Hallie
Hallie woke up to a soft kiss on her brow. She could smell the slight woodsy scent of Peter's aftershave, and their bedroom felt humid like he'd probably just showered. She blinked her eyes open slowly to one of her favorite sights - her soulmate's beautiful brown eyes looking back at her. His profile interrupted all the sunlight filtering in through their sheer white curtains. It was really bright. How late was it?
"Morning, sunshine," Peter greeted softly.
"What time is it?" Hallie's voice was rough with sleep. "Did I over-sleep?"
"Well, that depends on when you wanted to get up, I guess," Peter said with amusement. He straightened where he sat on the bed next to her. "You were pretty much asleep when I tucked you in last night, so I didn't really know when you wanted to get up. It's 7:30. The press conference is at 9, and we'll keep it short, so we should make it to your class at 10."
Hallie blushed slightly, remembering how out of it she'd been the night before when they went to bed. She really hoped Peter had waited to pick her up until they were out of sight of the other Avengers.
Her eyes were focusing better now, and she suddenly remembered what Peter had on his schedule earlier that morning. She sat up next to him, and tentatively reached a hand towards his head. His hair was so much shorter. He looked nervous, which was kind of strange. Did he think she wouldn't like his haircut?
"What's with the face, Parker?" She touched the short hair behind his ear, and he leaned into her fingertips.
"My face?" Peter froze, looking startled.
"Yeah, you look nervous. Do you not like your haircut?"
"I just know you kind of liked it longer…"
"But did you like it longer?"
"Not really. It's a pain to deal with when it gets that long."
"Then I like this better. You don't have to keep your hair a certain way for me to like it. Would you be mad if I decided to cut my hair really short?"
He paused. "I would miss it," he admitted honestly, smoothing it down with gentle fingers, "but it's your hair, so whatever makes you happy."
"Same. I miss the feel of your curls here," she stroked her fingertips down the nape of his neck, and his eyes fluttered closed at the sensation, "but you look fantastic either way, and I'd rather you be content with it."
"I did ask him to leave it longer than normal on top," Peter admitted, scooting closer so he could slip an arm around her waist. He was wearing light grey suit pants, but hadn't finished dressing yet, as it was just topped with a white undershirt.
Hallie noticed that his hair did still have a little extra length on top, and that it looked artfully tousled, like he'd just run his fingers through it. But she was sure there was purpose to its shape, and a lot of gel involved, with the press conference coming up, so she didn't touch it.
"It looks great," she assured him. "I'll check it out more thoroughly."
"Promise?" He whispered, pulling her close and pressing his nose into her hair, inhaling deeply.
Hallie giggled, and turned her head to kiss him briefly. She felt his lips curve upwards under hers. She knew she should initiate more of that - it always made him happy. It was just hard to feel confident enough. She was still trying to overcome the whole not-used-to-physical-touch thing. She tried to stand up, but he shifted her in his arms and went for a more thorough kiss instead.
Hallie pulled back, giggling. "Peter! I haven't even brushed my teeth!"
"Don't care," he promised, pulling her even closer. But she was laughing too hard for him to be able to kiss her properly. "Ew, let me clean up real fast, then we can do this."
Peter sighed, adopting a martyr-like tone. "If you must. I'll collect on my raincheck in about 20 minutes though, so make it snappy, Dayton."
Hallie mock-glared skeptically over her shoulder at him, and she was afraid he might actually fall off the bed laughing at her as she nearly ran into the dresser because she was so busy looking back. Punk.
"Your twenty minutes are up, cara mia," Peter said as he stepped into the bathroom and wrapped his arms around Hallie's waist. She had just finished drying her hair, and had decided on a dark blue A-line scoop dress from the choices Pepper had had delivered the night before. When she'd had a hard time deciding between two, Karen had helpfully pointed out how well this color went with Peter's suit. He was dressed now, in his white shirt and tie, and his vest, but sans jacket still. Between that and the haircut, he looked like he was shooting a cover for GQ that morning instead of "just" headlining a press conference.
He leaned down to kiss her neck, nuzzling vigorously enough to make her giggle. She finally turned in his arms, giving him her full attention.
"You're awfully needy lately," she mock-complained, gasping as he lifted her up on the counter so he had better access. She had to tug her skirt up above her knees in that position to keep from ripping it. Thankfully the material seemed like a wrinkle-free kind.
"I've been waiting for you for a long time," he reminded her in between kisses, like it was her fault she was six years younger than him. After a few minutes he turned serious, and leaned into her, letting his head rest against the side of hers. "And it's going to be a long day. And I'm probably nervous about it. So I'm soaking up as much of you as I can, to help me power through," he explained quietly.
Hallie was silent, bringing a hand up to the back of his neck to trace light, soothing patterns. "I'm here. And we'll be together all day."
"True," he said, pulling back and grinning at her. "And you look amazing, by the way." Pep asked if you wanted to do your own hair and make-up, or if you'd rather PR's people did it. She usually has hers done for stuff like this, just as one less thing to worry about."
"That actually sounds nice," Hallie admitted, absentmindedly straightening his tie. "I was just trying to figure out what I should do with it."
"Did you pick out some shoes?" Peter asked, running a hand down her calf and under her bare foot, which made her squirm. "Ticklish there, too, huh?" he asked, smiling. His eyes were warm and calm, and his hand grasped her foot more firmly, eliminating the ticklish feeling.
"Yeah, there's a pair that work, and I have some sandals for class afterwards. I have a sweater, too, to make this look more casual."
"Sounds perfect." He sighed happily, leaning into her again. " You're perfect."
"You know that's not true," Hallie said lightly.
"You're perfect for me, dolcezza," he assured her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "We'd better finish getting ready, though, and you still need to eat. Don't forget." He slid her down from the bathroom counter and smoothed her dress down for her.
"I have to go meet with security, but I'll meet you down there before the press conference? Chase will meet you at the elevator when you're ready, and FRIDAY will escort you both to the PR staging area." He slid a hand down her hair again, leaning in to kiss the spot his hand had just smoothed. "Any questions?"
Before she could respond, he reached in his pocket and pulled out her "engagement" ring, and a slim silver Starkwatch. "I almost forgot. We definitely want your ring on for press conference." He slipped it on her fourth finger. They had decided not to take it with them to California, but for her to start wearing it as they made the official "announcement."
"Just saying, we did leave this with Tony. There's probably a tracking chip in it now," Peter teased. Kind of. He seemed partially serious. "And this is a completely optionable wearable," he said, holding up the Starkwatch. I mean, yes, there is a tracker, but it's really just for when you want to wear it. Karen is installed, and she can answer any questions for you, as well as access FRIDAY if needed. And there's a direct connection to me when I'm in the suit, for later." Hallie's eyes widened at that. How did she keep forgetting that at some point soon, her husband would be going out as Spiderman most days. Once their bond was settled, he'd be able to do that again, and she knew he missed it. It wasn't something she liked to think about though.
"I just thought it might be useful today," Peter said. He seemed nervous, like he was worried he might be overstepping again. Hallie held her wrist out for him to fasten the watch on.
"Thanks, love," she said, smiling happily up at him, trying to improve his mood. His eyes widened slightly at her using something other than his name, and he grinned back shyly.
"Okay, I've really gotta get down there," he said, looking apologetic, his hand slipping gently across her soul mark, eliciting a pleasant buzz.
"Go, then!"
Peter
Peter tried to stay focused. He had done lots of press conferences in the last 7-8 years, but he was understandably a little more unsettled about this one. Pepper was going to make the announcement about the engagement, following one Tony would make about some new crash-avoidance technology that SI ws manufacturing,, and one Steve and "Spiderman" (though Greg wouldn't talk much) would make about a new charity the Avengers Initiative was partnering with. It was meant to feel like an afterthought, when really it was the main reason for the event. Just a "Oh, and hey, by the way, this also happened. Just in case you're interested." After that, if she was still up for it, Hallie was going to come out, and they'd all answer questions for ten to fifteen minutes. He hoped it would go smoothly.
May and Bryce had stopped in earlier that morning during his haircut to wish him luck and offer their support. They really needed to fit in some more time with them. They were both working a lot since they'd taken off several weeks for the wedding and honeymoon. Peter sipped his coffee (decaf; he didn't need to be jittery or overly energetic this morning) and tried to take a few deep breaths.
"Peter," greeted Captain Rogers as he walked into the staging area, followed by Sam Wilson.
"Hey Steve," Peter answered easily. The super soldier met him with a firm handshake and a smile, and gripped his other arm. "Sam," he said to the Falcon, shaking the other man's hand as well. "Thanks for coming, guys. And for the extra help last week taking some shifts watching Queens and Manhattan for me."
"No problem at all," said Sam. "We were happy to help."
"You ready for this?" Steve asked quietly.
"Oh, yeah. Piece of cake, you know?" Peter laughed nervously. Natasha, Yelena, and Clint walked in next, visiting with Casey and Ty. They all appeared relaxed, but Peter knew they were in duty-mode, since the five, plus Alex and Chase, were serving as security during the conference. They were probably getting ready to split up and go to their different assignments, but were snacking on the cheese tray and joking around at the moment. Steve and Sam turned to greet the new group, and Nat introduced everyone.
Peter felt Tony's presence shortly before his dad walked up behind him, hand settling on his shoulder. Peter felt the tension drain out of him, which was an unexpected relief, and he almost let himself sag against the older man.
Tony's voice was quiet. "Hey, Pete. You good? My bond was kinda pulling at me just now. What can I do?"
"You're doing it," he sighed. "Thanks, Dad." He leaned into Tony's hand, drawing strength and calm from his soulmate. He felt much better within just a couple minutes, and felt like he could smile and put on his public persona mask. Which was good, since the conference was supposed to start in less than ten minutes. He could hear the reporters entering and getting settled. Greg walked in, in the suit, and Peter waved at him gratefully from across the room.
Just then, Pepper, Hallie, and Chase entered. Wow. Hallie looked incredible. She always looked beautiful, but her hair was in a simple updo, and the makeup artist had really emphasized her captivating green eyes.
Tony chuckled next to him, and gave him a little push in Hallie's direction. Peter didn't need any further encouragement, and was at her side quickly.
"Hey, handsome," she greeted shyly, eagerly stepping into his embrace, and Peter realized part of his tension had stemmed from their separation.
"Hey, yourself. You look amazing!" He leaned in to kiss her carefully, aware from years of Pepper warning Tony off, that he didn't want to mess up her make-up right before the conference. The heels made their height difference less obvious, though he was still half a head above her.
"It's been over an hour. Were you getting any symptoms?" Peter asked quietly.
"No, actually. My bond was just getting… itchy? And I was starting to get a little irritable."
"Hey, that's progress," Peter said happily. "Not that I wanna be away from you, but it's good to see our bond behaving normally, if at a slower rate."
"No, I get it. I, too, would love to be able to go running while you're in long meetings or something. And not in any of the long meetings," she grimaced.
"You don't like running with me?" He put a hand to his chest as if she'd wounded him.
Hallie rolled her eyes and laughed. "You know I love running with you. But it's also a little demoralizing to know you could leave me in your dust at any moment."
A quick glance around confirmed that most of the people in the room knew his secret identity (he sometimes wondered how that was even still a secret) but there were a few random techs too. Peter leaned in for a hug, murmuring in Hallie's ear to make sure their conversation was private, "Cara mia, I can say with absolute certainty that without a spider bite, I couldn't hope to even keep up with you. So no worries."
Pepper walked over to them with a tight smile on her face. Peter knew she was just gearing up for her own public appearance. "Hey kids, can we grab a few pictures for release? The photographer is ready right over there." She set a friendly hand on Hallie's shoulder, and Hallie smiled up at her.
Peter noticed how alike their coloring was. They could honestly be related, especially with how blonde Pepper was wearing her hair these days. When Peter asked her about it once, she said it was easier to hide the greys that way. He didn't like to think about all his parental units getting older, but time kept moving forward anyway. Focus, Parker. What was Pepper saying? Right, pictures.
They followed Pepper over and posed in all the different ways the photographer asked. It felt stiff, and Hallie's smile was edging into "Help, I've been kidnapped," but at the end Pepper helped them get a few better ones.
"Okay, hold on," she gently cut off the photographer's request for yet another awkward couples' pose. "Hallie, just relax a little. Peter, help her." He obediently slipped his hand lower on her back so it made contact with her soul mark, and he saw her shoulders drop down and her spine straighten a little, and she naturally smiled up at him in thanks.
"Perfect, get that. Now, Pete, just give her a big hug. Kiss her if you want to. Of course he wanted to. She interrupted them after just a moment. "Now give me a smile, guys…. Yes, that's it. Perfect. We'll use those last few."
"Hallie, Chase and Casey will stay with you back here, and Natasha will walk out with you when it's time. Does that sound okay?"
"Yes, of course."
One of SI's PR specialists, Corbin, interrupted politely. "Dr. Parker-Stark, Mrs. Stark? We're ready."
"Tony? Steve? Spiderman?" Pepper projected to the other side of the room. They're ready for us."
Hallie
As she watched them file out to the stage, led by her husband, Hallie tried to swallow her nerves. With any luck, she wouldn't have to say anything, right? She knew Peter was nervous, too, and she hoped everything would go smoothly. Tony and Pepper hadn't seemed ruffled, but they'd been doing this for a very long time. Chase walked up close to her.
"If you turn this way, you can see them on the monitor," she offered. Oh, that was helpful.
Tony immediately took control of the room, greeting everyone, making them laugh, and laying out the general format for the short press conference. He jumped right into the announcement about the crash-avoidance technology, and proudly announced it would be standard in every new car produced in the United States starting next year. It was a really cool piece of technology that was both easy to integrate, and also inexpensive, but should help prevent a projected 60% of current auto accidents. Peter had worked on it some with Tony and the R&D team who had introduced the idea, and he'd had lots of good things to say about it.
Steve and Greg took the stage next, announcing the new charity partnership, and thanking SI and the Starks for their involvement in it. Greg stood next to him like he was an equal presenter of the announcement, but only laughed a few times, and agreed audibly with Steve once or twice. Spiderman was, in fact, very excited about the work the charity was going to do, and had plenty to say about it, but his presence as Peter Parker- Stark was much more important today.
As Steve finished up, Pepper took his place. There were a few whispers, since she hadn't been on the speaker list for today. "Also, we thought this was a good time to announce that our son, Peter Parker-Stark, who will be taking over as CEO when I retire at some point, and eventually inheriting the controlling share in SI, has recently become engaged to Ms. Hallie Elaine Dayton."
There was silence for a beat, then all the reporters perked up as one unit and started shouting questions, hands raised.
Tony stepped in smoothly next to his wife and spoke into the microphone. "Hey, hey, hey, friends." It quieted, but not completely. He tried again. "If you don't want this conference to end abruptly, and you know I'll do it, best put on your company manners." Silence finally filled the room.
"Now, we anticipated that some of you might have some questions, so we're willing to answer a few. But you'd better behave yourselves."
"That's your cue, Hallie," Chase said quietly, gesturing for her to turn and walk to the entrance.
Corbin stepped over to her, smiling. "Hallie? Are you ready?"
"No, but that's okay." He gave her a sympathetic look.
"Ms. Romanoff?" Nat stepped in close to Hallie in her trademark "Black Widow" catsuit. Hallie was impressed. Ms. Romanoff had to be around 40 at this point, but she didn't look it. And she looked pretty dang intimidating until she smiled, which she was doing at Hallie.
"You've got this, Hallie," she said quietly. I'll be walking out with you, just a touch behind you. You head straight for Peter, okay?"
"Pretty sure I can do that part, at least," Hallie muttered. Ms. Romanoff grinned at her before putting her game face back in place, just as Corbin gestured for them to take the stage.
Hallie walked out, blinking a little in the bright lights, and quickly found Peter smiling at her. He stood up and walked to meet her halfway, placing a hand at her back when he reached her, guiding her to her chair next to him. Nat sat right behind them, her eyes sharp and wandering, keeping an eye out for threats. Hallie tried to block out the quiet whispers and comments from the "audience" of press members.
Once they sat down, Peter was holding her hand lightly, but his knee was bouncing behind the desk front, where the press couldn't see. Hallie quickly rearranged their hands so their wrists were pressed together as well, which meant she was making contact with his soul mark through his shirt and jacket. He sent a grateful smile at her before he turned back and sank firmly back into his heir-to-the-company role. She watched him from the side as his face settled into something more serious. He even carried himself differently. He looked older, confident, and honestly, just a touch intimidating.
Tony had the microphone. "Okay, now, let's all be civilized. Who has questions about the Avengers' new charity, or the Starktech that's going to keep us all safer on the roads?" He paused. "Oh, or for Peter and Hallie?" Spoiler alert: 90% of the reporters just had questions about Peter and Hallie. "Okay, let's hear it. Keep it classy, or we'll be done." Natasha was adding her own subtly menacing glare to the crowd.
"Dr. Parker? Do you prefer that or Parker-Stark?"
"Either is fine. They're both me."
"Thank you. Where did you meet Ms. Dayton?"
"Here in the Tower, actually. She's one of Dr. Banner's interns." Tony pointed at another reporter. This one had a question for Pepper.
"Mrs. Stark, how does this affect the plan for Dr. Parker to take over Stark Enterprises?"
Pepper kept her calm tone even in the face of stupid questions. She'd had lots of practice. "It has no effect at all. That's still the plan. It's good news for us, actually, since he doesn't need to plan in 'social time looking for a companion' now."
"But he hasn't spent much time doing that anyway, has he? There's very little evidence of you dating over the years." The reporter looked sharply at Peter, maybe trying to intimidate him into the truth? "Dr. Parker, is Ms. Dayton your soulmate?"
Peter handled that question beautifully, just acting mildly confused, and looking over at Tony. "Guys, we've been over this. You know who my soulmate is." He and Tony shared a smile, and Tony reached over to cup the back of his neck briefly.
"Dr. Parker, Have you set a date for the wedding yet?"
"Not yet."
"Mr. Stark, how do you feel about your soulmate finding a partner?"
Tony looked confused too. "What do you mean, how do I feel? I'm ecstatic for them. They're perfect for each other, and we're thrilled to be gaining another daughter." Hallie couldn't help but grin slightly at his sweet answer. He gestured to a reporter in the back.
"I have a question for Ms. Dayton." Hallie's eyes jumped over to Peter, and he met her gaze with a relaxed smile. Then quietly, "answer if you want to. If you don't, look at me, and I'll handle it." She squeezed his hand slightly, smiling back, then nodded at the reporter.
"Ms. Dayton, who are you wearing?"
"Excuse me?"
"Your dress, who designed it?"
"I'm so sorry, I don't know. I just thought the color looked nice with Peter's suit," she said, bemused at the vapid question.
Tony rolled his eyes a little too, and pointed to another reporter.
"Ms. Dayton, how does it feel to land the financial world's most eligible bachelor?" The question was asked with fake excitement, but the underlying tone seemed calculating, and not at all friendly. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Peter frown and start to open his mouth.
Hallie beat him to it. She leaned forward towards the mic in front of her. "Well, I can't really say, since I didn't know that he was. But I can tell you how it feels to be looking forward to life with Dr. Peter Parker, who is definitely one of the best minds of this generation, and who has actually been one of my heroes for a few years now." She indulged in an extra long blink, took a deep breath, and smiled. "It's like my birthday, and Christmas, and everything else exciting in life has all converged. And on top of being the smartest guy I've ever met," she looked over at Tony, who was grinning, "Sorry, Tony," his smile almost split his face at that, "he's sweet, and funny, and completely wonderful. So, yeah. I'm feeling pretty happy."
Everyone seemed stunned briefly at her little speech, especially Peter. The reporters recovered quickly and started angling for the next question, but Tony cut them all off. "Well said, Hallie. I think we'll keep her," he said with a fond smile. "Now, does anyone have any questions about the other two topics? No one did. "Okay, then. Good talk. We'll see you all soon. The press release and pictures should be in your inboxes."
Peter and and Natasha quickly escorted Hallie out, and when they got behind the screens, he pulled her up in his arms and kissed her soundly. There were scattered whistles from the Avengers and the security team.
"Was that okay?" she asked nervously, when he finally pulled back.
"I honestly have no words, sweetheart," he said, eyes sparkling at her. (Yes, eyes could sparkle, Hallie had finally decided, because that's what Peter's did regularly when he looked at her.) "You were amazing." He pulled her in and kissed her again, until Tony finally cleared his throat.
"I feel like I've probably set a bad example here, kid, but you two do have a room. A whole suite, in fact. Why don't you go use it?" he grumbled. There was scattered laughter, and Pepper openly scoffed at her hypocritical husband.
Peter did stop, and groaned. "We can't. We have to hurry and get Hallie to class."
"Yeah, you, me, and the whole entourage, now that the cat's out of the bag," Hallie grumbled, mood darkening somewhat.
"You know, you missed a perfectly good chance to say 'the whole kit and caboodle there,' since you were referencing cats in the next phrase, and the first part actually sounds like 'kitten,'-"
"Oh, my goodness. Stop," Hallie exclaimed, rolling her eyes at his attention-to-puns. "We have to take a bunch of people with us to class. That's all."
"Yeah, but we can make Alex drive us, and sit in the back seat and continue this," Peter said conspiratorially, sliding his hands around her waist again.
"You absolutely can not ." Alex said loudly from the hor d'oeuvres table, with a very grouchy look on his face.
"I'll do what I can, Alex," Hallie said, struggling to hide her amusement. Peter stuck his tongue out at Alex, obviously shedding the serious persona as easily as he had put it on.
"You ready for all the crazy to descend, love?"
"Let's do it. But you've got to change out of that suit before we go. You look like you're trying to be the hot, brilliant, son-of-a-billionaire, and I'm afraid you'll attract extra attention," she teased.
"Dang, am I that obvious? Good thing I'm practiced at quick changes," he winked. I'll meet you at the car. Then his face turned sobered, as he straightened and looked up. "Chase? Casey? You've got her?"
"Yes, sir," they chorused lightly, stepping in closer to Hallie as Peter rushed out of the room to change clothes. Hallie's eyes widened, and she sighed. Yep. Lots of things were changing.