Archive of Our Own ^beta

Peter didn't really understand the concept of 'parents'. 

Sure, he had read in his books about characters interacting with their parents, but it was still so confusing. He knew that most people ideally had two parents - a mom and a dad, two dads, or two moms. But what even was a dad? What was a mom? 

The teen didn't understand how someone just knew who their parents were. What made someone a parent? 

Peter knew he could just ask someone, but honestly, it was embarrassing. It made sense that he wouldn't know everything about the 'real world', considering how he grew up in a Hydra base. But still, he was nervous to admit that, to make himself stand out even more than he already did just by being himself. 

And it's not like Peter thought about concepts he didn't fully understand like 'parents' all the time, but he couldn't help but have it on his mind after something Rhodey said. 

Peter, Tony, and Rhodey were having lunch together on Tony's penthouse floor. It was a good time - just some sandwiches and easy conversation. Rhodey kept recalling stories about Tony when he went to college, and Peter naturally laughed along, much to Tony's mild frustration. 

But then Rhodey stood up to leave, his work taking up a lot of his time nowadays. The other two were fine with that, as they had their own plans for later. 

"So you and your dad are going to the park?" Rhodey had asked, directing the question at the boy. 

Peter had tilted his head to the side in confusion. He was going to the park with Tony later, a destination that they both visited frequently because of Peter's recently accumulated love for the outdoors. 

A glance at the other man showed that Tony was blinking blankly for a moment before he sent a glare at Rhodey and muttered a sarcastic "Haha." under his breath.

Now Peter really was confused. So Rhodey had been teasing? Is that something that people tease others about? Was it supposed to be funny? Why would he insinuate that Tony was his dad? And why was that suggestion annoying to Tony?

He didn't have time to voice any of his thoughts before Rhodey was chuckling and taking the elevator down to the lobby. 

And Peter did not want to make Tony uncomfortable, so he decided to keep his questions to himself. 

---

The weather outside was the best it could have been. The sun shined bright, but there was still a very slight breeze that ensured Peter wasn't smoldering under the heat. The leaves and grass were a beautiful green and the sky was tinted one of Peter's favorite shades of blue. It was great.

Tony wore a pair of sunglasses and a baseball hat because he didn't want anyone to notice him. Peter didn't really understand how everyone could know what Tony looked like or why they would be interested in the man's life. Didn't they have their own lives to live? Why would they want to watch Tony's?

He supposed it was just another thing he would have to pretend to understand.

The pair settled down under a tree in the grass, partially shaded from the harsh sun. Peter brought a book along to read, but he also planned on maybe scaling some trees. Tony, on the other hand, just brought his phone, and he immediately got to work answering emails. Boring.

Peter didn't mind, though. He liked the tranquility, the quiet.

His thoughts were broken by a bright yellow, plastic disk (plate?) whooshing past his face and settling on the ground next to him. He didn't even flinch, his spider sense having warned him of the flying object a second beforehand. 

Peter turned and picked it up curiously, noting it's curved edges and how light it was. Looking up to find it's owner, he spotted a dark-skinned boy jogging over to them. 

"Oh, that's mine! Sorry about that," the boy called. 

Peter stood to meet him halfway and extend the disk back towards him. The other boy sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck and retrieved the disk. "Thanks."

He paused and then smiled, gesturing towards Peter's t-shirt. "Cool shirt! I love Star Wars." 

Glancing down at his shirt, Peter grinned wide. "Really? Me too!" He had recently been watching the Star Wars movies with Tony and Pepper and he could not get enough. He found them endlessly interesting. It was becoming almost like a comfort thing, watching a movie or two after a bad day.  

"Yeah! Hey, I'm playing frisbee with my little sister. Do you wanna join us?" 

He didn't know what frisbee was, but he assumed it had something to do with the disk. Instinctively, Peter looked back at Tony for reassurance. He was feeling a lot more comfortable with this boy because he seemed to be around his age, but still, it was scary meeting new people. 

Tony, who was already looking up at them, smiled and waved him off. Peter nodded, turning back to the boy. "Um, sure. My name's Peter."

The other teen was staring behind Peter at Tony with wide eyes, his mouth opening and closing comically. Is this what Tony meant when he said people would recognize him? Finally, snapping out of his shock, the boy turned his attention to him and responded. "O-oh. I'm Ned. And that's Sammy." He gestured to the younger girl behind him. 

The three of them began playing frisbee, and Peter was glad that they didn't seem all that fazed by him not knowing how to play. The rules were simple and as they continued, Peter proved to be a natural. With his heightened reflexes, there wasn't a single throw he couldn't catch. 

At first, he tossed the disk way too far and Ned had to shake it out of a tree. Peter heard Tony snort in amusement behind him and when he whipped around, the man quickly pretended he hadn't been watching. Peter had huffed in annoyance.

But he got the hang of it and was able to use just the right amount of his strength to toss the frisbee. It was fun. He and Ned discussed Star Wars in depth and the latter's sister groaned at the two 'nerds'. 

Sadly, Ned and Sammy had to go home, as the girl was getting crabby and hungry. Ned looked just as disappointed as Peter felt. "Maybe we can hang out again?"

Peter smiled. "Yes! I would love that."

Ned reached into his sister's backpack and retrieved a pencil and a piece of paper. He scribbled something down and then handed it to Peter. "That's my number. Text me, okay?" 

Peter had read about this sort of thing and knew that the scribbled numbers were Ned's phone number. But the teen didn't have a phone. He didn't have the heart to tell the other boy that, so he just nodded. 

He thought Ned was about to go, but he paused and leaned in, whispering, "It must be so cool to have Tony Stark as your dad." 

There it was again. That word: dad. Tony wasn't his dad. At least, he didn't think so. Peter furrowed his brows and wondered how he was supposed to respond to that. 

Ned's eyes went wide. "Oh, I'm sorry! That was so rude of me. I swear, that's not why I asked you to hang out!" 

"No, it's okay! I uh…," Peter replied in an effort to stop Ned from feeling bad. 

"Sorry, um," Ned stammered, gathering up his and his sister's belongings. "Don't worry about it. Hopefully I'll see you around sometime?" 

Excitement returning, the spiderling nodded and grinned, waving after the siblings as they walked off. 

Peter hurried over to Tony to show him the phone number he got, the man's eyes shining fondly at the boy's obvious happiness.

"I've been thinking about getting you your own phone for a bit now. What do you think about that, kiddo?"

Peter lit up even more. "That would be great! I can text Ned and-and… Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy!" 

Tony chuckled. "Oh, but not me? I'm wounded, bud."

He rolled his eyes. "Tony, I'm always with you, so I can just talk to you."

A look of uncertainty flickered behind Tony's eyes. He seemed to pause and think about something for a second before the look was gone and he was smiling again. He stood up and brushed himself off. "You ready to go home now?" 

"Yep!" 

---

They both had a nice evening in, cooking dinner together and watching movies. They took a break from lab time today, and instead allowed themselves to laze around. 

Pepper came home late to see the pair curled up on the couch together, a movie's credits quietly rolling down the screen. Peter's cheek was pressed firmly into Tony's chest, the man's arm slung protectively around the teen. 

She couldn't help but smile fondly and watch them for a moment, before rousing them from sleep. Tony would complain, but he would do that even more if his back hurt next morning from sleeping on the couch. 

The scene was so domestic and familiar, and Peter couldn't help but smile to himself as he snuggled up in bed that night, feeling content and warm.

---

Despite his own wants, Peter couldn't for the life of him stop thinking about what Rhodey and Ned had said. They had both said that Tony was his dad. But Tony himself had never said such a thing. 

It seemed like Rhodey was joking when he said it, but Ned had definitely been serious earlier. Was Ned just confused? 

Peter spent the next couple days in a haze, thinking almost non-stop about what had been said and what that meant. Finally, he gave in and peered up at the ceiling of his bedroom. "Friday?" 

"Yes, Peter?" The AI answered. 

"Um… What makes someone a parent?" 

"A parent is someone who brings up or cares for a child," the AI responded promptly. "A parent can be biologically related to the child, adopt the child, or a legal guardian of the child. Does that answer your question, Peter?" 

He blinked in surprise for a moment. Tony did take care of him… but did that make him a parent? After a moment of hesitation, Peter decided that he trusted Friday enough to ask this next question. 

"Yes, thank you. Uh, Friday, do you think Tony is my dad?" 

There was a pause this time, and Peter found himself anxiously waiting, biting his lip worryingly and trying to not break the skin with his fangs. 

"That all depends on what you want, Peter," Friday finally answered. "Boss is your legal guardian; he recently adopted you. He takes care of your needs, teaches you, and cares for you. I would say that would make him your father, but if you don't want him to be, then I believe everyone would respect that." 

Peter was shocked. "Tony adopted me? When?"

"It was finalized 31 days ago. I believe Boss didn't think you would understand the importance of such a decision, so he hasn't felt rushed to inform you."

 After sitting stunned from the information, Peter realized that maybe this wouldn't change all that much. Of course, he wishes that Tony had actually told him about the adoption, but he understands why he didn't. 

Tony always made sure Peter was fed, watched over him, bought him anything he needed, worried about him, taught him about the world, and he even gave him a home. In stories, moms and dads usually did those sort of things for their kids. 

Peter had been wondering what it was like to have a parent for a while now. But he didn't realize that he already had one. That's what Tony was to him. A dad. 

And Peter realized he really did not mind that at all.

He stood up abruptly and smiled up at the ceiling. "Thanks, Friday." 

"Anything for you, Peter," she responded warmly.

The teen headed out to the living room where he knew Tony was. Maybe he was being too rash, but he was excited because of his revelation. Tony would probably be glad that he finally figured it out, right?

The man was slumped on the couch working on a set of blueprints for one of his suits. His brows were pulled together in concentration, but when Peter entered the room, he glanced up and gave an easy smile. 

"Hey, Pete."

"Hi, Tony." Okay, he could do this. He just had to tell him how he felt.

 "I have to tell you something-"

"I have to tell you something-" 

They both spoke in unison. Tony stopped and raised an eyebrow, while Peter laughed nervously. 

"You go first." Peter waved him on. 

Tony stared at him for a second before shrugging. "Alright. You know how I've been giving you worksheets to work on these past few months? And teaching you about different subjects?"

Peter nodded, confused about where this was going. He enjoyed learning new things and Tony always told him he was a quick learner and that he would be 'caught up' with his age level before he knew it. 

"So, you've made a lot of progress since you first came to live here," Tony continued. "I've been looking into it, and I think it would be a good idea for you to start going to school."

The teen's confused shock must have been showing on his face, because Tony hastily added, "It would be just like what you've been doing, but instead of learning in the lab or from me, you would have actual teachers. And you would be with kids your age, which is important." 

Peter blinked. "But I…" He struggled to find the words, feeling choked. "I don't want to go."

Tony sighed, standing up to better address the boy. "It wouldn't be for that long. Just a couple hours. I've been looking into the school that your friend Ned goes to. It's a STEM school, but I don't think you'll have a problem getting in with your smarts."

It felt as though his world was collapsing around him. Peter had been glad that he finally figured out what Tony was to him, but now the man was thinking of sending him away. Did Peter do something wrong? He didn't want to go somewhere different surrounded by strangers. He didn't want his life to change. 

"I don't want to," Peter declared.

"Kid, you have to try it out. This isn't up for negotiation. You can't stay here all-day everyday forever," Tony replied, sounding like he was getting annoyed.

Peter didn't want to be the source of that annoyance, but more than that, he didn't want to be sent away to somewhere strange. 

"No."

"Pete-" 

"No!" Peter felt his eyes start to water and he stubbornly blinked the wetness away. "I want to stay here with you. Why do you get a say in where I go and what I do? You're not in charge of me!"

"Actually, Peter, I am in charge of you. What I say, goes! This will be good for you. Just a couple hours a day-" 

"Why are you in charge of me? You don't even care what I want!" Peter's breath sped up and in an act of blind anger, he blurted out, "You aren't even my dad!" 

The silence was deafening. Peter felt the tears flowing down his cheeks and he furiously wiped them away. Refusing to glance up and take in Tony's reaction, the enhanced ran out of the room and into his bedroom. 

Hardly even wasting a moment to think on what he had said and what had gone down, Peter flung open his window and launched a web. It caught on one of the trees from the woods next to the Compound. He swung towards them and, the adrenaline pumping through his veins, he kept on swinging. 

Usually the woods brought a sense of comfort. Even when he was outside, he was sheltered if he was in the woods. They felt like a special place, just for him and nature. He loves to climb the trees and spot different kinds of wildlife. 

But today, the woods were a desperate attempt at an escape. The branches nicked and scraped his arms and sides as he hurriedly swung away from the Compound. Birds scattered when he neared them, as he left damage to the trees in his wake. 

Peter panted, his vision clouded by tears. Why had he said that to Tony? Peter did see the older man as his dad. Maybe he said it to hurt Tony, to shock him. To show him just how much he was hurting just at the thought of being left alone at some random school. But did Tony even feel the same way about their relationship? Or was Peter being emotional all by himself? 

Feeling miserable and so completely alone for the first time in months, Peter finally stopped swinging and climbed up a tall tree. He curled up among the branches, hoping the leaves would hide him. 

He hated being alone. But right now, it was like he wanted to be by himself. Or maybe he just wanted to be found. To see how far Tony would go to show he cared. To see that this wasn't all in his head.

The spiderling's eyes drooped in exhaustion and he sniffled pitifully as he stuck onto the branch, ensuring he wouldn't fall. He was too tired to stop himself from drifting off. 

---

Peter's brown eyes flung open, startled awake by the sound of repulsors so close by. 

Blinking away the sleep, his vision adjected and he could make out the Iron Man suit hovering in front of him. For a moment, Peter considered scrambling away and swinging off again. 

But before he could come to a decision, the suit's faceplate lifted and Tony's worried, stress-creased face came into view. "Hi, Pete." 

As he tried to figure out what exactly to say, Tony's eyes filled with intense guilt. That just made Peter feel like crap. "Could you come on down? You really scared me, running off like that. Good thing your watch has a tracker installed in it." 

Peter glanced down at the watch and grimaced. That just showed that Tony really did care, and Peter felt so ungrateful. 

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice cracking as a new set of tears built up behind his eyes. 

Tony hesitated for a bit, before settling a cold hand on his cheek, cupping his face. "For what, bambino?" 

And suddenly, Peter was so tired of keeping his confusion and his eventual realization to himself. Why hadn't he asked Tony what it meant to be a parent? He could've had that whole conversation he had with Friday, with Tony instead. This had all been so silly.

He breathed in a shaky breath and tried to force out the words he was worried to say. "I shouldn't have said that to you. Or yelled at you. I-I was just so scared of leaving you, of being all on my own…"

"Hey, look at me," Tony murmured, and Peter obliged, dragging his round eyes up to make eye contact with him. "You won't be alone. You'll have Ned and I bet you'll make other friends, too. And you can call me on your phone during the day however many times you want."

"Really?" He asked, eyes hopeful.

"Yes, of course." Tony ran a gentle hand through his curls, smiling as the boy leaned into the touch. "I probably shouldn't have sprung that on you so suddenly. I didn't know you would react the way you did. But I swear, it'll be good for you to be with kids your age and to learn from real teachers. And if it doesn't work out… Well, I can also homeschool you and we can try again some other time. Okay?"

That did sound a lot better. He wouldn't be alone and he could try out school slowly, at his own pace. It was also nice to know that the boy could call Tony and talk to him at school. "Okay." 

Tony nodded and looked like he was about to say something, but Peter, still feeling brave, spoke up. "Um, Tony?" 

He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?" 

"I'm sorry for saying that you aren't my dad." 

The man's eyes widened and he blinked, shocked. Peter hurried to continue. He couldn't mess this up. "I, um, I was talking to Friday because I was confused about… parents. I've never had one before." Tony's eyes softened. "Rhodey called you my dad and so did Ned. So I asked Friday and she helped me understand what a parent was and told me about how you adopted me." Peter swallowed nervously, but kept up eye-contact with Tony. "I've realized that you've been my dad for a while now, and I, uh…" 

He took a deep breath and was relieved to see that Tony was smiling reassuringly, letting him take his time. "I like it. I like having a dad." Suddenly, his eyes went wide. "I- I mean, if you don't see me as your son, that's okay! Um…" 

There were tears in Tony's eyes to match the boy's own, and before he knew it, the man was reaching over to pull him into a hug. The action caused Peter to lean his weight on him, and suddenly Tony was full-on carrying him several yards in the air, Peter's legs wrapped tightly around his waist. 

Burying his face in the boy's curls, Tony replied, "Peter, I've been seeing you as my son for a long time now. I would love to be your dad." 

He pressed a kiss to chocolate curls and Peter giggled in response. "You came into my life, hissing and spinning webs." That prompted the boy to laugh even more, flushing slightly. "And since then, you… you've been more than just 'the kid', you've been my kid." 

Peter beamed wide, hiding his face in his dad's neck and trying to stifle a sob of joy. He spoke quietly, hoping that Tony would be able to hear him over the various sounds of the woods. "I love you, dad."

And he did hear him. "I love you, too, baby."

---

Peter waved goodbye to Ned and hurried out to the sleek dark car that was parked among all of the other cars in the pick-up line. 

He swung open the passenger door and climbed in, dropping his backpack at his feet.

"Hey, dad!" 

"Hi, bambi." His father grinned at him in a soft sort of way that was reserved just for the boy. Today, he was wearing a set of lavender shades and a grease-stained band shirt under a jacket. "How was your first day of school?" 

"It was actually really good!" Which was the truth. Peter was surprised that he had as much fun as he did. He loved to learn new things and it was so much easier to be around new people when he had a friend like Ned with him. He also called Tony a few times when he got nervous, and immediately his nerves were soothed just by hearing his dad's voice. The teachers didn't seem to mind when he excused himself to make the calls, and he assumed that must have been Tony's doing.

"C'mon, gimme more details," Tony replied, driving away from the school. They needed to get home soon because it was a 'therapy day' for Peter. He had recently started trying to see a therapist again and even though it was rocky, he tried to push through it. He knew that eventually it would help. But even though that was in store for him tonight, he wasn't nervous for once. After all, it had really been a good day. 

"It was great to see Ned again! And there was this girl named Michelle that's kinda nice, too. And I learned so many cool things in physics!" 

Peter continued to ramble on about how his day went and how his teachers were. His dad listened to every detail, and didn't mind one bit when the boy, in his excitement, began to spin little webs in his hands and fiddle with the material. It was a habit of Peter's, one that was reminiscent of how he was when he first came to live with Tony. It just reminded the man of how special his kid was. 

Peter had been through a lot, seen a lot more than someone as young and kind as him should have. But he had a home now. He had a family now. They were going to be just fine.