Author's Note: Hello, hello, everyone! Welcome back to my latest chapter of Raise Me Up! Sorry this took a little long. I'm writing other fanfics including my Iron Dad and Spider Son series, so I'm still trying to figure out a good balance. Plus I've been busy with work, but no worries, the story will go on! So, we are at CHAPTER 15, and this takes place right after the hearing. Our little Iron Fam wants to celebrate Tony's new guardianship! I really hope you all enjoy it! Also, stay tuned for my ending notes, as I made some edits before I updated this fic, but before we get to that, REVIEW REPLIES!
Guest: They definitely will at some point! I don't want to give too much away, but trust me, it will be addressed as we go on.
xSapphirexRosesxFanx: Even better than ice cream!
CaptainMarvel123875: YAY! I loved writing that so much! Thank you so much! And trust me, there's still a lot left to go! Lol, we'll have to wait and see! The Adoption and the "D-word" will come up at some point! I just won't tell you when!
Ajhermygranger: Thank you!
Megan844: You're so right! We'll have to wait and see what happens! I really wanted to highlight that this is the first step for them to get to where they want to be, if that makes sense!
SapphireRuby24: Thank you so much! I'm really glad you loved the hearing and the monologue! Peter is a smart kid. He knows about Tony's past, but he also knows for a fact that he's gotten to know the real Tony. Yes, and there will be more feels to come!
PastaShark000: You nailed it! I'm really glad you enjoyed it!
Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything related to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Chapter 15
"Peter, that was so beautifully said," Pepper said as she hugged him tightly laughing. "You did amazing!"
"Thanks, Pepper," Peter said with a huge smile of his own. He, Tony, Pepper, Happy, Rhodey, and Vision silently agreed in the courthouse to save their celebration for when they got to the parking lot. "I was practically shaking the whole time."
"Kid, I tell you, I think you had Mr. Genius Billionaire Playboy Philanthropist tearing up," Rhodey said as he patted Tony on the shoulder. "You really have a way with words."
"Well, I…" Peter turned to Tony, "I meant every word of it. You, Tony—a-all of you," the teen looked at the five adults, "mean a lot to me…and May, too. I-I know I was mostly talking about Tony in there, but…all you guys became really important to May…and me. You…you became…part of the family," he turned back to Tony, "especially you and Pepper."
Tears formed in the billionaire's eyes again. To hear Peter say these words about him and their little ragtag group…made his heart swell. He knew that Peter was right. In a way, as he and Peter grew closer…as he came to care more and more about him, they became a sort of family. While Tony and Peter spent most of their time together over the past 10 months, their group got together from time to time, and it always felt good when it did. He quickly pulled Peter into a tight hug as the tears streamed down his face. "And we're going to keep being a family, kid," he said. "This was May's last gift to us, and we'll cherish that forever, I promise."
Peter nodded as tears streamed down his face as well as hugging Tony just a little tighter, and it wasn't long until Pepper…then Rhodey, then Happy, and then Vision all gathered in.
"I can't thank you enough for doing this," May said as she bought over two mugs filled with steaming coffee.
"Oh, please, it's not everyday your intern's aunt asks a genius billionaire to become his back-up guardian," Tony said as he took the mug that May handed to him before she sat down next to him.
May chuckled and rolled her eyes.
"Seriously, I'm honored you think I'm capable, May," Tony said.
"Well, it's…it's more than that, Tony," May said. "I mean like…I said at the MedBay, you've done so much for Peter. Seeing how you two are together…I…and forgive me if I'm out of line here, but…it sort of reminds me of how Ben was with Peter. You understand him. You're this male figure in his life that he's been missing since Ben died."
"Well, I-I hope you know that I would never try to replace your hus—"
"No, no, I know, I know, and Peter does too. I'm glad he has you now. I mean I've raised him with Ben, but there are some things that I know you're a little better at than I am. You share his love for being a superhero, you teach him when to fight back or not, and you share his love for science and physics and inventing. Tony, he was diving in dumpsters before you showed up. I…can't be more honored to have you as a co-parent."
"Wow…so I'm officially a co-parent?"
"Let's be real, Stark. You have been for a while."
"I guess I have been. I…don't what happened. It just…I don't know…but after the Vulture incident…I didn't hear from him for a while. And…I couldn't help but miss hearing his voicemails…talking to him. There was a part of me that worried that he didn't want anything to do with me, but thanks to Pepper, I texted him, and he immediately texted back. It all just flowed from there. I mean, don't get me wrong, we clicked when we first met, but I was dealing with the crap with the Rogues and the Accords…and all that, and then during the Vulture incident, he was just not listening and being stupid. But after that…after that text, everything just...clicked."
"You've really become a part of his life…our lives, Tony. Not just you, but Pepper, Rhodey, Happy, and Vision." She sighed. "I guess what they say is true."
"What?"
"You can't pick your family."
"Tony?"
Tony jumped and quickly wiped his eyes before turning back to Peter. "Sorry, bud, I just—uhh…" he said turning to the teen who sat between him and Pepper in the car.
"Are you okay?" Peter asked with concern in his voice.
"Oh yeah, yeah," he replied wrapping an arm around Peter pulling him close to his side, "just thinking about what you said before, and I guess it got me a little teary-eyed, I guess."
"Who knew I could make Tony Stark tear up?" Peter said with a smirk.
The billionaire laughed. "Yeah, who knew, kid," he said. "You discovered the secret." He pulled Peter even closer into a one-arm hug burying his nose in Peter's brown hair as he looked at Pepper, who wore an identical smile. He couldn't believe that the kid sitting between them…was now officially…his. He was now officially Peter Parker's legal guardian. Sure, the social worker wanted to check-in for a few months, and it wasn't an adoption—there was no way he and Peter were ready for that route. "One step at a time, Stark," he thought to himself. However, that didn't stop the man from reveling in the pure joy he felt right now, especially after what Peter said in the judge's office. Peter and May were right. Over the past 10 months, they became a family—a strange family, but a family, and he was never going to let that be taken away from Peter…ever.
"You know, I have an idea," Pepper said as she watched the two of them have a moment. "We should celebrate tonight. How about we all go to Coney Island tonight?"
"Seriously, Pepper?" Peter asked excitedly turning to look at her.
"Seriously," she replied laughing.
"I think that's a great idea, Pep," Tony said. Some good ol' family fun! We should all go! Us, Rhodey, Hap, and Vision!"
"I'll call Rhodey right now, boss," Happy said from the front seat.
After calling Rhodey and going back to the tower for lunch to celebrate the hearing, Pepper had a few meetings to cover while Tony and Peter spent some time in the lab. The plan was to have Rhodey, Happy, and Vision stay over for lunch and dinner before heading over to Coney Island, which Peter was completely on board for. As soon as the five adults and the kid enjoyed dinner and cleaned up, they all hopped in two cars with Tony, Pepper, Peter, and Happy in one car while Rhodey and Vision took the former's car. As excited as he was to celebrate being officially placed under the care of his new guardian…mentor…father-figure…maybe—he wasn't really sure, he also couldn't help but feel melancholy. The last time he went to Coney Island…was before his uncle was taken from him. He, May, and Ben went to the amusement park during the summer before he started Midtown.
Peter believed there were millions of reasons that prevented them from going back to Coney Island after that. Part of it was the overwhelming grief…He and May never officially said that was the main reason, but…he knew that couldn't bring himself to go back after that night. Not only that, but…they had busy lives. May was busy with work, and he had school, clubs, Spider-Man, and his time with Tony. That wasn't to say that they didn't make time for one another. The night…he lost May…they had one of their famous movie nights. Somehow, it felt like a lifetime ago. He remembered bits and pieces about that night even though…it was just almost two weeks ago. He remembered a few scenes from the movie, but he remembered the conversation they had in the car…their last conversation before she was taken from him…forever. He sighed putting his head back on the headrest wondering if they spent enough time together…if he was a good nephew to her…if she knew how much he loved her.
Peter took a deep breath and turned his sights to out the car window as the Audi sped on the parkway. He tried to push that down into the depths of his mind, but it was getting to be more difficult.
"Peter?" a voice suddenly said making him jump and turn to his left. It was Pepper sitting next to him. "Are you okay?"
"Oh…uh, yeah," he replied. "I'm fine."
"You sure, kid?" Tony asked from where he sat in the front passenger seat with Happy at the wheel.
"Yeah, totally," Peter said with a little more confidence in his voice. "Just…lost in thought." He watched as Tony, Pepper, and Happy looked at each other not saying anything, but he could tell they had a hard time believing him.
"Okay, buddy," Tony finally said after a moment, "but if you need to talk about something or if you want to head home, just say the word."
Peter couldn't bring himself to protest when Tony had been so willing to be there for him and when the day was such a special day. Tony was his guardian now, and he was doing his best along with Pepper. Besides, it had been a day of celebrating. Why should he ruin it by being sad about May?
"Tony, you don't need to—" Peter tried to say.
"Ah-ah, the adult is talking," Tony quickly said as he took out of his wallet. "This is a celebration, and we're going all out tonight. So I say if you want to play a game, then that's what we're going to do."
"We?" Peter and Pepper asked in unison.
"Yeah," Tony replied laying the cash down on the counter for the game moderator, who was trying not to freak out over Tony Stark. "What? You didn't think I was going to stand off the side like some adult weirdo, did you? I used to love darts as a kid. What do you say, kid? Winner gets to pick out the next game or a ride?" The game moderator placed a large bucket in front of Tony and Peter.
Peter raised an eyebrow at his new guardian smirking at him. "I'd say you're on, old man," he said.
"Ohhhhhh…" Rhodey and Happy said in unison.
"I believe young Peter is accepting the challenge, Tony," Vision added with a smile of his own.
"Hell yeah, he is," Tony said with a smirk of his own, "and he's going down. I got my eye on the balloon game…or maybe the Tilt-a-Whirl."
"Hmm…I'm thinking the Ferris Wheel," Peter said as he reached for the darts.
"Well, bring it on, buddy," Tony retorted.
After two rounds each won by Tony and Peter, they finally agreed on one last round of darts, so after about 5-10 minutes, they finally came down to the final dart for each of them. Tony just threw his, and it landed dangerously close to the bulls-eye.
"Nice shot, Tony," Peter said with a genuine smile.
Tony provided his own smile in return and patted Peter on the shoulder. Throughout their little "competition," both the billionaire and the teenager knew it was all in good fun and relished in their celebration. "Thanks, buddy," he finally said. "You're up." He stepped aside to allow Peter a turn.
Rhodey, Happy, Vision, and Pepper all cheered Peter on as he took his turn, and then Peter held up the dart, brought it back over his shoulder, and then threw it. Within seconds, it landed on the bulls-eye. Tony, Pepper, Rhodey, Happy, and Vision all cheered as Peter thrust his hands into the air in victory, and Tony immediately gave Peter a high-five.
Of course, Peter got to pick the next ride…the Ferris Wheel, so that was where they headed after the game. It didn't take much convincing to get Happy, Rhodey, and Vision to join in on the fun. Peter, Tony, and Pepper got in one car on the Ferris Wheel while Rhodey, Happy, and Vision got in another right behind them. As the ride started, Peter found them slowly ascending above the amusement park. He looked out seeing the lights that sprinkled across the land and water below and the stars that were visible in the sky. He smiled remembering May and Ben coming on this particular ride with him. It was always the one ride the three of them went on together as it became an unspoken tradition, and he remembered marveling at how small everything looked when they were at the top…and pointing things out to his aunt and uncle, especially when he was young. To think that that was never going to happen again…the grief washed over him once again.
"Penny for your thoughts, kid?" Tony suddenly said as he sat next to the teenager.
"Hmm?" Peter said looking up at Tony. "Oh, nothing, sorry, I was just lost in thought."
"Kid…you were quiet in the car," Tony replied, "and you got quiet now. What's going on?"
The teen shrugged. "It's a little stupid," he said.
"Peter," Pepper said leaning forward from where she sat across from her fiancé and his mentee…their kid, "if it's something that bothers you, I promise it's not stupid. You can tell us."
What Pepper said seemed to work as Peter sighed in defeat as he turned around so that he was facing both Tony and Pepper. "It's just…May and Ben used to bring me here when I was little," he finally said. He watched as Tony and Pepper looked at each other having another silent conversation almost as if they had figured that that was the case. Nevertheless, Peter continued, "It had been a long time since we had been here. I remembered that we got busy after Ben died and we never really came back—May and I—and…there was a part of me that wonders if…we spent enough time together when she was…you know…if I was a good nephew…you know?"
Tony and Pepper looked at each other again and then back at Peter.
"Sweetheart, why would you think that?" Pepper asked.
"Well, it's just…I mean…not long after Ben died, I really started taking on the whole Spider-Man thing, and I guess I wonder if we spent enough time or if she really knew how much I love her."
"Aw, buddy," Tony said as he wrapped an arm around the teen pulling him close to his side. He had forgotten about that…that Peter started taking on the superhero mantle around the time his uncle Ben died. "Of course, she knew all that. She knew Spider-Man was important to you, too."
"Yeah, but she didn't always know," Peter replied. "I kept my powers a secret from her for a while. The reason she found out was because I put my suit on in the apartment."
"So? I kept Iron Man a secret from Pepper and Rhodey for…about a day or two before they found out," Tony replied. "Kid, trust me when I tell you this, she knew how much you love her. You're her entire world, and she was so proud of you. She's told me herself."
"Really?" Peter asked as tears formed in his eyes.
"Yes, really," Tony said squeezing Peter just a little tighter. "Don't ever doubt yourself, kid. You and May were there for each other through thick and thin. No matter what, you still had great times together before and after Ben died."
"And just because you added another priority to your life doesn't mean you love May any less," Pepper added.
"Oh, no, no, of course, I love her," Peter quickly said, "and we did have a lot of good times together."
"Exactly, and you take that with you for the rest of your life," Pepper said taking his hand into hers.
Peter smiled at his guardian and his fiancée feeling the weight lifting off his shoulders. "Thanks, guys," Peter said. "I'm sorry for ruining tonight. We're supposed to be celebrating, and I'm all sad and just—"
"Kid, kid, it's okay," Tony quickly interjected. "We get it. Yes, we're celebrating the hearing and all that, but you're allowed to feel sad, buddy. May was important to you. We miss her, too. We didn't know her as well as you did, but we still miss her. We'll always miss her. The only thing we ask is that you tell us when you feel upset so we can help you, or you find a way to let it out in a healthy way, okay?"
Peter smiled and nodded before hugging Tony tightly. "Okay, I can do that," he said.
Author's Note: Annnnnnd that's all for now, boys and girls! I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter! CHAPTER 16 won't be too far behind! As I mentioned above, I made some quick edits to this chapter:
Chapter 3: Doctors told Peter that May died during surgery, but social worker told Tony that she was killed instantly. I changed it to "Mrs. Parker passed away during surgery," as someone pointed out the inconsistency. Hopefully this clears things up!
Chapter 5: So, for this one, I'm going by the actual calendar year in 2017. So, May passed away on a Friday night in this, and the date was actually June 16, 2017 instead of June 18. So, May's official date of death in this fic is June 16, 2017.
Also, the #2 change got me thinking that maybe I could post a timeline somewhere for you guys to use as a guide. I had started using it because I was starting to notice some inconsistencies later in the story. I don't know; let me know if you guys want a timeline! Anyway, don't forget to read and review! Thanks, guys!
