Author's Note: Hello, hello, my readers! Welcome back to another chapter of Raise Me Up! We are at CHAPTER 16, and this is the next day after the IronFam went to Coney Island. Peter, Tony, and Pepper have to make a big decision, and we will see what that decision is! I really hope you continue to enjoy this story, BUT before we get to that…REVIEW REPLIES!
Rafa: Lol, thank you so much! I'm really glad you're enjoying the story! Hope you continue to like it!
Megan844: Awww! YAY, my fic made someone cry, lol, jk! I'm glad you loved it!
SapphireRuby24: Good to know, thanks, friend! Thank you so much! I feel like that's something you deal with a lot when there's a death in the family. You're happy, sad, angry, etc.! Hope you continue to like what comes next!
Trombonesarah: You're welcome! Really glad you liked it!
PastaShark000: That's the perfect way to describe it! There is some conflict coming, but slowly! Lol, really glad you loved it, and I hope you continue to like what comes next!
***Also, bit of a warning: slight panic attack/sensory overload. It's nothing graphic or anything like that, but I would rather give you all the heads up just to be safe!
Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything related to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Chapter 16
"Hey, buddy, Pepper and I are downstairs in a meeting. We'll be back soon! Maybe we can get some time in at the lab and work on our project!"
Peter smiled as he read Tony's text as soon as he woke up the next morning. After a fun night at Coney Island, Rhodey and Vision made the long drive back to the compound while Happy took him, Tony, and Pepper back to the tower, where they settled in for the night. It was a relief not having to get up for school, and he looked at the time on his phone only to see that it was 10AM. Perhaps, it was as good time as any to get up and to get the day started. Tony had sent him the text about an hour ago, which meant that he probably had another hour or so until Tony and Pepper came back up. So, he quickly got up, showered, got dressed, and sat down at the counter to eat some cereal. As he was eating breakfast, his phone vibrated, and sure enough, it was a text from Ned.
"Hey, dude, you might want to turn on Channel 2. There's something you need to see."
Peter furrowed his eyebrows together at the text. It sounded like there was something serious, but what could it be? It couldn't have been anything involving Tony or Pepper…no, he would've known about it, wouldn't he?
"What? Why? Something happen?"
"Just turn on Channel 2…and call me ASAP!"
"Okay, hang on a sec!"
"Hey, FRIDAY," Peter called out to the A.I., "can you turn on Channel 2 news, please?"
"Of course, Peter," FRIDAY replied. "I'll turn on the living room T.V."
Peter immediately turned around and ran to the living room as the television turned on allowing him to see the reporter, a female reporter with a smile on her face.
"And in a breaking news story over night, folks," the reporter began, "we've received some interesting photos of billionaire Tony Stark, famously known as Iron Man, and his intern."
Peter felt his blood run cold as his heart began to pound as he gripped the back of the couch. Two photos appeared on the screen, and while blurry, it was easy to see that one was Tony and Peter hugging outside the courthouse…after the hearing and the other was last night while they were waiting on line at the Ferris Wheel.
"What the f—" Peter began to say.
"As you can see here in these photos, both Stark and his intern were seen with Pepper Potts, the CEO of Stark Industries and Stark's fiancée, Col. Rhodes—War Machine, Vision, and Happy Hogan. One of them was taken in front of the courthouse, and the other appears to be in front of the Ferris Wheel in Coney Island."
"Shit…" Peter muttered to himself. He couldn't believe this was happening…just days after May's funeral. Tony, May, and Pepper always made sure to keep Peter out of sights of the media as much as possible, and if Peter had to be around the media, it was either only as Spider-Man or simply Tony's intern, who came with him to galas or interviews here and there, but now…Tony was his guardian…his family. This was probably a sign of what was to come; he was going to be in the media as much as Tony…if not more so.
"So…the question on everyone's minds right now is what is going on? Who is this kid really? Is he really just an intern? Or…could it be possible that Tony Stark's playboy past has caught up with him? Neither Stark, his fiancée Pepper Potts, nor the intern have commented as of yet…"
That was the final straw. This news reporter had the audacity to accuse Tony of having an illegitimate child…to accuse him of being that illegitimate child. His breath quickened as the TV volume…the lights in the living room…everything around him amplified to 11. His legs felt like jelly as he fell to his hands and knees with his migraine increasing tenfold. He covered his ears, and all he could think about was how there was no way Tony would want to keep being his guardian now. They were accusing the billionaire of having some secret love child, and his reputation was going to be ruined because of him. Why would he want to keep the very reason his reputation was ruined around? Or what if the social worker would use this as an excuse to put him in the system and to take him away from Tony? Tony was just named as his guardian, and it was about to go flying out the window because of his own stupidity. Why didn't he see or hear anything? How could he miss that?
"Peter!"
Peter whimpered at the noise making the pounding in his head even worse. He wished that it would stop.
"FRIDAY, lights at 20%," the male voice said as it got closer…quieter. "Hey, buddy, it's me. It's Tony. Pep and I are here. Is it okay if I turn you over?"
Tony…Tony was here, and so was Pepper. That helped to bring his heartbeat down somewhat, and he nodded.
Tony wasted no time in gently guiding Peter so that he was on his back looking up at him.
"Is my voice helping?" Tony asked quietly.
Peter nodded as he struggled to breathe, and Tony gently took his hand away from his ear and brought to his chest.
"It's okay, buddy," Tony said as he ran his other hand through his hair. "We're working on that breathing, okay? Do it with me. In…" he took a deep breath, "out…" he exhaled. "With me."
It took two or three tries for Peter to finally regain control of his senses and slow down his breathing, and as soon as he was back to normal, Tony gently helped him to sit up and gathered him into his arms.
"I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Peter quickly said.
"Shh…it's okay, kiddo," Tony said gently rocking Peter back and forth. "There's nothing to be sorry for. You're okay. I got you. I'm right here, okay?"
It wasn't too long before Pepper knelt down next to them with a glass of water. "Here, sweetie," she said to Peter. "Drink this."
Peter silently thanked her before taking a sip of water while still in Tony's warm embrace.
"What happened, kid?" Tony asked keeping his arms locked around Peter afraid to let go. "FRIDAY said your senses overloaded."
Peter leaned into Tony's chest even more smelling his cologne feeling his body relax even more as it all flooded back to him. "N-Ned texted me," he said. "He said…he said to turn on the news, and…and I did. They…they were broadcasting pictures of us from yesterday…" he could hear both Tony and Pepper sigh. They must've found out too, "and…and they were wondering if I was a love-child or something." The realization…the cold realization that he might've put a stain on Tony Stark's reputation made him sit up slightly to look at Tony and Pepper. "I…I'm so sorry, Tony…I…I should've…I…didn't think…I ruined your reputation. Y-You're ruined now because of me. I—"
"Whoa, whoa, slow down, young buck," Tony said quickly pulling away so that he was looking right at Peter. "Where is this coming from? Why are you apologizing for this?"
"Because…they saw you with me," Peter said. "Someone took a picture of us because they saw me. I should've been more careful, and now they're using me to ruin you. It's all my fault, Tony."
"Peter, sweetheart, calm down," Pepper quickly said placing a hand on Peter's shoulder. "This isn't your fault, nowhere close to being your fault."
"And you did not ruin me," Tony quickly added. He'd be damned if the teen in his arms ever thought that he ruined him. The kid had done so much more than that. "I promise, you could never ruin me."
"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, kid," he added mentally.
"If there's anyone who's to blame, it's Pepper and me, kid," Tony finally said after a moment.
"What?" Peter said furrowing his eyebrows together. "Why?"
"We should've kept an eye out," Tony replied. "If we had, we could've stopped whoever took those pictures."
"And…we should've talked to you more about this," Pepper added. "We had been so busy with helping you, the funeral, and the hearing that we…didn't think about this, so…we're very sorry this happened, sweetheart."
"No, no, don't apologize, really," Peter said quickly. He immediately felt horrible for making Tony and Pepper feel obligated to protect him from something that he knew was a part of their daily lives. He was a teenager, and he should've known that this could happen, right? "I-I shouldn't have…reacted like that."
"Hey, hey, no, it's okay…totally okay, kid," Tony said gently. "Sometimes, the littlest things can cause an attack. Look at me, I used to get anxiety attacks whenever someone said the word, 'wormhole' or 'space' to me."
Peter nodded. Tony had mentioned briefly at one point that he used to get anxiety attacks after the alien attack in New York…the very same attack that sent Toomes down his path to villainy. "I guess," he said quietly. He sighed realizing that there was something else that they needed to talk about. "So…what happens now? I mean, now that the pictures are out…"
Tony and Pepper looked at each other and then back at Peter before helping him to stand up and guiding him to the couch.
"Umm…well…we talked it over with PR and Mrs. Walker," Tony began.
"She's not going to take me away from you over this, is she?" Peter subconsciously grabbed the cuff of Tony's suit. "Tony, you can't let her—"
"No, no, no, no one's taking you anywhere, buddy," Tony quickly said. "She was on the phone with us when we spoke to PR, and she said that this kind of thing tends to happen with celebrities who…foster…well—y-you know what I mean. Anyway, she'll help us do what we got to do, and we agreed that there are a few options: one is we hold a press conference and tell them the whole truth…without getting into the Spider-Man ordeal to nip this in the bud and ask that the media respect your privacy."
Peter nodded. He wasn't wild about it, but he did agree with the idea of stopping the speculation before it got worse. He also felt himself relax upon hearing that the social worker wouldn't hold this leak against Tony and take him away. She was willing to work with them. "What are the other options?" he asked.
"The other option is we don't do or say anything and just wait for this to blow over," Tony said. "I'm all for it, but…"
"But…?" Peter urged.
"But…it would just urge the paparazzi to dig up more dirt or make-up rumors about you or Tony or…even May," Pepper added.
"And that's not why I want to do it," Tony quickly added. "I don't want to put you under this pressure so soon after May's funeral, and I didn't want to decide anything until we talked to you about it. What's one of the few things I had told you since the night of the accident?"
Peter gave a small smile. "I call the shots?" he answered.
"That's right," Tony said. "So whatever you think is…maybe not better…but the lesser of the two evils, we'll do it."
The teen took a deep breath as he considered the two options. At first when he was just Tony's intern, it was far easier to stay out of the public eye and the media. However, now, Tony was legally in charge of him and was responsible for him, and that threw a completely different element in their current situation. A part of him even wondered if May considered it when she named Tony as his back-up guardian. Of course, that was probably the last thing on her mind. He imagined that if he were a parent, then maybe that would be the last thing on his mind. Then again, May had to have known that Tony could take care of it, but either way, he was going to be seen around Tony and Pepper more. The photos from yesterday were solid proof of that, but he knew without a doubt that Tony and Pepper would do whatever it took to keep him safe regardless of what he wanted to do.
If he chose the second option, then he wouldn't have to worry about a press conference and exposing himself on TV everywhere, and he wouldn't have to worry about his peers treating him differently. He wouldn't have to worry about the paparazzi following him. However, Pepper had a point as to the negative side to that option. If they kept quiet about this, that would imply that they were trying to cover something up, which could tempt the media to dig up more dirt on Tony, Pepper, or even May. The idea of making his new guardian, the CEO of Stark Industries, and his aunt look bad just so he could stay out from under the media's radar made him feel slightly guilty. Not only that, but the media would just keep following them…taking pictures of them when they were out and about. It was bad enough that there two pictures of them from the same day, but it would never stop. If he chose the first option, he would be exposing himself to the media, but he knew that Tony and Pepper would do everything in their power to protect him and his privacy. However, it would prevent things from getting worse.
He took a deep breath and looked at Tony and Pepper. "I…I think we should go with the first option," he finally said, "the press conference."
Tony and Pepper looked at each other and then back at Peter.
"Are you…are you sure?" Tony asked.
Peter nodded. "I mean…not really, to be honest," he said, "but you're right. If we don't say anything, it will just make people more curious and want to dig up dirt, and the last thing I want is for the media to put you guys or May in a bad light."
"What about you, bud?" Tony thought to himself smiling. His heart swelled with pride seeing Peter wanting to do this simply to protect his family.
"Okay, but let's not forget that you need to be protected, too, sweetheart," Pepper said with a soft smile as she took Peter's hand into hers. "That's the number one reason we're doing this. Tony and I are adults. We can handle whatever they throw at us, but you…are our first priority no matter what."
"I know," Peter said, "and I appreciate that. But…I know you'll protect me. I don't have to question that. You've been doing that for more than a year. I know you'll continue to do that, but…I have to at least protect May…and you guys. And…and you guys are a part of my family. That's my number one priority. Plus…I'm going to have to accept it. You've been dealing with the media long before we even met. It's part of my life too now."
"And we will do whatever we need to do to help you keep your privacy, kid," Tony said rubbing Peter's shoulder. "We can make this as quick and painless as possible."
"That's right," Pepper added with a proud smile at Tony. "Just so long as you don't pull any surprises like a certain someone did with Iron Man,"
Peter couldn't help but snicker as Tony looked at Pepper with an incredulous look on his face.
"…we can make the press conference in the morning…no longer than 20 minutes. Tony and I can answer some questions, and if you want to, you can answer some questions, too, okay?"
"And if you change your mind at all or want to duck out of the press conference at all, just say the word, and we'll make it happen, okay?"
Peter smiled at Tony and Pepper. As much as he wasn't wild about doing the press conference, he felt better knowing that Tony and Pepper were giving him the chance to choose. As appealing as it was to not say anything, taking control of the situation and nipping the problem in the bud was the more logical approach. May had always told him that, and he planned to carry that with him for the rest of his life. "Okay, thanks, guys," he finally said.
"You're welcome, bud," Tony said with a small smile.
"I'll call PR and schedule the press conference for next week, sound good?" Pepper asked.
"Why next week?" Peter asked curiously.
"We want to make sure we get the story straight," Tony replied, "and given what you do on the side, Mr. Webslinger, we want to make extra sure there's nothing that can connect you to that."
"Okay, I guess that's fair," Peter said. Normally, he would've been adamant about keeping Spider-Man out of something like this. He was thinking about revealing himself once he was old enough and could handle it, but that was a long ways off. However, he also realized that throughout this whole ordeal with May…he hadn't thought about Spider-Man once. He and Tony talked about some upgrades for his suit and the nanotechnology project for both Iron Man and Spider-Man, but that was it.
Tony nodded silently eying the teen. "Okay, now that that's settled, why don't we head down to the lab for a bit and maybe take a drive—get out of the tower for a bit?"
"Sure," Peter nodded, "uhh…you mind if I call Ned real quick? He's going to want to make sure I'm okay."
"No problem at all," Tony said. "I'll go get changed and wait for you."
Peter smiled at Tony and Pepper before grabbing his phone and walking off to his room.
"He…took that a lot better than I thought he would," Tony said with a small smile on his face. "The kid never ceases to amaze me."
"A press conference?" Ned asked incredulously over the phone.
"Yep," Peter breathed. He took a deep shaky breath as he sat on his bed. "It was either that or not saying anything, but Pepper said that by not saying anything it would just give the media more ammunition to dig up dirt on me, or Tony and Pepper, or even May…or you guys."
Upon hearing Peter's reasoning for the press conference, he realized that his best friend had a valid point. If Peter and Tony had decided to go through the press conference, then the media would have the full story and not have the temptation to dig up dirt and start rumors about Peter or May or even Tony Stark. "That's true," Ned said. "You know, normally, I'd happy that my best friend would be famous, but…now, I'm just sorry that it happened the way it did."
"Eh, it's okay," Peter said. "I mean, like it said, I'm not wild about it, but like Tony said, the lesser of the two evils."
"Plus, he's dealt with these losers his entire life," Ned said. "He and Ms. Potts know how to take care of this." As he said this, he clicked on the picture that showed his best friend and the billionaire himself. "Oh, wait, how is this going to affect…you know…Spider-Man? Are you…are you going to tell everyone like Mr. Stark?"
"No, no, absolutely not," Peter said quickly. He quickly pushed down the knot in his stomach about his alter ego again feeling the guilt over having not thought of it since May died. It was only a few weeks, but it felt like a lifetime ago. "I could never do that…at least not until I could actually handle it. No, Tony and Pepper are going to use our cover story so I can avoid that."
"Oh, good," Ned said as he sighed in relief. "As much as I would love to see that, you've got a lot on your plate right now."
Peter smiled as he was once again reminded why Ned was his best friend in the world. As much as Ned loved that Peter was a superhero, he always tried to look out for him and cared about his well-being. There were a few times when Peter went to Ned's apartment, and his best friend wasted no time in calling Tony for help. "Thanks, man," he finally said. "Umm…you know, I actually haven't—"
There was suddenly a beep on his phone, and the teen took his phone away from his ear only to see that it was MJ calling him. "Oh, it's MJ," he said. "You mind if I let her into the call?"
"Yeah, sure," Ned said. "She must've seen my text. I told her what happened."
Peter pressed the button allowing his calls with MJ and Ned to merge. "Hey, MJ," he said as soon as she was connected.
"Hey, losers," she said. "I saw the news." She paused. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah…yeah…" Peter said with a smile on his face. "I'm okay. I was a little freaked out at first, but Tony and Pepper helped me. I was…I was just telling Ned that we're doing a press conference to address it."
"Really?" MJ asked. "Y-You think that's a good idea? I mean…you'll really be putting yourself out there."
Peter couldn't help but smile at how concerned MJ sounded for him. "I'm not exactly wild about it," he said, "but Tony, Pepper, and I agreed that it's the lesser of the two evils. Not saying anything will just tempt these guys to try to start rumors. They're already wondering if I'm Tony's secret kid or something, and he shouldn't have something like that following him when it's not true. They could even go after Pepper or May, and these guys are something Tony deals with on a daily basis. So, in a way, it's a part of my life now."
"Well, I'm not thrilled about it," MJ said after a moment of silence, "but I get it. And…just so you know…Ned and I won't treat you any differently, Peter."
"She's right, man," Ned said. "We're with you all the way, no matter what."
Peter couldn't help but widen his smile hearing his two best friends willing to support him in what had been the biggest change of his life. He was especially elated that MJ was willing to support him. In the time he and Ned had known MJ, she clearly wasn't that huge of a fan of Tony, but she knew how close he and Peter were and still supported him. "Thanks, guys," he said. "Listen, I hate to cut this short, but Tony and I are going to head down to the lab for a bit."
"Trading us in for the billionaire, huh, Parker?" MJ said with a smile on her face.
Peter chuckled and rolled his eyes. "No, of course not," he said.
"I know, I'm just messing with you," MJ said chuckling. "You go have fun, okay?"
"But don't think this means we're not getting together over the summer, dude," Ned added quickly.
"Absolutely," Peter added excitedly. He found himself making another mental note to ask Tony about getting together with friends. It wasn't that he thought his guardian would forbid him from seeing Ned and MJ. He wasn't like that. In fact, there were a few times Tony was at his and May's apartment with Ned and even MJ, and he never once had a problem with it. He even had a good laugh later on after he first met Ned. He just wasn't sure if he would be allowed to have friends over at the Tower. "I'll talk to you guys later."
"See ya, loser," MJ said.
"Bye, dude," Ned added.
"Bye, guys," Peter said with a smile before hanging up. With that, he put his phone back in his pocket and went to meet Tony in the living room.
Author's Note: Annnnnnnd that's all for this chapter, boys and girls! I hope you all really enjoyed this chapter! I was originally going to not include Peter having a panic attack, but I figured with everything going on, he would be pretty sensitive, especially when something like this happens. Although, if you guys have a problem with it, I can always edit it out or change it. Just let me know! Just know that…this was my first time writing something like that, and I tried to make it as realistic as possible. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed it! CHAPTER 17 will be coming soon! Anyway, don't forget to read and review! Thanks, guys!
