Life has been pretty great for Peter Parker.
Sure, he rose from the dead three months ago, and it had been quite the transition after learning that he had been completely non-existent for five years, but he liked to think that he had done a good job at falling back into his old life. He and Tony Stark have been closer than ever, almost inseparable at times. He and Ned hang out just as much, if not more, doing all the nerdy stuff that Tony teases him playfully about whenever Ned decides to join him in his trips to the Stark Tower (Tony decided to build one closer to Peter, one with a giant room that Peter had all too himself). He started a healthy relationship with none other than MJ, who occasionally yells at him for coming home with a bullet wound or knife stuck in his side after patrol.
Yeah, Peter would say he was living the dream. Except for one thing: he wasn't allowed to become an Avenger.
The whole team believed in him, and they all agreed that Spider-Man would be a great asset. Even Aunt May was for it, saying that her young nephew was growing up and that if this was what he wanted to do with his life, he should go for it (as long as he doesn't skip college, of course). However, a certain billionaire refuses to let him join officially. Every time Peter brings it up to the elder man while they are working in his lab, watching a movie together, or even playing with Morgan, he always changes the subject. He constantly refuses to acknowledge the fact the Peter is a superhero, always keeping away from the topic of Spider-Man, Thanos, or anything related to Peter's nightly activities.
Honestly, Peter was understanding for the first month. Superheroism was a touchy subject for everyone for a while, and he even took a break from being Spider-Man, trying to focus on just being a normal kid and trying to forget about the Decimation. But after a month went by, he decided to seek professional help, something that May had actually suggested multiple times. And after that, he found himself getting back into the flow of normality.
Tony Stark, however, refused to move on. He refused to sit down and talk about it, to put everything out on the table, to open up. He had locked all the doors to his feelings, barricading the entrances and putting up walls that Peter could every now and then squeeze through on a good day. But it would only last for two seconds before the walls were built up again.
Steve kept telling Peter to be patient, to wait for Tony to be ready. Everyone kept telling him that. But the seventeen-year-old is getting impatient with his mentor/father, to the point where he wants to punch a wall. He knew he was ready for more. He knew that he could help so many more people. But Tony, the man he trusted with his life, was holding him back.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
Peter looked up from his math homework to see his girlfriend, her eyes not leaving the book she had laid across her lap. "I'm doing math equations," he replied, confused.
She scoffed, turning the page, still not looking at him. How does she read and speak at the same time? Sometimes Peter wonders if MJ is really human. "You've been staring at the same problem for five minutes. I don't think that derivatives are that difficult for the genius, dorky Peter Parker."
"What? I haven't-" Peter rolled his eyes playfully after a second. "I was just thinking."
"I noticed, which is why I was asking about it." When Peter didn't say anything, she sighed and looked up, pulling a penny out of her pocket. "Are you going to make me actually pay you a penny for your thoughts?"
Ned, who had been watching the interaction while hunched over his history homework, chuckled. "Seriously, Dude. You keep staring into space."
"I do not-" Peter cut himself off when his best friend and significant other gave him identical, over-exasperated looks. He sighed. "Mr. Stark still won't let me be an Avenger." MJ pursed her lips and Ned looked at him sympathetically.
"Peter, Boss told me to remind you that his name is Tony, not Mr. Stark, and that I will have to play this message whenever you call him Mr. Stark and he's not present," FRIDAY's voice sounded, echoing around the spacious living room. Peter groaned as Tony's voice replaced FRIDAY's, burying his face in his homework. He was singing a song about Spider-Man in the tune of the song Happy Birthday. And let's just say it wasn't about how heroic the Super Spider was.
Both MJ and Ned were snickering when the song ended, and FRIDAY said, "Would you like me to replay the message?"
"No, FRI," Peter said quickly, almost begging. "But do me a favor and tell Tony that I will not hesitate to hack into the tower and delete that message."
"Yes, sir."
"Dude, what even is your life?" Ned asked with a laugh. Peter only groaned in response.
"I see that you got my message," Tony said, not looking up from whatever he was tinkering with.
The moment Peter walked into the lab after Ned and MJ had left, he had let out a groan and slumped into his seat while muttering something that sounded like, "You're the most insufferable man I know."
"Oh, and good luck hacking the tower. I doubt you will get very far."
"Whatever you say, Tony," Peter replied, putting emphasis on the billionaire's name. Tony only chuckled in response, which was followed by about an hour of silence, only interrupted by some random banter between the two of them, or asking the other to pass a certain tool. Ever since Peter had gotten back, their relationship consisted of science, tinkering, and sometimes movie nights that usually ended with Peter falling asleep on Tony, and the soft-hearted and loving billionaire carrying his son/protege to bed. In addition, the teen babysat Morgan sometimes. The two got along great, which made Tony much happier than Peter thought it would.
"You will not believe what happened on patrol the other day," Peter said abruptly, speaking a little slower than he usually would, being cautious of his wording. Despite his carefulness, Tony tensed slightly at the mention of Spider-Man. For the last week or two, Peter was slowly bringing up Spider-Man every now and then, trying to ease Tony slowly back into reality. "This guy tried to rob a freaking bank by shooting a window," he continued with a chuckle, rolling his eyes at the criminal's stupidity.
This was the first time Peter had brought a weapon into his small mentions of his superheroing, and he didn't miss how Tony's hand shook a little. But him being the stubborn Spider he was, he kept going. He was getting impatient, and he didn't understand why Tony was still so upset. He knew he could talk to him. Peter was always open to talk to, to confide in. But the billionaire was just as stubborn, if not more, than the teen.
"The alarms went off, naturally, so I probably could have just left him there. But then he kind of saw me and threatened to shoot, but his hand was shaking so much that I doubt he would have been able to anyway-" Peter was cut off when Tony dropped his mug, coffee and glass shards going flying, staining the ground brown. "Tony…?"
Said man was shaking, gripping the table tightly, knuckles white. His breath was shallow, and he was panting, eyes screwed shut. Peter, unsure of what to do, placed a hand on Tony's shoulder, earning a whimper from the man. Seconds later, Peter found himself trapped in his mentor's arms, who was clinging to him as if his life depended on it, as if Peter might disappear if he let go.
Peter immediately felt guilty. He shouldn't have gone so far. He knew Tony didn't like the subject of Spider-Man, although he didn't know why, and it was his fault that the man was in this state. Slowly and carefully, Peter led him to the couch, avoiding glass shards along the way. When they were seated on the leather couch, Peter instructed Tony, who was still clinging to him, to match his breathing. And after a couple of minutes of deep breaths and frantic hugging, the billionaire was calm again.
"Spider-Man was a mistake," was the first thing out of Tony's mouth. Peter froze. What?
"What?" the teen asked, voicing his thoughts.
"I made you think you were ready, led you to believe that you were capable of being a superhero, but you can't- you're not-"
"I-I don't understand," Peter said, his voice shaking a little. "You don't think I'm good enough?"
Tony sighed, running a hand over his eyes. "Peter, you died. And it was my fault. I shouldn't have let you be Spider-Man. I should have made you go to school, pay more attention to college… but I guess it's too late to stop you."
"B-but Mr. Star- Tony, I'm fine now. And I am more than ready for more. I'm capable of fighting harder fights, protecting the world, and everyone else agrees with me about being an Avenger-"
"No," Tony's voice cut through the teen's hopeful words, killing it with a single word. "You will not be an Avenger. Not now, not ever. You can't."
Those words cut deep. Each syllable was equal to a sharp knife digging into his heart, crushing it, and throwing it out the window. He just stared at his mentor in shock, who wasn't looking at him. And after the shock wore off, it was replaced by anger and the heavy, hot feeling of betrayal being forced upon his trembling shoulders. The man he had looked up to his whole life didn't believe in him and claimed that believing in him at all was a mistake.
And the first words that Peter's confused, muddled, and angered mind could think of were, "I hate you." And before he could see the look of hurt, shock, and shame cross the billionaire's face, he ran out the door.