#poor irondad fandom is like half-dead

[irondad-on-crack]

Peter, singing: Have you ever wondered what life’s about?

Tony, tired: All the time, kid.

Peter, still singing: You could search the world and never figure it out!

Tony: Gee, that’s encoura—wait, are you singing Lizzy McGuire?

Ned, popping out of nowhere: You don’t have to sail the ocean!

[fanficsaremylifeline]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark Characters: Peter Parker, Tony Stark, Friday (Marvel) Additional Tags: Irondad, spiderson, Nightmares, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Queen - Freeform, Song: Bohemian Rhapsody

The one evening Tony managed to get to bed at a reasonable time, and actually fall asleep, FRI just had to wake him up in the middle of the night. Awesome. Lucky for her, Pepper was in Miami for the weekend and could probably sleep through the night. Not lucky for Tony, though. The only thing worse than being woken in the middle of the night, was waking up in the middle of the night to an empty bed.

“What is it?” he groaned. Since it wasn't the emergency alarm, he didn't even bother to open his eyes.

“I figured it prudent to inform you that Peter has been back in the workshop for the last thirty minutes.”

“He's what?” Tony sat up, rubbing his eyes and trying to get used to the lights FRIDAY had already switched on. Sure, Peter did stay the weekend, and they had been working together most of yesterday, but the kid went to bed when Tony did...

“At 1.24am he left his room and entered the workshop. He has since been continuing your earlier work.”

“And why only tell me now?” As he climbed out of bed, Tony could only groan as all he joints cracked and popped back into place.

“Peter instructed me not to tell you. However, he is showing some concerning behaviour.”

“Right, because working by himself at half two isn't worrying enough”, Tony scoffed at his AI and made his way to the workshop.

“Since I usually deal with you in your lab, no, it is not unusual for work being done throughout all hours of the night”, she remarked drily.

“Fine”, Tony admitted. “Doesn't mean I want the kid to copy all my bad and self-destructive habits.”

“And that's why I ignored Peter's request to privacy.”

“Thanks. Wait.” Tony stopped dead in his tracks and looked up at the camera. “If him being in the lab isn't the worrying behaviour, then what is?”

Oh fuck. Around twenty thousand horror scenarios played through Tony's head and he picked up the pace as he hurried to the lab.

“He is not endangering himself. His behaviour is more unusual.”

“Thanks FRI, you're not clearing anything up.” But she didn't have to.

Tony heard the music before he got close: Peter singing very loudly along with Freddie Mercury. The view Tony got as he walked into the lab was even more bizarre and Tony saw pretty much immediately what FRIDAY meant with unusual and worrying.

The kid wasn't doing too much engineering, he instead danced through the lab as he sung at the top of his lungs: “I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy, because I'm easy come, easy go, little high, little.... MR STARK!”

During one of his pirouettes, Peter finally realized Tony watching him with wide eyes. Immediately, the boy turned beet-red and froze in his – admittedly really good – dance moves.

               Any way the wind blows, doesn't really matter to me, to me.

               Mama, just killed a man...

“How long have you been standing there?”, Peter asked, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

“Long enough.” Tony cleared his throat. “FRI, dial it back, please.” And the music went quieter, playing softly in the background.

               Mama, life had just begun! And now I've gone and thrown it all away.

“I didn't know you could dance”, Tony commented after a few moments, not knowing what else to say. “You're really good.”

“Thanks”, Peter smiled, and awkwardly looked at Tony.

               Mama, didn't meant to make you cry. If I'm not back again this time tomorrow, carry on, carry on, 'cos it doesn't really matter...

“How come you're up?”, Peter eventually asked.

“That's a question I should ask you”, Tony shot back.

The kid grinned right up at him. “I asked first.”

“I guess...”

               Too late, my time has come, sends shivers down my spine, body's aching all the time. Goodbye, everybody, I've got to go. Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth.

“FRI woke me, told me about some Spiderling in my lab exhibiting some very worrying behaviour.”

“Oh, come on!” Peter glared up at the cam and hissed: “you snitch!”

“No name-calling!”, Tony made clear and walked up to the boy, who shifted nervously where he stood. Whether it was just Peter being embarrassed about how Tony found him or if there was more to it, Tony wasn't sure.

“Peter. Why are you up?”

               I don't wanna die; I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all.

“I just couldn't sleep”, he shrugged, clearly lying.

               Thunderbolt and Lightning, very, very frightening me!

“Pete.”

               I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me.

The kid stared down on his toes, fidgeting with his fingers.

                He's just a poor boy, from a poor family, spare him his life from this monstrosity.

“Just a nightmare”, he mumbled eventually. “Nothing too major.”

               Let me go! We will not let you go!

“You wanna talk about it?”

               Let me go! We will not let you go!

Silently, Peter shook his head, still not looking up. By now, Tony knew the kid well enough to recognize all the little tells that this, right here, was him fighting nail and tooth to not start crying.

               Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me!

“Right. Do you want a hug?”

Tony could barely blink; before he knew it, Peter buried his face in Tony's chest and held tightly onto him.

               So you think you can love me and leave me to die?

Resting his chin on Peter's head, Tony pulled the kid close, gently rubbing up and down his back. “It's ok, I got you.”

               Any way he wind blows...