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tonystarchive · 1 year ago

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IRONDAD & SPIDER-SON WHUMP MASTERLIST—PART 1

Last Updated: September 2023

As promised, here is my long overdue Irondad Whump Masterlist! This list took an embarrassing amount of time to compile and over forty pages in my Google Docs (!!!!!).

Due to the sheer amount of fics, I will be posting in parts. Within these posts, each fic will categorized by its most prevalent trope/theme.

I hope the work from these talented contributors brings as much whumpy joy to you as they do to me!

Also, a very special shoutout to my most treasured Irondad authors iron_spider, for_the_night, madasthesea, losingmymindtonight, AdVitemAeternum, MotherKarizma, and so many more! This post is dedicated to you. ♡

Adoption/Tony Stark is Peter Parker’s Biological Father

5 Times Tony Acted Like Peter’s Dad by for_the_night

Summary: “And the one time he actually was." *Featuring an award evening, nightmares, a father-son field trip, appendicitis, and a very special gift—oh, and SO many forehead kisses.*

Alive and Healing by Watermeloness

Summary: “‘...bank robbery gone wrong in Queens. We’re receiving live footage from the crime site, where a 15-year-old teenager has been severely injured. Witnesses report a young boy getting shot after trying to stop the perpetrators. The last we’ve heard, his state is critical and he’s being rushed to…’ Statistically, there are a lot of 15-year-old teenagers in Queens. The city is filled with 15-year-old teenagers that are all brave in their own ways. This doesn’t have to be their teenager. But Peter is not picking up his phone.”

Dad Is Just A Word (You Give It Meaning) by madasthesea

Summary: “Father's Day, two years after May dies. Peter has something special to give and something important to say.”

For Want of a Dad (In Need of a Son) by GhostInTheBAU

Summary: “So, have you given the camping trip any more thought?’ Ned asks, and he groans internally at the change in subject. He'd much rather go back to talking about his non-existent love life, thanks. The trip is during spring break—a four-day long trek out into the wilderness, camping and hiking and gathering who even knows what, learning all about nature and the great outdoors. But the real kicker? It's an event specifically designed for fathers and their sons, which is something Peter doesn't have, and something he will never be. Not again." Or: Peter longs to have a deeper relationship with his mentor, a more meaningful connection; but he's managed to convince himself that the only reason Tony Stark spends any time with him at all is purely because of his enhancement. Because of Spider-Man.

Homebound by AdVitamAeternam

Summary: “Shortly after Homecoming, Peter starts having panic attacks. Tony happens to have some experience with those. What do you do when everyone around you has a tendency to die? What do you do when the last person, the most precious, the one you absolutely cannot lose, maybe wants you? Do you give in, or do you run? Do you take what they offer, or do you keep them as far away from the disaster that is your life as you can?”

I Love You More Than Anything Series by iron_spider

Summary: “The highs and lows of Tony unexpectedly becoming a single dad at 31—from Peter’s early baby years, all the way past the defeat of Thanos”

I’ll Always Protect You (Even If You Don’t Want Me To) by JAWorley

Summary: “So much changed with Peter’s body chemistry after the bite that new things are still coming up that surprise him. One day he and Tony are having a fight and Peter is so stressed out he ends up having a seizure. Seizures… great, so that’s a thing now, and Tony has decided that the best thing is for Peter to stop being Spider-Man. The more the seizures happen, the more protective Tony becomes. All Peter wants is to have his life back." Or: May asks Tony to take joint custody of Peter to help with the Spider-Man thing and this new stress seizure issue. Peter learns that sometimes parents do what’s necessary even if it’s not a popular choice with their kids.

Questions of Science, Science and Progress (Do Not Speak As Loud As My Heart) by l_u_c_k_y_c_l_o_v_e_r

Summary: “I had to find you, tell you I need you. Tell you I set you apart." Or: Peter stays with Tony for a few weeks, and the pair get into all kinds of shenanigans. And maybe, just maybe, those few weeks will usher in something more.

These Days I’ll Sit On Cornerstones by Finny3120

Summary: “Tony was ill-prepared to find that the vigilante he'd recruited was a 14-year-old boy. He was even less prepared for Peter Parker to be mute. But Peter hasn't spoken since his uncle died. And the more Tony works with the teen, the less it matters to him. He hears Peter just fine.”

You’re Stuck With Me by for_the_night

Summary: “I’m adopting you. I don’t care what you have to say.’ Peter gaped. Of all of the entrances he’d expected from Mister Stark after being alone in a hospital room for hours, that wasn’t one of them." Or: Peter gets taken to hospital with a ruptured appendix and Tony comes to a daunting realization of just how little hold he has on the kid outside of Medbay.

Alternate Universe

My Baby, My Baby by SpaceCowboysFromMars

Summary: “Silence falls over them like a warm blanket. Distantly, there’s commotion down on the street as people walk home from clubs. Peter thinks Tony might be his best friend in the whole world. After a long, peaceful moment, Tony says, voice dripping with warmth, ‘Night, kid.’ ‘Goodnight, Mr. Stark." Or: Tony and Peter in the middle of the night, in five alternate universes.

Visiting Hours by Sara (ctrsara)

Summary: “Boss?’ Tony jolted out of his half-asleep state. ‘What’s up, FRI?’ ‘There is a visitor here to see you.’ Tony jumped up. Anyone he knew would usually call or text first, so he was immediately on alert. ‘Who is it, FRI?’ ‘I need you to have an open mind, and know that I do not believe this person is any threat.’ Oh, yeah, that made him feel better. ‘Excuse me? How about you let me decide that, Watson?’ He started walking towards the door, activating his watch gauntlet. ‘Wait, Boss.’ He was annoyed, but he trusted his AI enough to stop and listen. ‘I also need you to know that I have performed biometric scanning, and this person is who they appear to be. However, they insist they’re not from our universe, and that is the part I don’t understand." — In a universe where he never invented time travel, and never brought anyone back, Tony Stark gets a late-night visitor he never could have expected. Prompt taken from @idk-bruh-20 Irondad fic idea #97 on Tumblr. Idea from @derpmallow.

What The Heart Knows by AdVitamAeternam

Summary: “When Peter wakes up, his head is being assaulted by a sledgehammer. He has no idea where he is. He has no idea what happened to him. He has no idea who he is, other than ‘Peter.’ But then, he looks over at the man who is scrutinizing him with worried eyes, and he knows who the man is. That's his dad." Or: The one where Peter gets hit over the head really, really hard and has temporary amnesia, and makes a very reasonable assumption based on the data presented to him.

Angst

A Far Green Country by madasthesea

Summary: “He just wanted Peter to be happy. More than anything in the world, he wanted Peter to be happy. Oh, Tony thought as that realization sunk down into the pit of his stomach and took root. I love him.”

A River To Skate Away On by frostysunflowers

Summary: “Peter has survived a spider bite, a building falling on him, turning to dust and being a teenager. He can handle anything. Except being forgotten.”

Agape by canon irondad (tomlinsoul)

Summary: “It's Tony's first date night with Pepper since the Snap, and Peter can't wait to spend some quality time with his little sister. Too bad a pair of hapless intruders, head trauma, and a panicked helicopter ride throw a spanner in the works." Whumptober 2022 Day 8: Head Trauma + Day 7: Seizures + Day 19: Repeatedly Passing Out + BTHB: Big Brother Instinct

Broken Heart Syndrome by iron_spider

Summary: “Tony is clearly really upset, the kind of upset that Peter’s only seen the likes of a couple of times, and it’s too close after everything happening to really talk about it. He can definitely see that now. ‘I’m sorry,’ Peter says. ‘I’m sorry, I should have answered—’ ‘Yeah, you should have answered!’ Tony yells. His bottom lip is trembling and he shakes his head, his eyes wild. He runs his hand over his forehead. ‘Okay, okay, I’ll know for next time,’ Peter says. He doesn’t know what’s gonna make this better. Probably nothing. ‘There better not be a next time,’ Tony says, dropping his hand from his face. ‘God, like this? Pete, no one knew where he was but you, and you—you kept it that way so nobody knew what the hell was happening, and you—you weren’t answering, kid, and that asshole sent me all that shit plucked directly from my nightmares, and I was trying to be strong for May because she was worried, too, and you—and you, I—I thought I wasn’t gonna ever—I thought—Jesus, Peter, you don’t think, you don’t—’ Tony bends over, clutching at his arm and breathing hard through his mouth.”

Dead In There, You’re Dead In There by iron_spider

Summary: “Peter, you’ve been acting insane for the past however many days and it’s giving me an ulcer, what’s going on, what did I do? Tell me. Tell me and I’ll fix it.’ Peter is still stalking around, and Friday is listing off his injuries, from a concussion to broken ribs to a sprained ankle, and Tony feels sick looking at it all. ‘You’ll fix it,’ Peter says, glancing over at him with pure disdain, the look bookended by matching explosions somewhere behind them. ‘Yeah it’s something you can’t fix, if it happens, nope, can’t fix it, it would just—but you’re just saying—’ Tony starts forward towards him. ‘Pete, explain to me what’s happening, please.’ ‘The protocol, the protocol,’ Peter insists, waving his hands through the air. Tony shakes his head. ‘The protocol?’ ‘The Avalon Protocol, Tony,’ Peter spits out, with venom.”

Dead-Eyed by iron_spider

Summary: “Hey,’ Tony says, fast, into the phone. ‘Everything alr—’ ‘Hey, no, I don’t know where he is,’ MJ says, in a rush of breath. ‘I don’t know where he is, Tony, and I know I have access to that tracking thing, but it feels weird for me to do that, and it doesn’t feel weird for you to do that, so you should do that. And find him and tell me what’s going on.’ ‘Okay, calm down,’ Tony says, getting up and stepping back from his workstation. ‘You know you can’t tell me to calm down, because I’m calm, and I’m always calmer than you because you’re like, inherently, not calm. At all, about anything, but especially about your family—’ ‘Okay, this is not calm,’ Tony says, starting to pace, even though he’s not calm either, she’s right. She sighs loudly in his ear. ‘When was the last time you saw him?”

Earthly Dust From Off Thee Shaken by ExpectoPatronum

Summary: “It had started with leaving his bedroom light on at night before he went to sleep. For a while, that had been enough. But then it wasn't.”

“Forever” by WithACherryOnTop

Summary: “Peter could feel the darkness creeping up on him again, like it had only moments earlier in the Avengers Compound bullpen. ‘‘ony.’ ‘Just go to sleep, bud.’ Tony gently scratched his nails at the nape of Peter’s neck. Peter collapsed bonelessly in Tony’s arms, all evidence of the tears, crying, and sobs hidden except for a stained shirt and the boy’s even, congested breaths. Tony wiped a hand over his face, a bit flustered. ‘Wow. That went way worse than I expected." Disclaimer: All characters belong to Marvel and/or Sony. I do not give permission for this work to be copied and/or posted to any other sites.

Gonna Pick Up The Pieces by orphan_account

Summary: “I don’t want to talk to you,’ Peter says. He’s been hiding for the better part of an hour, sitting in the cabin’s laundry room, wedged between the washer and the dryer. Something about the sounds coming off of them calms him, weirdly. The swish of water, the rumble of the motors, cotton rubbing cotton, the button on a pair of jeans dinging the side of the barrel. ‘That’s bullshit,’ Tony says. ‘You always want to talk to me.’ As true as that usually is, this time it rings discordant and tense. Peter clenches his jaw. ‘Not really,’ he says. ‘You just sorta assume that.’ ‘Of course I do. I make for lovely conversation.’ ‘Eh.”

Head’s On The Fritz by augustheart

Summary: "Hello?’ ‘Tony?’ ‘The one and only. What’s up, kiddo?’ The answer rises up in Peter's throat. Stops at the back of his tongue and wobbles there, heavy and leaden. He wants to spit it out, to cough it into the unbearable silence, to not be loud—but, to be steady. ‘I—’ he says. He trembles. ‘Can you—come over? Please?" Or: Tony makes things better

Hold Me Together by An_Odd_Idea

Summary: “Peter still doesn’t feel quite solid. Sometimes Tony can’t believe he’s really there either. They cope.”

I Have You by sweetspiderstew

Summary: “Tony has Peter all to himself, and there's nothing else like some good quality time in the workshop, but little mishaps happen, and there's a lot of hugging.”

I’ll Be Right Here by An_Odd_Idea

Summary: “Peter has a nightmare, and Tony goes to be sure he’s okay. It’s not the first one of its kind.”

It Came At Night by Marvelous_Writer

Summary: “What’s supposed to be a normal weekend visit to the Compound turns into one of disaster when unexpected visitors show up." (Set after Spider-Man: Homecoming) Whumptober Day Five: Gunpoint

It’s Time to Leave (and Turn to Dust) by hopeless_hope

Summary: "We’re going to help you, I promise, but you’ve got to trust me. Do you trust me?’ Peter looks at his mentor, fear written across his face. He raises a shaking hand back to Tony’s chest, and Tony places his hand over the kid’s. Peter closes his eyes and feels the hard surface of the arc reactor against his palm. Peter doesn’t like soft things, but this isn’t soft. It’s solid and steady and strong and feels like a truth he can believe in. It feels like presence. ‘Yeah, I trust you." (In which Peter has trouble coping with the events of Infinity War, but a certain Tony Stark is there to help.)

Meltdown by inkinmyheartandonthepage

Summary: “You said two-thirty,’ Peter said, acting as if he hadn’t heard Tony. ‘I forgot that you changed it to two thirty and not three.’ Tony took a step towards Peter. ‘Hey, Pete. It’s fine. You’re not that late kiddo. Hell, I’ve been to board meetings hours late.’ The joke didn’t land, and Peter’s eyes started to well with tears. He took in a hiccupping breath. ‘Oh god. I forgot. I forgot." Or: Peter isn't coping after Titan and has been doing everything to keep busy and not think about it. Everything comes to head when he forgets that a time was changed in his busy schedule leading to a meltdown.

Mine, And Yours by crowkag

Summary: “Is it Peter?’ He was met with loaded silence. The anxiety spark became an anxiety plunge and twist. ‘Happy. Is it Peter?’ ‘It’s… well. Who else would it be, right?’ ‘Hogan.’ He hated this. The spark, the plunge, the twist. The tension creeping from his shoulder blades, clawing down arms both flesh and metal, somehow, someway, and bunching up inside his palms. The hysteria of it all. ‘It’s—alright, I won’t sugarcoat it. The kid’s alive, but he got shot, Tony. Twice." Or: Tony reunites with Peter in a less-than-ideal manner.

Relax, Just Breathe by hailfire_73

Summary: “Tony,’ said Peter, lifting his head from the glass, his stubbornness spent. ‘I don’t feel so—’ ‘Do not,’ said Tony, through gritted teeth, and meeting Peter’s eyes in the rearview mirror. He had just one hand on the steering wheel as he drove them into the night. ‘Finish that sentence.’ Morgan leaned over, hung out of her booster seat, and whispered, ‘It gives dad attacks." Or: The Starks go on a road trip that goes wrong when Peter gets food poisoning from questionable carnival food.

Scars Can Heal And Reveal Just Where You Are by parkrstark

Summary: “Jesus Christ, Pete,’ the voice says again, and it's not just a voice. It's a voice that belongs to the shadow. The shadow is light in the dark. It's warm. ‘What are you doing on the floor? You're lucky you're by your bed or else it would have been you breaking my fall.’ Peter blinks at the shadow and can't tell if he's comforted or irritated by the new company. ‘What? No quip about me breaking a hip?’ There's silence. ‘Peter?"

Shots Ring Out by itsluckyyou

Summary: “Peter Parker had training. Training to deal with robbers, petty crime, and possible alien invasions. Nothing could have possibly trained him for this, though." Or: There's a shooter wandering the halls of Midtown School of Science and Technology.

The Pills (They Gotta Go) by searchingforstars

Summary: “Tony. What are these?’ Tony glances up. Sees the packs of pills clenched in Peter’s fist. He’s sure some of them must be dust judging by the force that Peter is holding them with. ‘My pills?’ ‘Why are they sitting at the back of the pantry?’ Peter asks, voice dangerously low." Or: Tony decides taking his medication is optional. Peter strongly disagrees.

We All Have A Hunger by MotherKarizma

Summary: “Morgan,’ he croaked, throat afire, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. ‘Hey—hey, it’s okay, I’m just…’ ‘You’re sick.’ She mustered up something like bravery, using it to straighten her back and plaster a very grown-up look on her face. ‘I’ll get Daddy!’ ‘No!’ Morgan jumped, eyes wide. Peter fought to calm his voice. He offered her a smile that couldn’t have been convincing, not even to a five-year-old. ‘No, you don’t have to. I feel better now. You don’t have to tell him.’ Morgan’s lips wobbled. Peter knew what her fake pout looked like well enough to know this wasn’t it. ‘Petey…’ Peter had a lot of reasons to feel guilty. He felt guilty for scaring her. He felt guilty for forgetting to lock his bedroom door, for making scaring her a possibility. He kind of, in a way, felt guilty for doing it in the first place, though not nearly enough to stop. But more than anything, he felt guilty for this: ‘Morgan, promise me you won’t tell him. He…he won’t let us swim anymore if you do. And I’m not sick, my tummy just hurt a little bit, but I’m all better now. Promise me you won’t tell him, okay?’ ‘But…’ ‘Morgan. Promise.”

We’re Here by An_Odd_Idea

Summary: “Comfortember prompt 3: Nightmares Peter has nightmares about when Thanos stabbed Tony on Titan”

Who Needs a Happy New Year When You Can Have a Happy Forever? by searchingforstars

Summary: “Peter's already feeling insecure about his place in Stark family holiday traditions, but it turns out it doesn't really matter because New Year’s Eve is significantly less fun when you’re a pair of PTSD-riddled superheroes, anyway." Or: Tony has a panic attack in a Burger King.

Without You (I Was Broken) by parkrstark

Summary: "How did you get shot? You just webbed me up 5 stories from being shot!’ ‘D-Didn’t know it was coming.’ ‘Dammit, Peter! This isn’t the first time your spidey sense hasn’t worked. I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt because Rhodey told me I was being insane. Why didn’t you tell me it wasn’t always working? You shouldn’t go out into battle like this when your powers are being wonky and—’ ‘You’re here.’ ‘What?’ ‘You’re here.’ He takes a deep breath. ‘I don’t...I can’t really feel the danger when you’re around."

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peterstrk · 9 months ago

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“When will you stop calling me Mr. Stark?”

“I don’t know… never? It is your name, yeah?”

“Uh-huh, I know it, but Pete, you know you can call me Tony, right? Or anything you want, for that matter. You have my permission, sweetheart.”

“Oh, Sweetheart, I like it! Anything I want, huh, Dr. Stark?”

“Ugh… I brought that on myself, didn’t I?”

“Yes, you did. However, I have a question to ask you.”

“Sure, ask away.”

“Um, I know it sounds silly, but I can’t help but feel like you’ve lived all these moments with others too. And no, I don’t judge you or anything, but it’s just… everyone you’ve ever been with has had the privilege to call you by your name and just… ugh, what I’m trying to say is, I love you, Mr. Stark, I truly do. But I want to come up with something that would be only mine! And I’m rambling again, I’m sorry… Anyway, my question is, can you wait for me to do that, please?”

“Oh, Pete, I didn’t know you felt this way. I’m so sorry you’ve gone through so much distress because of it. But Pete, sweetheart, the love of my life, never, you hear me, never question yourself around me, okay? I can’t change my past actions, but I don’t even remember their names, honey. You are the one for me… all I can think about all day is you and just how much I love you.”

“It’s always Peter,” Tony whispered, looking deep into Peter’s eyes and leaving faint kisses across his face. Peter’s bright, relieved smile reassured Tony that everything would be alright.

“Thank you…I think I came up with something for just us. What do you think of Anthony?” Peter said teasingly, his voice laced with a hint of mischief. Tony’s eyes lit up with amusement. He was all too eager to hear his boyfriend call him that.

“I love it, Peter. Anything you want, sweetheart, anything you want,” he replied with a hint of amusement. If anyone who knew him saw him now, they could easily tell how fond he was of the young pretty man standing before him.

#so honestly i had no idea what i was going to write #it’s my second attempt to write some cutesy fluff and everytime it’s somehow turning into angst #this one i could save but i couldn’t save my first attempt lol #i will probably post my first attempt later..like laaater when i turn it into angst with happy ending #i need happy endings #it was all them gents and ladies #like they are stupidly in love ladies and gents #starker #idk what this is #spiderman #tony stark #ironspider #everything can be starker related🤫#starker fic #idk what tags to use #i’m anxious #don’t judge me #too harsh pls🥺#they are in looove #peter is insecure smtimes #but tony will always reassure him!!#i love them so much like ugh #i will write #my request nonnie it’s just that pete and tony smtimes change the plot entirely #im soo sorry 😭#ficlet

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ursafootprints · 4 months ago

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Title: Perpetual Motion Chapter Wordcount: 3,663 Rating: E Work Tags: noncon, Vulture/Peter, Liz/Peter, Starker endgame, canon divergence, blackmail

"That's great, Pete," Toomes said, and the sound of his zipper was louder than any gunshot. "It's good you've already learned that, but you also need to learn what happens when you get yourself involved with real criminals, kid. You get in over your head, and this is what happens. You get hurt." When Toomes finds a stronger argument to keep Peter from meddling in his plans at Homecoming, he figures the Vulture isn't the only thing he can get Peter to keep quiet about— leaving Peter to juggle his relationship with Liz, his abuse at her father's hands, and his lingering hurt over how things ended with Mr. Stark.

Mind the tags and please enjoy 💖

#starker #my fic #“I'm working on a fun cute omegaverse thing” I said #and like. I am. ...but I finished ch1 of this angstfest first #more angst! more peter torture! I'm sorry you're my favorite darling it's a bad thing to be

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wanted-to-be-nosey · 13 days ago

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Everything's Fine

I read this prompt a while back and was inspired to write the following fic. wordcount ~6,900 AO3

Tony had known he was in love with Peter since the day the newly turned nineteen-year-old had forced his way into the lab and physically carried him up the stairs and through the penthouse before depositing him in his en-suite – clean towels and a change of clothes folded neatly and waiting for him on the vanity unit – with very succinct instructions to shower and that his pity party about his divorce was over.

The thing was, he hadn’t been having a pity party over the divorce. He and Pepper had called it quits about three months before they made the public announcement. Things hadn’t been working, they both knew it and were both getting too old for the on-again-off-again thing they’d had in their younger days.

So, it wasn’t her leaving that had caused his retreat to the lab.

It was the public reaction to the news of their divorce that had hit the hardest. They’d all followed the one narrative he hadn’t anticipated; and he always tried to plan for all possible outcomes.

For some forsaken reason, every gossip columnist and “investigative blogger" on the internet assumed it had all come down to Tony cheating. That his infidelity was apparently the only possible reason for their split.

He’d never protested his playboy status in his younger years because he knew it was true. But he had never cheated on anyone. If he was in a relationship, he was true and faithful. Even if his eyes did wander, he’d never dream of acting on it.

Despite growing up in the public spotlight, it still hurt that so many people would believe he was capable of such things. He’d felt the accusatory stares in meetings and in restaurants. He felt more exposed simply walking down the street than what he was used to. Friends and colleagues alike asked how he could do that to Pepper, fully believing what they’d read rather than what they knew of him and ignored him when he tried to explain they’d simply come to a mutual agreement to split after drifting apart. For her part, Pepper had tried to tell others the same, but by then it was too late. People had already made up their mind on what Tony was capable off. In time his reputation would recover, and people would forget, but until then he had to battle the storm.

It hadn’t taken him long to seek the refuge of his lab instead of dealing with the judgemental stares. Something that with Pepper out of the picture and Rhodey deployed overseas, he would be able to do. No one would be there to prevent him from sulking for days. No one cared enough to stop him.

That is until Peter Parker stepped in.

Peter who’s first year at Columbia had filled him with a newfound confidence. A confidence, that try as he might, Tony couldn’t help but find at least a little sexy. They’d been growing closer as friends for years — Peter was one of a few that Tony had let into his inner circle — but he’d never allowed himself to stop and consider that Peter had also felt the same way. That he was also no longer seen as the older mentor, but instead a close friend.

During the months following Peter dragging him from his lab, the kid became a constant in his life. It was the summer break at Columbia, so the kid had a lot of free time. Time he spent in Tony’s lab, doing his internship to help earn some extra credit for the coming academic year. It was the company Tony needed to get him through the worst of the aftermath of his divorce. The companionship that got him over the funk of what the media assumed about him. Eventually he found a new sense of normal and returned to working alongside Pepper, leaving the divorce and all the accompanying fallout behind him.

Finding his new normal was made easier with how close he had grown to Peter.

Tony wasn’t stupid. In fact, he had the IQ tests to prove he was far from it. He knew that Peter could have his choice of any partner, that the kids at Columbia must’ve been throwing themselves at him. Peter had the kindest heart, a massive brain, amazing sense of humour and abs of steel to complete the package. He could have his pick of the litter, which is why Tony was so blown away that he’d somehow chosen him.

Not long after the kid had returned to classes for his second year, he’d stuttered his way through asking for a date – which Tony had readily accepted – and things had progressed from there. Friday movie nights now continued into the bedroom, and they spent their days texting between meetings, classes and patrolling. Now that they’d been together for six months, they were finally taking the next steps, and Peter was moving in with him. May and Happy were helping to pack Peter’s belongings and would drop him off at the penthouse later in the evening, giving them the weekend to unpack and settle in before classes resumed on Monday following the Christmas holidays.

As he waited for them to arrive, Tony found himself nervously tidying behind himself. Wiping down tables and fluffing cushions. Its not like Peter hadn’t been there hundreds of times before, but it was different when his boyfriend was going to be living with him. Other than Pepper, Tony had never lived with a partner. It was a massive step to him, one that showed how serious he was about their relationship, and he knew it was a big deal to Peter as well. He’d never lived away from home before, had managed to stay living with May even while at school.

The elevator dinged to announce their arrival, and interrupted his attempt at moving the lamp in the hallway (for the third time).

“Hey, Tony,” Peter greeted, as he dropped a pile of boxes onto the floor beside the elevator before moving to give him a hug.

“Hey, Pete,” Tony breathed into the younger man’s hair, as he held him close. “You manage to get everything packed okay?”

“Yeah, Happy and May are going to come by with the last of the boxes tomorrow, but I’ve got most of it with me. They didn’t want to intrude on our first night together.”

“Good, good. D’you want to start unpacking while we wait for dinner? I ordered us some pizza earlier. Didn’t want you getting hungry.”

“Sure,” Peter gave him one last squeeze before pulling away and back towards his pile of boxes. “This still feels so surreal. I can’t believe I’m going to be living here with you. It’s just amazing.”

“You’re telling me. I personally can’t wait to wake up to your face each morning. I’m sure you’ll be sick of me in no time.”

Peter chuckled, as they carried the first couple of boxes through to the bedroom, depositing them on the bed to start unpacking.

“I’m not going to get sick of you. You have no idea how long I’ve dreamt about this moment. My fourteen-year-old self would never believe that not only am I dating Tony Stark — I’m living with him.”

Turning from the boxes, Peter wrapped his arms around Tony’s neck and pulled him in for a kiss. Tony’s hands found themselves settling on the younger man’s hips, holding him close, as their breathing grew laboured, and their kiss grew heated.

“You said we had time before pizza arrived, right?” Peter asked coyly.

“We certainly do. Shall we leave the unpacking for later?”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The following weekend found them up at the compound for the Avengers monthly training session. Things were still strained between the team, the fight in Germany and Siberia leaving lasting scars that no amount of time would ever completely remove, but they still tried to put their differences aside for the greater good.

Hence, the regular training.

Tony’s only saving grace was that Rhodey had returned from overseas and so had made it along. He was glad to have him on his team, especially given Peter had been appointed to a team with Steve and Sam for the weekend. He and Peter weren’t big fans of PDA, neither wanted to be known as the couple that were always all over each other, but Tony still thought they would have had some more time alone together over the weekend.

Maybe Peter needed some space after spending most of his time outwith classes with him over the last week.

Regardless of the reason for them missing each other during the training, he still found himself completely ignoring Rhodey as they warmed up in the gym. Peter and his team had obviously had an early start as they were already working up a sweat on the mats across the gym, taking a rest from their sparring. The high ceilings provided them with the right acoustics to carry the other groups voices across the hall for him to eavesdrop.

“Not bad, Queens. You thought about moving out here rather than staying at the Tower? The gym there’s not bad, but there’s much better resources here.”

“I can’t be the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man if I’m not in the city. Besides,” Peter made a show of flexing his muscles. “I don’t think I’m doing too badly without the fancy gym stuff.”

“True that,” Sam whistled. “It’s unfair how little work you enhanced need to stay looking fine.”

Peter chuckled, scratching the back of his neck but Tony missed whatever his response was when Rhodey smacked the back of his head.

“What’s the point of me even coming to these stupid things, if you’re just going to ignore me the entire time?”

Raising his hands in surrender, Tony turned his back to the others to give Rhodey his full attention while he tried to come up with an excuse.

“Don’t say that, Honeybear. I could never ignore you! I’m just...”

“Ogling your boyfriend across the room, rather than either working out yourself or just going over to say hi?”

“What?” Tony spluttered. He hadn’t been that obvious, had he? Who was he kidding. It was Rhodey he was talking about. He noticed everything.

“Uh-huh,” Rhodey snorted. “Whatever, man. Looks like you missed your chance anyway since they’re getting back to it.”

Glancing over his shoulder, he clenched his jaw at the sight. Peter and Steve were circling each other again to start a new round of sparring, their bare chests glistening with sweat, and muscles tensing as they prepared to pounce.

Some primal part of him wanted to run over and pull a shirt over Peter’s head. Or maybe just drag him off where he couldn’t be seen by the others at all. The adrenaline from the training filled weekend must’ve been getting to him. He wasn’t thinking logically. Even if he desperately wanted to punch Steve for the way his hands gripped at Peter’s shoulders and waist as he tried to pin the younger man down.

It’s fine. They’re just working out. It’s the whole point of the training sessions. The entire reason they were there.

He had no right to be jealous.

“We’re starting with the weights, right?” he said, striding towards the benches without waiting for Rhodey’s response, desperate to distract his mind. Worried that if he didn’t he’d find himself across the hall.

“Sure. I’ll spot you first.”

The familiar repetition of lifting weights, and the burn in his muscles, provided a good distraction. The easy bantering back and forth with Rhodey also helped. At least, it did until the others were leaving to hit the showers.

Standing behind Rhodey to spot his bench press, he was at the perfect angle to witness Sam wrapping his sweaty arm around Peter’s bare shoulders and pulling him against the older man’s naked side. He couldn’t make out what was being said, but he didn’t miss the flush colouring Peter’s face as Steve approached his other side and whispered something into his ear.

Peter had always been friendly. It was one of the things Tony loved about him. He was always open with hugs and affection – friends and family alike. He just hadn’t realised he was as close with the other Avengers. Specifically with the man who had tried to kill him in an abandoned bunker in Siberia. Not that he could raise it with Peter. He had something good going and he wasn’t going to start dictating who he was friends with. That’d be a surefire way to end the best relationship that had ever happened to him.

“A little help?”

“Shit,” he cursed before grabbing the bar from Rhodey to rerack it. “Sorry.”

“Why not just talk to Peter if you don’t want him on their team? I think it’s reasonable that you wouldn’t want him to be with Steve, given everything that went down between you. I’m sure the others would understand as well if you said something.”

“Oh yeah, that’d go down so well. ‘Hey kid, your far too old, insecure partner has decided you can’t hang out with your friends because they had a falling out on the playground.’” Tony rolled his eyes, while reaching for his water. “It’s fine. Peter’s a touchy-feely guy, I’m not trying to change him. I don’t want to scare him off.”

“If you’re sure.” Rhodey hummed unconvincingly. “Ready to spot me again?”

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Despite his best efforts, that feeling of what could only be described as jealousy continued to grow throughout the weekend.

Tony himself knew he could be a lot. He had always been a tactile person. It was a way he could control the touches; form physical connections he hadn’t had growing up. A hand on the arm as he was talking, an arm round the shoulder as he walks with friends, a pat to the chest to drive home a point, but none of those touches were ever lingering. Those would always be reserved for his partner. Especially when he’s in a relationship, he tried to keep any and all touches limited – even the most innocent of ones like handshakes. It had always been a pet-peeve of Pepper’s that he’d been so free with his touch around his friends. So, he’d tried not to be. He hated the feeling that he was letting her down, so he worked hard to suppress his hands natural instincts of moving.

He felt shamed for being who he was.

It was for that reason he couldn’t let Peter know how jealous he felt watching his boyfriend flex in the kitchen while other men’s hands trailed over his muscles. They were all showing off, it wasn’t like Peter was the only one being groped, but he couldn’t help but feel inferior watching them. Despite the hours he spent in the gym or the time spent grafting in the workshop, he was aware enough to know he was past his prime. He could never compete with the young, buff men that were showing off in the kitchen. Instead, he sat with Rhodey, Clint and Natasha in the living room making plans for the next training weekend.

“You must be fighting off the girls at school,” Sam commented as they finally joined the rest of them in planning. “Just show them the gun show and they’ll be falling over themselves.”

Peter chuckled, as he took a seat on the couch beside Tony, cheeks turning red.

“Please, unlike you, I don’t need to rely on my muscles for them to come running.”

“Hold up, pipsqueak!” Sam scoffed. “The ladies can’t get enough of my muscles or my ass. Don’t let Cap take all the glory for having America’s ass.”

“I’ve never claimed that,” Steve sighed, sounding defeated.

“You’ve never tried to refute the title either,” Clint added. “Feels like you want people to know.”

“I mean, its not bad,” Peter added, wiggling his eyebrows at Steve who was sat across the room.

“Pretty sure, you’d have the title beat, Pete,” Tony murmured, letting his hand rest on the younger’s thigh.

“He’d certainly be a contender,” Natasha smirked from the other side of Peter. “Lord knows all the Spider-Man fans are appreciative of the suit.”

“Can we stop talking about my ass?”

“Aw, are we embarrassing the Spider-Baby?” Sam cooed.

Peter spluttered before turning bright red, eyes darting to Tony looking for a save.

“Alright, leave the kid alone. He’s got an amazing ass, move on.” Tony rolled his eyes and gave Peter’s thigh a reassuring squeeze. “Are we doing any more planning or will we call it?”

“We’ve still got a lot of details to work out,” Steve stated, focusing back on the job at hand. “I’ve been thinking about adding in some new scenarios...”

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When Tony was younger, he could never understand why his mom stood by Howard all those years. Tony didn’t have any fond memories of the man, most of them revolved Tony either being berated or ignored by the man, but perhaps the most painful memories where the ones the man hurt his mom instead of him. The memory of the first time he’d been aware of what was going on had stuck with him.

On a rare holiday weekend home, he had spent the evening sitting with his mom in the quiet living room. Jarvis had been dismissed after dinner, and it was just the two of them sitting listening to the ticking of the clock. Conversation had been stilted and slow, but he’d been content to spend the time with her. Although he’d only been eleven at the time, he couldn’t have missed the way she would glance at the clock every ten minutes, or the despair and dread that seemed to radiate off her as the night grew longer waiting for Howard’s return.

The worst part was that Howard’s location wasn’t a secret.

Everyone – the public, friends and staff alike – knew he was out with his secretary, again. It was something they all knew, but none acknowledged. Tony had heard the whispers at school, had read the gossip articles, but he’d never discussed it. If he tried to mention it to his mom, she shut him down before he even started. Instead, they would sit together watching movies or talking about school. Pass the time together ignoring the elephant in the room.

When Howard would eventually show up – smelling of another woman’s perfume, and with foreign lipstick stains on his shirt – his mom would simply welcome him home and fix him a drink like nothing had even happened.

He could never understand why she would put herself through it. The pain, humiliation and heartbreak of loving a man who clearly didn’t feel the same way.

He didn’t understand until Peter.

It had been late Sunday night before they’d arrived back at the Tower, the planning had taken longer than expected and ended up spilling into the evening. They’d both been tired and achy from the intense training, and while Peter bounced back the following day it wasn’t until Wednesday morning that Tony could get himself out of bed without a medley of old man noises accompanying every movement. That had certainly led to a bruised and wounded ego.

With his muscles no longer actively working against him, he made quick work of getting dressed and made his way to the kitchen to start the coffee while Peter showered. Despite his urge to join him in the shower, he didn’t want to be the reason Peter was late for class. Instead, he let himself make plans for the evening. He knew Peter’s class schedule, and after checking his own meetings, asked Friday to make some reservations for dinner.

“Could you pour me a cup, Tony?” Peter asked, skidding to a stop in the living room and grabbing his bag. “In my flask please? I must have zoned out in the shower cause I’m gonna be late.”

Grabbing Peter’s favourite travel mug, he filled the cup and moved to grab some granola bars for the kid to take with him.

“No worries, just make sure you eat,” he said, grabbing some fruit as well before making his way over to where Peter was hopping around putting on his shoes. “I was thinking we could go out for dinner tonight, make up for lost time now my bodies back under my own control again?”

Peter giggled at his exaggerated eyebrow wiggle, before shaking his head.

“That sounds so nice, but it’s Wednesday and Wednesdays are my date night with Harry. We skipped last week cause it was the first week moving in, but I can’t stand him up two weeks in a row!”

Suddenly Tony was very glad the kid wasn’t looking at him as he double checked everything in his bag. Joking about with the avengers was one thing – could easily be played off as Peter’s friendly nature – but actively going out on dates with another man – how long had it been going on for? He said it was a long-standing thing, was he supposed to already know about that?

He knew Peter was young, fit and in his prime. That there was bound to be competition, he’d just naively thought that Peter would be a one and done kind of guy. Of course, with his enhanced stamina he’d need more than one man to keep up with him – especially one Tony’s age. The past few days had clearly shown that, taking almost three days just to get over some light training. How could he have been so blind?

If he raised an objection to Peter having other lovers, which one of them would Peter break it off with? Harry was obviously fine with it if they skipped the previous week since Peter was moving in with his boyfriend.

If he wanted to stay with Peter, he’d have to accept it. He’d long ago concluded that he was utterly in love with the boy. Knowing that Peter didn’t feel the same way didn’t erase those feelings, even if the emotional knife stabbing him in his chest made him wish that it did.

Despite it all, Peter must still love him to be with him. Its just that, he needed more. More than what Tony could provide, but wouldn’t it still be better to keep what he has, even if that will apparently never be all of Peter?

For the first time in his life, he understood his mother’s silence.

“We can go out tomorrow night though, right?” Peter asked, oblivious to Tony’s internal dilemma.

Thankfully, he had just enough time to school his features before Peter turned round, bag slung over his shoulder ready to go, a question in his eyes.

“Yup. Yeah. Course.” Tony clapped his hands, before giving Peter a chaste kiss. “Gives me longer to make plans. Have fun tonight and I’ll see you later?”

“Sure. Have a good day and I’ll let you know when I’m heading back but don’t feel like you need to wait up,” Peter smiled, leaning in for another kiss before running for the elevator. “Bye, love you!”

“Love you too,” Tony replied as the elevator doors shut, leaving Tony alone in the penthouse. A rock settling in his stomach.

For the first time in his life, he truly understood his mother.

He’d rather have the person that he loves in anyway that he can, than be without them completely. If being the faithful partner Peter had waiting at home was all he was allowed to be, then that’s what he’d do.

It hurt to know that’s all he apparently was, but it would hurt even worse to be removed from his life completely.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“This where you’ve been hiding?” Rhodey asked, as he barged into the workshop and silencing Tony’s music.

Tony had been elbow-deep in the guts of his latest suit. There hadn’t been anything wrong with it — he’d simply felt the need to take it apart and rebuild it in order to distract himself from his boyfriend’s whereabouts. His mother had spent her time pacing the floor when Howard was out with his flings, the past month Tony had found himself immersed in work in the lab instead.

“I’m not hiding,” Tony huffed, despite knowing that was exactly what he was doing. With a groan he stood up and grabbed a rag to wipe his hands. “I’m working, there’s a difference.”

“Sure,” Rhodey snorted. “Where’s Pete tonight?”

“I think they’re off bowling,” Tony mumbled, staring a hole into the ground and scrunching the rag between his fingers.

“Okay... d’you want to unpack whatever that was?”

“Nothing to unpack, Honeybear.”

“Right,” Rhodey drawled. “Either way, I came to ask if you guys would be making it to my birthday dinner next week. Y’know, since you still haven’t let me know.”

Rubbing the back of his neck, Tony sighed.

There was a reason he hadn’t responded yet. Of course of all the days Rhodey’s birthday could have fallen, it just had to be on a Wednesday this year. The one night Peter always reserved for his other partner, the one Tony spent hiding in his workshop. He’d avoided asking the younger man if he would be able to make it as he couldn’t face the rejection he was sure would follow. Instead, he’d simply ignored Rhodey’s attempts to get an RSVP from him. He should’ve known the man would only accept his silence for so long.

“Of course, I’ll be there,” he finally answered. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

“And Peter?” Rhodey prodded.

“Think I’ll be going stag, Honeybear. More time for us, if you know what I mean,” he smirked, waggling his eyebrows and barely dodging the towel Rhodey threw his way.

“Did you even ask him?”

“Why would you even ask that?”

“Oh yeah. Like I don’t know a distraction when I hear it. Why not?”

“…It’s complicated.”

“Tones, what’s going on?”

“Drop it, Rhodey,” he huffed, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

That was another reason he’d been ignoring Rhodey. He knew his friend would see through his façade and ask the difficult questions. The ones he’d been doing his best to ignore. His best friend could read him like a book regardless of how well he hid his feelings.

“Don’t give me that shit.”

The two best friends found themselves trapped in a stalemate. The silent glares could only last for so long, and Tony cursed himself for already knowing he’d be the first to break. He hated silences. Especially emotionally charged awkward ones. Of course, Rhodey knew that.

With a deep sigh, Tony turned so his back was to his friend before he spoke quietly.

“Wednesday nights are Peter’s date nights. Some guy called Harry. They’ve been at it for some time, I’m honestly not sure if it was before or after we got together. He doesn’t miss them, and I don’t wanna hear some excuse about why he wouldn’t be able to make it next week.”

“He’s cheating on you?!” Rhodey spluttered indignantly.

“Is it really cheating if I know about it? It’s not like he’s keeping it a secret.”

“Pretty sure it’s still cheating since I’m guessing you never agreed to an open relationship. I know what the shjt Howard did, did to you. You barely even look at someone else when you’re in a relationship.”

“It’s fine. I love him, Rhodey and I want to be with him in whatever way I can. Regardless of what he does on Wednesday’s, he always comes home to me. That’s the important part. I think I finally get why mom stayed for all those years.”

“You need to tell him, man. Does he even know how much this is affecting you?”

“Of course not,” Tony scoffed. “And he’s not going to. I can deal with it. We’re so happy together and I’m not going to ruin that.”

“I take it this is why you’ve been so pissy for the last month? I thought you’d just been having second thoughts about him moving in.”

“Nah, I could never regret that. I just… I thought I was enough to make him happy...I hadn’t realised that he’d need—”

Tony physically shook himself when the telltale signs of emotion began growing too much and his eyes began to prickle with unshed tears. He was not going to cry over this. Especially not in front of Rhodey.

He was fine.

“Anyway,” Tony added with a sniff to reign in his emotions. “To answer your question, I doubt Peter will make next week, but I’ll see you there. And no, you don’t get a clue about what I’ve got you. It’ll be a magnificent surprise as always.”

Rhodey sighed like he always did when he wasn’t satisfied but knew Tony wouldn’t answer any more questions. At least not without more time, and probably a lot of alcohol. Their relationship had always been a careful balance of push and pull between them. Tony had no doubts his friend would circle back to the topic at some point, but he was going to take any reprieve he could get.

He deliberately kept Peter’s whereabouts and how they made him feel as far from his mind as often as possible. Scared that otherwise he’d feel himself drifting towards a drink, and he’s not sure he’d have the courage to stop once he started. Unfortunately, Rhodey’s pushing had already brought it to the forefront of his mind.

“I’m just about done here anyway, what d’you say we head upstairs for a drink? You can catch me up on what I’ve missed in DC.”

Without waiting for answer, he made his way towards the elevator and let out a quiet breath of relief when he heard his friend muttering in annoyance yet following in his footsteps. He likely still had several hours to kill until Peter would return and at least this way he could drown his sorrows with a friend.

It wasn’t pathetic if he had a companion while drinking, right?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

Voices emanating from the kitchen pulled Tony from his sleep. His back and shoulders ached from his hunched position on what he discovered was the couch in the living area. Empty bottles and glasses were scattered across the coffee table in front of him, and a blanket had been haphazardly draped over his figure.

His mouth felt fuzzy and his head heavy, but he certainly wasn’t hungover. He probably still had hours before that would set in. Glancing at the clock he couldn’t have been out for more than a couple of hours. He’d probably fallen asleep while chatting with Rhodey. It certainly wouldn’t have been the first time. He’d been doing that to his friend since they’d been in college.

Speaking of Rhodey, he could identify his best friend’s angry tones drifting through from the kitchen, although the volume was kept low as if trying not to wake him. Not that it had worked – obviously – but Tony had no plans on letting them know he was awake till he could work out what on earth was going on.

“…some cheek coming in here and getting on at me for encouraging him to drink. Are you just choosing to ignore the whole reason he felt compelled to do so in the first place?”

“What are you talking about?” hissed another familiar voice. “He was fine when I left.”

“Right,” Rhodey snorted in disbelief. “Fine. Tony doesn’t do open relationships. He’s a one and done. And you—“

“Wait, what?” Peter spluttered – and that was definitely Peter’s voice, he recognised it now. “He wants to open our relationship?”

“Of course not. Not that that’s stopping you apparently. I get it works for some people, but you could’ve at least told him up front what was happening. Let him make that choice before he’d went and fallen—“

“What?” Peter interrupted again, Rhodey’s irritated grunt showing his annoyance at the repeated action. “I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

“Your Wednesday night date nights?! You know, whatever guy you literally just left? Ringing any bells?”

“Harry?!” Peter yelled, before instantly falling quiet.

Even with his back to the pair, he could feel the twin gazes watching him. Probably about time he joined the shitshow of a conversation. He should’ve known Rhodey wouldn’t be able to keep his mouth shut. Now he was just going to make it all worse by forcing them to talk about it, and then Peter would definitely notice that he was, in fact, not fine about it at all. He’d worked really hard to keep up that appearance but after a few drinks and having to actually talk it out, he doubted it would last very long.

Still, he’s pretty sure his cover of still sleeping was blown anyway given how they still hadn’t resumed talking.

“You guys can’t whisper-argue for shit. Should’ve taken lessons from Pep. She’s the queen of quiet annihilation,” he smirked as he pushed himself up from the couch, groaning as his body cracked with every small movement. “Rhodey, you promised to stay out of it. Pete, just ignore him. I’m fine, we’re fine, it’s all fine.” At Peter’s uncertain look, he felt the need to confirm. “We are fine, right?”

“I’m so lost right now. Y’think ’m dating Harry?” Peter asked, sounding small and unsure.

It was the type of voice that made him want to hug and reassure the kid. Make sure he never felt that insecure. Although, if Tony was being honest, it was unfair that the kid got to sound like he was the one being wronged in this situation.

“Yeah,” Tony sighed. “But it’s fine—“

“Why?!”

“You’re really not up for letting people finish tonight. Lordy.” Tony sighed, before gripping his left wrist and diverting his eyes to the floor. “Are you really going to make me say it?”

“Say what? You’re not making any sense.”

“You literally told me the week you moved in, that Wednesday nights were your date nights with this Harry guy. You’re always going out to bars, or dinners, or whatever it is you guys do together. It’s not exactly my place to keep track of that stuff.” To distract from the way his voice wavered towards the end, he decided to reiterate, “It’s fine.”

“Oh my God. Will you stop saying ‘It’s fine’. This is so not fine.” Peter paused to run his fingers through his hair, looking like he was minutes away from screaming. “You thought I was cheating on you and never said anything?”

“What else was I supposed to do?”

“Anything!” Peter yelled. Yup, Tony had called his outburst. Although maybe that shouldn’t be what he’s focusing on, because Peter was making zero sense. “Call me out, break it off. You shouldn’t be with someone who treats you like that!”

“You want to break up?” Tony whispered, hating how quickly things were spiralling out of control and the fact he felt so vulnerable in front of not only Peter but his best friend as well. This is not how he expected this conversation to go. Was he supposed to have argued and plead his case with Peter? He hadn’t felt the need to add more unnecessary drama when everything had already been falling apart.

“No, I really don’t. I’m just super confused. Harry’s my friend. Nothing more. We’re the only two openly gay guys in our class, so we started hanging out but with our schedules, Wednesdays are the only time we’re both actually free outwith our classes. We’re most certainly not into each other. That’s gross – besides we’re both complete bottoms. It’d never work between us. I thought you knew that. May’s the one that first jokingly called it our date night and I guess it just stuck. You’ve thought I was cheating on you all this time?”

“Uh,” Tony really had no clue what to say.

Had he misread the signals all this time? It would explain why Peter always seemed so happy with him. How everything always felt perfect between them, other than the few hours he’d disappear each week. He’d tried not to read too much into it. He’d been so sure they were perfect for each other before he’d been blindsided with the news of his Wednesday night date nights.

It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility to acknowledge that he may have simply gotten into his own head and orchestrated the whole thing in his mind. Especially given he’d made a point to never actually address it with Peter. But then he’d always been so out of his league that it had been entirely believable that Peter would be looking for more.

“You’ve got be kidding me,” Rhodey muttered, dropping his head into his hands. “You guys are both dumbasses, I’m out. Talk this stuff out and communicate. I’m off to bed.”

The couple watched Rhodey walk out in silence before returning their gazes to one another.

Tony had no idea what to say, but knew he needed to start. He had honestly believed that Peter – perfect Peter, who went out of his way to avoid stepping on bugs on the sidewalk – was capable of cheating on him. With fresh eyes, he can’t believe he would even think of such things. It went against everything Peter stood for. He’d let his own self-doubts get in the way.

He had to try and fix this.

“I’m sorry,” Tony spoke softly. “When you mentioned the date night I imagined the worst. I hadn’t even thought it was something you’d be capable of, but you’d sounded so sure, and I still think you’d be able to find better than me, so I assumed the worst. I never asked more questions cause I didn’t want to lose you. I’ve already told you my parents’ relationship wasn’t great, but I’ve never really told you the why... My father openly had an affair with his secretary that everyone knew about yet left my mother waiting at home for him. I guess I just figured, if it was something that was happening, I’d rather stay and deal with the hurt than risk losing you.”

“You’re not going to lose me, Tony. I wouldn’t want to be with anyone else. Hell, ask my friends – all they do is complain about how much I talk about you. I know I wasn’t cheating, and now you do too, but if I was – and this is entirely hypothetical – but if I was, you can’t just accept it. I can’t even imagine the hurt I’ve been causing you, and I feel even worse because how could I not see it?” Peter took a step forward, and this close Tony could see the tears glistening in his eyes. Hurt that he had caused. “Its my job as your boyfriend to love and protect you, not even counting my responsibilities as Spider-Man, and I missed it. Rhodey was here for a couple of hours and spotted it.”

“Rhodey’s had an extra twenty years to learn to read me, Pete. It’s hardly a fair comparison.”

“Regardless, I should’ve seen it. I’m so sorry for not.” Peter paused to take a deep breath. “I understand if you wanted to call things off after all this.”

“That’s the last thing I want to do,” Tony breathed, reaching out to grab Peter’s hands in his own. “I want to be with you, and only you. I want to grow old – well, older – and be the man you come home to at the end of the day. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. If I’d asked you any questions about your date nights, I would’ve saved myself the heartache.”

“I understand not wanting to ask though. I’m just… sorry that you felt that way. For the record, I want to grow old with you, too. I love being able to wake up each morning with you and falling into bed at the end of the day together. I love you, Tony.” Peter pressed a kiss to Tony’s lips, that felt like a cooling balm to his soul. This whole evening has felt like an emotional rollercoaster and the alcohol from earlier was not helping steady him, especially with the way Peter was looking at him. “For what it’s worth, I only have eyes for you. How am I supposed to like someone else when you’re right here. Body and brains, you’ve got it all.”

Chuckling, Tony bent forward to lean his forehead against Peter’s shoulder.

“Please, I saw you ogling Steve, remember?”

“I was definitely not ogling Steve. We were training! Besides, we spent near enough the entire weekend talking ‘bout you. I’m pretty sure the whole team knows we’re together.”

“Huh,” Tony said ineloquently. “I hadn’t realised they knew.”

“Probably cause you don’t talk to them. I thought you guys had worked things out?”

“I mean, we have, but not enough for me to want them to know everything that goes on in my life. Especially when they’re trying to steal my insanely hot boyfriend.”

“Trust me, you don’t have to worry about that. Just between you and me, I’m pretty sure Cap and Sam have something going on.”

“Really?!”

“I mean, talking of open relationships, I’m not sure if its threesome thing or not, but there was definitely tension between them.”

“I might actually have to pay attention during the next training session.”

“Yeah, you really should,” Peter agreed, pulling him in for another hug. “And remember to talk to me. This only works if we stay open with each other.”

“Oh, trust me,” Tony snorted, “I will not be making this mistake again.”

#starker #peter parker × tony stark #fanfic #misunderstandings #angst with a happy ending #percieved cheating

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graceful-starker · 2 months ago

Text

Touch Starved

Summary: The internal musings one has after realizing you are touch starved are, surprisingly, not all that fun.

Warnings: starker has already broken up for this ficlet, and the narrator is touch starved. Angsty and drabble-esque.

Notes: Hello beautifuls! This is a fill for @starkerfestivals summer(now year lol) bingo. (This is also in the Whumptober prompt so expect another version of this soon 😈) (also: casual mode = pick who the narrator is, hardcore mode = guess who I intended the narrator to be :P )

~~~~

He misses him.

He misses everything about him. Not just the sex, like everyone assumes. But everything. He misses the way his eyes would light up in joy, the way his smile was blinding, the way his laughter was contagious. He misses the way his arms felt wrapped around him, the way his kisses always started off so soft and hesitant, the way they would cuddle together on the couch.

They don’t do any of that anymore.

He misses those beautiful eyes. Such a deep, rich shade of brown. So full of emotion and life whenever he speaks. They used to be so full of love and happiness whenever they would land on him. He misses looking into those eyes and seeing the intense focus he only ever dedicated to his lover’s rambles.

He misses the sound of his voice. The loudness of it when the other gets over excited. The softness of it when they would whisper sweet nothings to each other. The melody of it whenever he would hum or sing to himself as he worked. The way it would sound when they were in bed together; oh how he misses those filthy words coming out of his mouth.

But most of all, he misses his lover’s touch.

God, he misses the other’s touch so much. He misses gentle fingers playing with his hair while he laid his head on the other’s chest. He misses a strong arm wrapped around him, pulling him hip to hip with the other during conversations at parties. He misses a hand on the small of his back as the other tries to pass him without bothering him. He misses when their fingers would brush-and then linger-as they hand each other tools in the lab. He misses the other’s arm pressed against his own as they rode the elevator together.

He misses those lips-chapped, always chapped-pressing against his forehead softly when he was leaving a room. He misses them against his cheek whenever he said hello. He misses them against his neck whenever they were cuddling or hugging.

It startles him deeply, even now, to think about how much he misses his lover’s touch. His innocent touches, specifically. Not that he doesn’t miss his not-so-innocent touches either, but he knew he would miss that.

But now he feels like something too big to name is missing from his life at all times. His body absolutely aches with the need to be hugged. He aches with the need for fingers to brush hair out of his eyes, to graze his cheek lightly. He aches with the need to hold his lover’s hand, to brush the back of their knuckles together in solidarity as they listen to a very boring meeting.

He aches with the need to feel human contact again; he hasn’t let anyone touch him at all since the break up. If someone touches him accidentally, he flinches violently and moves away from them. He doesn’t know why; he craves it, he needs it, but he can’t accept it. Not if it isn’t from him. The only person he wants, needs, loves.

And he does, still love him. And he loves no one else. Only him. He would give anything, anything just to feel those still familiar arms around him again. Despite how long it’s been since he was held, he just knows in his soul that being held again would fix everything. It would fix the shaking, the feeling of falling apart at the seams, fix the gaping hole in his chest.

But he can’t accept it from anyone else. He just can’t. Even though his lover doesn’t want him anymore, will never hold him or touch him again. He doesn’t want anyone else. He doesn’t want someone else to touch him.

So here he will stay, desperate for touch and refusing to accept it. Not unless it’s from the love of his life; who loves him no more.

#starker #sfsummerbingo24 #starkerfestivalsevents #tw: angst

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irondadspiderson4evr · 3 months ago

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Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Happy Hogan & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones & Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Steve Rogers & Tony Stark Characters: Michelle Jones (Marvel), Ned Leeds, Ned Leeds's Mother, Tony Stark, Peter Parker, Aunt May Parker (Marvel), Happy Hogan Additional Tags: Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is a Mess, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Near Death Experiences, Drowning, Series, Movie: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) Series: Part 1 of Homecoming Series Summary:

The homecoming movie but different.

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3xamenace · 5 months ago

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Indirect

sorta canon-complied, Peter's heartbreak after Tony's sacrifice

knowing you're the indirect cause of someone's death is awful enough, this someone being the love of your life? it's the most heartbreaking thing Peter has ever lived, it's something that makes him want to burn down the world to bring his man back.

Peter was dead for five years, walking aimless in a void of blood orange, only to come back and see the love of his life making the ultimate sacrifice. the stupid selfless man who chose to make the ultimate move instead of allowing any of the superhumans, and non-human, around to try. not even the one who was punched in the face by a powered gaunlet and was up on her feet, not even dizzy, in seconds.

no, he had to be the fucking hero.

he had to leave Peter (after challenging the fabric of reality itself to take him back).

and it'll kill Peter one day.

keep sending words & prompts // buy me a coffee?

#one word / one drabble #tony stark x peter parker #starker fanfiction #starker #starker angst #ask box fic

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thestarkerisobvious · 1 year ago

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Wanna read a REALLY dark

Tony/Peter/Quentin fic?

“We are just alike, Peter,” Quentin continued, holding Peter’s arm behind his back and using his free hand to old Peter’s fingers outstretched, forcing the hand to stay open as he rutted against it. “You’re selfish , like me. Too selfish to help Tony when he needed you most. And now he’s dead, all because you were too damn selfish to intervene.”

“That’s not true, I didn’t have any time,” Peter argued, desperately trying to pull his hand away. Quentin was rock-hard and grinding against his palm. And now, oh god now Quentin’s trousers were around his knees…

“You lie,” the man was growling as he pulled his trousers down with his free hand. “Your senses made everything move in slow-motion. You saw it coming. You saw him flip the stones into his gauntlet while Thanos was distracted by Captain Marvel. You had plenty of time…”

He held Peter’s hand open again and leaned into it. Peter cringed as he felt Quentin’s bare phallus press against his palm again and again. There was a wetness now, and Peter did not want to think about where it came from. The real Quentin was moaning, his head thrown back, relishing the sensation. But the voice – that accusing voice – continued from overhead.

“…you could have taken the gauntlet from him. You could have made the snap yourself. But you didn’t. You let him make the play, knowing he could never survive the play. But you let him do it. You let him die.”

Peter moaned and tried to hide his face against the floor. He was beyond fighting. Quentin sensed it and wrapped Peter’s limp fingers completely around his cock, moaning as he worked their hands together.

“Selfish,” he gasped breathlessly as he pulled away. “Just like me.”

#Starker #Spiderio #NOT tender loving Spiderio #there's actully a happy ending #after a lot of angst #tw: non-con and dub-con #In the end this is the most angsty mournful Starker I've ever written #but it is definately starker

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lavenderauthor · 4 months ago

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Title: Not What It Looks Like by LavenderAuthor (14.6k)

Rating: Teen and Up

Fandom: Marvel

Relationship: Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Avengers Team Members & Peter Parker, Avengers Team Members & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark

Summary: Tony Stark is known as many things: Genius, Inventor, Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist, Iron Man. Honestly, nobody doubted any of those even when he started to date Pepper Potts. He was not, however, known for tolerating or even liking kids.

It was just something that everyone seemed to know so imagine Steve Rogers's shock when he comes by Tony's lab with a list of equipment they needed upgraded to find what looked like a teenager in his lab. Even more shocking was the teen chattering away to Tony himself.

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starker-raving-mads · 9 months ago

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For You: Part II

›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹›‹

It had been two weeks since Tony Stark's disaster of a funeral.

Peter thought he'd gotten maybe 12 hours of sleep in that time, mind still haunted with the last images of Mr. Stark he'd ever have - but also now haunted with Ms. Potts's words.

He did it for you.

The rest of the sleep he'd gotten was mostly from passing out from sheer exhaustion. The city was in ruins and more than ever, Queens needed their friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. It was humbling the first time a grandmother started sobbing after seeing him, clutching him to her chest. Kids of all ages came up to him in ferocious hugs and clinging to his arms and legs. Many of them had heard tell of Spider-Man but were too young to have known him, and many more had missed his suited face around the streets, protecting them and keeping peace.

Peter's heart ached knowing that they'd been without him for so long, and through something so awful. The Blip was an instant for him, done and undone with only the vaguest sense of time loss in between. But for them? Half a decade of time, gone, lost in the deep expanse of tragedy. The teenager could hardly begin to understand it.

When he'd told May - who wasn't Blipped, who'd lost him for five long and miserable years, who had gray hair at her roots and frown lines where the laugh lines had been - that he couldn't leave Queens, couldn't leave his people, even for something like college, she grabbed him fiercely around his shoulders and they both cried.

"You're so incredibly strong, baby," she whispered into his hair, voice husky from holding onto her tears. "I'm so fucking proud of you."

So yeah. Queens needed him.

But that wasn't what was on his mind, not now, not with 12 hours of sleep and too much coffee in his system and a overwhelming, polished stone building looming over him. He tapped his fingers restlessly against the worn thigh of his jeans. Taylor & Taylor, the sign said. Attorneys at Law.

He was here for Mr. Starks will reading. Apparently, per the couriered letter to his and May's apartment last week, he was part of the will and was required to be in attendance. Baffled, all he'd even remotely begun to believe Mr. Stark would leave him with was the Spider-Man suit, or maybe a patent for it, to keep his identity safe? He really wasn't sure.

The caffeine in his system was causing his anxiety to ratchet up as he entered the building, greeted the receptionist, and was ushered to a conference room with a long, shiny table. At the other end of the table sat Pepper and Peter flatlined his lips together and gave her a nod, ignoring her well-hidden wince.

She hadn't said anything to him after the barrage at the funeral, Happy having pulled her off of him and led her away, still sobbing. He imagined, for all that she was probably still mad at him, that someone as put together as Pepper Potts felt uneasy with her emotional break, understandable as it was.

He sat down in the furthest seat from her anyway.

2 silent, tense minutes later, Happy entered the room. He gave Peter a quiet clap on the shoulder before going to Pepper's end of the table and sat down next to her, holding a whispered conversation. He could've easily heard them but was trying to mentally tune them out for their own privacy. Not long after more people entered the room - Rhodey, Sam Wilson, Steve Rodgers, and Bucky Barnes all ushered in a line, looking like they'd come together.

It was an odd mix of people, Peter supposed, but then again Mr. Stark always valued the unseen in those he cared about. The hardest one to figure was probably Bucky, whom Tony had given Peter the breakdown on. The man had gone, in his words, feral after learning Bucky was the one to take out Howard and Maria Stark and Peter could hear the stale anger and sadness in those few moments Mr. Stark talked to him about it, explained why he'd come back from Germany beaten, how the rift in the Avengers came to be.

Looking across the table, though, Peter couldn't see the ruthless killer he'd once been. His metal arm had been removed, the shirt sleeve carefully tucked around his shoulder, and he was quiet and contemplative, glancing around the table much like Peter was. In fact, it was less glancing at the other occupants and much more at Peter himself.

Actually, most of the table had looked at Peter more than once and it took him a good, long moment to realize it was because they didn't know who the hell he was. Pepper and Happy were the only two not looking his way, still whispering quietly between themselves. It struck him that despite his mask having been torn away in battle, no one had seen him, no one here but Pepper and Happy knew he was Spider-Man.

No wonder they're staring at me, he thought. Why would a teenage boy be at Tony Stark's will reading -

What little blood his body could spare rushed to his cheeks and the back of his neck and he stared resolutely down at the table. Despite many, many fantasies, he and Mr. Stark didn't have that kind of relationship. But oh how Peter had wished they had - how his heart and soul belonged to Tony Stark even if it was never given in return.

His long unrequited yearnings were interrupted by the lawyers finally coming in. It was two of them and what looked to be a junior associate, hands loaded with files. "We apologize for the delay," the more sleek looking 50-something woman said. "We had been confirming the last of the details."

"It's all right," Pepper said, brusque and business-like despite the emotion the teen could read in every line of her face. "Let's get started."

The lawyers sat themselves at the long table, at the head near Peter and across from Pepper. "This is the final reading of the last Will and Testament of Anthony Edward Stark," the male lawyer said, reading from his portfolio. He glanced up. "Much of this actually comes in the form of videos that Mr. Stark created himself," he said, and Peter could tell he wasn't the only one who'd barely withheld a pained gasp. "We have some to read and at the end, we'll set the video to play and he asked that only those called for his Will be allowed to remain to view it."

That figured, Peter thought. If there were a handful of powerful people in this room, superheroes and not, it made sense Mr. Stark wanted everything as on the downlow as possible.

"Firstly, to Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes," he said as a junior associate quietly and quickly handed Rhodey a file folder. "He leaves all patents and holdings and architecture belonging to the tool 'War Machine' to you. Specifically with the addendum - try not to give this one away to the government, Platypus." The lawyer looked uncomfortable but Rhodey chuckled, smile full of love and pain both.

"Next, to Captain Sam Wilson," the junior slid a similar folder in front of Sam. "He leaves all patents and holdings and architecture belonging to the drone 'Redwing' to you." The man cleared his throat. "Per Mr. Stark's instructions - 5 years is a long time to fiddle with something without ever knowing if the owner is coming back. If what we're about to do works, enjoy the little sucker."

Sam's lip quiver slightly before he tightened his jaw, nodding once. Peter wasn't the only one seemingly effected by the genius's generosity, not by a long shot.

"To Captain Steve Rodgers, he leaves all intellectual property rights to the design of his vibranium shield." The lawyer cleared his throat. "And the entirety of his liquor collection. Per instructions, 'So you have something to test that alcohol tolerance with, boy scout." Steve let out a low chuckle, nodding in thanks to the associate who handed him his folder.

"Finally," the female lawyer said, standing up as her colleagues exited the room. "We have the rest of his Will on video. We have not, and will not view this video, but have specifics mentioned within documented. These are vague," she clarified when Pepper looked like she was about to ask, "and only enough to allow the contents within the video to be legally sanctified." She gestured to a remote at Pepper's end of the table. "Simply press play and the recording will begin."

The room was quiet for a moment after the last lawyer left and Pepper cleared her throat before gesturing to Happy to hit play. An instant later, on the large screen at the end of the room, Tony Stark appeared.

His face was lined with the extra years Peter didn't get to have with him, hair graying and so fucking handsome it hurt. The frown lines around his mouth were more distinct than ever and there was a sort of settled sadness to his eyes that Peter had never seen before. He didn't move with the restless fidgeting that Peter himself often exhibited, the sign of a mind that wouldn't cease moving. If the teen had to guess, it was because of too much having happened. He knew that after the Blip, Tony had spent months withering away on a space ship and then years secluding himself at the cabin where his funeral was held. He retreated into himself more and more, letting the rest of the world figure itself out without his interference. If the pain in his face was anything to go by, Peter understood and his heart broke for that version of Tony he'd never gotten to know.

"Testing, testing," the Tony on the screen joked, letting a put upon smirk flit across his face. "Just joking, we all know my technology wouldn't fail me like that." The wink was devastating to Peter's psychology and it was already clear that this whole video would be his downfall.

"But seriously," the older man continued, more collected now. "If you're seeing this video, we either failed and died trying or I died after having succeeded." He shrugged. "The chances of everyone coming out alive were," he wiggled one hand in a so-so fashion, "basically zero. At least if it's only me, then hopefully no one else got hurt." He winced. "Sorry, Pep, but if it's me or half the universe - I'm so sorry, honey," he was so sincere it hurt Peter's teeth. He could hear the hitch in Ms. Potts's breathing from here. "If it's me or half the universe, you know which one I'm gonna pick." He looked genuinely regretful, as if he didn't realize that he was worth more than just one man. As if he didn't realize he was the center of more than one person's whole world.

Much as Pepper might hate him, she and Peter had that much in common.

"Soo," Tony continued, dragging out the note. "Now is the time to give you guys my last Will I guess. Honeybear, Sam, and Capcicle, you should've all gotten your patents and whatnots," he gestured to nothing again. "The lawyers insisted on that bit. But the real important stuff is in this video, right now." He cleared his throat.

"First, Bucky," the super soldier's head snapped to attention, looking like he didn't know why he was being called on even though being in this room was enough to know something was coming his way, words or otherwise. "Man, I went ballistic on you when we first met," Tony frowned. "It took me a long time, and a smart guy to tell me that sometimes people aren't the culmination of their actions, especially when they weren't in control of themselves."

Those were the words Peter had said to Mr. Stark during one of their lab binges - but about Mr. Stark himself, when he was too in his head about his past as a weapon salesman. He nearly started crying thinking that the man had heard him so profoundly that he'd applied to knowledge to others. Fuck, this hurt.

"So," Tony cleared his throat. "You don't need my forgiveness because you did nothing wrong. But I'm giving it to you anyway because if you're anything like me - and I have a suspicion you might just be - then you need to hear it. I forgive you, Bucky. And, not only that - in case that wasn't enough," he said, voice taking on its cocky tone that, again, Peter could tell was put upon, "I have a secondary prize for you. I figure you probably don't like that arm the Russians gave you, so I made you a new one. Arc reactor powered, and it shouldn't be as painful. Plus, I integrated some of the nanites from my suit to help with the whole sensation thing. I, uh," he cleared his throat, ducking his head before looking back up. "I kind of just thought about what Dad would want for his oldest friends and figured I could at least do that, especially since you really have had just the most shit time the last 70 years. So. I hope you take it, and I hope it works, and just like live the rest of your life the way you want, okay?"

The gaze that Bucky had on the screen was like someone frozen, unable to express anything or feel anything. Like a statue too overwhelmed by movement to do anything but sit there. Next to him, Steve wrapped an arm around him, hand sliding up to grip the back of Bucky's neck. It seemed to wake the man up and he took a deep breath, nodding to whatever the super soldier had whispered into his ear.

"Next," Tony continued. "Happy. I'd make you chief security officer but we both know you'd pull your hair out." Both men chuckled. "Instead, I bequeath my classic car collection. You already have funds sitting in your bank account so don't worry about not being able to take care of them, buddy."

"Thanks, boss," Happy said and it was sweet and sorrowful.

"Pep," the genius took a second to smile sadly into the camera. "I'm so sorry, Pepper, that I couldn't give you what you deserved. But we all know that you are, and have always been, bigger and better than me." Silent tears gathered in the corners of the CEO's eyes and she dabbed at them, elegant and perfect and everything Peter knew he wasn't. "I leave you the lake house and that brownstone you love in Manhattan, all the money in the prenup account, and 20% of my shares at SI. You've always been an amazing CEO and mother, and I know you'll be even better without my shenanigans haunting you every waking moment."

At that, everyone at the table chuckled. Grief, dark humor, and Tony Stark went together like nothing else. Peter's mind, though, was turning over. Mr. Stark only left those things to Ms. Potts? Wouldn't it have made more sense to leave her for last and say 'everything else is yours, babe.'

"Finally," Tony sighed and it was the most straightforward he looked all video. "Pete." Peter's heart clenched and he felt more than saw everyone start eyeing him. He was too focused on the screen to look anywhere but Mr. Stark's face. "You put so much trust in me, kid, and I gotta say it wasn't warranted. I have fucked up almost every single part of my life and until Thanos, you were the only thing I never ruined." The teen swallowed past the lump in his throat, tears gathering in his own eyes and wanting to scream you didn't ruin anything. "If you're seeing this, then that foolhardy plan of mine worked. And you gotta know, kid," the sincerity in the older man's eyes was sharp with pain, now, instead of dull with grief. "You gotta know I did it for you." He cleared his throat. "You're the best of us, and I wasn't going to leave you behind."

The sounds of crying hit Peter's ears and he realized that both he and Ms. Potts were starting to cry in unison. Their pain so similar and shared but so very far apart.

"I couldn't leave things the way they were knowing you had been lost because of that big purple smurf," Tony continued. "The first year you were gone I don't think I left my lab more than 5 times," he laughed softly and it made Peter's heart clench. "I drank more than my liver could probably take, considering everything, and I tried, tried, tried to figure it out, Underoos, I really did. I'm sorry it took this long."

He took a deep breath and the inhabitants of the room did the same. Peter could feel their curious stares boring into his neck but his eyes didn't stray from the screen.

"You have to trust me once more okay, Pete?" Tony asked and Peter would give him anything. He nodded even though the man obviously couldn't see him. "Firstly, to everyone else." The everyone else in question sat straighter up in their chairs. "This," he gestured and somehow it lined up with Peter's chair, "is Peter Parker. To all of you but Happy, Pete was my intern at SI. Believe me when I say this kid has the brightest mind of his generation, but that's not the only reason he's here."

He took another breath. "See the thing is, Peter Parker also happens to be Spider-Man. Yes," he said, sensing that half the room was going to interrupt with questions despite him being a recording - he knew them well. "Yes, the same guy that fought with us in Germany. Yes the same one who's spent the last few years - pre-Blip - defending the streets of Queens."

Voice becoming more intimate, he continued, "Pete is the best of us. He's got your bravery, Rhodey, and he's got your need to stick up for what's right, Steve. The kid is pure good and too smart to not do anything with it. He's gonna be better than you or me combined."

Peter flushed. It wasn't that Mr. Stark hadn't said things in that vein to him before, but to other people? He wanted to protest so, so badly and the fact that he couldn't was strangling him alive.

"And he's gonna need your help. I did what I could, before everything, and I failed over and over again." His mouth was set into a thin line. "He needs people on his side, now more than ever, now after everything, and even more than you might think because," he took a deep breath, "I'm leaving him the company."

"What the fuck," Rhodey whispered.

"What the fuck!" Pepper screeched.

"What the fuck?" Peter gasped.

Their weird sort of chorus ended after that as the room went up in cacophony. On screen, Tony was quiet because yeah, he knew most of the people in that room well enough to know they needed a minute.

"He can't do that," Pepper kept saying as Happy tried to calm her down.

"Pepper," Tony started talking again and it shocked all of them enough to calm down and shut up. "I know you're mad and I know you think I can't but - you're amazing, okay? You are so fucking good at being CEO it's like you were born for it. But Stark Industries has always, and will always, need someone there to be the mad scientist. First it was dad, and then it was me, and now it's gonna be Pete - if he accepts." He sighed. "I had really hoped to last a few more years to get you prepped for his, kid," he shrugged, chagrined smile on his face again. "But death waits for no one, me especially." That sobered them all up.

"I really hope you take this, Petey," he continued, "but if you don't, I won't be disappointed. It's a lot, I know, and if you say no, then everything goes to Pepper and that's fine. But all the weapons I've made for the Avengers and co over the years, all the Iron Man designs, all the Spider-Man things - I'm sorry, but I'd have to trash it. Friday already has the program depending on your answer, but don't let that stop you. Even if you say no to this, you're still gonna be set for life, okay?" His voice, for the first time the entire video, took on a pleading tone. "Please, please don't do this just because I'm asking. Do it because it feels right for you and if it doesn't that's okay. I set aside money for you and May to live easy for the rest of your life if you need it, college, all of it. Just, please consider it."

As if Peter could do anything else. As if Peter would let the last of Tony die with this one request. Say yes and get everything, say no and Tony dies again.

"Pepper," Tony goes on. "If Peter does accept, then I need you there to support him. I know it's hard, and I know you're probably fucking furious at me," he smiled and for just a moment his eyes twinkled in the most devastating way. "But trust me this last time that this is what's best. You know I was never the business guy, not really. But you also know that I love this company and would never leave it to someone who wouldn't do it justice."

He shifted in his seat on screen. "And for Rhodey, Steve, Bucky, and Sam - the kid's gonna need you guys to help him out with the superhero gig. I wasn't really the best with, you know, ground level stuff and that happens to be his specialty. Get him what he needs, help him where you can, and just be there for him, okay?"

"We will, Tones," Rhodey agreed, swearing on their behalf.

For his part, Peter was overwhelmed. It didn't matter what everyone else was saying right now. He heard it, but it was cotton in his brain, the lightning fast jump of thought to realization to devastation of this whole hour more than he could keep up with.

"And with that," Tony sighed. "I'm sorry, but I've got to hopefully go save the world. Or end it," he shrugged, chuckling, "who knows."

The video cut out and the screen turned off. Silence reigned until -

"You cannot take it," hissed Pepper.

"Pep - " Happy started.

"No!" Pepper yelled, standing and slamming her hands onto the table loud enough to make Peter's sensitive hearing ring. "He already took Tony he's not taking my company!"

"My company," Peter said, quietly, resolutely.

Her bright red hair whipped as she faced him, glaring. "No."

"I'm really sorry, Ms. Potts," he said quietly, firmly. "But Mr. Stark was right. Stark Industries needs someone to lead the innovation side and I'm not saying I'm the best - "

"You aren't," she hissed. Across the table from Peter, Rhodey frowned at her.

" - but I'm the one Mr. Stark chose," the teen finished. He stood, facing her, and it felt weirdly powerful to be the only other person standing in this room of powerful people, facing off against Pepper Potts against something that was by all rights his.

What the fuck was his life.

"It's not the first time Tony's thought with his dick before his brain," she spat, "but for fucks sake to give the leading shares of SI to a fucking teenage twink."

"Pepper that's enough," Rhodey said. Beside her, Happy was trying to get her to calm down, one hand reaching up to her shoulder. She shrugged it off, shaking her head.

"You can hate me all you want," Peter said, shrugging. "But Mr. Stark spent the last 20 years trying to fix the world in the best way he knew how and if a bunch of board members who are too greedy to care about that get a hold of his patents or turn the tide against the CEO and spin SI back to the weapons manufacturers that you used to be," he shook his head. "There is no greater way to disrespect Mr. Stark's legacy than that and I'm not gonna let it happen."

"You think you know about how business works," she laughed cruelly. "You think you know Tony - well you don't, Peter. No matter how many promises he made you or how much he lied to everyone else, Tony Stark was always one thing at his core: selfish."

Peter's face crumpled in perplexed sadness. "You can be as mad at me as you want, ma'am," he said, shaking his head. "But I know you don't believe that."

"I didn't," she said, voice quiet but still full of venom. "I haven't for 20 years. But him killing himself to bring you back to life, only to give the leading shares and intellectual rights to you after the fact?" She rolled her eyes. "God, you must have been some fuck."

"Virginia," Happy hissed, standing up next to her finally.

Her eyes darted over to him, then to the rest of the faces staring at her from around the table, like she'd forgotten they were there. Her face blanched slightly but her expression didn't change. She glared at him, gathering her things, and walked toward the door.

As she left, she shouted over her shoulder, "You'll be hearing from my lawyer."

#peter parker x tony stark #ironspider #starker #tony stark x peter parker #iron man #peter parker #peter x tony #spiderman #tony stark #no beta we die like men #for you fic #angst #i swear it gets better

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