like he needed something familiar. This place was so foreign and Mr. Stark was…well, he was Mr. Stark, but he was different too. But when Mr. Stark flipped through the files on the holographic display before stopping on one that held the specs for the Iron Spider suit and asked Peter if he wanted to play around with it, Peter felt a thrill of excitement. This was the Mr. Stark he knew.

It was surprisingly easy to adjust to the fact that Mr. Stark was missing part of his right arm, although he was sure it had been harder for him. But Peter filled the role without thought, always working on his right side and handing him things almost before he needed them. They got so caught up with their work that Peter almost forgot about dinner, then hurried upstairs to make cans of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, both foods that he figured would be relatively easy to eat one handed. Mr. Stark made no complaints, watching him cook with a smile and sitting at the kitchen table, talking to him as he worked. He told Peter stories about Morgan, and how excited she was to spend time with Spider-Man, who may have been her new favorite hero.

"I hope you didn't oversell me," Peter told him with a laugh, flipping a sandwich over, but Mr. Stark shook his head.

"No such thing, Underoos."

Mr. Stark urged him to leave the dinner dishes for later, and the two of them went back to the lab for a while, but after another hour or so, Peter noticed Mr. Stark wincing when he moved, jaw tightening any time he had to bend over, and he finally sat down at the desk next to the one he'd told Peter to use. That's when Peter finally risked the question.

"Does…does it hurt?" Peter asked in a near whisper, dropping his eyes to the floor the second Mr. Stark turned to him.

"Sometimes. It's not usually too bad, though. The pain pills help a lot." He hesitated. "Think you could bring me the bottle? It's probably about time."

"Yeah, of course!" Peter jumped to his feet, half running up the stairs, and when he returned in record time with the pills and a water, then started to hold out the bottle before abruptly remembering and then opening it first, Mr. Stark smiled at him. And it wasn't his usual smile. It wasn't the one he gave the press and it wasn't the one he'd given Peter when they'd first met. It wasn't even the smile he'd had when Peter had finished his internship. Mr. Stark's smiles had always been just a little guarded. Just a little sardonic.

But not now, he realized. That's what was different. Now Mr. Stark was softer. Gentler. He was smiling at him like Uncle Ben had when he had been proud…when he'd told Peter that he loved him.

"How…uh…how many?"

"Just one. Bruce said any more and I'll be in a coma." He said it like it was a joke but Peter still paled, being careful to only drop one into his hand. "Thanks, Peter."

"Sure. Do you need anything else?"

He tossed the pill into his mouth, then downed half of the water in the bottle.

"Nah. It's probably going to knock me out for the rest of the night. Want to head back upstairs?"

"Okay, yeah…do you…"

"Don't need anything, Pete. Let's pick a movie and I can fall asleep on the couch."

Fighting the urge to ask if he wasn't sure he didn't want to just go to bed, Peter nodded, hovering right behind him as they climbed the stairs just in case. He had a mental check list for after Mr. Stark fell asleep…clean up the kitchen, feed all the animals, then get started on his homework. But for the moment, he just took a seat beside Mr. Stark on his right side and tossed him a blanket, stopping just short of actually covering him up, not wanting to make him feel like an invalid. It felt like it should be weird, taking care of Mr. Stark like this, but it wasn't. It felt…good. Right.

Mr. Stark made it about twenty minutes before he was nodding off, head dropping onto the back of the couch, and Peter turned the movie down a little, not wanting to keep him awake. But before he could get up and have Friday turn out the lights so Mr. Stark could sleep and so he could get started on that list, Mr. Stark opened his eyes and turned to him, looking groggy, like he was fighting to stay awake

"It was all worth it, you know?"

"What?" Peter asked, matching his soft tone.

"I'd have given up both arms if it meant getting you back. God I missed you, Peter."

Peter's eyes went wide, and he looked around the room as though Mr. Stark could be talking to someone else. "Me?" he asked in genuine surprise.

"You," Mr. Stark agreed, that soft smile back on his face. "I'm so glad you're here, kiddo."

"I…I'm glad to be here," he told him softly…honestly. Because he was glad…glad to be alive and glad to be at the lake house and glad to be helpful.

"I did a shitty job before, but I'm going to do better now, okay?"

Peter shook his head. "What? You didn't…"

"Yeah I did," he mumbled, eyes closing, head sinking into the couch cushion. "But I love you so much, kiddo. I'll do better." And with that, he was asleep.

Peter sat there for a long time…almost until it was dark, before abruptly remembering the animals, then jumping up and asking Friday to turn off the lights. Mind whirring, he hurried outside and tossed handfuls of feed onto the ground for the chickens, putting them all safely in their coop for the night, then fed Gerald his pellets, making sure to give him a carrot too. Then he headed inside and made sure all the doors were locked, then headed to the kitchen to clean up.

He stood at the sink, washing the dishes in silence, mind still racing. Had Mr. Stark thought he was talking to someone else? But he'd said his name! Why did he think he hadn't done a good job before? Hadn't done a good job at what? What did he mean he'd do better?

Still deep in thought, Peter tilted a spoon under the water, mindlessly trying to rinse the suds off, then jumped when water went everywhere, spraying the counter and cabinets as well as his face. Huffing out a sigh, he turned the water off, putting the spoon in the strainer and wiping down the counter, then the cabinets, cursing himself for making an even bigger mess. Not that he thought Mr. Stark would mind. The man had always insisted that he didn't have to do the dishes when he'd eaten at the Compound, even if Peter always did anyway. Still, there were pictures and little knick knacks on the shelves by the sink and he didn't want to ruin anything, so he made sure to wipe everything off.

And that's when he spotted it.

Right there, on the shelf right by his face, was a picture of the two of them…the one they'd taken when he'd finished his internship. Mr. Stark had his arm around his shoulders, his fingers in a v above his head, giving him rabbit ears, Peter trying to do the same. And in their hands, the certificate, upside down. Peter smiled, drying it off and replacing it on the shelf. Was it new? Or had it meant enough to Mr. Stark to take with him to his new home, even when Peter hadn't been there.

What did he think he'd done a bad job of?

Peter finished cleaning up, checking briefly to make sure Mr. Stark was still asleep, then headed down the stairs to the lab, backpack thrown over his shoulder. He could have done his homework in the guest room, but the lab felt more familiar, so he switched on the lights and took a seat at the desk he'd used earlier, placing the packet on the table and opening it to the first page.

He tried to focus. He really did. He'd planned on getting as much of this done as possible during the first few weeks so he could be free for the rest of the summer, but all he could think about was Mr. Stark.

I'd have given up both arms if it meant getting you back.

I did a shitty job before, but I'm going to do better now, okay?

I love you so much, kiddo. I'll do better.

Loved him? By the end of his internship, Peter had dared to hope that Mr. Stark liked him…that he enjoyed having him around. Maybe even that he looked forward to lab days even a fraction of how much Peter did. But loved him?

He'd never dared dream of something like that. May loved him. Ben had loved him. But Mr. Stark?

He loved Mr. Stark. He'd grown up practically worshiping the man and then he'd met him and started working with him and in the most secret parts of his brain, he'd dared to think that Mr. Stark could one day be…something. A mentor. A friend. Not an uncle or a father but something!

Did this mean that was what Mr. Stark wanted too? Did he even dare hope that he'd been serious…that it hadn't been the pills talking? Mr. Stark had been glad to see him that afternoon. He'd spent the whole day with Peter, even, he suspected, putting off taking a pain pill. Why? So he could stay awake longer?

Did Mr. Stark really see him as someone more than just a kid he helped out every once in a while? A superhero kid he mentored sometimes. Did Peter dare hope for something more?

Staring down at the first page of his homework packet, Peter drummed his fingers on the desk, lost in thought as his mind went in a different direction. He'd seen the file Mr. Stark had flipped past…the one Peter might not have noticed if he hadn't been looking right at the screen.

He'd come here to help. What better way to help than make sure Mr. Stark didn't need it? What better surprise could he come up with for a man he'd loved like a father for so long…a man who cared about him more than he'd ever realized? A man who had helped invent time travel and who had lost part of his arm, but said it was all worth it because he had Peter back.

"Friday?"

"Yes, Peter?"

"Open up file 'prosthetic' and copy it to a new file under my name. And bring up everything you can find on Bucky's metal arm and prosthetics in general…and uh…anything you can find on Wakanda tech."

"Of course Peter."

And, tossing his homework back into his backpack, Peter pulled out a blank notebook and got to work. He figured if he worked through the night, he could have a prototype ready before Mr. Stark woke up.

[nevablossom]

so true 

Appreciation post for the phrase “you’re burning up”

[nevablossom]

CHARACTER HEADCANONS:: NAKAHARA CHUUYA

for my first post, i decided to type up some general headcanons for chuuya! i’ll type up an intro post later so you all can get to know me! i’m putting it under a read more because i don’t wanna clog any dashes!

» chuuya is insecure about his height,,,like- very insecure, so he wears heeled shoes to make himself look taller. » chuuya loves sweets. his favorite sweet is caramel apples. » his favorite song would be “wolf in sheep’s clothing” by set it off. » chuuya loves wine, it’s his favorite type of alcohol. he hates beer. » his favorite color is a deep purple color bc purple is said to be the color of royalty. » his favorite fruit is apples. » chuuya can sing, but he doesn’t rlly like to tell ppl this so he keeps it to himself. he definitely sings in the shower. » he has a love/hate relationship w dazai.  » he hates higuchi with his whole heart,,,he finds her annoying and thinks that her attitude towards akutigawa is fricken weird. he avoids interacting w her as much as possible. » he has a massive collection of hats that look similar to his own. he almost never leaves without a hat. » corruption takes SO MUCH out of him that he usually has to take a long nap afterwards, or at the very least rest for a half-hour so his body can recover. » chuuya prefers to use his powers over using a gun.  » chuuya actually admires atsushi for being able to beat akutigawa when his rashoumon ability is so powerful. he’d never tell him that tho LMAO. » chuuya has to have tea before bed, no ifs ands or buts.  » chuuya lowkey loves mystery novels. he got connected to e. a. poe from the guild and loves going into the books he writes to solve the mysteries. he’s nowhere near as good at it as rampo is, but it’s still enjoyable for him. » chuuya prides himself on selfcare; he washes his face every morning/night, uses the best hair products for his hair, does regular trims so the ends don’t split, etc. » chuuya has to have coffee to function in the mornings; he takes his coffee with more cream than sugar.  » he despises kunikida the most out of everyone in the armed detective agency. » he likes dazai the most out of everyone in the armed detective agency. » he has arachnophobia; if he sees a spider he Will cry and tell akutigawa or whoever is closest to kill it because he can’t be in the same room as a spider. » he has a pet leopard gecko bc i say so. » bi rights babie !!!!! he’s bi !!!! » he’s ambidextrous; he taught himself to be this way bc he thinks it’s useful and cool.