Chapter 7
Peter could feel the vibration of his morning alarm clock and reached under the pillow to press the snooze button. "Pete, what time is it?" Harry mumbled as he turned around in the bed to face his friend despite keeping his eyes closed. "It feels like we just went to sleep."
"It's only eight." Peter covered a yawn and placed his phone on the nightstand ready to go back to sleep for a little while longer.
Harry rolled around in the blankets as he tried to retain the warmth that was fading. "Don't you need to get home before your dads wake up?" He asked as he finally got in a comfortable position to go back to sleep.
Peter shot up and could feel the blood pumping into his brain. His dads. They were actually home. What if they went into his room to check on him and Jarvis told them where he went? "I totally forgot my dads were home. Sorry to leave you like this Har." Peter pulled out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt from his backpack and quickly put them on. He hopped in place while he pulled his high tops on. "Last night helped a lot. I'm glad we did it. I'll text you when I get home." Throwing his backpack on, he left a half awake Harry in bed and ran down the stairs.
"Have a good day." Bernard said as if on cue, opening the door for Peter as he dashed out.
"You too Bernard." Peter's bike was right where he left it in the Osborn front lawn and began pushing the petals as fast as he could. As soon as he got home, he circled around to the backyard and left his bike on the patio. He pulled his house key out of his backpack's front pocket and opened the door. Three steps in, he came to a complete stop. His dad, with an iron man themed coffee mug in hand was sitting at the breakfast nook, his tablet was turned on and he was reading the morning paper. "Morning dad." Peter prayed that he didn't look like a deer staring into headlights, but knew with how stiff and frozen his body felt, his eyes probably didn't look much better.
"Morning." Peter could finally feel his legs again and moved deeper into the kitchen. His stomach rumbled as he smelt what was left of his father's maple pecan pancakes. "What were you up to this morning?"
Peter once again froze in place. His dad didn't sound angry or suspicious. He might not have known that he was gone the whole night. "I was uh. Biking. I thought it was Monday and late for school." Peter stuttered quickly doing his best to make up a plausible excuse. "But when I got there and saw no cars I realized it was Sunday, so I came back home."
"I didn't hear you leave this morning-"
"What?" Peter interrupted his dad before he could connect any dots. "You must be getting up there dad, cause I shouted bye to you and everything."
Peter watched as his dad's eyebrows furrowed and his eyes narrow, thinking hard back to half an hour to forty five minutes ago. After a few moments silence, his dad waved it off and took a sip of his coffee. "Since we are on the subject of school Peter, is what Harry said the other night true? I know they claim it's a class for gifted individuals, but if you are finding the classwork easy or boring, we can get you tested and placed in a different school that better fits your needs."
"School is fine dad." Peter could feel his legs move again, and went to the cabinet to get a bowl and poured himself a breakfast of corn flakes and milk. "I mean sure, almost everyone in my class ignores me, and the workload is fairly simple, for me anyways. But I have Harry. So I would rather be bored in class and have a friend, then be friendless with just my homework."
As Peter sat down across from his father, he could see he was doing his best to hold his tongue, but knew without his dad it would go off any second. "I would be careful around him Peter. He may be your friend now, but he is the son of the enemy-"
"I don't see how Oscorp or Norman Osborn is the enemy." Peter said with flakes and milk still in his mouth. "Just because Oscorp is a rival company, it doesn't make Norman Osborn Dr. Doom level evil."
"There's a lot about this world Peter that you are just too young to understand. Just make sure you are careful around him."
Peter shook his head as he swallowed another bite is cereal. "Where's dad?" Peter shifted the conversation not wanting to talk about how much his father hates the only friend he has ever made. Not to mention the fact, Norman Osborn had forced him into being driven to school every day. If his dad found out about that, he would go ballistic. Possibly even dust off the old armor. And that was something he didn't want to live through. He would die of embarrassment.
Tony stood up and want to pour himself another cup of coffee. "He got called into work. Not sure when he is going to be back home."
"Oh." Peter was slightly started by this news. Sure his dads have worked during weekend plenty of times before, but he could have sworn his dad said he took the whole weekend off for some much needed family time; aka, their once a month family time. "Well, I still need to ask both of you the questions on our family's history and you sign off on them. It's required for writing my paper."
"Let me see the questions." Tony said with little interest, but knew he had to. Peter rifled through his backpack, trying to hide the clothing pack in there, and eventually found his homework folder. Taking out the questionnaire sheet, he slid it across the table to his father. Tony looked over the questions and slid them back to his son. "I can answer for both Loki and myself, so go ahead."
"Ok, first question is when did both sides of our family move to America."
"Well, for your father, he is technically an immigrant." Tony couldn't help but chuckle at this since former Norse gods were now considered residents of America. "He 'moved' here officially in 2016 after he kick started the Norse Apocalypse that destroyed Asgard and was reborn just like everyone else on Asgard has been. As for my family, both emigrated from Italy, my father's side in 1899 and mothers in 1902."
"Which parts of Italy, and which ancestors was it?" Peter began scratching down his answers, but didn't really pay attention to everything his father was saying.
"Your great grandfather, Howard Stark Senior, and great grandmother, Greta were both from southern Italy, Naples. And on my mother's side, your great grandfather, Luca Carbonell, and great grandmother Giada were from Southern Italy as well, Lecce and Matera."
Peter continued writing what his dad said and asked more questions on this list until he finally reached the one of most importance. The one that he figured his dad would lie about, but needs to hear the truth from. "Has anyone in our family been adopted and if so do we know about their parentage?"
He studied his father carefully as he asked this question. He wanted to make sure he caught any inflection or hesitation in his father's face. However no such sight was seen, his father had a perfect poker face. "Well, your dad was adopted by Odin and Frigga. His birthparents were the frost giants Laufey and Farbauti. Otherwise no one else to my knowledge."
"Not even me." That got his father's attention. He saw his body stiffen and eyes widen for a moment. "Many children of same sex parents are adopted." Peter continued locking eyes with his dad, doing his best to keep hold of his gaze. "So am I?"
"Peter, you are my son. You have my DNA." Tony reassured him, but just left it at that.
"Then how was I born? Who did I get the other half of my chromosomes from?" Peter asked still keeping hold of his father's eyes. "Was I some test tube baby? Artificial insemination? A lab experiment gone wrong?" Peter's eyes dropped as he saw his father's eyes change. They no longer possessed their usual vigor, instead they looked lost with a resonating sense for forlorn. "Dad, I may be a kid, but I'm not an idiot. So tell me the truth."
"We can talk about it when Loki gets home." Tony said more to himself than his son. "Yes. When your father gets home. We can discuss it then."
"And when will that be?" Peter rose from his chair as his hands slammed the table. He looked down at it, remembering his newfound strength. That he is not the normal little human he always claimed to be. Seeing that it was still in once piece, not even a dent in the oak wood, he slightly relaxed. "You two are never home. And when you are, you come home when I'm asleep and leave before I wake up. Jarvis is practically my babysitter, and I'm pretty sure an AI house doesn't fall into the government's view of an able body nanny. I'm a child service case just waiting to happen. So dad, just tell me what I am."
He saw his father's eyes shift and knew he had taken it too far. That he was being a whiny brat, but he needed to get it off his chest. He needed his dad to hear how he feels about them being gone. "You are my son Peter. And I love you." Tony's voice slightly trembled as he finally took a moment to look at his son.
"Well dad, that's not good enough. I think I have enough to write my paper. Just sign the sheet and I'll go to my room." Peter handed his chicken scratched sheet along with his pencil to his dad who was hesitant to take it.
"Peter, you're young. There is a lot about this world that even with your intellect, you won't understand". Tony finally took the sheet and signed it, but his eyes refused to leave his son.
Peter didn't say anything, but took the paper and his backpack and sulk up the stairs to his bedroom. Tony wanted to reach out to his son, but knew he shouldn't. "A six year old with an attitude of a sixteen year old." Tony mumbled as his head his the table. His son did make a few valid point though. He and Loki, they never were around, both busy and consumed with work. Both becoming like their dads. The one person they never wanted to be. Only for Peter, he doesn't have a parent who will make up for the lack of a father like they had in their mothers. Resting his head, ear side down, he looked at his phone, just staring at the wallpaper he has of Loki holding three week old Peter. Smiling to himself, he began debating what he should do.
"Screw it." Tony said as his body shot up and he pressed the call button for his husband. "Peter is what we should be focusing on."
After a few short rings, the phone picked up and all he heard was panting for the first thirty seconds. "Anthony, now is not exactly a good time." Tony heard a screech of a creature in the background, his husband grunting and then dead silence. He hear another grunt and a noise that remotely reminded him of water droplets hitting pavement. He heard his husband sigh, and knew he was alive.
"You know I wouldn't call you while on a mission unless it was important."
Loki knew by the tone of Tony's voice that something serious had happen. "What happened?" He asked, but the question was slightly muffled by a whooshing sound.
"It's Peter." His phone got deathly silent and all Tony could hear was the gurgling of liquid and a thump. A slashing noise and grunt came from Loki and he heard his husband's breath get heavy.
"Is Peter ok?" Concern resonated over the phone but was abruptly interrupted by another grunt.
Tony waited for the noises to end before he spoke again. "We kind of had a disagreement-"
"Anthony, I'm in the middle of fighting fifteen...make that fourteen fire demons. I do not have the time to listen to your petty spat with our son." Loki grunted again and Tony definitely heard the splatter of blood over the phone.
"I think Peter knows that he is not exactly human." Tony blurted out without a seconds hesitation.
Once again the phone was completely silent. "Anthony give me five minutes." Loki finally said after a minute of dead silence.
"I'm only giving you two." Tony shot back, but knew Loki already pulled the phone away from his ear.
"I regret to inform you, that we are going to have to make this quick." Tony heard Loki's voice echoing into the phone. "You know how families can be. They take priority. And as much as I hate to show you, and anybody really, such a vulgar form, my son and husband need me." What Tony then heard sounded like a beam and shattering glass. He heard some soft static like rumbling and knew the phone was back in Loki's hand. "Was that fast enough?"
"How the hell did you get your hands on the casket again?" Tony nearly shouted knowing that was one little Asgarian treasure he was never supposed to touch again.
"I made a deal with the All-Mother." Loki said casually; it was as if the past battle had not even happened. "So you needn't worry about me stealing it. Now what exactly did you mean by Peter knows that he isn't completely human?"
"He asked me about the homework assignment. Apparently it was actually a questionnaire-"
"Get to the point Anthony." Loki said bitterly as he saw more fire demons in the distance. "Muspelheim isn't exactly a vacation spot. The sooner I finish this mission and get home the better."
"One of the questions on his list was if anyone in the family was adopted. Obviously I said you, but then he asked if he was. I said no, that he has my DNA, and then he went on some rant about me making him in a lab and how he wanted to know what he was. What Loki. What. Not who the other half of his genetic makeup is from. He must know something, but I don't know what since he stormed off to his room when I told him we would discuss then when you return home."
"I told you we should have raised him knowing what he is, how he was created." Loki snapped, but knew now was not the time to fight with Tony. He needed to keep his mind on the mission, and worrying about Peter was a distraction he didn't need right now. "I don't want Peter living his life never knowing who he truly is, like I did."
"You're right." Tony muttered.
"Excuse me. Can you repeat that. The signal from Earth to Muspelheim is constantly waning between good and poor."
Tony gritted his teeth as he breathed heavily in the phone."You are right. We need to tell Peter the truth." Tony repeated, knowing Loki was basking in the enjoyment of being right. But the bitterness is his voice wasn't just because of his husband, but also because of his son. Everything about this situation was like an old ghost coming back to haunt him. "The look Peter gave me. It was like looking in a mirror. It reminded me of me and my father. The only difference was Peter is much younger than I was when that relationship formed. And I don't want that for Peter. We can't do that to him."
"The moment I get home, we are telling Peter the truth then."
"Can't you just abort this mission? Have the All-mother send lapdog b instead?"
"No Anthony. If Surtur has returned then I am the only one the All-Mothers can send."
"I expect you home by seven for dinner then."
"I love you too Anthony."
"Be safe." Tony whispered before hanging up the phone.
"Now Anthony, when have you ever known me to be safe?" Loki said to the silent device as more fire demon began to encircle him. Loki's phone vanished into thin air as he rose his hands in the air like a surrender. "Now, are you going to take me to Surtur, or suffer the same fate as your other kinsmen did just moments ago?" They didn't back down and all attacked Loki at once with blades of flames. Loki just smirked as the Casket of Ancient Winter appeared in his hands once again.
