I fell into a puddle of Iron Dad and now I can't get out. This is just a place for me to post my Iron Dad fanfics. Feel free to follow me on my AO3 account, as well.
For all of Tonyâs arrogance and bravado, Rhodey knew better than anyone that Tony was a guy hiding a lot of pain. For years, heâd been the only person Tony had trusted. Even then, he was still one in a very small circle of people that actually knew the real Tony.
Which was why Peter Parker was such an interesting anomaly.
Peter was a kid, so it was understandable that there were a lot of things that Tony hadnât told him and probably would never tell, but there were other ways in which Tony and Peter had gotten exceptionally close exceptionally quickly.
One of those ways was that Peter would show up at the compound on Friday afternoons like clockwork, greeting Tony with a cheerful âhi, Mr. Stark!â and getting a hair ruffle and an uncharacteristically genuine fond smile for his trouble. Rhodey was only occasionally around to join in on their antics, but he swore that Tony seemed younger and less haunted whenever Peter was around.
âHi, Colonel Rhodes!â
Rhodey had given up a long time ago at trying to get Peter to call him Rhodey or James or anything besides his title, just as Tony was resigned to always being âMr. Starkâ to that kid even though they were basically father and son at that point.
âHey, kid. We finally going to play Shadow of the Colossus today?â
Peterâs face brightened. âYeah! Oh, but...Mr. Stark was going to help me learn to cook. Mayâs a terrible cook, but I donât want her to keep paying for takeout, so I thought I should learn so I can help her out.â
Moments like those made Rhodey realize why Tony had opened his heart up to this kid even though he kept it guarded from everyone else. Peter was such a good kid. Even when he was giving peopleâread: Tonyâheart attacks when he got himself into sticky situations, he was still so genuine that Rhodey was almost a little jealous that Tony had been the one to bond with him.
As Tonyâs closest friend for most of his life, though, Rhodey couldnât be happier that Tony had someone he could love like that. He still hoped Pepper and Tony would have children of their own someday, but Peter was definitely Tonyâs kid whether he had biological children or not.
They made their way to the kitchen where Tony grabbed the papers heâd abandoned and started to read over them. Peter made his way towards the fridge, and Rhodey watched in shock as Peter grabbed an apple from the fridge, took a bite out of it, then passed it off to Tony, who took it and also bit into it. Even more shocking was that they passed it back and forth between each other until Peter ran off with a comment about grabbing a sweater because he was too cold. Tony vaguely waved as he accepted the apple and started to finish it off. All of this happened while Tony never looked up from his papers.
Rhodey stood in stunned silence until Tony looked up at him and blinked.
âYou hoping a bird will build a nest in your mouth? Whatâre you staring at?â
âSince when do you let anyone hand you things?â
Tony stared at the apple and then stared at Rhodey. He jerked the thumb of his free hand in the direction Peter had run off to and shrugged.
âSince the kid.â
âSo next time I try to slip you the kale I donât want to eat, youâre going to take it?â
âNope.â He drew out the âoâ and popped the âpâ sound as he tossed the apple core into a garbage can across the room. âOnly the kid gets to do that.â
Speak of the devil, Peter came back in wearing one of Tonyâs hoodies, and Rhodey watched with a smile as Peter quickly rushed to Tonyâs side as Tony was pulling out some pans to make spaghetti. As they chattered and planned out what they were going to do, Rhodey went to the fridge to grab some of the ingredients and chuckled to himself.
When they were younger and Tony had been hurt and angry beneath the arrogance and bravado, Rhodey had thought heâd never see the day when he could add another qualifier onto Tonyâs description of himself. Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropistâfather.
Even though he knew May didnât mind one bit, Peter always felt a little awkward coming to talk to her when something deeper than surface level was bothering him. So, even though he wanted to bring it up to her, Peter spent most of the day finding excuses to do something else. As the day was getting closer and closer to when heâd take off on a Spider-Man patrol for the evening, he accepted that it was going to be one of those times where heâd chicken out completely.
He should have known that he wasnât able to hide anything from her, though, because as they sat down for dinnerâtakeout, thankfullyâshe narrowed her eyes at him.
âSooo are you going to tell me whatâs up or are you going to keep stabbing your chicken until itâs paste?â
Peter dropped his fork, unaware that heâd been brooding enough to stab at his food, and he shrugged. âItâs not a big deal.â
âMm hmm.â She looked him over with a scrutinizing gaze. âDo I have to have another âfriendly chatâ with Tony Stark again? That Flash kid giving you a hard time? Your dream girl move away again? We can sit here playing 20 questions, Peter. Iâve got all night.â
Peter looked at her and her head tilted in that way that said she wasnât bluffing and would press until he spilled. He bit his lip and lifted his fork to poke at his chicken again.
âIs it bad if I think of Mr. Stark like a dad?â
She clearly hadnât been expecting that response, because she rapidly blinked with her mouth hanging open. Peterâs cheeks flushed as she continued to wordlessly gape at him, making him contemplate the merits of fleeing the table and taking off on his patrol early. Just as he was thinking of the quickest route to grabbing his suit and escaping through a window, May finally cleared her throat.
âWhy would that be bothering you?â Her expression was unreadable, which was more worrying than if sheâd been angry about it.
âI justâIâm worried that maybe Iâm betraying Dad and Ben by thinking of Mr. Stark as a dad. Or maybe that Iâm only latching onto Mr. Stark because Benâs gone. Like Iâm replacing them or something. IâmâŚdoes it erase them if I get close to Mr. Stark?â
Her expression went from unreadable to sympathetic instantly, and she reached across the table to squeeze his hand. âOh, Peter. Youâre not betraying them. They would never think that.â
âYeah, butââ He paused as he recalled a conversation heâd overheard at the compound that had prompted his misgivings in the first place. âCaptain Rogers was telling Mr. Stark that it wasnât okay for him to think of me as âhisâ kid since weâre not related, and Iâd only been dragged into his life because Iâm Spider-Man.â
She was the one to bite at her lip that time, and she slowly sat back in her chair with a wry smile.
âYou knowâŚI wasnât the one who carried you for nine months. I wasnât the one who was in labor for fourteen hours before you finally decided to grace the world with your presence. I wasnât there for your first steps or your first words. I didnât take you on your very first day of school. You were already a brilliant and kind little boy when Ben and I became your guardians.â Her smile turned sad, and Peterâs heart ached at hearing a reference to his mother. Just as he was about to ask what she was getting at, she leaned back over the table again and very firmly took his hand. âBut youâre still my little boyâmy son. I donât think I could love you any more if you were my flesh and blood child.â
Despite his efforts to blink them away, Peterâs eyes filled up with tears. It sometimes blew his mind that heâd been lucky enough to wind up with May as his aunt and second motherâthat even if he didnât think he deserved it at times, heâd been raised with all the love in the world thanks to May and Ben. âMay, Iââ
Her eyes were also teary, but she waved him off before he could speak.
âAnyway, my point is that you donât have to be related to someone by blood to love them as your family. And you have such a big heart, Peter. You have plenty of room in there for all the dads and moms and aunts and uncles youâll ever have in your life. Related to you or not. It doesnât mean you love your dad or Ben any less.â
Peter nodded, his throat too tight to say anything more, and he got up out of his chair so that he could walk to the other side and pull May into a hug.
---
He waited until he and Tony were going to be working alone in one of the labs at the compound before he decided to talk to Tony about it. He knew it was probably going to be a good day to do it because AC/DC was blasting over the speakers as they worked.
Peter put his web shooters down and cleared his throat, and Tony spared him a glance as he tinkered with a peripheral for Bruceâs Hulk Buster armor.
âYou know, Iâve been told that I have a big heart.â
Tony chuckled but kept working. âDo we need to get that checked out?â
Peter smiled. âI just mean thatâŚitâs okay if you think of me as your son.â
The screwdriver Tony had been using clattered to the floor as his head shot up. âSorry, what?â
Peterâs smile widened. âItâs okay if you think of me as your son, becauseâŚI think of you as my dad.â
An array of emotions passed over Tonyâs face before he quickly grabbed the screwdriver and went back to tinkering. He sniffled, and Peter could swear he saw a shimmer to Tonyâs eyes.
âAre you okay, Mr. Stark?â
Tony wiped at his eyes and shrugged. âYeah, yeah. Great. I just have something in my eye. Got to make sure I clean up in here more often.â
With a chuckle of his own, Peter went back to tinkering with his web shooters. He wouldnât press, even if the urge to do so was powerful. Tonyâs occasional sniffles and frantic brushes at his eyes were answers enough for Peter.
Later, he knew for sure that Tony had accepted what heâd said in the lab when he overheard another conversation between Tony and Steve where Tony affirmed Peter as his kid.
It had been a few days since Peter had been formally introduced to the Avengers, and, as expected, they all instantly loved him and wanted to get to know him better. Tony had only really seen him in passing since then.
Peter hadnât even had the chance to respond to Tonyâs emotional outburst, because shortly after heâd gotten the words out Pepper had quickly ushered them into the room and the true identity of Spider-Man was revealed.
Tony had known it was coming, but it didnât make him any less depressed about it.
âItâs just like I thought. The kid would rather hang out with the âcoolâ Avengers than me.â
Rhodey was over for the regular maintenance and updates on his leg braces, and he sighed as he lowered some paperwork. He gave Tony a long-suffering look, and Tony rolled his eyes in response.
âDonât give me that look. The kid has been following Thor around making moony eyes at him for days now. He hasnât even acknowledged me.â
That made Rhodey chuckle, and he set his paperwork to the side to give Tony a wide grin. âYou havenât noticed that Pepper does that, too? She makes excuses to be around him whenever heâs here.â
Tony gave Rhodey an aghast look, and he placed a hand over his chest in mock offense. âHoneybear, as my heterosexual life partner, youâre supposed to be on my side.â
âI am on your side. Which is why I feel itâs my duty to be brutally honest with you and tell you that everyone would rather spend time with Thor than Tony Stank.â
He clapped his hand onto Tonyâs shoulder for emphasis, and Tony shrugged him off with an annoyed grunt as Rhodey laughed.
âBut seriously, Tones. I give it until the end of the week before the novelty of hanging out with the other Avengers wears off and heâs spending almost all of his time with you again. It wonât be long after that that youâll send me messages about how that âpain in the assâ wonât stop with his puns and calling everything you love âreally oldâ.â
Tony gave another annoyed grunt and continued his work, but there was that nagging anxiety deep down in his chest he couldn't get rid of.
Seeing Peter working in Bruceâs personal lab gave Tony a lot of mixed feelings. On the one hand, he cared deeply about both of them and was happy to see that they got along with each other well enough to work together. He was also shallowly happy that Peter had finally torn himself away from his Thor hero worship.
On the other hand, they were very clearly enjoying each otherâs company, and given that Bruce didnât let just anyone into his lab, it said a lot about how he felt that he not only let Peter in, but was willingly working with him. Peter said something that made Bruce laugh and smile, and both of their demeanors were relaxed and comfortable.
Heâd been proud that heâd been able to gain Bruceâs trust faster than the others had, but it had taken a good while before heâd gotten Bruce to smile like that. Meanwhile, it seemed Peter had pulled it off within a few hours.
He wanted to hiss âtraitorâ at them, though he wasnât sure which one of them it would be directed at.
Instead, he slipped out without saying a word.
The next day, Peter had moved on to Steve and Barnes, and while he trusted them not to do anything that would endanger Peter, heâd probably always have a sore spot when it came to them.
They were having some sort of strength competition, it seemed, as they were lifting some of the heaviest crates in the compound out on the lawn. Tony was tempted to get the Not So Jolly Green Giant out there to blow them all out of the water, but that idea was quickly discarded. He didnât want an out of control Hulk running around when he had no idea where Nat was.
His eyes widened as suddenly the crates were tossed and went soaring across the lawn, and as they crash landed there were cries of victory and defeat, with Peter hollering and showboating while Steve and Barnes shook their heads.
âWe lost to a kid, Buck. Are we really that old?â
Barnes clapped his hand on Steveâs shoulder and sighed. âLuckily Iâve already got a farm in Wakanda if we need to be put out to pasture.â
They turned their attention to Peter, squeezing his shoulders as they congratulated him, and Tony smiled, pride warming his chest as Peter beamed. He was practically glowing as he basked in the praise from some of his greatest heroes, and that made Tonyâs smile falter.
Watching as Peter started razzing Steve and Barnes about their age, Tony ducked back into the compound.
He only had to intervene a few times in the activities that Peter was doing with the other Avengers.
Once when Natasha was planning to teach Peter some espionage tricks. Something about âspiders needing venomâ which Tony found out meant poison that he quickly put a stop to.
Then there was an incident with Wanda and Peter testing out how their powers combined could create an unstoppable âyoungest team membersâ force that nearly destroyed one of the warehouses. Tony had gotten over his general fear of dealing with Wanda enough to lecture her about combining psychic powers with spider strength and whatever spider-sense Peter had.
And then he just had to plainly tell Sam to stop giving Peter grief about the amount of gel he put in his hair to tame it.
He didnât even have the energy to comment when he was walking down a hallway and the ceiling collapsed under the weight of Clint and Peter, who very quickly scuttled back into the vents, pulling the piece of ceiling with them.
In the end, he retreated to the sanctuary of his personal labs. There he could work in peace without seeing the other Avengers steal away Peterâs attention and adoration.
Oh, of course he was beyond thrilled that Peter had been so easily accepted and would have plenty of mentors and friends to look out for him not just as Spider-Man but as Peter Parker. He just couldnât get rid of that nagging feeling of being left behind. Heâd had the exclusive privilege of being Peterâs primary mentor for the majority of his time as Spider-Man, so it wasnât as though he could complain if Peter moved on, but his emotions were at odds with his rational side. The emotions, unfortunately, were winning, and that was why he chose to escape instead.
âMr. Stark?â
Tony froze, his heart racing as he slowly turned around to see Peter standing at the lab entrance.
Suddenly Tony was acutely aware that the last major interaction heâd had with Peter had been when heâd told Peter he loved him and thought of him as a son.
It was horrifying, to say the least.
Peter gave him a lopsided smile. âCan I come in?â
Tony relaxed, exhaling deeply. âSure, kid. Iâm working on a peripheral for Rhodeyâs suit if you want to help.â
Peterâs eyes lit up as he quickly crossed the room to join Tony at one of the tables. They quickly fell back into their usual groove of easily and efficiently working together, and it was enough for Tony to put on one of his favorite playlists. Even the snarky comment about the music being âoldâ made Tony feel immensely better.
âIs it okay if I come here more often?â
Tony managed to not drop the wrench he was holding as the spell was broken. There it was. The real reason Peter was there. His chest suddenly ached as anxiety crept up on him.
âYou really need to ask? Everyone loves you. Of course theyâd be happy if you were around here more often.â
âWell, yeah, but I meanâŚâ Peter trailed off and scratched the back of his head. It wasnât like him to be so shy, which made Tonyâs anxiety build. Peter bit at his lip and shifted his weight before he finally spoke again. âIs it okay if I come here and work with you more often? I mean, since I donât have to hide from the others anymore.â
Tonyâs mouth fell open, completely at a loss for words. He hadnât expected that at all. He gaped wordlessly and uselessly for several awkward moments before he cleared his throat and waved in a dismissive gesture.
âKid, you heard my embarrassing emotional outburst. Donât make me repeat it.â
Peterâs anxious expression brightened, and all of the tension went out of his body as his smile proved that he deserved the moniker of âsunshine childâ. Just that sight was enough for the heaviness in Tonyâs heart to completely disappear.
âOh, yeah! That reminds me that I didnât get a chance to tell youâŚâ Peter stepped forward, closing the distance between them. He wrapped his arms around Tony and squeezed him tight. âI love you, too, Mr. Stark.â
It was amazing how localized sudden rain could be, because Tony definitely wasnât crying as he pressed his face to Peterâs hair and squeezed back.
Interesting how heâd spent the majority of his adulthood making damn sure he didnât have any kids out of fear of turning out like Howard, and yet here was this little pain in the ass from Queens whoâd walked right into his heart and ignited every paternal instinct heâd done everything in his power to quash. There was absolutely no going back. Peter was his kid.
Peter finally pulled away, beaming, and Tony quickly wiped at his eyes as he smiled back. He looked up to see Rhodey grinning from ear-to-ear in the doorway, mouthing âI told you soâ as Tony flipped him off. Shortly after, his phone buzzed with a message from Pepper that also said âI told you soâ. He looked up to scowl at Rhodey, who had disappeared.
Tony abandoned the idea of pursuing Rhodey as Peter started whistling along to the Ramones, and he couldnât help but sing himself as they started their work again.
âEveryone is going to love Peter, donât worry.â
Tony was startled out of his brooding by the arrival of Pepper, and he shook his head as he resumed working onâŚwhat even was it? He stared at the holoscreens and remembered, oh right, he'd been working on Bruceâs Hulkbuster armor when he was reminded that the Avengers were going to meet Peter at long last. Theyâd worked alongside âSpider-Manâ long enough that heâd been pressured to reveal the identity of their web-slinging comrade. He would have been just fine with being one of only a handful of people privy to that knowledge, but the other Avengers had argued that it wasnât fair that they didnât know who they were working with. Considering that they were trying to rebuild trust again, Tony could hardly refute their point.
Peter had been beside himself at the prospect of getting to reveal himself to his heroes. Tony dreaded it.
Still, he scoffed as he dragged items around and discarded others. âOf course theyâre going to love him. Everyone loves him. I hate everybody, and I love him.â
Pepper bit back the small smirk on her face as she crossed the lab to lean against the workbench Tony was working at. âWell, at least youâre not denying it anymore.â
Tony momentarily froze. Having someone turn to dust in your hands after begging you not to let them go had a way of making you stop pretending that you didnât love that person like they were your son. He quickly picked up where he left off and shrugged.
âDoesnât mean Iâm going to tell him that.â He very nearly had, when heâd finally gotten Peter back, but even that surge of emotion hadnât been enough for him to admit what heâd accepted. Maybe one day, but that would be far in the future.
âYou should. It would make him really happy.â Tony looked up at Pepper, and she smiled. âSpeaking from experience.â
âI do love you, you know.â
Her smile widened. âI know. Tell your kid that.â
âIâd rather sit here thinking up a better excuse to not let everyone else meet Peter.â He turned back to his work, hoping that the conversation was finished.
âAll right, whatâs the real reason you donât want anyone to meet him? If youâre not worried about them disliking him, what else would it be? It canât be a safety issue. You know no one would tell.â
âBecauseâŚâ He paused and grit his teeth. He hadnât wanted to admit the real number one reason he didnât want to reveal Peterâs identity to the rest of the Avengers. Pretending it was a safety thing was a convenient cover. Pepper was staring expectantly at him, though, so he closed his eyes. âHeâsâŚmy sunshine child. I donât want to share.â
There was a moment of silence, which was followed by Pepper snorting. Tonyâs eyes snapped open to see Pepper covering her mouth, which was a poor attempt at hiding her enormous amused smile. He frowned and gave her his best mock offended look.
âDonât laugh. You know heâs never going to want to hang around me anymore when there will be a whole mess of much cooler superheroes around. Iâll maybe get a âhey, Mr. Starkâ and thatâs it. Heâd rather work with Bruce or train with Cap or justâŚbe around Thor. I think Thor is his favorite, actually.â
Pepper removed her hand from her face, but her smile was even wider than before. She looked almost manic in her amusement, which would have been amusing on its own if it wasnât at his expense. âOh please, Tony. Peter adores you. If you decided today that you were going to be a supervillain, Peter would sign up to be your right-hand man. If anything, heâll spend even more time with you since he wonât have to worry about hiding himself from the others.â
She pushed herself off the workbench and squeezed his shoulder. âAnyway, I came to remind you that the Avengers will be here in about an hour. You might want to spend that final time with Peter, donât you think?â
Her expression was still amused, and he swatted at her as she left. She had a point, though, and Tony wrapped up what he was doing so he could meet Peter when Happy dropped him off.
As expected, Peter was practically vibrating with excitement as Tony walked with him to the meeting room where they would have their big reveal, and he babbled about how much he was looking forward to getting to know his heroes personally. It made Tonyâs chest hurt a little at the small confirmation that he really was going to lose the exclusive privilege of being Peterâs only superhero mentor.
He had one last card up his sleeve, and as they paused in front of the doors, Tony felt he had to play it.
âHey, kid, before we go in there, I just want to let you knowâŚâ
He put both his hands on Peterâs shoulders, and Peter looked at them before blinking owlishly at Tony. Tony gave Peterâs shoulders a reassuring squeeze and tried to speak, though his tongue had pasted itself to the roof of his mouth. He really was the worst at this kind of thing.
âMr. Stark?â
That shook him out of his stupor, and he mentally kicked himself for being so selfish. Of course the others deserved to know him. What good was he trying to keep Peter to himself while simultaneously refusing to say how much knowing Peter meant to him. He wasnât going to be like his father, unable to say anything kind except in secret recordings that were probably never meant to be found.
If Peter wanted to latch onto the others, Tony would encourage it. Heâd scrutinize, but heâd encourage it. More importantly, though, he smiled at Peter and spoke confidently.
âI love you, kid. Youâre like a son to me.â
He hadnât known up until that moment that someoneâs smile could shine bright enough to hurt to look at, but it came as no surprise that Peter was the one to pull it off.
If Tony was honest with himself, he really enjoyed the weekends when Peter stayed at the compound. They could hang out in the lab, binge watch something on Netflix, hang out with any of the other Avengers who showed up, or just spend time with each other.
That morning, Tony knew that Peter would be slow to get up, though. Heâd been out on patrol until the early hours of the morning and with it being a weekend, he had ample opportunity to sleep in.
Tony was surprised when heâd only barely gotten a pot of coffee made before Peter shuffled into the kitchen, yawning loudly.
âMorninâ, Mizzer Stark.â
âMorning, kid. Breakfast?â
He only vaguely looked over to see the disaster that was Peterâs sleep-mussed hair before he flipped on the stove and starting grabbing some pans.
âWaffles? Maybe some eggs?â Peter opened the fridge to grab the milk, which he drank directly out of the carton.
Tony turned to lecture Peter about drinking the milk from the carton, and that was when Tony got a good look at him or, more specifically, what Peter was wearing. He nearly dropped the pan, but managed to catch himself and quietly set it on the counter so he could pull out his phone and start recording instead.
Peter scratched at his head and yawned again before setting the milk on the counter. As he turned, he froze when he came face-to-face with Tony holding up his phone with an elated smile on his face.
âWhatâre you doing?â
âWow! Never thought Iâd meet the Iron Man in person like this. Iâm starstruck!â
Peter blinked at him, but then his eyes widened as he looked down at what he was wearing.
Iron Man pajamas, complete with booties and ârepulsorsâ covering his hands, in the colors of what was probably Mark III.
Tony had never seen anyone turn so red so quickly. It was made all the more hilarious when Peter pulled the hood over his head and zipped it up over his face, with the hood mimicking the helmet with little mesh holes for him to see out through the âfaceplateâ on the pajamas.
âOh my god. Let me die.â
Tony could no longer suppress a laugh as Peter sprang up to the ceiling and scurried off to tuck himself away in a corner. The âfaceplateâ was still visible, and Tony bit down the uncontrollable laughter that threatened to burst out of him. He turned his phone up to the spiderling in the corner and zoomed in.
âGet off my ceiling, Pete. Donât make me get a rolled-up newspaper to swat you out.â He was all smiles, though, and knew that he would be for days.
âNo, Iâll literally die up here. Go away.â
Tony ignored Peterâs dramatics and grinned.
âThis video will be shown at your grad party...oh, and definitely at your wedding reception. Yep, got it all planned out already. âAs the father of the Spide...r-man, I feel it is my duty to inform his new spouse of the type of person they married...ââ
âStop! Iâm already dead!â
âWhere did you even get those? How long have you had them? Can I get a matching pair? That would really make a great videoâHey!â
The phone suddenly flew out of his fingers as Peter revealed he was still wearing his web shooters. He caught the phone and adjusted himself so he was sitting on the ceiling instead.
âIâm deleting this. No one will ever know.â
âNo dice, kid. F.R.I.D.A.Y. definitely has a backup. Actually, F.R.I.D.A.Y., make as many copies of that backup as possible.â
âYou got it, boss.â
Tony heard Peter mumbling something about Ned hacking into the system and deleting everything as he lowered himself from the ceiling, and Tony made a mental note to work on the firewalls. He didnât want another Training Wheels Protocol debacle.
Peter thrust the phone roughly into Tonyâs gut, and Tony carefully put it away with a gentler smile. He reached out to unzip the hood, revealing a still red-faced Peter who had a particularly epic pout on his face. Tony ruffled Peterâs already messy hair and then clapped him on the shoulder.
âThis is why I love you, kid. Never change.â
His response was stuttering and scowling before Peter ran off, calling over his shoulder. âIâm going to change right now! Never again!â
Tony watched him go, then turned and shook his head with a fond smile on his face. He was going to have a lot of fun making a âPeter Parker Greatest Hitsâ video for that future grad party and wedding reception.
Tony Stark is Definitely Not Peter Parker's Father
Tony Stark was not Peter Parkerâs father.
Tony Stark was not Peter Parkerâs father figure either.
Peter already had a father. Even if his father had died while Peter was very young, it didnât change that there was a person who helped bring Peter into the world and had loved him dearly, by all accounts.
Peter also already had a father figure in his uncle Ben. Ben was the man who had helped raise Peter and turn him into the brilliant and kind young man that he was. Ben, whose death had further shaped Peterâs moral compass, turning him into the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man instead of a selfish brat with superpowers.
Peter also had a mother, even if she was also gone, and he still had a mother figure in May. May, who had also helped to turn Peter into the perfect kid. May, who had had absolutely no qualms ripping into Tony when she found out that Peter was Spider-Man and had been given a suit to assist in his efforts. May, who loved Peter with all her heart and wanted nothing but to see her baby succeed and be happy.
There was simply no room for Tony in Peterâs life. The fact remained that heâd only shown up in Peterâs life after multiple people had already parented him to perfection. Heâd simply given Peter a super suit and whisked him off to be a distraction during a fight with a former ally.
He could do upgrades and maintenance on Peterâs suit and maybe let Peter tinker in his labs from time to time, but they were maybe sort of friendly at best.
Because Tony Stark was definitely not Peter Parkerâs father.
That, of course, didnât stop Peter from worming his way into Tonyâs heart and burrowing himself there where heâd never leave. It also didnât stop Tony from having a lot of pseudo-parental feelings towards Peter, like being proud of him when he succeeded or worried to death when he was hurt.
It would never stop Peter from showing up at the compound, throwing his backpack on a couch like he lived thereânever mind that he had his own permanent room whenever he wanted itâand leaning over a table in the lab to stare uninvited at whatever Tony was working on. Had it been anyone else, Tony wouldnât have hesitated to push them away and tell them off. Because it was Peter, his heart warmed and he adjusted to allow Peter a better look.
The rhythm they inevitably fell into was comfortable, and they just kept getting better and better at nonverbally communicating what they needed from each other. Tony might muse out loud that he needed something, only to have the screwdriver he couldnât quite think of shoved his way by Peter. Peter might scratch his head about his web fluid formula, then Tony would add a drop of a chemical solution that would improve the fluidâs adhesion properties. They were more in sync than even he and Bruce were when they worked together.
That day, though, although Peter didnât hesitate to make himself comfortable in Tonyâs lab, he was unusually quiet and distracted. Rather than start on a project on his own, he fiddled with his pencil, twirling it in his fingers and staring vacantly at the opposite wall.
This wasnât lost on Tony, who waved a hand in front of Peter, whose startled jump made Tony laugh.
âYou awake in there, kid?â
âY-Yeah. Sorry.â Peterâs face flushed pink, and he scratched at the back of his head.
âYou gonna tell me whatâs up or will I just have a very life-like mannequin in the lab with me all night?â
Peter looked stricken, his blush deepening as he dropped the pencil and toyed with the strings on his hoodie instead. Tony wasnât sure what to think of this change in Peterâs demeanor, but just as he was starting to find it amusing, Peter finally spoke.
âW-Well...thereâs this father-son engineering retreat next weekend and, well, youâre probably going to be busy, but if you have the time maybe youâd want to come with me? Only if you want to, of course! N-Not that Iâm saying I think youâre my dad, because that would be really weird, right? Just that a mentor is sort of like a dad in this instance and I just, you know, if you could come Iâd be really happyââ
While Peter continued to babble, Tony stared at him in open-mouthed wonder. He definitely said father-son retreat. He definitely just asked Tony to come along with him on such a thing.
Leave it to this kid to broach the subject that Tony was just planning to avoid for the rest of his life. He shook his head in disbelief and held up a hand to stop Peter from babbling himself into incoherency.
âOkay, stop talking for a second, kid.â
Peter sucked his lower lip into his mouth as he abruptly stopped talking, and his eyes gave him an even more sheepish appearance that made Tony chuckle. He put a hand on Peterâs shoulder, feeling Peterâs muscles relax beneath the contact, and he smiled.
âIf you think Iâm worthy of coming with you on a trip like that, Iâd be honored.â
Peterâs eyes lit up, and he released his lip from his mouth as his face brightened into a blinding smile.
âTh...thank you, Mr. Stark!! Iâm glad you think Iâm worthy enough for you to even bother wasting your time coming on this trip even though you obviously have way more important things to do than spending time with some teenagerâs engineering group. Iâll make it up to you somehow if youââ
Tony laughed. âSeriously, kid. Stop talking.â
Peter sucked his lower lip back into his mouth, but he was doing a terrible job of hiding his delight behind the turned up corners of his mouth and his bright eyes. Tony, in turn, did a terrible job of hiding how pleased he was, biting his lip to try to suppress the smile that was steadily growing on his face.
Tony Stark was definitely not Peter Parkerâs father.
But heâd be lying if he said he wouldnât enjoy being Peterâs father figure.
Peter paused just as he was about to shove a generous serving of waffles into his mouth to gape at Tony, who was trying to look nonchalant as he drank his coffee and read The Daily Bugle (âthatâs trash, Mr. Starkâ he wanted to say, even though heâd eyed the ad for getting money in exchange for photos of Spider-Man more than once) out on one of the many patios at the compound. Considering how close theyâd gotten, and that Peter had made it no secret that heâd idolized Tony Stark long before Iron Man had even been a thing, he would have thought the answer to that question went without saying.
Which meant that Tony was obviously fishing for compliments, and Peter couldnât resist the urge to mess with him a little bit.
So, with a cheeky grin and a shrug, Peter cheerfully declared, âThor, obviously!â
Peter waited for the aghast blustering and indignant demands to know how Peter could possibly say that anyone but Iron Man was his favorite, and Peter would let him go for a while before reassuring Tony that he was just joking and Iron Man had always been and always would be his favorite.
Instead, Tony stared blankly at him for a moment before he stood up and flipped his mug over, dumping the coffee inside onto what was probably a ludicrously expensive patio surface. He then turned and walked without a word back into the main building of the compound.
Peter watched, confused, as an Iron Man suit went blasting away from the compound moments later, disappearing into the distance. Peter lifted his hands in confusion and touched the sides of his head.
âWhat just happened?â
Pepper briefly looked up from her hot chocolate to watch Tony fly away before shaking her head. Her expression, though, was a mixture of exasperation and amusement.
âHe canât handle that heâs not his favoriteâs favorite.â
Peter flushed with happiness at a third party confirming that he was Tonyâs favorite, his heart doing ecstatic leaps in his chest, but then the meaning of her words sunk in and he balked.
âI was just joking, though! Of course heâs my favorite!â
Pepper shook her head again, but her expression was one of pure amusement. âDonât play games with his heart like that, Peter. Heâs very fragile.â
She was full-blown smiling and chuckling to herself, and Peter joined in when he was certain that she was genuinely amused and not upset that her fiancĂŠ had taken off for no reason.
It was early afternoon when the suit came back and dematerialized to reveal Tony with a shiner more impressive than the one Peter had gotten from Captain America. Peter had been testing out the tensile strength of a new web fluid formula by swinging around the compound, but he stopped when he saw the state of Tonyâs eye. He rushed to Tonyâs side in a panic.
âMr. Stark, what happened?!â
Tony waved him off with an irritated grunt.
âI punched Point Break in the face.â Then, when an awkward silence passed while Peter stood dumbfounded, ââŚhe punched back.â
Peter let out a sigh and grabbed Tonyâs arm. âCome on, Mr. Stark. Letâs get some ice for that before Miss Potts sees.â
There was some initial resistance, but then Tony followed without a fuss back into the compoundâs kitchen, where Peter put some ice in a rag and handed it to Tony. Tony hissed a little as he pressed it to his eye and sat at one of the kitchen islandâs stools. Peter slid onto a stool on the other side and bit his lip.
âI was just kidding about Thor, Mr. Stark. Youâve always been my favorite Avenger.â
Tony scoffed and rolled the eye that wasnât hidden behind a rag. âYou couldâve told me that before I picked a fight with a god, kid.â
Peter shifted sheepishly on the stool and was about to apologize, but then he caught the small pleased smile on Tonyâs face, and he knew that he was forgiven.
Putting in a few breaks just in case Tumblr messes up my cut...
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Like, legit, spoilers ahead:
I really hope that Far From Home addresses Peterâs grief and doesnât just brush it off so they can make a happy fun superhero movie where he falls for MJ. I understand if heâs looking forward to the trip to Europe to be able to get his mind off of things at home, but I just really donât want his grief to be trivialized.Â
He lost another father figure and his closest superhero mentor, so thatâs clearly going to mess with him. I hope his grief and trauma are handled well and not that, oh, he was sad at the end of Endgame, thatâs enough! Time to move on!
Other things I hope for:
Even just a mention of Peter hanging out with Pepper and being a bro to Morgan whenever he can
Peterâs new suits just being a few of the many, many suits that Tony made for him
After a childhood of emotional neglect and the people he loved leaving him in one way or another, Tony built up the careful persona of indifferent arrogance. It was a lot easier to pretend that he was too good for everyone than to admit that his loneliness was crippling and consuming. It was a lot easier to love âem and leave âem than let himself fall into the trap of believing that he could be in a relationship where love was an easy give and take.
There had been Rhodey, and for once Tony had another person he genuinely trusted outside of perhaps his mother and Jarvis. But that was it, heâd decided. Heâd never get close to anyone, never let anyone else in but Rhodey. It would only ever be Rhodey ever.
Then came Pepper, and with her came the end of the âlove âem and leave âemâ lifestyle heâd adopted for so long. It was startingly easy to fall in love with her, just as easy as it was to fall into her arms when the world felt like it was closing in and suffocating him.
There had also been the other Avengers, but like so many other of his relationships, that had ended in pain and what he thought would be death at the hands of someone he had considered his friend. Heâd retreated back into himself somewhat after that, resenting himself more than anything for thinking that because Rhodey and Pepper had gotten past his defenses, that meant that he could trust others, too.
But then along came a spider.
Unlike the many complicated relationships heâd had with all of the other people who had come and gone in his life, his relationship with Peter Parker was almost annoyingly simple. Peter did something heroic but incredibly stupid, another one of Tonyâs hairs went grey, and heâd spend nights in his lab developing tech that he hoped would prevent stupidity from entering Peterâs heroics. Rinse, repeat. It was also annoying just how quickly and easily he became attached to that kid.
That same kid who that day was in his lab singingâmore like screaming, reallyâalong to âGirls on Filmâ as he tinkered with his web shooters. Apparently May had had him listen to a bunch of 80s songs in an attempt to impress his date for the homecoming dance that never was. On the one hand, it meant that Tony could listen to Duran Duran without snide comments about how old that music wasâhe swore he broke out into hives every time Peter referred to a film from his childhood as âreally oldââbut it also meant that he was subjected to performances he never asked for.
Even so, Tony had to hide his smile as Peter shoved off the lab table and spun around on the stool as it glided over to where Tony was trying to improve on some armor that would help idiot spider teenagers not get hit by buses while trying to help a gaggle of kittens cross a busy street.
âWhatcha working on, Mr. Stark? Anything I can help with?â
Tony glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and shrugged. âDonât get hit by a bus in the first place, champ.â
Even though he couldnât see it, Tony could feel Peterâs smile widen, and he had to cough to keep the corners of his own mouth from twitching upward.
âTwas but a scratch!â
Tony waited for the comment about that âreally oldâ movie, but thankfully it didnât come. He gave Peter a side-eye and was met with a beaming but cheeky smile. This kid was going to be the death of him.
âYou actually lose any limbs and Iâll get your hot aunt in here to design your suits.â
Peter scoffed, but started twirling on the stool. âAww, come on. Mayâll just stick me in a padded suit. No freedom of movement or anything!â
âThat might be better for everyoneâs blood pressure, kid. You can be the Stay Puft Spidermallow Man. Think of the merchandising potential.â
âMaybe you should stick to tech instead of rebranding really old movies, Dad.â
The only thing that broke the silence that followed was the squeak of Peterâs stool as he abruptly stopped twirling, and Tony slowly looked up to see Peter swallow and stare at him with wide eyes.
âDid you just call me âdadâ?â
âNo! No, no I saidâŚbad. As in your jokes are actually the worst.â
As he watched Peter fail spectacularly at acting casual, Tony was amazed that he had kept his secret life as Spider-Man a secret from May for as long as he did. He was shifting his weight, chewing on his lip, and wrapping his arms around himself as his gaze darted everywhere but at Tony.
Just as Tony opened his mouth to respond, Peter abruptly stood and marched with jilted steps to the elevator, where he grabbed his abandoned backpack and then gesticulated wildly.
âI, uhâŚgotta go! Didnât realize how late it was getting, ha ha! Early bird gets the worm and gotta seize the day and all that. It was great, Mr. Stark. Let me know when the armorâs done, Mr. Stark!â
Tony waited until Peter disappeared behind the closing elevator doors before he rolled his eyes and shook his head. Given his own shitty dad, he expected being called one himself to bring back a lot of bitter feelings and memories that he avoided whenever he could help it. He expected to make a bunch of excuses for why he shouldnât be anyoneâs dad, much less one to a kid who already had a great family. Instead, he was just reminded of how there was a third person that had managed to get irretrievably under his skin with basically no effort at all.
âF.R.I.D.A.Y. did you get that? Play it back.â
âMaybe you should stick to tech instead of rebranding really old movies, Dad.â
Hearing it again, Tony had to laugh. This kid really was going to be the death of him.
so I love your writing SO much, but I was wondering something. what are your ships? like, I wouldn't like to ask of you something that you wouldn't be comfortable with, so if you could tell me that would be greatly appreciated. thank you!
wtf why didnât Tumblr tell me I had messages.Wow, anon, sorry that it took me like two months to answer this. I hope youâre still around. đ
As for ships, I love Tony/Pepper, of course, but I highkey ship Science Bros and lowkey ship Tony/Rhodey. Not a fan of Stony because I prefer Stucky. I donât have any ships for Peter.
Steve Rogers had never jumped on a challenge faster than he did at that complete and utter nonsense, and within a week there were pictures circulating the internet of Captain America in full regalia, shield strapped to his back and one of his adoptive daughters strapped to his front in a papoose. Days later, Bucky Barnes appeared with their other daughter, also sporting her in a papoose with an expression that dared anyone to question the masculinity of the Winter Soldier.
Of course, no one did, nor did anyone question that Captain America and the Winter Soldier were not only in a relationship but had children to show off like that.
It didnât take long for Clint Barton to hop on that train, dragging Thor and a surprisingly docile hulked-out Bruce Banner into sporting one of each of his three children in carriers on their chests, further spreading the Dadvengers trend. It set off an even bigger firestorm of dads everywhere proudly showing off their children in papooses, slings, and other carriers to stick it to the idiots who didnât think dads could carry around their children like that.
There was one Avenger who was conspicuously silent through the whole thing, and so all eyes were on Tony Stark, waiting for his move.
It was well known that he had a baby on the way, so people speculated that he was simply waiting until he actually had a child of his own to show off. That was the thought, but like with so many other things, Tony was full of surprises.
Iron Man flying in from a mission to greet a gaggle of reporters and photographers was nothing new, but what he had with him threw everyone for a loop.
Instead of a baby, a very deflated-looking Peter Parker was strapped to his chest, avoiding eye contact with everyone and generally looking like he would welcome a swift death if the opportunity arose.
Tony retracted the faceplate enough for him to put on a pair of sunglasses instead, and of course the number one question from everyone was why he was carrying a teenager instead of a baby. He gave them all a look that said that he couldnât believe he had to answer such a stupidly obvious question.
âI heard we were supposed to be carrying around our kids strapped to our chests. Am I wrong?â
Peter let out a pained whimper, and Tony's face softened and he ruffled his hair in response. The reporters and photographers went wild.
I kind of forgot about this blog, but I logged in today and wow, hello, there are a lot of you out there.
I will probably import some more of my fics from AO3 to post here, but Iâm also happy to take prompts if you have them! No promises that Iâll be able to write everything, but I love hearing ideas. :D
Tony had seen a lot of things in his life, from the strange to the ordinary, from the horrible to the beautiful.
What he didnât expect to see that morning was Steve Rogers strung up in Peterâs web fluid and hanging in the middle of the hallway.
He froze, nearly dropping his coffee mug as he made eye contact with a humiliated, but still stubborn-looking Steve, who was hanging sideways and had definitely lost the fight with the webbing.
âNot a word, Stark.â
There were thousands of words running through Tonyâs head at that moment, but all of them were fighting for the chance to come out of his mouth, so he settled for the most reasonable option.
âF.R.I.D.A.Y., is Peter around?â
âHeâs waiting for you in the lab, boss.â
âGood, patch him through.â
They waited a moment, staring at each other, until Peterâs cheerful voice came on.
âMorninâ, Mr. Stark! We going to work together today?â
âYeah, soon, kid. Thereâs a, uh, giant web in the middle of my hallway.â
There was a pause, and Tony could hear Peter tinkering with something in the background. âOh, yeah! Iâve got a new web formula Iâve been trying out. Itâs hopefully stronger now and can even hold Captain America! I thought Iâd set up a trap and see if I got anything.â
Tony very nearly snorted, while Steve very slowly closed his eyes and opened them again. âWell, you did it, kid. The little spider caught a great big fly.â
âReally? I didnât think it would actually work!â
He sounded so incredulous that Tony let out a bark of a laugh and Steveâs face turned a deep shade of red. Just looking at it, Tony could only imagine how very obvious the web had been before Steve had gotten caught up in it. That Peter had caught Cap of all people was one of the best things to ever happen, and he was never going to let it go.
âPlease explain, though, why you decided to set up your little trap in a hallway at my compound, kid.â
âCall it âPest Controlâ, Mr. Stark.â The huge grin on his face came through loud and clear in his tone of voice.
Tony couldnât stop his snort or how he burst out laughing afterward. He very nearly dropped his coffee again, and Steveâs face turned even redder, which made Tony laugh all the more. It was obvious if he hadnât been Captain âWatch Your Languageâ America, heâd be saying things that would make a sailor cry.
Tony really was never going to let this go.
Steve closed his eyes again, and his mouth moved in a way that was probably him counting to ten, before he opened them and spoke. âSon, while I appreciate how clever you are, please get me out of this.â
There was the sound of something hitting the floor, which was followed by a startled squeak. âC-Captain, I, uhâŚI didnât actuallyââ
Tony cut him off as his laughter died down and he regained control of his voice. âNo, no, kid. We should really make sure that this stuff holds. It wonât do much good if itâs strong but doesnât last.â
A long silence followed, and Tony could just see Peter fretting over leaving Cap literally hanging or indulging Tonyâs whims. Luckily, though, Tony had the advantage of being Peterâs favorite, and he showed as much in the grin he gave a horrified-looking Steve.
âWell, if I mixed it correctly, it should last about three hours, and I set up that web about 45 minutes ago, soââ
âSo, Mr. Beauty and Grace has about two hours to hang out! Sounds like a fantastic plan to me!â
âWait, Tony! You canâtâPeter, you have to let me goâhey!â
Tony ignored him as he turned and went back down the hallway, grinning from ear-to-ear and knowing that it was going to be the best day ever.
He made a mental note to give Peter anything he wanted in exchange for such a perfect gift.
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