#you know what peter parker used to be? a poor kid helping other poor people when neither their government nor their police

[xmalereader]

Tom! Peter Parker x Stark! Male Reader

☆ — MASTERLIST — ☆

REQUEST: I need a Itimidating Reader x Tom! Peter Parker. Like reader could be Captain American or Iron Man's son and he has been dating Peter secretly cause you know Peter is shy about things and doesn't want to make things big. So reader holds back but he had enough when one days he witnessed Thompson and other bullies doing the worst to Peter. So he does what any boyfriend will do, show those bullies their place and maybe maybe, Avengers comes and gives a piece of their mind as well to those bullies. Cause I like Avengers being a found family with them being protective of their youngest member 😭😭🤌🏻🤌🏻

CONTENT/WARNINGS: Fluff, slight angst, reader is Tony starks son, mentions of Morgan and Pepper, Ned being terrible at secrets, MJ supports, mature language, slight kissing, short shot, flash is a bully, mentions of violence, mentions of hero work, teenage love, school stuff.

TAGS: @nobodylivesson

WC: 2k

NOTES: I tried my best to suit to your request, I wrote this one late at night and was probably half asleep after completing it 🥲, but either way I hope you really enjoy it! I wasn’t able to bring in the rest of the superhero family since I didn’t know how to slip it in without going off track. But either way I love the whole superfamily fics and the concept of Stony adopting Peter ( ´∀｀) those are my comfort fics.

Peter wasn’t ashamed of who he was dating he just didn’t make it a big deal that he was dating Starks son. When Y/n joined the school he had already known him from the time that he was working at Starks internship. He’d see him around the lab either helping his father on a few side projects or just to bother Tony into leaving work and getting a proper meal and rest.

While Tony was away it left both Peter and Y/n on their own and giving them time to actually know each other. Their side conversations turned into flirting and then light touches until Y/n was the first to make the move on Peter and asking him out. Peter was a shy kid and never got the attention from people he liked nor was he good at socializing without stuttering or hesitating on his conversations.

Ever since Y/n joined Peters school the two were closer than ever and enjoyed their time together. Peter kept their relationship a secret in order to prevent the other students from finding out that he’s dating Tony Starks kid. Even if he told anyone about it they wouldn’t believe that he’s dating someone like Y/n.

It didn’t take long for Ned to find out that Peter was dating.

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Ned, his best friend since childhood. The reason he never told him was because he knew how terriable his friend was at keeping secrets. When he found out that he was the cities hero there were times that he almost slipped up and exposed his secret to those around him and always had to remind his friend that no one was suppose to know that he’s Spider-Man.

Ned had caught the two making out on Peters bed.

Peter had forgotten about inviting Ned over for a weekend sleepover due to him being distracted by Y/n coming over and having dinner with both him and his aunt May. After that they’ve left the table to spend time in Peters room which resulted into them making out like most teenagers would and then getting caught by Ned.

His poor friend could only stare in shock when he found out and after a couple of minutes of shock he finally started to ask them question such as; “How did you meet? When did you start dating? Are you really dating Starks son?”

The sleepover turned out to be a very interesting night for Ned.

Ned was still getting used to the fact that Peter was dating Y/n, but Tony wasn’t too happy about the fact that his son was dating Peter the kid that he chose to pass down his work to. Y/n did work with Tony but the kid was never interested in becoming an inventor or an engineer and instead focused more on things that made him feel happy. Tony never pressured his son to take over and instead accepted his goals and dreams.

Peter expected Tony to interrogate him when finding out that he’s dating his son, but instead of being asked on why he was dating his son. His question so we’re mainly aimed towards Y/n who ate in silence during their dinner together with Pepper sitting next to Tony and his sister Morgan sitting across from Peter.

“Why him?”

“Because I like him.”

“Why not some other guy or girl?”

“Do you not want me to date Peter?”

“I don’t want you distracting him from work.”

The conversation was mainly between Y/n and Tony while Pepper was kind enough to speak with Peter about school and his aunt and how they were doing, trying to keep both son and father from killing each other while having their first dinner. By the end of the day Peter became a favorite to the Stark family especially with Morgan who loved Peters attention and placed puzzle games with him winning the little girls heart over in less than seconds.

Things were going fine until the bullying picked up at school.

Flash had noticed how close Peter was being with Y/n during lunch and class hours, thinking that Peter was trying to get extra brownie points with Mr. Stark and befriending his son in order to get closer to the man. He knew that Starks kid was going to be in their school and had grown jealous by how close Peter was getting, ruining his opportunity to befriend Y/n.

When Y/n wasn’t around, Flash and his goons would quickly go after Peter. The good thing is that Peter was great at escaping and was always getting around from Flashes wrath, either running inside a full classroom during lunch hours or running outside where he’d climb onto the roof top in order to avoid Flash.

Peter never told Y/n and he never found out.

The bullying never happened when Y/n was around and whenever Flash approached them he’d always fake his emotions which Peter hated seeing. He could see through Flashes fake smiles and laughs when he conversed with Y/n, trying to act like he’s the most nicest person ever to meet.

Peter wasn’t the only one who saw through flash’s lies so did Y/n. He could see a liar from across the room and knew how they acted. He spent enough time working in his dads company to sniff out liars and had gotten very good at it.

It was the week that Y/n was suppose to work with his father on a new invention, testing them out and figuring out if they have potential to be sold to the public, but recently Y/n had joined a club with Peter and took place after school hours. He’d shoot his father a quick text that he wasn’t going to the lab and quickly rushed off to join the club in hopes of spending more time with Peter and their other members.

When entering the room he finds MJ and the other students sitting on a round table, discussing about their new plans for the club. His eyes search the room and doesn’t find Peter which makes him frown a little before sitting next to MJ. “Where’s Pete?” He whispers to her and noticed how her lips twitched into a smirk.

“Miss your little boyfriend already? Don’t you guys have all periods together?”

MJ had figured Peter and Y/n out in less than seconds when they first met resulting in Y/n befriending her. He rolls his eyes at her comment. “We aren’t always in class together…he has biology eighth period and I have history.” He mumbled out the last part knowing that he wasn’t really providing much and that he and Peter did in fact have majority of classes together.

“You guys are gross.” MJ comments with a grin on her face. “You two are perfect for each other.”

Y/n had dealt with MJ’s teasing for a long time that he’s grown used to it. He gives her a small nudge to the shoulder and focused back to the other who were still planing out this years activities within the club, writing things down and getting the teachers opinion. It went on for ten minutes at Y/n was the first to realize that Peter still hadn’t arrived which slowly started to worry Y/n. His instincts were telling him to go look for him.

“I’m going to the bathroom be back in a bit!” He tells the others with a smile before rushing out of the room and down the hall. Whenever Peter came late to the club he always told him before hand, either letting him know that its a spider thing or perhaps his aunt needed him he was always made aware until now.

He didn’t get anything from Peter and started to get worried as he searched the hallways. They were packed a few minutes ago with students getting ready to head home and now the halls were half empty with a few students lingering around and either attending their own club's or waiting on a ride or friend.

As he rounds the corner he noticed a small crowd of students up ahead, raising a brow as he decides to make his way over. It doesn’t take him long to recognize that familiar beat up backpack that Peter always carried. He’s told Peter many times that he could get him a new one since the one he had was already tearing up, but Peter always declined his offer since he wanted to be the one to earn it and claimed that his bag was still in ‘perfect’ condition and survivable.

The sound of someone colliding into the lockers makes him walk faster to the point where he’s jogging over and finding Peter with a pained look on his face. “Trying to win yourself another internship, Parker? One wasn’t enough?” The sound of Flashes voice gets Y/n’s attention.

Noticing the state that Peters in makes him frown.

“You’re always following Y/n around like a puppy, I bet he’s finding you annoying by now. He should hang around someone who isn’t boring.” Said Flash while Peter glared up at him and tried to get back up without being kicked down by one of his little goons again, before Flash could saying anything else a fist connects with his check, startling everyone when he stumbled back in shock.

“Hey—What the hell!?”

Flash had a hand against his bruised up cheek and turns to see who was responsible only to freeze in place when his eyes land on Y/n who was huffing angrily at him. He’s standing in front of Peter in a protective way while glaring at Flash. “Touch my boyfriend again and I’ll make sure to break your nose this time.” He speaks up.

His words catch everyone by surprise, but was surprises everyone is the fact that Y/n and dating Peter.

“Boyfriend?!”

Y/n smirks at Flashes shock. “Yeah and I love his annoying ass.” He points over his shoulder to where Peter is getting back up and blushing deeply by his words, wanting to roll his eyes. Once Y/n finishes his threats and Flash and his little goons run off he’s quick to turn around and face Peter. His angry expression quickly fading into one of worry as he approached Peter and quickly checks him. “Are you hurt anywhere did you break anything? I swear to god if he did I am going to fu—“

“I’m okay, I’m okay.” Peter is quick to cut in, chuckling a little before placing his hand on Y/n’s wrist and pulling his hands away form him, reassuring him that he’s fine. “Did you forget? I can heal pretty quick.” His words cause Y/n to pinch his shoulder. “You idiot! I don’t care if you can heal I was worried for you, why didn’t you tell me this was happening?”

“Because I can handle my own battles.” Peter mumbled in response which didn’t make Y/n any happier. “That doesn’t mean that you have to do them alone,. I mean what if something happened to you? Who was going to know or help?” He continued to rant out to Peter, pouring out his own feelings and frustrations towards Peter being a stubborn person.

Once he’s ranted and calmed down he placed his hands on Peters shoulders. “Please, tell me when something like this happens again. I won’t hesitate to punch Flash again.”

Peter slowly smiles and laughs. “Can’t believe you punched Flash, I always wanted to do that but never had the guts too. I was afraid that my strength would probably kill him.”

“Yeah, well it felt great doing it he was a pain in my ass.” Peter laughs at his boyfriends words. It was satisfying to see Flash getting punched and the look of surprise when he found out that they were dating each other.

Peter looks up to Y/n. “Flash knows about us and knowing him he’s gonna tell the entire school.” He was growing nervous at the idea of everyone knowing that he’s dating Starks kid only for Y/n to pull Peter into a quick kiss and smiling at him. “Let him tell everyone at least I can kiss you whenever I want without hiding it.” Peter admired Y/n for being so calm during situations like these.

“Think we should get to our club meeting?” Said Peter.

Y/n smiles with a nod. “Yeah, come on you were missing out on the fun plans we were making.” He takes Peters hand into his own and heads down the hall feeling better now that he’s able to hold Peters hand without needing to keep their relationship a secret anymore.

[bigfan-fanfic]

I'll Always Worry (Spiderbro x Peter Parker PLATONIC)

Spiderbro taking care of peter after a mission cleaning his cuts, making him dinner and setting a bath for him and listening to him rant about whatever is on his mind also offers cuddles since my peter love language is physical touch

"Where's May?"

"Out. She's gonna be at a F.E.A.S.T. meeting all weekend, so I'm in charge."

Peter nods, and you see him for the first time. "Holy shit, Pete!"

He's covered in scratches, some of which are still bleeding, and didn't even try to get out of his Spider-Man suit, which is practically shredded.

He barely reacts when you snap into action, pushing your laptop aside and half-carrying him to his bed.

You help him get the wretched fabric off, and spend a while cleaning his scratches and cuts.

"Dude, what happened?"

Peter launches into a full on tirade and well, you asked. You sometimes forget that he doesn't have anyone to talk about this stuff with besides you, because your mom will worry about him even more than she already does and his friends don't quite get it

So you let him vent, and ask questions where needed

And watch the tension practically drain out of him as he talks himself all out of steam.

"Well... that sucks, buddy." You chuckle, and are relieved to see Peter smile wanly.

"I should get back out there...." he says softly, and you clear your throat.

"I'm in charge, Pete. Remember? So you're gonna stick right here. You need to recharge your batteries."

"But what if people are out there that I can help? With great power... comes great responsibility."

Your dad was a good man. But you have a feeling that Peter is making his last words into almost a mantra for existence as opposed to the dying words of a man desperately trying to distill all the paternal advice he would be unable to give into something, anything.

"You also have a responsibility to yourself, Peter. And part of having great power is knowing your limits. You can't help anyone if you hurt yourself doing it." you say sternly.

You gently take Peter by the shoulder, and he leans into the touch.

Thankfully, he relents. "I still feel guilty, though."

"Well, feel guilty in a bubble bath. I'm gonna make something for dinner for us, and I want you all melty and relaxed."

He chuckles. "I haven't had a bubble bath since I was a kid."

"You still are a kid, kid." You tease. "So relax, will ya?"

He raises his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay..."

He takes a while, so you go all out with dinner, making some cheese sandwiches, grilled with butter and smeared with a homemade pesto, and with some freshly cut tomato. You make a nice pile of them, and serve them with some soup.

Peter emerges in a loose white shirt and shorts, and he smiles at the meal you've made.

The sound of you two eating dominates the table - the food too good and the comfort too sweet to bother talking.

But finally when seconds and thirds are finished and your bellies almost uncomfortably full, you tell Peter this weekend is a recharge time. No Spider-Man.

You expect him to protest, but instead he nods, and he just... looks so lost.

"I figured we'd catch up with each other over the weekend. You know, order some pizza, play some games, chill."

"I'd like that."

"You wanna watch a movie with me?"

He nods again, and you grin at the eclectic collection of themed Band-Aids dotting his arms and legs.

You both crash on the couch, grabbing some blankets, but very soon, you stretch out an arm, and he leans against you.

Peter melts into the side hug, like he always does. The poor kid seems to crave physical affection.

Remembering when he first came to live with you all, when his parents died... he needed that loving, to make sure he knew he wasn't alone.

He became your little brother then, not just your cousin. And that first night he fell asleep in your arms, you promised yourself you would protect him.

It's become harder to protect him these days, but at least you can be here for this.

Your little brother falls asleep against you, and you let him rest, smiling a little as you watch the movie on a lower volume, watching over him.

[irondadfics]

Hi! I recently read really great fics by JolinarJackson (Can't Take The Sky series + And If You Can't Remember A Better Time) and I was wondering if you knew of any other fics that have a similar premise. Tony finds out that people (SHIELD, Hydra, etc) with bad intentions are looking for Peter (he's an escape asset or they think of him as a weapon and want their hands on him, etc) and Tony + Avengers keep him safe so they can't get to him. Or maybe Peter does get captured and has to get rescued. Thank you!

Could these be close to what you are looking for?

Archetype by Bean_reads_fanfic

Tony knows something is up when the research of ex-Hydra agents gets recycled in an underground Oscorp lab… what he doesn’t expect is the boy in a hospital gown sticking to the ceiling; or, how said boy proceeds to imprint on him like a baby duckling (a poor decision on his part, really). Did he mention he wasn’t intending on bringing home a kid that day?

History has Its Eyes on You by AziOfHearts

The Spider’s world crumbled apart the moment the door opened. All order and discipline and structure was thrown into the fire that was crawling up the walls of the facility. He scaled the wall and hovered over the door, waiting for someone to walk through. An instructor, a guard, a doctor, an Avenger (which he just knew were the ones who started the fire), absolutely anyone. But no one walked in. … “Let us go!” The metal encased man shouted from inside the cage. The Spider spoke no English, so he didn’t understand a word that they said. But the instructor and handler seemed to. “Why should we? I could always set Паук on you and see how he deals with the all mighty Avengers.” The instructor’s voice was notably calm, even with the flames licking at the door jamb. The Spider watched as all eyes turned to him.

weapons never weep by McSquishee

“Let me make something clear, insect. You are a freak of nature that serves no purpose outside of science and war, and you do not have nor deserve the luxury of human rights. I gave you the opportunity to make this easy on yourself, but if you must be difficult, I will have no qualms over forcing you into submission by any means necessary.”  The man looked over to him, his expression unwavering and offering no guilt or remorse.  “You are naught but a weapon, and I will treat you as such. Don’t forget that.” -or- On a mission gone haywire, Peter is abducted by HYDRA, and they will do whatever it takes to harness his biology for their benefit.

The Missing 92 Days by YellowDistress

Peter wakes, ripping through the surface of the bath water, surrounded by the bodies of Hydra Agents. Their blood is on his hands.

Broken Thoughts (I Remember Everything) by blackwatchandromeda (avenris)

"Peter, who am I?" He hesitates. "I'm sorry. I... I don't know."  - Peter Parker has been missing for thirty-six days. When Tony Stark finally finds him, he's wandering around New York with no memories, unaware of where and who he is. The missing month is a mystery, and nobody knows what happened to him - least of all the kid himself. Peter, meanwhile, is trying to piece together who he was. What doesn't help is the big secret he's sure Tony is keeping from him, or the way the man is avoiding him. Nobody notices how the missing month is catching up to them until everything goes wrong.

[themculibrary]

Rich!Tony Masterlist

Black AmEx (ao3) - copperbadge G, 4k

Summary: Bruce isn't sure he wants to use a credit card Tony gave him. Steve isn't sure he even knows how.

Brooklyn Cats (ao3) - SushiOwl steve/tony E, 29k

Summary: (No Powers AU)

Steve Rogers is an art student who is comfortable being depressed and alone. Tony Stark comes along and messes that all up.

buy the brooklyn bridge (ao3) - plingo_kat steve/tony G, 3k

Summary: It’s a whole new world, and Steve finds himself fitting in pretty well. Especially with Tony Stark as a guide.

Can’t Stop Us RoboDads (ao3) - justanotherpipedream, rebelmeg T, 13k

Summary: The story of how a genius rich kid from New York and a poor military-bound kid from South Philly meet, get into shenanigans, birth a few bots, and forge a life-long friendship.

Discretionary Spending (ao3) - midgetnazgul G, 7k

Summary: Fill for a prompt on the Avengers kinkmeme.

Original prompt: Tony really enjoys buying/building the other Avengers things they mention wanting or needing. Natasha mentions this obscure brand of expensive chocolates she once enjoyed on a mission and can't seem to find? Tony orders some in bulk. Bruce misses a certain tea, or mentions in passing that he wants a piece of lab equipment? Already bought it, and here I made adjustments so the equipment is even better than it was! Steve wants a really old film that's only on VHS and is really hard to find? Oh, I just had it in storage… Clint likes perching up high, but lacks enough places to do so in comfort? Was just about to remodel the place anyway. Thor mentions some obscure Nordic food that he misses? Tony knows just the place…

Point being, they eventually catch on to the fact that Tony notices things, and proceeds to do what needs to be done to get those things for them. No matter how often he stays in his lab for three days in a row, or how much he throws sarcastic comments, or acts just plain rude, he cares a lot. This leads to the entire team being nicer as a whole to Tony.

Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend (ao3) - camichats wanda/tony E, 14k

Summary: Wanda ends up as Tony Stark’s sugar baby to help get her through college. Getting into that relationship was the last thing she expected and falling in love came as a surprise to both of them.

Down On The Farm (ao3) - tellxmebby steve/tony E, 7k

Summary: Tony laughs, throwing an old rag at the blond man, who bats it away in the air. "Fuck you."

"Mm," Steve rolls back under the car with a newly fitted socket, "maybe later."

Steve grins up at the chrome above him at the lack of response. It must take Tony a minute to recover, but when he does Steve hears him huff.

Faithless (ao3) - TheZev mary jane watson/tony E, 7k

Summary: While living in Stark Tower, Mary Jane decides she’s had enough of being Peter Parker’s broke wife. Now she’d rather be Tony Stark’s rich sugar baby.

Living ain’t cheap (ao3) - Strength_in_pain N/R, 2k

Summary: “I thought our utility bill would be lower. Shit shit shit.” May cried, running a hand through her hair. Or Peter is worried about May because their financial struggles have gotten worse and he ends up needing Tony Stark.

people like you must be the world’s loneliest creatures (ao3) - avienexjel bucky/tony N/R, 96k (WIP)

Summary: Tony Stark is rich, popular, and an arrogant asshole. In other words: his IQ rivals Einstein’s, he’s slept with most of his friends at least once, and he’s so fucking lonely that sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night in the dark and cries into the cold sheets on the other side of the bed.

It’s no different at his new boarding school called SHIELD, at first. Half of the students love him to death, the other half want to murder him, nothing new. That is, until Tony accidentally breaks James Barnes’s prosthetic arm and he finds the most vulnerable pieces of himself crawling their ways to the surface whether he wants them to or not.

peter’s stars (ao3) - IronPengu, parkrstark steve/tony T, 175k

Summary: Steve and Peter lose their apartment and are kicked out on the streets. Steve has to juggle between jobs to earn whatever money he can, take care of his son while resfusing to let him realize how much they’re trouble in, and keep them warm and safe on the city streets in winter.

So, he really doesn’t have time to date the billionaire that flirts with him everyday as he buys his cup of coffee. Even if he did, he can’t let himself fall for the man. Because if he knew that he lived from a backpack and showered in a public bathroom there’s no way he’d still want him…right?

Rich Man, Poor Man (ao3) - sassyfangs13 steve/tony G, 1k

Summary: Steve grew up in a time when sharing what little you had was the norm so when Tony starts buying him rediculous gifts he doesn't really know what to say.

the weight of water (ao3) - citsiurtlanu steve/tony M, 31k

Summary: Tony Stark is a rich socialite who’s reached a dead end in his life. Steve Rogers is a poor artist who works from job to job. Both of them are passengers on the biggest ship in the world. Yup, it’s a Titanic AU.

To Destroy a Legacy, to Ruin a Legend. (ao3) - AniAuthor N/R, 1k

Summary: Tony Stark doesn't need his armor or even to fight Steve Roger's team to destroy them. He just needs what he always had: his empire that he and his father built, his wealth, and control over the media. After all, you don't take a multi-million empire and turn it into a multi-billion empire by letting others walk all over you. Read to find out how Tony Stark destroys Team Captain America without even fighting after T'Challa uses his influence to pardon them in the States.

Trophy of a One Night Stand (ao3) - BurdenedWithPointlessPurpose tony/stephen E, 35k

Summary: Becoming a professor had never been on Tony’s dream list. As a single parent with a child though he is hoping it will provide everything they need in their life. Stability. Structure. Satisfaction. It all sounds plausible in theory, at least until he really gets there and an Alpha uproots his plans. Although it’s actually debatable in the best way. He may have not sought his son’s birth Alpha out, but apparently life has its own plans after all.

[firstfirerebel]

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕨𝕠𝕞𝕒𝕟

Sumary: You've always been the other woman. Your whole damn life. Always the second choice, and when you finally had hope, it broke into a million pieces.

Pairing: Peter Parker/Spiderman x fem! reader

Warnings: heartbreak, being the second choice (kind of), sad, implied depressions, implied bullying, self-hatred (you are a wonderful person, don't let someone say otherwise 🫶)

Okay, Tom Holland is definitely NOT my type (my type just happens to be the old grumpy black pirate 🫠😂), but he was the only character that came into my mind to this scenario (cause I think in Star Wars this scenario would be either too cliché or unrealistic). And I'm somehow in a phase where I write about characters I'm not into, idk why.

Here you were again. After you've sworn yourself, not to be here again!

By now, you were used to being the second choice of someone. It has been like that since you can remember.

In kindergarten, your best friend preferred to play with another kid and ignored you every day it was there.

In primary school, you didn't fit in any clique. And the kids who did like you had happened to belong to that clique with a mean girl who just couldn't stand you. Those kids seemed to prefer belonging into a group and ignored you as well.

In high school, you hoped things would get better, but no. Instead, you got bullied.

Constantly, people around you gave you the feeling of being unwanted and unnecessary, so you tried your best not to annoy them and just stay quiet. The problem was that your simple presence annoyed them.

So, you did what they wanted. You stayed away from them. Being all alone was so typical by now. Still, you found yourself crying to sleep every night 'cause it hurt so bad.

Changing other people was impossible, but no matter how many times you tried to change yourself, they still found something to despise you more. So, staying in the shadows became easier and less painful. But, hello cliché, then you changed schools and met Peter and Ned, both nerds and idiots to be honest, but they were nice and funny, and your idiots.

At first, you planned not to speak to anyone. In order not to annoy them. But then the first lesson ended, and Peter and Ned introduced themselves to you, offered you to show the school, and even asked if you wanted to have lunch with them. You were shocked. No one has ever been that kind to you, nor has offered you to spend time together.

The few friends you had in the past used you and threw you away once they didn't need you anymore. And of course you thought that it was all your fault.

So it was all new to you. Friends, hanging out, being nice to each other. All of that always seemed to be something for the others and not you. For a long time, you thought your life purpose was to do everything people wanted. Even if you didn't like it.

Your classmates wanted you to stay away, so you did it. Someone wanted help with something, so you helped them. If one wanted to punch something out of anger, you would have been their punching bag. Just so you did something good, something that lowered your sin of being born. If there was a heaven, you believed it wasn't made for you. Hell, you even thought that serial killers were good persons compared to you.

You couldn't remember when you started to despise yourself, but you soon realized that it lowered the pain in you when someone picked on you again. Sounds weird, but that's how it felt. Knowing that there was at least something that you and the others had in common made you happy. You weren't completely opposites cause you, and they hated the same. Yourself. That soul that lived in your body. Everything that had to do with you. Except your family. Poor family, got punished with a daughter like you..., they did not deserve that.

In your head, there were two parts. One was you, and the other one was that girl back in primary school. She constantly told your mind what you did wrong, that you were ungrateful, selfish, not worth to even live, a problem that couldn't be repaired.

But back to Ned and Peter.

You three soon became a trio. Students liked to call you the Golden Trio of Harry Potter. But since Peter preferred Star Wars, he referred you as Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi Wan. To be honest, you thought the 'Golden Trio' fit more.

You were an introvert who loved books, and you were that type of student who got stressed at 16 points out of 17. Clearly, you were Hermione.

Ned was a bit clumsy but always a faithful friend that you could tell everything. He always asked if he could copy your homework, and he was always hungry like Ron.

So Peter would be Harry. He lost his parents like the boy who lived did. He was clever and knew what he wanted and how to achieve it. And he had a big heart.

At this time, the part of your head that was ruled by the mean girl of primary school was almost completely quiet.

But as always, life had other plans for you.

You didn't want to, but you started to fall for Peter. His sweet and kind nature made your heart melt every single time. The sometimes clumsy and shy behavior did the same to you. It wasn't because he was good-looking. You loved the person inside him. His character and his actions proved that he was a good guy and that he cared for people.

But, of course, he started to talk non-stop about MJ at the same time. The beautiful, cool MJ. You couldn't blame him, though. She was perfect. Her flawless skin, her beautiful curly hair, and her dark eyes.

When you were with Peter and Ned, Peter told you two about how he planned to confess to MJ. Luckily, you were a great actress and smiled even though you wanted to cry.

And then there was that voice again...

𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡 ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢? 𝐿𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢, 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠𝑛'𝑡 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑠!

Her. It was her voice again...

After school ended, you couldn't just hang out with your friends like normal. You felt pity for them. Someone like you being their friend? Those two were just too polite to tell you that they couldn't stand your guts. So you said that you had an appointment and went for a walk.

How selfish of you. Ruining their lifes so you didn't have to feel so alone! Before you could stop it, you felt tears running down your cheeks.

But suddenly, there was a loud groan, and a huge stone creature was breaking houses in the streets. You just stared at it, around you all citizens screamed and ran away, but you didn't move an inch.

If he would crash you, everything would be over...

All the pain would just fade away!

But before the monster could hurt you, you were pulled off the ground by a man in a red spider suit. It was Spiderman, you knew him from the news.

"I'm taking you home," you heard him say.

"Don't you have to fight against that monster?"

"No, the Avengers will be here any second. They got everything under control,"

Since you forgot to close your window this morning (you live in a high building), the superhero just flew through it and put you down.

"May I ask why you didn't move when the monster was near you. You know you could've gotten seriously injured, maybe even worse,"

You looked onto the floor. After all, he was still a complete stranger, even though he just saved your life.

"I know you don't know me, but as someone whose identity is a secret, I wouldn't even be able to tell anyone. Please, I just want to understand," he said in a soft, comforting voice.

You sighed and sank onto your bed.

"I hate myself. That would be the short awnser. But the long one is worse,"

"I got enough time. Like said, the Avengers got everything under control. They don't need me. But why do you hate yourself? You seem like a nice and beautiful girl,"

"I wish I felt that way. But since primary school, I was bullied by my classmates. In high school, it got so worse that I had to change my school. There, I hoped I could just live an invisible life, but instead, two guys became my friends. Peter and Ned are the best things that have happened to me. But since Peter constantly talks about a girl, my self-hatred returned. I tried everything to erase it again, but it just won't go away. I feel like they just became my friends because they felt pity for me, and now they are too polite to tell me they can't stand me," you didn't even notice that you started to cry again.

"I don't know these guys, but I think they are your friends because they like you. You know, just because your friend is in love at the moment doesn't mean he wants to get rid of you. Why don't you talk to them?"

"To be honest, I'm in love. I fell in love with the first guy who was nice to me. All the girls in my class are only caring for looks, but I didn't fall for him because of his look. He is generous, nice, sweet, and a little bit clumsy sometimes. He makes me laugh and cares about others. I don't even consider him liking me. I just want his best, but all the friends I had before were better off without me. They literally told me that. So I better back off of him. I don't want his life to be bad because of me,"

What you didn't know was that under that mask was the boy you loved and that he had tears in his eyes, but he didn't even know why. Was it because you were in love with Ned? He should be happy for his friend, shouldn't he. You were an amazing girl. Ned and you would be a cute couple, but why didn't he like the thought of it. Was this the feeling you had when he talked about MJ? Was this jealousy?

"Please tell your friends about how you feel about yourself. If they don't care, they don't deserve you. And also tell them about your fear of them not liking you. I'm sure they will tell you how they feel. Good luck, beautiful lady,"

With those words, he was out of your window.

As Peter swang back home, his thoughts were only about you. How bad did your old classmates treat you that you think so less of you? At that moment, he promised you that he wouldn't let you down. Never!

[ofxlilac]

(chris wood) [THE GOOFBALL]. Please welcome [WESLEY "WES" RIVERS (HE/HIM] to Huntsville, WV. They are an [32]-year-old [RESIDENT] who lives in [THE COMMUNE]. You may see them around working as a [CASHIER AT THE FAMILY VIDEO]. Poor unfortunate soul. We’ll see if they survive.

BASICS

NAME: Wesley Rivers AGE: 32 BIRTHDATE: September 22nd SIGN: Libra LABEL : The Goofball GENDER: Cismale ORIENTATION: demi sexual, it is based on who he develops a connection for. LOCATION: Huntsville

PHYSICAL

HAIR: light brown hair EYES: brown/amber if in the right light HEIGHT: 6'0″ MARKINGS: none

FAMILY

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: single SIBLINGS: none PARENTS: ------

SKILLS - probably a gatherer and not hunter

PHYSICAL PROWESS: not athletic at all, would probably die or faint if he had to run for a long time. he is more on the lean side, though he played sports in high school, he's got some build in his upper arms. ABILITIES: He has a charm about him where he feels the vibes, he tries to make a bad situation a good one. he can be witty, and funny. he doesn't care if he looks stupid doing so. SPOKEN LANGUAGES: English, Italian. HOBBIES: cashier at the family video, can recommend some good movies, discounts, and coordinate an awesome movie date.

TRAITS

POSITIVE: trustworthy, loyal, brave, attentive, daring, focused NEGATIVE: dependent, insecure, stubborn, cautious, not confident

PREFERENCES

COLORS: dark blue, black, sunrise – lilac, blue, orange sky that mixes. SMELLS: fresh baked bread, ocean breeze, smell of wood burning, peppermint and cinnamon. DRINKS: open to all drinks FOOD: pizza, tacos, steak, ice cream, – not a picky eater at all.

OTHER

FUN FACTS: loves thunder storms, left handed, he can actually play guitar and play it well, not a fan of the heat, prefers the cold.

CHARACTERS:

HUMAN : steve harrington - stranger things, peter parker - spiderman, best friend in any movie VAMPIRE: Lestat - interview with a vampire FEARS: to lose people he cares for. Losing himself. TRIGGERS : can get a little anxious if he somewhere where it can't get out, or if its a small space.

Song - Paralyzed by NF

“ I’m paralyzed Where are my feelings? I no longer feel things I know I should I’m paralyzed Where is the real me? I’m lost and it kills me inside I’m paralyzed ”

BIO - tw mentions of alcohol.

Wesley grew up in Huntsville, Virginia. His father was not one for high spirits. as most of his childhood days consisted of cleaning up after his father's drunken messes. He didn't have material things or fancy clothing. During his childhood, he would hear whispers and chatter from other kids about his clothes, and his looks. That didn't bring his self-confidence up throughout his teenage years.

however, that didn't get to him, he wouldn't allow it too, he had too big of a heart and wanted to always see the good. even if it meant going through difficult times and pain. so where did that lead him? well, it lead him to using humor as an outlet. if people focused on what was funny, then they wouldn't question his background or ask about his family. anything to get the attention off of him in regards to that.

during his high school years, he played baseball, and he found he was good at that. he was a high school pitcher. wesley was one to blend into the crowds, still, he made people laugh, and that was enough for him. whether people liked him for that---he didn't want to really know what their intentions were. however, his father ended up moving out of Huntsville and wesley ended up leaving once high school was over. he didn't really continue his education, just found himself going from one state to another.

eventually settling in West Virginia, after the storm had passed, he realized there wasn't much of an escape from the town. the monster thing also didn't help either.

PERSONALITY

Wesley is a bit of a goofball, he jokes around, and likes to make people smile. even if he is unwelcomed or can't make others open up, he is pretty chill, and in high spirits. he decided to make the most of the town. he can be trusted, and if you end up breaking that trust, it impacts him, because he believes that people can be good, they just tend to hide all their insecurities and pain.

CONNECTIONS

Friends Enemies fellow cashier buddies at the family video a crush people he helps best friend

[episodicnostalgia]

Spider-man: The Animated Series, 101 (Nov. 19, 1994) - “Night of the Lizard”

Written by: Gerry Conway, Stan Berkowitz, & John Semper Jr. Directed by: Bob Richardson

The Breakdown

After sightings of a mysterious lizard-creature in the sewers make the news, J Jonah Jameson offers a $1,000 reward to whoever can provide a photographic proof.  Peter Parker is hurting for cash, so he grabs his camera and thwips into action.  First up, he begins his search with a visit to his professor (Dr. Curt Connors) because that guy knows, like, a LOT about Lizards you guys. In fact, Connors even has a fancy ray gun at his campus facility called a “Neogenic Recombinator” which is capable of giving small mammals the ability to regrow missing limbs just by zapping some Reptile DNA into them. Pretty neat, right? Maybe one day this device will help Connors regrow his own arm, but surely not today. Of course, that expository information is purely to set the tone of the story, and I’m sure it won’t relate directly to the primary narrative or events of this episode.

In the twist that utterly may shock you, it turns out that Doc Connors and the Lizard are-one-and-the-same on account of engaging in a reckless attempt to regrow his own arm, which has gone horribly wrong! (Who could have foreseen this?) With a new set of reptilian priorities, Croc Connors decides to turn everyone into Anthropomorphic Reptiles, because he’s decided being a dinosaur-man actually kinda slaps. (Important follow up question: does he maybe have a point? That does sound awesome.)  Regardless, it’s poor form to assume that’s what everyone wants without checking first, so Pete gets into Spidey mode and shuts the whole thing down, using the gene-ray-gun to turn Connors back into his normal human self.  And to top it off Peter gets the pictures so he can keep the noose of capitalism at bay for a little while longer!  Yay!

The Verdict

One thing these old 90’s cartoons excelled at was in getting to the point. ‘Night of the Lizard’ picks up when Spider-man is already well established, and Peter is in university. Even Peter’s supporting cast are all introduced as if the audience could already know them, and it works. At no point are we ever left to wonder what’s going on, or who anyone is. The writing and animation on this show never reached the maturity of Batman: TAS or other WB fare of the era, but this episode still holds up pretty well for a 90’s kids show. Visually the animators do a decent job of capturing Spider-man’s acrobatics (the webbing looks great), although the CGI backgrounds have not aged gracefully. Meanwhile, what the writing lacks in emotional depth, it makes up for it in whiz-bang adventure that’s simultaneously a faithful update to the source material. 

When all is said and done, this is remains a solid intro to an iconic show from my childhood.

3 stars (out of 5)

Additional Observations

I like that they introduced Eddie Brock as a rival photographer right away. Gives us some time to establish his dynamic with Peter before he becomes Veno- I mean, I’m sure they’ll sort out their differences amicably.

The Lizard’s design is spot on. As a kid watching this show felt like like a comic book come to life. Coincidentally the Lizard was one of the first Spidey rogues I was introduced to back when I first started reading comics.

I love how a university has access to a device capable of creating literal super-monsters almost instantly, and there seems to be no resources devoted to guarding it. And this is only the first of many times that specific one-of-a-kind device will be misused to a similar effect. Maybe the line between this universe with super-people, and ours, is a better security budget.

[dragon-fire-fire]

Silly little fic idea

Peter Parker is kidnapped, wakes up in an unfamiliar place, two people are there telling a camera that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Peter starts acting like a normal kid; screa, crying, and telling them he’s not Spider-Man. They say they saw him change into the costume in an alleyway. He says he dresses up as Spider-Man for birthday parties for money cos he’s poor. They say he does tricks and they’ve seen him shoot webs. He says he knows parkour, that’s why he decided to cosplay as Spider-Man in the first place and he used small cans of silly string to use as fake webs. He’s hysterical and the kidnappers are like fuck we got the wrong guy. They somehow have vibranium cuffs so Peter couldn’t escape (that’s why he’s acting so they’ll release him). They decide to knock him out and dump him in a random alley, they punch him and he goes unconscious. Except he doesn’t, he’s still acting. They unlock the cuffs in his hands and feet and BOOM he quickly knocks them both out.

He turns to the camera that’s still rolling and says “wow I can’t believe that worked, I deserve an Oscar for that performance!” And he’s bowing to his metaphorical audience and maybe he does a little fake speech while wiping fake tears “I’d like to say thank you to my parents, who are dead, and to my uncle, who’s also dead, and to my aunt May who’s not dead. And Mr. Stark who helps me with my Chem homework. Also shoutout to Ned and MJ, I wouldn’t be here without you guys!” And then he’s like well let’s web these guys up, so he webs them to the wall and he grabs one of their phones and calls Mr. Stark.

Plot twist tho: Mr. Stark says Peter I can see you!! Peter is like what are you in talking about. And Mr. Stark says the camera was broadcasting to ALL OF NYC (how you ask, I don’t know, not my problem) Peter freezes and turns to the camera where he flips it off and asks Mr Stark what he just did and Mr. Stark yells “Peter you just flipped the camera off!” And Peter is like “so you saw me give my Oscar speech, and me web those guys up?” And Mr. Stark is like “yes we saw all of that!!” And Peter is like “so everyone knows I’m Spider-Man now? what should I do??” while awkwardly waving at the camera. Mr. Stark is like “I’ve been tracking the phone I’m on the way already, just turn off the camera!” And so Peter does and then maybe it goes more into detail about the kidnapping, the acting, and the aftermath of all this happening. Maybe everyone is shocked Spider-Man is a kid and other stuff.

Anyways yeah that’s my fic idea. I have another one that’s less funny and more serious too. Where like he gets kidnapped by a international human trafficking ring and they planned on either selling him to the highest bidder or using him as a prostitute. A little dark for me tho. He does escape tho and he ends up releasing other victims too. It has the same basic intro but a lot of differences. He’s still playful in the beginning but gets more serious once he realizes where he is and how many victims there are.

[myveryownfanfiction]

18+ MINORS AND THOSE WITHOUT AGE IN BIO DNI

YOU WILL BE BLOCKED AND REPORTED

warnings: cemetery, chucky being chucky, talk of death, drinking, swearing

requested by: @salemwitch96

request: A walk amongst the tombstones would definitely be a chucky type of idea.

Chucky threw his arm over my shoulders once he landed next to me. He smirked at me before tugging me with him towards the pathway.

“Told you it was be a piece of cake doll face.” I rolled my eyes as I wrapped my arm around his waist. “Now we can have some fun.” He stuck a hand in his coat and pulled out two bottles. Taking one, I turned back towards the wall and popped the cap off. Chucky did the same.

“To prolonging our inevitable demise.” I tilted my bottle towards him and he clinked our bottles together.

“To Damballa.” We each took a drink before moving among the tombstones. “You know, people go through their entire life planning this shit out. It’s like some weird morbid obsession with death that starts the day you’re born. What’s with that shit?” I shrugged as I ducked out from under his arm and maneuvered through a small clump of headstones.

“Who knows. And then there are others who try to prolong it for as long as they can. Like us.” Chucky tilted his bottle towards me. “Oh look. Some poor kid…” I trailed off, my own thought process depressing me. Chucky stood next to me before raising his bottle in a toast.

“To Stephen Parker. May the short life you lived have been full of…” Chucky paused before shrugging. “Life.”

“Here here.” I raised my own bottle before tossing it back in time with Chucky.

“It’s always sadder when it’s a kid.” Chucky mumbled as he moved away from the headstone. I dug in my pocket and pulled out a penny, placing it on the headstone. I ran my finger over the little Spider-Man emblem etched into the stone and smiled sadly as I walked in Chucky’s direction. “They don’t even get a fucking chance at life. It isn’t fair to them. Maybe their folks deserve it. But they don’t.” I rubbed his back as we finally reached what appeared to be our destination.

“Who is it?” I stopped as Chucky leaned against a tall headstone. He motioned for me to read it.

“Peter and Elizabeth Ray. Loving husband and wife and parents.” I dug through my pockets again and pulled out four coins. I put them at the base of the headstone like I had with the kid’s. “To your parents.” I held my bottle up. Chucky did the same. I took a quick swig but Chucky seemed to be gulping his down. He tossed the empty bottle away before taking another out of his coat. He opened it on the headstone before brushing off the slight dust that appeared.

“Its my fault they’re dead you know.” He sat down amongst the dried leaves and leaned his head against the stone. His eyes were closed but his face was turned up towards me. “There was a serial killer here in Hackensack. Not me. I was barely six. I think. He got dad in the living room. I saw the body. Ran upstairs to mom. She hid me in the closet. I could have stopped him. Or tried to. But I let him kill her. I could have called the police or screamed when I saw dad but I didn’t.” I kneeled down next to him and put my hand on his shoulder.

“Chuck…” I squeezed his shoulder. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“You know what I did after?” I shook my head. “I learned from him. And then when I was in foster care, I started killing myself. And I got Eddie into it too.” Chucky opened his eyes finally. “I don’t regret it. Maybe them.” His eyes flickered down to the ground before back at me. “But not the rest.” I smirked at him.

“I don’t regret any of it either.” I leaned down and kissed his cheek. “Especially not that bitch at the bar. Either of them.” Chucky laughed before standing up and offering me a hand. I took it and he helped me up.

“That was fun.” He agreed before leading me back through the graveyard.

[crybabyalexxx]

The One Where Peter Parker Is A Sub

Sub!Peter Parker X Reader

Summary: The reader finds out that Peter is a sub and she loves every second of it. What could go wrong with a little teasing?

Warnings: submissive peter parker, dom reader, smut of course, BOTH ARE 18+, sex in school, unsafe sex (wrap before you tap)

A/N: I haven't written fanfic in a good MINUTE so I'm so sorry if it's not as good. And I also have never written a peterXreader, yup first timer over here. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

Word Count: 2k

When you first met Peter Parker, he was a shy and awkward kid. He only really has one friend, Ned, and they were basically inseparable. You and Peter both had English class together and he drew you in like a moth to a flame. It was the little things he did, like the way his eyebrows would rise when he was suddenly called on when he was surprised. The small smile he would make when he got an answer right, then a lightbulb went off in your head.

Peter Parker is a sub.

Of course, you were more than eager to test your little theory, but in order to do that, you had to actually talk to the kid. So you did what any reasonable teenage girl would do, you talked to him. After a few weeks of small talk and occasional flirting, Peter was stuck to you like glue. It was as if you were the missing puzzle piece for the duo. Ned and Peter adored you and couldn't believe a person like you would want to actually hang out with them, you weren't shy at all. You stood up for people in need, you stood up for them. You were quick with your comebacks, you were extremely funny and nerdy. Not to mention extremely sassy, god you were so sassy and Peter felt intoxicated every time he was with you.

Peter wondered if Ned felt this way with you too if everyone felt this way when they were with you. He wouldn't blame them if they did, but he felt a pang of jealousy every time he thought about other people liking you the way he did. How could he not like you? You were stunning. The way you carried yourself was one of the things he loved most. Like everyone else in school, he couldn't stop looking at you when you first walked into the classroom. Not only because you were absolutely gorgeous but because his spidey senses went crazy the second he saw you. He didn't understand why at first. Maybe it was just a fluke, but then after a few weeks, he noticed it would happen every single time he saw you. It's not like he was complaining though. He had the hardest time focusing when you were in class together though.

He could feel your eyes on him every time, and when his eyes would meet yours you wouldn't look away, you'd just smile and he would blush. He blushed so much with you and you loved it. It was small things that would make the brown-haired boy blush. Like when you’d complement his outfits and the way his biceps look bigger when he wore his blue button-up shirt.

Then there was the touching. Peter thought he would pass out every time you touched him. It started out small, placing your hand on his arm when you would laugh at something he said. Or how you would play with his hair when he'd put his head down while studying. Then he noticed how you would touch him in other places that got his heart racing. You would brush your fingers against his, or when you whispered to him you were lingering a little longer and he could feel your lips brush against his ear. Just that would make his head spin. He didn't know if you knew what you did to him or if you were completely oblivious. He sometimes wishes you would do more though. He would imagine what it would be like to finally have you, to feel your lips against his, your hips flushed against his. The way you’d moan his name. Peter would often get carried away with his thoughts about you, and he didn't care. He was drunk on you and he loved it.

“Hey, Peter?” Peter was lost in his thoughts again and you hated to interrupt him in his thoughts because he looked so cute to you.

Peter jumped slightly, not realizing you had sat beside him. “Oh um, hey y/n! Didn't realize you'd be here so soon.” Peter was slightly flustered from the thought he had of you seconds before you showed.

You noticed the way his blush was slowly making its way down his neck and chest, and how his pupils were blown, and how he was breathing a little harder. He’s horny.

You giggled softly and decided to have a little fun with him today. “Well, i could leave if you'd like and come back-”

“No! I mean, not that’s okay you're here and we should erm, I mean I don't want you to leave.” Peter couldn't seem to stop rambling, and you saw how much the poor boy needed help, and you couldn't just sit there and not help someone in need.

You grabbed Peter's face with both your hands and leaned in close. Peter felt like the entire room froze. He looked down to your lips and prayed that you would kiss him right now because he's been dreaming of it. And you almost did until you heard him whimper, and all you could do was smile.

“Peter Parker, did you just…” you leaned in to whisper into his ear, your lips brushing his ear, “whimper?” You could feel his breath fan against your neck and shoulder. You leaned away from him to find him with his eyes closed and lips parted. When he finally opened his eyes he found you smiling at him. His eyes went wide as he realized what had just happened. “Y/N I am so sorry I don't know what I was thinking!” Before Peter could continue, you stood up and pulled him with you. “Follow me, Parker.”

You pulled Peter out of the library and into an empty classroom. You were glad that school was out and there was practically no one in the halls, which meant you wanted Peter to scream for you. You locked the door as soon as Peter walked in and covered the window just in case anyone decided to pass by.

Peter could feel the hairs on his stand-up straight, he was breathing hard and he could feel the blood rush down and his pants get tighter. He heard the door lock and turned to see you staring back at him. His spidey senses were going off like crazy, and although he knew he wasn't in any type of danger he still felt like prey.

You pushed him into the chair behind the teacher's desk and straddled his hips. “Tell me to stop and I will. Do you want me to stop?” You slowly grind down on him, feeling him grow from beneath you.

Peter’s head was dizzy and he wanted nothing more than for you to continue with what you were doing. His head rolled back when you ground down against him again, his hands flew to your ass to feel the roll of your hips. “Please don’t stop.” He swore this is what heaven felt like.

That was all you needed to hear. You continue to grind down as you start to kiss him. You'd imagine how it would feel to kiss Peter, but you never imagined them to be this soft. If it weren't for the fact that you were in a classroom right now, you would kiss him for hours. You had to pull yourself away from him if you wanted this to go any further.

“Take your clothes off, pretty boy.” Peter seemed to be eager because, by the time you were down to your underwear, Peter was already naked in front of you. The little smirk you gave him made him blush and you moved closer to him.

“I could stare at you all day, but I really want to taste you right now.” You pushed him back down on the chair as you got on your knees. You couldn't believe how massive he was, but you always did love a challenge.

Peter could feel himself grow, the way you were looking at him had him shaking in seconds. He just wanted you to touch him already. The worst part is that his senses were going crazy. He could hear how fast your heart was beating, he could still taste your lips from moments earlier. He could smell you, you must have been soaking and all he wanted to do was please you and let you do whatever you wanted. He just needed you to touch him already.

“Y/N, please.” Peter sounded like a wreck and that is exactly how you wanted him.

“Please what? Use your words, pretty boy.” A little teasing never hurt anybody.

“Please just touch me already! Anything just please I-” Peter’s head fell back as your mouth and tongue finally touched his aching red tip. The way you were sucking and licking was nothing he has ever felt before.

You could feel him shake as you continued to suck his tip. You noticed how tense he seemed as if he was holding himself back. You decided to push a little bit more of him inside your mouth. This seemed to knock the wind out of him because he came leaning forward as if someone punched him. You looked up at him as innocently as possible and couldn't help the moan that came out of you.

Peter swore you were trying to kill him, then when you moaned his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he thought he saw stars. Peter could feel the way your tongue moved against him, the way it was pressed against that certain vein. The way your moaning sent vibrations and he didn't think it could get better than that.

The way Peter was gripping the chair made you weak in the knees. If you weren't already on your knees, they would have given out. You looked up at him and couldn't resist the urge to run your hands up his abs and play with his nipples, you felt him twitch in your mouth.

“Y/N I'm- ung- close!” Peter could feel himself get closer to his release and god he wanted it. “Please ride me, please y/n.” Peter could feel the way you smirked with your lips wrapped around him.

“How can I say no to that?” You get up and gently slide him inside you. You both moan as he stretches you. As you start to slowly ride him, you decide to hide his moans by kissing him. Peter wanted to stay inside you forever.

You wrap your fingers around his throat and he gasps. As you ride him you lean closer to his ear and whisper, “fuck me, Parker.”

Peter let out a low growl and wrapped his arms around you as he pounded into you. You had to cover his mouth with your hand suddenly aware that you were in school.

“Peter, I'm coming,” you whisper to him. And as soon as he heard those words Peter was coming inside you, igniting your own orgasm.

You and Peter help each other ride out your orgasms and stay there for a couple more seconds. The two of you finally decide to get dressed.

“So, is this like...a one-time thing?” Peter dreaded the question, but he had to ask.

“Do you want it to be?” You look at Peter and you could see the panic in his eyes.

“No! I mean, no. I really want to do this again. And then maybe some more after that...please.” Peter could feel his blush creeping up on him, especially with that smile you're giving him.

“Don’t worry Spidey, I want to keep doing this too.” You giggle softly to yourself. He’s the cutest.

“Okay good because- wait, did you call me spidey?”

“You aren't so good at keeping secrets from me Parker.” And with that, you walk out of the room with Peter hot on your heels.

[justfandomwritings]

By The Norns (Part One - Soulmate!Loki)

Pairing: Loki x Reader, Soulmates AU

Word count: 2.1k

Warnings: Nobody was harmed in any way in the making of this story... but there was some arson.

Summary: She wasn’t a goddess. She wasn’t even an elf or a dwarf. She was a mortal, a Midgardian, a human. To Odin, she was a curse. To Loki, she was a second chance.

Notes: Don’t worry. Despite what the chapter and the description may make you think anyone whose read my stories before will know I am not a fan of soulmate aus that take away the character’s choice. This chapter is set up. Stick with me on this. I promise. Posted in honor of @muna1412​ being very excited at the prospect of another soulmate au.

This is not related to Loyalty in any way... I just have an unhealthy obsession with Soulmate aus. 

Fate was a funny, fickle thing. Loki knew that much. After all, he’d met her. 

Them, to be more precise. The Norns.

Urdr, Skuld, and Verdandi were their names: Past, Present, and Future, as they should be known.

It was they who watered the tree, and they who grew its leaves. The task fell to the Norns to write, shape, create, and control the fate of every being under the branches of Yggdrasil. 

A poor, dwarven craftsman working on the surface of Nidavellir, a beautiful, golden elf living on a hill in Alfheim, a meager, puny human scurrying around the surface of Midgard. It was they who made the dwarf rich, who killed the elf in his sleep, who let the human sow the land. They did not exchange the gold; they did not wield the dagger; they did not draw the plow. But it was by their hand, by their grace and mercy, that the worlds turned, that life waxed and waned, that the Realms drew breath. 

Every birth was through their will. Every death was by their hand, and everything in between was because they decided it would be so.

All fell under the gaze of the Norns. The kitchen cook, Andhrimnir, who served the Aesir’s table at night, owed everything to the Norns. They allowed his birth into Asgard. They raised him above the station of a lowly tavern boy. They gifted him the family he cradled so dearly to his chest.

Odin, King of the Nine Realms, Protector of Asgard, owed everything to the Norns. He was born by their choice. He survived a thousand battles because they said he would do so. He married Frigga because they put her on his path. His sons… 

Well, one of his sons.

Loki knew the exact moment Odin stopped looking at him as a son, the exact moment Odin chose Thor over him, the exact moment Odin turned his back on him, the exact moment his father marked him disappointment.

It was, like all things, the doing of the Fates. The Norns.

Fates were theirs to command from the highest branches of Yggdrasil down to its very roots. From king to beggar, slave to master, aristocrat to pauper, farmer to merchant, sailor to soldier. From Loki to her. She was their doing.

Love was an inevitable part of life. Not even the Norns, with all of the power of the gods and then some, could stop that. Humans, Aesir, Elves, Vanir, the sentient beings of the Nine Realms felt an overwhelming urge towards emotion, and one of the strongest, one of the most inevitable, was love.

They couldn’t stop it, but they could direct it.

It fell under the purview of Fate to decide who one loved. People, god and mortal alike, fell in and out of love all the time. 

Sometimes, though, every now and then, the Norns would reach down and touch two beings. The Norns would take two souls in two bodies and braid them together, weave them together, mold them together, as if they were one.

Those who knew magic well, those like Loki, could see them, watch them, doing this. 

They could see Urdr floating, invisible amongst them, deciding the pair. They could see Skuld, plucking up their souls. They could see Verdandi tying them together.

Loki watched them when they took his soul.

“Mother, Mother,” Loki tugged on his other’s silk skirts and pointed up into the rafters of the Grand Hall. “What’s that?”

Frigga followed her son’s gaze and gasped. Magic was not her proficiency, though what little she had she wielded well. She had enough to see the Norns, floating ghostlike in the air over her younger son. She had enough to see his soul in their hands, and another at their side. 

In the old days, before that fateful night, it was considered an honor to be chosen by the Norns. It was a guarantee of a great, powerful destiny in the future. It was a promise of passion, understanding, and respect on the horizon. It was the mark of one who would know true love. 

The Midgardians called them soulmates. The Aesir called them the destined. 

“The Norns have touched Loki,” Frigga whispered to Odin at her side. “They are gifting him a match.”

“With who?” Odin asked because he could not see them for himself.

Frigga squinted in the direction of the apparitions tying together Loki’s future. “I cannot tell. She appears to be…” Frigga’s eyes whipped around to Odin, “Midgardian.”

Odin turned up his nose and sniffed.

Midgard. The word, the world, that had sentenced Loki to a lifetime of second best. 

His ‘destined’, his ‘soulmate’, his curse.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was centuries before the soul tied to Loki’s found the body it would spend its own life in.

(Y/n), her parents named her. 

They weren’t sure why they named her that. When asked, they said they saw the name once in a book. Or was it on the tv? Or in a dream? 

Neither could really remember. All they knew was that, as she grew, the name suited her perfectly. Almost as if fate itself had chosen it for her.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For centuries, millennia even, her soul had been lingering on the edges of reality, existing but not quite feeling. She floated through time and space, following the ties that bound her to existence, waiting.

By the time her soul entered her body on Earth, she had existed longer  than any other Midgardian ever had or would in all of history. She had lingered for years just out of reach of one of the most powerful beings on Asgard, her soulmate. Lifetimes had passed her by in the blink of an eye, and though she didn’t remember any of them, they remembered her.

Her soul hovered above its mate, basking in the magic that dissipated into the air around him like smoke. She breathed it in, soaked it in, drew it in.

In many ways, even subconsciously, she showed her age, her mate.

Even as a baby, she never woke her mother up screaming, to the jealousy of her mom’s friends. She was the model toddler, even through her terrible twos. She almost never cried and rarely threw temper tantrums. They called her a prodigy when she started speaking in full sentences before time doctors even expected her to be learning her first words, and they called her a genius when she learned to read full children’s books while other kids were still struggling through their first alphabet flashcards. Even though she ran around playing in the mud or splashing in puddles, somehow her clothes were always pristine. She taught herself faster than the teachers could and skipped two grades in elementary school alone. She was suspiciously charismatic for such a little girl and made, literally, hundreds of dollars off her lemonade stand. She listened to a family speaking another language in the store once and ran up to them to answer a question they had; when her parents asked her how she’d learned to understand or say that in another language, she had no idea what they were talking about and seemingly hadn’t even realized she’d done it. 

And yet there were other things, darker things. 

When she was born, the nurses didn’t question the little shock of static that jolted through them as they held her. No one commented how, in the right light, the baby’s eyes could look terrifyingly aware. She lied as easily as she breathed and almost never got caught. A girl made fun of her friend's hair once at school, and that night ended up being rushed to the hospital by her parents with all the signs of a heart attack in a five year old child. She liked having things her way, and even when her parents refused her, they always found themselves oddly compelled to do whatever it was anyways. She had an affinity for snakes that often found her letting them in the house. The pranks she pulled on her little brother sometimes got out of hand and often resulted in loud crashes and screams, though by the time any adult arrived nothing ever seemed broken. Her father used to joke that she must be some kind of shape shifter because he swore that, from day to day, her eye would change their color. Sometimes, when he looked in them, he swore they weren’t his daughters, but when he blinked and looked back they always returned to normal. 

Most of it was written off as the simple oddities of a child or exaggerations of first time parents. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Superheroes did not exist when (Y/n) was a child. 

It would be another decade before Tony Stark would stand on a stage and proclaim before the world, “I am Iron Man.” It would be even longer still before Peter Parker would put on a red and blue jumpsuit and call himself, ‘Spiderman’. Bruce Banner hadn’t even begun his research into the serum that would be his ultimate undoing. Dr. Stephen Strange was finishing up med school. Thor hadn’t made his presence known. Wanda had just been born. Hawkeye and Black Widow were still assassins working in the shadows. No one outside Wakanda had ever heard of the Black Panther. Vision hadn’t been built yet, and Captain America had been dead for decades. 

Even if they did exist, it wouldn’t have helped (Y/n). Most of them weren’t born super. Most of them became so by lab experiments or radioactive insects or training or technology. 

In the world (Y/n) grew up in, there were no superheroes. And if there were no superheroes... then what was she? 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She was 12. 

It was her big day. 

Not her birthday, she didn’t particularly care about birthdays. Something about them just felt off to her. When she turned 11, she asked her mom if she could have two of those candles that were shaped like the actual numbers, and she’d put them pressed against each other on top of the cake. She ran around all day telling everyone she was 1,111. Some people laughed, but mostly to humor her.

That was why she hadn’t had a birthday party when she turned 12. She didn’t like people fake laughing. It felt like lying. She didn’t particularly mind lying herself, but she hated thinking that people were lying to her. Especially because she could always tell when they were. 

No, instead, she had this. The Science Fair.

She’d won first prize the night before. She knew she had because one of the judges had told her she’d won.

That morning, they would be handing out the awards, and she was so excited for everyone else to know the secret, to know that she was the best, even better than the older kids in her class.

The judges were walking up on stage, and any moment, once they got past the category winners they were going to call her name.

“In third place we have Jesse Martin with his project in the biology category!” 

A cheer went up that, judging by the pitch, absolutely must have been from Jesse’s mom. The other parents in the room clapped while Jesse ran towards the stage, turning red in the cheeks from his family’s overzealous encouragement. 

“Congratulations, son,” the Dean smiled as he bent down to shake the boy’s hand. The mike picked up a small bit of Jesse’s anxious thanks before he ran to join the line of winners.

“And in second place we have, (Y/n)! With her wonderful….” 

Second place. 

But Mr. Sellers, the science teacher had told her she won. 

Was he lying? Did he honestly think second place was winning? Was he just saying that to shut her up? Or was he being mean? Did he want to laugh at her when his real favorite won? 

The parents were cheering her, including her own. Her father was nudging her towards the stage, but she didn’t at all appreciate the gesture.

No. They told her she was going to win. 

Her face screwed up in pain, and she balled her hands into fists.

At the back of the room something exploded. 

A scream went out. 

“Fire!” Someone shouted. “Fire!”

The poster boards up and down the hall were catching fire. It jumped easily from paper to paper. It didn’t help that there was no smoke, for some odd reason. That the sprinklers, that the fire alarm, didn’t turn on.

Someone grabbed (Y/n) by the waist. Her father no doubt. 

(Y/n) barely noticed. She was still upset staring at the trophy on the stage over his shoulder. 

Slowly, before her eyes, it began to melt.

She smiled. Good. If she couldn’t have it, no one could.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

“She caused the fire.” He whispered, staring down at the floor in front of him with glassy eyes. 

“Wayne, that’s crazy; you know it is.” 

“I saw it with my own eyes, Elle. She clenched her first and suddenly Christina Danvers poster exploded. She gets second, and the first place project explodes the moment she throws a fit?”

“Our daughter doesn’t throw fits.”

“Not normally, but she did today. She was about to, and then everything caught fire.”

“Wayne, you can’t be serious about this right now.”

“She was smiling.” He whispered. “When everything burned down, she was smiling.”

(Y/n) listened silently from the hallway as her parents talked.

She loved to eavesdrop on her parents late night. They never knew she was there. It was another one of those odd coincidences of her life that (Y/n) was the only person in the house who never made the steps creak when she walked up and down the stairs. 

She was old enough to know what they were saying, what they were implying. It should’ve bothered her more than it did.

(Y/n) walked back upstairs, silent as the grave, and opened her closet.

She needed the duffle bag her father kept tucked away in the top of her closet, but she was nowhere near tall enough to reach it. As the door slid open, the bag teetered on the edge of the wire shelf and fell to the floor. 

“How convenient,” (Y/n) mumbled to herself. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hey Kid,” The man shouted at her out the window of his semi-truck. “What’re you doin’ out here at night? It ain’t safe!” 

(Y/n) shrugged. “Not safe at home either.” 

The man gave her an understanding look. 

(Y/n) watched him carefully as he opened the door of his rig and offered her a hand. 

Her mother had always told her not to talk to strangers, but (Y/n) had found she could always tell what people wanted. Besides, she was pretty sure she was a greater danger to them than they were to her. 

“Where ya’ headed?” The man asked.

“West.”

“I can take ya’ as far as Texas.” He offered. 

(Y/n) hopped off the curb and grabbed the man’s offered hand, hauling herself up into the passenger seat. 

She didn’t know where she was going or why she was going there. But something inside of her told her she had somewhere to be.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next Time On.... Part Two

Thank you very much for reading! I hope you all enjoyed. I have just come back from a hiatus and a great deal of why I went on said hiatus was the stress of managing ‘added features’ for lack of a better expression. I like writing. I don’t like formatting or managing the blog side of things. 

As such, no taglists. Please don’t ask me to be on a taglist. Keeping track of it stresses me out too much. I don’t feel like doing it. I don’t appreciate being pressured into doing it. In the olden days of tumblr, people used to follow each other, and I promise you that feature still works. If you follow me you will see part two when it’s posted. 

[spicler-man]

tony finds out about the stark expo

masterlist here

Let us Not Diminish One Another by Kizmet

Tony's not having a good day. Wanting to help, Peter tells him what their brief meeting at the Stark Expo meant to him.

Here now, today by blondsak

A lab mishap that nearly kills Peter leads Tony to the discovery that the two of them have been saving each other since long before he ever realized.

(Set between chapters three and four of “Five Times Peter Parker Pretended to Be Asleep”)

Time Travel by hailingstars for cheshire_kingdom

When Peter gets serious injuries saving Tony's life, Tony wants to go back in time and prevent himself from meeting Peter to protect him from his influence.

He expects to wind up in Queens. Instead he ends up at a Stark Expo.

nice work, kid by twrlvepercent

the one where tony meets the kid from stark expo

The Picture From The Past by Anti_Social_Headphones_Kid

After another nightmare from Titan, Tony looks back at some thank-you pictures kids sent to him in the past... but how many of them are still alive?

hold out your hand and i’ll save you by Star_less

He stared the bot down silently. Almost as if he was daring it to attack him in the long moment they had gotten caught in. He raised his arm, watching as the LED light on his plastic repulsors begins to glow.

It was weird how Tony recognised the cling, the digging cling of tiny fingers—the sort of cling that said don’t-let-go - the cling of a little boy that was not frightened but touch starved. Not from a mother or a sister or an aunt, no, but touch-starved of a father. Tony held the child, protected the child’s little skin-and-bone body with his armour.

”...that was you?”

A look at the Stark Expo scene. Tony tries his damndest to soothe and save the people at his Expo from Hammer, from Vanko, and in the form of a little nine year old boy, a little nine year old boy wanting to be a superhero (and save his aunt) he gets some help.

Nice work, kid by LonelyIntegral

"Besides, don’t try to avoid the topic at hand. I’m the ultimate master of avoiding unwanted topics, I've lived with Pepper too long. So, to be honest, it was pretty poor attempt in my scale. Now spill."

Peter huffed at the "poor attempt" comment and then shrugged. "It’s nothing Mr. Stark, really. Don’t worry about it."

Tony finds out about his and Peter's first encounter.

Meet Cute (Webpril Day 12: Identity Reveal) by MsHermia

After Peter's identity is revealed, Tony's new favorite pastime is to tell the story of their first meeting to everyone that would listen. Repeatedly. Peter knows though, that the day Tony came to the apartment to recruit him wasn't really the first time they had met.

Or: Tony finds out that Peter was the kid at the Expo (tumblr prompt)

Webpril Day 12: Identity Reveal

Hammer and Holograms by Eccentric_Grace

"-Woah, hey! I went to one of those." Peter drags the hologram out and blows up the image. A test flyer, very early stages—Really nothing but graphics and a short list of ideas scribbled in the margins. Nonetheless, Peter grins excitedly and looks back at Tony. "Are you bringing the Stark Expos back?"

Tony pauses. "Uh... Thinking about it. Scale back, though. You went to one? When was that?"

(Spooktober 20: Past)

[ptergwen]

web of lies

take a leap. if you start to fall, the net will appear to catch you.

photographer!peter x journalist!reader || masterlist

w/c: 7.1k

warnings: swearing, one drinking mention, descriptions of anxiety, and angst if ya squint

summary: peter can’t stop holding your hands, betty and ned are the modern day bonnie and clyde, ned is a terrible guy in the chair, the osborn’s are up to something, and mj hates you all

a/n: y’all i’m super excited about this series like i haven’t had an idea i’ve really loved in months? so it’s good to be back !!! there are tons of things i have planned and i can’t wait to share them with all of you hehe i really hope you enjoy part one <3 happy reading

to be honest, which is what you do best, you’ve had a thing for peter parker your whole time at the daily bugle. you actually almost told him once.

a couple months ago, peter walked you home on a night you worked overtime. he’d came in last minute to leave some pictures on your boss’s desk. no one else but you was there, hunched at your computer in the dim office lighting. peter was pleasantly surprised to see you, yet concerned for your well-being. you had to put your finishing touches on a story.

he didn’t feel comfortable letting you travel alone at that hour. so, he went with you when you were ready. his company was more than welcomed. you told peter about your article while you two sat on the subway. he’d listened intently, your head resting on his shoulder and his arm around you. he made sure you got to your apartment building alright as well.

“hey, peter?” you’d asked, halfway up the steps. he was waiting until you were inside and safe to leave. “hm? you good?” he’d smiled sort of expectantly. “yeah. i... i wanted to say...”

your words got caught in your throat when he gave you the softest puppy eyes you’ve ever seen. you couldn’t do it. for some reason, you were too scared to confess how you felt. “thanks again for walking me home,” you’d settled on. he’d seemed disappointed that was what you wanted to tell him. nevertheless, he said not to worry about it before taking off.

that one moment perfectly captures it all; how yours and peter’s narrative plays itself out.

—

“we’ve got an update on hydra v. the people!”

“those freaky giraffes escaped the zoo... again.”

“shoot one more spitball and it’ll be your last.”

“does anyone have an aspirin?”

welcome to the daily bugle, where the chaos never ends and the calm never starts. you’ll find new york’s finest writers, publishers, and creatives of all kind right here. that would include you. you’re one of the top journalists in the whole building, according to mr. norman osborn. he’s the brilliant and slightly insane man who runs this place.

although it’s rare for someone in your field, you were hired straight out of college. norman read a few pieces you’d written and loved them so much that he offered you a job. full time, full benefits, no questions asked. there was something special about the way you wove your words together. your writing had its own voice. a strong voice, one the paper was severely lacking.

you’ve been with the bugle for just over a year now. it’s not the quiet, nine to five gig you were initially expecting it to be. you’re each very unique individuals in your office, and there’s never a dull moment because of it. your coworkers can be found hosting debates on the riskiest topics or tackling each other for blueberry muffins, and that’s just a regular tuesday. the place is stranger than strange. but, it’s become home.

thanks to mr. osborn being so accommodating, you actually settled in rather quickly. another big help has been the friends you’ve made. your first was michelle jones, who prefers to be called mj. she’s a fellow journalist with a wickedly dark humor that trickles into her writing. if you had to describe her in one word, it would be blunt. mj is as real as it gets, and also eternally loyal. she keeps her circle small, so you’re honored you get to be in it.

mj sits right next to you, which means you’re always talking through your days. that’s due in part to the way your office is set up. there aren’t any cubicles, tables and swirly chairs taking up their space instead. norman heard it was more progressive, probably from his son harry.

harry is about your age, only a couple of years older. he hangs around quite a lot, but doesn’t do much with his time besides that. according to norman, he’s still seeking out his passion. he’s banking on him finding a suitable career at the bugle. he’d like to pass this all on to harry some day, hopefully sooner than later. either way, you don’t mind having harry here. he’s super funny and friendly with everyone.

there’s also ned leeds, who’s an editor and reviews most of your pieces. he’s sweeter than candy, even when he’s ripping your grammar to shreds. on the rare occasions you’re not discussing breaking news, you two talk about movies. ned is a film buff and gives you the best recommendations. you’re convinced he was a critic in his past life.

last but so from least is peter parker. he only works for the bugle part time, since he’s still in school. you both graduated from your respective colleges the same year. peter wants to get his masters degree, though. he’s a photographer who’s aspiring to be a cinematographer. him and ned have their passion for the industry in common, and that’s what makes them such great friends.

you learned this and more from the times you and peter have partnered up on stories. he’s one of your best friends not only at the bugle, but in your entire life. the many long nights you’ve spent collaborating have brought you close to each other. they consist of drinking and deep talks, along with some actual work. he takes the pictures, you do the writing. you’ve been told you make a lovely pair.

peter says it himself, too. you’d like to believe he means it as more than coworkers. he’s so caring, and smart, and pure, and peter. yeah, you like him an awful lot. you can hardly stand the feeling of it sometimes.

the fact that you you haven’t come clean already is ridiculous.

“goddamn. not again,” you mutter out. “em, you better come look at this. it’s bad.” mj wheels over to you in her chair with a puzzled look. her eyes follow yours, landing on your computer. “leeds just sent this? to everyone?” she questions, your reply a short hum. you’re both staring daggers at the email your screen displays.

ned is responsible for assigning each journalist their own topics to cover. he’s been lacking a bit recently, having you write up think pieces on fluffy things. in other words, stuff that no one cares about. he asked you to compare oat milk and almond milk just last week. you’d hoped this week would be better, but here you are.

“this is ass. who does he think we are, buzzfeed?” mj scoffs at her own words. the daily bugle prides itself on being a reliable news source, on paper and tv. you’re starting to stoop down to the low level of your competitors. “he assigned me some tiktok dance trend. i’m not writing a single word about that app.” she sets her elbows down on the table, head in her hands.

“aw, why not? grandma mj isn’t down with the kids?” you tease and click out of the upsetting email. “i don’t write for kids,” mj deadpans. she pushes her glasses up on her nose. “what’d you get?” “the evolution of memes,” you gloomily reply. you’re surprised norman has been approving these topics. then again, ned is the head editor. he can do whatever he wants regardless of approval.

mj glares over at the kitchen, where betty brant currently resides. she’s making two hot chocolates instead of her usual one. “i blame her,” mj mumbles to you. your eyebrows furrow. “dude, what? betty is an angel. she doesn’t even work in editing.” betty is the bugle’s highest rated anchorwoman. her and her news team are on people’s televisions every night.

“no, but she has been spending a generous amount of time with leeds,” mj grumbles. she’s admittedly very nosy. the upside is that she tells you any juicy office drama there is. “my theory is betty’s making him give us crap stories so she can report the good ones.” she glances over at you to see what you think. “no way. that can’t be allowed... or legal,” you laugh back.

as if on cue, ned appears next to betty in the kitchen. he takes the extra hot coco that’s piled high with whipped cream. betty tucks a sheet of paper into his suit pocket and kisses his cheek, then he’s gone. you can only gasp as you watch this unfold. what has she done to poor, clueless ned?

“not such an angel anymore, huh?” mj smirks in satisfaction. “suddenly, she has red horns and a pitchfork,” you bitterly agree with your tongue in your cheek. betty waves to you two on her way back to broadcasting. mj gives her a fake nice finger wave, you ignoring her. “we can’t sit back and let this happen, em. we have to do something,” you decide. “let’s tell norman.”

uninterested, mj takes off her glasses and starts to clean them. “like he’ll believe us. yeah, golden girl betty brant is sabotaging the writer’s room,” she rewords her previous statement to put its stupidity in perspective. you throw your hands up. “she is, though! we literally watched it happen!” mj puts her freshly wiped glasses back on and sighs.

“i doubt norman would care, y/n. every newspaper to ever exist is corrupt somehow.” your pessimistic old pal has a point. however, you’re not so willing to accept it. “why can’t we be the first one that isn’t?” you offer a small smile. mj snickers, wheeling back to her own computer. “those are words of the innocent.” she’s already tapping her fingers across the keyboard.

“i thought you weren’t doing the tiktok piece,” you say under your breath. you’re slightly pissed mj turned you down, since she’s the reason you know about betty’s meddling. “i’m not,” mj answers sharply. “i’m gonna email quentin and ask if we can change our topics. happy?” quentin beck is another editor in the building. he’s not bad, but he is intimidating. no one typically goes to him as their first option.

“i’m thrilled,” you confirm and grin at mj to emphasize it. “thanks for stepping up. you’re forgiven.” “i didn’t realize i had to be sorry,” mj notes, this time in a playful manor. she shakes her head as she begins writing. “you and your morals.”

what you value most in your career is honesty, under any circumstances. of course, the other daily bugle writers are the same. norman strictly prohibits clickbait and crazy headlines because that isn’t real news. you leave that to companies like buzzfeed. you’re honest in the sense that you say whatever has to be said, what everyone else is too afraid to. you’ll speak your truth no matter who tries to stop you.

it didn’t used to be that way. there’s some childhood trauma that remains deep in the back of your mind. you’ve left that behind you now, having over a decade to cope with it. hey, they say the past is in the past. what’s important is your takeaway, that you would never let yourself or anyone else be silenced from there on out. never again.

quentin ends up giving you the okay to write different stories. he lets you and mj choose choose your own because he’s got “better things to do” and you’re “big girls.” what a peach he is. mj goes with how capitalism is continuing to provoke global warming. she has something to say about every major world issue, and you admire the hell out of her for it.

you’re a bit stuck when it’s time to write your article. it’s terribly ironic because you pushed for this. you aren’t too worried, though. the city is crawling with material, so you’ll find what you’re looking for eventually. lucky for you, some much needed inspiration comes skipping out of the elevator.

“morning, peter,” you hear liz greet him at the front desk. she’s your floor’s receptionist. her wisdom and patience keep this place going. “hi, liz. how’s it going?” he asks. “things have been quiet... mostly. can i do anything for you?” liz peers up at him. peter sports a shy smile. “uh, yeah. mr. osborn wanted to see me?” “right. hang on.” she nods, dialing his office phone number.

it’s endearing how peter calls him mr. osborn, seeing as the rest of you go with norman. he’s probably the politest guy you’ve ever met.

grinning, liz puts down the phone. “you can go in whenever you’re ready. good luck!” peter laughs nervously and turns to leave. “thanks, you too.” his face falls when he realizes his mistake. “wait, i- i didn’t mean to say that. that was stupid. you’re not-“ “it’s fine, peter,” liz reassures him. his anxiety makes him trip over his words sometimes. that, and he’s a bit dorky in general. you find it rather adorable.

you also wonder what exactly he needs good luck for. he’s not even supposed to be working today, so your curiosity as to what’s going on has been piqued.

“um, i’m gonna go now. bye!” peter rushes off, his face tinted pink from the embarrassing encounter. you’re hoping he’ll stop and talk with you for a little while, but he heads straight to norman’s office. your whole body deflates at that. mj notices from her peripherals.

“what’s the matter? missing your hubby?” she coos, her words dripping in sarcasm. “no,” you lie. “i’m... i don’t know what to write about.” ok, there’s some truth. mj gives you a couple pats on the shoulder. “ask parker for help. you two work... well together. don’t you?” this must be the zillionth time you’ve heard that.

“we do,” you murmur and glance at norman’s closed door. peter is hidden behind it. “i just don’t wanna bug him. he has finals soon, and whatever norman is putting him up to. it’s my job, anyway.” mj pokes your arm. “those sound like excuses to me,” she concludes, still jabbing at you childishly. “you really just don’t wanna tell him you like-“

“can you keep it down?” you hiss, yanking your arm back. “he’s literally right over there.” peter stands up and shakes norman’s hand. you catch it through the blinds on his window. “y/n, you were drooling over his mere presence only minutes ago,” mj prefaces, a smile pulling at her lips. “you can handle three little words. i like you, that’s it. spit it out already.”

you’ll never admit this to mj, but she’s right. you lost your momentum after your first failed attempt to say the three little words. you’re still not sure what stopped you. you’d shared the details of that faithful night with her, and she’s been pushing you to try again since.

the door to norman’s office opens, and out walks peter. he’s beaming after their conversation, which seems like a good sign. harry passes peter on his way in to pay his dad a visit. he claps him on the shoulder, peter happily accepting before continuing his stride back into the main office. it takes a moment to register that he’s coming towards you.

you quickly set your focus back on your computer so he doesn’t think you’ve been watching him. even though, you definitely have.

“y/n!” peter calls your name. he’s on the opposite side of your table, in front of you. “peter!” you match his tone. “i was just dropping by. i thought i’d say hey while i’m here.” he’s still grinning. “what’re you doing?” he looks cute as ever in an oversized and cream colored sweater. his curls are slicked back with a tad too much product, cheeks rosy. you gaze up at him when he rests his arms on the table.

“pretending to be productive,” mj answers for you, pressing her lips together. peter cocks his head to the side. “pretending?” “ignore her. she’s being a shit stirrer today,” you explain. “like every other day,” he jokes, earning a laugh from you. mj just tuts and keeps writing. “talk about me like i’m not here,” she mumbles to herself, then gets back into her article.

“anyways, i thought you didn’t work today?” you ask to take the attention off yourself. also, because you’re curious. “oh! get this.” peter perks up even more, if that’s possible. he has energy like no other. “you know alex in broadcasting? betty’s camera guy?” “what about him?” you wonder. “he called in sick earlier this morning, with the flu or something.” he’s oddly excited to announce this. that prompts you to make a funny face.

biting back another smile, peter elaborates. “mr. osborn needed someone to fill in for him, so he picked me. i’ll be here all week.” it makes sense, since peter knows how to work a camera and does so wonderfully. you give him a celebratory push at his chest. “peter, that’s amazing! this is the perfect way to transition from pictures to film, right?” he’s nearing his finals at school, which consist of more movie-like projects. the news will be great practice.

then, he’s off to hollywood. you’ll put that out of your mind for now.

“exactly! i think it’ll be a good place to start. the pay isn’t bad either.” peter wiggles his eyebrows at you, you giggling once again. you do a lot of that when he’s around. that’s going to be more often now. “plus, i get to see you. everyone wins.” he squeezes your hand that was just on him. your heart begins to thump. “except alex,” you challenge, playing with his fingers. “but, for real. i’m happy you get to do this and that we’ll be spending more time together.”

“thanks, y/n/n. me too.” peter grins and leans over, taking a peek at your computer screen. there’s a blank word document on it. “you never told me what you’re up to,” he chuckles. “guess mj was right... nothing.” “i’m always right,” she chimes in from next to you. you look between the two of them with a scowl. “i haven’t found my story yet. i don’t know, this never happens.” peter nods as you share your dilemma. “no good ideas are coming to me,” you murmur.

“they will. you have a way of attracting things.” he licks his lower lip, your heart completely stopping this time. “well, i gotta go set up for rise and shine with betty brant.” he waves his hand like he’s presenting his words. that’s what betty calls her morning news segment. “be careful with her. she’s being really sketchy these days,” you warn peter, mj grunting in agreement.

confused, peter purses his lips. “really? ned says she’s a sweetheart. they’ve been going out for a while.” mj pops her head up and adjusts her glasses. “did ned also tell you she’s bribing him to give her all of our scoops?” she’s asking rhetorically because she already knows the answer. of course he didn’t. “it’s one thing to not like her. you’re just making things up now,” peter huffs.

mj kicks your foot under the table. “i told you no one would believe us. not even peter gullible parker.” “it’s benjamin,” he corrects her. “whatever,” she brushes it off, resuming her work.

peter does tend to be sort of naive, to only see the good in things when there’s plenty of bad. you’re the same in that way, unless you hang around mj for too long.

“is that true? betty’s stealing your stories?” peter turns to you and asks. you gesture to your screen. “i don’t have one, so you do the math.” he hums sympathetically. he’ll listen to you, never mj. “i’m sorry. thanks for telling me, y/n. i’ll watch out for her.” he bends his fingers to look like goggles, putting them around his eyes. you sigh lightheartedly.

“are you twenty two years old or twelve?” mj remarks, but not without a comeback from peter. “you’re, like, eighty five. worry about that.” they’ve had this type of banter for as long as you’ve known them. it’s equal parts amusing and exhausting. “don’t be late on your first day.” you snap peter out of it with a knowing smile. he returns it.

“i hope something crazy happens so you can write about it.” he’s walking backwards now, towards the elevator. “see you later, pete,” is all you say back, yet another laugh threatening to escape you. “see you. bye, michelle,” peter says just to bug her. “it’s mj,” she groans without looking up. he shrugs. “not so fun, is it?”

after peter is gone, you try to get back into work. or rather, you try to start your work. what he said about you having a way of attracting things keeps ringing in your head. was he flirting? no, he couldn’t have been. peter parker doesn’t flirt. words aren’t his strong suit, and you have countless memories that prove this to be true. earlier with liz, for example.

you’re probably reading way into this. peter was simply doing what any good friend would do and gave you advice.

it’s late in the afternoon when anything worth mentioning happens again. peter is still with betty, as far as you know. they’re probably preparing for the nighttime news now. all you’ve done since seeing him is nibble on snacks and bug mj, who’s almost done with her story despite your distractions. this is really bad, considering your deadline to submit is at the end of today.

you’ve never missed a deadline.

mj emails her work to quentin while you repeatedly bang your head on the table. she hits send before deciding to entertain you. “whatcha doing over there?” she cautiously prompts, powering off her computer. “trying to get an idea. i’m desperate, if you couldn’t tell.” your voice is muffled. “i could.” mj grabs your shoulders and pulls you back so you’re sitting up. you childishly pout.

“y/n, the only thing that’s gonna give you is brain damage,” mj says sternly, then softens her tone. “why don’t you ask for an extension? norman gives me them all the time.” whining, you slump down in your chair again. “yeah, but you’re you! we do things differently, have different expectations put on us.” she’s back to cold mj after you say that. “alright. at least i did something today besides pine over that little-“

mj’s insult for peter is interrupted by harry. “ladies, what’s shaking?” he comes up to you two with a the hint of smirk on his face. you manage a nod to acknowledge him. “oh, hey... harry,” mj unenthusiastically replies. she’s the one person who isn’t really a fan of him. “not much. y/n was just having a tantrum.” “she was not,” you dismiss her. “it’s work stuff. you know your dad.”

harry clicks his tongue in a teasing way. “yep, the grind never stops in this joint. boss man is...” he does the sign for cuckoo with his finger. you laugh a little at that. “in a good way,” you add on. mj only watches you two, blinking blankly. harry gives you a definitive pat on the back. “before i forget, he wants to see you.” that gets mj talking. “norman?” she questions. “your dad?��� you choke out at the same time.

“who else? he said you two have to talk.” harry flashes you a weary smile. “have fun in there, old sport.” you’re too busy biting the skin off your bottom lip to respond. “mhm... she will,” mj speaks on your behalf. even she sounds worried. saluting you both, harry leaves to go pester your other colleagues. you’re completely and totally fucked.

“that’s it for me!” you grin sarcastically, freaked out by harry. “i’m fired, aren’t i? i’m definitely about to get fired, and it’s all because-“ “relax!” mj cuts off your rambling. she reaches down and grasps at your wrists. “get it together, y/l/n. you’re the best we have, okay? you aren’t going anywhere.” your grin becomes a frown. “then why does norman wanna talk to me? and, why don’t i have a story?”

mj always has the answers, but this time is the execption. she lets out a breath. “i don’t know. you’ll go find out and tell me what happens.” there’s no use protesting. you’re going to have to face whatever you’re about to at some point. “ok,” you give in, defeated. “i’ll be back soon, i hope.”

the walk to norman’s office feels like a walk of shame. mj can do nothing but sit back and observe it. if this ends the way you think it will, you’ll be collecting your things and won’t ever return. norman is a kind man, and he’s usually pretty understanding. he doesn’t mind the workplace shenanigans as long as you get your job done. unfortunately, you haven’t today.

you hear your boss’s booming voice when you approach his door. inhaling deep, you knock on it, and the room goes silent. “come in,” norman responds after a few seconds. mustering up a smile, you open the door to be met with your doom. “hi, am i interrupting something?” you check. “not at all! you’re just the person i wanted to see. sit, sit,” he beckons you over. he’s not using his angry voice, so maybe you’re in the clear. you enter the room as told.

you’re shocked to see a terrified peter is already in one of the chairs. he visibly relaxes a bit now that you’re here. what the hell is happening? whatever you were expecting, this was the last thing.

taking the armchair next to peter, you sit facing norman’s desk. you nudge his arm to get his attention. his big brown eyes lock with yours. “what’s going on?” you whisper. “no idea,” peter whispers back. the two of you turn to norman again when he claps his hands. he’s plopped down into his cushy leather seat.

“so,” he begins, gaze flicking from peter to you. “you kids know why you’re here?” “is it because i missed my deadline?” you blurt out. you’re once again a nervous wreck. peter doesn’t speak, just winces. “not that. although, i did hear from ned that you turned down his assignment.” norman flicks at a post-it on his desk. “i asked quentin for one instead. me and mj,” you explain, peter’s eyes going wide.

“you talked to quentin? that guy’s bad news,” he murmurs to you. “how so?” norman questions, since it’s his employee. “he- he, um,” peter clears his throat before answering, “he’s super critical, you know? hates all my pictures.” “i love your pictures,” you assure him, the corners of his lips turning up. “your style is so cool. yeah, though. quentin’s pretty bitter.”

considering this, norman drums his fingers on the desk. “i’ll look into that. but, that isn’t why you’re here. i’m letting you off the hook this time.” your whole demeanor changes and a huge weight lifts off of you. “really? you are?” “i have a scoop of my own that i want you to cover,” he continues, peter bumping your knee happily. a toothy grin takes over your face.

“since peter will be sticking around for a while, i want him to join you.” norman waits a beat in case you have any questions. it’s been a minute since you last worked together. peter laughs in disbelief. “you want me to take over for alex and do this?” norman nods proudly. “y/n will need the extra hands, if you have them.” “yes, sir. i do,” peter immediately confirms. “my last class is next thursday, so i have the time.”

“wait, so you’re almost done? that’s awesome!” you bump peter’s knee this time. “yup, all that’s left is finals... and studying.” he mindlessly takes your hand, lacing your fingers together. you’re enjoying his gentle touches. “thank you so much, norman. seriously, i appreciate this a lot,” you tell him and mean it. “hey, no problem,” he chuckles at your eagerness. you grip peter’s hand tighter.

“what’s the story?” “ah, yes. the most important part,” norman starts, peter sharing an excited look with you. “how familiar are you two with spider-man?” his excitement fades at the question posed. it’s unbeknownst to you, caught up in the moment. “uh, same as everyone else, i guess,” you casually reply. “how come?” “he’s your subject.” norman points at you both. “you’re gonna study him over these next few months.”

peter’s hand goes limp in yours, and he gulps hard, throat feeling dry. “you mean, like, an exposé?” “no, no. there will be no exposing,” norman clarifies. “i’m sure he wears the mask for a reason.” that settles peter only slightly. you’re not sure why he’s so tense all of a sudden. “what’s our aim here, then?” you steer the conversation.

“see what new york’s favorite hero gets up to every day, how his life is beyond the crime fighting,” norman further describes your task. peter exhales a shaky breath, shifting away from you in his seat. the golden sun hits his face and reveals a bead of sweat dripping down it. you stare at his figure in worry. “you okay, peter?” “fine. i’m just... hot,” he murmurs back. his sweater does look pretty heavy, so you concede.

getting back to norman’s story, you grimace at the idea. “do you really think people will want to read that? for lack of a better term, it sounds kind of...” you pause. “basic.” “i thought the same thing at first,” he surprisingly agrees with you. “harry pitched the idea to me this morning. you won’t believe it! the other night, he caught spider-man hanging outside his window.”

“harry... harry saw him?” peter squeaks out. he uses the wool material that feels like it’s swallowing him to dab at his forehead. “he stopped on his balcony. must have been pretty late, the kid’s a night owl,” norman says about his son. your face lights up as you listen to him. “he took some shots of spidey in action, when he swung off. i saw a few. they were pretty great.” he’s grinning at his son’s success.

“maybe he’ll get into photography with you, pete,” norman suggests. peter gives him a weak smile in return. “we’d be happy to have him.” he usually has a lot more to say about his career than that. his behavior is starting to genuinely concern you. “anyway,” norman gets back on topic, “it got me thinking. how much do we really know about this guy? we’re supposed to blindly put our trust in him?”

you’re beginning to see the appeal now. you’ve written your share of pieces on the avengers and their methods, tackling the same questions norman just asked you. spider-man shouldn’t be overlooked, especially when he operates so close to your home. this could be another revolutionary superhero story in the making. and, you get to bring peter along for the ride.

“you know what? this has a lot of potential,” you smile at norman, then peter. he has his phone in his lap, fingers flying across the screen. it must be something important. you’ll discuss with norman while he takes care of that. “we could make it a weekly thing, about spider-man’s adventures. find out what we can about the man behind the mask...” peter shoots up in his seat. “without taking it off,” you finish, putting his mind at ease.

“see, i knew you were gonna love it! it was a blessing in disguise, you missing that deadline.” norman bangs his fist on the table with a hearty laugh. “what do you say, peter? you still in?” peter slips his phone back in his pocket. his tongue pokes out to wet his lips. “oh, of course. i can’t wait to work with you, y/n/n,” he speaks in a monotone voice, adding on, “again.”

something is definitely bothering him, and it isn’t the weather.

“i gotta go. betty needs me upstairs, so,” peter moves to get up, his body stiff. you assume that’s who he was texting. “thank you again, mr. osborn.” he’s rushing out of the room just like that, until you call after him. “um, don’t you wanna set a time to meet up? so we can get started?” you reasonably ask. “i... i really gotta go. find me later,” peter tells you, giving you both a tight lipped smile and running off.

“the dynamic duo is back!” norman announces to you. you’re disappointed you can’t share that sentiment with peter.

he’s absolutely booking it down the stairs, not bothering to wait for the next elevator. this is bad. this is a nightmare.

peter went from having one of his best days in a while to the worst in not even a full round of work. today started off fine, and got better when norman promoted him. it got way better when you came along. he saw your smile that makes his insides tingle, heard your laugh that’s the prettiest sound to grace his ears, held your hand that he never wants let go.

things went a bit downhill after that. betty was pushy and yelled at him a lot, demanding he only film her good angles for the segment. you and mj weren’t wrong when you told him to be careful.

later on when he saw you again, everything was okay. he was physically shaking as brad told him mr. osborn requested to see him. brad is mr. osborn’s assistant. a try-hard for sure, but good at his job. why did mr. osborn call him in? did betty complain already?

they’d been sitting in mostly silence, save for small talk until you came knocking on the door. simply being next to you was enough to ground peter and his racing thoughts. it was enough, then it wasn’t.

the whole day had gone to shit after he found out you were going to be writing stories about his alter ego. not only that, but he was helping. during the pitch, he’d texted ned to meet him in the bathroom. he was really anxious and needed a friend who understood why.

ned accidentally found out peter is spider-man last year. it’s a long story that involves peter hiding from some bad guys in the building and ned shrieking so loud the lights flickered. they’re cool now that peter talked things through with him. his secret has been kept, from what he knows.

pushing open the men’s bathroom door, peter is a mixture of sweat and ragged breaths. he’s panting from his fast descent down the staircase. he takes in his disheveled appearance using one of the mirrors. his styled hair is now damp and undone, hands trembling and palms sweaty, chest heaving. here’s his daily reminder that anxiety is not cute. as if he didn’t know.

his stupid, gigantic freaking sweater is only making things worse. it’s suffocating him. no one else is in here, so peter pulls it over his head and tosses it to the ground. he’s got a t-shirt on underneath that happens to be black. what a convenient day for him to wear the hottest material there is.

peter splashes his face with some cold water next to try and cool himself down. that doesn’t do much for him. his face still feels like it’s on fire, but now it’s wet. he takes his hands through his mop of curls, backing away from the sink.

“fuck. fuck, fuck, fuck,” peter repeats to himself. he’s silent for a moment, then rage overcomes him. he kicks open a bathroom stall. “shit! i can’t do this. what am i supposed to-“

the door creeks open, so peter shuts up in case it isn’t ned. it thankfully is, and he wears a deep frown at the sight of his best friend. “dude, what happened? you look...” “terrible. i know,” peter finishes for him. he tugs at his locks in another attempt to tame them. ned approaches him carefully. “you’re not, like, dying... are you? because betty was telling me you have to-“ “of course you were with betty,” peter exhales in frustration. “no, ned. i’m not dying.”

in ned’s defense, the text he received was very alarming. all peter wrote was, ‘EMERGENCY. SOS.’

“i mean, yeah. it was my break.” ned sits on the ledge by the window, close to peter. “you do the same with y/n.” the mention of your name upsets peter all over again. he hides his face in his hands as ned watches. “if you’re not dying, then what’s the problem?” ned finally asks. “me and y/n...” peter removes his hands from his face, meeting ned’s worried eyes. “mr. osborn wants us to do a project together.”

“uh, peter? you’ve been saying how much you miss her forever, dude! you’re not excited?” ned snorts at him. he means well, but he has no clue what he’s talking about. “no. it’s supposed to be about spider-man,” peter answers angrily. this isn’t the support he was hoping for. realizing the severity of the situation, ned gets serious.

“oh... but, you’re still doing it?” he questions. “i didn’t have a choice,” peter scoffs out. “i can’t let either of them down.” “you’ll expose yourself!” ned escalates things further. “it’s not like that. we’re gonna follow spider-man around and post updates on him,” peter says, technically in the third person. he’s given an are you insane? look from ned.

“you are spider-man! and, no offense, but you’re not so good at hiding it,” ned refers to himself finding out. “how are you gonna be in two places at once?” damnit, peter hadn’t thought about that yet. he can’t be taking pictures of spider-man and swinging from building to building simultaneously. “i- i’ll figure it out,” peter stammers, unconvincingly.

ned looks him over in a disapproving way. “jeez. you’re really putting your life on the line for this girl-“ “woman,” peter interjects, not loving ned’s attitude towards you. “have some respect.” unfazed, ned gets up from the windowsill. “speaking of women, remember betty? you’re still on the clock,” he changes the subject. peter nearly forgot he has to go film her segment.

“i’ll head up to her now,” peter gives in. he scoops up his discarded sweater, not bothering to check his appearance again. ned follows behind him to the door. “we wrote her script together, you know,” he gladly informs peter, who already knows from you. “not really a flex,” peter mumbles his response. “peter, lighten up.” ned hits at his shoulder. the two of them exit the bathroom.

“you’ll figure this out later. i can always help.” he shoots him a sugary sweet smile. “thanks, ned. for talking with me and everything.” peter doesn’t smile back. they do a quick bro handshake, then they’re going their separate ways. “have a good show, dude!” ned yells back, to which he doesn’t get a response. peter doesn’t have it in him.

he allows himself to take the elevator back up to broadcasting. he’s so drained from the several anxiety attacks he endured. while peter waists for the elevator, he contemplates all the issues he’d better solve. it’s a relief to hear it ding because it brings him back to earth. that doesn’t last long because both you and betty are there when the door opens.

you’d each had the same idea, to find peter. unlike betty, your intentions were good. you asked liz if she saw peter leave. she told you he went downstairs, so you did also. betty was already in the elevator when it got to your stop. she was looking for him because, you guessed it, he had to record the news. the small space was filled with tension as you and betty occupied it.

“perfect. we’re going right back up,” betty beams, motioning for peter with her index finger. “hop in!” “coming,” peter does as told, going to stand between you and betty. she presses the button for your floor and theirs. the doors close. “pete?” you speak up, voice soft. “you kinda ran off earlier. i thought you were with betty.” “clearly, he wasn’t,” betty sneers.

you’re less concerned with her and more with peter. the sweater he looked so huggable in is now folded in his arms, his face splotchy and jaw clenched. he must have gotten triggered by something back in norman’s office.

“are you sure you’re okay? you... you can talk to me about it.” you take a step closer to peter, your doe eyes searching for his. he meets them with a tiny smile. at least, it’s real this time. “i’ll be fine, y/n/n. ‘s nice that you came to check on me, though.” “don’t mention it.” your arms loop around his neck and bring him into a hug. peter hugs you back by your middle, chin resting on your shoulder, breathing out in relief.

you keep your hands on his shoulders when you pull back. his stay on your sides, a lopsided grin now crossing his features. “spider-man...” you quirk an eyebrow. “how are you feeling about that?” “should be cool,” peter somehow maintains himself. “i’m mostly looking forward to doing it with you.”

listening in, betty joins the conversation. “what’s happening with spider-man? anything i should know?” her hand reaches into her bag and emerges with a notepad. does she ever think of her own content? “she’s nothing if not persistent,” you grumble to peter. chuckling, he pulls you into his chest. if he didn’t hold you back, you would’ve pounced on her.

“we’re gonna do a piece on him,” peter tells her. “you can’t copy or steal this one because it’s already been approved,” you contribute, smiling smugly as peter holds you tighter. betty is taken aback. “are you accusing me of stealing? who said i-“ “ned ratted on you... sorry,” peter says in a sing song voice. squealing, you jump away from him. “he did? we were right?”

“mj’s never wrong,” he reiterates. “mj knew about this? oh my god, i can’t believe her!” betty stomps her foot. “we got you on candid camera.” you make a clicking noise with your mouth. peter mimes taking a picture to back you up. “alright, alright. i won’t do it again,” betty mumbles, turning away from you two in annoyance.

“finally!” you hold up your hand for a high five, which peter gives you. “we really do make the best team,” he hums. your fingers intertwine with peter’s, and he lays his palm flat against yours. he prays extremely hard you don’t notice that it’s sweaty. you do, but you couldn’t care less.

“i was wondering when you’d wanna start our... research?” peter asks you, his lip between his teeth. “you were saying something earlier. maybe we could make a schedule.” “how elaborate of us that would be,” you tease. that earns a breathy laugh from peter. with a knowing smile, you put your free hand back on his shoulder.

“what are you doing tonight?”

-

peter parker taglist

@saturnpeter @tpwk-grande @itstaskeen @missyouhollnd @becicamina @dummiesshort @zspideyy @watchitimreadinghere @my-patronus-is-mabel-pines @dpaccione @karispotters11 @theofficialzivadavid @thehumanistsdiary @kelieah @aayaissaa @petersgroupie @annab-nana @tayyx @swtltlmrvlgrl @magicalxdaydream @haoluvver @kjune113 @captainamirica @marvel-dork98 @emmastarz @killingbxys @viriditie @misshale21 @veryholland @liliswifts @tommydarlings @rebelemilu @peterspideysense @cr-uelsummer @dreamy-clousds @quaksonhehe @quxxnxfhxll @blackbat2020 @babyblue19 @falconxbarnes @zachary-s @dirtytissuebox @dracoswhore007 @heavenlyholland @thsquad @etheralholland @dhtomholland @awh-lilies @tomshufflepuff @multifamdomfan12

-

if i forgot you please lmk!

[themculibrary]

Irondad/Parent!Tony Stark Masterlist 3

part one, part two

5 Times Everyone Thought Spider-Man was Iron Man's Favorite Superhero (ao3) - madasthesea G, 3k

Summary: And one time he actually admitted it.

AKA: Tony and Peter's relationship is so adorable, it keeps making the news.

5 times it wasn't a hug and the 1 time it was (ao3) - parkrstark T, 31k

Summary: 5 times it wasn't a hug and the one time it was.

Or...

The one where Tony has a habit of not-really-but-kinda-sorta hugging Peter and finally gets it right when it matters the most.

5 times Peter is stuck with Tony (ao3) - iron_spider T, 29k

Summary: (...and one time he’s stuck alone.)

“I wonder if Pepper’s reported me missing yet,” Tony says, with an exaggerated sigh. “I wonder if this is some kind of scheme to kidnap me or something.”

“I think the ride’s just broken,” Peter says.

“Today of all goddamn days,” Tony says, exasperation clear in his voice and in his eyes. “Ruining our trip—”

“It’s not ruined,” Peter says. “Look, we’re hanging out."

“Real quality time,” Tony huffs. “Us, a few other trapped members of the general public, and a handful of animatronic pirates. Drunk pirates. Repeating themselves.”

5 Times Peter Made Tony Laugh Out Loud (ao3) - grilledcheesing T, 16k

Summary: ... and one time he did not.

Post Spider-Man: Homecoming — Tony is just trying his damn hardest to keep this reckless kid from Queens safe, but it's hard when Peter is, occasionally, ridiculous as all hell.

A Heart Grows (With More People To Love) (ao3) - josywbu G, 5k

Summary: When there's a newborn Stark on the horizon Peter starts to question his place in the family he has come to view as his own.

Good thing Tony has an abundance of parenting books at his disposal and knows exactly (kind of) what to do.

Alone (ao3) - Lost_And_Longing T, 38k (WIP)

Summary: Alone. Yes, that's the key word, the most awful word in the English tongue. Murder doesn't hold a candle to it and hell is only a poor synonym. - Stephen King

After four months with no contact between him and Mr. Stark, Peter finally comes to a conclusion he should have come to much, much earlier. Basically, Peter has depression. And no, not the romanticized version.

And if you need a friend, then please just say the word (ao3) - frostysunflowers T, 2k

Summary: ''Three cracked ribs, a broken wrist and a heavy blow to the head, along with multiple cuts and bruises.

Not so bad as Spider-Man injuries go.

So why is he driving like an absolute maniac towards the tower (a hastily repurchased tower to stand in place of the decimated compound) with a roiling churn of something bitter and painful in his stomach.

Because before, Peter would always call him. Always.

This time though…The kid called Happy instead.''

Baby's Firsts (ao3) - mainstreamelectricalparade T, 34k

Summary: A series of Peter's "firsts" through Tony's eyes.

Becoming Belonging (ao3) - sahiya G, 18k

Summary: Peter barely remembered the week after he came back, five years and two minutes after dying on Titan. But he did remember this: looking at Morgan Stark and feeling––to his immediate shame––wildly, insanely jealous that Morgan had had those five years with Tony and Peter hadn’t.

Bend The Definition Of Fate (ao3) - Ashleyparker2815 N/R, 122k

Summary: Peter Parker is de-aged and goes to Tony Stark for help. Tony doesn’t know what to do at first but he eventually learns, with a few bumps along the way.

come morning light (you and I'll be safe and sound) (ao3) - blondsak G, 11k

Summary: Tony draws in a sharp breath at the man's words as Peter tenses at his side, Tony bringing his cuffed hands up to card one through the kid’s hair soothingly. But inside, he’s absolutely panicking.

Because Tony recognizes that kind of tone-- he’s used it a time or two himself. He knows this isn’t just business, or even merely personal.

This is revenge.

Delicate (ao3) - Bean_reads_fanfic T, 16k

Summary: It starts here: Peter, in his Spider-Man suit minus the mask, caught deer-in-the-headlights-style in front of a person he’s never met before in the kitchen of his and May’s apartment.

“You’re, uh, what’s-his-name –” The guy coughs a bit, swallowing. He points at Peter, his voice getting higher as he goes: “P – uh – Peter, right? You’re – you’re Spider-man?!” ... One unfortunate encounter starts a chain of frustrating events; in the process of which, Peter's insecurities are examined. Including but not limited to: his worries that Tony cares about Spider-Man more than Peter Parker.

Five Things Tony Didn't Know (ao3) - TinyAndAngry G, 14k

Summary: And the one thing he did

Five Times Peter was Tony’s Son and One Time Tony was his Dad (ao3) - zojnks T, 13k

Summary: Peter doesn’t understand how much Tony really cares for him, and keeps accidentally calling him “Dad” and not noticing. Tony notices every time, though, and it means so much more to him than he thought it would.

for the love of freefall (ao3) - sagemb T, 7k

Summary: In the months after Homecoming night, Peter learns the value of being his own age.

It Takes a Village (or a team of superheroes) (ao3) - aven_garde steve/tony T, 33k

Summary: Three months after the Chitauri attack, Tony received a phone call that changed his life. (Or, the one in which a group of remarkable people come together and balance battling villains and raising a child).

I wouldn't drink that if I were you, kid (ao3) - Lequia G, 6k

Summary: In which Peter Parker feels abandoned, Tony Stark manages to screw things up even more, and DUM-E may or may not have found another fire extinguisher.

Waiting (ao3) - grilledcheesing T, 7k

Summary: *** INFINITY WAR SPOILERS! ***

Everyone comes back.

Everyone, that is, except Peter.

[youngbugandtonystank]

what's the difference between what wanda did to those people in wandavision and what tony did with ultron?

I have so many asks about this. Hate asks, and people wondering what’s going on. This is the only one I’m answering.

Both of them are responsible for their actions. I’ve seen people try and take away either Tony’s responsibility for that or Wanda’s engagement and accountability. 

In Tony’s case, the Ultron program was supposed to be a global peacekeeping program to protect the people, acting as a suit around the world to prevent events like the Battle of New York. He was doing it in the name of peace and safety. Tony was rightfully scared because he was the only one who knew what was coming. Wanda intentionally enhanced that fear in him and this drove him to create Ultron with Bruce. He has responsibility for it. Same as Bruce. He owns up to this, he took full responsibility and agreed that they needed to be regulated. 

Tony Stark: A few years ago, I almost lost her, so I trashed all my suits. Then, we had to mop up HYDRA... and then Ultron. My fault.

--

Tony Stark: There's no decision-making process here. We need to be put in check! Whatever form that takes, I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, if we're boundary-less, we're no better than the bad guys.

--

Tony Stark: That's good. That's why I'm here. When I realized what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I shut it down and stop manufacturing.

--

If people think he needs to be in jail for it, then I’m guessing the rest of the Avengers too since all of them have made mistakes and killed people too. As a matter of fact, after the events of Wandavision, I’m sure that Wanda should be in the Raft, but because she’s ‘a poor baby’ yall won’t think she deserves that. 

SPOILERS

It’s a big possibility that we don’t have all the info about what happened in Wandavision but we’re going to go with what we know so far. 

In Wanda’s case, she did it to appease her grief and pain, and I can understand why she would get to that point, she’s been through a lot and maybe she was about to lose her mind. Instead of recruiting Wanda after the Sokovia incident, they should’ve given this girl treatment for her mental health problems. She just lost her brother and passed through a very traumatic war zone, of course she needs assistance. Cap and Natasha were the ones responsible for her because they were training the ‘new’ avengers. Sam was with them and he used to be a counselor to veterans with PTSD. He could’ve helped Wanda with some of her traumas. As shown in the series, Wanda did the whole hex business before meeting Agatha, which means creating that little reality was all Wanda’s responsibility. Hayward and Agatha did exactly what Wanda did to Tony (and the avengers/other people) in AOU. They manipulated her and played with her emotional traumas. Hayward showed her Vision’s body parts and Agatha started to pull strings to know how Wanda did what she did and her real powers while orchestrating against her. 

Both of them have made mistakes. No one is better than the other. I don’t understand why some fans want to make someone responsible more than the other or blame one character for the other. While Wanda gave Tony that vision and pushed his self-destructive side to obsess over saving the world, he did create Ultron, what Tony didn’t predict was that the robot was going to corrupt itself. Same with Wanda, while Agatha and Hayward contributed to her trauma, she held hostage and isolated 3,892 people to create her perfect reality, ripping these people away from their identities and free will to fit her own fantasy. Don’t turn this into ‘omg poor her, it’s Tony fault that she’s this way'. I can’t believe I have to repeat this but you don’t see Peter Parker obsessively looking for the person who manufactured the gun instead of the criminal who actually killed Uncle Ben. Ridiculous that I have to repeat this example. 

Oh and about Vision’s body (damn yall have a gift to turn everything into Tony’s fault for some reason). I can’t believe some of you think Tony (while grieving for 5 years) would give Vision to Hayward. You’re either pulling stuff out of your asses or you didn’t pay attention to the show. Maria Rambeau founded and was the Director of S.W.O.R.D. In 2018 (when IW happened), this is where she came up with a new policy within S.W.O.R.D. to ground snapped agents in case they ever returned. Maria was diagnosed with cancer, then two years later (2020), she passed away. Then, Hayward was promoted to Director of S.W.O.R.D., in his first years (2020-2022) he refocused the organization’s work from extraterrestrial operations to robotics, nanotechnology and artificial intelligence, etc. There, that was the 5 years. Then in 2023 it’s when he started project Cataract, which revolved around rebuilding Vision as a sentient weapon. Tony was dead when this happened. How come yall don’t get this part? I don’t understand, do you really think his dead corpse signed some papers to give Vision to those people? LMAO

Instead of thinking Tony would give up Vision just like that, think (possibilities):

Maria was the head of S.W.O.R.D., she might have just been keeping his body safe without doing anything with him. Maybe she trusted Hayward and he, obviously, betrayed her because he’s turning her organization into something else after her death. 

One of the Sokovia Accords regulations states that the use of technology to bestow individuals (the term ‘enhanced individual’ in this book is defined as any person, human or otherwise, with superhuman capabilities) with innate capabilities is strictly regulated by the government, as is the use and distribution of highly advanced technology. Vision signed those accords ('I'm saying there may be a casualty. Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict... breeds catastrophe. Oversight...oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand’) The Avengers were no longer be a private organization and they operate under the supervision of the United Nations. This means they (UN) were the ones that referred Vision’s body to S.W.O.R.D., to a trustworthy leader, Maria. 

Vision died in Wakanda, not in New York. Tony was missing for 22 days after the snap, the rest of the avengers should’ve taken responsibility for his body.  

Why is it always Tony’s fault but never consider that other parties are also involved in this? 

I want to address some other asks with this one. I know some of you are angry because people are starting to blame Tony all over again, so a few things to remember:

Tony did not create the Accords. The Accords were the result of all the collective actions the Avengers have done in their superhero careers. All of them have made mistakes and the collateral damage of that was taken into consideration by the government and 117 countries around the world. He signed the accords because he knew that he could amend them with the support of the rest of the avengers and he knew about Thanos (something big was coming). 

Obadiah Stane (it’s so bizarre for me seeing that some people don’t know who this guy is, I’m guessing that the people who are watching Wandavision are too young to remember or didn’t watch the Iron Man movies at all which is highly probable) was the one selling weapons to the wrong people, not Tony. Obadiah was the CEO of Stark industries and became second-in-command for two decades. He grew jealous of Tony and began cooperating with the Ten Rings in Afghanistan, selling them Stark Industries weapons illegally. Imagine blaming all of it on Tony when Obadiah basically murdered thousands only because he felt a little green. If someone who you trust (he had no reasons to doubt Obadiah since he was like a second father-figure for him) does something behind your back (take into consideration that people like Pepper; who was Tony’s assistant and had knowledge of all of Tony’s activities and responsibilities, Rhodey; who was the liaison between the military in the department of acquisitions and Stark Industries, and Happy Hogan; who was his personal bodyguard and Head of Security of Stark Industries, didn’t know what Stane was doing either), how are you going to know about it? Tony trusted him. And when he realized what was going on he immediately stopped all of it. He worked hard to be better and people overlook that because they want other characters to look better. 

Don’t act like Tony was the only one assisting the military. All of the avengers assisted in one way or another. Natasha (who used to be an assassin) was in the Red Room, trained in the Black Widow Program in association with Leviathan and the Soviet Armed Forces, served for KGB, etc. Bruce Banner used to work for the United States government and was commissioned to create a super serum for them. Same goes with the rest, Sam, Clint, etc. Steve Rogers was a soldier lmaoooooooooooooo like, what happened to Tony with Obadiah happened to Steve with SHIELD/HYDRA in TWS. He trusted the people working in there (SHIELD), served for them, did missions for them and as soon as he found out what they were doing behind his back he turned against them. 

Knowing all of this, how is Tony always the villain for yall? I’m guessing because Tony’s popularity in the MCU, but still, aren’t yall tired of not understanding the plot and having people repeat it to you constantly? Watch the movies if you want to understand the franchise, people. Stop following the crowd. 

Also, Wanda is not a kid, she’s a 35 year old woman in Wandavision, she was 26 in AOU and 27 in CW. Hardly a child. Tony had almost her same age (38) when he realized Obadiah was selling illegal weaponry behind his back. The only reason people don’t fully forgive Tony is because 1. he’s a man and 2. he’s a billionaire. Even if Wanda was poor she still killed and hurt many people over the course of her life. Stop trying to make Tony the villain only to downplay Wanda’s actions. 

Both have killed people, both have made mistakes. They’re both responsible for them. 

[sheabeeprime]

My Wish (Is For You)

BY @sheabeeprime FOR @tonystankandpetieboi AS PART OF @friendly-neighborhood-exchange

RATING: General Audiences

RELATIONSHIPS: Peter Parker & Tony Stark; Pepper Potts/Tony Stark; Ben Parker & May Parker (Spider-Man)

CHARACTERS: Peter Parker, Tony Stark, May Parker (Spider-Man), Ben Parker, Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan

SUMMARY:

Peter was his name. Peter Parker. That was the child Tony was visiting.

Peter was a 9-year-old boy from Queens, New York. The file given to Tony by the Make-a-Wish Foundation described him as shy, yet fun loving and optimistic. From his own digging, however, Tony learned that he was also a trauma magnet.

When Peter was only six years old, both of his parents died in a tragic plane crash, leaving him to the care of his aunt and uncle, May and Ben Parker. Although May and Ben were noted as being extremely loving towards Peter, they only had two and a half years to try and help the grieving child adjust to his new life before he was diagnosed with a Grade II Juvenile Astrocytoma in his cerebellum.

OR

Peter Parker is just another poor cancer kid, but he won’t let that stop him from getting the great Tony Stark wrapped around his little finger from the moment they meet. Tony, on the other hand, just wants to protect this new precious presence in his life from all the hurt the world seems to dish out onto it.

LINK: https://archiveofourown.org/works/35881288

The drive from the Memphis International Airport to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is only supposed to take a total of 18 minutes, traffic and stoplight time included. A relatively quick and easy commute for most people, even with I-240 W being as packed as it was.

Tony’s mind wondered as he stared out the window, trying to distract himself by imagining what the other people on the road were thinking. Like the old man driving way too fast for his half-baked Honda Civic. Or the teenage girl with the hand-me-down Toyota Corolla that tailgated them until they got onto I-69. He thought about how he was probably twice more comfortable in the back of his brand-new Rolls Royce then they probably were in their comparatively crappy vehicles, yet he only a fraction as happy.

Tony wasn’t unhappy per se, it was rather that he was very anxious. And Tony hated to be anxious. What did he, a billionaire superhero, have to be anxious about? As far as the public knew, there were very few people on the planet that could level up to Tony Stark, let alone cause him to sweat.

‘Stark men are made of iron,’ his dad always said. But Howard Stark was also a fan of country music, so there was no trusting his judgement.

“You’re nervous.”

Tony’s head snapped to the direction of the woman sitting next to him. A fiery, powerful red head. CEO of maybe the most influential company in the world, that being his very own Stark Industries. But above all, she was the love of his life. No one put up with him like she did, and Tony knew he took that for granted every day yet could not be more thankful that she continued to stick around.

“I am not! I mean, come on. I’m Iron Man! I fight terrorists every day, hands on,” Tony retorted.

“But this is different,” Pepper replied calmly, hands folded gently in her lap.

“Yeah? How so?”

“Because this time you’re not fighting evil, you’re helping the good. Facing the innocent. And that makes you uncomfortable, doesn’t it?”

Tony scoffed, turning to look back out the window. Unfortunately, the passing cars were no longer serving as a useful distraction, especially from the burning hole Pepper was staring into his back.

Only a couple minutes passed before Tony finally gave in with a sigh, rolling his head back towards the brilliant woman beside him. Their eyes lock for a moment and Tony knows she can see right through his façade, like always.

Tony drops his line of sight downwards towards his hands, which had suddenly become a lot more interesting and a lot less piercing than her gaze.

“I’m not nervous. I’m anxious,” he admits, eyes still trained on his now sweaty palms.

“Boss, hate to break it to you, but I’m pretty sure that those words are synonymous in this context,” Happy cut in from the driver’s seat, glancing back at them through the rearview mirror.

“No. Being nervous implies there is something to be worried about. Being anxious is a state of being. You don’t need a reason to have anxiety,” Tony replied, practically regurgitating something one of his many therapists had told.

“So, you’re admitting you have anxiety?” Happy asked.

“What? No! I-” Tony started but was quickly silenced by Pepper’s delicate hands taking his own. She cradled them for a moment, before slowly bringing them up to her lips to place gentle kisses along each finger.

“Honey, it’s okay to be nervous or anxious or worried or whatever you want to call it. Many people find this sort of thing to be scary. Seeing sick and dying children, it’s not easy. And I know you. You don’t want to let this child down.”

Tony opened his mouth to reply but found the words were caught in his throat, leaving him just gaping at his girlfriend like some sort of mouth breather. When he was finally able to get the wherewithal to push his jaw back up, Tony used all the spit his dry mouth could muster to swallow his words back down, only to then try and regurgitate them once more, like a cow chewing its cud.

“I- I, uh…what if…no, I mean…”

The billionaire wasn’t usually lost for words. He was the type who could give a TED Talk on astrophysics while drunk off his ass with no dress rehearsal. But that, math and science, was something he knew, he understood. Always growing yet never changing. It took zero space in his brain to learn and apply those principals. Talking about his feelings, on the other hand, was significantly more difficult.

‘Stark men are made of iron,’ he could hear his father say again. Tony always wondered if there was any real truth to that. After all, how strong could they really be when that sentiment left them hauling around the weight of their emotional constipation everywhere?

“Breathe, Tony. Take a moment,” Pepper encouraged, running her hands through his hair. “Now, what is it you’re trying to say?”

“What if he doesn’t like me?” Tony finally said, voice meek.

To the genius’s surprise, Pepper actually laughed. It wasn’t one of those long belly laughs, but rather a short, breathy sound. The kind of laugh a person makes in disbelief.

“You’re worried that he won’t like you?” She asked.

Tony nodded.

Pepper shook her head.

“Honey, trust me when I tell you, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. And I know that alone won’t put your mind at ease, but have you stopped to think that how the kid is going to feel? That maybe he’s going to feel the same way about you? Actually, he’ll probably be more afraid of you not liking him than you are of him not liking you. At least you’ll have some sort of common ground.”

Tony looked up at her, eyebrows furrowed. No, he hadn’t considered that prospect. Unfortunately, the car lurching to a stop brought him out of the conversation before he could formulate a reply.

“We’re here, Boss,” Happy said.

Tony sucked in a breath. Steeling his emotions back into the mental lock box from which they came, the billionaire threw on his shades and flashed his companions a nervous smile.

“Guess it’s time to find out.”

Tony then took his CEO’s hand in his own a pulled them smoothly out of the luxury vehicle before Happy could even shift into park. Better to just face the music head on, he figured.

Although the Stark Industries PR team had been specifically instructed to keep their visit to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital completely under wraps, Tony was still pleasantly surprised to find that the paparazzi presence was scarce. Only the publicity team invited specifically by the Make-a-Wish Foundation to cover the event seemed to be present, plus one or two local news stations that always hang around these locations anyway.

Off to a good start. I wonder how long that’ll last, Tony thought to himself.

Still hand-in-hand, the power couple strolled past the lackluster press personnel as they made their way towards the hospital’s front doors. There would be a time and a place for pictures, but right now Tony just wanted to meet this kid already.

As soon as they entered St. Jude’s, they were intercepted by a man dressed in beige trousers and light blue dress shirt, topped with a sleek navy suit jacket. His outfit, although nice, was nothing compared to the three-piece suit Tony was wearing. And yet, the way this man straightened his back and squared his shoulders before greeting them gave Tony the inclination that he thought himself a work of art.

This did not go unnoticed by Pepper either. She lightly squeezed her boyfriend’s hand before dropping it so that she could shake the newcomer’s hand instead. Tony knew what that meant: ‘Play Nice.’

“You must be Mr. Callaway. It’s nice to finally meet you in person,” Pepper said to the man.

“Ms. Potts. What an honor. Please, call me Austin,” he replied.

“The honor is all ours, Austin. We’re happy to be able to be part of this wonderful organization you’re so graciously volunteering with.”

Tony rolled his still shaded eyes. He hated formalities.

“Yes, the Make-a-Wish foundation is very prestigious. Great work y’all do. Really. But, uh, shouldn’t we get a move on? I was supposed to meet the kid at 10:00am sharp and it’s currently 10:03,” Tony said.

“Tony!” Pepper hissed behind a tight smile.

Callaway turned to Tony as if he had just noticed the man was in the room. As if Tony wasn’t the main event; the reason why they were there. The man’s calculating eyes scanned over the billionaire for a second before he put on a fake smile.

“Ah, yes. Mr. Stark. It’s nice to finally meet you. I know you’re a very busy man, so we appreciate you taking the time to actually grant this child’s wish,” he said.

Tony nodded curtly, the subtle jabs not going unnoticed. He knew exactly what this was about; why this man was acting so cold. Because the child he was seeing today had not been the first to request to meet Superhero Iron Man as their dying wish.

Iron Man was requested a lot, actually. And while Tony had never formally declined being part of the Make-a-Wish Foundation, he had used a lot of work arounds.

For example, he would often send the younger children that asked for Iron Man an actor look-like within a fully functional suit replica. The replica still all had the bells and whistles the kids loved to see but was safe to be around the critically ill. His go to actor was apparently really good with kids too, and a trained medical provider to boot. Never can be too safe. Anyway, Tony had been told the act had yet to disappoint, so why change the formula? He was sure his replacement was much more interactive anyway.

Kids older than eight that asked for the superhero, i.e. those at an age where they would be able to recognize the real Tony Stark from a double, would receive an invitation to get a private tour of Stark Industries. They were taken around and taught all about the current dealings of S.I., such as with prosthetics, nanotechnology, and clean energy. They would get to go to Tony’s personal museum featuring all his non-classified suit models, and even got to try on safe repulsor canon replicas. Towards the end of the tour, they were also allowed to play with prototypes projects, take selfies with the suits, and all went home with some piece of new Stark tech, like a phone or watch. That was always a crowd pleaser too.

Basically, Tony had always been very hands off when someone wished for Iron Man. He didn’t want to deny anyone an experience, but at the same time he was convinced any experience he could give would be better off without him. No one would end up disappointed this way. There is a reason why the saying “never meet your heroes” exists, much to the disgruntlement of the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

Except this kid was different. Because the kid Tony was slated to meet today didn’t request to see Iron Man. No, he requested to see Tony Stark. And while Tony had publicly boasted “I am Iron Man,” there was a difference. Iron Man was a hero. But Tony? Tony was a long-time villain. He was personally responsible for fueling the evil out there that Iron Man fought against. Why would anyone want to see just him as he was, especially a child?

Peter was his name. Peter Parker. That was the child Tony was visiting.

Peter was a 9-year-old boy from Queens, New York. The file given to Tony by the Make-a-Wish Foundation described him as shy, yet fun loving and optimistic. From his own digging, however, Tony learned that he was also a trauma magnet.

When Peter was only six years old, both of his parents died in a tragic plane crash, leaving him to the care of his aunt and uncle, May and Ben Parker. Although May and Ben were noted as being extremely loving towards Peter, they only had two and a half years to try and help the grieving child adjust to his new life before he was diagnosed with a Grade II Juvenile Astrocytoma in his cerebellum.

Tony learned that May and Ben Parker had used almost every dime of their savings traveling across the country in search for a doctor that would help them but were told time and time again that there was nothing that could be done for Peter.

That was until the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital caught wind of their situation.

St. Jude’s took on Peter’s case with no charge to the Parkers. They even paid for May and Ben’s food and lodging while they stayed in Memphis to support Peter in his treatment. And it was this combination of generosity with the advanced research being conducted at St. Jude’s that led to Peter being able to have the first part to his tumor removal surgery just two months after his ninth birthday.

The second part of Peter’s surgery was set to happen on July 7, 2011, exactly one month before the kid’s tenth birthday.

And six days from today, Tony thought, checking the date on his watch.

Tony figured that’s why the Make-a-Wish Foundation had been adamant that Tony’s visit with Peter be scheduled for this week; because there was no guarantee he’d survive the second surgery.

And what a grim thought that was. Another reason why Tony wasn’t a fan of doing these sorts of visits. It was too sad.

Regardless, Tony wasn’t going to let Callaway get a rouse out of him. If he was going to be here and do this, he wanted to do it right. So, he let Callaway make condescending jokes and jabs as he led Tony and Pepper down the winding hallways of the hospital towards Peter’s room, all the while rambling about protocols and procedures in case of a fire or tornado.

Tony turned his attention away from the Make-a-Wish liaison to a special piece of paper he had folded in his pocket. It was a letter Peter had written to him to formally “wish” to meet him. Tony wondered if anyone told him how unnecessary it was, since the Make-a-Wish Foundation’s team would be the ones in charge of organizing everything on his behalf.

Dear Mr. Stank Stark,

My name is Peter Parker. I have brain cancer. My Aunt May says that makes my life hard and because my life is hard some good people have choosen chosen to grant me a wish. I don’t really understand why, but Aunt May says it is to make me happy. Good carma karma for being strong. But I don’t feel strong. She told me these people are magical, like a jeanie genie. That means they also have limits. Like, I can’t bring people back from the dead or make someone love me or have more then than one wish. I told my Aunt May that I wish to meet you. She said that was a bad wish. But I really want to meet you, Mr. Stark! I think you are so cool! I heard on the news that you made your first motor when you were younger then than me! I like to build things too! And you went to MIT. Aunt Mays says that is where smart people go and that I’m smart enuf enough to go there one day too! I hope I can do good things like you one day. May says I can do anything. I don’t know. I just want to help people. So my wish is to meet you so I can learn how. I am tired now, so I’m going to go to bed. May said the jeanie genie will only send this letter after I go to sleep. But I think that is just her way of getting me to rest, because I don’t think genies are actually real. Anyway, goodnight Mr. Stark.

From,

Peter Parker

“– and be careful not to step on his aunt’s toes. She will…Mr. Stark, are you listening?”

“Hm?” Tony replied, tearing his eyes away from the letter to look up.

Callaway looked ready to pop. Luckily Pepper was there for damage control.

“Don’t worry, Austin, I have all of that marked down. We won’t forget. Right, Tony?”

“Oh. Oh, yes, of course,” Tony replied absentmindedly, eyes glued on the door they had stopped in front of. “Is this it?”

Callaway took a moment to release all the hot air building behind his head before answering.

“Yes, that is Peter’s room. The nurses just woke him up, so he should be ready for you now.”

Tony sucked in a breath and checked to make sure his lock box of emotions was tucked away in right corner of his mind. At a painfully slow rate, Tony extended his arm as to open the door, but right as his hand hit the doorknob, one of Callaway’s bigger hands stopped him from turning it.

“You have some real nerve coming here today, you know. This must be one special kid,” the man said.

“He is,” Tony replied, shrugging Callaway off and, with every ounce of courage he had, finally pushing the door open and strutting through.

“I’ll have the nurses call you to see us out when we’re finished,” Pepper said as she trailed after her boyfriend, closing the door firmly behind her before Callaway could give a proper answer.

Peter’s room was a lot more colorful than Tony envisioned it would be. Each wall was painted to represent a different ecosystem. The wall opposite to the bed was painted like an ocean full of fish. The wall to the far left had wildlife of the African Savanna, while on the far right were creatures of the Amazon Rain Forest. Behind the bed looked like the Great Smokey Mountains filled with foxes, raccoons, bears, and squirrels.

It was quite impressive, to say the least.

Peter didn’t notice them come in at first though. It was clear in the way his face was scrunched up with his little tongue sticking out subconsciously, that the child was absolutely too engrossed in the crafting project he was attempting to complete to recognize that there had been a change in his surroundings.

Tony probably would have stood there awkwardly forever waiting for Peter to notice him if it hadn’t been for the two adults that were sitting next to Peter, whom Tony could only assume were Peter’s Aunt May and Uncle Ben.

Ben Parker smiled at Tony and Pepper like they were old friends, making it obvious that they were in the right place as he silently ushered them further in the room as a less enthused May Parker went to get her nephew’s attention.

“Peter, honey. You have guests,” May said, gently nudging Peter’s shoulder to snap him out of his hyper-focused trance.

“Hm?” Peter hummed, looking up at his aunt with what Tony could only describe as the biggest eyes he had ever seen. They were a warm brown color that reminded him of a little fawn. Of a little Bambi.

Since when did they make kids this cute? Tony asked himself, just absolutely taken with the kid before him.

“You have guests,” May reiterated to Peter, pointing at the CEO and billionaire combo.

Slowly, Peter turned his head away from his aunt until his eyes locked with Tony’s. For a brief moment that seemed to stretch into an eternity, the two just stared at each other. Galaxies passed between them, as if they were lightyears apart, but also just out of reach from one another. The poor cancer kid from Queens somehow making Iron Man feel small.

Just as Tony was about to crack under the scrutiny of this child, Peter’s face changed. It started at the boy’s big, round eyes. They seemed to gain a sort of spark, like embers flying from a fire lit deep in his soul. That heat then spread outwardly from the crinkling corners of his eyes to dust the tips of his ears and the apples of his cheeks with a rich rosy pink. But the biggest change in his demeanor was in the way Peter’s lips slowly turned upward. The smile that swept across his features seemed to keep getting wider and wider until there was no room left on his face for anything but the expression of joy.

Tony swore the room got brighter as the caliber of excitement radiating from the kid reached its peak. Tony swiped the shades he wore from where they rested on his nose, dying to drink in the light of the kid’s dazzling smile without the hinderance of his glasses.

For a fraction of a second, Tony, who had always made it his mission to stay away from kids, suddenly felt like he understood why people had the urge to have them.

Peter’s reckless brown curls of hair bounced on his forehead when he finally broke eye contact with Tony to look back at May, disbelief mixing with the happiness on his features.

“Oh My Gosh! Aunt May, look! It’s Tony Stark! Like, really Tony Stark! He actually came!”

“Mmm, that he did,” she said, a smirk playing at the edges of her mouth.

Peter’s head snapped to his Uncle Ben next. The older man just winked at his nephew, laughing at the way he just sat in his own bewilderment, completely flabbergasted over how totally chill with everything his two guardians seemed.

“Wait, you knew, didn’t you? Both of you knew! And you didn’t tell me?” Peter asked, accusingly, although his tone lacked any aggression about the situation at all.

“Well, it wouldn’t be a surprise if you knew, now would it?” Pepper chimed in, stepping out from behind Tony.

Peter eyes dilated another degree upon seeing the powerhouse CEO.

“OMG, Ms. Potts is here too?!” Peter asked, directing his question at Tony this time.

The billionaire laughed. Not his typical sarcastic laugh or a bitter snort, but a real, pure sort of laugh he usually reserved for his most intimate moments with Pepper or Rhodey. He couldn’t help himself. The kid’s enthusiasm was absolutely contagious.

“It would seem so, bud,” Tony answered, flashing a blinding smile of his own.

Tony watched as the kid began to practically vibrate with an overflowing, uncontainable emotion of unknown magnitude. It was so intense that this hospital bed began to shake under the pressure of his bouncing and May had to step in, placing a soft hand on her nephew’s back to remind him to calm down.

Ben seemed less worried about it though, laughing at the child’s antics.

“Peter, why don’t you relax for a minute and introduce yourself, hmm? Maybe even ask a question or two. These two don’t have all day,” Ben eventually spoke up, whilst moving out of his bed-side seat so that he could offer it to Tony.

“Oh no, Mr. Parker, I don’t need to sit. I’m fine standing,” Tony said, trying to decline the generous gesture. But one stern look from Ben told him otherwise. Tony was sitting down before Ben could even offer a retort.

“Please, Mr. Stark, call me Ben. And I insist that you sit. It’s bad for your back to have to stand in one place for extended periods of time. May and I were going to go get some coffee from the cafeteria anyway while you two get to know one another. How do you take your coffee?”

“If I’m calling you Ben, then you should call me Tony. And thank you. I’ll just have it black,” Tony replied.

Peter grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest in a dramatic way, in what must have been an attempt to get the attention back on him.

Tony laughed again.

“I’m sorry, kiddo. Your family just so very charming. But I’m not here for them. I’m here for you. So why don’t you tell me about yourself, hm?” Tony said encouragingly.

Peter opened his mouth to reply as Ben, May, and Pepper shuffled towards the door in the background. Unfortunately, this did not go unnoticed by Peter, and suddenly, with his support structure leaving, Peter’s shyness kicked in.

The previously vibrant nine-year-old was now suddenly at a loss for words and shutting down fast.

Tony felt a bit of panic kick in, but before he could even think through his next steps, a voice inside of him took over.

“Hey, they’ll be right back. Okay? I promise.”

Peter still looked uneasy, so Tony allowed that voice in his head to continue its encouragement of the child, something he never figured he would ever know how to do.

“If it makes things any easier, I can introduce myself first, yeah?”

“Y-yeah. Okay,” Peter nodded.

Ben gave Tony one last thumbs up before finally leaving the two alone.

“Great! My name is Tony Stark. But you knew that already, didn’t you?”

Peter nodded again, letting out a little giggle.

Tony smiled. “Great. So, what’s your name?”

Peter gave Tony a confused sort of frown. Fortunately, Tony understood Peter’s body language better than anticipated. And while confusion was a cute look on the kid, the billionaire would much rather see him smiling.

“Yes, I also already know your name too, but I want to give you the chance to introduce yourself to me properly, just in case there is something else you would like to go by other that Peter Parker.”

This time Peter shook his head.

“Peter is fine, Mr. Stark. Thank you for asking.”

“You can just call me Tony too, you know?” the billionaire said.

Peter blinked at the man, as if he told some sort of preposterous lie.

“No, I can’t. May says it’s disrespectful to call an adult by their first name. And I don’t want disrespect you, Mr. Stark.”

“Hmm, I guess I’ll let it slide. But just for today and today only. You got that, tyke?”

“Yes, sir.”

Tony considered correcting Peter about calling him “sir” as well but decided against it. All he could hear was Pepper’s words from earlier: ‘he’ll probably be more afraid of you not liking him than you are of him not liking you.’ Continuing to harass the kid about being respectful was not a way to bridge that gap they were hanging dangerously between at the moment.

So, Tony moved on to the next easiest ice-breaker question he could think of.

“How old are you, Peter?” he asked.

“Nine, but I turn ten on August tenth!” Peter exclaimed.

“Yeah? That’s next month! What are you asking for?”

“I want all the Star Wars movies on DVD!” The kid answered without hesitation.

“So, we got ourselves a little Star Wars fan, huh?”

“Yeah! They’re, like, the best movies ever! We used to have them on VHS, but the VHS player sometimes eats the tapes, so now only episode six works.”

Tony let those words sink in, absolutely stunned. This kid was born in 2001, he shouldn’t even know what a VHS player is.

“VHS? What is this? The ‘80s?” Tony snorted.

“VHS players were around in the 1980s? But I thought that’s when TVs were invented?” Peter replied, making Tony nearly fall out of his chair.

“Bud, TVs were invented in 1927, not 1980. Maybe you should touch up on your history lessons.”

The billionaire really wanted to follow up by asking how old this kid thought he was, but decided he could only handle being made to feel old once in a day.

“Anyway, since Star Wars is your favorite movie series, tell me who is favorite character?” Tony asked, picking back up on the questions.

That got Peter’s attention. The kid looked around for a moment, as if a monster was about to pop out and scare them at any second. It wasn’t until he deemed the room safe that he went to answer the question, but not before pulling on Tony’s arm, indicating that the man was to lean in really close if he wanted to hear what Peter was going to say.

“You can keep a secret, right?” Peter asked in a hushed tone.

“Of course,” Tony said.

“Okay. I told Aunt May and Uncle Ben that it’s Han Solo, but I actually really like Princess Leia,” Peter confessed, a warm blush painting his cheeks.

“Do you mean like, or like-like?” Tony asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Peter looked disgusted.

I guess girls still have cooties at his age, Tony thought to himself.

“Gross, Mr. Stark! I just think she’s cool!” Peter said.

“Uh huh. Anyway, is there anything else you’re asking for? A set of DVDs isn’t much,” Tony said.

Peter hesitated.

“Well…I already know that they got me my own wheelchair. One of the nurses told me that I would need one since I might have a hard time walking because of where my tumor is that’s getting removed…but, and don’t be mad Mr. Stark, I know eavesdropping is bad, but I couldn’t help it when I heard them talking about how expensive wheelchairs are! I just…I feel bad asking for more.”

Tony didn’t know what to say. This had to be the sweetest and most amazing child to walk the Earth to date. It wasn’t fair that he was cursed to have brain cancer while so many other bratty kids got to go about their lives carefree. It didn’t feel right. And Tony, being the mechanic he was, felt the overwhelming need to fix this.

“Okay…what would ask for if money wasn’t an issue? If you could have anything in the universe, no questions asked, what would you want?”

“Anything?”

“Anything that money can buy,” Tony said.

“Then…Then I’d ask for the Lego Millennium Flacon,” Peter said.

“You like to build with Lego?”

“Yeah! Aunt May and Uncle Ben were donated a bunch of them by some church group when I first moved in. I’ve built so many cool things! I even tried to build a Lego Arc Reactor!”

“Really?” Tony asked.

“Yup! But I didn’t have enough blue pieces…anyway, I just think it’d be neat to have a real set, you know?”

“I mean, I’m hearing what you’re saying, but I’m still hung up on ‘Lego Arc Reactor,’” Tony replied.

Peter went flush with embarrassment, suddenly unable to make eye contact his idol. It was touching. Tony knew kids liked Iron Man, but to be so interested in his tech alone? It filled the man with a sense of pride. Tony always felt like he was doing everything wrong, but maybe this was a sign that he was doing something right.

Tony wanted to ask more questions about Peter’s Lego endeavors, but something fluttering in the breeze created by the hospital’s strong central air caught his attention from the periphery of his sight.

“What’s that?” Tony asked, pointing to the crafting project Peter had disregarded earlier when Tony had come in.

“The paper?” Peter asked back, confused by the sudden change in subject.

“Yeah. What were you doing with it?” Tony pressed.

“I was, uh, making a Möbius strip.”

“You know what that is?” Tony was baffled.

“I think so? It’s a surface with only one side and only one boundary curve, right?”

“Yeah…yeah, that’s right.”

Tony was examining the paper when it was snatched from him.

“Oh! Watch this, Mr. Stark,” Peter said, taking a pair of scissors and cutting down the center of the Möbius strip.

“When I cut the strip down the center, it makes one long strip with two full twists in it, rather than two separate pieces…and if I cut it again about a third in from the edge, it produces two linked strips! Isn’t that neat?”

Peter presented Tony with the two linked pieces of paper that was once one thick Möbius strip.

Okay, so not only is he insatiably cute and cotton candy sweet, but he’s a genius too? What have I gotten myself into? Tony thought.

“Very impressive, Peter. Did you know that, of these two linked papers you now have, one is just a thinner Möbius strip, the same length as the original, while the other is a thin strip with two full twists twice the length of the original?”

“Really?! That’s so cool! Dad never told me that part,” Peter said.

“You learned this from your father?” Tony asked.

“Yeah. We used to do all sorts of math problems together. He bought his huge book called Math GED practice. I’m not really sure what that means, but Dad said it was for ‘big kids.’ I thought it was pretty easy though. We would do four or five problems a night because Dad said it was important to keep the mind sharp.”

“So, just to clarify, you were doing high school level math at the age of six?”

Peter shrugged. “I guess so?”

“And you liked doing that?” Tony asked.

“Yeah! I think math and science is fun! And one day, I can use what I know to help people. Just like you, Mr. Stark!” Peter exclaimed.

“You don’t want to be like me, kiddo. Trust me,” Tony said.

Peter frowned. “Why not? You’re a superhero!”

“I wasn’t always. And I’m not always so good at it,” Tony confessed, thinking back to the disaster that was the 2010 Stark Expo.

“It’s okay, Mr. Stark. My mom always told me that as long as you do the best you can do, that’s all anyone can ask for. Are you trying your best?” Peter asked.

“I don’t think I can try any harder,” Tony said.

Peter smiled. “Then I think you’re good.”

Tony could feel his cheeks beginning to hurt. He hadn’t realized he was smiling so widely. He leaned in and ruffled the kid’s hair, making him giggle.

“You’re too good for this world, you know that?”

“Aunt May says that too,” Peter said.

“Then she’s a wise woman. But promise me something, yeah? Don’t try to be like me. Just try to be like you. Because you can be better than me. You can be Peter Parker,” Tony said.

Peter looked away, demeanor changing. The spark in his eyes was still there but it was glazed over such that his eyes looked glassy. His arms went to wrap around himself, and he hunched over a bit in a self-soothing gesture.

Tony felt like his stomach dropped as he watched the nine-year-old fight back tears. This was worse than watching a movie where the dog dies.

“Oh God, I’m sorry Peter! Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?” Tony asked, trying to push down the frenzy of panic bubbling up to the surface.

Peter sniffled and rubbed at his eyes for a moment before looking back a Tony with a soul-piercing gaze that the billionaire only thought his girlfriend could pull off. Except it wasn’t a harsh look, just sorrowful one.

“I’m okay. You just remind me of them,” Peter finally admitted.

Tony was confused.

“Of whom, Peter?” he asked.

“My parents.”

Tony had to let that sink for a second before realizing what it really meant. Tony reminded Peter of his dead parents. There was a bitter sweetness to that which Tony’s mind couldn’t quite comprehend no matter how much he ruminated on it.

Finally, however, it clicked.

Tony moved from his bedside chair to sit directly next to Peter on the bed itself. He wanted to offer the child some sort of comfort but didn’t quite know how. Until he started dating Pepper, Tony could have been what people call ‘touch starved.’ So, he was feeling extremely awkward about the situation to say the least.

Tony did know, however, that physical comfort was very important for a child’s development, or at least so said one of the many therapists he had acquired over the years.

Slowly, Tony opened his arms. They felt heavy in that position, and he had to focus on keeping his hands from shaking with anticipation.

Peter, however, was too absorbed in his grief to notice what Tony was doing. So, Tony took it upon himself to take his gesture a step further.

Moving at a snails pace as to make sure he didn’t startle the child, Tony draped on of his outstretched arms around Peter’s shoulders, leaving the other arm in it’s original position as an invitation to further the side hug into a full hug if needed.

And it was needed, because the next thing Tony knew, Peter was clinging to him for dear life, head buried in his chest as tears streamed down his face.

“Aw, buddy, come ‘ere,” Tony cooed.

The billionaire instinctually slid the arm that had been around Peter’s shoulders downward such that it was now stretched across his back. This way he could better hold the child against him. His grip also tightened to make the hug firmer. Meanwhile, his free hand went up to pet Peter’s head, smoothing his unruly curls back gently like Tony’s own mother used to do to him. The memory of how soothing that was driving Tony to continue no matter how weird it felt to cradle a child he had just met.

“It’s okay Peter, let it out.”

They sat like that for what could have been five minutes or half an hour. The stiches that held together the fabric of time blurring together as they were wrapped in the ambient buzz of the hospital room.

Tony found that he didn’t really mind. Actually, it was kind of nice. He found the love this child had was so innocent and pure. He didn’t have to wonder if Peter was faking it or using him or just liked him for Iron Man. Peter had hardly even mentioned his alter ego at all.

But, as per usual, all good things must come to an end.

Once he had gotten himself composed again, Peter pulled away such that he was still in Tony’s lap but was no long gripping the older man like a spider monkey.

“I’m so sorry if I ruined your visit here, Mr. Stark. I didn’t mean to,” Peter said, unable to meet the billionaire’s gaze.

Well, this just will not do, Tony thought to himself, the urge to ‘fix’ coming on strong.

Tony put a hand on Peter’s cheek and pushed gently to guide the kid into looking at him properly.

“Peter, look at me. It’s okay. I promise, you didn’t ruin anything. I understand what you’re going through. It’s not easy.”

Although his face was still red from crying, Peter no longer looked depressed. His eyes actually shone with a curiosity at the older man’s words.

“You do?” Peter asked.

Tony nodded. “I do. Well maybe not the cancer part, but I lost my parents as a kid too. I was much older than you, but still young enough to be considered an orphan.”

Peter sniffed. “Does it ever stop hurting?”

“Not completely, but it gets better. Life gets better. And I know you have so many good things ahead of you to look forward to,” Tony said.

Peter was silent for a moment.

“What if I die?” He finally asked, voice barely a decibel above a whisper.

“No no no. Don’t say that. You won’t die, okay? The doctors here know what they’re doing. I’ll make sure of it,” Tony replied, clasping the kid’s much smaller hand in his own.

“You will?” Peter looked unsure, but also hopeful.

“I will. Now, why don’t we talk about something else, yeah? I want this to be happy memory for you.”

Tony poked Peter’s nose, finally getting a giggle out of him.

“Yeah, okay,” he said.

“So…oh! I know! The Fourth of July is coming up in just three days. Are you doing anything special with your aunt and uncle?”

Peter shook his head.

Tony frowned. “They don’t do fireworks here?”

“They do. It’s just…after my first surgery, I can’t stand loud noises or bright lights anymore. Ben says it’s because my brain is still healing and that I’ll go back to normal one day, but I don’t know,” Peter admitted.

Tony gave Peter a smile of understanding.

“If we’re being honest, I also don’t like fireworks very much anymore,” he said.

“Really?” Peter seemed almost excited to have someone like him.

“Yeah. I haven’t really told anyone this, but my doctors say I have a condition called PTSD from the time I spent in Afghanistan. Basically, loud noises make me jumpy and sometimes even scared.”

“Me too! But…doesn’t that make being Iron Man hard?”

“Asking the big questions, huh?” Tony laughed, ruffling the kid’s hair. “Sometimes it does, but helping others makes it worth it. You seem to understand that, based on the letter you wrote me.”

Peter’s Bambi eyes went wide.

“You got my letter?” he asked.

“Of course I did. I still have it too. Actually, it’s in my pocket right now.”

“Sorry for all the spelling mistakes. May helped me edit it,” Peter said, blushing.

Tony chuckled. “It’s okay. Spelling is overrated anyway.”

Just then the door clicked open allowing for May, Ben, and Pepper to come filing in, laughing all the while.

“Hey, sorry we took so long. We were stopped by the press. They’re starting to get antsy. They really want to get pictures of the two of you together,” Ben said, pointing Tony and Peter.

“Hope it’s not cold,” Ben then added, passing Tony his coffee.

Tony accepted the drink, taking a long gulp from the cup as Peter watched him with interest. It was lukewarm, but the caffeine was worth it.

“You wouldn’t want any, it’s not very good,” Tony told his newest little friend.

Peter stuck his tongue out, nose crinkling in disgust.

“Oh, I know. I’ve had coffee before. It’s nasty.”

Laughter rang out from the group of adults at that statement. He wasn’t wrong. Coffee was very much an acquired taste.

Peter politely waited for the laughter to die down before he spoke up again.

“I, umm, was actually wondering if we could go outside. You know, for the pictures?”

Peter acted like he was talking to Tony, but his eyes were pleading for permission from his Aunt May.

May turned to look at her husband, who just shrugged.

“I guess if you’re feeling up to it, then fresh air isn’t a bad idea. You are going to use the walker just in case you begin to feel ataxic again. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. I will not have you falling,” Aunt May stated firmly, smiling when her nephew whooped with excitement.

“Yes! Thank you, Aunt May!” he squealed.

“Why don’t we step out while they get him ready, Tony,” Pepper suggested, moving towards the door.

“What? No! Don’t leave,” Peter cried, grabbing Tony’s hand as he stood up to follow his girlfriend out.

Tony opened his mouth to say something but May jumped in before he could get a word in wise.

“You don’t want him to see you get dressed, do you?” Aunt May asked.

Peter shook his head, but he was still unsure, hand relentlessly locked onto Tony.

May sighed. “How about this: I’ll go with Tony and Pepper, just to make sure they don’t leave while your Uncle Ben gets you ready. We’ll meet you outside in the garden. Is that okay?”

Peter looked between his aunt and his new friend. Uneasiness was still drawn over his features, but he did finally acquiesce, carefully removing his hand from around Tony’s.

So out left May, Tony, and Pepper, but not without Tony flashing Peter one last smile and a thumbs up.

At first, Pepper and Tony followed May to the garden in relative silence. It was an awkward silence, unlike the comfortable silence Tony and felt with Peter in the hospital room. No, this silence contained a sort of tenseness that floated around them in almost a tangible form.

Tony was the first one to crack, not surprisingly. Rhodey always used to tell him that he liked to hear himself talk. His current therapist theorized that he was using his voice as a way to drown out the negative thoughts in his head. Either way the end result was the same.

“So, May. Your nephew is something else,” Tony remarked.

“He was good for you?”

“The poster child for politeness. I was surprised though. His file didn’t mention anything about his intelligence,” Tony said.

May stopped and turned to face him, looking mildly offended.

“What is that supposed to mean?” she demanded.

Tony raised his hands up and took a step back, similar to how a professional would recommend you walk away from an angry lioness.

“I’m trying to say he’s smart. Maybe even a child genius. Have you considered testing his IQ? I’d be interested to find out what it is.”

May instantaneously relaxed, a smile now playing on her lips as her thoughts wondered to Peter.

“He’s always been too smart for his own good. Just like his parents. Maybe we’ll get him tested one day, when all this cancer business is a thing of the past.”

“His parents were scientists, right?” Tony asked.

May hummed an affirmation.

“You know, when Peter told me we wanted to use his wish to meet you, I wasn’t so sure. I know you’re a superhero now, but the reputation you used to carry around still left a bitter taste in my mouth. Still, he was adamant, so I let him do it. I don’t know what I was expecting but the bar wasn’t high.

“Let me be the first to say, however, that you aren’t who they said you were. Peter is the best judge of character, and I can tell he is absolutely taken with you. If you were anything like I thought you were going to be, he wouldn’t have been, well, sitting on your lap laughing like he was when we walked in.

“So, I want to thank you. But not just for this. This isn’t the first time you’ve helped Peter. Do you remember the 2010 Stark Expo?”

Tony rubbed his temples, just the mention of that disaster causing a throbbing behind his eyes.

“Unfortunately. It was a complete disaster,” Tony admitted.

May let out a breathy laugh.

“That it was. I would know. We were there. With Peter too,” she said.

Tony was stunned speechless. He turned to look at Pepper who looked just as shocked as he was.

May continued. “It might has gotten out of hand, but Peter still had a blast. He ran around in a flimsy plastic Iron Man helmet and matching gauntlet for weeks. He would only take them off to shower, otherwise they were on his body. He even slept in the damn things.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Tony finally asked.

May sighed. “Because that was the last happy memory Peter had before everything began to happen that led to him being diagnosed with a cerebellar astrocytoma. Brain cancer. I have hardly seen him smile since then. That is, until today.

“I think that is part of the reason he wanted to see you. Besides the fact that he looks up to you for the obvious reasons, he associates happiness with you. You inspire him and give him hope. Coming here today, I can’t begin to describe how it’s going to change him. So, on behalf of not only Ben and I, but also his parents Mary and Richard, thank you.”

Not for the first time today, Tony didn’t know what to say. Because, as much as he wanted to go with the traditional ‘You’re welcome’ and get his conversation over with, he felt like he owed the Parkers so much more than that.

When he agreed to meet Peter, he wasn’t very excited. Tony was worried about the same things May just expressed she feared too. That Tony would be no good for him. Tony avoided children for that reason. He was too much like his father, too cold and standoffish. He would do nothing but mess them up.

Peter, however, proved him wrong. Meeting Peter…it provided Tony with some sort of catharsis that he didn’t realize his body was yearning for until it was given to him. The thought that this was coming to an end was more melancholic than he anticipated it to be. He actually felt guilty that he even considered the concept of being relieved in leaving, like he had this morning.

Tony had a lock box full of emotions, and apparently Peter Parker had the key.

Unable to articulate all of this, Tony did the only thing he knew how. He pulled out his checkbook and began making out some grand amount to the Parkers.

“Here,” he said, thrusting the check in May’s face.

May turned her nose up at the check though, pushing it away from her.

“I didn’t tell you that to get your pity money,” she said.

Tony frowned, trying to hand it to her once again.

“I know that. I know that. I just…look, you say I did a lot for Peter today, but I want to do more. Because, maybe, just maybe, he’s helped me too. And I, ugh, I guess I’m not ready to just walk away from that at the end of my time here. Not without at least trying to do something else. To make as much of a difference as I can.”

May crossed her arms over her chest, still refusing the check.

“Look if you want to make a difference, don’t do it just for Peter. Donate that money to this hospital. To St. Jude’s. Let them use it to help Peter and more kids like him.”

“I can do both you know. You can accept my money and I can donate to this research hospital. It doesn’t have to be either or,” Tony continued to push.

Surprisingly May laughed. “Man, Peter really left an impression on you, didn’t he? Look, I still don’t want your money, although you make a good argument for taking it. If you really want to help Peter, and Peter specifically, it would mean the world to him if you came to his tenth birthday party next month. If all goes well, we’ll be flying back to Queens for it so he can be with his best friend, Ned, for the event. Don’t worry though, Ned’s also a fan.”

“Yes! Yes, of course. I’ll be there,” Tony agreed, putting the check back into his pocket and offering his hand out to seal the deal.

“Really?” May asked, disbelief coating her tone.

“Really, May Parker. I could not be more serious than I am right now. Pepper can vouch for me. Right, Pep?”

Tony’s gave his girlfriend a pleading look, like a child asking his mother for ice cream at the mall. It was kind of pathetic.

The CEO gave him half smile and a shrug.

“It is true, Mrs. Parker. Tony is notorious for saying exactly what he means. He doesn’t have the wherewithal to sugarcoat things,” she teased.

Tony turned back to May with a goofy grin.

“See? So, you want to shake on it?”

May rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand, giving it a nice, firm shake.

“You better be there, Tony. I mean it. You might be Iron Man, but don’t think that means I can’t hunt you down.”

“I wouldn’t dream of missing it.”

Overall, the press on the Make-a-Wish event went very well. Tony, Pepper, and the whole Stark Industries PR team were quite pleased. The pictures that had been taken for the paper of the billionaire and his new best friend are ones that Tony will treasure forever. In almost every image one or both of them was laughing. They may have taken a few selfies on Tony’s personal camera too.

Some of the more popular anti-Iron Man blogs tried to paint Tony’s visit to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as cheap publicity stunt. Tony found that most people didn’t buy that version of the story though. Even some of those blogs’ most avid followers were skeptical.

It was easy to understand why. Tony Stark’s popularity before the visit was already at an all time high. He didn’t need Peter to boost the public opinion of him. In addition, if Tony had never shown up in person to a Make-a-Wish event before this, especially when his ratings had dropped after the Stark Expo, why would he suddenly do it now? There was obviously more going on behind the scenes than the desire for publicity. Not to mention, if Tony was able to make a child as happy as he made Peter, then who cared if it was for publicity or not?

Since there wasn’t much drama behind Tony’s presence at St. Jude’s, the press on it quickly died down and it wasn’t long before everyone forgot about Peter.

Everyone except Tony, that is.

The moment Tony returned to his home in Malibu, California, he had locked himself in his lab. He wanted to make a special head piece for Peter, one that included noise cancelling headphones and special sunglass, so he could comfortably enjoy the fireworks on the Fourth of July.

The apparatus he was making wasn’t just going to be a set of sunglasses attached to some random noise-canceling headphones though. No, there as more to it than that. In the span of a day, Tony built a very rudimentary A.I. for it. It’s function would be to monitor Peter’s his heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, and other factors while he wore head piece. If at any point the A.I. detected changes in Peter that might indicate he was getting anxious or having a panic attack, it would notify his aunt and uncle via text message.

The head piece had other functions too. Peter would be able to listen to music with them if he wanted to. Tony built in a couple of soothing sound options he could select from, or he could plug it into his phone. The glasses were made with Peter’s prescription in mind so they could be worn inside, but automatically transitioned to be tinted in the light outside. Tony also gave Peter the option to have manual control the tint density if the automatic transitional feature was too light or dark at any point. And last but not least, Tony made sure apparatus looked really cool so Peter wouldn’t be embarrassed to wear them. He was sure he’d be the talk of the hospital.

When he finished, he typed up a simple instruction manual and had the product overnighted to the Parkers. He threw in a slip of paper with his personal phone number on it too. He told himself he put that in there so the Parkers could contact him in case the head piece malfunctioned or needed to be adjusted, but honestly if they just wanted to call and chat, he’d be okay with it. Or if there was an emergency and they needed Iron Man…well, he didn’t want to think about that.

Tony also kept his word to Peter about making sure the doctors slated to perform his surgery on July 7 were qualified. He ran background checks on each and every member of his surgery team. If they even had one racist tweet from 5 years ago, Tony would be sure they were to be replaced. Luckily that wasn’t needed.

On the day of July 7, Tony probably had his secretary call the research hospital 30 times to check on the status of Peter’s surgery. And when the hospital stopped answering his company’s phone number, he used his personal number. HIPPA violations be damned, he would find out how Peter was doing.

At 3:04pm July 7, he got a text message from an unknown number: Peter’s surgery went well. They think they got all the remaining cancer. He’s currently resting and has a great prognosis. So would you please STOP harassing the hospital’s receptionist. Also, here is the address to the birthday party. Don’t be late. ~May

Tony already had a penthouse in New York for when he needed to visit and oversee the construction of the Stark Tower. But, that same day, Tony made arrangements with the pilot of his private jet to get him there on August 9, the day before Peter’s birthday, just so that he wouldn’t be late to the party on August 10.

He ended up late anyway.

“Oh my God, Happy, did your mother never teach you how to wrap presents?” Tony practically screamed whilst pacing around in his penthouse.

“What are you talking about, Boss? You’re the one who asked me to for help, not the other way around,” Happy grumbled as he tried to properly fold the corners of the wrapping paper around the enormous Lego Millennium Flacon Box.

“I told you, my hands are shaky.”

“Yeah right.”

Against his better judgement, Tony checked his watch.

11:55am.

He was going to be late. He was going to be late, and May was going to kill him. How would he even explain that? ‘Sorry, May. I figured out how to make whole new chemical element in a day but was stummed at the prospect of wrapping Peter’s gift.’

Yikes. At least it couldn’t get any worse, Tony thought.

And then Pepper walked in.

“What is taking you boys so long?” She demanded.

Pepper didn’t need an answer though, because when she finally saw what the two men were huddled around, the answer became pretty self-explanatory.

“Really you two? You know what, don’t answer that. Just get out of my way, I’ll fix it.”

Pepper practically pushed past the two men to get to the box. She could feel every muscle in her eyes roll at the disaster they managed to create. Thankfully it wasn’t too far gone, and within minutes, Pepper was able to turn the ugly mess of paper and tape into something presentable.

“I love you,” Tony said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

“Yeah, yeah. Now come on, let’s go!”

And with that they raced to the party. Happy definitely broke some traffic laws along the way, but if you’re not caught did it actually happen?

Anyway, when they finally pulled up Tony checked his watch again.

12:10pm.

Less than 15 minutes late. Nice. Hopefully May will find that forgivable, Tony thought to himself, still wasting no time as he rushed inside, Pepper trailing not far behind.

The Parkers had decided to have the event at Peter’s friend’s house, since it was small and familiar to the kid. Tony’s presence was supposed to be a surprise, so Tony felt bad about just barging into a stranger’s place without any warning, but he did it anyway.

Luckily, May was at the door waiting for him.

“You’re late,” she said monotonously.

“Fashionably so,” Tony retorted, flashing a guilty smile.

“Uh huh. Just give me that and go say hi. Peter’s in the next room playing video games with Ned,” May said, taking Lego Millennium Falcon off his hands.

Tony, not wanting to upset her further, did as instructed.

Just like at St. Jude’s, Peter was too engrossed in what he was doing to notice the billionaire walk in. Tony was okay with that though. It gave a minute to just watch this kid and take in his presence.

Much to his surprise, Peter was wearing the head piece Tony made him. May hadn’t mentioned it, but he guess that meant it worked. Even with it on though Tony could tell all of Peter’s hair had been shaved off. Not that he cared. So long as Peter was alive, what he looked like didn’t matter. And not only alive, but he appeared happy and healthy as well.

Tony smiled fondly at the way the kid physically leaned over as the car was racing in the game went around a turn, tongue sticking out, completely in a hyper-focused trance.

Tony waited for the game to end before clearing his throat, which at least caught Ned’s attention.

“Oh my God! Peter, is that Iron Man?!” Ned exclaimed.

At the mention of the superhero, Peter dropped his controller and snapped his head towards where Tony was standing.

“Mr. Stark?” he asked in disbelief.

“In the flesh.”

Tony felt his heart clench as the same spark of life that had been there when they first met could still be seen shimmering in the kid’s Bambi eyes.

“You came! I can’t believe you came!” Peter cried, opening his arms for a hug.

That was all the invitation Tony needed. In three long strides he was across the room and in the boy’s arms. The part of his heart that with clenching before was now swelling with a sort of parental joy as the kid nuzzled into his neck.

“Don’t act so surprised,” Tony said. “I will always be here to support you. Always.”

Always.