summary: Y/N and Peter are best friends. She gets suspicious when he randomly shows up to her house late at night injured.
read time: 2 mins 26 seconds
Part 2
masterlist
gif credit @federicocesaris
INSPIRED BY THE SONG ‘HONEST’ BY THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
Peter sighed as his alarm clock went off. He had to pretend like he wasn’t up until three am fighting bad guys and webbing around the city protecting everybody, but he had school. He rolled over in bed and groaned as the bruise he got last night from slipping and hitting the side of a building hit against his mattress. Aunt May was already gone, probably finishing up her night shift at the hospital. He rolled on his skateboard down the street towards school.
“Morning Pete,” you yawned, finding your best friend outside walking into the school. “Hey, how did that chem project go last night?”
“Could have been better if you were there,” you said, nudging him in the arm. He hissed in pain and rubbed the side of his arm. “Oh I’m sorry, did I hit you that hard?” you asked concerningly. “No, no. I fell out of bed last night and I think I got a bruise.” he lied. “Oh. Seems like your always getting hurt lately. Everything okay?”
“Yeah I’m good, I’ve been clumsy lately. My skateboarding skills aren't as they always used to be,” he laughed off. “Peter, your like one of the best skateboarders I know.”
He could tell you were suspicious. “I dunno, you have to practice. I just haven't had the time.”
He could totally tell you knew he was lying. “Chem project though- did my notes help?”
-
It was late at night. You were trying to make up the missed sleep from before and went to bed early. Your mother was working and you were home alone. You heard a knock on your apartment door just as sleep was about to wash over you. Maybe your mother came home early and was locked out.
You walked through your cold apartment and opened your creaky door to a disheveled Peter. “Pete?” “Hey,”
Peter was doing some Spiderman things and got hurt, real bad. He would have usually gone home but he knew Aunt May would have found him, she didn’t work tonight. He had nowhere else to go.
“Shit, your bleeding.” you panic, wiping a mixture of blood and sweat off his forehead. You took him to your bedroom and rummaged through your bathroom to try to find anything to help. “What the hell happened to you?” you asked from the bathroom. “Uh, you know, Skateboarding around and-” “I’m not stupid, you know.”
You emerged from the bathroom with some cotton balls and hydrogen peroxide. “Here,” you said, handing Peter the bottle. “This might sting,”
You blotted the cut on his forehead and he let out a tiny groan. “Wait, Y/N.” he said, and lifted up his shirt to reveal his torn up ribcage. “Jesus Peter!” you yelped. “W-we need to get you to a doctor, um,” “No, please. I-I don’t want to worry Aunt May.” he pleaded. “Put some stingy stuff on it.”
You went to your bathroom and pulled out some paper towels. “You need to tell me what’s happening Peter. This isn't okay. I’m worried.” You poured the liquid on the towel and pressed it up to his side without warning. Peter yelped. “You could have warned me,” The towel soaked up the blood immediately. “Tell me.” you demanded. “I can’t, Y/N.” Peter sighed. “Peter, please.” you said, placing a hand on his cheek.
He has never wanted to spoil his secret as bad as he did right now. “I wish I could be honest,” he said, looking past your gaze. You pulled your hand away and cleaned up his mess in silence. You were so hurt by him. You and Peter told each other everything, and you knew something wasn’t right.
You threw him back his shirt. “Don’t ever do this again.”
Peter walked out of your apartment torn apart. He couldn’t tell his best friend, the girl he’s liked for ages his one secret. When he saw your hurt look on your face, it broke his heart.
I saw someone do this and decided to do it too since i’ve read a lot of fics recently that deserve to be seen
i’ll be tagging the authors wherever i can, i dont know most of their tumblrs so feel free to tag them
A fic that you loved without knowing the source material: When my body wont hold me anymore (where will i go)- @madasthesea
- When i read this i had not watched doctor strange yet this is perfect for tony’s grieving process and then the hope when he realises there might still be a chance
A fic with a premise that shouldnt work but does: Here comes the sun- @motherkarizma
- Okay so i read this a few weeks ago and it will be one of the only au’s i remember for years to come, this was purely amazing and with tony’s worry as peter struggles, it killed me. Hands down one of my favourite fics.
A fic you’ve read more than once: Danny boy- friendlyneighbourhoodirondad
- Ive read this too many times to count, it’s perfect in every way and the whump is amazing, along with the reveal and may being a badass, its perfect.
A fic you still remember many years later: You’re in my veins (and i cannot get you out)- @losingmymindtonight
- this was one of the first fics ive read and it got me into the whump scene, i love it.
A comfort fic: Living Nightmare- @svn-f1ower
- perfect scene from far from home, exactly what i expected and the hurt/comfort is amazing.
A cathartic fic: Somno- romanoff
- i read this a few days ago and its one of the stony fics i love, the perfect blend of fluff and whump, the protectiveness of steve and the perfect display of how the concussion is affecting tony.
A fic you’d print and put on your bookshelf: Mistakes- @yes-i-am-happyaspie
- this is one of my favourite tropes, i love it completely and the guilt and regret of tony is amazing.
A fic you associate with a song: The parent test- madmonnette
- i cried along with tony while reading this, the bond between tony and peter is shown really well.
A fic that inspires you: Wired shut inside and out- @webtrinsic1122
- this is a trope i love as well, i completely related to peter and when tony realises what he’s feeling it’s the perfect comfort fic.
A fic that brought you onboard a new ship: Peter and the jailbirds- beautifullights
- okay this is one of the best long fics ive read, i spent about three hours straight reading this and then i read it again. amazing whump and ptsd from peter. and the reunion of sam and steve was adorable. not my favourite ship but definitely cute.
A fic you wish could be a movie: Tennessee whiskey- Superstitious
- The best parkner fic i’ve read, perfect ending and Harley’s reaction to peter leaving was A+. Then Peter comes back and its just- so adorable.
A fic that lead to you being friends with the author: If youre going through hell, keep on going- @baloobird
- Best child Peter fics, amazing display of ptsd and the comfort from tony as he slowly becomes more involved in peter’s life. also @baloobird is one of my best friends and i love her writing so much.
Free space: That’s what you call irony- nanerich
- fake dating au with parkner, amazing, adorable, full of fluff.
A fic you’ve gushed about irl: Hydra’s not a home- tempestaurora
- Purely amazing hydra Peter fic. Ive reread it so many times, its just perfect.
A fic you accosiate with a place: In the home- aloneintherain
- This is the perfect blend of hurt/comfort, the best ratio of whump to recovery, 100% would read again and i will always recommend this to anyone
A fic that made you gasp out loud: Take my heart, not my life- elephreak
-amazing evil obadiah and ross fic. love the guilt from tony and the flashbacks are just amazing.
A fic you found at the right time: Three seemingly small words- @yes-i-am-happyaspie
- i read this a week ago, such an angsty fic, amazing concern from tony and the comfort from his amazing.
A fic that you would read a fic of: Hindsight- elephreak
- 100% the best May’s boyfriend fics ive read. I love the desperation you feel along with peter when he’s so close to getting away. Then tony not knowing how Peter got hurt, and the reveal at the end.
A fic that made you laugh out loud: Creepy crawlies and peppermint allergies- @webtrinsic1122
- amazing allergy whump fic. I laughed so hard when tony found out and they both finally got what they deserved. Peter’s need for comfort when he sees tony killed me.
A fic that you know a line (or two) from: i want to go- chvotic
-i cant express how well this was written, the distant feeling you know peter is feeling just kills you, and you see tony trying to comfort him as much as he can.
A fic that gave you butterflies: project pride- TheSleepingOwl
- One of the best coming out fics for peter, amazing in every way, especially with the display of internalised homophobia.
A fic that embodies something you value in life: Hope is the strongest power- sarayin
- I dont want to say too much about this fic but it’s so so good so please go read this. It’s amazing
A favourite au: Nothing is Impossible with you- Highqualitynot
- THESE SHIPS. MJ and HARLEY being BROS. Harley being a disaster gay over Peter. Oh my god this was amazing. please go read it, its so adorable.
A fic you stayed up too late to finish reading: round two- caraminha
-amazing comfort, in the time after the snap, after they got everyone back, peter has to go through the mutation again, one of the best switch ups from the normal fix-it au you see
A fic that made you feel seen: What’s In a serum?- purplestarfish As well as Ace of hearts- @shadedrose01
-first of all, amazing trans posativity between tony, steve and peter, and you still come out of the story loving scott.
-next, Perfect parkner fic, peter being insecure and harley being reassuring. i would read 50k words of this.
Tagging people to join in doing this: @romeoandjulietyouwish @baloobird @just-the-daydreamer along with anyone else who wants to do this
Please go read ALL of these fics, tag the authors if i havent. Thanks guys!
Renee just laid in bed as Luna curled up on her chest. She snuggled close to Renee.
“Nee?” Renee looks up as Peter and Happy stand at the doorway Renee just smiles small.
“Hey, guys.” Renee slowly sets up as her hands still clutch Bucky’s dog tags.
“He left them.” She mumbles as Peter and Happy slowly walk in. Peter crawls over.
“He left me a letter too.” Renee looks up at Peter as Happy nods as well.
“Oh? What did it say your letters?” Peter smiles small.
“Bucky told me he loved being my big brother and that I’ll always be his little brother. That he was sorry he was leaving but he didn’t want to hurt or cause us danger. He loved having us for a family. Also, I need to keep an eye on you.”
Renee chuckles and nods she wipes her eyes.
“Sounds like Bucky,” Renee whispers. Happy gently sits down at the end of the bed as he clears his voice.
“That he’s sorry he never wanted to hurt you, but he feels this is for the best. He feels that you deserve someone better, you deserve to have a great life. To keep a watch on you make sure you don’t do anything stupid.” Renee just shakes her head as she sighs.
“I want to hate him but, how can I? I want to find him; I want to tell him that he’s so stupid.” Renee just sighs as she holds Luna close.
“I wanted a life with him, I wanted him to be my forever and he just leaves because he thinks it’s for the best. What about what I wanted.” Renee just sighs as Peter smiles small at her.
“Maybe he’ll come back.” Renee just nods her head as she figures out her next step in this whole debacle of things.
=================
Renee sits in her little lab as she still works on the arm, she was making for Bucky she frowns though.
“Something just doesn’t seem to work She frowns, there always seems to be something missing whenever she tries to put the final touches on the arm.
“It’s like I’m using the wrong material or something.” Renee just sighs as she holds the dog tags close to her chest. She’s been wearing them ever since hoping that he’d come back.
Luna jumps up as Renee smiles and rubs her head.
“What do you think I’m missing?” Luna purrs as she looks up at Renee. Luna’s big green eyes glow for a moment.
“You look like a little panther when you do that.” Luna meows as she walks across the keyboard of Renee’s lab.
“Luna stop your hitting buttons.” Renee picks up Luna as a new screen pops up. Renee's eyes take in the screen.
“Wakanda?” Renee remembers a bit of Wakanda that her father had gotten Steve’s shield from there strongest metal in the world but that didn’t exist any more thanks to a man named Ulysses Klaue. Renee just reads up on the country and the current king. Luna stares at her, her green eyes glowing.
“The Black Panther.” Luna purrs at that. Renee eyes Luna as Luna hops up and paws the screen.
“The Black Panther has been the protector of Wakanda for generations. It is said the Panther Goddess Bast granted them power.” Luna purrs and rubs against Renee and the screen.
“What are you my tiny little Panther Luna.” Luna’s eyes do that glow again as she crawls on Renee and rests on her shoulder.
“What’s wrong Luna?” Luna just snuggles close to her. Renee eyes her as Luna just purrs Renee smiles as she reads more on Wakanda and takes a breath.
“You are telling me that the missing piece to Bucky’s arm is in Wakanda?” Luna swishes her tail around Renee’s face. Renee chuckles.
“Well maybe Luna, but Wakanda doesn’t like outsiders.” Luna purrs loudly as Renee chuckles.
Renee kisses Luna’s head as she thinks.
“I wish Bucky was here.” Luna meows as if agreeing as Renee lays back.
“You guided me to him once can you do it again Luna?” Luna looks at Renee and swishes her tail around. Renee strokes her head as she thinks about it all.
“You know other than your role is to guide and protect me what else is there about you?” Luna meows as she jumps down and starts running across the keyboard again. Renee just chuckles as a little window pops up,
“The History of The Familiar.” Renee reads it.
“A familiar is an animal gifted to someone of special power or someone who is special. A familiar’s duty is to guide and protect their person. The familiar will love and always be loyal to their person, they will do whatever it takes to keep them safe. If a familiar’s person dies the familiar will die as well.” Renee’s heart stops as Luna just rubs against her. Renee holds her close as she buries her face in Luna’s fur.
“I don’t want you to die Luna. You don’t risk yourself for me okay.” Renee holds her close as Luna just snuggles in her arms.
==============
It had been a few months, but Renee was convinced Bucky was still around. Certain things would appear sometimes, for example, she wasn’t feeling good the other day a big thing of Egg drop soup and her favorite comfort food appeared. Little things like that.
Renee was taking Luna for a walk. A bit later than Renee would have liked but due to her mini cold, she had slept most the day away.
“Come on Luna it’s getting late and I don’t like the looks of this.” Luna meows as she rubs against Renee’s legs.
“Shall we get some food and cuddle on the couch?” Luna purrs as Renee smiles, they begin their walk.
“Well look what we have here, a little girl and her kitty. All alone in the world.” Renee stops as her eyes take in the figures. She studies their clothes, these weren’t just normal thugs, they were dressed like soldiers.
“What do I owe the pleasure of your company tonight boys?” Renee smirks as Luna stands protectively in front of Renee. The hair on her body standing up.
“There’s a pretty price on your head Little Stark. Big brother has angered a lot of people, it’s like a bidding war for you. But in the end, the highest bidder always wins. He paid a pretty penny for you and we are collecting you.” Renee closes her hand as she feels a surge of her power swirl around.
“It is true you do have powers. He will be very satisfied with that.” Renee just eyes the men, two in front two walking behind her. Luna hisses at the men as the man chuckles.
“Aw, kitty has claws.” Renee watches as she feels the two behind her surround her, she quickly throws her hand up as she throws them with her power.
“This will be fun.” He smirks as Renee dodges him, Luna pounces on the other guy's leg as she sinks her claws deep in his leg.
“This fucking cat!” Renee looks over as he shakes Luna off. Renee rushes fast as she focuses on her power and lifts the guy.
“Don’t you dare hurt her.” Renee feels a sudden power engulf her as the one-man smirks.
“Oh, he will be most pleased in your power.” Renee reaches for Luna when someone from behind snaps a shock collar on her. Renee screams out in pain as her powers are instantly drained from her. Renee screams as the rush of pain from the collar hits her.
“The more you fight the more painful it gets.” Renee claws at the collar to get it off as the man smirks, he pulls up Renee’s chin.
“This baby turns off your powers, you are useless now sweetie.” Renee holds up her hand and tries to fight back.
“Now, let’s load her up. Strucker will be happy with his new Pet. He paid a pretty little penny for her.”
Renee’s eyes widened. Strucker… Her blood runs cold Von Strucker is one of the worst Hydra men left. Renee tries backing away.
“Don’t fight it, sweetie.” Renee lets out a scream as the collar sends another set of shocks into her.
Luna rushes over as the guy smirks he picks up Luna as she claws him in the eye.
“FUCK!” He yells as he drops Luna. Renee looks over at Luna.
“Run.” She mumbles.
Luna is conflicted her duty is to protect Renee, but she can’t do much without more risk to Renee. Luna cries as Renee shakily gets the dog tags off.
“Go.” She tosses them to Luna as Luna picks them up in her mouth as she runs.
===================
Bucky was nervous he missed Renee leaving her house. Usually, she does take a walk with Luna, but she should have been back now. Bucky watches from his usual spot and sees no sign of them. He hops down as he retraces where Renee and Luna went.
Meow. Bucky’s ears twitch as he looks around.
“Luna?” He calls out as Luna appears; she runs to him as Bucky picks her up.
“Hey Luna, where is Renee huh?” He stops seeing the scared look in her eyes as well as feeling her heart beating out of her chest. He sees…
“Luna why do you have my tags?” A terrible feeling forms in his gut.
“Luna take me to Renee.” Luna meows as she jumps out of his arms and starts running. Bucky chases after her.
“Please be okay doll.”
==================
Luna cries, there was no sign of Renee. Bucky studies the scene as he looks around for any clues as to who took her. His eyes stop as he finds a ripped article of clothing. Bucky picks it up his eyes widen as he sees the Hydra logo. His blood runs cold as the Soldier fights to come to the surface.
He closes his eyes as he relaxes. Luna just rubs against Bucky she lost Renee and feels horrible. Bucky gently picks her up.
“I’ll get her back Luna; I’ll get her back and make them pay for ever touching her.” Bucky feels his arm lose control as he punches a hole in the ground.
The Soldier wanted to play as did Bucky. Maybe for once The Soldier and Bucky could work together for the woman, they both loved.
I just saw Far From Home and guys, I have such massive Peter Parker feelings rn...
If any of you know good fanfictions about Aged Up!Peter that are both a romance and angsty, please send them to me! Ideally finished works but I’ll take anything...
Peter rolled over in bed as the morning sun filtered gently through his curtains. He yawned, stretched, and slowly blinked his eyes open. He’d gotten home late, completely avoiding everyone in the tower, including Tony. Especially Tony.
His face flushed pink with embarrassment as he remembered how he’d practically fled from school the day before.
Peter Parker can’t handle the attention, he thought. But Spider-Man can.
But what could Spider-Man do? It wasn’t Spider-Man’s identity plastered all over every major media outlet on the planet. He could only hope everyone wasn’t laughing at him for hiding behind his Dad like a baby.
“Good morning, Peter,” Friday greeted. “Boss says there’s breakfast in the fridge and to join him in the workshop when you’re ready.”
“Thanks, Fri. Hey, what time is it anyway?”
“It’s 9:38 AM, Peter.”
“Huh. Guess I’m not going to school today,” he mumbled, mainly to himself. Although he was certain talking to an AI still counted as talking to himself.
“Boss informed Midtown that you would be out at least for the rest of the week, if not longer,” Friday responded, sounding chipper.
How did Dad manage to make a computer sound chipper?
“Thanks for the head’s up,” he told her.
“You’re welcome, Peter.”
Peter padded out to the kitchen to see what his Dad meant by breakfast and was surprised to see homemade chocolate chip pancakes. He smiled to himself as he piled his plate high, grabbed a fork, and headed down to the workshop. He could hear AC/DC blasted at full volume before he left the elevator, plate of pancakes in hand.
“Friday, can you lower the volume, please,” he asked, his ears overwhelmed with stimulation. She immediately lowered the volume to a near whisper and Tony whipped around in his chair.
“Hey! Friday, what did I tell you about my music? Oh,” he stopped as he saw Peter and his pancakes enter the workshop. “Morning, Sleeping Beauty. Thought you’d never wake up.”
“Yeah, well. Long night.”
“Yeah, about that.”
“Boss, I’ve got a hit,” Friday interrupted. She was getting good at that.
Tony’s attention turned to the nearest holographic screen. And he gripped the workbench in front of him to keep from toppling over. His jaw clenched tight, and a vein in his temple started to twitch.
“Dad,” Peter exclaimed as he tossed his pancakes on the nearest table and rushed forward. “Dad? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Tony ground out a little too harshly.
Peter stopped mid-stride and stared at the man in shock. He’d never used that tone with him before.
“Boss, your heart rate is reaching an unhealthy level,” Friday warned.
Tony rolled his eyes at the ceiling and waved as if to wave her away. “I’m fine,” he said between clenched teeth. He quickly dropped what he was working on and headed for the door.
“I have some...business...to take care of,” he told Peter, his hand on the door handle. “I’ll be back in a little while. And then you and I are gonna talk about last night.”
Tony disappeared before Peter could utter a word of protest. Bewildered as to what had his Dad in such a sudden fit of maniacal rage, he turned to look at the holographic screen Tony had last looked at. Peter’s brows furrowed in consternation. The screen showed a map of New York City, and an address blinked in the upper right hand corner.
“Stark Mansion,” Peter questioned. “Hey, Friday, what’s this? What’s going on at the Mansion?”
“Boss tracked the IP address of the source who leaked your adoption to the press. It originated here, at this address.”
“...What?! Does that mean...did Howard…”
“The source originated from a computer at this address,” Friday repeated.
Peter dug the heels of his hands into his eyes. Howard leaked the adoption.
Of course, he did.
~~~~~
Tony pulled into the gravel drive and slammed his car door shut on his way to the front steps. He didn’t even bother to knock; he shoved the door open instead.
“Where are you,” Tony shouted, face red with rage. “I know you’re here!”
“Anthony,” his mother scolded as she came running around the corner. “What is the meaning of this?”
“Where is he? Where’s the son of a bitch?”
“You hold your tongue in this house,” Maria admonished firmly, arms crossed over her chest.
“No, Mom. Not anymore. Where is he?”
“He who?”
“Howard,” Tony bellowed.
Howard descended the stairs slowly, hands in the pockets of his pristinely pressed dress pants.
“Tony. I’m sure the neighbors can hear you shouting like a sixteen-year-old girl. What’s this about,” the eldest Stark asked coolly.
“You know exactly what this is about. It was you! You leaked the adoption! With absolutely no regard for Peter or his safety!”
Howard rolled his eyes as he stopped on the last stair, still towering slightly over Tony. “Why would you think such a thing?”
“I don’t think. I know,” Tony spat between gritted teeth. “I know it was you because I found the first newscaster to report it and hacked into their network to find their source. And I tracked it all the way back to here, to this address, to you. You’ve never liked Peter, never liked the fact that I adopted my son! How dare a non-Stark take over your company!” Tony scoffed, disgusted with the man he called father.
“On the contrary.” Howard finally took the last step down and was on level ground with Tony. “Peter’s young; he’s the face of the future of Stark Industries.”
“You can stop pretending now. We all know you’ve had it out for him from day one.”
Howard scoffed. “He needs some toughening up, sure, but I don’t dislike the boy.”
“Anthony, you’re overreacting,” Maria said as she gently laid a hand on Tony’s shoulder. “Your father would never do such a thing as leak Peter’s private information to the press.”
“Thank you, Maria,” Howard said with a dip of his head in her direction. “Besides. I didn’t have to. I didn’t even lift a finger.”
Tony’s eyes narrowed; Maria gasped.
“Howard! What did you do,” she squeaked.
“As you said, dear. Nothing. It’s not my fault a young employee happened to overhear a conversation where Peter was mentioned by name. Have you seen the headlines lately?” He tossed a newspaper at Tony’s feet. “You’ve never looked better. The public has never liked you more than they do right now, not even when you miraculously came back from Afghanistan.”
Tony tore his eyes away from Howard long enough to glance down at the paper. TONY STARK HAS A HEART, read the front page. He felt his stomach roll in revulsion.
“Howard! How...how could you,” Maria stammered. “To our own grandson?!”
“It would come out eventually,” Howard shrugged. “Honestly. I don’t know what everyone’s going on about. Who wouldn’t want to be seventeen and famous?”
Tony turned abruptly and stalked toward the door. Before he left, he turned to face his dad one last time. “I didn’t want to be seventeen and famous, and neither does Peter.”
Howard rolled his eyes again in annoyance. “Tony, come on.”
“Stay away from my kid. I mean it. You step foot outside of this house and I’ll know it. I’ve got you under round the clock surveillance. If you talk to anyone, and I mean anyone, about my kid again, I’ll ruin your career.”
Tony didn’t wait for Howard to respond. He turned on his heel and left the same way he had come: by slamming the door behind him. He got in his car and sped off toward home, completely ignoring the speed limit. He gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. He kept jumping from how could he to of course he would. He pounded the steering wheel as he yelled at the windshield.
And then there was Peter. Tony remembered the way the kid had looked at him when he picked Peter up from school the day before. Eyes wide, darting back and forth as if looking for danger, face pale. Which was a completely different Peter than the one who had greeted him that morning in the workshop, full of fake confidence, and a swagger that Pete had unknowingly picked up from Tony’s public persona. He sighed and rubbed his hand down his face as his phone rang.
“Incoming call from Pepper Potts, Boss,” Friday chirped.
“Yeah, answer it.”
“Tony?”
“Hey, Pep.” She sounded breathless, and if he was being honest, he probably did, too.
“I’ve arranged for a press conference. I’ve kept them at bay for as long as I can, but we have to make an official statement.”
Tony sighed again. He needed another cup (or four) of coffee. “Yeah, I know. Thanks, Pep. You’re the best, you know that? That’s why I made you CEO.”
She gave him a tired laugh. “Really? It wasn’t because you’d rather lock yourself in your workshop all day instead of attend all of these meetings yourself?”
“You know me so well, Ms. Potts,” he smirked as he put the car in park. “Listen, I just pulled into the Tower. Why don’t you meet me in the penthouse and we can sit down with Peter, hash it out.”
“You’re just getting back? Where have you been,” she demanded incredulously.
“Tracking down our snitch.”
“Any leads?”
“Yeah,” he paused and took a deep breath. “It was Howard.”
“What? How- are you sure? Tony, that-”
“Yeah, I’ll fill you in shortly. Gotta go, Pep.” He ended the call as he stepped off the elevator and into the penthouse...which seemed empty. “Pete,” Tony called as a slight strand of worry wriggled its way down his spine. He really hoped Peter hadn’t taken the suit out again. The kid needed to stay put for a little while, let things calm down.
“Peter’s in the workshop, Boss.”
Tony breathed a sigh of relief and headed to the workshop. Turns out Peter was exactly where he had left him, sitting in the same chair and staring at the same holographic display Tony had seen before dashing out. Peter slumped forward as he stared at the blinking address, shoulders hunched in on themselves. Whatever lecture Tony had queued up about not running off without telling him died on his lips. This was going to be hard for everyone, but hardest of all on Peter.
His life, as he knows it, is over, Tony thought with a sigh. Everything is about to change.
“Hey, kiddo,” he said gently.
“Was it him,” came the small reply. “Was it r-really...him?” Peter finally glanced up from the screen, and the look on Tony’s face told him everything he needed to know.
“Yeah, kiddo, it was.”
Peter covered his face with his hands and groaned. “Why? What did I ever do to him?!” He brought his fist down hard on the nearest worktable, hard enough to leave a dent. “Great. Now I’m breaking things. Great. Just great,” he said as a tear slipped down his cheek.
“Hey. Enough of that,” Tony admonished and grabbed Peter’s hands in his own.
“Sorry. I-I’m sorry. I’ll fix the table,” Peter said miserably, looking everywhere but up at his Dad.
Tony forced the kid’s chin up to look into Peter’s sad brown eyes. “Bambino, I’m not worried about the table. The table’s seen worse than your fist.”
“It must be bad if you’re pulling out ‘bambino,’” Peter said. “How bad? What do we do now?”
Tony sighed, steeling himself. “You’re not gonna like it.”
Yeah, when has that ever stopped the universe, Peter thought.
“There will be an official press conference. Today.”
“Today?!”
“Increased security. Less time out in the open.”
Peter scoffed. “But I’m Spider-Man! Spider-Man doesn’t need a security detail!”
“Yeah, but Peter does.”
Peter rolled his eyes. “You’re right; I hate it,” he seethed.
“I know, kiddo. Trust me, I understand how much this sucks. For everyone, but especially you.”
Peter put his head down on the worktable. “I’ll never be normal again,” he lamented.
“You’re my son; nothing will ever be normal,” Tony answered with a smirk. It earned him a glare from Peter. “Ok, bad timing on that one. But Pepper’s here to talk through the press conference and that’s perfect timing. Ms. Potts,” he said as he turned to the redhead standing in the doorway.
“Hey, Peter,” she gave him a small smile.
“Hey, Pepper,” he greeted quietly.
“The kid’s not happy about...well, any of it, really,” Tony filled her in.
“No, I wouldn’t expect you to be, but I want you to know that we’re doing everything we can to safeguard your personal privacy.” She sat down at the worktable and pulled out her StarkPad, highlighting a few documents for Tony to look over. “I’ve called for a press conference this afternoon.”
Peter opened his mouth to protest, but she continued. “I know it’s not what you want, but we have to make a statement. If we continue to let the pres run wild, it would be worse. They would never leave you alone. These people are brutal.”
Peter sighed for the millionth time that morning. “What are you gonna say?”
“For starters, we would say that yes, the adoption is true. I’ll also remind the press that you’re still a minor, that the breach of your personal privacy was unlawful, and that anyone found following you around, at home or especially at school, will be prosecuted.”
Peter looked stunned. “You can do that?”
Tony gave him a wicked grin. “Kid, I don’t know if you’ve heard, but I’m kind of a superhero. People don’t want to piss off Iron Man.”
Peter rolled his eyes, but smiled anyway. It definitely didn’t hurt to have Iron Man as his Dad.
“I hate for you to go through all this trouble because of me,” Peter said as he glanced down at his hands again.
“Hey. Bambi. What did we say about this yesterday?”
Peter didn’t answer so Tony tapped him on the top of the head. “Focus up, junior. I remember dropping some wisdom. What was it? Come on; the class is waiting.”
“It’s not my fault,” Peter mumbled.
“That’s right; it’s not. So this,” Tony motioned to the three of them and the documents on the StarkPad, “is not a problem. And before you start apologizing for things that aren’t your fault, let me stop you.”
Peter paused with his mouth agape.
“If you utter the words ‘I’m sorry’ one more time, I’ll follow through on my threat to ground you for being too nice.”
Peter gave him a watery laugh. “Thanks, Dad.”
“Huh. I should fake threaten to ground you more often. That’s it; I’ve found the secret to parenting. Pepper, get me a book deal. I’m gonna make millions.”
Pepper rolled her eyes. “Are you done? We need to finish going over the details.”
Tony motioned for her to continue and she sat up a little straighter.
“After that, I’ll take a few questions, yes?” She turned to Tony for his confirmation.
He rolled his eyes. “A few, yes. If we don’t, they’ll hound us, the vultures.”
A shiver ran down Peter’s spine as he remembered fighting the actual Vulture a few years ago. This felt oddly similar, but he couldn’t use his powers to protect himself this time.
“I agree,” Pepper continued. “So that’s it. Short and to the point. Peter, any more questions?”
“No. Thanks, Pepper.” He gave her a small smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“We’ll get through this, ok? You’re a tough kid.” She eyed his Iron Man pajamas and tisked. “Let’s get you changed into something a little more presentable and I’ll introduce the world to Peter Stark.”
“Wait, what,” Peter asked, suddenly very confused.
“Really? You can’t possibly think you can go out for a press conference in Iron Man pajamas,” she deadpanned.
Tony chuckled. “Why not? I think it’s endearing.”
Peter ignored their banter and hyperfocused on one tiny detail. “No, my name.”
“Yes. Peter.” Pepper looked at him as if he had grown another limb.
“Parker. My name’s Peter Parker.”
“What? How did I miss that?” She searched through her notes on her StarkPad. “Well, I just won’t mention the last name and people will assume for now. But that’ll have to be changed, soon.” She turned back toward the door, nose still buried in the StarkPad. “Be dressed and ready in an hour,” she said without looking up.
Peter was floored. She had said it so matter-of-factly, like it didn’t affect her at all. And of course, it didn’t affect her, what his last name was. But it affected Peter and Peter wanted to stay Peter Parker. Well, he hadn’t really thought about it much, to be honest. But shouldn’t that decision be left up to him?
“Pete?”
He felt a hand land on his shoulder. He looked up at his Dad and silently implored him, begged him to see his side of things.
“Come on. Let’s get ready. We’ll talk about...the rest of that...later. Let’s just get through today, ok?”
Peter nodded and followed his Dad out of the workshop.
~~~~~
“We come to you now from the New York office of Stark Industries, where the famous Tony Stark has prepared a statement concerning the adoption rumors. Let’s listen in and see what he has to say.”
The man ignored the newscaster’s babble and focused instead on the teenager who walked on stage behind Tony Stark. The kid looked nervous and was clearly uncomfortable in the designer suit he wore, but tried not to show it. He winced a little as the flashes from the cameras blinded him. Tony threw a protective arm around the boy and leaned over to whisper something in his ear. The boy gave him a small smile in return. Tony patted him on the back before he stepped up to the podium to speak.
“Well, the cat’s out of the bag,” Tony said with a charismatic smile. “Peter is my son, and heir to Stark Industries.”
The audience erupted in shouts and questions, but Tony ignored them. Instead, he turned to glance at the young man on his right, Peter, and give him a reassuring smile. Peter was doing his best to focus solely on Tony.
A little late to post it I was stuck on the bus lmao but here is a new fanfic reading with a special announcement! I hope you enjoy this dramatic reading of Pizza Parker written by @viollettes This is an oldie but goldie tbh I love this fanfiction it’s so cute and I stan Pizza Delivery Boy Peter! For the sake of fluidity, Y/N will be replaced with Yasmine. Please be sure to like, comment and reblog the author’s work it really helps them out!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR OVER 100 SUBSCRIBERS! This is the first video in a series of short blurbs written by viollettes.tumblr.com called Pizza Parker! Expect a new video every day from 9.2.19 - 9.15.19. I hope you have an amazing school year and I hope that these videos continue to brighten your day and make you smile!
