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Tony Stark and the Cursed Child

Summary:

Tony Stark always knew who Peter Parker was. For a while, Tony hated that the kid even existed. A careless utterance made in a moment of jealousy leads Tony to a lifetime of guilty feelings. But Tony’s a scientist and knows curses aren’t real, right?

A different take on Tony and Peter’s relationship through the years.

Tags to be updated as chapters are added.

Notes:

Tony is very much a jerk in his chapter, which takes place pre-Iron Man while he is still a self-centered playboy. I promise he gets better in subsequent chapters, but it might take a while.

Chapter 1: The Curse

Chapter Text

It was another fancy reception at another scientific conference. For the most part, Tony didn’t really mind these things, despite how much he complained about them to Pepper and Rhodey.  He actually enjoyed the exchange of scientific ideas, the presentations, the indepth discussions and debates. And of course, he thrived on showing off his own genius.  

The conferences also gave him opportunities for new conquests. Smart is sexy, after all. And these conferences had no shortage of highly intelligent women. Few of them would turn down the chance to be with Tony Stark. 

Mary Fitzpatrick was one of the few. 

Mary was brilliant, of course. She was a leading researcher in her field and highly respected. She was also beautiful. Her wavy brown hair shone in the light and her green eyes sparkled. On top of that, she was witty, sharing Tony’s own snarky sense of humor. 

All of that made her very desirable. Tony thought she would be perfect. At least for a night, or maybe even a couple of weeks. He had no desire for a long term relationship with anyone, but Mary would definitely be fun for a while. 

He had known Mary for years, running into her at conferences like this one and other scientific events.  They often chatted. Sometimes they discussed her work in biochemistry or his latest developments in artificial intelligence. Frequently they flirted. But to Tony’s immense frustration, it never went anywhere. Tony would make advances and Mary would turn him down. It only made him lust after her all the more. 

Mary was known to be in an on-again off-again relationship with Richard Parker. Tony had known Richard for years as well. He honestly didn’t know what Mary saw in that  guy. 

Sure, Richard Parker was also highly respected in his field.  He had made quite a name for himself in cutting-edge genetics research.  He was a humble man with a down to earth attitude. He was generous to a fault, despite not being wealthy; he would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it more than he did.  He was the kind of guy who got along with everyone, who everybody liked. Not that Richard ever cared what other people thought of him. 

To make things even worse, Richard wasn’t impressed by Tony’s considerable wealth or fame. He didn’t care about fancy clothes or trips or the number of homes Tony owned. Richard enjoyed the simple things in life. He didn’t hang on Tony’s every word or automatically defer to Tony when they disagreed. Instead, Richard had the audacity to act like they were equals. 

Tony hated him. He refused to believe that someone like Richard Parker could win over a woman that Tony couldn’t. He refused to admit he was jealous of a clearly lesser man. 

However, the latest rumor going around was that Mary and Richard were currently off-again. If that was true, Tony felt sure that this would be the night he finally succeeded in getting Mary into bed with him. 

He scanned the room looking for Mary and found her by the bar. She looked lovely in a flowing red dress. He quickly met up with her. Tony grabbed a drink and offered to get her one as well. 

“No thanks, I’m good,” Mary replied as she sipped a ginger ale. It wasn’t her usual beverage of choice, but Tony didn’t think anything of it. 

They caught up on things since the last time they had seen each other. They talked about each of  their work, about Tony’s latest trip to Europe, about current affairs.  Then they progressed to gossiping about the other attendees. They traded snarky comments about their colleagues, and laughed together. Tony threw in some dirty jokes, much to Mary’s amusement. 

Tony was feeling very confident.  

“Spend the night with me,” he said, all charm. “I’ll make sure you don’t regret it.”

“I don’t want to spend the night with you,” Mary replied. She was clearly amused rather than offended by the proposition. 

“Alright, then spend a week with me. We’ll go to a tropical island. I know the perfect beach, completely private. You won’t even need your bikini,” He said seductively. 

Mary chuckled as she shook her head. “How many times do I have to tell you I’m not interested?”

Before Tony could reply, Mary added, “Besides, I’m married now.”

That took Tony by surprise. “Married? To whom? Don’t tell me you married Richard Parker.”

“I married Richard Parker,” she deadpanned. 

“I said don’t tell me! Since when?” Tony demanded. 

Mary smiled mischievously. “Since this.”  She smoothed her flared skirt over her stomach, revealing a small baby bump. 

Tony’s eyes went wide. “You’re pregnant? And it’s Richard’s?”

“Yes, and of course it’s Richard’s!” Mary chuckled at his shocked expression. 

“And you did this on purpose?” He gestured toward her abdomen. 

“The baby? Well no, but these things happen sometimes. It made us realize that it was time we settled down. You know how it is,” Mary said lightly. 

“I certainly do not know how it is,” Tony countered. After all he prided himself on his clear record in that area. 

Despite this unfortunate news, he stubbornly refused to completely give up on the prospect of spending the night with Mary Fitzpatrick. 

After a moment he said, “You could still get rid of it, you know.”

Mary was taken aback. “Are you suggesting an abortion?”

Tony smiled at her. “It’s a simple procedure and then you could run away with me.”

Somehow, Mary wasn’t even surprised by his outrageousness. “You never give up, do you? I don’t want to get rid of it.” She rubbed the small bump lovingly. “And Richard is good for me.”

“I thought I’d find the two of you together. Tony, are you trying to steal my wife?” Richard Parker said as he joined them.  His voice was light-hearted and without any anger. 

Tony regarded the other man. Like usual, Richard was wearing a wrinkled suit and a nerdy science-themed tie. His curly brown hair needed a trim and his alert brown eyes took in everything before settling on Tony. 

“Hello, Richard. Mary was just telling me your good news,” Tony said a little snidely. 

“Yes, we’re very happy,” Richard remarked sincerely. 

“Tony was just telling me how happy he is for us,” Mary said, her voice overly sweet.  

“Yeah. I’m thrilled for you,” Tony said sarcastically. 

“We just found out it’s a boy. We’re going to call him Peter, after Mary’s grandfather,” Richard said with a proud smile.  

“Peter Parker?” Tony scoffed, popping the P’s.  He thought the name sounded ridiculous. “Gotta love the alliteration. What’s the middle name? Wait, let me guess… Patrick? ...Presley? ...How about Pubert?” 

Mary glared at him, truly annoyed with the billionaire for the first time that evening. 

But Richard just laughed good-naturedly.  “Middle name’s Benjamin, after my brother.”  

“Come on, Richard,” Mary said to her husband. “I’m getting tired and I’m sure Tony Stark has better things to do than talk about baby names.”

“Of course, my dear,” Richard replied. “Good night, Tony. As always, it was good to see you.”

Tony waved noncommittally then gestured for the bartender to bring him another drink. 

He watched as the couple walked away.  Richard wrapped his arm around Mary and whispered something in her ear. Her warm laugh sounded like music to Tony’s ear.  Mary and Richard really were happy together. Damn them. 

Now Tony had no shot at all of bedding Mary. All because of that fucking baby. 

He scowled. “Peter Benjamin Parker. You damned brat. I hope you have a miserable life,” Tony muttered just before he threw back his drink. 

A small part of his brain warned him that it was not a good idea to curse a child, especially one who wasn’t even born yet.  But he silenced that part of his brain with another cocktail. 

Chapter 2: The Crash

Summary:

News of a tragic accident hits Tony hard.

Notes:

This chapter takes place five or six years after the previous one. It’s still pre-Iron Man. Tony’s still pretty self-centered at this time.

Throughout this story I’m going to try to stick with the MCU timeline as best I can. But the timing of events isn’t always clear and sometimes the MCU continuity is messy. So I’m going to just make my best guess.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

“Tony, are you planning on attending the scientific conference in London next week?” Pepper asked as she entered the workshop. 

He looked up from the repair he was performing on DUM-E. “I forgot all about that. I don’t know. Am I scheduled to give a speech?”

Pepper looked at her notes. “No.”

“Then why would I be going?”

“Well, apparently you told several of the attendees from New York that they could take a Stark Industries plane to London,” she sounded a little exasperated.  

“Uhm… did I?” Tony asked in surprise. “Was I sober when I said that?”

“If I had to guess, I would say no,” Pepper deadpanned. 

“That’s probably a safe guess,” Tony admitted. “The plane’s here in LA,” he pointed out. 

“I assume that you were going to fly from here to New York and pick up the other attendees there. The plane would need to refuel anyway.”

“Sure, that makes sense,” he agreed. “What was your question again?”

“Are you going to the conference?” Pepper repeated the question slowly, as through talking to a child. 

“Who’s attending from New York? Who am I going to be stuck on a plane with for six hours?”

Pepper set the page with the list down in front of him. Tony picked it up and started scanning the names. He was familiar with all the people listed, commenting as he went along. 

“He’s not bad… he’s good… she’s very good… he’s okay as long as I’m not sitting by him, but it’s my plane, I can sit anywhere I want, right?... oh, she’s a blast…”

Then his eyes fell on two names: Richard Parker and Mary Fitzpatrick-Parker. 

Tony set the list down. “No,” he said suddenly. 

“No, you’re not going?” Pepper asked, startled. 

“No, I’m not going.” Tony said firmly. 

He had no desire to be trapped on a plane with Mary and Richard. For the most part, he had managed to avoid them the past few years. He still ran into them at events, but their encounters were very brief and he preferred to keep it that way. 

“Should I cancel the plane, since you’re not going?” Pepper asked. 

It would be a huge inconvenience to those attending if they had to schedule flights at the last minute. Tony knew he could be petty, but he wasn’t that petty. 

“No. Send the plane to New York. They can take it to London. I won’t need it next week. And if I do, I’ve got others.” He turned his attention back to DUM-E. 

Pepper nodded and wrote something in her notes before leaving the workshop. 

———————

A week later Tony was in the office working  on the design for the latest SI weapons system. Pepper ran in shouting for him. 

“Tony! Tony, turn on the news!” 

“What’s going on?” he asked while Pepper grabbed the remote control and turned on the TV. 

“Tony… the plane…” was all Pepper could gasp out. 

The television showed emergency vehicles surrounding a fiery plane crash on an otherwise empty beach.  

“...This is breaking news… We are live on the scene. A Stark Industries plane has crashed on Jones Beach shortly after taking off from New York’s JFK airport. Emergency responders are working to put out the flames. We do not know if Stark Industries CEO Tony Stark was onboard or not. We do not know if there are any survivors of the crash…”

“Tony, oh my god!” Pepper exclaimed. 

Tony was stunned by the images. The scene was horrific.  

His phone started ringing. He answered it without looking at the caller ID. 

“Tony! Thank god!” Obadiah Stane’s voice came over the speaker. “Are you alright? Where are you?”

“I’m fine. I’m fine,” Tony assured him. “I’m here at the office. I wasn’t on the plane.”

“That’s a relief. I was so worried when I heard the news,” Obadiah spoke quickly.  “Look, the press is going nuts. We’re going to have to release a statement that you’re alive…”

“Yeah, yeah. Can you take care of the PR? Thanks.” he quickly ended the call. 

Tony’s eyes were still glued to the coverage on the TV. He was completely shocked by what had happened. 

The phone rang again immediately. This time it was Rhodey, who was nearly in tears.  Tony reassured his best friend that he was in fact alive and well in Los Angeles. Then the billionaire rushed him off the phone with a promise to talk to him later. 

Happy was next. Another worried call, another joyous relief that Tony was alright. 

After that he stopped answering his phone. He had already talked to everyone who mattered to him. Pepper took one call after another, apparently answering questions from the SI corporate officers and Board of Directors. 

As she hung up from one call, she said “Tony, we have to go. We need to take care of the press, and the Board, and…”

“Yeah, can you handle all that for now? I’ll be out in a little bit…” Tony asked distractedly. 

“Yes, of course,” she started to walk away, then turned back suddenly. “My god, Tony… if you had been on that plane…” 

He closed his eyes for a moment. “I know…”

Pepper seemed about to say something else, when her phone rang again. She answered it as she exited Tony’s office. 

Tony knew he should be thinking about the people aboard the plane - if they were alright or if they were even alive. He should be looking into what caused the crash. He should be pulling the plane's maintenance logs, the pilot’s record, the weather report, and anything else that could have been a factor. 

And he would do all that later. But at the moment all he could think about was how relieved he was that he hadn’t been on that plane.

The voice of the news announcer broke through his thoughts. “We now have confirmation that there are no survivors of the crash. The passengers were prominent scientists heading to a conference in London. We know that Tony Stark was not on the plane. He is currently at the Stark Industries headquarters in Los Angeles and extends his condolences to the families of those involved. We are told that Stark Industries will make a formal statement later today.”

The image on the broadcast changed, as the news channel put up pictures of those who died in the crash.  Tony recognized the pilot, who had flown his private planes many times.  Then there were the photographs of the scientists. They weren’t really his friends, but they were colleagues, acquaintances, his peers in the scientific community.  Many of them were people he liked and admired. He only half-listened as the reporter read their names, until she got to the end of the list. 

“...Richard Parker and Mary Fitzpatrick-Parker.  It should be noted that the Parkers were married and leave behind a five-year old son…” 

Tony grabbed the remote and turned off the television. 

He stood up, straightened his tie, and put on his sunglasses. Then he headed out of the office and confidently strode to the boardroom.  

Later that afternoon Tony held a full press conference. He expressed his admiration and respect for those whose lives had been lost. He extended SI’s deepest sympathies to their families. He vowed to investigate the cause of the crash.  He appeared sincere, somber, and professional.  He stuck to the cue cards Pepper had written for him. 

Late that night he was home and very inebriated. Rhodey had come over to check on him and the two had gone through several bottles of alcohol. 

“It’s my fault. The crash is all my fault,” Tony stated drunkenly. 

“No, man… It’s not your fault. It was your plane… but that doesn’t make it your fault,” Rhodey, equally drunk, tried to reassure his friend. 

“No you don’t understand… There was this kid… this baby.  Five or six years ago… I called him a damned brat and said I hope he has a miserable life.” Tony tried to explain.  

Rhodey was confused. “What baby? Whose baby?”

Tony pointed to the TV, despite the fact it was now off.  They had watched the news coverage earlier in the evening. 

“The damned Parkers and their damned brat,” Tony spat out. “I hate all of them.”  

“You liked Mary,” Rhodey pointed out. 

“Yeah, but then she chose Richard over me and they had the damned brat. So I cursed him.”

“Wait… What? What do you mean you cursed him?” Rhodey asked. 

“I told you, I said that I hope he has a miserable life. And I meant it… That’s what caused the crash. I cursed him and now I made him an orphan.”  Tony poured another drink.  

Rhodey shook his head. “There’s no such thing as curses. You know that. You’re a genius scientist.”

Tony swirled the glass in his hand, watched the liquid slosh around. “You remember my Nonna?” 

Rhodey grinned. “Yeah... sweet, crazy old lady from Italy. She always made those amazing cookies for us.”

“When I was a kid she told me about curses. That you can put a curse on someone if you wish bad things for them out loud and mean it in your heart. She told me stories about people from her village who had been cursed.” His voice sounded guilty, ashamed. 

Rhodey considered. “That’s just superstition.”

Tony nodded. “But what if it’s not?”

Rhodey shrugged. “If it’s not… I don’t know. The damned brat’s already an orphan. What more can go wrong?”

Notes:

I really liked the idea of making it a Stark Industries plane that crashed. That can feed Tony’s guilt conscience for years to come.

Something I realized after I wrote this chapter: when Happy took Peter to Germany - Peter’s first plane trip ever - it was in the plane that was a replacement for the one that killed his parents.

Chapter 3: The Stark Expo

Summary:

The events of the Stark Expo leave Tony with conflicting feelings about Peter Parker.

Notes:

This chapter takes place in the Iron Man 2 timeframe. Tony’s been through some stuff by now and his attitude is starting to slowly change.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

From the sky Tony could see the Hammer drones attacking the crowd. People ran away frantically, as explosions erupted around them.  Tony couldn’t believe this was happening. The Stark Expo was supposed to highlight successes, advancements in technology, and ways to make the world safer. It wasn’t that long ago that he landed on that stage in triumph, the hero surrounded by dancing girls and an adoring crowd. Now, it was all ending in ruin. 

Just at the edge of his field of vision, Tony caught sight of a small figure in the crowd. While everyone else ran in terror, one lone individual was standing his ground, not advancing toward the Hammer drones, but not running from them either. Tony focused on the figure and suddenly realized it was just a child, a young boy wearing an Iron Man mask. The kid was either incredibly stupid or incredibly brave, or both.  

Tony could see one of the drones zero in on Brave Kid and target him. Tony pushed the suit to go faster, urged JARVIS to give him all the speed he could. He couldn’t bear the idea of the child getting hurt at his Expo, under his watch. 

The metal monster towered over Brave Kid.  The child raised one hand slowly. In addition to the Iron Man mask, he had a toy hand repulsor.  The drone activated its weapon, the gun on its shoulder moved into firing position. Child and machine faced off. 

Tony touched down a moment too late. The Hammer drone fired, blasting Brave Kid directly in the chest and knocking him down. 

Tony fired his repulsor at the drone and destroyed it. He quickly knelt down beside Brave Kid. The boy laid there lifeless, with a hole in his chest. 

“Kid, no… no,” Tony begged. But it was no use. Brave Kid was dead and it was Tony’s fault. “I’m sorry,” he choked out. 

Tony reached out to remove the toy Iron Man mask. He needed to know who Brave Kid was. Just as his fingers brushed the edge of the mask…

...Tony woke with a start, covered in sweat. 

“Not again,” Tony gasped. He sat up in the bed and ran a hand over his face. He had been having the same dream a few times a week ever since that night at the Stark Expo. 

“Another nightmare?” Pepper asked as she rolled over to face him. She wasn’t fully awake. 

“Yeah,” he said softly. 

“Do ya wanna talk about it?” She asked blearily. 

“I’m fine. Go back to sleep.” He leaned over and kissed her gently. There was no sense in them both being up. 

Pepper made a small humming sound and closed her eyes.  She was asleep again immediately.  

Tony knew he wasn’t going to be able to sleep anymore that night. So he got up and changed into a tee shirt and jeans. Then he made some coffee and headed to his workshop. Might as well be productive.  

He was fixing the wiring on the latest Iron Man suit when Rhodey let himself into the workshop. 

“Time for a break, man. I brought some lunch,” Rhodey said as he set a paper bag on the work table. 

“Kinda early for lunch, isn’t it?” Tony replied without looking up. 

“It’s after one in the afternoon. Pepper said you’ve been down here since early this morning. You need to take a break and eat.”

Tony finally looked up, surprised that so much time had passed. He had been completely wrapped up in his work.  He let Rhodey lead him over to the couch and took the sandwich his friend handed him. 

They ate in silence for a few minutes, then Tony asked, “So what brings you here?”

“Pepper said you haven’t been sleeping. You’ve been having nightmares?” 

Tony sighed. He didn’t really want to talk about it, but experience showed that his best friend would get it out of him eventually. 

“You remember that night at the Stark Expo? The night we fought the Hammer drones?” 

“Oh, yeah.  I’m not likely to forget that anytime soon,” Rhodey deadpanned.  

Tony nodded. “There was this kid. I saved him, just in time. But I keep having these dreams where I don’t and he gets killed. I can’t get this kid out of my head and I don’t know why.”

“What happened? What do you mean you saved him?” Rhodey asked. 

Tony pulled up a holographic screen. “JARVIS, show him the footage.”

Tony had watched the replay countless times. He knew it by heart. Still, he couldn’t stop himself from watching it again. 

The scene unfolded just like in his nightmare.  The child in the Iron Man mask faced down a Hammer drone, even attempted to fight it off with a toy repulsor. Unlike the dream, Tony landed behind the kid just before the drone could fire and destroyed it. He quickly said “Nice work, kid” before immediately taking off again. 

“Wow,” Rhodey said in amazement. “That kid is either really stupid or really brave or both.”

Tony chuckled. “I know. But I like to think he’s more brave than stupid. I’ve been calling him Brave Kid.”

“Who is he? What happened to him after that?” Rhodey asked. 

Tony shrugged. “I don’t know.” Tony wished there had been a chance to talk to Brave Kid for a minute. After all, he had a soft spot for young Iron Man fans.  

Rhodey thought for a minute.  “JARVIS, check the recordings from the security cameras. Make sure that Brave Kid got back to his parents.”

“Certainly, Colonel,” the AI replied. 

They chatted about nonsense - what was going on at SI and Rhodey’s latest assignment - while they finished their lunch. 

JARVIS spoke up, “I have the footage you requested, sir.”

The black and white image started playing on the screen. They watched as Brave Kid ran to a couple of adults, who were obviously relieved to find him. The man lifted the Iron Man helmet off the boy’s head while the woman pulled Brave Kid into her arms. Then the man wrapped his arms around the woman and the child, embracing them both tightly. 

Brave Kid could only be seen in profile, but the adults’ faces were clearly visible.  

Tony couldn’t help but smile at the sight. 

“Any idea who they are, JARVIS?” Rhodey asked. 

“The child is unknown. However, the adults have been identified as Benjamin and May Parker of Queens, New York. They have been married five years and have no children,” JARVIS recited the facts he found. 

“No children? So who’s Brave Kid?” Tony asked in surprise. 

“Benjamin and May Parker have guardianship of their nephew, Peter Parker. Young Peter was orphaned three years ago after his parents were killed in the plane crash on Jones Beach.” The AI explained. 

Tony suddenly remembered Richard Parker’s voice: Middle name’s Benjamin, after my brother.

He was first shocked, then annoyed. “Brave Kid is the Damned Brat.” He spat out. 

“Damned Brat?” Rhodey asked in confusion. Realization hit. “Wait, you mean the kid you cursed?”

“Yeah.  Mary and Richard Parker’s kid,” Tony sounded disgusted. 

Rhodey shook his head. “What are the chances of that? I mean, of all the kids in Queens… Just think about it Tony.”

“Think about what?” Tony walked back to his work station where he had been repairing the Iron Man suit. 

Rhodey followed him. “Well, first you cursed the Damned Brat. Then his parents died when your plane crashed. Then he almost died at your Expo because your enemy was out of control. That’s all a hell of a coincidence.”

Tony grunted, but didn’t say anything. 

“Did he get a decent settlement from the crash?” Rhodey asked quietly. 

The plane crash had turned out to be an act of sabotage. Someone with a grudge against Tony had managed to get a job on the maintenance crew and had planted a device to blow up the plane.  The saboteur hadn’t counted on Tony not being aboard. When he learned that he had killed a bunch of innocent scientists instead, he had taken his own life. The confession was in his suicide note.  

Stark Industries had quietly settled with the families of those killed. For the most part, that had meant the parents or siblings. The Parkers had been the only ones with a minor child. 

“Obadiah handled the settlements,” Tony replied. He grimaced at the memory of his dead business partner. “But yeah, the Damn Brat got a very generous college fund. It’s enough for four years at any college, plus room and board.”  

Rhodey tapped on the keyboard and the image of the child in the Iron Man mask came up. He studied it for a minute while Tony worked on the suit. 

“He’s an Iron Man fan,” Rhodey said quietly. 

“What?” Tony asked sharply. He was irritated by the whole situation.  

“Brave Kid, or Damned Brat. He’s an Iron Man fan.”  He pointed to the picture on the screen. 

Tony shrugged. “Lots of kids that age are Iron Man fans.”

“Lots of kids didn’t lose their parents on a Stark Industries plane,” Rhodey countered. 

“What’s your point?” Tony was annoyed. 

The colonel shrugged. “I just wonder if he knows how they died.”

“Does it matter?” the billionaire asked bitterly. 

“I don’t know,” Rhodey said thoughtfully. “JARVIS, can you bring up a photo of the Damned Brat without the mask? Can you find one?”

The image changed to what was obviously a school picture. Tony only caught a glimpse of it before he commanded, “JARVIS, take that down. I don’t want to see that.”

He had managed to avoid seeing any photos of the Damned Brat during the settlement procedures. He had no desire to see one now. 

Rhodey sighed. “Tony…” he started. 

But the man didn’t give him a chance to continue. “I’ve got a lot of work to do here,” Tony gestured toward the suit. 

Rhodey knew their conversation was over. “Yeah. I get it. I’ll talk to you later.”  He let himself out of the workshop. 

———————

Hours later, Tony still couldn’t get the events of the Stark Expo out of his mind. Despite himself, he gave in to what felt like morbid curiosity. 

“JARVIS, bring up that picture of the Damned Brat.” 

Tony stared at the school photo of young Peter Parker. He was a little surprised to see that the boy completely resembled Richard. For some reason, he had expected the Damned Brat to have Mary’s eyes.  Wasn’t that the way it was supposed to go? Wasn’t there something about a tragically orphaned boy who looked like his father but had his mother’s eyes? Tony thought he had heard that somewhere.  

Peter did not have Mary’s eyes. His eyes, his hair, his nose, his ears, all his facial features all looked like Richard. Tony instantly remembered how much he disliked the man. He wanted nothing to do with that man’s child.  

But at the same time, Tony couldn’t forget that the Damned Brat was also the Brave Kid. Despite himself, he felt a small amount of warmth towards the boy. He wouldn’t call it affection, but it compelled him to look further into the child’s life. 

“Alright JARVIS, what can you tell me about him?”

There was silence for a few minutes while the AI hacked into records. 

“Peter Benjamin Parker. Age 8. Lives in Queens with his uncle and aunt. Ben Parker is an electrical technician. May Parker works as a nurses’ aide and is pursuing a degree in nursing. Peter attends public school in Queens in a program for gifted students. Interests are science and mathematics. Medical history includes several emergency room visits.  Most are related to asthma; however one was for a broken arm from a fall while learning to ride a bike.”

“Let me see their finances,” Tony requested. 

Several documents filled the screen.  Tony took his time going through them. The information left him disappointed and frustrated. Richard and Mary had been brilliant when it came to science, but not when it came to money. Bad investments and mismanaged funds meant that there had been nothing for Peter to inherit. 

Ben and May worked hard. Their income had been sufficient for two adults, but they struggled to make ends meet after taking in the boy. They were behind on the utility bills. Peter’s asthma was not being properly managed and the bills for his ER visits went unpaid. 

Tony’s stomach twisted with guilt. The settlement should have provided resources for the child’s upbringing instead of just his college education. But Tony had never bothered to check on that. He hadn’t wanted to deal with the boy and had trusted Obadiah to do what was right. This was just another way his old business partner had betrayed him. 

Tony’s hands flew over the keyboard. He paid off the Damned Brat’s medical bills as made sure any additional medical expenses would be paid for. He paid the utility bills.  He arranged for May and Ben to receive small, but substantial, bonuses from their jobs. He made an anonymous donation to Peter’s school, with the funds earmarked for new science equipment. In each instance, he funneled the money through various community organizations and made sure none of it could be traced back to himself personally or to Stark Industries. 

Tony told himself that he didn’t feel responsible for the Damned Brat. He wasn’t doing these things out of a guilty conscience.  After all, it wasn’t his fault Peter Parker just had lousy luck. 

Notes:

I rewrote this chapter a bunch of times with different characters involved, but the other versions never rang true and the conversations felt forced. Overall, I’m happy with the way this version turned out. I hope readers like it.

Chapter 4: The Assault

Summary:

Tony discovers that Peter’s babysitter has hurt him in the worst possible way.

Notes:

Warning for non-graphic references to child sexual abuse.

This was a very difficult chapter for me to write, for a variety of reasons. I don’t think I did the subject matter justice, but it was the best I could do.

This chapter takes place after Iron Man 3.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Tony hadn’t thought about the Damned Brat in years. 

That wasn’t exactly true. He did think of Peter Parker from time to time, especially when he saw a kid in an Iron Man mask. Then the thoughts would come unbidden, memories of the night at the Stark Expo and a vague wondering of how the young boy was doing. But he always tried to push those thoughts away quickly. 

JARVIS quietly monitored Ben and May Parker’s financial situation. The AI reported to one of Tony’s accountants, who had received strict instructions on the matter. If the Parkers hit a rough patch, the accountant was to make sure that they somehow came into extra cash. The money always came from Tony’s personal accounts, but was completely untraceable. It was always disguised as a bonus from work or a winning raffle ticket or (one time) a small inheritance from a distant relative neither Ben nor May had ever heard of. Once or twice a year, the accountant informed Tony that a transaction had been made. 

Tony thought it was a way to make amends, to appease his conscience. His rational, scientific brain told him that curses weren’t real. But another part of his mind nagged at him that maybe, just maybe, curses do work. After all, he had fought aliens and met mythical gods. If those really exist, why not curses? 

So Tony did what he always did when he caused some kind of suffering or destruction. He threw money at the problem and pretended that was enough. 

Then he had met Harley. 

Tony knew he wasn’t good with kids. Sure, he enjoyed interacting with young fans. He was always happy to spare a few minutes to take a photograph or sign an autograph. But his encounters never lasted longer than that. 

With Harley it had been different. They had spent considerable time together. The boy was clever, energetic, and tough. He was eager to help Tony, even excited about it. He had more than his fair share of difficulties, with his father abandoning the family and having to deal with school bullies. Still, the child didn’t let those things crush his bright, curious nature. He was annoyingly talkative and optimistic. Nevertheless, Tony found that he actually liked the kid, even though he didn’t share Harley’s conviction that they were connected. 

But Harley had made him think of another young boy around the same age. Tony found himself thinking more about the Damned Brat. What was his personality like? Was he obnoxiously good mannered like Richard had been? Or had he inherited Mary’s gift of snark? What were his interests? What did he want to be when he grew up?

These thoughts came to him late at night when he was alone in his new workshop in Stark Tower. He had already started to regret the impulsive decision to destroy all his suits. He was now creating holographic designs for an even more advanced model. 

“JARVIS, see what you can find out about what the Damned Brat has been up to. School, extra-curriculars, whatever,” Tony said while he worked out the new propulsion system. 

“Yes, sir,” the AI replied.  After a few minutes, he started to recite, “Peter Parker is a straight A student. He is a member of his school’s Mathletes team. He took first place in his school science fair with a project testing the environmental impact of chemical alternatives to road salt…”

“...He’s into chemistry, huh? That’s interesting,” Tony interrupted. 

JARVIS continued, “He took third place in the New York City-wide spelling bee.”

“So the Damned Brat is great at school. How about his medical records? Any more trips to the ER? Is his asthma under control?” Tony asked. 

“His asthma appears to be better controlled with a new daily medication.  He has had two trips to the emergency room in the past year. One was due to  asthma. The other was related to injuries suffered in an assault.”  

Tony looked up in surprise. “Assault? What do you mean? Who assaulted him? What did they do?” Had the Damned Brat’s guardians hurt him? If so, Tony was going to be livid. 

There was a pause before JARVIS spoke again. The AI’s tone was more heavy and serious than usual. “I cannot access the rest of the medical records. However, I have searched for additional sources of information. Many of the records are sealed, but Peter Parker is named as one of several victims in a case in Queens Criminal Court.”

“What kind of a case?” Tony was getting impatient. 

“Sexual abuse of a minor. The perpetrator was Steven Westcott, who babysat several children in his apartment building, including Peter.”

Tony swore loudly. He threw his coffee mug across the room. He slammed both fists on the table top. Again. And again.

Suddenly, his legs gave out. He stumbled backwards, missed the stool, and fell to the floor, landing hard on his butt. The room seemed to be closing in on him and he could barely take a breath.  

Eventually, he became aware of JARVIS’s voice calling to him, counting out a rhythm and telling him to breathe.  Tony realized he was having a panic attack. With the AI’s guidance, he finally got his breathing back under control. 

He stood up slowly, and clumsily sat on the stool. He waved away the designs of the new Iron Man suit, clearing the holographic displays. 

“Okay JARVIS, bring up the court files. Show them to me here,” Tony said in a low voice. 

“Are you sure you’re ready, sir?” The AI asked with concern. “The documents are rather disturbing.”

Tony nodded and took a deep breath. He wasn’t ready. He wouldn’t ever be ready. But he needed to see them anyway. “Yeah. Go ahead.”

The court files suddenly appeared on his displays. He took one more deep breath and started reading the documents. The case was horrific. Steven “Skip” Westcott had been babysitting children in his apartment building for years. And had sexually abused several of them. His victims were both girls and boys; he seemed to have no preference. He targeted kids who were particularly vulnerable - they were all described as shy, quiet kids who wanted to please the adults around them. Westcott manipulated and controlled the children by playing on their fears and insecurities. He used intimidation and shame to keep them cooperative and quiet.  

Peter Parker had been abused by Wescott for several months. Then the boy somehow discovered that Wescott was also abusing two little girls in the building. It was only then that Peter told his guardians what the babysitter had done to him and the girls. He didn’t speak up when he thought he was the only victim. But once he learned Wescott had hurt other kids, Peter knew he had to tell. He hadn’t talked to save himself, but he did it to save the others. 

Ben and May, along with the parents of the other kids, had immediately contacted the police. Peter had bravely answered all their questions and undergone the physical exam. He talked to the detectives and district attorney. During the investigation, more victims were discovered. The children were all terrified of Wescott. Peter was the only one willing to testify, despite his own fear.  Westcott was in prison for life, largely due to Peter’s testimony. 

Years ago, Tony called him the Brave Kid for standing up to the Hammer Drone. This was a completely different kind of monster, but he still deserved that name. He actually deserved it even more now. 

What Peter went through was heartbreaking and horrifying. Tony studied all the documents. He poured over the details of the police investigation, the medical reports, the transcripts of the trial. All of it made his heart sink. What really got to him was the victim impact statement written by Ben and May Parker. They wrote how before all this Peter had been a happy, cheerful child who trusted everyone and enjoyed trying new things. After the abuse, he became withdrawn and quiet. He was anxious, had nightmares, and barely ate. He got scared whenever his guardians had to leave him. He didn’t want to play with his friends and kept to himself in his room. 

Tony didn’t particularly like the Damned Brat - and didn’t want to like him - but no kid should ever go through that. Knowing this had happened tore at Tonys heart. Waves of guilt crashed down on him. 

Was this somehow his fault? Had he caused this? Yes, he had cursed the Damned Brat. He had wished the kid a miserable life. But he had never meant for something like this to happen. He had never meant for Mary and Richard to die, for their child to be a poor orphan and to be abused in the worst possible way. He never meant any of it. And yet these terrible, unthinkable things had happened to this innocent child. Were they all his fault?

A part of him screamed No, you didn’t do this!  This wasn’t on him. Curses aren’t real. Bad things happen to innocent people all the time - that’s a nasty truth of the world. Peter Parker was just extraordinarily unlucky. Tony tried to cling to that idea. 

But another part of his just as loudly screamed Yes, you did this! You cursed this child and didn’t bother to pay attention to what happened to him. You ruined a child’s life because you were petty and jealous and lusted after a woman who clearly did not want you. 

“I’m sorry!” Tony screamed suddenly to the empty room. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it! I take it back! I don’t want him to have a miserable life!” He didn’t know who he was pleading with - God or gods or the fates or some other entity. It didn’t matter. He would take whomever would listen. Tears slipped down the man’s cheeks, but he barely noticed. 

“Well? Do you hear me?” he demanded brokenly. “How do I take it back?” 

There was no answer. Not that he really expected one. He was going to have to take matters in his own hands and find some way to make amends. 

Harley had called him The Mechanic, had insisted that he could fix anything. But how could he fix a broken child? 

With additional digging over the next several days, Tony learned that the Damned Brat was attending court ordered therapy at the local community center.  Tony arranged a large donation to effectively buy himself a seat on the board of directors. (So what if it was technically unethical? He was an honorary board member of several charitable groups. It went with the whole genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist thing.)  Then he used his considerable influence and resources to arrange for the community center to hire the best child psychologist he could find who specialized in this type of trauma.  It wasn’t nearly enough. It didn’t make up for cursing the kid. But it was the best he could do. 

A few nights later, Tony was back in the workshop starting to build the latest design of the Iron Man suit. 

“JARVIS, new instructions. Set up a Damned Brat Protocol.  I want you to monitor for any news of Peter Parker and send it to me right away,” Tony told his AI.  

“What kind of news, sir?” JARVIS asked. 

Tony shrugged. “Monitor everything. Emergency channels, broadcast news, social media, his school newspaper. Whatever.”

“Very good, sir.” The AI seemed to approve of this development.  

Tony nodded, satisfied with the decision. He needed to do a better job. Next time something happened to the Damned Brat - and Tony was sure there would be a next time - he would know immediately.  If he couldn’t stop the bad things from happening, he could at least intervene as quickly as possible. He had to. 

Notes:

This story is about Peter’s life, but it’s really about Tony’s reaction to Peter’s life. So we aren’t going to directly see Peter’s traumas, but the effect these events have on Tony. So everything is presented from Tony’s point of view. This is in no way meant to belittle or disregard the personal point of view of children or of victims of crime. It’s just how I’m telling this story.

Stay safe and take care!

Chapter 5: The Bite

Summary:

Tony worries when he learns that Peter has been hospitalized with an unexplained illness. Later, Tony is confronted by an angry Ben Parker.

Notes:

This chapter takes place after Age of Ultron and before CA: Civil War.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

With the new protocol in place, JARVIS - and later FRIDAY - kept Tony up to date on events in the Damned Brat’s life. 

Tony knew about every academic award Peter earned. He knew when the boy got a broken nose in a fight with the school bully. He knew when the kid got into Midtown High School of Science and Technology. Despite being a public school, it was highly regarded as a top STEM school for gifted students in New York City. 

Tony knew when the teenager started selling items on eBay, despite being too young to do so legally. He was selling refurbished computers and some little gadgets of his own design.  Tony  guessed that the parts must have come from thrift stores.  He even bought a couple of the Damned Brat’s original gadgets, just out of curiosity.  Of course, he purchased them under a fake name and had them shipped to a PO Box. When they arrived, Tony was pleasantly surprised by both the workmanship and the ingenuity that had gone into them. The kid really was a genius.  

“Boss,” FRIDAY interrupted him one late one night as he watched something mindless on TV. “I have an alert on the Damned Brat Protocol.”

Tony smiled a little despite himself. “What’s he up to this time?”

“Peter Parker has been admitted to Queens Memorial Hospital,” the AI informed him. 

“What? What’s happened? Why is he in the hospital?” Tony demanded in alarm. 

There was a small pause before FRIDAY responded. “I’m accessing his records now. It appears he has an illness of unknown origin. High fever, pain, vomiting, and seizures.  He has been in and out of consciousness.”

“Is it dangerous? Is it life threatening?” Tony asked quietly. 

“Unknown at this time. The doctors are currently running tests to determine the nature of the illness,” FRIDAY reported. 

Tony sighed heavily as the all too familiar feeling of guilt twisted his stomach. “Monitor the situation, FRIDAY. Keep me updated.”

“Understood, Boss.”

Tony slept fitfully that night, he was restless and woke often. He told himself that something he ate must have disagreed with him.  It certainly wasn’t due to worry or anxiety.  He definitely wasn’t up most of the night thinking about the Damned Brat in the hospital.  Or wondering if this unexplained illness might somehow be related to the curse.  

Early in the morning he poured himself a cup of coffee and asked FRIDAY for an update. 

“His fever spiked to 104.3 overnight and he had another seizure. He hasn’t been able to keep down any food. The medical personnel are still trying to determine the cause of the illness.”

“What are they doing for him?” 

“The doctors are administering antibiotics and fever reducers through an IV.  Fluids to keep him hydrated.  The treatment does not seem to alleviate the illness.”

Tony considered for a moment. “Call Helen Cho,” he instructed the AI. 

After a moment, Helen’s tired voice came through the speaker on his phone. “It’s early, Tony. What do you need?” 

“You have privileges at all the hospitals in New York City, right?” Tony asked without greeting her. 

If she was surprised by the question, it didn’t show in her voice. “Yeah. Well, most of them anyway. Why?”

“I need you to go to Queens Memorial and take a look at a kid. He’s very sick and the doctors there can’t figure out what’s wrong with him.”

Now she did sound surprised. “A kid?”

“A teenager. He’s fourteen,” Tony clarified. 

There was a pause, then she asked. “Is he yours?”

“Definitely not,” he replied quickly.  “I just need you to figure out what’s wrong with him and how to treat it. FRIDAY is sending you the details.”

Helen sighed. “Is this a SHIELD case? Or an Avengers thing?”

“No… It’s more of a personal favor,” Tony replied. “Please,” he added as an afterthought. 

“Fine,” Helen said a little reluctantly. 

“And don’t tell anyone that you’re associated with me. I don’t want his guardians or the hospital staff to know I’m involved.”

“Sure, of course.” Helen agreed. “I’ll let you know when I know something.” 

————————

Two days later, Tony was sitting in a diner waiting for Rhodey to join him. It was just a coincidence that the cafe was across the street from Queens Memorial Hospital. The nearby tables were all empty, a fact enforced by a grumpy Happy Hogan, who chased away anyone who tried to sit in the same section as the billionaire.  The diner’s staff were too awestruck to say anything. 

Tony was engrossed in his tablet, reading Helen Cho’s latest notes on the Damned Brat.  Helen had introduced herself to Peter’s guardians as a special expert in diseases who the hospital had called in to consult on the case. The hospital staff knew better than to contradict her story.  

Helen had done a thorough examination of the boy and took several blood samples for analysis.  She had found a small bug bite on the teen’s upper arm.  She was working to identify exactly what kind of bite it was, but she suspected it was some type of spider. An allergic reaction to the bite had already been ruled out. Now Helen was looking into whether the bite could have transmitted some rare or exotic disease. The initial blood tests hadn’t turned up anything, so she was running a deeper analysis on the boy’s samples. 

For now, the teen was stable and seemed to be recovering from the strange illness. He still had a fever, but it wasn’t so dangerously high and the seizures had stopped. His appetite was returning and he was holding down the bland hospital food. Overall, the boy's condition was greatly improved.  

Tony shook his head in disbelief.  People get bitten by bugs all the time. Such bites were generally irritating, but harmless. But of course when the Damned Brat got  bitten, it resulted in a major health crisis. Another coincidence? Bad luck? Or was it the curse in action?

Angry voices broke through Tony’s thoughts and he realized Happy was arguing with someone. He half-listened to the exchange. 

“Look, Mr. Stark is not seeing fans right now. I’m asking you to respect his privacy and leave,” Happy said, calmly but sternly.  He physically blocked a man from reaching Tony. 

“I’m not a fan. I just need to talk with him for a minute,” the other man insisted. 

Happy stood his ground. “That’s not possible. Give me your name and address and he’ll send you an autographed photo…” 

“I don’t want a goddamn photo. You tell him that Ben Parker needs to speak with him.”

Ben Parker? That got Tony’s full attention. Ben Parker was the Damned Brat’s uncle. He definitely should let Happy handle this. He should not talk to the man. 

“Happy, let him through,” Tony called out, despite his better judgement. 

Happy turned and gave his boss an incredulous look, silently asking if the billionaire was sure about this.  At Tony’s slight nod, Happy stepped aside and allowed Ben Parker to pass him. 

Tony watched as Ben approached. He was dressed in a flannel shirt, faded jeans, and work boots. His facial features had a strong resemblance to his long-dead brother, a face which despite everything was still clear in Tony’s mind. It instantly reminded Tony of how much he had disliked Richard Parker. 

Nevertheless, Tony gestured for Ben to take a seat across the table from him. 

“What can I do for you, Mr. Parker?” Tony asked in his charming voice, the one he used for public appearances and the press. 

“You can leave my kid alone,” Ben Parker said firmly, no hint of apprehension in his voice. 

“Your kid?” Tony asked, as if he didn’t know who Ben meant.  

“My nephew. Peter Parker. I know you’ve been stalking him. I’m telling you to leave him alone.” 

Tony gave him a brilliant, fake smile. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Look, I know what’s been going on. Every time my family gets into a financial bind, there’s some kind of unexpected windfall...” Ben started. 

“I don’t see what that has to do with me.  It sounds like your family has unusual good luck,” Tony pointed out, somehow keeping the irony out of his voice. 

Ben shook his head. “Don’t insult me. I don’t need to be a genius to figure out where that money is really coming from.”

Tony didn’t reply and the other man continued, “Then there’s Peter’s therapist at the community center.  There’s no way a place like that could afford to hire someone with her credentials. But you’re on the Board…”

“I’m on the Board of many such organizations. I’m a philanthropist.  That doesn’t mean I do the hiring. In any case, I’m sure the residents of Queens deserve to have access to a competent therapist,” Tony pointed out. 

Ben didn’t acknowledge that. “And now Dr. Cho is working on Peter’s case at the hospital. It only took a quick google search to find out that she’s affiliated with the Avengers. And with you.”

“Dr. Cho has privileges to practice in hospitals all over New York. I certainly do not pick her cases for her.” Tony countered. 

“You also don’t frequent diners in Queens. But here you are, across the street from my nephew’s hospital room.” 

Tony frowned at that, his expression breaking for the first time. “How did you know I was here?”

“A couple of the orderlies were here earlier and saw you. I heard them gossiping about it. When my wife suggested I get Peter some real food, I thought I’d see if you were still here.” He shrugged. 

Tony narrowed his eyes. “And why are you here? What do you want, Mr. Parker?”

“I told you. I want you to stay away from my nephew. Look, it’s not that May and I haven’t been grateful for the extra help. But Peter is our responsibility. He’s not yours.”

Tony frowned. “Not my what?”

“He’s not your kid.” Ben said in a firm tone. 

“I know that,” Tony replied automatically. 

“Do you?” Ben questioned. “Look, I know that you and Mary had a history together. Richard told me she never slept with you. But I heard a lot of rumors at the funeral and afterwards. Several of their colleagues thought you and Mary had something going on, that you might be Peter’s biological father. Is that what you thought too? Is that why you suggested Mary get an abortion?”

Tony was flabbergasted by the odd combination of fact and speculation.  He didn’t know how to respond. 

Ben seemed to take Tony’s silence as some kind of answer. “You're not his father. That kid is Richard’s without a doubt.” 

Tony somewhat recovered from his shock. “I never slept with Mary. We were friends and yes, I was attracted to her. But she always shot me down. Of course the Da… of course Peter is Richard’s kid,” Tony explained before he could stop himself. Why was he telling this to Richard’s brother of all people? 

“Then what’s your interest in him?” Ben demanded. “Why can’t you leave my family alone?”

Tony shook his head. He didn’t know what to say. He certainly couldn’t tell Ben Parker about the curse. “Peter’s parents were friends of mine. Then they died on my plane. I just want to know the boy is alright.” It was simple. It was believable. It was almost true. 

“Don’t lie and tell me you were friends with them. You hated Richard. He  was just too nice a guy to hate you back,” Ben pointed out. Tony knew that was true. 

“You and your brother must have been close for him to tell you all this,” Tony said snarkily. 

“Don’t…” Ben said warningly. “I’m not as nice as my brother was.”

Tony snorted. Who did this guy think he was, talking to Tony like that? Tony was a billionaire, owner of a powerful company, and a superhero. He could destroy Ben Parker in so many ways. And yet Ben had the audacity to speak to him as though they were equals.  Just like Richard had. Tony was thoroughly annoyed. 

Ben spoke again, his voice angry and impatient. “Just stay away from Peter. He doesn’t need for you to be involved in his life. He’s been through enough and we just want him to have a normal life.”

It was just then that Tony noticed Rhodey sitting at a nearby table, smirking and obviously eavesdropping on the conversation. Tony wondered how long his best friend had been there. 

Tony looked back at Ben and plastered on his paparazzi smile. “This has been an interesting talk, but I have better things to do now. Give Happy your address and I’ll make sure you get that autographed photo.”

Ben ignored the false charm, but stood up to leave. “I need to head back before May wonders where I am.” With that he turned and left. 

Rhodey came over and took the just vacated seat. “So that was…”

“Ben Parker. The Damned Brat’s uncle,” Tony spat out. “He told me to stay away from the kid.”

“Are you going to?” Rhodey asked. 

Tony thought for a minute. “Yeah.”  He tapped his glasses, “Hey FRIDAY, call Helen and tell her to drop the Parker case.  No more contact with the family.”

“Sure thing, Boss,” the AI replied. 

“Good riddance,” Tony muttered. 

——————-

A couple days later, Helen stopped by the workshop, much to Tony’s surprise. 

“To what did I owe the pleasure?” Tony asked charmingly as he cleared his holographic screen to give her his full attention. 

“I’m here about the Parker kid.” Helen got right to the point. 

Tony frowned. “I told you to drop that.”

She shrugged. “I can’t resist an unsolved medical mystery.”

“Did you solve it?” Tony asked quietly. 

Helen smiled. “Partially. But I’m also curious why you were interested in this kid to start with and then suddenly not.” 

“He’s not mine, if that’s what you’re asking,” Tony said firmly. 

“I know that,” Helen replied matter of factly. At his questioning look she explained, “Your blood types make it impossible for Peter to be your kid. Besides, he’s the spitting image of Dr. Richard Parker.”

Tony looked at her sharply. “Did you know Richard?”

Helen shook her head. “Not personally, no. But I’m guessing you did. That explains your interest in his son.”

Tony shrugged. “Yeah. Something like that.” 

“Anyway, I’ve long admired Dr. Parker’s work. His discoveries about genetic replication were key to my development of the regeneration cradle,” Helen said excitedly. 

Tony thought about that for a moment. Many of the Avengers had been helped by treatments with the cradle after suffering injuries in the field. He didn’t want to think that they owed some part of that to Richard Parker. He pushed the thought away. 

“So what did you find out about the kid?” Tony asked instead. Like Helen, he couldn’t resist the mystery. 

She tapped at the keyboard and brought data up on the display. “He’s mutating.”

That was the last thing Tony had expected to hear. “Mutating how?”

“Whatever bit him altered his DNA. He’s mutating very much like Steve Rogers did after he was subjected to the serum.”

“So the Damned Brat is enhanced now?” Tony asked. The unflattering nickname slipped out before he realized it. 

“Damned Brat?” Helen asked with amusement.

Tony didn’t care to explain. “What did you find?” 

“I would need additional samples to be sure, but I suspect he has enhanced strength, speed, and healing as well as an accelerated metabolism and improved senses.”

“Well, that’s just fantastic,” Tony muttered sarcastically.  He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. 

“I know you said to drop it, but do you want me to contact his guardians? Do we have an obligation to tell them what I’ve found?” Helen’s voice was full of uncertainty. 

“No. The uncle made it clear that he wants no further contact from us. If the kid is enhanced like you say, I’m sure his guardians will figure that out soon enough.”

“You’re sure?” Helen asked. 

“Yeah. It’s not our problem.” Tony said dismissively.  

Helen nodded, but looked doubtful.  Then she let herself out of the workshop. 

After she left, Tony scrolled through the data on the screen.  He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. But the proof was undeniable: the Damned Brat was mutated and enhanced. How the hell did this happen? Was this curse ever going to stop?  

Angrily, he swiped the data off the display. “Not my problem. Let Ben Parker deal with it,” he told himself.  

Notes:

I like the idea of having Tony meet Ben Parker just once, especially with what’s coming next.

Chapter 6: The Robbery and The New Hero

Summary:

Another tragedy strikes the Parkers. Soon after, a new hero becomes active in Queens.

Notes:

It’s been a challenge for me to take all these events that everyone knows so well and put a new spin on them, a different perspective. It’s fun, but difficult at times. There are many well-written stories about these events, so that’s a little intimidating, but I hope readers enjoy my take on them.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Tony and Rhodey were in the workshop going over the upgrades the billionaire had planned for the War Machine suit. 

“This will give you better ease of movement while increasing the suit’s strength and durability,” Tony explained. 

Rhodey swiped through the holographic displays, studying each one. “The simulations look great. I can’t wait to try it out.”

Tony smiled. He loved doing this kind of work on the suits. He admired his own design as he said, “It should be ready for you in a couple days.” 

Rhodey nodded, then turned away from the screen. “Oh hey! I saw your Damned Brat was on the news.”

Tony looked up, startled by the change in topic. “First of all, he’s not my Damned Brat. He’s just a Damned Brat…”

Rhodey quirked an eyebrow. “ A Damned Brat? How many kids have you cursed?”

“Wh - What? ...No… Just the one,” Tony sputtered. 

Rhodey chuckled. 

Tony shot him an annoyed look and then asked, “Second of all, what do you mean he was on the news?”

“Some convenience store robbery in Queens.  Your Damned Brat was involved. I saw his picture on the news.”

Tony didn’t bother to correct him a second time. “When?”

Rhodey thought for a minute. “Two nights ago.”

For a moment, Tony was annoyed that Rhodey didn’t tell him this sooner. Then he remembered that to his friend, the Damned Brat was merely a topic of minor interest, but no real concern. Tony never shared all the details he knew about the kid, just little tidbits here and there. He never even told Rhodey about Helen’s discovery that the teen was enhanced after his recent illness.

“Involved how? Is he knocking over convenience stores now?” Tony asked irritably. Because now he had to wonder if the Damned Brat was the type of kid who would use his new powers to commit felonies. 

Rhodes shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t catch the whole story. Doesn’t FRIDAY tell you about these things?”

“Not anymore. I disabled the protocol last month after his uncle told me to stay out of their lives,” Tony’s voice was slightly bitter. 

“Yeah, I remember that,” Rhodes snickered.  He was still greatly amused that a guy like Ben Parker had the guts to tell off a billionaire. 

Scowling, Tony said, “FRIDAY, look up news reports about a robbery in Queens involving the Damned Brat.”

The AI answered much faster than he expected, as if she had the information already. “Peter Parker and Benjamin Parker were involved in a shooting at a bodega in Queens two days ago. The incident resulted in one death and two injuries. The robber evaded the police and got away.”

Okay, Tony thought, so the Damned Brat was a victim and not the perpetrator. At least he’s not out there committing crimes. Then it registered that FRIDAY said someone was dead and others were injured.  His blood ran cold with dread. What had the curse done this time? 

“Who was killed? And who was injured?” He asked. 

“Benjamin Parker was shot in the chest and pronounced dead on arrival at Queens Memorial Hospital. The store owner suffered a non-lethal gunshot wound to the shoulder. Paramedics on the scene reported that Peter Parker was injured with what was believed to be a graze from a bullet. However, examination by hospital staff found no evidence of injury.”

Tony’s thoughts were racing. What the hell had happened? Ben Parker was dead. And Peter may or may not have been hurt. Helen had said that fast healing could be one of the Damned Brat’s enhancements. Had the kid been injured and healed that quickly? Or had the paramedics been mistaken with all the chaos at the scene?

“So the kid’s uncle is dead?” Rhodey asked solemnly, bringing Tony’s mind back to that very important point. 

“Shit,” Tony muttered. Wasn’t it enough that the Damned Brat’s parents are dead? That he was already an orphan? Now one of his guardians is dead too. The all too familiar feeling of guilt settled in his stomach. 

“That’s rough. The kid really is cursed. What do you think will happen to him?” Rhodey asked reflectively. 

Tony’s eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

Rhodey shrugged one shoulder. “I just mean the Damned Brat’s uncle was his father’s brother, right? His aunt is only related by marriage. Is she still going to want him? She could send him to foster care.”

Tony was shocked by the suggestion. He couldn’t imagine the Damned Brat going into foster care. Not after everything else that had already happened to him. 

With a false calmness he said, “She’s raised him since he was five. Of course she’ll still want him.” 

“I hope you’re right, for his sake,” Rhodey commented, looking back at the planned suit upgrade. 

After Rhodey left, Tony carefully read the police report about the robbery. There wasn’t much more information than what FRIDAY had already told him. 

The police had no leads in the case. It was just an ordinary robbery, but one that happened to end in the death of an innocent bystander. Such things happened in New York all the time. It was tragic, but it certainly wasn’t uncommon. The police would look into it, but didn’t really have the manpower or resources needed to do more than a basic investigation. 

Tony told FRIDAY to let him know if there were any breaks on the case, but he felt pretty sure it would remain unsolved. 

———————

Tony didn’t attend the funeral, of course. But he sent a surveillance drone so he could see what went on. 

The Parkers were apparently not a religious family. They didn’t have a service in any house of worship, just a graveside gathering with a secular celebrant. The weather was cool, overcast without being too dreary. 

May was the very picture of a grieving widow, with her black dress and tightly clutched handkerchief.  She cried throughout the ceremony. But at the same time, her posture was straight and perfect. She was also a figure of strength and strong will. 

Peter stood beside her the whole time. He looked awkward, shoulders hunched in his ill-fitting suit.  He shifted around, his weight first on one foot, then the other. The boy was pale and his tears streaked his face.  He occasionally swiped at them with his sleeve. 

After the ceremony, the others in attendance offered May and Peter their condolences, then drifted away one by one. In the end, only the woman and the teen were standing together beside the fresh grave. Tony watched as May put an arm around her nephew’s shoulders, and pulled him towards her. Peter turned slightly, resting his head against her and cried. May’s other arm wrapped around him as well. She held him tightly and kissed him on the head. 

Tony turned off the feed from the drone. He had seen enough. He didn’t need to be a voyeur of their grief. He could see that May and Peter had a strong bond and he was certain that May would still want the boy. That was all he needed to know. 

——————

Three weeks later, Tony was having his breakfast when FRIDAY announced, “Boss, there’s been a development in the Ben Parker murder case.”

Tony dropped his fork in surprise. He swallowed his mouthful of eggs quickly. “What kind of development?”  

“The perpetrator has been apprehended. Apparently, he has confessed to the crime,” the AI informed him. 

Tony was shocked. “How did they find him?”

“An anonymous tip led them to his location. They found him in an alley in Queens where he was… stuck to the wall with… what appeared to be…  spider webs.” FRIDAY said a little hesitantly. 

“What was that?” Tony questioned. It didn’t make any sense. “Spider webs?”

“I’m sorry, Boss.  That’s what the report said.” FRIDAY sounded unsure. 

“What kind of a spider would web a robber to a wall?” Tony asked incredulously. 

“No additional information is available. The report is unclear on the matter.”

“I bet,” Tony muttered. 

Something itched in his brain. He pondered for a while, then pulled up a holographic display and said, “FRIDAY, do a search on spider webs and criminals captured in Queens.”

It took a few minutes, but then FRIDAY put the search results on the screen. There wasn’t anything really reliable, most of the results came from social media and tabloids. But there were several stories of a masked crime fighter who had first appeared a couple of weeks ago. He protected the residents of Queens from mugging, assaults, and other street-level crime. He had even saved people from being injured in traffic accidents.

The crime fighter identified himself as Spider-Man. Apparently he used something similar to spider webs to swing from one building to another and also to restrain the criminals he caught. It appeared that he never intentionally inflicted harm on those he captured, but preferred to notify the police instead. 

Spider-Man was reported to be unusually strong and unusually fast, with unnatural agility and dexterity. He also appeared to have superior senses. The hero apparently wanted to hide his true identity. He dressed in a hideous red and blue costume that resembled pajamas and his mask featured dark goggles. The costume didn’t seem to offer much protection. It was obvious to Tony that whoever this was, the person was enhanced. 

He had FRIDAY cancel his meetings for the day. Pepper would be angry with him, but he could deal with that. If there was a new enhanced individual active in the city, he needed to know the whole situation. 

Tony spent the rest of the day pouring through the eyewitness stories about the new hero. There were a few YouTube videos and he studied them intently. He watched  how the masked figure moved and listened to how he talked. It was obvious that the person had mad skills, but was young and inexperienced.  Tony thought that the enhanced powers must be relatively new. 

Suddenly something clicked in his brain. With a sense of foreboding he pulled up Helen’s file on the Damned Brat. She had speculated that the teen would have enhanced strength, speed, healing, agility, and senses. That all lined up with the videos and stories on the internet. Spider-Man.  The boy had been bitten by some sort of spider just before his illness. It was all too much to be a coincidence. The Damned Brat was Spider-Man. 

What was Tony supposed to do? Certainly fourteen was way too young for the kid to be putting himself in this kind of danger, wasn’t it? Should he stop the Damned Brat? Or should he just let the kid be? How much responsibility did he really have here? And was this somehow part of the curse? 

Ben Parker had wanted Tony to leave them alone, to stay out of their lives. Maybe that was the best course of action after all. Certainly the Damned Brat knew that Iron Man and the Avengers were at the Tower. He could find them if he needed help. Tony decided that until Spider-Man contacted them, he should just let things be. 

Of course if and when Spider-Man did decide to ask for help, Tony would have to be ready. He was going to have to do more research on Spider-Man’s powers and find out about those webs. It was time to start designing another suit. 

Notes:

At this point, Tony doesn’t know that Peter feels responsible for Ben’s death. He’ll learn about that later.

The next chapter will have the long-awaited meeting between Tony and Peter. It will be a little more lighthearted and fun (I hope).

Thank you for all the comments and kudos. Even when I don’t get a chance to respond to all the comments, I still love them and appreciate the encouragement.

Chapter 7: The Meeting

Summary:

When the Avengers team splits apart, Tony feels desperate and recruits Peter Parker.

Notes:

I’m trying to avoid rewriting scenes that exist in the movies as much as possible. For one thing, I assume the the readers are familiar with these scenes. For another, I think they are already very well done, both in the movies and in other fanfics. So I try to write around the scenes in the movies, to show the moments that weren’t captured on film. However some scenes are impossible to avoid, like this first meeting between Tony and Peter.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

“We’re seriously understaffed…” Natasha said in a hushed tone. 

Tony knew it was the truth. He knew they needed more manpower to bring in Steve and the others. He knew they were desperate. And he knew desperate times called for desperate measures. 

“I have an idea…”

——————

Happy drove through Queens while Tony reviewed the data he had gathered on Spider-Man’s abilities. Over the past few months he had monitored social media and the local news for any stories about the young hero.  He knew that Spider-Man had super strength, speed, agility, and healing. Additionally his senses were more acute, but Tony wasn’t sure of the extent. 

He had managed to collect samples of the strange webbing. It was hard to study the webs before they dissolved, but he had managed to discover a few things. For one, they were synthetically made, rather than produced by Spider-Man organically.  The hero used wrist devices to shoot them. But Tony didn’t know who actually manufactured the webs. They were also incredibly strong, with tensile strength off the charts. 

Another thing Tony didn’t know was how Spider-Man climbed walls.  He strongly suspected it was some kind of adhesive on the gloves, another lab-created substance.  

Tony had already created the Spider-Man suit. It would give the kid some protection without interfering with his known abilities. But he would need to get some more information from the Damned Brat so he could make adjustments before the trip.  

“We’re here,” Happy’s voice broke into his thoughts. 

Tony looked at the ugly building with its bleak architecture and stained brick. 

“You called the aunt earlier?” Tony asked. 

“Yeah. I told her you wanted to talk and verified what time the kid gets home from school. She’s working a late shift tonight, so you’ll have a couple hours before she needs to leave.”  

“That’s more time then I’ll need,” Tony replied as he exited the car. “You should wait here.”

“Sure,” Happy agreed. He didn’t want to be part of that conversation anyway. 

Tony took a deep breath as he approached the apartment.  He didn’t think May Parker knew about her nephew’s alter ego. So he had a well thought out cover story. 

He put on his best press-worthy smile and knocked on the door. It swung open immediately and he was met with an attractive, but stern-looking woman about his own age.  

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Parker,” he said charmingly. 

“Hello, Mr. Stark,” she opened the door wider and stepped aside. “Please come in before the neighbors see you.” 

May showed him into the living room, where he took a seat on the couch. The apartment was small with a cozy feel. The decor was outdated and the furnishings showed some wear and tear. But Tony guessed that everything would have been considered stylish when it had originally been purchased. He realized that Ben Parker’s death, and the subsequent loss of his income, must have put a huge financial strain on the woman. 

“Would you like some coffee?” May asked cordially. 

“Yes, thank you.”

She placed a cup on the coffee table, as well as a plate of some type of nut and fruit bread.  “My famous walnut date loaf. I just made it.  Please try some.” She sat on the other end of the couch. 

Tony smiled as he took a bite.  Then he suppressed a grimace as the tough, overly spiced bread hit his taste buds.  He forced himself to chew and swallow as May watched him approvingly. He washed it down with the coffee, which was surprisingly decent. 

“Mrs. Parker…” he started. 

“Mr. Stark, if this is about the settlement, I assure you we have kept up our end of the deal,” May Parker said firmly. 

What did that mean? Had Obie set up the settlement with strings attached? Tony had never wanted that. 

“I’m sorry, what do you mean by your end of the deal?” he asked with false calmness. 

May glared at him. “We promised not to talk to the press about the plane crash and we never have. Ben and I never did.” She faltered a little when she mentioned her late husband. 

“Mrs. Parker…”

“Look, it’s not Peter’s fault that some reporters ambushed him after school. He’s just a kid. He shouldn’t lose his chance of going to college because of it.” May spoke very quickly. 

Goddamn it, Obie! Tony thought. 

“Mrs. Parker,” he interrupted more forcefully and the woman fell silent. “I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I don’t care who you talk to about the crash.”

May folded her arms over her chest. “Then why did you make that a condition of the settlement?”

“I didn’t. That was my late business partner.  I didn’t know he did that…” he uncharacteristically stumbled through the words. Tony took a breath and started again. “You can talk to whomever you want. I don’t care.”

May nodded, acknowledging the statement. “Thank you.”

More softly, Tony asked, “Why are reporters ambushing Peter after school?”

May sighed. “The tenth anniversary of the crash is coming up. Some reporters want to interview Peter about it, get a statement from him.”

Tony frowned. Ten years. Was it really ten years already? Mary and Richard had been dead for a decade. Guilt twisted his stomach. Or maybe that was the walnut date loaf. 

“Peter can talk to them if he wants. But they shouldn’t be harassing a minor. I’ll take care of it.” 

“Thank you.”  May seemed to relax for a moment. Then she tensed up again and asked carefully, “If it’s not about the settlement, why are you here?”

“I’m here about the grant Peter applied for,” Tony said brightly, using the cover story he had concocted. 

May looked confused. “Grant? What grant?”

“You’ve heard of the September Foundation?” Tony was sure she would have heard of it. There had been a lot of news coverage. 

“Yes, but I thought that was for college students.”

Tony nodded. “It is, for the most part. But we’re starting a small initiative for a few of the best and brightest high school students in New York.”

“Peter never told me that he applied for any grant…” May started. 

Tony was expecting that. “We’ve been working with the top STEM schools to identify candidates. The applications were done through the schools. Peter goes to Midtown Tech, right? That’s a very highly rated school. I understand he’s at the top of his class.”

May nodded with a look of pride on her face. “I guess that makes sense. So what’s involved with this grant?”

Tony flashed her a smile. This part had to go well. He forced himself to eat more of the bread. “The program Peter was accepted for includes an internship at Stark Industries.  He will work with me on developing new technology.”

“An internship? Isn’t he a little young for that? And what about school?” May asked with concern. 

“I will personally make sure the internship does not interfere with his school work. And he will gain experience that will look great on his college applications.” Tony was charming and reassuring. 

May still seemed uncertain. “And this has nothing to do with the settlement? Nothing to do with his parents?”

Tony shook his head. “No. This is just about Peter. He is an extraordinary young man. And he deserves every opportunity to succeed.” Tony hoped that sounded sincere. 

Thankfully, May seemed to accept that. Now, for the most important part of the ruse.  

“There’s an intern retreat at one of the SI facilities upstate this weekend. I would very much like for Peter to attend.”

“This weekend? It’s already Friday afternoon. That’s pretty short notice,” May sounded a little annoyed. 

“Yes, I realize that. But it will give him a chance to meet other interns, go through orientation, and become familiar with the company,” he lied smoothly. 

“That does sound helpful,” May considered. “Alright. He can go. As long as he has time to finish his homework.”

“Of course,” Tony agreed quickly. “My driver will pick him up this evening.”

Just then, they heard a key in the lock and the door swung open. 

“Hey, May,” a young voice called out. 

Tony barely caught a glimpse of the Damned Brat as he walked through the kitchen. The teen was commenting on the “crazy car” parked outside when he came into full view and suddenly stopped. 

They stared at each other for just a moment.  It was Tony’s first real look at the child he had cursed. This was the Damned Brat he had spent years - watching over? ...monitoring? …stalking? - Tony wasn’t even sure what word accurately described the situation. This was the Brave Kid who had faced off with a Hammer drone while wearing a toy mask, who had suffered one tragedy after another.  

The teen was smaller than Tony had expected. And he looked young, so very young. What the hell am I doing here? Tony asked himself. But then he pushed that thought aside. Desperate times called for desperate measures, after all. 

The kid sure didn’t look like much, but Tony was aware that his scrawny frame hid wiry muscles. His face was the spitting image of Richard Parker. Tony felt an instant aversion to him because of that and had to turn up the charm to hide it. 

Luckily, the kid went along with the story about the grant. He was a bundle of excitement and nerves. He obviously wanted to hide the truth from his aunt and was able to disarm any suspicion she had by invoking her love of surprises. It only took a few minutes for Tony to get the chance to talk to the Damned Brat in private. 

Peter’s bedroom was pathetic.  It was tiny, the sparse furnishings crammed together.  A small closet with no door was set into one corner. The twin bed frame lacked a headboard and was shoved up against a wall. The bedside table was a couple of milk crates and a pile of books with an old lamp set on top. The desk was just two stacks of milk crates with a beat-up slab of wood spread across them. Tony suspected this was the missing closet door.  A kid deserved better, even this kid. 

The desk was covered with pieces of technology in various stages of being torn down and rebuilt, as well a few finished projects he recognized from Peter’s eBay store. He was a little surprised to discover that Peter was a dumpster diver. It was amazing that the kid had done so much from the scraps he found in the trash. 

The Damned Brat initially denied being Spider-Man. But when Tony found the hidden suit, he deflated and admitted to it. He seemed particularly anxious to keep his aunt from finding out his secret. 

Tony questioned him briefly about the web fluid, the dark goggles, and how he climbed walls. Tony got ideas for some quick improvements he could make to the Spider-Man suit. Then he asked what he really needed to know, why the Damned Brat was doing all this anyway.  

Peter looked at him, looked away, looked down. He talked about how he had only gotten his powers six months ago and how no one could know he was different. While he talked, Tony searched for some resemblance to Mary. To his immense disappointment, he found none. 

Then Peter said, “Look, when you can do the things I can, but you don’t… and then the bad things happen, they happen because of you.”

That took Tony by surprise. It was the complete opposite of his own philosophy.  Tony felt guilty when did the things he could and then bad things happened. But Peter seemed more worried about failing to act when he had the opportunity to help. He just wanted to make the world a better place. 

It was such a Richard thing to say. Tony hated that. 

He needed to get this over with and get out of there. He told Peter they were going to Germany.  To Tony’s disbelief, the Damned Brat tried to turn him down, claiming he had homework. So Tony threatened to tell May the truth and was shocked to find his hand solidly webbed to the door knob. 

“Don’t tell Aunt May,” Damned Brat said with a firmness Tony hadn’t expected. 

“All right, Spider-Man,” Tony agreed. Then more irritably, he added, “Get me out of here.”

“Just let me get…” Peter’s words trailed off as he grabbed a bottle of liquid from the desk. 

The boy worked the liquid into the webs. “This will just take a minute or two to dissolve them.”

Tony was impressed despite himself. The billionaire hadn’t been able to recreate the web formula or figure out a dissolvent. This kid really was a genius. 

“I already told May that I’ll be taking you on an intern retreat upstate this weekend. My driver will pick you up later this evening to take you to Germany,” he said in a low voice. 

“I told you I don’t have a passport…” Peter reminded him. 

“No worries.” He waved the boy's concern away with his free hand.  “You’ll be on a private jet. There are ways to avoid the usual check in with customs.”

“An Avengers jet? A quinjet?” Peter asked excitedly. 

Tony thought for a minute. He would be taking the quinjet back to Germany. But he had no intention of spending a long flight with Richard Parker’s son. It would be better for the Damned Brat to travel separately with Happy. 

“No, a Stark Industries plane,” Tony replied. 

Peter paused in his task. His face fell and his eyes unfocused for a moment. Tony suddenly remembered that May had mentioned the upcoming anniversary of the plane crash that had killed Mary and Richard. A Stark Industries plane. 

“It’s perfectly safe,” Tony said reassuringly. 

Peter nodded, his attention pulled back to the task. “So, you told May that you’re taking me upstate, but you’re actually going to smuggle me into a foreign country? That sounds a lot like kidnapping.”

Tony looked at him in shock, about to protest that characterization. Then he caught the mischievous half-smile on the boy’s face. Finally, Tony saw something of Mary in him. It was strangely endearing. 

“Yes, Iron Man is kidnapping you,” Tony said dryly as he was freed from the web. 

Peter chuckled as he opened the door and the two returned to the living room.

“Everything all settled?” May asked. 

“Yes, thank you,” Tony replied charmingly. 

“Here, I wrapped up the rest of the walnut date loaf for you.  You can take it with you,” she said warmly. May pressed the foil wrapped package into his hand. He had no choice but to accept it, despite his dislike of being handed things. May grinned at him sweetly while Peter looked smug. 

“I’ll walk you out,” the teen offered as May returned to the kitchen. 

“You never did tell me how you stick to walls,” Tony said in a voice below even a whisper. He knew that it would have been in Cap’s range of hearing and wondered if the boy’s senses were similar. However Peter didn’t react, so Tony thought the Damned Brat’s senses weren’t quite as acute as the super soldier’s.  

“It was nice meeting you, Mr. Stark,” the boy said politely once they reached the door. He put his hand out to shake Tony’s.  

The billionaire hesitated for just a moment, then shook the kid’s hand. The Damned Brat had a strong grip, just short of painful. Tony was sure the teen could have broken every bone in his hand with only a slight effort. 

The boy relaxed his fingers, but when Tony tried to pull his hand back, it was stuck. There was a very odd sensation in the skin of his palm. It was like suction, like a tingling, like an itch - but wasn’t really any of those. It was almost unpleasant.  

Tony looked at their hands in shock. He tried again to pull away, without success. He looked at Peter’s face. 

The boy smirked at him. “That’s how,” he mouthed soundlessly.  There was a self-satisfied glint in his eye. Again, Tony saw an echo of Mary in her son’s face. It startled him almost as much as the sticky hands. But even more startling was the warm rush of affection that suddenly washed over him. 

Then the moment was over. The odd sensation was gone and Tony’s hand fell to his side. Peter’s face was once again innocent, with only a trace of a smile remaining. 

“Did you have anymore questions for me, Mr. Stark?” the teen asked. 

“No. But May said that some reporters have been harassing you.” 

Peter scowled and looked away, his confidence evaporated. 

Tony continued, “If you want to talk to them, that’s fine. But if you don’t…”

“I don’t want to,” Peter interrupted quickly. 

The man nodded. “I’ll take care of it. They won’t bother you anymore.” His voice was soft and gentle. 

“Thank you, sir,” Peter said sincerely.  

“Go get packed. The car will be here soon,” Tony said before he walked away. 

Once outside, Tony tossed the foil package into the nearest trash can.  

He was bringing a teenage superhero into an Avengers fight.  He hoped this wouldn’t turn out to be a huge mistake. The Damned Brat better know what he was doing. 

Notes:

It’s my own head cannon that Peter accidentally destroyed his original bedroom furniture while trying to figure out his new powers. Due to financial issues, he replaced it with milk crates. In the movie, you can clearly see the makeshift bedside table. And in the post-credits scene, you can see that the desk is a wooden board set atop more stacks of milk crates. I love that.

Happy Thanksgiving if you’re somewhere that celebrates it! If you’re not, have a wonderful day anyway. Stay safe and be well!

Chapter 8: The Trip to Germany

Summary:

Tony makes final preparations to take Peter to Germany. After the battle, some of the Avengers react to meeting Spider-Man.

Notes:

The first part of this happens right after the previous chapter, after Tony leaves May and Peter’s apartment. The rest takes place immediately after the airport battle, and before the scene where Tony confronts Natasha. At this point, he doesn’t know about a Nat’s part in Steve and Bucky getting away.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

After he left the Parkers’ apartment, Tony spent a few hours making adjustments to the Spider-Man suit.  He changed the eye lenses to compensate for the Damned Brat’s sensory sensitivity. Since he had pocketed a fresh sample of the web fluid, he recalibrated the web shooters. He also spent time refining the materials on the gloves and boots to avoid interference with the kid’s natural stickiness. 

Once he was satisfied with the suit, he turned to the next task at hand. Tony had been honest when he told the kid that the lack of a passport wouldn’t be a problem. They could easily get around customs. But getting around the U.N. was a different thing entirely.  Spider-Man was too young to legally sign the Accords, so someone needed to fill out the required paperwork and sign on his behalf.  Tony sighed, then picked up his pen. He only paused for a moment before he wrote down all the Damned Brat’s information and signed the documents.  Then he told FRIDAY to forward them to Secretary Ross. 

Tony felt just a little bad about it. But he had only agreed to not tell May Parker about the teen’s crime fighting activities. He never said anything about not telling the government. Still, it shouldn’t be a problem. As long as the kid stuck with fighting minor crimes, he wouldn’t run afoul of the Accords or attract undue government attention. The kid didn’t even have to know that Tony had signed for him. Still, he did feel a twinge of guilt. 

Once again, he reminded himself that desperate times call for desperate measures.  

——————-

The fight at the airport was a shitshow and ended, as Vision had predicted, in catastrophe.  

Rhodey was seriously injured and there was no doubt the rest of the team had minor injuries. Steve and Barnes had somehow gotten away. 

Ross showed up with his troops to round up Sam, Clint, Wanda, and Scott. Tony was shocked and disgusted to learn they were being taken to the Raft. That was an ultra high-security prison for the most dangerous threats. It wasn’t supposed to be for Avengers who disagreed with the U.N. 

Rhodey was rushed by air ambulance to the nearest secure medical facility. The rest of them, whoever was left, were quickly taken there by ground transportation.  

While Rhodey underwent the first of many scans and tests, the others were treated for their injuries. Tony had been banged up a lot, but nothing was too serious. He had a lot of bruising and a sprained wrist. 

Once he was cleared by the doctor, Tony went to the neighboring exam room. He gave a perfunctory knock before pushing the door open and entering. 

The Damned Brat perched on the exam table in just his boxer shorts while a doctor examined him. The boy had bruises on his face, chest, ribs, and legs. Tony winced a little at the sight.

Happy was scowling in the corner of the room, half watching the exam and half reading something on his phone. Tony had assigned his Head of Security the miserable task of babysitting the Damned Brat and the man was obviously not happy about it. 

“How is he?” Tony asked the doctor. 

“Are you legally responsible for him?” The doctor asked, glancing toward the adult superhero. 

Tony nodded. “I am for this.” Peter looked a little surprised at that statement, but didn’t say anything. 

The doctor seemed to accept that. “He’s got a torn muscle in his shoulder, a couple of cracked ribs, and multiple contusions.  No sign of concussion.  I understand he has accelerated healing and I can see that his injuries are already improving quickly.”

“Uhm...about that…” Peter started nervously. 

“Don’t worry about it, kid,” Tony interrupted. “This is a secure U.N. facility and everyone here has signed Non-Disclosure Agreements.” 

Peter nodded and seemed to be reassured. It was obvious he trusted Tony, even if that trust was misplaced. 

The billionaire turned back to the doctor. “So what do we need to do for him?”

“I expect that with food and rest he will be fully recovered in a couple days, if not sooner.”

Tony thanked the doctor politely. He felt more than a little relieved that the Damned Brat wasn’t more seriously hurt. His stomach had been in a knot since the moment the kid had been knocked out of the sky.  

“How’s Rhodey?” Happy asked as soon as the doctor left the room. 

Tony shook his head. “It’ll be a while before we know anything.” 

His best friend was most likely permanently injured. Tony didn’t know just yet how to deal with that. He felt guilty. He felt furious with Steve. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. 

His gaze landed on the Damned Brat as the boy hopped off the exam table and grabbed a faded backpack from the floor. 

“Happy, take him back to the hotel,” Tony said dismissively.  

“No,” the grumpy man replied firmly.  “I’m staying here until we know about Rhodey.” Happy crossed his arms over his chest. His body language and facial expression showed that he wasn’t going to be convinced otherwise. 

Tony knew he shouldn’t be surprised. Over the years, Happy and Rhodey had become good friends, even if the main thing they had in common was putting up with Tony. It made sense that Happy would insist on staying. 

“It’s okay. I don’t need to go back to the hotel. I can hang out here,” Peter said quickly as he rummaged through the backpack. 

“What’s all that?” Tony asked with mild curiosity. 

“Oh, just some extra clothes and my homework,” the boy replied. He pulled out a tee shirt and athletic pants and started to get dressed. 

Tony looked at Happy questioningly. 

“He brought it to the airport fight,” Happy explained with a bit of exasperation to his voice. 

Tony frowned. What kind of a superhero brings homework to a battle? Oh right, one who is just a child. It was a terrible reminder of just how young the boy was. What had he been thinking, pulling a kid into this mess? 

Tony would prefer for the teen to go back to the hotel, so the Damned Brat would be out of sight and out of mind for at least a little while. Plus he didn’t know how the others would react to learning that Spider-Man was a kid. But with Happy refusing to go, they would all just have to deal with it. 

“Just stay out the way,” Tony admonished the boy. 

Peter nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Come on, I’ve arranged for a private waiting room to be set up for us,” the billionaire led them down the hall and around the corner. 

The waiting room was surprisingly spacious, with several comfortable looking couches and easy chairs. A table had been arranged with platters of thick sandwiches and a variety of beverages. 

Vision and Natasha were already there. T’Challa must still be seeing the doctor - apparently he had taken some hard hits right at the end of the battle. The android was staring out the window contemplatively. The super spy was settled into one of the soft chairs with a plate of food. They both looked up as Tony and the others entered the room. Natasha studied the teenager for a moment, but didn’t say anything. Peter ducked his head shyly as his stomach growled loudly. 

“Eat something,” Tony told the kid in a quiet voice. He remembered the doctor had said that food would help the boy heal faster. 

Peter piled a plate with sandwiches and sat cross-legged on a couch in the far corner of the room. He pulled a textbook and papers out of his backpack and proceeded to do some homework he ate. 

Tony ate a little, without really tasting anything. Then he paced the room as they waited for news on Rhodey.  Out of the corner of his eye, the man watched Peter. The boy ate more sandwiches than the rest of them combined and completed his chemistry homework. After a while, he sprawled out on the couch and fell asleep, the chemistry textbook clutched against his chest. 

The kid had done well in the fight, even better than Tony had expected. He had shown himself to be strong, brave, and quick-thinking. He had been a great help to his teammates. The teen had a lot to learn, but he had great potential. In an odd way, Tony felt proud of the kid. The feeling left him a little uneasy. More than that, he worried that he was starting to actually like the Damned Brat. 

Eventually, Vision moved away from the window. He walked over to the couch and stood over it as he watched the sleeping teenager for several minutes.  Then he gently removed the heavy textbook from the boy’s grasp, setting it on the side table. 

“This is Peter Parker,” Vision said in sudden realization. “Fifteen years old. Resident of Queens, New York.”

“Yes,” Tony replied, just a little startled. But Vision often knew things JARVIS had known. In his periffery, Tony could see Natasha typing something into a tablet. No doubt she was already pulling up information about the kid. 

The android had an odd expression on his face. 

“What?” Tony asked, a little irritability. 

“I feel... a certain fondness for him,” Vision said with wonder. “And an urge to protect him.”

Tony blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. He didn’t want to have his conversation. 

“It is quite curious,” Vision observed. 

Natasha looked up from whatever she was reading on the tablet. “Do you feel the same thing when you’re around other kids? A need to protect them?”

The android considered for a moment. “I am not frequently in the presence of children… human children, anyway.”

Natasha’s eyebrow quirked as if she was trying to understand the clarification. Tony laughed a little despite his annoyance, knowing it was a reference to the child-like bots in his lab. 

Vision continued, “I certainly would attempt to keep a child from coming to harm.  But this…” he indicated the slumbering boy, “...this feels different.” 

“It must be a remnant of JARVIS’s old protocols,” Tony thought aloud. 

Natasha narrowed her eyes. “JARVIS was years ago. How long have you been involved with this kid?”

Tony waved his good hand in her direction. “A discussion for another time,” he said flatly. He had no intention of getting into that now. 

The super spy read some more from the tablet then shot Tony a look of disapproval. 

He bristled at her expression. “What? Are you of all people going to criticize me for bringing in a teenager?” 

“I’m not upset that you recruited a kid. However, I am concerned that you recruited one who is so obviously spoiled,” Natasha said. 

Tony was shocked by her words. “Spoiled? I can assure you this kid is anything but spoiled. They barely make ends meet.”

Natasha gave a small chuckle, but her expression was sad. “I don’t mean spoiled the way you would use the word - like someone who gets a lot of material things.”

“Then what did you mean?” Tony asked impatiently. 

When Natasha hesitated, Vision spoke up. “I believe Ms. Romanoff is referring to порча, a belief in Russian folklore that individuals or livestock or crops can be spoiled by someone wishing ill will upon them.”

Natasha nodded in agreement. 

Tony felt a chill run down his spine. “And what happens to these livestock or crops or individuals who are spoiled in this way?”

Vision replied. “Crops will fail to yield a harvest.  Livestock may sicken or die. Cattle, for example, may fail to produce healthy quantities of milk.”

“And people?” Tony was almost afraid to ask.  

Natasha spoke up. “Individuals who are spoiled experience all varieties of misfortune, including illness, injury, and the death of those close to them.” 

Vision looked Tony in the eye and said, “In a more familiar term, they are cursed.”

Tony scowled at Vision.  There were moments the android was too much like JARVIS.  

He turned to Natasha. “Is that what you think? That this kid is cursed?”

Natasha indicated the tablet she was holding, the screen was filled with text. “Have you read his file? How does all that happen to one kid if he hasn’t been spoiled?”

Tony looked away, but he could practically feel the blood draining from his face. 

Natasha gave him a puzzled look. “I'm not serious. Spoiling is just folktales. Peter obviously has had some bad luck, but his abilities are pretty impressive. He handled himself well today.”

Tony smiled a little. That was high praise from Natasha. 

She continued, “Besides, who would curse a child like that?”  She pointed to the boy in question, in sleep he presented a picture of perfect innocence. 

Tony shot Vision a warning look to not say anything more. 

“Tony,” T’Challa called from the doorway. Natasha’s eyes went wide. The billionaire wondered how long he had been standing there. 

“Your Highness,” Tony turned and greeted the man in reply.  

“May I have a word with you in private?” 

Tony nodded and followed the prince down the hallway where they could talk without being overheard. T’Challa told him that Natasha had betrayed the team, had let Steve and Barnes get away. Tony didn’t want to believe it, but had to admit that explained their unlikely escape. 

“I’ve told Secretary Ross about her actions. I thought you should know,” T’Challa added. 

Tony nodded. He felt both furious and saddened by Natasha’s actions. He knew he shouldn’t take it personally. But he and Natasha had known each other a long time and he considered her a friend. And now here she was sitting with them, eating and reading up on the Damned Brat. She was acting like she had done nothing wrong. So it felt very personal. 

“Thank you for telling me.” He started to head back to the waiting room. 

“There’s something else,” T’Challa said, causing him to turn back. “It’s about the boy.”

“Do you have a problem with a teenager being here?” Tony asked defensively. 

The prince smiled. “No. I learned long ago that age does not equal ability or strength of character.  You should meet my sister.” He laughed a little. “The boy has great courage and fought like a true hero.”

Tony appreciated that. “Then what about him?” His voice was calmer. 

“He is a boy with remarkable abilities who is learning to be a man. He will need much guidance from you as he travels this difficult path.”

The billionaire frowned. “I’m not his father. Or any part of his family. That’s not my job.”

“And yet you signed the Accords as his proxy. That makes you responsible for him,” T’Challa pointed out. 

“I’m not fit to be a role model or a mentor or whatever you’re thinking,” Tony protested. 

“Then you better learn how to be one. That boy is going to depend on you. Good luck,” T’Challa said as he turned and walked away. 

Tony was stunned. His best friend was seriously injured, the Avengers had fallen apart, his friends had betrayed him. And T’Challa thought he should be looking after a teenager? A kid was the last thing he needed in his life. Especially one as cursed as Peter Parker. 

Notes:

I’m not thrilled with how this chapter came out, but it’s the best I can get it. I realize it’s positioned rather awkwardly between pivotal scenes in the movie, but I wanted these particular characters to interact. And I wanted to include a small tribute to Chad Boseman by having T’Challa give Tony some words of wisdom and encouragement.

Tony has very conflicted feelings about Peter. He goes back and forth between liking the kid, feeling responsible for him, and wanting nothing to do with him. It makes Tony act like a jerk at times and he doesn’t make the best decisions. Plus, Tony has other concerns (like the Avengers falling apart) so Peter isn’t really a priority.

Peter doesn’t know that Tony signed the Accords on his behalf. There will be consequences for that down the line.

Chapter 9: The Homecoming

Summary:

After returning to New York, Tony works behind the scenes to keep Peter safe while maintaining his distance. But things never go as planned for Tony and Peter.

Notes:

This chapter takes place during Spider-Man: Homecoming. It puts a little bit of a different spin on the events of that movie.

Sorry for the long wait between chapters. It’s been a crazy couple of months.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

After Germany, after Siberia, Tony took Peter home. The boy was cheerful and excited the whole trip back. Happy grumbled at the kid and seemed constantly annoyed by him. Tony, on the other hand, found that the Damned Brat actually lifted his spirits a little after everything he had been through. He enjoyed hearing the kid prattle on about anything and everything.  He wondered at the innate goodness of a child who had suffered so much. 

Even so, he knew it was a bad idea for him to personally have regular contact with the kid. Tony decided there were things he could do to help the boy, but stay at a distance. 

The first was he made it clear that all communication would go through Happy. Apparently being Head of Security for a superhero was no longer satisfying and man wanted to branch out into Asset Management.  Fine, Tony decided, he could manage Peter Parker. The kid could call and text Happy to his heart’s content. Happy would update Tony on the kid’s activities when needed.  

Secondly, Tony let the Damned Brat keep the suit, of course. It was designed to keep the kid safe. The materials were durable, but flexible and offered a lot more protection than the thrift store onesie the kid had been wearing. Tony had carefully crafted the Training Wheels Protocol so additional features would be unlocked gradually as the boy grew in skills and experience. He even designed an AI to guide Peter’s development, not just as a superhero, but also to help him navigate some of the more usual teen dilemmas. 

Next was giving May and Peter some financial help. Under the guise of the Stark Internship, it was easier to relieve some of their hardship. Tony made sure the “internship” provided a small, but significant, stipend which would help cover their monthly bills. 

Then Tony remembered the pathetic furnishings of the boy’s tiny bedroom.  So he arranged for a special gift of new bedroom furniture to replace the makeshift piles of plastic milk crates. The billionaire had it specially designed to be age appropriate, functional and extremely durable, considering the kid’s super strength.  Happy, in his new role of Asset Manager, had been tasked with overseeing the delivery. He reported back that May Parker had been somewhat offended at first. She initially tried to decline the delivery. However, she 

relented when she saw how Peter was thrilled with the new furniture. 

Tony considered all the things he was now providing for the Damned Brat - a babysitter (Asset Manager), a technologically advanced suit with an AI, a source of income, and a comfortable environment to study and rest. The billionaire was satisfied that with these things he was adequately fulfilling the role of mentor to the kid.  He didn’t need to be hands-on with the teenage superhero. The Damned Brat would be just fine.  

———————

For a couple of months, the Damned Brat was just fine. He fought street-level crime: muggings, burglaries, car thefts, assaults.  He rescued lost pets and lost children. He helped elderly residents carry their groceries and gave directions to tourists. The kid had a do-gooder streak that rivaled his father’s.  Tony found it both endearing and annoying. The boy left Happy long rambling reports of his crime-fighting activities.  Happy complained to Tony about them. Tony was secretly amused by the whole thing. 

Spider-Man was becoming more recognized by the citizens of Queens and in general was well regarded.  People cheered when they saw him. He was seen as a hero for the common people. The exception was the news editor of the Daily Bugle, but rag of a paper hated on everyone. 

Then the Damned Brat got dropped in a lake. Peter was a strong swimmer, so he probably would have been fine. Except he got wrapped up in his own parachute. It immobilized him and dragged him down into the water’s depths. The tech meant to protect his life almost got him killed. 

Tony had inwardly panicked when he got the alert from the kid’s suit.  Thankfully, he was able to send a suit to pull the kid from the lake. The boy rambled something about alien weapons and going after the source. Tony sternly shut him down and told him to stick to the low-level crimes. 

Tony figured that would be enough to keep the kid in line. 

———————

It wasn’t. 

The UN had put together a committee to oversee the Accords, headed by none other than Secretary Ross himself. And the committee all knew Spider-Man’s true identity due to the paperwork Tony had completed before going to Germany. 

Ross called Tony to discuss the events at the Washington Monument. The older hero argued that Peter just happened to be there with his decathlon team. It was an emergency situation and Spider-Man had needed to act quickly. His heroism had saved the lives of several teenagers. The Committee eventually agreed. However they reminded Tony that he was responsible for the actions of the young web crawler and warned him to keep a closer eye on the boy. To be honest, there was a part Tony that was proud of the Damned Brat. 

Then the ferry incident happened. It scared the crap out of Tony. Peter had been reckless, had rushed headlong into a situation he wasn’t experienced enough to handle.  The ferry had been torn apart. Innocent people could have been killed. The Damned Brat himself could have been killed. If Tony hadn’t arrived in time, it would have been disastrous. 

Extensive property damage. Civilian lives put at risk.  This was exactly the type of event the Accords were supposed to prevent. The Accords allowed Spider-Man to operate independently as long as he stuck to small scale crime fighting, not things like chasing down weapons dealers and endangering the public. 

Hours after the ferry incident, Tony was back in his workshop. The billionaire stared at the Spider-Man suit he had dumped on the work table. The suit he had taken from the kid. The Damned Brat probably thought it was a punishment. And in part it was. But the bigger issue was protecting the kid from the consequences of the Accords. And if that meant he had to shut Spider-Man down, so be it. The boy was too young to be out there superheroing anyway. 

In the quiet of the workshop, he stared at the confiscated suit and thought about the confrontation on the rooftop. He reflected on the harsh words he had said to the boy. 

Did you know I’m the only one who believed in you? Everyone else said I was crazy to recruit a fourteen year old kid.

That had been a blatant lie, of course. The team and the UN had been impressed with his abilities. They hadn't been overly concerned about his age. Any concerns they did have were over legal issues, not moral issues about potentially putting a teenager in danger. Tony knew his statement was not only untrue, it was manipulative, intended to make Peter doubt that anyone would accept him as a superhero. It had been a cruel and hurtful thing to say. 

What if somebody had died tonight? Different story, right? 'Cause that's on you. 

Tony spent way too much time on the phone with Secretary Ross, defending the kid’s actions.  Ross accepted Tony’s decision to bench Spider-Man for the foreseeable future, at least until the kid could grow up some more and learn better judgement. However if anyone on the ferry had died, the kid would probably be headed to the Raft by now.  Tony shuddered at the thought. 

And if you died, I feel like that's on me. I don't need that on my conscience.

The fact of the matter was that there was already too much on his conscience regarding this kid. Everything that had ever happened to the Damned Brat was his fault, a result of his curse. It weighed heavily on Tony, a responsibility he had never wanted and now couldn’t escape. 

It’s not working out. I’m gonna need the suit back

What had he been thinking, taking on responsibility for a teenage enhanced vigilante? He didn’t know anything about being a mentor. He didn’t know anything about dealing with a kid, especially a teenager.  He was done. 

If you’re nothing without that suit, you shouldn’t have it.  

Tony knew that was one of the most hypocritical statements he had ever said. But he didn’t want the kid to think that his worth or his sense of purpose was tied to a suit.  The boy didn’t need to be Spider-Man to do good with his life. He didn’t need the suit.  It would be better for him if he learned that now.  

Maybe when the kid was all grown up and done with college Tony could reconsider letting him be Spider-Man again.  Maybe the Accords would be changed by then. But right now the boy was just too young right now and it was too dangerous.  The boy would be better off without Spider-Man.  

————-

Tony was working on his tablet, half paying attention to the news.  The weather report just wrapped up when the next story caught his attention. 

“Today marks the tenth anniversary of the day a plane crash on Jones Beach killed several prominent scientists. The private plane was owned by Stark Industries and was headed for a scientific conference in London. There were no survivors.”

Tony looked up in time to see the names and photos of those who had been killed in the crash. He frowned deeply, remembering his lost colleagues.  He couldn’t believe it had been ten years.  Then the reporter continued. 

“Richard and Mary Parker left behind a five-year old son, Peter.  He’s a teenager now, a gifted student at Midtown School of Science and Technology. Recently, we caught up with Peter to get his comments about the crash.”

The image on the screen changed to show a clip of Peter Parker. He was standing in on the steps of his school looking at the camera with a surprised expression on his face.  That must have been the incident May Parker had told him about, when reporters had ambushed the boy at school. Tony was angry that the reporters had bothered the boy and now announced his name and school on television. 

A reporter shoved a microphone in the kid’s face.  “Peter, how do you feel about the upcoming anniversary of the plane crash that killed your parents?”

Tony rolled his eyes. He couldn’t believe how incredibly stupid that question was. 

Peter’s eyes went wide. “Uhm… I miss them a lot. It makes me sad to think about it.” 

“Do you blame Tony Stark for their deaths?”

“What? No, of course not!” Peter shook his head. “It’s not Mr. Stark’s fault.” 

“But it was his plane, Peter. What has Mr. Stark done to make that up to you? What can you tell us about the settlement? Have you had any additional contact with Mr. Stark over the years?”

Peter looked flustered, overwhelmed by the questions. “Uh… yeah… there was a settlement. It’s for my college fund. And… uhm… he’s sort of… checked on me from time to time over the years.” 

Tony groaned. He knew that Ben and May had been aware that Tony low-key stalked the boy. But the fact that the Damned Brat knew was news to him. 

“But do you really think that’s enough to make up for the loss of your parents?” The reported persisted. 

Before Peter could answer, a man ran down the school steps and moved between Peter and the reporter.  From his research, Tony recognized this man as the school principal. 

“You’re not supposed to be here!” The man said angrily. “Leave him alone and get out of here now!” The principal used his hand to block the camera.  The video ended and the image cut back to the reporters in the studio. 

“FRIDAY, turn it off,” Tony commanded. He didn’t need to see anymore. 

The words of the reporter echoed through his mind: Do you really think that’s enough to make up for the loss of your parents?  Tony knew that nothing would ever make up for the loss of Peter’s parents. Or for all the other terrible things that had happened in his life. And if the kid didn’t blame Tony, that’s just because Peter didn’t know the whole truth.  

Tony had tried to make amends and his attempts had failed miserably.  Guilt was a familiar companion when he thought about the Damned Brat. That would never change.  

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, and went back to working on his tablet. 

Hours later, he got a frantic phone call from Happy. “Tony, the plane… it’s crashed on the beach…”

Instantly, his mind went to the devastating events of a decade ago, the tragic loss of lives. 

“Yeah, Happy, I know. It’s been ten years,” Tony replied with annoyance. He didn’t need Happy calling to remind him of the event. 

“No, not that plane. The one with all the Avengers tech in it, for Moving Day.”

“What do you mean it crashed?” Tony demanded. 

“That flying vulture guy the kid talked about.  He hijacked the plane and tried to steal everything on board. The kid stopped him! Spider-Man stopped him! But the plane crashed on the beach at Coney Island.”

Tony couldn’t believe what he was hearing.  “I’m on my way.”

In ten years, Tony had never once visited the crash site on Jones beach. Not in the days following the accident. Not when the memorial was dedicated. Not on any of the anniversaries. So it seemed completely surreal that on the tenth anniversary of that crash, he was standing on a totally different beach surveying the wreckage of another Stark Industries plane. 

The remains of the plane itself were still smoldering, with small flames that slowly died out.  The cargo was completely intact, gathered into piles, and secured with webs. The Vulture guy himself was also webbed up. He was bruised and had minor burns, but was otherwise unharmed. 

“Where’s the kid?” Tony asked Happy. 

Happy pointed to the top of the nearby roller coaster. “He was up there. I saw him watching over everything.  He took off just after you pulled up.” 

Tony sighed. He hoped the Damned Brat was alright. 

————-

Amazingly, it turned out that the mess on Coney Island wasn’t a big problem for the Accords Committee. The Damned Brat had managed to bring the plane down on an empty stretch of beach, avoiding the amusement park and neighborhood nearby. Which meant there had been no real property damage or risk to civilian lives.  The beach itself was going to need cleanup, but Tony would easily oversee that effort and cover the costs. 

Because the plane had been carrying Avengers equipment and tech, the Committee determined that the theft was an Avengers matter.  As long as Ross was convinced that Peter was acting on behalf of the Avengers, there would be no problem with the Accords. But if the kid acted on his own, that would be a big problem. Ross gave Tony an ultimatum: either make Spider-Man an Avenger or shut him down completely.  

“And if I do neither of those?” Tony challenged. 

“Then I’ll have him brought in. Independent vigilantes can’t be controlled. They aren’t supposed to interfere with Avengers’ business,” Ross replied gruffly. 

“You would send him the Raft for saving a plane load of Avengers tech? He’s just a kid! Do you realize what would have happened if that Vulture guy had gotten away with all that?”  Tony was livid. 

“I do. And I’m grateful Spider-Man stopped him,” Ross admitted. “Look, we’ve made some allowances for the boy in the past. But we can’t change the Accords just for one underaged hero.”

“The Raft is no place for a child,” Tony said angrily. 

Ross seemed to consider that for a minute. “That’s true. Maybe it would be better to hand him over to SHIELD’s research division for testing and study.”

Tony shuddered at the possibility of the Damned Brat being turned into some kind of test subject. “No. That’s not happening,” he said fiercely. 

Ross chuckled. “Then you know your options. Make Spider-Man an Avenger or shut him down.” 

Ross hung up before the billionaire could respond. 

Tony pondered the matter for a while. It was obvious the Damned Brat was not going to give up being Spider-Man, whether he had Tony’s support or not. Tony had been an idiot to think that taking the fancy suit would stop him. He realized the only resolution was to make the kid a full-fledged Avenger.  By moving him to the Compound, Tony would be able to keep better tabs on the teen. He could set limits on Spider-Man’s activities and monitor him more closely. He could even give the kid more training and work with him on tech. The Compound was too far from the city for Peter to stay at his school. They would have to enroll him in virtual school or something. But that could be worked out. 

Tony was sure that Peter would jump at the chance to join the Avengers, especially when he saw the new Iron Spider suit. Tony himself had to admit that the suit was both a technological wonder and a work of art.  So it was a complete shock when the Damned Brat stammered his way through a refusal. Tony couldn’t believe it. The kid looked at the new suit, looked at the older hero, and turned him down. 

Peter had no idea that Tony had signed the Accords for him, that the Committee itself was making demands about the boy. Sure, he could tell the boy now. He could force Peter to join the Avengers and move to the Compound. He could take the teen away from his guardian, his school, and his friends. He could take away the kid’s right to choose this for himself. But that would completely upend Peter’s life and when Tony looked into the boy’s eyes he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. 

Instead, Tony maintained his calm, unflappable persona. He shrugged off the kid’s decision as if it had no real consequence.  He even played it off as a test.

Happy didn’t seem surprised with the Damned Brat’s decision. He even seemed pleased by it. “I told you he’s a good kid,” the man remarked. Despite himself, Tony had to agree as he watched the kid go. 

Ross called later that evening. “Congratulations on your engagement, Stark. But that’s not the announcement I was expecting. Is Spider-Man an Avenger or not?”

“He is,” Tony spun a convincing lie. “But because of his age, we’re keeping it quiet. And we decided that he’s not moving to the Compound yet so he can stay at his school.”

“But he’s fully authorized for Avengers missions?” Ross asked. 

“Yes,” Tony replied, even while thinking that there was no way he was bringing Spider-Man on another mission. 

“And you’ve made the necessary arrangements with his guardian?” 

“Of course. She’s in complete agreement with everything.”  Another blatant lie. May Parker still had no idea about her nephew’s alter ego and would never agree to any of this. 

There was silence for a moment. “Alright. I’ll talk to the Committee, but I think we can accept that,”  Ross said finally. 

Tony disconnected the call and tossed the phone away. That familiar feeling of guilt in his stomach shifted to a feeling of dread. He regretted signing the Accords. He regretted bringing the kid into this. And now he felt like he had just managed to mess up the Damned Brat’s life even more. 

Notes:

I realize some readers might think it’s odd that Peter would go to a Homecoming dance on the anniversary of his parents’ deaths. That’s something Peter and Tony will talk about in a future chapter. The short version is that May convinced him it was okay. I just really wanted the timing to work out that way to give Tony more angst and guilt. :)

Coming in the next chapter: May finds out that Peter is Spider-Man!

Chapter 10: The Discovery

Summary:

May discovers that Peter is Spider-Man and has a lot to say to Tony.

Notes:

This takes place after Spider-Man: Homecoming.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

“I have a call from May Parker,” Happy’s voice was strained. “She’s demanding to talk to you.”

Tony grinned.  “I’d be happy to talk to the lovely Mrs. Parker. Put her through.”

There was a quiet click as the call was connected. 

“Hello, May. What can I do for you?” He turned on the charm. 

“You can tell me why my nephew has been running around Queens fighting crime!” She sounded livid. 

“So he finally told you,” Tony guessed. 

“No, he did not tell me! I found him in his room wearing that ridiculous suit that you gave him.

Tony was a little offended by the remark. “It is not a ridiculous suit. It is a multi-million dollar suit specially designed to…”

“Stark, you have thirty minutes to get over here and explain to me what the hell has been going on or I will call the police and have you arrested for child endangerment.” 

Tony sighed. “I’m on my way.”

—————-

An angry looking May Parker opened the door immediately when he knocked.  She wordlessly let him in and led him into the living room. 

The Spider-Man suit was laid out on the coffee table. Peter, wide-eyed and pale, stood on the other side of the room. 

“What’s going on, kid?” Tony asked. 

May didn’t give the teen a chance to reply. 

“Do you want to explain this?” May gestured to the suit. “At first he tried to tell me it was a Halloween costume.  And I almost believed that, but then I tried on the mask and some woman spoke to me.”

“That’s Karen,” Peter supplied. 

“So you said,” May replied to her nephew. Then she turned to Tony. “Explain.”

“Oh, Karen is an AI. That’s artificial intelligence. She’s like a very sophisticated computer.  She…”

“Don’t talk down to me, Stark! I may not be a genius scientist, but I know what artificial intelligence is.” May spoke impatiently. 

Tony nodded. “Sorry.”

“Explain what is going on here,” she said slowly in a low voice. 

“Your nephew is Spider-Man,” Tony said matter-of-factly. 

“Yeah, he told me that. He admitted to me that he has been sneaking out at night to fight criminals.”

“So you understand that he’s enhanced? Super strength, super agility and dexterity. Fast healing. He can climb walls. And all his senses are super sensitive.”

“I told her all that,” Peter confirmed. 

May glared at Tony. “I want to know what your involvement is, Stark.”

“I didn’t cause him to do this. That’s all him. I was trying to help him by giving him the best protection I could. This suit is state of the art. It has safety protocols. It has all the best Stark technology…” 

“Just like the plane full of Stark technology that killed his parents?” May asked bluntly. 

Tony felt all the air leave his lungs. 

Peter spoke up quickly. “May, that’s not fair. That wasn’t his fault.” 

“But it was a plane full of his technology,” May pointed out. “And your parents are gone because of it.”

“The plane was sabotaged. You know that…” Peter’s voice had just the slightest waiver. 

“Yes, I do,” May said firmly. She turned to Tony. “Can you promise me that no one could ever sabotage this suit? No one could ever hack the AI or any of the other high-tech features to disable the safety protocols or even use the suit against Peter?”

Tony shook his head. “That’s not going to happen. The chances of something like that are highly unlikely…”

“But not impossible,” May pointed out. 

“May, please stop,” Peter said pleadingly. 

“No, Peter! This is your safety he’s gambling with.”

“It’s not impossible,” Tony reluctantly agreed. Then he added, “Although, the person most likely to hack the suit and mess with the protocols is Peter himself.”

May’s angry expression gave way to confusion. “What do you mean?”

“He previously removed the tracker and hacked the programming to bypass some of the safety protocols. I’ve restored all that, by the way.” Tony was honest about it, not really concerned that he ratted the kid out. 

She turned back to the boy. “You did that?” 

Peter nodded. “I had to. Those guys were dealing dangerous weapons. I had to stop them. I did stop them. And I did it without that suit.  I would do it again if I needed to.” His determination showed in his voice. 

May sighed. “I know you would. That’s what makes this so hard. I’ve seen the good things Spider-Man does. Even so, I wish I could tell you to stop being Spider-Man, but I don’t think that would actually work.”

“It wouldn’t,” Peter said firmly. “I can’t not be Spider-Man. I have the power to help people, so I have a responsibility to do that.” 

It was evident to both adults how strongly the boy believed that. 

Tony spoke up again, “He’s safer doing it with this suit than without it.”

“Yeah,” May said a little wearily. “I can see that.”  She turned to the teen. “No more hacking into the suit or messing with the tracker. You hear me?”

The Damned Brat nodded, as he looked from one adult to the other. 

Tony smiled. That all seemed settled more easily than he had expected. “So we’re good here?” 

“No we are not good here.” May said firmly. “We have another issue to discuss.”

Tony was at a loss as to what else she could be upset about. “Which is what?”

“Spider-Man was at that fight in Germany.  I saw the report on the news.”

“Yes, he was,” the older hero admitted. There was no point in denying it. 

“You took my nephew to Germany without my permission. That’s kidnapping, Stark!” May’s anger flared again. 

“No, it wasn’t,” Tony replied calmly.

May wasn’t going to back down. “It was. I could have you arrested and brought up on charges!”

Tony sighed. This woman seemed determined to have him arrested. First child endangerment and now kidnapping.  

Peter tried to intervene. “May, don’t…” 

Tony silenced the boy with a gesture, then said to the woman, “I didn’t need your permission. I had authority from the United Nations and the US Secretary of State.”

That stunned May, “What? And they can override me?” 

Tony nodded. “Simply, yes, when it comes to matters of Spider-Man as an enhanced human.” 

She stared at him for a minute. “How so?”

Tony breathed deeply. “As an enhanced individual, meaning someone with powers, Peter is subject to the Sokovian Accords. But as a minor he was unable to sign for himself and needed an adult Avenger to sign for him.”

“You signed for him,” May guessed. 

“I did. And in doing so, I became legally responsible for him.”

“What?” Peter asked in surprise. This was news to him. 

“I’m his legal guardian,” May protested. 

Tony nodded. “You are the guardian of Peter Parker.  But in a way, I’m the guardian of Spider-Man. Think of it sort of like shared custody.” He gave a false smile. 

May looked at Tony like he had just grown two heads. “You can’t separate him out like that. He’s not two different people. If something happens to Spider-Man, it happens to Peter Parker.”

“Wait a minute,” Peter interrupted their argument. “Do you mean the government knows that I’m Spider-Man?”

Tony looked over at the Damned Brat. “Sorry, kid. It was necessary.”  He did feel a little bad about it.

Peter shook his head. “Not cool.”

“Your identity’s classified. Top Secret. If that makes you feel any better about it,” Tony offered. 

The teen seemed to consider that. “Okay, that’s kinda cool,” he relented. 

May looked at the boy thoughtfully, then quickly grabbed her purse from the end table. After rifling through it for a moment, she handed Peter some cash. 

“Go to Delmar’s and get us some sandwiches.”

“What, now?” Peter asked incredulously.

“Yes, I want to talk to Tony privately.”  She turned to the man. “He has enhanced hearing, right? Delmar’s is six blocks away. Is that far enough?”

Tony nodded. He hadn’t tested the kid’s hearing, but he guessed it would be enough. 

“You want to talk about me without me here? That’s not fair,” Peter protested. 

“The adults need to talk,” May said firmly, with a tone that shut down further argument. “Go get sandwiches. Walk at a normal pace. No super speed. Text me when you’re on your way back.”

Peter reluctantly grabbed his jacket and pulled it on. 

“Get our usuals. Get Tony a number four,” May suggested. 

Peter nodded but scowled, obviously unhappy.

He was halfway out the apartment door when May called out. “Peter, get some chips too.”

At that, Peter’s face lit up. “Thanks, May!”  He bounced a little as he stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind him. 

May chuckled. She turned to Tony. “We don’t get chips very often, so it’s a special treat for him,” she explained as she moved towards the window and pushed the curtain aside. 

Tony frowned, trying to think about being on a budget so restrictive that a bag of potato chips was something special.  He watched her watch out the window for a few minutes. He assumed she could see the boy until he turned the corner.  

Then she dropped the curtain and took a seat on the couch. He sat as well and waited patiently while she collected her thoughts. He didn’t want to show that he was worried about the conversation. 

Finally she looked at Tony and leaned forward slightly. “What I want to know, what I need to know, is how do you really feel about being legally responsible for a child you never approved of?”

“What do you mean?” Tony asked cautiously. Certainly May didn’t know how he had cursed the Damned Brat. 

May gave him a stern look.  “I know you told Mary she should have gotten an abortion…”

“I can’t believe Mary told you that,” Tony remarked with a shake of his head. 

“Mary and I were sisters-in-law. But she was like a real sister to me. Maybe because she and I were both only children and we were both jealous of what Ben and Richard had. Anyway, we got to be very close. We told each other everything.”

“I shouldn’t have said that. I was stupid and drunk and…” he faltered a little. 

“And you wanted Mary for yourself?” May continued for him. 

“Yeah. But she was in love with Richard, so that was never going to happen. I was just too wrapped up in myself to realize that,” Tony said a little regretfully. It was amazing how the years had changed his perception of things. 

“You hated Richard. Tell me that you don’t think about that when you look at Peter,” May insisted. 

Tony couldn't deny it. “Sometimes I do,” he admitted shamefully. “But every so often I look at him and remember how much I admired Mary.” 

May persisted in her questioning. “So knowing all that, how am I supposed to trust you to keep their son safe? This is a child you thought shouldn’t have been born. How can I know if you even care about keeping him alive now?” May’s voice was more worried than accusing. 

Tony was grateful that May waited patiently while he gathered his thoughts. He needed to explain things without admitting the guilt he felt for cursing a baby. 

“I… I didn’t react well when Mary told me about the pregnancy. I didn’t like the idea of them having a baby,” Tony admitted quietly.  “I avoided them after that. But then Mary and Richard died and I felt terrible about everything. I’ve tried to help him over the years. He’s a good kid. I want him to be safe. I want to help him. It’s not his fault who his parents were. But at the same time, I can’t forget who his parents were.”

Tony didn’t know what else to say or how to explain his complicated feelings toward the Damned Brat. 

They were both quiet for a long moment. 

May sighed deeply. “Ben and I didn’t want children.”

Tony was startled by the change of topic. “What?”

“We didn’t want to have kids. We had all these things we wanted to do, travel and adventures. We knew we couldn’t afford to do that with kids. And neither of us felt any urge to raise a child. So we weren’t going to have any.”

“But why did you agree to take Peter?” Tony asked. 

“There was no one else. I mean, we could have sent him to foster care. Maybe he would have found a good family who would love him. We thought about it. But we couldn’t really do that. Peter was family, our family. So we put aside everything we thought we had wanted and we raised a kid instead. And Peter turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to us.” 

May gave the billionaire a sad smile. 

“What I’m saying is, I know what it’s like to take responsibility for a child when you never wanted that, never planned for it. It’s really hard,” She sounded sympathetic.  

“Yeah,” Tony agreed.  “But where does that leave us?”

“I never planned to be a parent. I certainly never planned to act as a single parent to a superpowered teenager. I need help. I’m in over my head with this.” She gestured toward the Spider-Man suit. Tony understood that she meant more than just the suit itself, she meant everything that came with it. 

“What do you want from me?” Tony asked sincerely. 

May looked him in the eye. “If you are serious about being legally responsible for him, you need to step up.  You can’t just give him a suit. You have to teach him how to be a superhero. Train him in how to fight and how to protect himself while he’s protecting others. And you have to be there for him when he gets hurt or discouraged.”

Tony thought about it. “Okay, I think I can do that.”

But May wasn’t done. “But you can’t just support him as Spider-Man. You need to be there for Peter Parker too.  You have to get to know Peter. Spend time with him. Make the internship a real thing, not just a cover for fighting crime. You want shared custody, you live up to it.” 

Tony let out a deep breath. She might be asking too much now. “And if I don’t agree to all that? What do you think you can do?”

“Then I’ll contact the UN and the Secretary of State and tell them that you had no business signing for a minor. And after that I will get another superhero to mentor him. I’ll find that guy from Hell’s Kitchen or I’ll contact the King of Wakanda. I’ll track down Captain America himself if I have to.” 

Those all sounded like impossible tasks. And yet Tony did not doubt the woman in the slightest. It was time for him to make a big decision, one that could possibly change his life. 

“There’s no need to do all that. I will mentor him, as Spider-Man and Peter Parker,” Tony assured her. 

May smiled at him. “Good.”

She glanced at her phone. “Peter’s on his way back. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled when you tell him our new plan. We should start on Monday, don’t you think?”

Tony gave her a faint smile. What had he just gotten himself into?

Notes:

Thanks for all the kudos snd comments. Even when I don’t answer the comments, I love them all.

The next chapter will see how the internship changes Tony and Peter’s relationship.

Chapter 11: The Internship

Summary:

Peter starts his internship with Tony and spends his first weekend at the Avengers Compound.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

“Are you nervous?” Pepper asked in amusement while Tony paced the foyer of the Avengers Compound’s main entrance. The billionaire glanced at his watch yet again. 

“No, why would I be nervous?” Tony denied the obvious truth. 

Pepper laughed. “You’ll be fine. I’m sure you and Peter will have a great time this weekend. I have some paperwork to review, but I’ll catch up with you guys later.” She kissed him lightly and went off to take care of work. 

Tony and May had agreed that Peter would work with Tony after school two days a week at Stark Tower. The sale of the building had fallen through, so Tony kept it as the headquarters of Stark Industries and his residence in the City. But most of the Avengers related activities had been moved to the Compound upstate. 

Twice a month, Peter would stay at the Compound for the weekend, for training and to bond with his new mentor. 

They had already had several sessions at the Tower and were getting to know each other. Tony was impressed with what the kid knew and how quickly he learned new concepts. He was reluctant to  admit to himself that he actually enjoyed working with the Damned Brat. 

This would be Peter’s first weekend at the Compound. In the future, Happy would pick him up after school on Friday and drive him back to Queens on Sunday afternoon.  But for this first visit, May insisted on bringing Peter herself, so she could get a look at the place where her nephew would be spending so much time. Something about that made Tony feel anxious, like he had to give her a good impression of the facilities. 

Finally, they arrived and Tony did his best to make it look like he hadn’t been just standing around waiting for them. He quickly pulled out his phone and sat in the nearest armchair.

He looked up casually as the Parkers walked in and Peter excitedly called out, “Hi, Mr. Stark!” He has his backpack slung over his shoulder. 

“Oh, you’re here already?” Tony said with forced nonchalance. 

“Welcome to the Avengers Compound, Mrs. Parker. Welcome back, Peter,” a voice from the ceiling announced. 

“Who’s that?” May asked, looking around. 

“That’s FRIDAY,” Tony replied with a slight smirk. 

“Oh, yes. Another AI.  Peter told me. I thought FRIDAY was just in Stark Tower. Is it here too?”

She is here too,” Tony corrected. “She’s here, in the tower, in my Iron Man suits… she’s wherever I need her to be.”

May nodded, despite looking unsure of the whole thing. “Well, that certainly sounds… convenient.”

Tony smiled. “It is. Shall I give you a tour of the place?”

He gave them a grand tour of the compound. He started with his workshops and labs.  Then there was the medical bay, which May inspected carefully after reminding Tony that she was an experienced nurse. He showed them the various training facilities, with its multiple gyms, parkour course, pool, and track. He showed them the recreation area, which was located in the Compound’s basement. This space included a cinema, bowling alley, game rooms, and library. He even briefly showed them the Avengers and SHIELD workspaces, with its offices, conference rooms, holding cells, and interrogation rooms. 

Peter was excited about everything. He asked a million enthusiastic questions about how things worked. He couldn’t wait to try everything out, except the medbay of course. May was more subdued. She asked a lot of questions about safety precautions and security. Tony answered them both as patiently as he could. 

Pepper joined them just as they started to see the living quarters.  Tony showed off the Avengers large living room, kitchen and dining rooms. Then he led them down the hallway where each team member had their private quarters and pointed out each one.

Toward the end of the hall, Tony pointed out a door with a subtle spider motif. “Here’s Peter’s room.” He opened the door and stepped aside, allowing Peter and May to enter. 

The room was large, with a lot of natural lighting. It was decorated in soothing grays and blues, with red accents.  The room had a large bed, a television, plenty of storage for clothes, and a workspace with a desk and bookshelves. 

“This is great!” Peter gushed as he took everything in.  “Look May, there’s a space for my projects and everything!”

May smiled at the teen. “It’s very nice.” 

Pepper started pointing out to the boy some of the finer details of the decor as he explored the room. 

May stood in the doorway and gazed back down the hallway. “Why is it so empty here?” she asked Tony. 

The billionaire sighed. “Well, the rogue Avengers are on the run.  Thor is off world. Banner is missing, off the grid or something. Rhodey’s here a lot. He’s in DC this week, maybe this month… I don’t remember which. Vision’s room is right next door. He’s usually here, but I’m not sure where he is right now because he kinda comes and goes.”

May turned to Tony. “Where is your room? I didn’t see it as we came down the hall.”

“Oh, my private quarters are in another wing,” Tony replied. 

“You don’t stay with the team?” May asked in surprise. 

“Ah, no. One of the benefits of owning the whole place, Pepper and I get to have our own private living area.” Tony gave her his press-worthy grin. 

“So, Peter will be in this part of the building by himself? Unsupervised?” May asked sharply. 

The harshness in her voice took Tony by surprise. “Not completely unsupervised.  FRIDAY always monitors things.” 

May folded her arms over her chest. “Not acceptable. What happens when Vision and Colonel Rhodes aren’t here and Peter hacks FRIDAY?”

“He couldn’t hack...,” Tony started, then realized it was entirely possible that the Damned Brat could hack FRIDAY if he tried hard enough. 

“May, it’s fine…” Peter told her. 

She didn’t answer her nephew, instead kept her focus on Tony. “Do you understand what it means to be responsible for a child?” May asked. 

Pepper spoke up, “May’s right. There’s a guest room next to ours that would be perfect for Peter. We could set that up for him” 

May smiled. “That would be great.”

Pepper gave the other woman a conciliatory smile. “I’m sorry, May. We should have thought about that.”

Tony frowned, but ultimately agreed with his fiancé. It probably was a bad idea to leave the Damned Brat alone in the Avengers wing. Who knows what kind of trouble he would get into. 

Pepper led the way to their private wing, chatting with May the whole time, and putting her more at ease. Tony and Pepper's space had a  more contemporary design, with streamlined furniture in a minimalist palette.  Everything looked very new and well-maintained.  

Pepper led them to the guest room next to the master bedroom.  “I think this will work nicely for Peter,” she said. 

It was a large room with a generous closet and it’s own bathroom. Everything had the same sleek design as the rest of the quarters. The boy’s eyes went wide as he took it all in. 

“We’ll have it redecorated and get new furniture, of course,” Tony said, realizing the room wasn’t really set up for a teenager. 

May smiled approvingly, “This will do. Thank you.”

Once May was satisfied with the room arrangements, Pepper went to get things started on redecorating while Tony and Peter walked May out. 

When they returned to the foyer, May turned to Tony. “Before I go, we need to set up some ground rules.”

Peter groaned, but both adults ignored him. 

“Of course,” Tony agreed quickly. “The rules are... uhm… what did you have in mind?” he asked May, as he realized he was totally unprepared to set rules. 

May chuckled. “To start with, I think no using the workshop or the research labs without adult supervision.”

“No. That’s not necessary!” Peter protested.  

“It looked like there were some dangerous materials in there,” May insisted. 

Tony nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, that’s probably a good idea.”

“May, come on…” Peter pleaded, as if it were ultimately her decision who Tony let in his workspace. 

“I’m sure you’ll find something else to keep you occupied if Tony is busy,” May said firmly.  

Peter huffed, but then gave May a wry smile. “Yeah.” The two Parkers shared a look Tony couldn’t interpret. 

“And no working out without an adult either,” May added. Tony nodded to that as well. 

“Why would I need an adult to run the treadmill or use the elliptical?” Peter sounded annoyed. 

“He’s got a point,” Tony said. “How about he can use the cardio equipment alone - FRIDAY will be monitoring of course. But no swimming alone - that’s a rule for everyone. And no strength training without a spotter.”

“You have a spotter here who can lift more than me?” Peter snarked.  

Tony and May exchanged a look. Despite the teen’s tone, it was a valid question. 

Thinking out loud, Tony said, “Vision might. I might if I use the suit gauntlet.  We’ll need to test that out.” 

May seemed satisfied with that. “We passed the shooting range when you gave us the tour. No firearms training.” Her voice was firm. 

“Sure.  Not until he’s at least eighteen,” Tony agreed. 

“Make sure he gets his homework done. And remember to feed him. Don’t let him go without meals.” 

“Of course.” Tony figured those things shouldn’t be too hard. 

May smiled at both of them. “I think that’s enough for now.”  She gave Peter a big hug and a kiss on his forehead.  

As she prepared to leave, she turned back to Tony. “Just watch out for him, okay? He’s a good kid, but it’s like he’s cursed with bad luck.” 

Tony’s stomach dropped and for a moment he stopped breathing. She couldn’t possibly know about the curse. Could she?

Peter just rolled his eyes and laughed. “Bye May. See you on Sunday!”

With a wave to each of them, she was gone. 

“I think she’s starting to like you, Mr. Stark,” Peter remarked with a smirk. 

“Why wouldn’t she?” Tony replied automatically as he recovered from his earlier shock.  “Wait, you mean she didn’t like me before?” 

Peter snorted a laugh. “The first time you came over she made you her walnut date loaf. She doesn’t do that to people she likes.”

Tony remembered the horrible taste of the walnut date loaf. “It’s bad on purpose?” 

The amusement on the boy’s face answered him.  Then Peter asked, “So, what are we doing first? Can we go to the workshop? Or maybe the parkour course? Or swimming?”

Tony could help but delight in the Damned Brat’s energy. “We’ll get to everything, I’m sure.”

They ended up spending the afternoon in the training facility, where Tony started testing Peter’s strength as well as his endurance on the cardio equipment.  Then they had dinner. Afterwards, Peter worked on his homework while Tony read the latest reports from SI’s R&D department.  They finished the night with some television and then Tony sent Peter to bed. The kid seemed pretty tired, so the man figured the teen was done for the night. All in all, he considered it a successful start to their first weekend together. 

——————

Tony woke up suddenly, startled out of a nightmare. He glanced at the clock on the bedside table. 3:14 AM. The images of the nightmare were fading, but the feelings of fear and anxiety lingered. Tony knew he wouldn’t get back to sleep. Pepper stirred slightly in her sleep, as Tony got out of bed, but she didn’t wake. 

Tony quietly left the bedroom to make some coffee. As he passed the guest room - Peter’s room - he was surprised to see the door open and the room empty. Great, now he was going to have to find the Damned Brat. But first, coffee. 

When Tony entered the kitchen, he discovered Peter sitting at the kitchen table in his pajamas, his hair a mess.  The kid was working on his disassembled web shooters, consulting his notebook as he did so. 

The man watched the boy as the coffee brewed. He noticed an empty cereal bowl and spoon in the sink, a box of Cheerios on the counter. When the coffee was ready, he poured a cup and then asked, “What are you doing?”

Peter didn’t look up from his work. “I had an idea to improve the firing range of my web shooters. Since I can’t get into the workshop without an adult, I thought this was the next best place to work on them.”

Moving to look over the Damned Brat’s shoulder, Tony studied the schematic drawing sketched out in the notebook. The redesign was impressive. 

“Where did you get the extra wiring and other stuff you needed?” 

Peter waved a hand towards the kitchen counter. Looking there, Tony saw the toaster was in pieces. He sighed. “I guess that means we’re not having toast with breakfast.”

Then Peter did look up. He chuckled. “Actually, I took the toaster from the Avengers’ kitchen.  You said no one was there, so I figured they wouldn’t miss it.”

Tony laughed outright at that. “Good thinking, kid.”

“That is the fanciest toaster I’ve ever seen, Mr. Stark,” Peter remarked, in a tone that was both amused and impressed. “Touch screen. Wifi. Advanced sensors. It’s crazy.”

“Of course it is. What else would you expect?” Tony replied. He sipped his coffee. “Why aren’t you asleep?”

Peter shrugged then went back to working on the web shooters. “I woke up.”

“Yeah, I figured that. Why? Something wrong with your room?”

“No, I just don’t sleep a lot,” Peter said a little tensely. 

Tony frowned. The Damned Brat was too young to have sleeping problems.  “Since when?” He asked softly. 

Peter shrugged again. “Since I was five,” he admitted. 

Since his parents died , Tony realized. He suddenly understood why May hadn’t wanted the boy to be alone in the Avengers’ wing at night. He also remembered May’s comment that the kid was cursed with bad luck. He wanted to ask Peter about that, but just couldn’t bring himself to do it. He felt the familiar weight of guilt in his stomach. 

He sighed heavily, unsure of what to say. He should say something comforting. Instead, he asked, “Do you do this at home? Get up in the middle of the night and take apart kitchen appliances?”

Peter laughed a little. “I used to when I was younger. Now I build stuff from the parts I scavenge.”

“You mean what you find dumpster diving?”

“Yeah.” Peter reassembled the web shooters. Tony picked one up and looked at it. 

“Nice work. But no more working on stuff like this at the kitchen table. That's what the workshop is for in the morning. If you can’t sleep, there are plenty of things in the recreation area to keep you occupied.” His voice had a slightly reprimanding tone, but no real anger. 

Peter scowled, but nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Tony finished his coffee and put his mug in the sink. “Come on, let’s go watch a movie.” He pulled the boy out of his chair and led him down to the cinema. “And new ground rule: never take apart my coffee makers.” 

Peter chuckled. “I’ll try to remember that.”

———————

The next day, Tony was determined to wear the Damned Brat out so he would sleep through the night. If he was really lucky, they both would.

They went to the workshop, to refine and test Peter’s improvements on his web shooters. Then Tony had him try them on the parkour course, which included arial features that he could swing on, as well as targets he could web up. The redesigned web shooters worked perfectly. 

In the afternoon, Tony decided to teach the kid racquetball.  Peter learned quickly. In fact, the Damned Brat was a natural at it, thanks to his enhancements.  After all their activity, Tony was exhausted while Peter was barely winded. 

He changed tactics, deciding that tiring out Peter’s mind was as important as tiring his body. He had the boy finish his homework. Then he gave the kid several complex equations to solve. The Damned Brat worked through all of them, which made Tony feel both surprised and proud of the kid. 

In the evening, they swam. First they did laps, which became a friendly race. Then Peter decided to try the diving platform. Tony watched nervously while Peter performed flips and twists, similar to the acrobatics he did while swinging. Still, he clapped and cheered for each of the teen’s stunts. 

When bedtime came, Peter was thoroughly tired. Tony felt triumphant as he told the boy goodnight and sent him to his room. Soon after, Tony settled into his own bed for what would hopefully be a solid, peaceful sleep. 

——————-

Tony woke to Pepper shaking his shoulder and calling his name. He sat up suddenly, almost crashing into her. His heart was pounding and could barely catch his breath. 

“You were having a nightmare, honey,” Pepper told him. “You were shouting and thrashing around.”

Tony nodded, acknowledging her explanation.  As usual, the images of the nightmare faded, but he was still anxious and on edge. He swung his legs over the side of the bed. The glowing numbers on the clock read 4:12 AM. 

Pepper yawned and Tony felt bad for waking her. “Go back to sleep. I’m just going to get something to drink.”

The woman mumbled something incoherently and laid back down. Tony envied her ability to fall back asleep so quickly. 

Leaving the bedroom, he saw that once again Peter’s room was open and empty.  So much for his attempts to wear the Damned Brat out. He was surprised to find the kitchen also empty. There was evidence that Peter had been there: a plate and fork in the sink and an unfinished cup of milk on the counter. 

“FRIDAY, where’s Peter?” 

“Peter is in the bowling alley, Boss,” The AI replied. 

That was surprising. Tony had told the kid to explore the recreation area if he couldn’t sleep. But he had expected the kid to use the cinema or the library, maybe even the arcade.  But apparently, the kid had decided to go bowling. 

While growing up, Tony had been taught all the sports that were considered appropriate for a young man of great wealth. Those included golfing, tennis, horseback riding, skiing, and auto racing. Bowling hadn’t been on that list and his father considered it to be an activity of the lower classes.  But then he had gone to college and met Rhodey. His new friend enjoyed bowling and dragged Tony out to play the game frequently. And so Tony had learned to appreciate the sport.  When the Avengers were formed, they found bowling to be one of the few recreational activities they were all familiar with, resulting in many friendly competitions. So of course, when Tony designed the Avengers Compound, he included a small fully-equipped bowling alley. 

After having some coffee, Tony headed downstairs to the bowling alley.  The place was quiet when he entered and appeared to be empty. And yet FRIDAY confirmed that Peter was there. 

“Kid? Are you in here?” he called out. 

“Hey, Mr. Stark!” came the reply, as Peter appeared from behind the pinsetter at the end of the first lane. He was still in his pajamas and bare feet. 

Tony carefully walked down the gutter to the end of the lane. “What are you doing, kid?”

A quick look around gave Tony his answer. The pinsetter was disassembled, with parts scattered across the pin deck. From the look of things, the kid had been down here for hours. 

He sighed heavily. “Why are you taking apart my bowling alley?”

Peter smiled brightly. “I always wanted to see how one worked.  And you said I should come down here to the recreation area if I couldn’t sleep.”

“I meant that you should watch a movie or read a book or play video games! Not that you should disassemble my expensive equipment.”

“Oh. I’m sorry,” Peter said quietly. “I’ll put it back together.” 

Tony immediately felt bad for raising his voice. “Were you done? Or are you still learning how it works?”

“I figured it out. But I was planning to rebuild it differently, try out a couple of improvements. I was also going to redesign the ball return,” Peter gave him a small smile. 

Tony couldn’t help but chuckle at that. The Damned Brat was a kid after his own heart, always looking to take things apart and improve how they worked. These days, Tony generally confined his tinkering to the workshops and labs. But Peter had no such boundaries. To him, the world was one big workshop. 

“Okay, you can have this one lane to experiment with. But you leave the others alone.” He tried to sound strict, but came across more as amused and affectionate.  

Peter’s face lit up. “Thanks, Mr. Stark!”

“Alright, now tell me about these improvements you want to try.”

————-

Tony was almost disappointed Peter went back to Queens.  The Compound suddenly seemed quiet and lonely without the kid. He had learned a lot about the boy over the weekend. He had already known the kid was a genius. But over the weekend, he had seen more of Peter’s personality. Tony consoled himself by remembering that in a couple days he would see Peter at the Tower.  Tony had several new ideas about what they could work on during internship days. He was excited just thinking about it. 

That sudden realization stopped him short. He was excited about spending time with the Damned Brat. What the hell was happening?

Notes:

Thanks for reading!

The next chapter will continue to develop Tony and Peter’s mentor- protégé relationship, as well as explore some of Peter’s perspective on their situation.

Chapter 12: The Photograph

Summary:

Rhodey meets Peter for the first time since Germany. Peter asks Tony about his parents and Tony learns about Parker Luck.

Notes:

I rewrote this chapter a couple of times, but I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. This one answers some of the questions that came up in the comments in previous chapters.

I would like to thank whomever nominated my story “Proof of Concept” for an Irondad Creators Award. That’s one of the first stories I wrote here and I’m really proud of it. I’m so glad others enjoy it as well.

I made a couple minor edits to this chapter to correct wording.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

As the weeks went on, Tony and Peter got to know each other better. To his own surprise, Tony discovered that he liked having the Damned Brat around. He even started to look forward to the days the super teen came to the Tower and spent weekends at the Compound. 

Rhodey’s assignment in DC got extended, so it was several weeks before he returned to the Compound. Once he was back, Tony made some needed adjustments on his friend’s leg braces. Then the two decided to catch up over a game of bowling.  

“Stay away from lane one,” Tony warned while they changed their shoes. “That’s the Kid’s lane.”

“You gave your Damned Brat his own lane?” Rhodey asked incredulously. 

“He’s not my Damned Brat. He’s just a Damned Brat,” Tony answered as always. It had become a running joke between them. 

Rhodey just laughed, as always. 

Tony continued, “I had to give him something or there was a risk I would wake up one morning and find that he’d dismantled half the equipment in the medbay.”

Rhodey chuckled. “Doesn’t he sleep at night?”

Tony frowned. “Not well, not since his parents… you know.”  The man’s expression was solemn and a little guilty. 

“Damn, that’s tough,” Rhodey remarked. Then he asked, “So what’s special about the Damned Brat’s lane?”

“He’s always changing things on it. Right now, it sets the pins up in a spiral pattern. Also the ball return has enough force to knock you off your feet.”  Tony tried to sound annoyed, but his amusement was obvious.  

“Okay, so I guess we’re on lanes five and six then,” the other man replied with a laugh. 

The two friends had a good afternoon of friendly competition and banter. They talked about Rhodey’s work in DC and the latest projects at Stark Industries. After a couple of games, they decided it was enough. 

Rhodey looked over at lane one. “I can’t believe you’re actually mentoring the Parker kid. And that he has a room in your private quarters.”

Tony shrugged. “His scary aunt didn’t really leave me a choice about it.  But he’s a good kid.”

“Yeah?” Rhodey had only met him briefly in Germany before the fight, before everything had gone to shit.  It hadn’t been enough to get a good impression of the teen. 

“He’s really a genius. I mean, we knew that, but seeing it is just something else. He’s amazing in the workshop and the research labs.”

Rhodey couldn’t help but smile. 

“Plus he’s a really good person. Always wanting to help other people.  He’s polite and respectful, except for when he’s being a snarky little shit. He’s full of brightness and hope despite everything he’s been through.”

Rhodey was now grinning widely, amused at how his friend was practically gushing about a child.  “That’s great, Tones.” 

——————

The next time Peter came to the Compound, Rhodey made sure to visit the workshop.  Tony and Peter appeared to not notice him at first. The two were working on the mechanics for a new version of the Iron Man suit. Rhodey observed quietly as Tony patiently explained the next steps and Peter quickly understood the reasoning behind everything. 

When Tony noticed his friend, he told Peter to continue the work, then stepped away.  Tony and Rhodey walked over to the far end of the workshop. 

“What brings you down here?” Tony asked lightly, although he had a good guess of the reason. His voice was low, barely above a whisper. 

“I just wanted to see how things were going.” Rhodey matched the quiet tone. He carefully watched as Peter worked, seemingly unaware of their conversation. “So that’s your Damned Brat, huh?”

“He’s not my Damned Brat. He’s just a Damned Brat,” Tony answered automatically. 

Now Peter did glance towards them. “Damned Brat?” he repeated. 

Tony cringed. Fortunately Peter seemed more amused than offended. 

“He heard us?” Rhodey asked, a little stunned. 

“Yes, the Damned Brat has damned enhanced senses,” Tony hissed.  He sighed. “Come on, it’s time for a real introduction, I suppose.” The two men walked across the workshop. 

Peter seemed thrilled as Tony formally introduced them. “It’s great to meet you Colonel Rhodes! I mean, I know we kinda met in Germany. But that was just for a minute and that was before… Uhm… You look much better than the last time I saw you!”

Tony shook his head and rolled his eyes. But Rhodey only smiled at the boy’s good-natured rambling.  

“I am much better, thank you.”

“Are you here to get your leg braces adjusted?” Peter asked. 

Tony looked at him sharply. “I adjusted them just last week. They’re fine.”

Peter glanced toward Rhodey’s legs. “They’re out of sync. I can hear it when you walk.”

“What do you mean you can hear it?” Tony asked. 

Peter just shrugged, then went back to working on the Iron Man suit. 

“He’s right,” Rhodey said. “They’re out of balance. The right one is reacting a little faster than the left one. I was going to have you look at them.”

The three of them spent the next couple of hours working on the devices. As usual, Peter caught on quickly, asked intelligent questions, and even made some insightful suggestions on how to improve them. By the end of the session, the leg braces were working better than ever. Rhodey was as impressed with Peter as Tony was. 

Afterwards, Rhodey left to make some calls.  Tony and Peter resumed working on the Iron Man suit. 

“Can I ask you something?” Peter asked. When Tony nodded, he continued. “Are you mad that May is making you mentor me?”

Tony was taken aback by the question. “What makes you think that?”

“You call me a Damned Brat?” Peter said softly. 

Tony had hoped Peter would have forgotten about that, but of course he didn’t. “Don’t take that personally, it’s just a saying,” he said flippantly. 

Peter didn’t look convinced. 

Tony took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m not mad. I admit that at first, I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea. But now I can see that May was right to insist on it.”

Peter considered that. “Yeah, she’s like that sometimes. She talks me into doing things I didn’t really want to do, and later it turns out she was right.”

Tony was both amused and interested. “Yeah? Like what?”

“Like, I didn’t want to go to the Homecoming Dance because it was on the anniversary of my parents’ death.  But May convinced me that Mom and Dad would have wanted me to go.  And in the end, it’s a good thing I went because I ended up fighting the flying vulture guy and saving your plane and everything.”

And nearly getting himself killed, Tony thought. Nothing is ever simple with this kid.  

“I don’t think that’s the outcome your aunt had in mind. But she’s right about your Mom and Dad. They would have wanted you to go to the dance and have fun with your friends.”

Peter looked a little unsure. “You really think so?”

A look of nostalgia came over Tony’s face. “Yes, I do. Your Mom loved to dance. She was very good at it.” He smiled at the memory. 

“You knew them pretty well, my Mom and Dad?” Peter asked quietly. 

“Uhm… yeah, I knew them way back. I met up with them a lot at scientific conferences and events like that.”

“You were friends with them?” Peter asked tentatively. 

“I’m not sure I would say that we were friends exactly.” He wasn’t really sure how to describe their relationship. “But we were friendly. Your Mom and I used to joke around a lot.”

“But you hated my Dad,” Peter said matter of factly.

Tony hadn’t expected Peter to know that. “What? Why do you say that?”

“Ben told me that you hated Dad. Because you had a crush on Mom.” 

Crush wasn’t the word Tony would have used. Lusted after was more correct. But he wasn’t about to say that to Mary’s teenage son. 

Tony sighed. “Your mom was an extraordinary woman. She was beautiful and brilliant. She had a wonderful sense of humor and was full of snark. I… admired her very much.”

“Ben said you asked her out,” Peter said, not accusingly, but with curiosity. 

Again, it was a simplified version of the truth, but close enough. Tony had to wonder why Ben Parker had thought it was a good idea to share all that information. 

“I did ask her out. Several times. But, she was only interested in your father. So, yeah, that rubbed me the wrong way. I mean, your Dad was a genius and very talented in his field. He was highly respected. And most people liked him. He was a very likable guy.”

“You didn’t like him,” Peter reminded him. 

“Yeah, well, I didn’t think Richard deserved Mary.” Tony paused, gathering his thoughts. “But, obviously I was wrong. Your parents were very happy together. They were especially happy about having you.”

Peter smiled at that.

“Do you have any photos of them?” Peter asked a little hesitantly. 

“Of your parents? I don’t think so. There might be one or two in the archives from some scientific conference. But it would be a search to find something.”

“Oh,” Peter said. The one small sound was full of disappointment. 

Tony was puzzled. “I’m sure you have plenty of pictures of them.”

“Not really,” Peter said sadly. “Just a few that May and Ben took.”

Tony frowned. “Didn’t your parents have pictures? A wedding album? Photos with you as a baby?” 

“Yeah, but everything was lost in the fire,” Peter replied. 

“What fire?” Tony didn’t know about any fire. 

“Our apartment building caught fire when I was three years old. We lost everything.  Mom and Dad and I barely made it out alive.”

Tony thought that must have been a terrible thing for a toddler to witness. “I didn’t know that. I’m sorry.”

Peter got a far away look on his eyes. “It’s actually my first memory. How Dad pulled me out of my bed and carried me out of the building. How Mom cried while we watched the flames destroy the place we lived.”

Tony felt guilty - had the curse done that too? Was the fire his fault?

“What happened?” he asked quietly. 

“Something electrical, I think. The whole building burnt down. Then we moved to a new apartment. It was a little smaller, but that didn’t matter because we didn’t have any stuff anyway. We had to get new furniture and clothes and everything.” 

“That must have been hard,” the man said sympathetically. 

Peter shrugged. “I remember that i missed my old toys, but I got some new ones. Dad said it didn’t matter because all we lost was stuff and stuff can be replaced, but we were all alive and that was what mattered.”

“Your Dad was right,” Tony said, struck by the irony that Richard and Mary died only a couple of years later. 

“Yeah, but Mom was sad that we lost all the pictures. Digital cameras were still pretty expensive back then, I guess, because Mom and Dad always used film. So the pictures and the negatives were all destroyed.  That’s why I wondered if you had any, since you were friends with them.”

Tony considered. “Like I said, there might be some archived somewhere. I’ll see what I can find.”

Peter’s face brightened. “Thanks, Mr. Stark!”

———————

That night after sending Peter to bed, Tony had FRIDAY search through photos from the various conferences, to find some of Mary and Richard.  Unfortunately, there weren’t really any good ones. All the ones FRIDAY could find were too blurry or too far away or didn’t show both their faces. 

Finally, FRIDAY found one good picture of the couple. Tony frowned when he saw it. It was actually a picture of the three of them together.  Richard and Mary both looked relaxed and happy. Mary looked beautiful in her flowing red dress, her hand rested gently on her pregnant belly.  Tony, on the other hand, had an unhappy, scowling expression.  

He remembered that night clearly. It was the same night he had cursed the Damned Brat. The image was a terrible reminder of what he had done. 

“FRIDAY, can you crop me out of the picture? Or edit it so I’m not in it?”  

“I’m afraid not, Boss. The position of the figures in the photo doesn’t make that possible.”

Tony sighed. “Can you at least edit it to make it look like I’m smiling?”

“Sure, Boss. I can do that.”  

A few minutes later there was a revised image. FRIDAY had done a great editing job. Now the picture showed Tony smiling alongside Mary and Richard. He looked genuinely happy too, a real smile rather than the one he always gave the paparazzi.  The image was flawless, a flawless lie. 

“How’s that, Boss?” the AI asked. 

“It will do,” he replied. 

——————

After they had lunch the next day, Tony pulled out a print of the edited photograph and gave it to the Damned Brat. 

“Look what FRIDAY found.”

Peter grinned and his eyes went wide. “Oh my god, that’s you with my Mom and Dad! That’s awesome!”

Tony couldn’t help his own smile at the reaction. “It gets better.” He pointed out Mary’s swollen abdomen. “That’s you.”

Somehow, Peter’s face got even brighter. “Really? That’s amazing! All four of us in one picture!  I never knew that you met me before I was even born!”

Tony watched as the boy studied the photo with a grin. He was thankful that Ben Parker hadn’t told the boy about his real reaction to the pregnancy. 

“This is incredible, Mr. Stark. Thank you so much!” 

“It’s lucky I found it,” Tony remarked as he cleared away the dirty dishes. 

Peter laughed. “Lucky in a good way. That must be Stark Luck, because Parker Luck is never good.”

Tony frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Parker Luck is always bad luck. Bad things just happen a lot,” Peter said matter-of-factly. 

Was Parker Luck the same as the curse? That reminded Tony of something May had said. He had put off asking about it, but he needed to know. “The first time May dropped you off here, she said that it was like you were cursed with bad luck.”

Peter set the photo down on the table and looked at Tony. “Yeah, there’s a funny story about that.”

“Oh?” He tried to sound casual. 

“So like I said, bad things happen a lot. Some of it’s big stuff, like the fire or Mom and Dad dying. Some of it’s smaller stuff, like when I fell off my bike and broke my arm. Even just things like how most days I miss my train on my way to school. You know what I mean?”

Tony nodded. “Yeah, sure. Go on.”

“Well, a few years ago, May got a little annoyed with things going wrong all the time. She told Ben that there had to be some kind of reason for it. So she took me to see this psychic…”

“What? Like one of those fortune tellers with the neon storefronts?”  Street psychics were everywhere in New York City. 

Peter laughed. “No, it was nothing like that. This was supposedly a real psychic that one of her nurse friends used. She had like a regular office and she wore regular clothes. We had to make an appointment and everything.”

“May believes in that stuff?”

Peter chuckled. “A little. Her grandmother used to tell her stories about fortune tellers who could see into your soul and all that.”

The man nodded. His own grandmother had told him many stories as well. “Well, what happened?”

“May told her a whole list of bad things that had happened to me. Then the psychic lady studied my hands, and looked at some cards, and did some other stuff I don’t remember. And do you want to know what she said?” 

Despite his better judgment, Tony nodded. 

“She told May that I had been cursed. Not only that, but the curse was so strong that it must have happened when I was just a tiny baby or even before I was born. She said the curse was like a mark on my soul. So there was nothing she could do about it.” 

Tony felt the color drain from his face. 

Peter laughed, “I mean how ridiculous is that? May was furious that she had wasted money on that bullshit. Ben teased her about it for a while afterwards. It became one of our running jokes.”

“So none of you believed it?” Tony asked carefully. 

“No, of course not. I mean, obviously curses aren’t real. And even if they were, only a monster would curse a baby like that.  Right? It’s crazy.”  Peter shook his head, still laughing a little. 

“Yeah, right,” Tony agreed quietly. 

“Anyway, it’s all  just Parker Luck. It doesn’t have a reason, it just is what it is. That’s why I don’t worry about bad stuff happening to me when I’m out as Spider-Man.”

That last comment caught the man unprepared. “What do you mean?”

“Oh you know. Parker Luck killed my parents. Parker Luck killed Ben. Bad stuff keeps happening to me. I know that eventually Parker Luck will kill me too. That’s part of why I became Spider-Man. After Ben died,  I realized that if I’m going to die anyway, I might as well help as many people as I can in the meantime.”

Tony was floored by the kid’s reasoning. Not just floored, he was horrified.  He had caused all this. What Peter called Parker Luck was Tony’s curse. But only a monster would curse a baby, especially before it was even born. And the Damned Brat knew everything, but was too sensible to believe in it. Tony was in too much shock to reply. 

Peter was completely oblivious to Tony’s reaction.  “Anyway, can we go to the lab?  I need to make another batch of web fluid before I have to head home.  And thanks again for the photo, Mr. Stark!”

Notes:

I like how in CACW Peter mentions that it had been a really good day and one of his reasons is “I didn’t miss my train”, implying that he misses it most days. So I made that part of his Parker Luck. And yes, I decided that Peter didn’t have enough tragedy in his early life and added an apartment fire. It was necessary for the plot.

I know it was a long wait between updates. I hope this chapter was worth the wait. The next couple of chapters will explore the nature of the curse a little more and how it affects Tony and Peter’s relationship.

Chapter 13: The Wizard

Summary:

Dr. Strange encounters Spider-Man, then gets to know Peter and Tony.

Notes:

This chapter departs from my original plan for this story in two ways.

The first is that until this point, I’ve tried to keep the story pretty much in line with MCU canon. I wanted the chapters to be things that could happen between the movies or between scenes, but basically consistent with the movies. But after a lot of consideration, I decided to have Peter and Tony meet Dr. Strange now, rather than later. It better serves the story I want to tell.

The other change is that so far this story has been told from Tony’s point of view. This is a story about Peter’s life, but ultimately it’s a story about Tony and his character development. So it’s been important to me to stay in his perspective and his thoughts. But for this chapter, I needed to use a different point of view. So this chapter is from Dr. Strange’s perspective. We’ll be back to Tony’s point of view next time (probably).

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Stephen Strange had just started his evening meditation when the alarm sounded. 

Almost immediately, Wong appeared at the door to the study. “There’s someone on the roof.”

“I’ll see what’s going on,” Stephen said with annoyance and stood up. As he climbed the stairs, the Cloak of Levitation settled around his shoulders.  

Stephen pushed the door to the roof open and stepped outside. The sun was almost set, casting the edges of the roof in purply shadows.  The fall wind already had a chilling bite to it. He felt the Cloak cling to him a little more firmly, providing warmth. Slowly, the sorcerer moved around the roof. He couldn’t see anyone, but he sensed a presence. 

“I know you’re there,” he called out. “I’m warning you, this place is protected. Show yourself or suffer the consequences.”

There was a noise behind him and Stephen spun around. Golden mandalas formed around his hands and could be used either defensively or to attack if needed. He could vaguely make out someone among the shadows. 

“Who are you? What do you want here?” he demanded. 

A small red and blue figure hesitantly stepped forward into the dimming light. “I don’t mean any harm, sir. I just needed a place to catch my breath for a few minutes.” There was a slight tremble in the voice. One hand was pressed against his side. 

“Spider-Man,” Stephen recognized him from media stories. “I thought you stayed in Queens. What are you doing in Greenwich Village?”

“I followed some drug runners here. Found where they meet up with the suppliers. I fought them in an alley a couple blocks away. I webbed up everyone and called the cops. Now I just need to rest a little before I head back to Queens.” His white eyes squinted at the golden mandalas. “Who are you?”

“Dr. Stephen Strange,” he introduced himself. He allowed the mandalas to dissolve and took a step closer. He saw the irregular dark red stain on Spider-Man’s side and took note of his strained breathing.  “You’re hurt.”

Spider-Man paused for a moment, then gave a small nod. “One of them stabbed me during the fight. I’ll heal soon, I just need some time before I can swing home.”

Stephen didn’t know much about Spider-Man, just a little of what the news reported. He had seen stories of the hero, how he did everything from helping find lost pets to fighting street crime and thwarting bank robberies. No one knew the vigilante’s true identity, but it was speculated that he lived in Queens and he was fairly young, probably in his early twenties. Right now Stephen got the impression that the hero was even younger than that. Spider-Man had a small stature and shivered a little when the wind picked up. The dark red stain on his suit was growing in a way that worried Stephen. 

“Come inside,” he said in a gentle tone. “I’d like to take a look at your wound. I can help you.”

Spider-Man shook his head, then asked “You said you’re a doctor. Is this a clinic?” 

“No. It’s my private residence. But I used to be a neurosurgeon, so I’m qualified to provide basic first aid.” He kept his voice soft, sensing the other’s wariness. 

Spider-Man hesitated, then gripped his side and a little harder as he sucked in a breath. Reluctantly he nodded. 

Stephen guided the smaller figure inside and led him into the third-floor study. He called for Wong to bring his medical kit while he settled Spider-Man on the couch. 

“You need to take off the mask and upper portion of your suit,” Stephen said firmly. 

“Why the mask?” His voice sounded even younger and more frightened than it had on the roof. 

Something in that voice made Stephen feel protective. “Because I need to check for head wounds or a concussion. You’re safe here. Your identity is safe, I promise.” 

Spider-Man slowly reached up and pulled off his mask, revealing an even younger face than Stephen had expected. The boy looked like he was in his mid teens.  He was just a kid. Stephen was surprised, but quickly schooled his expression.

The boy’s brown eyes were clear, with no sign of concussion as he looked around curiously. Other than a black eye and a cut on his cheek, he didn’t appear to have any head injury. 

Spider-Man pressed the emblem on his suit and the garment loosened around him. Stephan helped him peel the suit down to his waist. There were some bruises on his torso, but they didn’t look too bad. More concerning was the steadily bleeding stab wound in his side. 

Wong appeared with the medical kit. “What happened here?” 

“Spider-Man just needs a little medical attention,” Stephen said calmly. 

“It looks worse than it is.  It’s already healing,” the kid insisted. 

Stephen nodded. “It still needs to be cleaned and bandaged.” He turned to his fellow sorcerer. “Why don’t you make some of your medicinal tea? We’ll be down shortly.”

Wong watched them for a moment, then headed downstairs to the kitchen.  

Stephen began to cleanse the wound. Even though it was starting to heal, he didn’t want to risk infection. The kid winced a little and sucked in his breath. 

“How old are you?” 

“Is that important for the first aid?” Spider-Man asked warily. 

Stephen chuckled. “It might be.”

“I’m almost sixteen.”

Stephen frowned a little at that, but didn’t comment. He put an antibiotic ointment on the wound, then placed a dressing on it. As he worked, he sensed that there was something odd about this boy. Something other than the fact that he was a crime-fighting teenager. There was something about him Stephen couldn’t quite figure out. 

The kid’s eyes were wide as he looked around the room at the various artifacts on display. 

“What’s your name?” Stephen asked softly. “It’s okay, you can trust me.”

“What is this place?” the teen countered. 

“This is the Sanctum Sanctorum. It’s one of three in the world.” 

The boy frowned in confusion. “You call your home the holy of holies?” 

Stephen nodded, impressed. “You know Latin?”

“Yeah.” He looked at Stephen thoughtfully, then seemed to decide something. “I’m Peter.” 

“It’s nice to meet you, Peter.”  Stephan had finished patching up the kid, but was reluctant to just send him on his way. 

“Let’s go see if Wong’s done making that tea. And maybe get you something to eat.”

A few minutes later, they sat at the kitchen table, where Peter drank a mug of Wong’s medicinal tea and ate a grilled cheese sandwich. 

“Dr. Strange, what is all that stuff?” Peter gestured towards the room upstairs and its contents. 

“Magical artifacts. Some are very powerful. Others are merely curiosities. Each one is unique. They are here for safekeeping.”

“No, I mean really,” The teen must have thought he was joking. 

“Yes, really.” Stephen understood the disbelief, he had once felt the same way.  

“How did you do that sparkly thing with your hands?” 

“Magic,” Stephen replied simply. 

Peter gasped as his empty mug suddenly refilled itself with more tea.  “Are you enhanced?” he asked suspiciously. 

“No. I studied very hard and eventually I became a Master of the Mystic Arts and then Sorcerer Supreme.” Stephen said seriously. 

Peter stared at him for a moment and then suddenly burst into laughter. “That sounds like a terrible Stay in School PSA. It’s almost as bad as the ones with Captain America!”

Stephen laughed as well. “I suppose it is. Are you enhanced?”

Peter nodded, then told him briefly about the spider bite and his abilities. As a doctor, Stephen was fascinated by the story and asked many detailed questions. He was amazed to see that while they talked, the boy’s bruises were visibly fading. 

But still, there was something unusual about him. Something more than the spider bite and his powers.  Something more than being a young hero. There was a brightness to Peter’s spirit. And yet… a malicious influence seemed to surround him somehow, clinging like a second skin and threatening the boy’s well-being. It made Stephen feel uneasy and made him want to protect the teen. 

Peter asked several questions about how magic worked. He was skeptical at first, but never disrespectful. The teen was obviously science-minded. And yet he was open to new ideas, even as he tried to understand magic in terms of his own worldview. When Peter started asking intricate questions about the relationship between magic and quantum mechanics, Stephen realized the kid was also a genius. 

“I’m a neurosurgeon, not a physicist,” Stephen said when Peter’s questions went beyond his own knowledge of the subject.  

“Sorry, sir,” Peter said sheepishly. 

Stephen smiled fondly. “Don’t be sorry. I just don’t have the answers to your questions.  I’m not even sure if there are answers to your questions.  Magic just is.”

Peter considered that while he drank more tea. 

“Tell me, why did you choose this roof to rest on?” Stephen asked. 

Peter shrugged. “I have this sense… uh… I call it my spider sense for lack of a better term.  It tells me when I’m in danger. But it also tells me when I’m safe. It tells me that this place is safe. I can’t explain it more than that.”

Stephen was a little startled by the answer, but also touched by the trust that was implied. “This is a safe place for you. And you are welcome here anytime.” 

Peter nodded. “Thank you, Dr. Strange. I should be good to go now,” Peter said as he set down the empty mug. 

The alarm sounded again, interrupting them. 

“What now?” Stephen asked as Wong appeared in the kitchen doorway. 

“Iron Man just landed on the roof.”

Peter opened his mouth to talk, but Stephen didn’t give him a chance to say anything before he was up and moving. “Wong, stay here with the kid.”

As Stephen hurried to the roof, he wondered what Iron Man was doing there. He had known Tony Stark a long time, but not very well. Before the accident, Stephen had been a wealthy neurosurgeon and the two men were often invited to the same charity events. They were civil with each other, but not really friendly. It was obvious that each one considered the other to be an arrogant narcissist. 

Stephen stepped onto the roof for the second time that evening. He saw Iron Man off to the side, crouched down and inspecting a few drops of blood. Spider-Man’s blood.  

“Tony Stark,” Stephen greeted his visitor gruffly.

Iron Man stood up slowly. “Stephen Strange, is that you? I haven’t seen you in ages. Rumor is that you became some kind of magician.”

Stephen sighed. “What business do you have here?”

The Iron Man faceplate opened, revealing Tony’s worried expression. “I’m looking for Spider-Man. I got a report from his suit that he was here and he was injured. Then it went offline.”

“Are you here as his friend or foe?” Stephen demanded. 

“Friend or foe?” Tony repeated incredulously. “Look, I’m here to take him home. Just tell me where he is and how badly he’s hurt.” His voice was laced with worry. 

Stephen was surprised at the strong parental impression he got from the other man. “Come with me.”

As the sorcerer led his guest down to the kitchen, he explained the boy’s condition. “He has a small stab wound on his side, but it didn’t do any serious damage. I’ve cleaned and dressed it. There are some bruises that are almost completely healed by now. With food and rest he’ll be fine.”

Tony released a deep breath and seemed relieved by the news.

When they reached the kitchen, Tony rushed forward. “Kid, are you alright?” He gently put his hand on the teen’s shoulder as he looked over the fading bruises, then inspected the bandage on the kid’s side. He ran his hands over Peter’s head, carefully checking for unseen injuries. Peter allowed it for a moment, then playfully batted the man’s hands away. The two grinned at each other. 

When Tony made physical contact with Peter, Stephen sensed that the air around them changed.  It was almost like a charge hung around the two of them, but infused with magic rather than electricity. Tony and Peter themselves seemed unaware of it. Stephen looked to Wong and the man’s slightly puzzled expression showed that he sensed it as well. 

The kid smiled brightly. “I’m fine, sir. The wizards took good care of me.”

“We prefer Masters of the Mystic Arts,” Wong reminded him fondly. 

“Sorry,” Peter replied with a sheepish smile. 

“Let’s get you to the Tower so Dr. Cho can check you over,” Tony said with more gentleness than Stephen would have expected. 

Peter groaned. “I’ve already seen a doctor,” he protested, pointing toward Stephen. 

Stephen smiled sympathetically. “I can assure you, he’s fine.”

Tony thought for a moment, then acquiesced. “Alright, but you're still staying at the Tower tonight just in case. I’ll let May know.”

Peter nodded reluctantly. “I don’t have a change of clothes,” he admitted with a little embarrassment. 

Stephen waved his hand. “That’s no problem, Peter.”  A set of neatly folded clothing appeared on the table: a tee shirt, sweatpants and socks, along with a pair of athletic shoes. Tony gasped, but Peter’s expression was one of delight. 

When Peter left the kitchen to change his clothes in the bathroom down the hall, Stephen turned to Tony. 

“Peter didn’t tell me his last name. I didn’t realize he’s your son. How have you managed to hide him from the press all these years?” 

Tony sighed. “He’s not my son.”

Stephen was surprised at that. He was sure there was a parent-child connection between the two.  In his years as a surgeon he had met many overprotective and worried parents. Tony’s interactions with Peter fit that pattern. Plus, there was the odd magic-like connection between them. Stephen wondered if their connection had anything to do with the threat he had sensed around the boy. 

“Are you sure?” Stephen asked, trying not to sound condescending. 

“Yes, I’m sure,” Tony replied with an irritated tone. “His parents were Richard and Mary Parker.”

Stephen recognized the names. “Oh, wow. That’s impressive. It certainly explains his genius. But that means he’s an orphan.”

Tony made a face like he’d been punched in the gut. “Yeah, Pete lives with his aunt.”

“So he’s not your ward?” Stephen asked, trying to understand their relationship. 

“Not exactly. It’s complicated. Why are you asking me all this?” 

Stephan crossed his arms over his chest. “An enhanced child turned up on my roof injured and looking for safety. He is under my protection. Do you expect me to just hand him over to the first adult who comes looking for him?”

Tony signed. “No. And I appreciate you helping him, looking out for him. But he is my responsibility.” 

Peter returned before the adults could discuss the matter further. He wore the borrowed clothes along with his web shooters and carried his Spider-Man suit. 

“The suit took some damage,” he said to Tony sadly. He showed where the fabric had been cut and stained. 

“That’s no problem. We’ll fix it,” Tony assured the boy. Stephen could hear the fondness in the other man’s voice. 

“I can portal you back to your Tower,” the sorcerer offered. 

Peter grinned excitedly, but Tony shuddered at the suggestion.  “I’m not sure what that means, but we’ll pass. Happy will be here shortly.”

Stephen nodded, a little amused by Iron Man’s reluctance to try a portal. Then he turned to the teen. 

“Peter, you are welcome here anytime. This will always be a safe place for you.”  Stephen said and Wong nodded in agreement. 

The kid smiled and thanked them both. 

Through the window, they saw a black Audi pull up, indicating that Happy was there.  They all said their goodbyes and the two visitors left. 

“It’s been quite the interesting evening,” Wong remarked dryly when the two sorcerers were alone. 

“It has,” Stephen agreed. “I suspect we will have more interesting encounters with those two.” He had a lot of questions about how Tony and Peter were connected. And he intended to find the answers. 

Notes:

Thanks for reading and for comment and kudos! I really enjoy seeing other people’s thoughts on this story.

Chapter 14: The Connection

Summary:

Peter gets injured as Spider-Man. Dr. Strange learns more about the connection between Peter and Tony. And Tony has to face some hard truths.

Notes:

At this point, magic isn’t well explained in the MCU. So I’m drawing some stuff from other sources and making some stuff up. I don’t know if later movies or shows will contradict what I’m writing here. But in any case, in this story, this is how magic works. ;) It’s fun to write and I hope readers enjoy it.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Peter visited the Sanctum Sanctorum many times after that, both as Spider-Man and as Peter Parker. Stephen seemed to genuinely enjoy spending time with the kid and always encouraged him to come back. In fact, he seemed to be getting rather attached to Peter. 

Tony wasn’t happy about it, but he was unable to put a stop to the visits. He had even tried to get May to forbid Peter from going there.  Unfortunately, May didn’t object to Peter spending time with Stephen Strange. In fact, she seemed rather fond of the sorcerer, who she described as charming and mysterious, much to Tony’s annoyance. 

As a result, Tony had gotten to know Stephen better. He also learned a few things about magic. Like Peter, Tony initially tried to understand magic in terms of science. But eventually he gave that up and had to accept that magic was just something that existed.  To be honest, the whole idea that magic was real troubled Tony deeply. He tried not to think about it too much. 

On a Saturday afternoon, Tony was reviewing the latest SI contracts on his tablet. It wasn’t Peter’s weekend at the Compound, so he was catching up on all the documents Pepper had been nagging him about. He was making his notes on the contract when FRIDAY interrupted him. 

“Boss, I’m getting a message from Karen. Spider-Man has been critically injured. His vitals are erratic and dropping rapidly.”

Tony stood quickly, letting the tablet fall to the floor. “Alert the medical staff. What happened?”

“Dr. Cho and her team are preparing the medbay. Karen is damaged and is unable to give me details of the incident.”

“Where is he?” Tony reached for his nano casing and prepared to activate the suit. 

FRIDAY paused, then said, “I’m having trouble locating him.  Boss, the readings from his tracker are unusual. It’s like he’s simultaneously in lower Manhattan and here on the Compound’s east lawn.”

Tony ran out the east doors onto the lawn. Immediately he saw a dazzling orange circle appear in the air, with sparks flying all around. Stephen Strange stepped through the portal carrying a limp body. Peter. 

He hurried over to them. Peter was in the Spider-Man suit, wrapped in the Cloak of Levitation.  His mask was off, his face deathly pale.

“What happened?” Tony demanded, frantic.

“I got an alert that he was on my roof. When I got there, I found him unconscious. He’s been shot in the abdomen. That’s all I know.” The sorcerer spoke quickly, with the practiced calm that came from his chosen profession. 

The medical team ran out to meet them, having been alerted by FRIDAY. They quickly whisked the boy to the medbay as the two men followed. 

In the medbay, the team unwrapped the kid from the Cloak and cut off his Spider-Man suit. Tony was horrified by how much blood covered the teenager. The doctors and nurses worked rapidly to prepare him for surgery. 

Dr. Cho allowed Stephen to join them in the operating room, while Tony had to stay in the waiting area. Even though Tony understood that this was due to Stephen’s medical credentials, he still felt it was terribly unfair. After all, the Damned Brat was his responsibility, not Stephen’s. 

Pepper came to the waiting room and stayed with him. He was grateful for the calming strength of her presence, but it wasn’t enough to settle his anxiety. Tony sat on the uncomfortable chair and drank coffee he couldn’t taste.  He occasionally paced the floor. To his annoyance, the Cloak mirrored his movements.  When Tony sat, it hovered over a chair. When Tony paced, it floated along next to him. 

Tony alternated between watching the clock and ignoring the clock. It was unbearable to wait and not know what was going on. This wasn’t the first time Peter had been injured as Spider-Man and ended up in medbay. But he had never been hurt this seriously. 

He turned to Pepper abruptly. “I’m going to get his favorite blanket and pillow. The ones in the medbay are too scratchy for him.” 

Pepper gave him a small, gentle smile. The bedding in the medbay was of the highest quality and they both knew it. But Tony needed to do something. And Peter would in fact prefer his own blanket and pillow. 

“Go head, honey. I’ll wait here,” Pepper told him softly. He kissed her cheek.

As Tony stepped toward the hallway, the Cloak followed alongside him. “No, you stay here,” he instructed the garment harshly. In response, the Cloak moved to hover over the chair next to Pepper. 

He turned and headed to the living quarters. 

—————-

Tony sat on the edge of Peter’s bed, a fluffy grey blanket balled up on his lap. He couldn’t stop thinking about Peter’s pale face, how limp his body was, how much blood covered his suit. He couldn’t help wondering what had happened. 

“He’s out of surgery,” Stephen’s voice pulled Tony from his thoughts. The other man entered the room still dressed in blue surgical scrubs. 

“Is he okay? How did it go?” Tony asked quickly, his voice full of worry. 

Stephen paused, as if debating whether to tell him something.  Finally he said, “There was a moment when things got a little dicey. Peter woke up from the anesthesia and tried to fight us off. But Helen got him under again.” 

“Shit,” Tony swore under his breath. Finding anesthesia and painkillers that worked for Peter was an ongoing challenge. 

“Other than that, the surgery went very well. Your child will be fine, Stark,” Stephen said reassuringly. 

“I’ve told you, he’s not my son,” Tony replied irritably as he shook out the blanket and folded it. 

Stephen chuckled. “Biologically, no. But he is unquestionably yours. What would you prefer I call him?”

Tony just shook his head.  

Stephen continued. “Calling him your godchild might be the most accurate.”

“My godchild? ” Tony scoffed. “I’m an atheist. And so were his parents.”

Stephen smirked. “The term isn’t always used religiously. It describes the role you fill.”

“I’m not fit to guide the development of anyone’s moral compass,” Tony remarked. “Besides, the kid doesn’t need me for that. He's already a better person than I am.”

Stephen regarded him critically. “Be that as it may, Peter is your spiritual child. Certainly you are aware of that.”

“What are you talking about?” 

Stephen stared at Tony as if he was trying to read the other man’s soul. It was unnerving. “Tell me how you came to know Peter. The first time you met him.”

Tony shrugged. “It was at the Stark Expo in Queens. He tried to fight a Hammer drone with a toy mask and repulsor.  Nearly got himself killed.”

Stephen thought about that, then shook his head. “No, he would have been too old then.” 

The sorcerer looked around the room, searching for something. His eyes settled on a framed photo on the nightstand. It was of a younger Tony standing with Richard and Mary Parker. 

Stephen picked up the picture and studied it. His acute eyes immediately noticed Mary’s small baby bump. He pointed to the image and turned back to Tony. 

“Your very first encounter with him. What happened?”

Tony looked almost frightened. “Why? Why would you need to know that?”

“Because something happened in that first encounter that formed a deep connection between you and that boy. I’ve sensed it since the day I met you both.  That connection will either help him or harm him greatly. I need to know everything I can about it.”

Tony scowled and looked away from the photograph. Peter loved that picture, but Tony inwardly cringed every time he saw it. 

“I knew his parents. I was infatuated with Mary, but she always turned me down. I thought I finally had a chance with her, but then she told me she was married to Richard and they were going to have a baby.”

“And that upset you?” Stephen prompted when Tony fell silent. 

“Yes. Of course. They wouldn’t have gotten married if it hadn’t been for the baby.  And I still would have had a chance with her.” Tony sighed. “At least that’s what I thought at the time.”

“So what did you do?” Stephen asked. 

“I was drunk. I wasn’t thinking clearly,” Tony offered as an excuse. 

“What did you do?” Stephen pressed more forcefully.

Tony closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again. It had been years since he had admitted this to anyone. The only person he had ever told was Rhodey. Even Pepper didn’t know. “I called the baby a Damned Brat and I cursed him. I wanted him to have a miserable life.”

Stephen frowned. “You cursed an unborn? That could be the source of  your connection.”

Tony desperately didn’t want that to be true. “No, no, no. There is no connection because curses aren’t real. Everything bad that’s happened to this kid, it’s all just a coincidence, right?” 

“You know it’s not a coincidence,” Stephen countered. “And curses are real. You’ve seen magic. You know it exists.”

“But I’m not a wizard. So how could I be able to do something like that?”

Stephen smirked. “It’s called the Mystic Arts for a reason, Stark. To put things in relative terms, only a few people can paint like Rembrandt,” Stephen gestured to himself smugly, “But a lot of people can sketch a decent portrait and almost anyone can draw a stick figure.”

“What are you saying?” 

“That there exists a great range of natural talent and learned ability when it comes to magic. Certain types of folk magic, like curses, are available to almost anyone.”

Tony swallowed. “You mean I really did curse him.”

Stephen nodded solemnly with a grim expression on his face. 

“Okay, so how do we get rid of it? Reverse it? Cancel it? Or whatever it is you do?” Tony was desperate to find a way to fix things. 

“It’s not that simple. For one thing, you cursed an unborn. That leaves a deep mark on the soul. You can’t just undo that. I need to understand more about what happened. What were you feeling when you said it?”

Tony looked away. “It was a long time ago. I don’t remember what I was feeling.”

But Stephen saw right through the lie. “Tell me,” he insisted. 

“I… I was angry. I was jealous.” Tony admitted shamefully. 

Stephen regarded him thoughtfully. “Envy is more accurate. You understand the difference?”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Really? You’re going to give me a vocabulary lesson right now?”

Stephen ignored that. “Jealousy is the fear that you will lose what belongs to you. Envy is wanting what someone else has. Mary did not belong to you.”

Tony sighed, “No, she didn’t. But I thought she should have.”

Stephen stared at Tony thoughtfully, as if reading him. “Envy is a powerful emotion. And a complex one. When you cursed the baby, you were wishing for what Richard and Mary had together.”

Tony considered that. “Yeah, I guess I did.”

“And your wish came true. Now you have that,” Stephen said simply. 

Tony was confused. “You mean my relationship with Pepper?”

“No, I mean you literally have what Richard and Mary shared. You have their child,” Stephen said pointedly. 

“I didn’t want their child!” Tony complained. And even as he said it, he realized it was a terrible thing to say as the boy in question had just undergone surgery downstairs. 

“You have him anyway,” Stephen said harshly and without sympathy. “Unborns are vulnerable. Their souls are in flux. The combination of the curse and the wish forged a bond between you and this unborn. Peter.  Your godchild. He’s not yours biologically, but he’s yours in every other sense.”

Tony gave a defeated sigh. “I didn’t mean that I don’t want him now. But it’s not what I intended.”

“Perhaps you should have been more specific with your curse,” Stephen said dryly. 

Tony huffed.

“Does Peter know that you cursed him?” Stephen asked. 

Tony shook his head. “Some years ago May took him to some kind of psychic. She told them the kid was cursed, but neither of them believed it.”

“You should tell him.” Stephen said firmly. 

Tony was incredulous. “What? Why would I do that?”

“He may find out sooner or later. It will be easier for both of you if you’re the one to tell him.”

“Or he never finds out and it doesn’t matter because you help me reverse the thing,” Tony suggested. “Can you fix it?”

Stephen shook his head sadly. “I can’t. What you did has powerful consequences. For you and for Peter.”

“Are you telling me it can’t be undone?” Tony was devastated. 

“No. The curse can be reversed. But I can’t do it. It would take a great personal sacrifice on your part. A truly selfless act.”

Tony looked up with a glimmer of hope. “You mean like charity?” He would make whatever donation was needed to stop the curse - any amount of money. 

Stephen met the other man’s eyes. “A great personal sacrifice. I mean like the loss of life and limb. I’m sorry, Tony.” 

Tony was shocked for a moment, then felt horrified. The loss of life and limb. That was just too much to ask. Peter wasn’t even his kid. 

Tony stood up in a huff. “That’s just wonderful. Good talk.”  He grabbed Peter’s pillow and blanket and headed back to the medbay. 

———————

Tony hesitated just a little as he stepped into Peter’s recovery room.  He took in everything - the various monitors, the IV pole hung with bags of medication, the nurse making notes, even the pitcher of water on the bedside table - before his eyes finally settled on the boy laying in the bed. 

“It’s okay. He’ll be asleep for a few hours,” the nurse assured them just before she left the room. Tony nodded a wordless thanks. 

Peter was unusually still. An oxygen mask covered his mouth and nose, but Tony could see that color was slowly returning to his face. He was tucked into the bed, a dark red blanket spread out over the crisp white sheets.  Tony scowled as he realized that it wasn’t actually a blanket, but the Cloak of Levitation. 

Stephen made a gesture and the Cloak gently rose off the bed, then flew over to the sorcerer and settled around his shoulders. 

Tony rolled his eyes, then quietly walked over to the bed. Gently, he lifted the boy’s head just enough to remove the medbay pillow and replace it with the one from Peter’s own bed. He settled the teen’s head back down and gently ran a hand through the child’s hair. Then he unfurled the soft grey blanket and spread it over Peter, tucking it around him. 

“Where’s his aunt?” Stephen asked quietly. “Should I create a portal to get her?” 

“I sent Happy to pick her up. They’ll be here in a couple hours. I’ll stay with him until then,”  Tony replied. He sat down in the chair beside the bed. 

“In that case, I’ll be going. Helen promised to keep me updated on his condition.”

Tony looked up at the sorcerer. “Thank you.” He was too overwhelmed to come up with a snarky reply. 

“Take care of your child, Stark. Remember what I said.”  Stephen then opened a portal and stepped through, leaving them alone. 

Tony sat at Peter’s bedside. He tried talking to the kid, but he found it unnerving that Peter didn’t answer. So he sat in silence. 

He needed to know what had happened today. He had FRIDAY gather all the information from local security cameras, the police report, and whatever data was still intact from Karen and the Baby Monitor. 

From what he could piece together, Peter had been dumpster diving in the East Village when he heard a young woman and her toddler son being attacked. He had changed into his Spider-Man suit and rushed to their defense. He had fought off three attackers, even when they pulled guns.  Peter had used his own body to shield the small boy from getting shot. Even after a bullet tore through his abdomen, Peter had managed to web up all three. Then he swung away and ended up on the roof of the nearby Sanctum Sanctorum. 

After learning all that, Tony could only look at the sleeping young hero in awe and wonder. 

Stephen’s words kept echoing through his mind. 

Great personal sacrifice… the loss of life and limb….

Certainly the wizard didn’t mean that literally.  It had to be an exaggeration, a figure of speech. 

Great personal sacrifice… the loss of life and limb….

No. It was too much to ask of him. 

Your child… your godchild….

But Strange was wrong. Peter wasn’t his. Couldn’t be his, not even through some weird kind of magical, spiritual connection. The Damned Brat was his responsibility, but that didn’t make the kid his kid. 

Your child… your godchild….

Peter wouldn’t hesitate to risk his life for a stranger. He was too good to be Tony’s kid. 

Your child… your godchild….

And yet he couldn’t continue to deny that he felt something for the boy. Something more than just a sense of responsibility. Tony had to admit to himself that he felt affection for the teen. He reached out and held the Damned Brat’s hand, an act that felt both comforting and awkward. 

You should tell him…

How was he supposed to explain to Peter what he had done? How could he admit that every bad thing that happened in Peter’s life was Tony’s fault? Wouldn’t the kid hate him? Shouldn’t the kid hate him?

“Hey, Mis’er Stark,” a small voice pulled him from his thoughts. Peter looked at him with bleary eyes and a confused smile. 

“Hey, kid. The doctor didn’t think you would be awake yet.”  Tony’s voice was soft. He gave Peter’s hand a gentle squeeze. 

“Oh, sorry. I just…” He looked around the room. “Wha  hap’n’d?” His words were a little muffled by the oxygen mask. 

“What do you remember? Do you remember getting shot?”

Peter’s eyes went wide for a moment, then he relaxed again. “Yeah. That hap’n’d. I had to look ou’ for the li’l guy.”

Tony chuckled. “You did. That little guy and his mom are safe thanks to you. The attackers are in custody. You did good. I’m so proud of you, kid.”

Peter gave him a bright, but sleepily smile. 

“Go back to sleep. May will be here soon.” 

“You’re here. It’s all good,” Peter tugged on Tony’s hand playfully, then drifted back to sleep. 

Tony looked at their clasped hands and knew that he was never telling Peter about the curse. 

———————

Peter recovered quickly, thanks to his enhanced healing. And soon he was back to his usual routines of school, working with Tony, and Spider-Manning. Weeks went by without a serious incident or injury. 

So it was a surprise when he got a call from a frantic May Parker early one morning. 

“Tony, is he with you?” May demanded, her voice just shy of panicked.  

The question startled him. “Who? Peter?”

“Yes, of course Peter!” May practically yelled. “Where is he?”

“May, what are you talking about?”

“I just got home from an overnight shift. Peter wasn’t here, but his phone and the Spider-Man suit are in his room. I called Ned and he said Peter wasn’t in school yesterday. Then I called the school and they told me that you called Peter out sick for the rest of the week.”

Tony was shocked to hear this. “No. I did no such thing.” 

“Where is he?” May demanded. 

“I don’t know. I’ll find out, May.  I’ll find him!” Tony assured her, then hung up the phone. 

Fear settled like a knot in Tony’s stomach. 

His kid was missing. 

 

Notes:

At the beginning, I tagged this story as “Irondad (eventually)”.

We’re there.

Too bad it took Peter going missing for Tony to realize it.

Chapter 15: The Missing

Summary:

Peter is missing.

Notes:

This is a shorter chapter. It’s different than the others. There’s no action and no dialogue - just Tony’s thoughts while Peter is missing. If it seems a little disjointed or unclear, it’s supposed to be that way.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

His kid was missing. 

His kid had been missing for four days. 

His kid was missing and Tony had no idea how to find him. 

His kid was missing and Tony had no idea if he was even alive or dead. 

He pushed that thought aside. Pete couldn’t be dead. No, that was impossible, unthinkable, unbearable. 

Tony’s curse had struck again. 

There were no clues. No evidence of what had happened to his kid or who had taken him. 

Tony ran through the facts in his head again. 

May had last seen Pete on Tuesday morning.  She had left for work while the boy was still getting ready for school. May was scheduled for a twelve hour shift and should have been home that evening.  But another nurse had called in sick, so May had volunteered to cover the shift and ended up working twenty-four hours straight. When she arrived home early Wednesday morning, he should have been there. Instead, she found the apartment empty. 

Pete had never made it to school on Tuesday.  His phone, backpack and wallet were in his bedroom.  Inside the backpack were his Spider-Man suit and his laptop. 

The fact that all of Pete’s important possessions were left in his room suggested that the kid had been taken from the apartment. But there were no signs of a struggle. No evidence of forced entrance. That meant that whoever took the boy had either coerced him into going willing or had easily overpowered him.  Both options were terrifying.  

Because Pete didn’t have the phone or the suit with him, he couldn’t be tracked. Tony found himself wondering why he hadn’t put trackers in the Damned Brat’s regular clothes or his shoes or even implanted one under the kid’s skin.  Okay, maybe that would have been going too far, but it would have helped in this situation. 

The Parkers’ building didn’t have great security.  There was no camera outside and only one, low resolution camera in the lobby. It didn’t work half the time, and as (Parker) luck would have it, wasn’t working the day Pete disappeared. 

Tony was kicking himself for allowing his kid to live in such an unsafe place. He had once raised the subject with May, suggesting that they move to a safer neighborhood and a more secure building. But she had refused. She had her pride. And besides, the apartment was in a convenient location relative to her work and Pete’s school.  But right now her reasons felt insignificant and Tony knew he should have pushed the issue more. 

There had been no word from whomever had taken Pete. Tony had expected some form of communication: a phone call, an email, a video, even a paper note dropped off at the SI reception desk. He had expected something , a ransom demand - money or technology. He had thought that at the very least the Damned Brat’s captors would contact him to gloat. But there had been nothing.  

No communication meant they had no idea why Pete had been taken. Was it because of Spider-Man? That might explain how they overpowered him without a fight. Was it because of his connection to Tony? But in that case, there should be a list of demands by now. Was it something else entirely? 

On Wednesday, May had filed a police report. Tony didn’t think it would do any good, but he knew he couldn’t stop her, so he didn’t try. She was Peter Parker’s legal guardian after all.  

The police had come to the Parkers’ apartment and looked around, then questioned both May and Tony. Finding none of the usual evidence of a kidnapping, they strongly suggested that Pete was just another poor kid who had run away. They weren’t willing to look further than that - they had seen too many cases “just like this one”.  Tony and May knew that there had never been a case like Pete’s, but they couldn’t say that. 

So the police were no help. 

Rhodey was helping. Vision was helping. They were at it daily, even though there wasn’t much they could do. They searched Queens and the rest of New York City for any sign of the boy.  They went over the non-existent evidence again. They questioned Pete’s friends and neighbors. Nick Fury wasn’t taking Tony’s calls, but some of the SHIELD agents who worked at the Compound were helping out.   

At first, Tony had stayed at the Tower and ran the investigation from there. He was reluctant to leave the City until Pete was found. But there were more resources at the Compound. And Rhodey gently pointed out that there was no certainty that the kid was still in the City. He could be anywhere by now. It made more sense for Tony to be at the Compound. 

They had tried to get May to stay at the Compound too. She didn’t need to be at the apartment.  Tony had already installed sensors at the entrance points, tied directly into FRIDAY. On the off chance that Pete might just show up at home. Tony would know the second the kid set foot in the apartment, whether he came in through the door or a window or even the hidden crawl space in his bedroom. 

But May had stayed in Queens, even insisted on going to work. Tony didn’t know how she managed to keep working through all the worry and the stress. She was a strong woman. 

If they didn’t find Pete soon, Tony was going to have to call the Rogue Avengers for help. Steve wouldn’t hesitate to help find the teen. Captain America wouldn’t hesitate to rescue a missing child. Natasha would want to help too. She had been impressed with the kid in Germany.  Clint would probably help as well. He was a father himself, after all.  

Tony really wasn’t ready to face his former teammates.  But for Pete, he would do it, if there was no other way to find him.  If there was no other hope.  Tony wasn’t quite at that point yet, but he was getting close. 

A small part of Tony’s mind still clung to a faint hope that any minute now, Pete would just walk into the workshop. He would be grinning widely and eager to get back to work on one of his projects. Maybe he had gone on a spur of the moment trip with some classmates. Or maybe he went to visit some previously unknown relatives. Maybe his kid would suddenly reappear and sheepishly apologize for all the worry he had caused Tony and May. He hadn’t meant to upset them. Teenagers could be impulsive and thoughtless like that. Of course Tony and May would lecture the kid and ground him. Then they would hug him tightly, as if all of their lives depended on it. 

And yet, Tony knew that wasn’t going to happen.  

He was afraid of not ever finding the Damned Brat.  Of spending years searching for him, without any break in the case. Of waking up every morning for the rest of life wondering what had happened to his kid. It was a terrifying thought. 

And at the same time, part of him was afraid to find the boy, afraid of what he would find. What condition would they find him in? What if Pete had been tortured, beaten, abused physically or psychologically? What if he had been trafficked, sold off to the highest bidder? What if he had been experimented on? What if he was left with permanent injuries? 

The nature of the curse made it unlikely that the Damned Brat would be returned unharmed.  Whatever horrors Pete was currently experiencing were Tony’s own fault.  

But Tony was determined to do whatever was necessary to take care of his kid. Whatever Pete needed for his recovery, Tony would provide it. The best doctors. The best rehabilitation specialists. The best therapists.  If he needed special medicine, Tony would have it synthesized in his own labs. If his kid needed any adaptive equipment or prosthetics, Tony would build it himself. Whatever his kid needed, Tony would provide it. 

But what if they found Pete dead? What if Tony's curse had finally done its worst? What if Tony had gotten his kid killed? The boy had even said that Parker luck (Tony’s curse) would kill him eventually.

The thought was unbearable and he tried to push it away. But it kept coming back to taunt him. Pete might already be dead. How could Tony live with himself if he lost the kid? 

His kid was missing and Tony had no idea if he was even alive or dead. 

His kid was missing and Tony had no idea how to find him. 

His kid had been missing for four days. 

His kid was missing. 

Notes:

I’d love to hear what the readers think happened to Peter. Share your theories in the comments.

Chapter 16: The Mission

Summary:

Tony learns a hard lesson about karma.

Notes:

I really enjoyed seeing readers’ ideas about what might have happened to Peter. Thanks to everyone who shared their thoughts in the comments!

This chapter refers to events that happened in Chapter 9: The Homecoming. So if it’s been a while since you’ve read that chapter, you might want to look it over again and refresh your memory.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

“Boss, Nick Fury and Peter Parker are at the main entrance of the Compound,” FRIDAY announced. 

Tony nearly dropped the tablet he had been holding. 

“What? Pete’s here?” Tony wondered if he had heard the AI correctly. Maybe the worry and fear had driven him insane and he was imagining things. 

“Yes, Boss.  He’s with Nick Fury in the foyer at the main entrance.” 

Tony was on his way before FRIDAY could even finish speaking. “Tell Helen that the kid’s here and I’ll be bringing him up shortly,” he ordered. The medical staff had been ready for an alert since Peter went missing. 

Tony practically jogged through the hallways until he reached the foyer at the main entrance and skidded to a stop on the polished tile floor. 

His frantic eyes settled on Peter Parker, who had been missing for four days.  

His kid was standing there. He was alive. He was standing on his own, looking relatively unharmed. There was a gash on his cheek, a fading bruise on his jaw. But those seemed very minor injuries compared to the things Tony had feared. 

“Pete… Kid! Thank god! Fury, where did you find him?” 

Tony rapidly closed the remaining space between them and pulled his kid to his chest, hugging the boy tightly. He felt Peter stiffen in surprise, then relax against him. 

“Oh, I guess we’re there now?” The kid quipped. 

Tony grinned and just held his kid for a moment, allowing the sense of relief to wash over him. Then he ran his hands through Peter’s hair, checking for head wounds. He found a small bump on the side of the kid’s head. Tony probed the bump with gentle fingers. But it must have been tender, because Peter pulled away. 

“I’m fine,” the teen said as he lightly swatted Tony’s hand away and stepped back. The man reached out to gently run his fingers along the bruise on Peter’s jaw. “Really, I’m okay.”  

Tony smiled softly at his kid. Then he noticed that Fury hadn’t answered his question, so he asked again. “Where did you find him?”

The SHIELD Director seemed amused by the question. “I didn’t find him anywhere.”

It was only then that Tony looked at what Peter was wearing.  The kid was dressed head to toe in black. His outfit was like a weird cross between the Spider-Man suit and a SHIELD tactical uniform.  The smooth material was form fitting and partially reinforced with a light body armor on the chest and over parts of his arms and legs.  He wore black fingerless gloves and a simplified set of web shooters. Tucked into his belt was a black mask with white eye lenses. 

The most disturbing part of the outfit was the holster attached to his kid’s right hip, complete with a pistol. 

“What the hell? Give me that!” Tony angrily pointed to the weapon. 

Peter quickly handed over the gun. Tony released the magazine, which he found was fully loaded. 

“No firearms until you're eighteen. That’s the rule,” Tony said harshly. 

“It wasn’t my choice,” Peter replied. He reached into a pocket and pulled out two additional magazines, then handed those to Tony as well. Both were also fully loaded. 

Tony walked over to a side table, put the gun and ammunition in the drawer. “FRIDAY, lock that.”

“Sure thing, Boss.”

“Those belong to SHIELD,” Fury informed him. 

“You can have them back once I know what’s been going on. My kid has been missing for four days. Have you had him all this time?” Tony was trying to control his anger. 

He saw that Peter’s eyes went wide on hearing my kid

“I brought him here to debrief,” Fury said calmly. “So why don’t we get settled in a conference room? Unless you prefer to do it here in the foyer.”

“I want him checked out in the medbay before anything else. Helen’s waiting to see him,” Tony said firmly. 

“I’m all right, Mr. Stark,” Peter tried to reassure him. 

Tony gave the teen a small smile. “Let’s make sure of that.”  When Peter opened his mouth to protest, Tony added, “Just to put my mind at ease, kid.”

Peter rolled his eyes, but nodded and gave in. 

Fury looked at his watch. “Sure. We’ve got time for a quick checkup.”

“I’m glad we can work it into your schedule,” Tony said sarcastically. 

He wrapped an arm around Peter’s shoulders and led him to the medbay. Fury followed, much to Tony’s annoyance. 

“Are you really okay, Pete? Where have you been? May and I have been worried sick.” 

“Yeah, I’m okay. I was on a mission,” Peter answered. Tony was surprised by the bitterness in the young voice. 

“A mission? What kind of a mission?”

Fury interrupted before Peter could answer. “We’ll talk about it at the debriefing.”

—————-

Peter’s check up didn’t take very long. Helen greeted The teen warmly then started the exam.  She took his vitals, ran a full scan for injuries, and took a blood sample.  Despite all of Tony’s worry, Peter was in fact mostly “fine.”  He had various scrapes and bruises, the bump on his head, and a small fracture in his left wrist - all of which were in the process of healing.  Nothing more serious was found. 

“Overall, how do you feel, Peter?” Helen asked as she fitted his wrist with a splint. He would only need it a few days. 

Peter shrugged. “A little tired. Hungry.”

Tony turned to Fury, “Didn’t you feed him while you had him?”

Fury gave a short, harsh laugh. “Of course we fed him. That kid eats more than Steve Rogers!”

Helen glanced towards the SHIELD Director. “Steve Rogers isn’t still growing. Peter is.” She then looked over at Tony. “He’ll need extra calories and nutrients the next couple of days.”

“He can eat after the debriefing,” Fury said as he checked his watch again. 

Tony scowled. “What makes you think we’re on a schedule?”

“Boss, Secretary Ross has just arrived,” FRIDAY announced. 

“That does,” Fury replied. 

“Shit,” Tony and Peter swore at the same time - Tony loudly and Peter under his breath. 

Fury gave them both a sympathetic look. “Let’s get this over with,” he told them. 

—————

Ross was waiting impatiently in the Avengers’ conference room when they arrived.  

“What took you so long?” The Secretary of State demanded as the three entered.  

Tony was unphased by the other man’s tone. “We took a detour so the kid could change clothes and grab a snack.”

Peter was now wearing jeans and a science-themed tee shirt. He had a half dozen protein bars in one hand and a large bottle of purple Gatorade in the other. Tony carried in the black Spider-SHIELD suit and placed it on the conference table. 

Rhodey suddenly rushed into the room. “Tony! FRIDAY said that the kid was back! Is he alright?” 

“Hi Colonel Rhodes.  I'm good.” Peter said as he tore the wrapper off a protein bar. 

Fury turned to Rhodey. “Colonel, we were about to debrief. You may as well join us.”

They all got settled around the conference table.  Ross sat at the head of the long table, with the others along the sides. Then Ross opened his mouth to start the debriefing. But before the Secretary could even speak, Tony interrupted him. 

“I want to hear from the kid first. What happened, Pete? They came for you at the apartment?” 

Peter swallowed a mouthful of protein bar. “Yeah. It was after May left for work. I was getting ready for school when Mr. Fury and two other agents showed up. They said I was needed for a mission. They wouldn’t let me take anything with me or call anyone.”

Tony frowned. “So you just went with them?”

“They didn’t really give me a choice,” Peter muttered. “Before I knew it, we were halfway around the world.” 

“What was the mission?” Rhodey asked. 

Ross kept his voice calm and measured as he outlined the situation. “A week ago, the children of several prominent UN dignitaries were abducted by terrorists. Giving into their demands would have destabilized several countries in a part of the world already experiencing unrest. The UN Accords Committee decided that the crisis warranted involving the Avengers.”

Tony and Rhodey looked at each other in shock. 

“Why are we just now hearing about this? Why didn’t you contact us right away?” Tony demanded. 

“The situation was delicate. Children’s lives were at stake. The fates of nations were at risk. A certain skill set was needed, which included stealth and agility. Neither of which describe Iron Man or Iron Patriot.”

“War Machine,” Rhodey corrected. 

Ross didn’t acknowledge that and continued, “Romanov or Barton would have been good choices. Even Rogers. But they were all unavailable.”

Tony angrily said, “So you recruited the kid? Are you crazy?” 

Ross barely smiled. “No, you recruited the kid.”

A look of guilt flashed over Tony’s face before he schooled his expression. He swore under his breath. 

Fury spoke up. “You made him an Avenger. You said he was cleared for missions.”

Peter frowned. “I told you, I turned him down.”

Ross looked at the boy. “That’s not what Tony told me. He signed your authorization papers.”

Peter turned to his mentor. “Did you do that? Why would you do that?”

Tony sighed, now the guilt was clear on his face. “After what happened with Toomes on the night of homecoming, I had to.”

Peter looked puzzled. “You said the Vulture was below the Avengers’ pay grade.”

Tony shrugged, feigned nonchalance. “Clearly I was wrong.”

“But why did you tell them I was an Avenger?”

“Because otherwise they would have sent you to the Raft. I thought it was the best way to keep you safe.  I didn’t expect them to pull you into missions, and certainly not without me there.” Tony still knew it had been the right decision, even though it felt wrong. 

“I’m shocked that the Accords Committee approved sending him on a solo mission. He’s still a minor.”  Rhodey remarked to Ross. 

“The UN delegates were desperate. The lives of their own children were at stake.” Ross explained. 

“And that justified risking the life of my kid?” Tony erupted angrily. 

“Your kid?” Fury asked with a smirk. Peter tried to hide his wide grin behind his hand. 

Tony ignored both of them. “You didn’t tell me you were taking him. Even if he was cleared for missions, I’m legally responsible for Spider-Man. You can’t just take him out of the country without telling me.”

Ross looked genuinely puzzled by the billionaire’s outburst. “How does that differ from what you did last year, when you took him to Germany without telling May Parker?” 

Tony’s heart sank as he realized the Secretary was right. Tony was devastated. He felt furious.  He felt betrayed. He was overwhelmed by what he was hearing. Was this what May had felt when she finally learned the truth? No wonder she had threatened to press charges against him. 

Tony needed to push aside those feelings. He turned his attention to another concern. He gestured to the Spider-SHIELD suit on the table. “And you sent him out there in this? This doesn’t have any of the protections I designed for him.”

Fury shrugged. “As we said, stealth was a requirement of the mission. The flashy suit you built doesn’t work for that.” 

Ross spoke up icily. “You could have built him a suit  appropriate for covert operations. What have you been doing here? You’re supposed to be training him. You’re supposed to be preparing him for missions.”

Ross and Tony glared at each other for a moment before Fury decided to put the meeting back on track. 

“Why don’t we just get to the debriefing? Let Peter give his report and we can address questions after.” The Director’s voice was calm, as usual. 

The adults all turned to the boy. Peter took a deep breath and then launched into the report of his mission.  He told his story thoughtfully, as though he had been turning it over in his mind for a while. He paused every so often to take another bite of protein bar and drink his Gatorade. 

Fury and his agents had taken Peter to a SHIELD base halfway around the world - the kid still wasn’t sure exactly where, apparently geography wasn’t one of his stronger subjects.  They spent almost a full day giving him a crash course on covert operations and some firearms training. SHIELD had somehow gotten a hold of the architectural blueprints for the terrorists’ base.  Peter studied those, memorized the paths of the vents and the hidden crawl spaces. 

Outfitted with the new Spider-SHIELD suit and a fresh batch of web fluid, Peter infiltrated the base. He crawled his way through the building and incapacitated the terrorists. The first few he knocked out and webbed up without any difficulty.  But then the others became aware that someone was in the building and they prepared an attack against him. Peter fought several of them at once, leading to his minor injuries. But in the end, he managed to overpower and web up all of the terrorists. 

After that, Peter quickly found the missing children. They were frightened and huddled together in a dark, cold room.  He broke the locks and ushered the children out of the building, carrying the smallest one on his back. He led them to the rendezvous point and signaled SHIELD to pick them up. Not long after they all arrived back at the SHIELD base, where the children were reunited with their grateful parents. 

Tony was astounded by what he heard. He was so proud of what his kid had done. Peter was brave and strong and heroic. At the same time, Tony was still furious that Peter had been put in that situation at all. Again, he wondered if this was how May Parker felt about Spider-Man. 

“That’s amazing, Pete. You did a great job.” Tony laid a hand on the boy’s shoulder and gave an affectionate squeeze.  Peter practically beamed at him. 

“No, not a great job,” Ross barked out. “He failed the mission.” 

Peter’s demeanor changed immediately. His whole posture deflated and he shrugged off Tony’s hand. The teen’s expression became one of both hurt and anger. 

“I didn’t fail. I saved those kids. I saved all of them.” Peter said defensively. 

“That was only part of the objective,” Ross said sternly. 

“I caught the bad guys.  I webbed them up and I stopped them.” The kid was practically shaking as he tried to control his emotions.  

“That wasn’t the mission,” Ross objected. 

Peter huffed out a breath and looked down at the table. “I told you I wouldn’t kill them.”

“You had your orders!” Ross reprimanded him. 

“Wait!” Tony interrupted. “You wanted him to kill someone?” He didn’t believe it at first. Then he remembered the loaded gun on Peter’s hip. 

“His mission was to infiltrate the terrorist base, rescue the children, and kill the terrorists,” Fury explained evenly. 

Tony practically yelled at the Director. “He’s a kid! He’s not an assassin!” 

“Don’t look at me. It wasn’t my idea,” Fury said pointedly. 

They both turned to Ross. “He’s an Avenger. He’s supposed to follow orders. We had to send in a team to complete his mission. At considerable expense,” The Secretary stated. 

“You can’t just hand a kid a gun and send him to kill a bunch of terrorists! Spider-Man doesn’t do that! Not to mention that Pete could have been seriously hurt or killed!”  Tony practically shouted. 

“We taught Peter how to use the gun,” Fury tried to reassure him.  “The boy’s marksmanship is exceptional.”

“Against paper targets,” Ross grumbled. 

Tony was fuming.

As always, Rhodey was the voice of reason. “How do the Accords even allow this? There has to be something that says you can’t just send a minor into a situation like that.”

Ross shook his head. “The Accords address what kinds of crises can be classified as an Avengers level threat and the regulation of enhanced individuals. There are no special provisions for minors.” 

Rhodey’s brow furrowed. “Why is that?”

“The possibility of an enhanced child wasn’t considered at the time. The UN only became aware of Peter Parker after the Accords were written. He is still the only known enhanced minor. That puts him in a unique and ambiguous legal status. Like I told Tony before, we can’t change the Accords for one kid. ” Ross explained matter of factly. 

“Still, it seems unreasonable to send a minor on a mission like this,” Rhodey pressed. 

“As I said, the Accords Committee was desperate. The lives of children were at risk.” 

“Including this one!” Tony exclaimed, pointing to Peter. 

Ross was losing his patience with the man. “Maybe you should have thought about that before you let the Avengers break up.  Maybe you should have tried harder to convince your teammates to sign the Accords. Then we would have had options. We wouldn’t have had to resort to sending an incompetent child to do a hero’s job.”  Ross gestured toward Peter. 

The teenager protested,  “I’m not incompetent! I saved those kids!”

“Are you saying you sent Pete on this mission to punish me for the Rogue Avengers getting away?” Tony asked through gritted teeth. Had Peter been just a pawn in some game Ross was playing?  

Ross gave him a sly smile. “I would never say that. I am saying that we will be forced to use any resources we have at our disposal until the situation with the Avengers is resolved.”

“You bastard!” Tony exclaimed. 

Rhodey spoke up before things could escalate further. “I think we’re done here. That’s enough debriefing for today.”

Fury and Ross seemed to agree and stood up to leave. 

Ross looked at Peter. “Keep the stealth suit. You’ll need it for future missions.”

“Like hell he will!” Tony spat out. 

Ross chuckled. “I guess that depends on you, Tony, and on what you can accomplish with your teammates.”

As Ross walked out, Fury stepped close to Peter. “Don’t let the old man get to you. You did good, kid.” 

Peter gave him the slightest trace of a smile and a small nod. The Director left without another word. 

Once they were gone, Tony turned to his kid. “Pete…” He wasn’t even sure what he wanted to say. 

“Where’s May?” The boy interrupted. 

Rhodey replied, “Happy went to pick her up. They should be here in about an hour.”

Peter looked at the pile of wrappers and the empty Gatorade bottle. “Can I get something else to eat?” 

It was obvious he didn’t want to talk about the mission anymore. 

“Sure, Pete. The kitchen is stocked with all your favorites or you can have FRIDAY order anything you want,” Tony told him. 

Peter nodded, picked up his trash, and left the room without another word. 

When they were alone, Rhodey asked, “Are you all right, Tones?”

The billionaire slumped in his seat.  “May Parker is going to kill me. This is all my fault. But Ross should have told me.” 

Rhodey sighed heavily. “Yeah. Ross should have told you. You should have told May everything from the start. Karma can be a bitch like that.” 

“I can’t believe Ross used him like that.” Tony muttered. 

“What are you going to do?” Rhodey asked, although he already suspected the answer. 

Tony grimaced. “You know what I’m going to do. You heard Ross. I have to call the Rogue Avengers in and hope we can renegotiate the Accords.”

Tony completely dreaded seeing Steve Rogers and the rest of his former teammates again. But for his kid, he would do it. 

Notes:

I like other peoples’ stories where Ross sends Peter to the Raft, but I wanted Ross to do something different here. I also liked exploring the idea of Peter going on a mission reluctantly and then being told that he failed. I think that might impact how he feels about future missions with the Avengers.

Next chapter we’ll see the Rogue Avengers come back! Won’t that be fun!

Chapter 17: The Truth

Summary:

The Rogue Avengers return to the Compound for negotiations about the Accords. It doesn’t go the way Tony had hoped.

Notes:

This is a shorter chapter, but with a critical turn of events.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Once Tony had decided to bring in the Rogue Avengers to renegotiate the Accords, he just wanted to get it over and done with. He wanted his kid safe from any more of Ross’s missions. 

Unfortunately, the logistics of such an event took time to arrange. 

Tony had called Steve using the ancient flip phone. They talked for a while and Steve said he would discuss the matter with the others. Fortunately, the rest of the Rogues agreed to the meeting. 

It was decided they would meet at the Compound rather than the Tower. It would be easier to get everyone there than to risk the Rogue Avengers being seen in or around Manhattan.  Even so, their transport had to be carefully arranged. 

Clint and Scott were under house arrest. Getting them to the Compound meant coordinating with local and federal law enforcement. Not a huge problem, but one that took some time to work out. 

Ross insisted on attending the discussion on behalf of the UN. But the Rogues refused to participate if he was there. They compromised by having T’Challa act as the UN liaison. He was a superhero, but as a King he had diplomatic immunity and therefore was not subject to the Accords. 

Stephen Strange requested (or more accurately demanded) to attend as a neutral party. He claimed that the Accords didn’t apply to him. As a protector of Time and Reality, he was beyond the jurisdiction of the United Nations. Tony wasn’t sure about that assertion. Ross probably wasn’t either, but it was unlikely that even the Raft prison would be able to contain the Sorcerer Supreme. So there wasn’t much Ross could do about it.

Tony was still annoyed that Stephen hadn’t been available to help when Peter had gone missing. Something about being ‘between dimensions’ at the time - whatever that meant. Despite that, he was glad to have Stephen at the meeting. If things somehow got out of hand, Tony could rely on Stephen to act in Peter’s best interest. 

At last the day arrived. Rhodey offered to greet everyone when they arrived and show them to the conference room.  Tony appreciated that, since he preferred to stay in his own quarters until everything was ready.  He kept Peter with him, away from the others as long as possible.  He wasn’t that he didn’t completely trust the Rogue Avengers around his kid…or maybe it was.  

Tony reviewed his notes about the Accords. He half-listened to Peter and Vision discussing quantum physics to pass the time while they waited. The kid was nervous about the meeting and the Android knew talking science would help put him at ease. Eventually, FRIDAY announced that everyone was settled in the conference room. Tony’s stomach flipped a little, now that the time to face his former teammates was finally at hand. Peter and Vision stood up and the three started to make their way down the hall. 

Tony wrapped his arm around Peter’s shoulder as they walked. “Don’t be nervous. You’ve met them before.”

Peter gave a faint smile and nodded. “Okay.”

“If anything gets out of hand, just stick by me. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

Peter’s brow wrinkled in confusion, “Do you think they want to hurt me?”

“No,” Tony replied quickly. “I’m just saying if things go wrong, I’ll protect you.”

Even as Tony said it, he knew it was unnecessary. Although Peter was wearing his regular clothes, he still had his web shooters on. And the kid could hold his own in a fight, even against the Avengers. Germany had proven that. Still, Tony strongly felt that urge to protect his kid. 

They arrived at the conference room. Vision quickly moved to Wanda and the two greeted each other warmly. 

Tony looked around the room at the Rogue Avengers. Steve. Natasha. Clint. Sam. Scott. Bucky. Some were long time friends, others he barely knew. He had come to terms with the truth about his parents’ deaths. He didn’t blame Bucky anymore, but the sight of the Winter Soldier still made him nervous. They all made him a little nervous. 

Steve approached him first. “Tony, it’s good to see you again. It’s been too long.”

Tony took a deep breath, then gave a half-hearted smile. “Good to see you too, Capsicle. You and your Band of Merry Men.”

Steve chuckled and turned to Peter. “You must be Spider-Man.”

“Hi, Captain Rogers. I’m Peter.” He held out his hand. Steve shook it with a smile. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Peter.”

“Damn, you weren’t kidding about his age,” Clint remarked to Natasha as he looked Peter up and down. 

The teen frowned at that. 

Steve tried to reassure the boy. “Nat told us about you and what you’ve been through. You’re a tough kid.”

“Thanks,” Peter said quietly, not really sure how he felt about all the Avengers knowing of his personal tragedies.  

“Hey, Spider-Man. I’m Sam,” said the Falcon, as he extended his hand for Peter to shake. “And yes, my wings are carbon fiber.”

“Awesome,” Peter replied with a smile. “I create my web fluid in the lab.”

One by one the others introduced themselves to the young hero. They each shook his hand and made an encouraging remark.  The only one who held back was Wanda. She simply stared at Peter with a troubled expression and didn’t speak to him directly. 

After all the introductions had been made, they all sat down at the table. 

Steve started the discussion. “Peter, I understand you’re the reason why we’re all here. You’ve had some trouble with Secretary Ross.”

“Yeah, he uh… he recruited me for a mission,” Peter said slowly. 

Nat nodded. “The incident with the kids from the UN. We heard about it. You did a great job.”

“Thanks. But Secretary Ross said I failed the mission,” Peter admitted quietly. “Because I wouldn’t kill the terrorists.”

Tony told the group, “Ross intends to turn Pete into a child soldier, or even a child assassin. Unless I can get all of you to agree to the Accords. So you can see I’m highly motivated to make this work.”

Steve glanced around at the others before speaking. “We’re open to having a real discussion. We just want to find a middle ground we can all live with.”

“Sure,” Tony agreed quickly. “But any amendment to the Accords has to include protections for enhanced minors.”  

“That’s something we all agree with,” Steve assured him. 

———————

The discussion went more smoothly than Tony had anticipated. Once they actually started talking - and listening - to each other, both sides discovered that they agreed on more things than they disagreed on. Tony was finally starting to relax and enjoy the company of the others.  Maybe this was the healing the team needed. 

They were debating the role of the UN Accord Council, when Wanda spoke up for the first time. 

“Why are you on his side?” she asked abruptly. She looked at Peter, but pointed to Tony. “Why did you fight for him in Germany?”

Peter was a little surprised by the question. “Because Mr. Stark asked for my help.”

“But why did you agree to help him? After everything he’s done to you?” Wanda persisted. 

Peter shook his head. “Mr. Stark has done a lot to help me, ever since I was a little kid.” He smiled at his mentor. 

Tony tried to smile back, but he felt like his brain was itching. There was an odd red haze around the edges of his vision. 

Peter Benjamin Parker. That damn brat. I hope he has a miserable life.  The thought came to him unbidden. 

“Wanda, don’t,” Vision said quietly. 

“Stark hasn’t helped you at all, Peter. He doesn’t care about you. He only cares about himself.” Wanda said, her voice low and measured. 

Memories swirled through Tony’s head. 

The reception all those years ago.  Peter Benjamin Parker. That damn brat. I hope he has a miserable life.  Mary, beautiful in her flowing red dress, laughing at Tony’s jokes. The taste of alcohol on his tongue. The lust he felt. The sting of Mary’s rejection.  Peter Benjamin Parker. That damn brat. I hope he has a miserable life.  Richard, in his wrinkled suit and nerdy science tie, smiling at Tony good-naturedly. Mary, lovingly caressing her pregnant belly. Richard talking about baby names. Peter Benjamin Parker. That damn brat. I hope he has a miserable life. 

He could hear Wanda, still talking to Peter. Her voice was soft and hypnotic.  “Everything bad that’s happened to you, happened because of him.”

“No,” Peter said firmly. 

“He never told you what he did to you,” Wanda said as she flicked her fingers towards the boy. 

The red haze seemed to surround Peter as well and the teen gasped. 

“He cursed you. Before you were even born.” 

“No. That’s not true. That’s impossible!” Peter choked out, tears in his eyes. 

“Search your heart. You know it’s true. That psychic told you that you were cursed. You’ve seen how magic works.  Now see what Tony Stark did to you.”  Wanda moved her hands through the air. 

Tony’s head was starting to clear, just enough that he could take note of the glazed look in Peter’s eyes. It was apparent the boy was watching something the rest of them couldn’t see. 

Tony turned to Wanda. “What are you showing him?” he demanded. 

“The truth!” Wanda said fiercely. 

Tears slid down Peter’s face and he made an odd sound, like a strangled cry. 

Vision put a hand on Wanda’s arm. “Stop this.”

She shook him off. “No, he has to know.”

The other Rogues were whispering among themselves, wondering what was going on. The red haze still swirled around Tony and Peter. 

Suddenly the red haze was replaced by a protective golden glow. Stephen Strange created a magical shield around the pair, cutting off Wanda’s witchcraft. 

“No!” The woman screamed and banged her fists on the table top. “I need to show him the rest!”

Stephen shook his head. “You’ve shown him more than enough.  Tony, Peter, are you alright?”

Tony’s head had cleared, but he was left with a residual headache. Still, it wasn’t the worst pain he'd had. He was more concerned about his kid. 

“I’m fine.  Pete, are you okay?”

Peter stood abruptly, stepped back from the table, whirled around and then turned to Tony.  “Is it true? What I saw, is it true? Did you curse me?” 

He looked at the boy’s tear-stained face and felt his heart break.  He couldn’t answer. He couldn’t say it. 

“Tell me!” Peter demanded. 

Tony swallowed thickly. Then, he nodded. He looked at the floor, ashamed. “Yes. It’s true. I’m so sorry, Pete.  I didn’t mean…”

“Did you kill my parents on purpose?” Peter asked in an anguished voice. 

“What? No. Pete, no.” Tony was shocked he had even asked that. 

“But they’re dead and you’re not. It was your plane. Why weren’t you on it?”  

Tony didn’t know how to answer. He couldn’t say that he had canceled his trip just to avoid seeing Richard and Mary.

“I’m sorry,” Tony whispered.  

Peter stopped crying. He used his sleeve to wipe at his tears. The teen’s expression turned cold, as he looked at his mentor. 

“You should have died instead of Mom and Dad. If it weren’t for you, they would still be here. And Ben.”  

They were the words of a grieved child. It stung and Tony hung his head, knowing it was true. 

Peter turned to Stephen. “I want to get out of here.” 

Stephen made the circular motion that opened a portal.  On the other side, Tony could see the Parkers’ apartment in Queens.  

“No. Not home. May… I can’t face May,” Peter said pleadingly. 

“Okay,” Stephen said gently. He closed that portal and opened another one.  This one showed the Sanctum Sanctorum. “We’ll have some tea and talk.”

Peter nodded slightly, then stepped through without looking back.  Stephen gave Tony a sympathetic glance, then followed the boy. The portal closed behind them. 

“Now that’s the way to travel,” Sam said, trying to break the tension in the room. 

Tony’s face was livid as he turned to Wanda. “How could you do that to him?! He’s a child!” 

Wanda gazed at the man calmly. “I did nothing to him. How could you do that to a child?”  

“Get her out of here!” Tony demanded angrily. “I want her out of the Compound! I want her kept away from my kid!”

Clint stood up. “If she leaves, we all leave. Without signing the Accords. And then Ross will come after your kid again.”

Tony looked around the room and saw that all the Rogues were in agreement on that.  He couldn’t kick Wanda out without losing the rest of them. And he still needed them to come to an agreement on the Accords. For Peter’s sake. 

Rhodey cleared his throat, then spoke. “Let’s take a break.  I think we could all use a few minutes to calm down.”

Steve nodded. “Good idea.”  The others murmured agreement as well. 

Rhodey led Tony out of the conference room and down the hall.  

“Are you alright, Tones?”

“No, I’m not alright. That little witch just showed Pete how I cursed him.  How am I supposed to be alright with that?” He leaned against the wall and ran a hand over his face. 

Rhodey sighed. “You don’t know what she showed him. Maybe it wasn’t that bad.”

“I do know what she showed him. She pulled it out of my head and put it in his! She showed him everything! I felt it.” His voice rose in anger. 

There was nothing Rhodey could say to comfort him. Instead, he simply said, “You need to calm down, Tones.”

Tony took a deep breath, tried to settle himself. He turned to his best friend. “You saw how upset the kid was. He probably hates me now.”

Rhodey didn’t even try to deny that. “Maybe he does. But you don’t hate him.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Rhodey shrugged. “It means that you still need to keep him safe. And right now, that means you need to go back into that room and get the Accords worked out.”

Tony knew Rhodey was right. He had to put aside his own feelings right now and concentrate on making the Accords safe for Peter. Even if the kid hated him. Tony owed him at least that. 

“Yeah. Okay. Let’s just get this over with.” Tony turned back to the conference. The sooner they got this done, the sooner he could try to fix things with his kid. 

Notes:

Will the Avengers come to an agreement about the Accords? Will Peter hate Tony forever? Does Tony deserve any sympathy? Is Wanda evil or was she just looking out for Peter?

So many questions to resolve….

Thanks for reading and stay turned for the next chapter!

Chapter 18: The Retro-Framing

Summary:

Tony wants to repair his relationship with Peter. Peter wants proof that Tony has changed. Revisiting old memories leads to new realizations.

Notes:

When Tony uses the BARF technology in this chapter, the writing changes between past and present tense. This is intentional to show how Tony is immersed in the memory. Dialogue in (parentheses) is Peter and Rhodey talking from outside the memory.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Once everyone was back in the conference room, they got back to work on revising the Accords. No one said anything about what had happened with Tony, Wanda and Peter.  Surprisingly, they got the rest of the issues settled relatively quickly. There was some debate on a few items, but nothing that dragged out too long. It seemed that everyone just wanted to get the Accords revised and done with. 

Once the document was finalized and agreed upon, everyone signed it.  Tony signed for himself, then turned the page to sign as Peter’s proxy. 

“Should you really be signing for Peter?” Steve asked as Tony put pen to paper. 

“Kid’s a minor, I’m legally responsible for him as Spider-Man,” Tony reminded them. 

“But should you be?” Clint asked. “I mean, considering you cursed him and everything?” Several of the Rogue Avengers echoed the concern. 

Tony set the pen down and glared at them. “Are any of you volunteering to be legally responsible for Spider-Man?”

The Rogues looked at one another, then each one looked away. No one spoke up. They all liked the kid well enough, but none of them were willing to take on that responsibility. 

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Tony said as he picked the pen back up and completed signing. “We’re done here.  I’ll have this sent to Ross. Your rooms are all the same as when you left. The kitchen is fully stocked.  I’ll be staying at the Tower.”

He started to leave. 

“Tony, wait,” Natasha called after him. 

Tony turned at the door. He met her eyes and shook his head. “Also, my kid scavenged your toaster for parts. I’m not replacing it, so you’ll have to make do without. And be careful using the bowling alley. Just a friendly warning.”

“What happened to the bowling alley?” Bucky asked. 

Tony just smirked and walked out. He heard as Rhodey sighed and said, “It’s a long story.”

———————-

Several weeks later, Tony hadn’t been back to the Compound. Steve and Natasha kept inviting him to participate in training sessions, but he always turned them down. He couldn’t deal with his teammates right now. 

He hadn’t heard from Peter.  The kid didn’t show up for his internship days. Not that Tony expected him to. Tony’s calls went straight to voicemail and his texts were unanswered. He left messages, tried to apologize again. Tony needed Peter to understand that he was a different man now, a better man. But Peter didn’t respond at all. Karen sent automated reports about Spider-Man’s patrols. They were concise, strictly factual, and lacked the personality of Peter’s own rambling reporting style. 

He missed hearing Peter’s voice. He missed Peter’s presence in the workshop. He missed his kid. 

Tony was surprised that he didn’t get a scathing phone call from May Parker. Maybe Peter didn’t tell her about the curse. Or maybe she decided that Tony wasn’t even worth yelling at and it was better to cut off all communication completely.  He desperately hoped it was the first option.

On the few occasions that Peter got hurt on patrol, he didn’t come to the Tower, but sought help from Stephen Strange.  Stephen always contacted Tony afterwards, assuring him that his godchild was okay. Tony hated that Peter wouldn’t come to him, but at the same time he was grateful that Stephen was there for the young hero. 

Tony had received a copy of the official letter Secretary Ross sent to Peter. It stated that, as outlined in the Revised Accords, Peter could not be called up for Avenger missions, unless such a mission was approved by Tony and at least two other Avengers.  Peter was allowed, but not required, to train with the Avengers. Tony was still legally responsible for the actions of Spider-Man, as well as providing for his health and equipment. Additionally, Peter was allowed to keep his identity a secret until the age of 25, unless he chose to give up crime-fighting before then. All in all, Tony considered the new rules a victory and he was relieved Peter was safe from Ross. 

Peter was safe. Peter was being looked after and cared for. Tony should be happy. But more than anything, he just missed his kid. 

———————

Tony was alone in the workshop. He was skipping a meeting with the SI department heads. He didn’t have the patience to put up with them today. Pepper was annoyed about it, but somehow still managed to be patient and understanding. 

Stephen called him last night to tell him that Peter had stopped by with minor injuries after a fight with some bank robbers. The kid was okay, just some bruising and a sprained wrist. Tony had tried to call Peter, to check on him personally. But like all the other times, the kid hadn’t answered his phone. 

So he threw himself into his work. Rock music was blaring through the speakers.  Parts of an Iron Man suit were scattered all over the work table as he upgraded the wiring. It was the middle of the afternoon, but when Tony worked like this he lost any sense of time. 

Suddenly the music cut out and Tony heard footsteps somewhere behind him. He sighed angrily. 

“Damn it, FRIDAY, I told you not to let anyone in.  I don’t want to see anyone right now.” 

“Sorry, Mr. Stark. I can come back another time,” said the last voice Tony had expected to hear. 

He dropped his tools and whirled around. Peter stood there, backpack slung over one shoulder. He uneasily shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Then he turned to leave. 

“Pete, wait! Don’t go!”  Tony called out before the teen could take a step away. 

Peter turned back. For a minute or two, they just stared at each other. 

“Hey, Mr. Stark,” Peter said quietly. 

“Hi, kid. I’m glad you stopped by. I was hoping to see you soon,” Tony said softly. 

“One of my web shooters was damaged in the fight last night. I need to use some of your tools to repair it. If that’s okay.”  

“Of course that’s okay. Strange said your wrist was hurt. Are you alright?” 

Peter nodded. “Just a sprain. It’s all better now.”  He held up his left wrist and twisted it around, showing he had full range of motion. 

“That’s great. Do you need help with the web shooter?” Tony asked hopefully.  

The boy shook his head and quickly moved to his usual workstation. He laid out the tools he needed and set to work.  Tony just watched him for a while. He was delighted his kid was finally there, finally talking to him. But he was terrified of saying or doing the wrong thing. 

They both worked quietly for a while. Peter was intent on fixing his web shooter, while Tony divided his attention between the Iron Man suit and watching his kid. When he got the sense that Peter was almost done, Tony left the workshop for a moment.  He came back with a protein shake and a plate of cookies. 

Placing the items on Peter’s work table, Tony said, “I figured you could use a snack.”

The kid gave him a slight smile before picking up the shake. “Thanks, Mr. Stark. I’m just about done here. I’ll be heading out.”

Tony didn’t want him to leave. “Is there anything else you need? Anything I can help you with for Spider-Man or for school?” 

Peter paused for a moment then said, “Uhm… Dr. Strange said that you could puke?”

Tony wondered what the hell the wizard meant by that.  “What?”

“He said you had an invention called PUKE to revisit a memory and see what could have happened differently. Or something like that,” Peter spoke quickly. 

Tony rolled his eyes. “BARF.”

Peter looked a little offended. “What?”

“It’s called BARF. Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing,” Tony clarified. 

“Huh? Dr. Strange calls it PUKE. Psychologically Undoing Known Events.”  

Tony frowned. “Well, shit. Now I’m not sure if that’s a better acronym than mine or a worse one.”

“Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing,” Peter repeated thoughtfully. “Is binarily even a word?”

“Yes it’s a word. It means in a binary fashion,” Tony explained irritability. 

“Then why not just say Binary Augmented Retro-Framing?” Peter asked. 

“Because that wouldn’t be grammatically correct, now would it? Binary is an adjective…”

“Binary can be a noun,” Peter pointed out.

“Sometimes it’s a noun, but not usually. Binarily is an adverb. Augmented requires an adverb modifier,” He said defensively and a little more harshly than he intended. 

“Oh,” Peter looked at him oddly.

Tony sighed. “It’s just that good grammar is important.” He was a little tired of explaining the name to people. 

“I think Psychologically Undoing Known Events would have been more straightforward,” Peter commented. 

“But less precise. PUKE describes what the device does, BARF describes how it works,” the man pointed out. 

Tony stopped and shook his head. He couldn’t believe that he hadn’t talked to his kid in weeks, and now their first conversation was about the words barf and puke. 

Both were silent for a moment. 

“Okay,” Peter said tentatively. “Grammatically complicated acronyms aside, how does it work?”

Tony took a deep breath. “BARF interacts with the user’s hippocampus and a complex holographic projection system. It allows the user to relive a difficult memory and clear the trauma, either by better understanding the event or by doing things differently.”

“What do you mean by doing things differently?”  Peter asked. 

“Make different choices, better choices,”  Tony clarified. “I used it to make peace with my parents before they died. To say goodbye to them, in a sense.”

Peter’s brow furrowed. “But it doesn’t actually change what happened, right?” 

“No, it’s not a time machine. But it allows the user to heal the past in a unique way.” 

“Can other people see the projected memory?”  

“Yes.”

The kid hesitated before asking, “Can other people interact with the memory?” 

Tony shook his head. “No, it doesn’t work like that.”

“Do the people in the memory… do they know it’s a memory? Do they know what happened later?” Peter asked nervously. 

“Sometimes. In the memory with my parents, my Mom encouraged me to reconcile with my Dad. She knew it was the last time I would see them.” 

Peter bit his lip while he thought this over. 

“Why are you asking about this, Pete?” Tony asked gently, although he already suspected the answer. 

Peter looked away for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. Then he looked back at Tony, looked him right in the eyes.  “The memory Wanda showed me… when you cursed me…  In your messages you said that you’re a different person than you were back then. That you’re a better person now.”

He met the kid’s gaze. “I am. I promise you that.” He needed Peter to believe him. 

“I want to see it,” Peter’s gaze was intense. “I want to see you do better. I want to see what you would say and do instead.”

Tony hesitated. It made sense that Peter would want to see that. But it was a huge thing to ask. Tony had considered using BARF on that particular memory before, but had always shied away from it.  He instinctively knew it was going to be gut wrenching. However, if he wanted to make things right with Peter, he needed to do this. 

“Okay,” he said finally. 

———————-

It took a little while to get things set up. Tony asked Rhodey to join them, since his friend had watched Tony go through BARF sessions before. 

“When I’m in the memory, I’ll be aware of you, but just vaguely, just on my periphery.  I’ll be too deep in the simulation to interact with you,” Tony explained to the boy. “So if it gets to be too much for you, too overwhelming to watch, let Rhodey know.”

“That’s right,” Rhodey agreed. “Even just watching, the experience can be unsettling. But we can stop it at any time.”

Peter nodded. “I understand. I’ll be fine. I want to see what happens.” His tone was resolute. 

Tony took a deep breath in an attempt to calm his nerves and put on the BARF glasses. 

****Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing****

Tony is once again at the fancy reception for the scientific conference.  The room is full of people in cocktail dresses and suits. There’s noise all around him: music, conversation and laughter, the clinking of dishes and glassware.  It takes Tony a moment to get his bearings. 

He scans the room looking for Mary and finds her by the bar. She looks breathtaking in a flowing red dress. Tony had forgotten how beautiful she really was with her flowing brown hair and sparkling green eyes. For a moment all he can do is stare at her. 

(Tony heard a small gasp from somewhere outside the memory. Then an anguished whisper, “Momma.”)

(“Are you okay, Peter?” Rhodey’s voice seemed distant. “We can stop this.”)

(“I’m okay,” but his voice was strained, sad. “I just haven’t seen her in a very long time.”)

Tony makes his way to the bar and grabs a drink. He asks Mary if she wants anything. 

“No thanks, I’m good,” Mary replys as she sips a ginger ale. Only now, in retrospect does her choice of beverage seem significant.  

They chat for a while, old friends catching up. 

They talk about their latest work, about travel, about current affairs. After a while, they trade gossip about the other attendees. They both make snarky comments about their colleagues. Tony makes a couple dirty jokes and Mary laughs. He painfully realized how much he had missed the sound of Mary’s laughter. 

“Spend the night with me,” he says, all charm. “I’ll make sure you don’t regret it.”

“I don’t want to spend the night with you,” Mary tells him. He can tell by her voice and her face that she’s amused rather than offended by the proposition. 

“Alright, then spend a week with me. We’ll go to a tropical island. I know the perfect beach, completely private. You won’t even need your bikini,” He says seductively. 

(“Gross,” Peter said.)

(Rhodey chuckled, “You knew he flirted with her.”)

(“That’s more than flirting,” Peter grumbled.)

Mary grins and shakes her head. “How many times do I have to tell you I’m not interested? Besides, I’m married now.”

Even though he knew it was coming, Tony still felt his heart sink. “Married? To whom? Don’t tell me you married Richard Parker.” 

“I married Richard Parker,” she deadpans, a gleam in her eye. 

“I said don’t tell me! Since when?” 

Mary smiles mischievously.  It makes her look even more beautiful. “Since this.” She smooths her skirt over her stomach, revealing the small baby bump. 

Tony smiles sadly. “You’re pregnant? And it’s Richard’s?”

“Yes, and of course it’s Richard’s!” Mary laughs. 

“And you did this on purpose?” He gestures toward her abdomen. 

“The baby? Well no, but these things happen sometimes. It made us realize that it was time we settled down. You know how it is,” Mary says lightly.

Tony swallowed hard. In reality, he suggested that Mary should get an abortion and then run away with him. But now he knows the kid swimming inside Mary’s belly, and Tony can’t imagine his life without that kid. 

This is the turning point of the memory. The point where he needs to do things differently and make better choices. He had to do this right, to heal his own trauma and hopefully alleviate some of Peter’s. And to honor the memory of his friends. 

So instead he gives Mary a genuine smile. He accepts the fact that he will never be romantically involved with her. “That’s wonderful, Mary. I’m very happy for you.”

Mary looks surprised. “Thank you, Tony.” 

He opens his arms towards her. Mary grins and steps closer to him. They share a warm, friendly hug. 

“I thought I’d find the two of you together. Tony, are you trying to steal my wife?” Richard Parker says. His voice is light-hearted. 

(“Dad… that’s my Dad,” Peter whispered.)

Tony takes a moment to study the other man. He looks like a grownup version of Peter. Brown curly hair that needs a trim and alert brown eyes that take in everything. The nerdy science-themed tie reminds Tony of Peter’s many science-themed shirts. 

“Hello, Richard. Mary was just telling me your good news,” Tony says sincerely. 

“Yes, we’re very happy,” Richard remarked, looking at his wife lovingly. 

“Tony was just telling me how happy he is for us,” Mary says. 

“Yeah. I’m thrilled for both of you,” Tony says, and he means it. 

“We just found out it’s a boy. We’re going to call him Peter, after Mary’s grandfather,” Richard tells him proudly.  

“Peter Parker?” Tony grins, popping the P’s. “Gotta love that alliteration. What’s the middle name?” Tony knows the answer, but asks anyway. 

“Benjamin, after my brother.”  

“Come on, Richard,” Mary says to her husband. “I’m getting tired and I’m sure Tony Stark has better things to do than talk about baby names.” She gives Tony a warm smile. 

“Of course, my dear,” Richard replied. “Good night, Tony. As always, it was good to see you.”

They turn and start to walk away, Richard’s arm wrapped around his wife, holding her close. Tony watches them go. 

“Mary, Richard, wait!” Tony calls out suddenly. 

They turn back. Mary looks at him, questioningly.  She must see something in his face, because she takes a couple steps towards him, while Richard hangs back a little. 

There’s so much he wants to say, needs to say.  He doesn’t know where to begin. 

“I just want to tell you… this isn’t going to make any sense to you, but I need to say it.  Because this is the only chance I’ll have to tell you this.”

“Tony, are you alright? What’s wrong?” Mary’s voice is full of concern.  

“Your son is amazing.I don’t mean that the way  people always tell expectant parents that their kid will be great but they just say that to be nice.  I mean it.  Your son, Peter Benjamin Parker, is amazing.  He’s brilliant and funny and so polite, but snarky at the same time. And he’s got the best heart - he cares about everyone and just wants to help people. He’s a real hero. And I am so sorry that you aren’t going to get to see him grow up and become this incredible person.”

Tony blinks back tears, then continues. “Mary, I was in love with you. But I couldn’t admit it, not even to myself because I was so afraid of having a real relationship with anyone. And Richard, I was so envious of you. I told myself that I was better than you because I have money, power and influence and you had none of those. But the fact is that you were always the better man. Deep down I knew that and I resented it.”

Richard steps forward a little to stand close to his wife. Tony looks at them, standing side by side. They belong together. 

Tony goes on, “I cursed him. I cursed your son because I was selfish and envious.  And you both died. You didn’t get to see Peter grow up.  And then some terrible things happened to him. I’m sorry. I’m just so sorry.”

Despite the tears blurring his vision, he can see the unfathomable compassion on the faces of his friends. Mary tells him, “You can’t change the past, Tony. You know that. You can only strive to do better in the future.” 

Tony nods. “I’m a better person now. I’m even engaged to Pepper. She’s put up with a lot of crap, but she still loves me. And I love her so much. I’ve worked hard to be a better person, for Pepper and for Peter.  I should have done so much more for Peter from early on. But I’m trying to be there for him now. Not because I have to, but because I want to. I want to help him with whatever I can and just be there for him. I love Peter. I really do. I’m not trying to take your place or anything, but I feel like he’s my kid too in a way. I’m so sorry.”

(Distantly, Tony could hear someone crying.)

Tears fall down Tony’s cheeks. Mary wraps him in a hug and says,  “It’s okay, Tony. It’s all going to be okay. You deserve to be happy with Pepper.  And it’s good to know that Peter has you in his life. Help him remember us.”

Richard put a hand on Tony’s shoulder. “We’re good here, Tony. You need to go now. Tell our boy we love him. Take care of him for us.”

It’s overwhelming for Tony, but he manages to answer, “I will. I promise.”

Tony reaches up and removes the BARF glasses. 

******END BARF******

The holographic world blinked away. Tony was in the plain white room. He took a deep breath.  He felt exhausted and completely drained emotionally. He had used BARF several times before, but this session felt more intense than any of the others had been. 

Peter was sitting on the floor in the corner, crying. Rhodey sat next to him, his legs awkwardly positioned.  He was gently patting Peter’s back, comforting him. 

Tony approached them slowly. “Pete, are you okay?”

Peter stood abruptly. He took one look at Tony, then turned and ran from the room. 

“Kid?” Tony called after him, but Peter didn’t stop. 

Tony sat down heavily, practically collapsing  next to his best friend. 

“Are you okay, Tones?” Rhodey asked. 

“Yeah. It took a lot out of me.” He sounded tired. 

Rhodey nodded. “You did good, Tony. Don’t worry about the kid. He’s alright. Just give him a little time.”

Tony hoped he was right. 

——————-

FRIDAY assured him that Peter hadn’t left the Tower. In fact, the kid was in his bedroom in the penthouse. Tony waited a while, to let himself settle down from the experience. Then he headed to Peter’s room. 

The door was open, so Tony stepped in. The boy was sitting on his bed and holding the framed photograph he kept on the nightstand. Tony slowly rolled Peter’s desk chair over and sat down across from him. 

“How are you, Pete?”

The kid shrugged.  There were still tear tracks on his face.  “Okay, I guess. It was a lot to take in. I didn’t expect it to be like that.”

“Yeah. It’s overwhelming sometimes.”

Peter turned the picture around to face Tony. “This photo’s a lie, isn’t it?”

Tony studied the picture of himself standing with Richard and Mary, all three of them smiling. “FRIDAY did a little photo editing. I was scowling in the original,” he admitted. 

Peter nodded and placed the frame on the table face down, hiding the picture from view. 

“You know, Mr. Stark, before all this I never blamed you. For Mom and Dad, I mean. People would ask me all the time how I could be an Iron Man fan when my parents died on a Stark plane. I always told them it wasn’t your fault that the plane crashed. I used to believe that.”

Tony felt the familiar guilt. “I never meant for that to happen, kid. I never meant for any of it to happen.”

“I asked Dr. Strange what would have happened if you hadn’t cursed me.  I wanted to know if my parents would still be alive, what my life would have been if they had raised me,” Peter said. 

“Did he show you that?” Tony asked. He knew the wizard had access to other timelines. 

Peter shook his head. “No. He said there were too many possibilities and it’s dangerous to mess with alternate pasts.”

“Yeah, that sounds like something he would say,” Tony commented a little bitterly. 

Peter nodded. “That’s why he suggested PUKE…” 

“BARF,” Tony corrected automatically. 

“Whatever,” Peter huffed. 

“Yeah.  Did it help you?” Tony asked gently. 

Peter shrugged again. “I don’t know. Did you really mean all that stuff you said to my parents about me at the end?”

“I did,” Tony answered sincerely.

“That’s good.  It was nice to hear you say all that.” Peter absently played with the edge of the pillow on his bed. “But it doesn’t change what happened.  Mom and Dad are still dead. So is Ben. And all the other bad things happened. Like the stuff with Skip and everything else.” Peter looked at him, then looked away.

It was painful for Tony to hear that, even though he knew it was true. He felt like his heart might break. “I’m sorry I can’t take any of that away. If I could, I would.”

“Dr. Strange said he can’t break the curse. So bad stuff will just keep happening to me.” Peter sounded resigned to that. 

Then Tony’s heart did shatter. He remembered what Stephen had said about breaking the curse. That it would take a great personal sacrifice from Tony, the loss of life and limb. He loved the kid, but Stephen‘s words still frightened him. Tony didn’t want the kid to go through any more tragedies. But Tony didn’t want to die. He didn’t know what to do. 

Peter sighed heavily. “It’s not like I didn’t know before that bad stuff will always happen to me. I told you that Parker Luck is bad luck.”

“I know,” Tony said sadly, remembering that conversation. It still gave him chills. 

“I mean, I’ve always expected that Parker Luck will kill me eventually,” the kid said. His calm acceptance was unnerving. 

“You’re not going to die anytime soon,” Tony said forcefully. “The curse was for you to have a miserable life, not a short life.”

That seemed to startle the boy. “Huh, that’s true. I hadn’t thought about that.” His face took on a reflective, puzzled expression. 

“What are you thinking?” Tony asked curiously. 

“It’s just… even with all the terrible things that have happened, there’s still good stuff in my life.  I have people who care about me - Aunt May and you and Ned, maybe even MJ. I mean, I think MJ might like me. I love being Spider-Man and helping people. I like my school, well most of the time anyway. My teachers are really good. Academic Decathlon is fun and I get along with my teammates, except for Flash…” Peter rambled. 

“Kid, what are you getting at?” Tony asked a little impatiently. 

“I’m not miserable,” Peter said pointedly. 

Those simple words made Tony’s head spin. It was true. Despite everything that had happened to Peter, he was not a miserable person. Far from it. Peter was cheerful and generally optimistic (aside from his persistent belief in Parker Luck).  He was like a ray of sunshine in Tony’s life, a breath of fresh air.  He was definitely not miserable. 

“No, you’re not,” Tony realized. 

“What does that mean? If the curse was for me to be miserable, but I’m not?” Peter asked. 

“It means you are an extraordinary kid,” Tony said without having to think about it. “But I don’t know what it means about the curse.”

“Maybe it didn’t work. Could everything just be a coincidence?” Peter considered. 

Tony wished he could agree with that, but he knew better. He owed Peter the truth. “No, the curse worked. Stephen told me it did. He sensed it from that first night we met him. And obviously Wanda sensed it too.”

Peter frowned. “So that means something even worse is going to happen. Something that will make me truly miserable.”

Given Peter’s personality, it would have to be  something really horrendous to make him miserable. That was a frightening thought. Tony didn’t want to dwell on that. Instead he light-heartedly said, “Or maybe it just means you’ll live long enough to become a crotchety old man. The kind that yells at kids to stay off the lawn.” 

That got a chuckle from the teen. “Maybe.”  

“We should talk to Stephen about it. He knows a lot about these things. But whatever happens, I will be there for you.” Tony hoped the Sorcerer Supreme would have some insight into the situation. 

They sat in silence for a minute, then Peter asked, “Were you really in love with my Mom?” 

Tony sighed. “I think I was. I just never realized it before. But I should have. And I should have told her.” 

“That was before you were Iron Man, right?” 

Tony nodded. “Yeah. That was quite a few years before Iron Man happened.”

Peter looked Tony up and down. “My Dad could have whooped your ass,” the boy said confidently. 

Tony laughed, startled by the statement. “Yeah, back then he probably could have.” 

Laughing, Peter reached over and picked up the picture from the nightstand. He looked at it for a moment and gently touched his parents’ faces. Then he gave Tony a small smile and set the photo upright on the table. 

Tony grinned at his kid and ruffled his hair. They still had things to figure out. But they were going to be alright. At least until something worse happens.

Notes:

I wanted Tony and Peter to reconcile. But at the same time I didn’t want Peter to forgive Tony too easily. I felt that Peter wanting Tony to relive the memory and to make things right was a big ask. I think it’s a good step towards healing both of them.

Chapter 19: The Worst Day

Summary:

Tony has the worst day of his life.

Notes:

You all know what’s coming.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Pepper was asleep, having finally succumbed to total exhaustion.  Tony sat in the armchair next to her bed. He stared at the tiny bundle in his arms, wrapped in a pastel striped blanket. Beneath the soft blue hat, the little face gazed back at him. Then the face scrunched up and the newborn made a distressed sound. 

“Shh, Morgan. You’re okay. Daddy’s here,” Tony soothed quietly. “Mommy needs her sleep. She’s had a long day and getting you born was hard work.”

The baby quieted at the sound of his voice and soft tone.  Encouraged, Tony continued to talk to him. “I’m so glad you’re here, Morgan. We love you so much.”

The baby blinked at him slowly, then fell asleep. 

***

Tony sat on the couch, counting slowly with his eyes half closed. He had learned the hard way to not close them fully with a toddler in the room. “…eight… nine… ten! Ready or not, here I come!”

A little giggle came from the right side of the room.  He glanced over in that direction. Little toes peeked out from under the floor length curtains. Suppressing a laugh of his own, Tony intentionally turned left.

“Where could Morgan be hiding?” he wondered out loud. “Is he under the end table? No, not there.”

The curtain moved as another small giggle was heard. The little toes wriggled with excitement. 

“Maybe Morgan’s behind the armchair.  Nope, not there either.  Where could he be?”

The little toes were practically dancing on the hardwood floor as the curtain shook and the giggles fully erupted. 

Tony made his way there quietly. He quickly pulled the curtain aside, revealing the gleeful two-year old.  Tony scooped his son into his arm. “I found you!”

“Daddy! Daddy!” Morgan squealed joyfully. “I hided from you!”

“Yes, you did. And I found you,” Tony hugged him. 

“Again!” Morgan demanded. 

Tony chuckled. “Later, baby. It’s time for lunch.”

***

Tony stood on the porch, watching the two boys play on the lawn. It was a beautiful day, with a clear sky and a gentle breeze off the lake. 

Peter was teaching Morgan how to throw a frisbee. With a pile of the plastic disks at their feet, the teenager repeatedly guided the five-year-old through the motion. Morgan’s throws were wild, many falling far short of the target and others veered far off course.  Even so, Peter praised each effort and offered gentle correction on Morgan’s grip, stance, and release. 

Pepper stepped out of the side door, joining him where he stood against the porch rail.  Tony wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. 

“They’ve been at it all afternoon. Is he getting any better?” Pepper asked as one of Morgan’s throws went nearly sideways. 

“Actually he is,” Tony replied with a chuckle. “Pete’s amazingly patient with him.”

Pepper watched a couple more throws. “Dinner’s just about ready. I’ll get it on the table. You call the kids in.”

Tony grinned at her. “The kids… I never get tired of hearing that.” 

Pepper chuckled at him. “I know.” She turned and went back into the house. 

“Morgan! Pete! Dinner time!” Tony called out. 

Quickly, the boys picked up the frisbees scattered around the yard and put them away in the shed. Then Peter lifted Morgan up and set the little boy on his shoulders. Peter ran around the yard taking a long,  circuitous route to the porch. Morgan laughed the whole time. Tony could help but smile at their antics. 

Finally, they reached the porch. Peter lifted Morgan from his shoulders and handed him to Tony. 

“Daddy, did you see me throw the frisbee? Petey said I’m almost as good as Captain America!”  Morgan exclaimed, more loudly than necessary. 

“Did he really?” Tony asked. “Is Captain America your favorite Avenger now?”

“No, Daddy, no. My favorite is Spider-Man!”  

Tony laughed.  He really loved these kids. 

————-

Tony woke up with a start. It took him a moment to get his bearings. He was in his bedroom. The bedroom was  in Stark Tower, not a cabin by a lake. 

His dream had seemed so real.  Maybe it was real. He didn’t know. He had to be sure. 

He turned to Pepper, who was asleep beside him. She looked so beautiful, so peaceful in her slumber. He hated to wake her.  And for a moment, he hesitated. Then his uncertainty and impatience won out. 

“Pepper, wake up,” he gently nudged his fiancé.

She stirred a little. Tony tapped her shoulder lightly, then more firmly, until her eyelids fluttered and opened. 

“Ok, good, you’re already awake,” Tony said nonchalantly, as if he hadn’t spent several minutes poking at her. 

“I am now,” she sighed and sat up in the bed. “What’s going on? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. It’s just, I had a dream.”

Pepper looked at him worriedly. “A nightmare? Honey, everything is okay.  You’re safe…”

“No, not a nightmare. A dream,” he looked at her. “Okay, you know how you have a dream and you have to pee, but there’s no bathrooms around and you’re thinking ‘what am I going to do?’ And then you wake up and in real life you really have to pee?”

“Yeah, everybody has that dream,” Pepper said. 

“Exactly,” Tony agreed, as if making a point. 

Pepper looked confused. “You woke me up because you have to pee?”

Tony shook his head. “No, I had a dream and it was so real. We had a kid. We named him after your eccentric uncle, uh…Morgan! It was all so real.”

Realization dawned on Pepper. “So you woke up and you thought in real life…”

“We’re expecting? Yes?” Tony asked hopefully. 

“No,” Pepper replied firmly. 

“Please?” Tony asked. 

She gave him a look. “Where is this coming from? You never wanted kids before.”

Tony shook his head. “I don’t know, but now I really want it.”

Pepper sighed. “Tony, we don’t even know if we can have a healthy baby. My cycle has never been reliable. And you’ve been exposed to so much stuff, with Afghanistan, and the palladium poisoning, and the wormhole. What if all that has affected your…  little swimmers?”

Tony frowned. He could feel the dream slipping away. “But if we did have a kid, do you think I’d be a good father?” 

Pepper considered, “Yes, I do. I’ve seen how good you are with Peter.” She smiled. “That’s where this is coming from. Peter’s changed you.”

Tony was past the stage of denying that. “He makes me want to be a better man.”

“And you are.”  She leaned forward and kissed him. “If you’re serious about wanting a baby, we can talk about it.  But after the wedding. I want to be able to fit in my dress.”

He kissed her back. “Deal.”

“Speaking of Peter, aren’t you and him going to see Stephen Strange today?” 

“Yeah, May’s gonna call him out from school for the day and I’ll meet them at the Sanctum.  Peter will miss a field trip to MOMA, but I can take him there another day.” 

After the incident with Wanda, Tony had confessed everything to Pepper. Once she had gotten over the shock of learning about the curse, she had been supportive and understanding. She knew the person Tony had been back then, and she knew the person Tony had grown to become. She saw how he regretted what he had done, and she continued to love him. Tony knew he really shouldn’t have been surprised by that. Pepper was better than he deserved. 

“Do you think Stephen will have some answers for you?” Pepper asked. 

“He’s been doing some research on curses, so I hope so.”

Pepper gave him a light push. “Then you should go get ready.”

Tony gave her another quick kiss and then got up.

As he headed to the bathroom, Pepper called out, “Are you sure about the name Morgan?”

Tony gave her one of the biggest smiles she had ever seen. “Absolutely. Morgan Stark. It’s perfect.”

Pepper couldn’t help but grin back at him. 

——————

May’s reaction to learning about the curse had been unpredictable. At first she had been skeptical about the matter. Then she had been furious with Tony. But after Peter told her about the experience with BARF, she relented a little. One night May showed up at the Tower. Tony and May ended up having a long, heartfelt talk. May had yelled. Tony had apologized profusely. They both cried. They split a bottle of wine and talked things out. In the end, they were both fully committed to working together to do what was best for Peter. 

Part of that meant pushing Stephen Strange for more information.  The Sorcerer Supreme was very busy with “protecting reality”, but agreed to find out all he could about this type of curse. That resulted in the meeting they had planned for today. 

Peter and May were already at the Sanctum Sanctorum when Tony arrived. Once he got there, Stephen got right down to business. 

“Not surprisingly, there isn’t a lot of research into folk magic,” he started. 

“Folk magic?” May asked. 

Stephen gave her a small smile. “Folk magic is a common form of magic, accessible to most people. Small scale things that only affect individuals.”

“Well, there has to be something in all these books,” May gestured to the many volumes around them. 

“No, Masters of the Mystic Arts are not usually interested in folk magic. These books all delve into higher-level forms of magic. That’s the more powerful magic that can affect whole worlds or the very nature of time and reality. In other words, more important matters.”

May fixed the sorcerer with a glare. Tony was glad it wasn’t directed at him. “Are you saying a kid’s life isn’t important enough for you Great Masters?” Her voice was icy. 

Stephen looked toward Peter fondly. “Not at all. But the fate of the universe doesn’t depend on one child, now does it?”

May continued her stony glare. “He’s a pretty extraordinary child, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it did.”

Stephen chuckled a little at that. 

Tony was impatient to get to the answers. “If these books won’t help us, what research have you been doing?”

“Traveling. I went all over the world and talked to various practitioners of folk magic. Witches, shamans, priests and priestesses, and other religious or spiritual leaders from several cultures.”

“What did you find out?” Tony asked. 

“As I’ve told you before, an unborn child is very vulnerable. Cursing an unborn puts a mark on their soul. It’s a very serious matter.”

“And just anyone can curse a baby?” May asked with concern. “That doesn’t seem right.”

“There are several elements that are essential for a curse to be effective. For one, the person making the curse must have strong feelings and truly have a bad intent towards the one to be cursed.”

Tony guiltily looked away. 

Stephen continued. “Additionally, you used Peter’s full name, which is an important element of a curse. Names have power. And you had just been in close physical proximity with Peter. I mean with his mother, but obviously Peter was there as well. That increased the curse’s strength.”

“But the curse didn’t work. Not really,” Peter spoke up. “He wanted me to be miserable and I’m not.”

“The curse did work, Peter,” the sorcerer told him gently. “I can actually see it as a malicious influence clinging to you. It’s why so many terrible things have happened to you.”

“But I’m not miserable,” Peter insisted. 

“I know. Because there have been protective forces at work as well. Peter, you have been very well loved. By your parents when they were alive and then by your aunt and uncle. The love of the adults around you has always been strong and true. Their love has protected you and has helped shape you into the person you are.”

May wrapped an arm around Peter’s shoulders. 

“And because the curse included a wish for what your parents shared, a strong bond was created between you and Tony. You are in fact his spiritual child. That protects you too,” Stephen further explained. 

Peter smiled at Tony. His mentor managed a weak smile in return. 

“But Peter,” Stephen drew the boy’s attention back to himself. “I’m sorry to have to tell you that this protection has limits. If the curse is not broken, it will eventually prevail.”

“Then how do we break it?” May asked. 

Tony and Stephen looked at each other. They both knew that the way to break the curse meant the loss of Tony’s life. But because Tony and Peter had grown so close, Tony’s death could be the very thing that would make Peter truly miserable. Breaking the curse could actually fulfill the curse. 

Stephen sighed. “That’s complicated. I’m still working on finding the answer to that.”

May was about to ask more when Peter suddenly gasped. The teen stiffened, then turned quickly, scanning the area for some threat. 

“Pete, what is it?” Tony asked in alarm. He had learned to trust the kid’s spider-sense. 

“Something’s coming…” he said quickly. “Get down!” Peter grabbed May and pulled her several feet back.  He gently pushed her to the floor and shielded her with his own body. Tony and Stephen also moved away and ducked down. 

Suddenly the ceiling gave way as something crashed through it, accompanied by a blinding light. It even smashed through the floor where they had been standing. Then the light faded and they heard a loud groan from the hole in the floor. Wong ran into the room to see what had happened. 

They all rushed forward to look down the hole and were just in time to see the Hulk revert into Bruce Banner.  

“Bruce!” Tony yelled out, shocked to see his friend. 

“Holy shit! That’s Bruce Banner!” Peter said to May. 

“Thanos is coming!” Bruce gasped out, even as the green hue was still fading from his skin. “He’s coming!”

The others looked at each other questionly. They helped Bruce up and got him into the main floor.  He continued to tell them that Thanos was coming, that he was after the infinity stones. 

“What’s an infinity stone?” May asked fearfully. 

Stephen and Wong explained the origin and the nature of the infinity stones and the power they held. 

“This is the higher-level magic you talked about?” May asked in both awe and fear. 

“The stones are part magic, part science. But yes, this is one of the topics we study.” 

Tony looked shocked. “Tell me his name again.”

“Thanos,” Bruce replied. He went on to explain how Thanos invaded planets, taking what he wanted and killing half their population. How he had sent Loki and caused the attack on New York. He already had two infinity stones and was after the others. 

“Where’s the rest of the team?” Bruce asked. 

“At the Compound. But we’re not on the best of terms. Cap and I fell out hard, the team broke up for a while. We’re still not fixed.” 

Bruce shook his head. “Tony, this isn’t the time for that. Thanos is coming. It doesn’t matter what terms you’re on.”

All of a sudden, they heard loud noises coming from the street. People were screaming and running away. Many even abandoned their vehicles that were stuck in traffic.  Looking down the street, they saw a huge ring-shaped spaceship.  

Tony turned to see Peter looking at him expectantly. The two had worked together so much they could read each other’s expressions well. Tony hesitated just a second, then nodded. As much as he hated pulling his kid into this battle, he knew that Spider-Man would be needed. 

Peter turned to May, “I have to suit up.”

May frowned, afraid for her nephew. But she also understood that he was needed. She kissed him on the forehead. “I’m going to go help out at the hospital. You be careful.”

“You too. I’ll see you after,” Peter said. 

May forced a smile, but there were tears in her eyes. Stephen opened a portal to May’s hospital, saving her from having to travel through the chaos in the city.  She gave Tony a meaningful look, asking him to keep Peter safe.  Then she went through the portal to do her part in this mess.  By the time the portal closed, Peter was already in his suit. 

Bruce watched in surprise as the boy pulled on his mask. “Tony, don’t tell me there’s a teenager on the team now.”

“This isn’t really the time for that,” Tony replied as the small group headed down the street to face the invaders. 

——————

The battle was a disaster.  They came so close to getting the gauntlet from Thanos, only to fail in the end. When Thanos skewered Tony with a piece of his own suit, he fully expected to die. But then Stephen gave up the Time Stone in exchange for Tony’s life.  It was an act Tony couldn’t understand. Thanos took the stone and vanished through a portal. 

It wasn’t long after that when their small team started to turn to dust. First Mantis, then Drax, then Quill.  Stephen barely had time to tell Tony “it was the only way” before the sorcerer himself was gone. 

And then came the worst moment of Tony’s life. 

“Mr. Stark, I don’t feel so good,” Peter sounded pained, confused, and frightened all at once. 

The boy stumbled forward, fell against Tony. “I don’t want to go. Please sir, I don’t want to go.” Peter was clinging to him, begging him for help. All Tony could do was hold his kid tightly, as if by will alone he could keep Peter whole. 

They stumbled and fell to the ground. Peter looked at him and whispered, “I’m sorry.”  He crumbled to dust in Tony’s arms.  Tony’s heart broke. He had never before felt so empty, so powerless, so utterly defeated. 

Tony’s curse had killed his child. 

Notes:

I didn’t want to rewrite all of Infinity War. For the purposes of this story, the main events happened the same way as in the movie, even if the details would have changed. I decide to focus on the parts that were important for the story I’m telling. I hope that wasn’t confusing.

Also, I made up a lot of the stuff about magic.

Chapter 20: The Blessed Child

Summary:

Tony returns from Titan, broken and ill. He gets some unexpected news.

Notes:

This chapter covers the beginning of Endgame and the five-year gap.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Tony didn’t think he would survive after Titan.  Working with Nebula, they got the Guardians’ ship somewhat operational.  But after three weeks in space, the food ran out, then the water,  and finally the oxygen was low. Tony fully expected to die and he accepted that. He felt he deserved it. After all, he had failed his kid. 

Being rescued by a glowing woman was a complete shock. Although to be honest, at this point nothing should surprise him anymore.  Before he really knew what was happening, the ship was pulled through space at an unbelievable speed. Suddenly they landed on the grounds of the Avengers Compound. 

Nebula supported Tony as he weakly stumbled out of the ship. Steve ran up and led him the rest of the way down the stairs. 

“I couldn’t stop him,” Tony told Steve, even as he struggled to catch his breath. 

“Neither could I,” Steve replied sadly. 

“I… I lost the kid,” Tony said mournfully. 

Steve saw how much that one statement weighed heavily on him. “Tony, we lost…”

Tony needed to know about Pepper, but he was too afraid to get the question fully out. “Is uhm…?”

But then Pepper was there, wrapping her arms around him. Tears of relief slipped down her cheeks. He probably would have cried too if his body could have spared the water. Tony kissed her cheek and let her and Steve lead him inside. 

They gave him a brief time to get cleaned up and eat something. He was so weak had to use a wheelchair. He needed an IV to replenish his fluids and nutrients. Soon he was sitting at a conference table while the others filled him in on what had been happening. 

The world was a mess. Governments were in chaos. Half the population had simply turned to dust. The holographic display flashed photos of the team members who had been lost. When he saw Peter’s school picture, he had to look away in despair and shame. 

Then the others started to question him about where Thanos might have gone, where he could be now. If he had a lead so they could make a plan. But Tony had no leads. 

Tony lost his temper. He screamed and yelled at Steve and the others.  He had tried years ago to warn them of a threat like this and no one had listened. And because of that, he had lost his kid.  Rhodey tried to calm him down, without success. Then, Tony’s body gave out from the stress and he collapsed on the floor. 

When he regained consciousness, he learned that the others had in fact located Thanos and went after him. They planned to use the Infinity Stones to bring everyone back. Despite his lingering anger, Tony allowed himself the slighted glimmer of hope that they would succeed, that Peter would be alive again. 

That hope was shattered when they returned, their expressions defeated and despondent.  Tony didn’t even need to ask what had happened.  They told him anyway. The stones were destroyed, meaning all hope was lost. He couldn’t even feel any satisfaction from knowing that the Titan was dead. 

May Parker visited. She was working almost around the clock at the hospital in Queens. But Happy brought her to the Compound to see Tony. He was reluctant to see her at first, ashamed that he had failed to protect Peter. But he owed it to May to tell her what had happened. 

He told her how Peter had been brave in the fight. How he had been clever in helping them come up with plans and strategies. He told her how close they had come to defeating Thanos, only for it to all fall apart. He told her how Peter had turned to dust his arms, begging Tony for help that he was unable to give. 

To his surprise, May wasn’t angry at Tony. She was heartbroken, of course, and they cried together. But she understood that Tony had done everything he could to save her nephew. And she was relieved that at least he hadn’t been alone in the end. 

The visit should have made him feel better. But somehow, May’s understanding and kindness only made him feel worse. 

Tony got sicker. He wasn’t eating, having no appetite. Rhodey, Bruce and Pepper all fussed over him, tried to rouse his spirits, tried to get him to eat something. It was no use. He didn’t want to recover. He had no will to live. 

“You can’t give up, Tony,” Pepper said mournfully when they were alone. 

“Why not? We lost. Half the universe is gone. Peter’s gone. What’s left to live for? What’s the point?” His voice was raspy. 

“I’m pregnant,” Pepper blurted out, startling both of them. 

Tony looked up sharply. “What?”

Pepper took a deep breath. “I’m pregnant. I need you. Morgan needs you,” she said gently, pleadingly. 

“Morgan?” Tony asked in shock. 

“You were right. I’m almost two months along.  I didn’t know until you were gone.  And then I was so scared. I thought you weren’t coming back. I thought I was going to have to raise Morgan alone.” 

Tony looked at the hand Pepper rested against her stomach. “Our son? Is he healthy? Is he okay?” A flicker of hope kindled in his heart. 

Pepper chuckled. “Our daughter.”

“A girl?” Tony was taken by surprise.  

“Yes. And she’s perfectly healthy. I had an early test done.”  Pepper reassured him. 

“And you’re calling her Morgan?” Tony asked, still trying to wrap his head around what he was hearing. 

Pepper laughed. “You named her.  Morgan Stark. It’s perfect.”

Tony smiled for the first time since coming back. “It is perfect. Our Morgan.” 

Then he suddenly remembered something else. “What about wanting to fit in your dress?” he asked in alarm. 

Pepper leaned over and kissed him. “We better get married quickly.” 

——————

Renewed by learning of his daughter, Tony started to recover. Slowly but steadily, he regained his strength, his humor, and his sense of purpose.

As soon as Tony was strong enough, they had a small, but emotional wedding ceremony on the lawn of the Compound. The Avengers, Nebula, May and Happy, and a few members of Pepper’s family were in attendance. Rhodey was the Best Man. Pepper’s cousin was the Maid of Honor.  

The day was bittersweet, as they thought of all their loved ones who should have been there. Their missing teammates, missing family and friends, Tony’s missing kid. 

Once he was well enough, Tony put all his energy into keeping Pepper and the baby safe and healthy. He made sure Pepper ate well and got enough sleep. He even took over some of her work duties. 

He became paranoid that someone might try to curse his unborn daughter. He knew firsthand just what a curse could do. So he took every precaution he could to protect her. He remembered the elements Stephen Strange had said were important for a curse to be effective: strong feelings with bad intent, use of the full name, and physical proximity.  

Tony knew he had enemies. Both as Iron Man and as Tony Stark, there were many people who would want to see him suffer. Would their hatred of him extend to his child? Would they try to curse her as a way to hurt him? He couldn’t take that chance. 

Tony and Pepper held off for as long as they could on announcing the pregnancy.  No one could curse Morgan if they didn’t know she existed.  Still, they couldn’t hide it forever. Despite the mess the world was in, they were still public figures and prominent leaders in the community.  The world might be a mess, but the paparazzi went on, even if there were fewer of them. When the news broke that Tony and Pepper were expecting, it was a huge story. 

They kept the details to themselves. They claimed to the press that they didn’t know the gender and hadn’t yet picked a name. Only the Avengers and those closest to them knew they were having a girl named Morgan. Even so, Tony insisted that they should pick a middle name and keep it a secret. Full names have power, Stephen had said. 

Tony wanted to get Pepper and the baby somewhere safe. Physical proximity increased the strength of a curse. If he could limit who had physical access to Pepper, he could protect them better. She was still running the company, which required being in the City at times. But most of her work could be done remotely, especially with SI’s advanced holographic systems. 

Tony desperately wanted to move somewhere isolated. He remembered that in  his dream they had a house by a lake, with a large lawn and woods all around. It would be perfect, isolated and secure. Even Pepper admitted that it would be a great change of pace for both of them. 

He described what he wanted to FRIDAY and told her to find something that matched. After a couple days, she had identified several properties. None of them were currently for sale. Tony and Pepper studied photos and other documentation of each parcel, both land and the house. They picked a favorite and made an extremely generous offer. The owners accepted by the end of the day.  

Tony and Pepper moved in as soon as possible. They redecorated the whole house, ordered all new appliances and furniture, and set up the nursery. It was nothing like the sleek, modern style they had enjoyed in the penthouse. Everything was cozy and warm. It felt homey. They even planted a small garden. 

Tony installed FRIDAY throughout the house, then set up his workshop and labs. He was still going to develop new technologies for SI. But like Pepper, he would do most of his work from home. 

It was perfect, just like his dream. Tony tried not to think too much about the fact that in his dream, Peter had been at the lake house, playing with Morgan.  He put a picture of Peter on the shelf in the kitchen.  The kid was gone, but he was still a part of the family. 

—————-

Pepper’s pregnancy was a healthy one, without complications.  They went to the Compound for regular checkups and carefully tracked the growth of their daughter. Tony loved watching Pepper’s belly grow and feeling the movement of the child within her. He talked and sang to Morgan every chance he got. He told her that he loved her with his whole heart and he wanted her to be happy. 

As the baby inside Pepper grew, so did Tony’s sense of hope. Hope for a second chance to do things right. To raise a child, to protect that child from all sorts of harm. Hope that the world could recover. Not to forget those who were lost - never to forget them - but to rebuild in their honor. Hope that life would go on, with some new sense of normalcy. His daughter was going to need that. 

————

Morgan Hope Stark was born at the Avengers Compound in the evening of a beautiful, sun-filled day.  Labor had been long and Pepper was exhausted, but they were both elated. Tony held his newborn daughter while his wife slept. He told his little girl how much he loved her, how happy he was that she was there. That she had saved him from giving up on life. 

As they had agreed, the press release omitted the baby’s middle name and only revealed basic information. Tony and Pepper thanked everyone for their well wishes and asked that their privacy be respected. 

The Avengers visited them, of course, to see the new arrival and offer congratulations. May and Happy visited as well, bringing a welcome gift and the announcement of their engagement.  Tony was thrilled by the news. Life needed to go on. 

————-

Morgan grew quickly. She was constantly gaining new skills.  Soon she was no longer an infant. She was a giggly toddler who loved playing hide-and-seek.  Then she was suddenly a preschooler, playing in a tent in the backyard. She went to nursery school in the nearby town and had several friends. Morgan seemed to be blessed in every way: beautiful, intelligent, sociable, and kind hearted. Everyone who met the little girl loved her. She was truly a child of good fortune.  

Tony loved being a husband and father. He discovered that he enjoyed tea parties and tee ball. Board games were much more fun than board meetings.  He taught Morgan about science with messy experiments in the lab and the kitchen. He loved when they took nature walks in the woods. Morgan was just starting to discover the world around her. Tony found that everything seemed new and exciting when seen through her eyes.  He learned to look at the world differently because of Morgan. 

At night, after a busy day of playing and learning. he would tuck her in and tell her stories of the Avengers. She especially loved stories about Spider-Man, since he was the best one of them all.  She even loved stories of him as just Peter Parker. Tony cherished the times he would sit with Morgan and tell her those stories, even when they pained him. 

Morgan was Tony’s second chance at a happy life. And Tony was eternally grateful to have that second chance. But in the quiet moments, he deeply felt the loss of his first kid. Even so, life needed to go on. 

Notes:

I wanted to consider how Tony would approach Pepper’s pregnancy, now that he knows curses are real. So I decided to make him a little paranoid about it. I think it fits his character.

Chapter 21: The Endgame

Summary:

It’s been five years since Thanos snapped. The return of Scott Lang raises new possibilities to get back those who were lost.

Notes:

Once again, I didn’t want to rewrite the whole movie. So this chapter contains just a few scenes from Endgame, altered to fit this story.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Tony wasn’t surprised to see Steve or Natasha.  The Avengers would stop by every now and then. Sometimes it would be just one at a time, other times a few of them. Occasionally they came just to visit, to catch up and reminisce about old times. More frequently they came for repairs on their equipment or for Tony to consult on a mission. Iron Man rarely went on missions anymore, but he still assisted the team in other ways: intel, technology, and funding of course. 

So he wasn't surprised to see Steve or Natasha. But when Scott Lang got out of the car, Tony did a double take. Scott had been dead for five years. Missing, gone, assumed to be one of those dusted in the snap. And yet… Here he was, standing in Tony’s front lawn. 

Tony hugged Morgan tightly, then sent her into the house while he talked with the visitors on the porch. Scott’s story of how he had survived in the quantum realm was astounding. Ant Man had been truly lucky.  Tony was happy for him, happy that Cassie had her father back.  

But when they wanted Tony to develop a time machine, he refused. It wasn’t like he hadn’t thought about time travel over the years. Of course he had daydreams about going back in time, getting the stones, and bringing Peter back. However, the simple fact was that time travel didn’t work. Even if it could work, it would still be extremely dangerous to attempt it. They would be messing with forces they didn’t fully understand. They could get themselves killed. Or they could change the timeline and make things worse. 

The others argued that they needed to try. 

“I know you’ve got a lot on the line, a wife and a daughter,” Scott said. “But I lost someone very important to me. A lot of people did…”

Tony lost his patience. “Don’t lecture me about losing someone important. I lost a child when Thanos snapped!”

Scott was taken aback. He glanced at Steve. The other man nodded, confirming Tony’s statement. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know..” Scott tried to apologize. 

Suddenly Morgan ran out of the house and climbed into her father’s lap. “Mommy sent me to save you,” the little girl said. 

Tony wrapped his arms around his daughter and held her tight. “Good job. I’m saved,” he told her lovingly. 

Morgan had been saving him since before she was even born. She had been the light of Tony’s life these past five years, his reason for continuing to live. She was his second chance to do things right. 

Tony had half-heartedly invited them to stay for lunch and was a little relieved when they declined. 

——————

As Tony washed the dishes that night, he couldn’t help but think about the conversation earlier in the day.  He considered everything Scott had told him about the quantum realm. Could time travel be possible after all? Distracted, he accidentally sprayed water everywhere.  Water even got on the framed pictures on the small shelf. Tony carefully picked up the photo of himself with Peter and dried it off. He stared at it a moment before putting it back on the shelf.  Next to it was another picture - the one Peter had treasured, the picture of Tony with Richard and Mary Parker. 

There was a pain in Tony’s chest as he thought about Peter. He had been such a good kid: kind, loving, so good-hearted. And he was one of the smartest people Tony had ever met. Peter had so much potential. Tony was convinced that the kid would be the best of all of them. His death was so senseless. Despite the life Tony had built these past five years, nothing could completely fill the Peter-shaped hole in his heart. 

Maybe there was a chance - a really small chance, but a chance nevertheless - that time travel could work the way Scott wanted it to.  A chance that he could have both his kids together.

He remembered the first time he had dreamt about Morgan. In his dream, Tony had watched while Peter taught Morgan how to throw a frisbee. Morgan had been five years old, but Peter had still been a teenager. Why would he have dreamt that? Was it a sign that he really could bring Peter back? 

——————-

Late that night he had FRIDAY run a new simulation, based on Scott’s information about the quantum realm. The model took some time to render. Tony knew that even if he could develop a working model, there would still be a huge risk in what they wanted to do.  He paced around the holographic table anxiously. 

“Model rendered,” the AI announced. “Model successful.”

To his shock and amazement, it actually worked! 

“Shit!” He exclaimed in surprise as he fell back into his chair. 

“Shit” repeated a small voice from the staircase. 

He turned and saw Morgan sitting on the step. “We don’t say that. That’s Mommy’s word. What are you doing up?”

“I had a dream,” Morgan told him quietly. “When I woke up, I had to find you.”

Tony smiled at her. “You found me. Let’s get you back to bed.”

He led his daughter up the stairs and tucked her back into bed. 

“Tell me a story,” Morgan requested. 

“Once there was a little girl who went to bed. The end.”

“That’s a terrible story,” Morgan complained. “Tell me a story about Spider-Man.”

Tony smiled sadly. He loved when Morgan asked for that. But he just couldn’t do it right now. “Not tonight, sweetheart. It’s late. Go to sleep.”

“Are you going to bring him back?” Morgan asked through a yawn. 

“What?” Tony wasn’t sure he had heard her correctly. 

“That man who came with Uncle Steve and Aunt Nat. He said you could maybe bring back everyone who went away.” She looked up at him with wide eyes. 

“He had an idea that we could. But I don’t know if it would work,” Tony answered gently. “And you shouldn’t be eavesdropping on adult conversations.”

Morgan ignored the slight reprimand. “I hope you bring Petey back. You have to. He’s going to teach me how to throw a frisbee. That’s what my dream was about.”  The little girl sounded so sure. 

Tony didn’t know how to respond to that. Morgan had dreamt the same thing he had? How was that possible?

“I love you. Go to sleep,” he said as he backed out of her room and closed the door. 

When he went back downstairs, he found Pepper reading in the living room. 

“I solved it,” he told her abruptly. “I solved time travel.”

She looked up at him in shock. “That’s amazing. And terrifying.”

“Yeah,” he replied as he sat down next to her. 

“Now what happens?” she asked. 

“I don’t know. I could… I could stop. I could put it in a lockbox and drop it to the bottom of the lake.” He didn’t sound convinced of that at all. 

Pepper gave him a sad smile. “But could you give up on Peter?” 

Tony shook his head. “No,” he choked out, tears in his eyes. 

“Tony, bring back our boy.”

—————————-

Against all odds, they managed to get the stones. And they did it without losing anyone on the team, although Clint and Natasha had had a close call.  They carefully attached the stones to the nanotech gauntlet Tony had created. 

Bruce successfully snapped everyone back. But a version of Thanos was able to take advantage of the event and attacked the Compound.  Still they had an impressive number of people on their side: all the Avengers, warriors from Wakanda and New Asgard, and anyone else the wizards could think to portal in. 

Tony’s eyes scanned their assembled forces, looking for Peter. He thought that maybe he caught sight of the boy coming through one of the portals. But then the battle started and he needed to concentrate on that. He would have to find the kid later. 

Tony had just gotten knocked down by one of Thanos’ minions when a pair of powerful webs pulled his attacker away.  Then Peter ran up to him and pulled Tony to his feet.  Peter started talking a mile a minute,  about dusting (passing out, he claimed), about waking up on Titan, about Dr. Strange saying five years had passed. 

For a moment, Tony just stared at the kid. Peter looked and sounded exactly like he had five years ago.  Tony’s heart was full and his arms ached to hold the teen.  He pulled the kid into a hug, startling Peter a little. 

“This is nice,” Peter whispered. 

Tony chuckled, then kissed his kid on the cheek. Peter beamed at him.  He still looked a little confused about what exactly was happening, but Tony knew there would be a lot of time to catch him up later. Unfortunately, the battle continued around them. They both needed to get back into the action.

“Be careful. Don’t get too close. Web them up,” Tony told him. The last thing he wanted was for Peter to get hurt. 

Peter saluted and swung back into the fight.  Tony took a deep breath, then launched himself into the air. He had a Titan to kill. 

———————

In the end, it came down to Tony against Thanos.  The big purple psychopath was talking about snapping everyone away and creating a whole new universe.  Tony couldn’t let that happen.  

Tony glanced over at Stephen Strange. The sorcerer looked him in the eye and held up one finger.  Tony understood the message: there was only one way to win this, one way to save everyone. 

Luckily, the Titan didn’t notice when Tony’s nanotech stole the stones from him. 

“I am inevitable,” Thanos said. He snapped, but nothing happened. 

“And I am Iron Man,” Tony retorted. He showed the stones in the gauntlet of his suit. The power surged through his arm painfully. With gritted teeth, he snapped. 

Thanos and his army crumpled into dust. 

Tony was consumed by the pain. His arm felt like it was on fire. His heart was stuttering, unable to keep up a steady rhythm. He had no strength left and fell to the ground.

Suddenly Rhodey was there, trying to comfort him.  Then Peter, telling Tony that he had done it, that they had won. Then Pepper was in front of him, saying he needed to hold on, help was coming.  He was vaguely aware of the other Avengers nearby. 

The pain continued to get more intense. Everything seemed to be fading away. He knew he was losing the fight to stay conscious, to stay alive. 

The last thing Tony was aware of before the world faded away was the voice of Stephen Strange. 

“We need to move him quickly if we’re going to save him…”

 

Notes:

I decided to keep Natasha alive. I don’t have an explanation for how she and Clint were able to get the soul stone without sacrificing one of them. You can make up your own explanation for that, if you wish.

Chapter 22: The Resolution

Summary:

The aftermath of Tony’s snap.

Notes:

I’m finally posting the last chapter!

If you’ve read my story “Project Legacy”, you might remember that I’m a fan of Lewis Carroll. This chapter includes a small excerpt from “Through the Looking-Glass.”

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Tony floated.  Everything was hazy and unreal.  He couldn’t remember what had put him in this condition.

Mostly there was a vast nothingness. But from time to time, he was vaguely aware of voices. They spoke frantically around him. Although they seemed far away, he had a sense the voices were loud and fast and filled with urgency. He thought they might be speaking about him, but he couldn’t make out what they said. Occasionally the voices spoke to him. Then they sounded gentle and quiet and somehow pleading. 

Sometime later, he was partially aware of a deep pressure. Mostly in his arm, but also in his side and his chest. Occasionally there were twinges of pain, but they didn’t last long. The pain would just lead him back to the nothingness where he floated again. 

Then the pressure was replaced by a strange feeling. His arm itched all over, but he couldn’t move to scratch it.  And it almost felt like his entire arm - the muscles, the ligaments, the tendons, even the skin - was being knitted back together mechanically.  It was an unpleasant sensation. He tried fighting against it, tried to move away. The voices got frantic again, then he was in the nothingness once more. 

——————

True awareness, when it finally came, came upon him suddenly. 

One moment Tony was still drifting. The next, he was in a room, filled with lights and sounds and smells. Bright blinking lights. Beeping. Buzzing. Antiseptic tickled his nose, as did the strong fragrance of flowers, and a lingering whiff of chocolate chip cookies. 

He was sore everywhere.  Aching. Odd tingling sensations ran all down his right arm and his side. And something scratched in his throat. 

He was again aware of voices. But these voices were different. They sounded young and their words were clear. 

“…Tweedledum and Tweedledee agreed to have a battle; for Tweedledum said Tweedledee had spoiled his nice new rattle. Just then flew down a monstrous crow, as black as a tar-barrel; which frightened both the heroes so, they quite forgot their quarrel…” 

The words of the young voice reminded Tony of himself and Steve. Fighting childishly until something even more horrible had frightened them both. But even afterwards, their friendship had been strained.  But there would be time to fix that later.  At least, he hoped so. 

His eyes sought out the source of the sound. He blinked a few times to clear his blurry vision. 

Peter and Morgan. His two kids sat together on a small couch across from the foot of his bed. Peter held a book in front of them and read aloud.  Morgan leaned against him and giggled softly, a half-eaten cookie in hand. Tony wondered at the sight of them together. 

Morgan, his miracle child, the child of his body. Peter, no less a miracle, the child of his spirit.  The two perfect joys of his life. He had long dreamed of them together and seeing them now was indeed a dream come true.

Without even looking up, Peter paused his reading, then smiled widely. He closed the book and turned to face the little girl. 

“Morgan, your Dad’s awake,” he said softly. 

Morgan looked up with a start. Seeing her father staring at them, she dropped her cookie, leapt off the couch and ran to the bed, “Daddy!”

Tony tried to answer, to call out, but couldn’t. He suddenly realized there was a tube down his throat.  He struggled against it. 

Peter gave him a nod then said to Morgan, “Stay with your Dad. I’ll go get your Mom and the doctor.” He headed toward the door. 

Tony felt a moment of panic. He didn’t want Peter to leave the room. He felt like if the kid left his sight, he might vanish again. 

Peter seemed to sense his distress. “It’s okay, Mr. Stark, I’ll be right back.” And with that, he was suddenly gone. 

Morgan climbed up on the bed to be closer to him. He held her lightly, even though his arm was so sore. He wanted to talk to her, tell her something reassuring, but he was unable to speak. 

Morgan wasn’t upset that he couldn’t say anything. She just grinned at him excitedly. “I’m so happy you woke up, Daddy! You’ve been sleeping for so long. I’ve missed you.”

Suddenly Pepper ran into the room, followed by Bruce, Stephen, and a bunch of Wakandan medical staff.  There was momentary chaos while they all tried to look him over at once.  

Pepper said something he couldn’t hear to Peter. The boy nodded, then picked up Morgan and carried her out of the room. The little girl didn’t protest, but just gave her father a smile and a wave as they left. 

Tony, however, felt alarmed at the sight of his children leaving the room. He tried to call to them, to reach for them, but to no avail.  

Pepper spoke to him calmly, tried to reassure him, but he could barely hear her in his panic. 

Then someone pulled the tube out of his throat - which was always a miserable experience. Someone shone a light in his eyes. Someone tested his reflexes. Someone drew blood. Everyone asked him questions he didn’t know how to answer. He just wanted his kids. 

Eventually, the doctors and other medical personnel all left. Tony still wasn’t quite sure what had happened to him. But he knew that Pepper was there.  Peter and Morgan came back into the room. Tony kissed his wife and weakly hugged his children. Then he was content. With his family around him, he fell back asleep. 

He slept a lot the next few days, although he was able to stay awake for increasingly longer periods. 

Pepper wasn’t always with him in the room. She wanted to be there, but she was running Stark Industries long-distance. She explained that they were in Wakanda, where the advanced medical technology had saved his life. The world was in chaos, with the missing half of the population having suddenly returned. That happened weeks ago, but there was much work to be done. SI was coordinating relief efforts worldwide, making sure people had food and shelter, and trying to reunite families.  

May and Happy had come to Wakanda for several days while Tony was still unconscious. He had missed their joyful reunion with Peter. But the couple returned to New York when Pepper asked them to oversee the shelters and services in the city.  Peter had chosen to stay in Wakanda and kept Morgan occupied while Pepper worked and Tony recovered. 

He often woke up to the sound of Peter reading to Morgan or the two of them playing board games. It filled his heart to have them there, together and close by. Doctors and nurses were in and out of the room. They monitored him closely, but never explained much about his condition. Tony wasn’t too concerned, just as long as his wife and kids were nearby. 

——————-

Tony was finally able to stay awake for longer periods of time. Moreover, he was finally able to make more sense of what was going on around him. 

It was one of the rare moments when Tony was alone. The billionaire hero was sitting up in bed, watching out the window. His room overlooked a small courtyard where Peter would sometimes take Morgan to play. The teen had made swings and climbing structures out of webs, to the little girl’s delight.  Shuri was out there with them, taking some kind of measurements of Peter’s webs while he demonstrated how strong they were. 

Steven Strange entered his room, pulling Tony’s attention away from the window. “I’m going back to New York, but I wanted to talk with you first. You did it, Stark. Very impressive,” Stephen said, a hint of awe in his voice. 

“You mean how I saved the universe? Defeated the big purple baddie?  It was nothing,” Tony asked with false bravado. In truth, he was still aching and exhausted. 

“Yes that too,” Stephen said dismissively, as if those accomplishments were merely secondary. “But what I mean is that Peter is free of the curse you put on him. You broke it.”

Tony stared at him in disbelief. “But how? You said it would take me losing life and limb. But here I am, alive and whole.”

Stephen smirked at him. “You were dead, Tony. For several minutes. We almost weren’t able to revive you.”

Tony took a deep breath and tried to let that news sink in. 

Stephen then added, “Plus  your right arm was amputated.” 

Tony looked down at his arm in shock. It didn’t seem to be amputated. Sure it ached and had an odd tingling sensation, but it was his true flesh and bone arm. Wasn’t it?

“What do you mean?” he gasped out. 

“Humans weren’t made to hold infinity stones. Your arm was severely damaged. We had to amputate in order to cut away all the dead tissue and whatever couldn’t be healed. Under my expert direction, Helen Cho and the Wakandan medical team were able to reattach what was left.”

Tony stared at him in disbelief. 

“You spent just over three weeks in the cradle. It rebuilt the rest of your arm and healed your other injuries, including the damage to your heart. So you really did suffer a loss of life and limb. You’re just extremely lucky that it wasn’t permanent.” 

“That’s amazing,” Tony flexed his arm, still not quite believing everything. “But you’re sure the curse is broken?” 

Stephen smiled. “Yes, the curse is definitely broken. But the bond between you and Peter remains completely intact. He is still your spiritual child.”

Tony looked back to the windows to see Peter and Morgan playing together in the sunlight. Shuri had apparently returned to her lab to study the data she collected. 

“My kids. Together, just as they should be,” he whispered. 

Stephen couldn’t help smiling at the sight of the youngsters.  He turned back to Tony. “Helen told me that the cradle was developed using Richard Parker’s research on genetic replication.”

Tony nodded. “Yes, that’s true.”

“That means you owe your life to Richard Parker,” the sorcerer pointed out.  “Can you live with that?”

Tony looked at the two kids again, watching Peter push Morgan on a swing made of webs. “I owe him much more than that,” Tony replied. 

Stephen studied the billionaire for a moment, then nodded, apparently satisfied with what he saw. He turned to go, but Tony stopped him. 

“Did you know that if I snapped it would break the curse?”  Tony asked. 

Stephen smirked at him. “Of course. I did tell you it was the only way.”

Tony was stunned. “I thought you meant it was the only way to defeat Thanos and save the universe.”

“It was the only way to do all that and to save the boy in the process,” Stephen clarified. “What good would it have been for you to save the universe, but lose Peter to the curse?”

With that, the sorcerer opened a portal and left. Tony just stared after him, stunned.  

——————-

Peter returned to Tony’s room a while later. “Morgan’s taking a nap,” the teen informed him before he could ask. “She’s pretty amazing. She’s just like you and just like Pepper. But at the same time, she’s her own little person.”

Tony chuckled. “Yeah, she is. That’s how having kids works. You, for example - you’re uniquely you, but you’re also part Mary and part Richard.”

“And am I also part you? Because Dr. Strange insists that in some weird magical way I’m your kid too.”

“He’s right. I don’t pretend to fully understand it, but in some way, you’re mine too. I know he’s right because I can feel it. You’re my kid.”

Peter smiled briefly before his expression became serious. “Pepper and the others, they said you invented time travel and got the infinity stones back because of me. Is that true?”

Tony patted the bed beside him and waited while Peter sat down. Then he wrapped his arm around the teen’s shoulders. “Of course I did that for you. I needed my kid back.”

“But you had a kid. You had Morgan…” Peter tried to protest. 

Tony smiled at him gently. “Pete, one child doesn’t replace another. I love you just as much as I love Morgan. I needed to have both my kids together.”

The teen leaned against him lightly, careful of his injuries. “I love you too, Mr. Stark,” he said quietly and a little shyly. 

The man grinned. He should remind the boy to call him Tony, but that could wait for another time. Instead he said, “I understand May and Happy were here a couple of weeks ago. They told you that they’re married now?”

Peter sighed. “Yes. And I’m still not sure how I feel about that. She’s not even a Parker anymore. She’s May Hogan now.” Peter scowled. “And I’m not going to call him Uncle Happy!”

Tony laughed at that. “They’re good for each other. And you should definitely call him Uncle Happy. I’d love to see the look on his face.”

Peter chuckled a little. “Maybe,” he conceded. “But I still can’t believe that I’m supposed to live with Happy now.”

“You can live with us.” The words came out of Tony’s mouth before he even realized what he was saying. 

Peter looked at him in surprise. “Do you really mean that?”

“Of course I do. If you want, you can live with us. Or you could spend every weekend with us. May and I will work something out. Shared custody or something. Okay?”

Peter nodded. “That sounds good. I’d like that.”

Tony’s heart was filled with warmth, like something was finally settled. Like everything was going to be alright now.  

——————

It was several more weeks before Tony had recovered enough to return home. 

They discovered that May’s guardianship had actually expired on what should have been Peter’s eighteenth birthday.  So the adults filed new paperwork with the court.  May, Happy, Tony, and Pepper all requested joint guardianship. It was an unusual arrangement: two couples sharing custody of a teenager who was not biologically related to any of them. The family courts were overwhelmed with custody cases and were eager to get them settled quickly. So their request was approved almost immediately. 

Peter slowly got used to the idea of May and Happy as a couple. He could see that they really did love each other. Despite Happy’s gruff exterior, he had always had a fondness for Peter and was glad to welcome the boy into their home.  So Peter lived with May and Happy during the week. He attended school and patrolled as Spider-Man. And he spent weekends at the Stark family’s lake house. 

——————

It was late Friday afternoon and Tony was decidedly not pacing in the living room. Sure, he kept walking past the picture window and looking out at the long, winding driveway. But he wasn’t pacing. At least, that’s what he told himself. 

“Tony, stop pacing and relax. They’ll be here soon,” Pepper chastised him lightly with an amused voice. 

“I’m not pacing. I just don’t understand why Happy is always running late when it’s time to drop the kid off here and always early when it’s time to pick him up,” Tony grumbled. 

Pepper chuckled. “That isn’t true and you know it.” 

Finally - finally - Happy’s car pulled up the driveway. Peter got out, pulling his stuffed backpack with him. He waved bye to Happy as he ran up the porch steps and through the front door. 

Tony immediately wrapped his kid in a hug. Every time the teen came over, Tony’s heart felt full, like their family was complete. He could never get enough of it. 

Suddenly, Morgan ran into the room. “Petey!” She barreled into Peter, hugging him around the legs. 

Peter laughed, then gently extricated himself from both Starks. He squatted down so he was eye level with Morgan. 

“I brought you something,” he whispered in a conspiratorial tone. 

“A present!” Morgan yelled excitedly. “What is it?”

Peter opened his backpack and pulled out a frisbee designed to look like Captain America’s shield.  He glanced at Tony with a mischievous smirk as he handed the object over to the little girl. Tony chuckled good naturedly. 

Morgan squealed with delight. “This is just like Uncle Steve’s shield!” She turned the toy over in her hands. “I used to have the real one, you know!” 

Peter was surprised to hear that. “You did?”

Morgan nodded. “Daddy kept it in the garage. But he gave it back to Uncle Steve before I could take it sledding.” She sounded disappointed.  

Peter laughed. “We’ll, winter’s still a long way away, so we don’t need to worry about that yet. But it’s a good time of year for frisbee, don’t you think?”

Morgan nodded enthusiastically. 

Peter asked her, “Do you know how to throw a frisbee?”

Morgan shook her head dramatically. “No. I’ve been waiting forever for you to teach me.”

“Me?” Peter asked, a little shocked by her response. 

“Yes, of course you! I knew you would come back to teach me.” Morgan stated matter of factly. 

Peter looked up at Tony with a puzzled expression. The man just watched both kids with a grin.

“Can we do it now?” Morgan asked her Dad. 

“Yeah, sure. We’ve got time before dinner’s ready.” 

He followed as the two kids ran into the yard.  While Peter started demonstrating the basics of throwing a frisbee, Tony headed into the garage. He emerged a few minutes later with a stack of the plastic disks and took them over to the pair. 

Peter was amazed as he looked through the pile. All the frisbees were decorated with Avengers’ themes. Among the designs were Iron Man’s arc reactor, Thor’s hammer, Hulk’s angry green face, Hawkeye’s arrow,  and Spider-Man’s webs. 

Peter was amazed. “Why do you have all these?”

Tony shrugged. “So you can teach Morgan.”

The little girl nodded in agreement, but again Peter looked puzzled. That was fine, Tony didn’t expect the boy to understand that both father and daughter had dreamed of this day. Tony barely understood it himself. He was just thrilled that it was coming true. 

Tony stood on the porch and watched the kids. It was a beautiful day, with a clear sky and a gentle breeze coming off the lake. 

Peter gently guided Morgan through the motions of throwing the frisbee. Her throws were wild, but the teen gave her a lot of praise and encouragement. 

Pepper stepped out of the side door and joined him. “How’s the lesson going?” 

“She’s throwing them sideways, but Pete’s really patient with her. She’ll get it eventually.”

Pepper smiled as she watched a few more throws. “Should we tell them that we bought a penthouse in Manhattan?”

Tony nodded. “I think we should. If you’re sure about moving back to the city.”

“I am,” Pepper assured him. “I mean, I love it here, but it feels like we’ve been hiding out long enough. It will be good to be closer to work. And with Morgan starting school next fall, there will be better options in the city.”

“It will be a big adjustment for her. She only knows life out here,” Tony reminded his wife. 

“I think she’ll adapt quickly. She’ll be excited. Morgan complains all the time that Peter only comes over on the weekends. Once we move into the penthouse, he can be over more often.”

Of course that was the main reason for moving, to be closer to Peter and see him more frequently. To be there when the boy needed help, either as Peter Parker or as Spider-Man. 

“Let’s tell them over dinner,” Tony decided. 

“Okay,” Pepper agreed. “It’s just about ready. I’ll get it on the table. You call the kids in.” She headed back inside. 

Tony’s heart warmed. The kids.   His kids. “Pete, Morgan, it’s time for dinner!”  

He watched as the two children chased each other around the yard, picking up the scattered frisbees.  

He felt an overwhelming happiness.  Over the years, the curse had set a heaviness to his heart. But that was gone. He felt light, and almost giddy with joy. He had made the great sacrifice, the loss of life and limb. He had done it without any hesitation. But miraculously, he was still alive and whole. 

The curse was broken. Peter was going to grow up happy and healthy. Just like Morgan would. And Tony would be there for his kids.  

They won. 

Notes:

Thanks to everyone who read and commented on this story! I’m sorry for the delay in finishing it, but I hope people enjoyed it.