AN: I'm not going to lie to you - this story got dark, and I'm not really sure where it came from. Please read at your own discretion. I took some liberties with Tony's history as well. This story will, of course, have a happy ending because I'm not sure I know how to write something that doesn't.
TW: Discussions of past sexual abuse and bullying
Peter was not having a good day.
He had started the day with his senses dialed up to 11- he had been working on keeping his contacts and earplugs set low so that he could work on dealing with the overstimulation.
And everything had gone downhill from there.
Now, as he was sitting in the office waiting for one of his dads to come pick him up for his three day suspension, he reflected on the situation that had gotten him there.
Flash had been incessant today. More than normal - or maybe it was just bothering Peter more than normal.
Peter didn't have all of his classes with Flash - there were a few that he had been too behind in from his years on the run, and he was still working hard to get up to grade level. But due to the circumstances, he still did a lot with the kids that should be in the same grade as, like Ned and MJ.
And Flash.
Flash had apparently been doing some digging on Tony Stark - honestly, didn't he have anything better to do with his time then to stalk Peter and his dads? And he had come across news articles from when Tony Stark was young.
News articles that Peter was well aware of from his own research - news articles that he was sure his Dad hoped that Peter would never know about.
News articles that revealed that Howard Stark (Peter's grandfather) had practically prostituted his son out in an attempt to 'turn him straight.'
Peter was well aware of the articles. He had stumbled on them when he was on the run and looking at news articles referring to himself.
"Hey Penis." Flash had started, and Peter took a deep breath, trying not to just turn and deck the boy right then. His dads had been clear - Peter was a lot stronger than other kids now - he was never allowed to punch someone outside of sparring for practice and actual battles.
Peter instead chose to ignore him, focusing on his lunch - including his nutrient shake. He had taken to drinking it at lunch to quell his appetite and not make it so obvious that he needed so much food.
"Penis? What, are you deaf?" Flash laughed at his own joke, but didn't wait for an answer. "Have you seen these articles? About your dad?"
Peter tried not to react, but he couldn't stop himself from looking when Flash shoved the articles under his face.
Ned and MJ, who were sitting across from Peter, both looked confused and a little concerned.
Peter caught a glimpse of one of the headlines and immediately balled up the news articles.
"Get lost, Flash." He snapped.
"No, no. You see, I've figured it out." Flash sat down next to Peter, leering at him. When Peter still didn't respond, Flash continued. "I've figured out why you ran away."
Peter pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow, not quite sure where Flash was going with this.
"You see," Flash pulled out another news article. "It looks like Tony Stark has quite the history. I wonder if there are other things not in these articles, like fetishes. Hmm? Isn't that why you ran? You were tired of your dad getting his rocks off with you?"
MJ and Ned gasped and MJ stood up, looking ready to jump the table, but she wasn't nearly fast enough. Before Peter could even process what he was doing, Flash was on the ground, his hands held to his face, and blood gushing everywhere.
Peter had punched him. Of course, Peter's hand didn't hurt, but he shook it out anyway for show. "Don't you ever mention my dads to me again. Or you'll look back at today and realize that a broken nose is nothing compared to what I can do."
"Mr. Rogers-Stark!"
And that was how Peter found himself waiting for one of his dads to come pick him up. Peter had refused to share the reason for the fight, and seeing as Flash hadn't actually laid a hand on Peter, he was the one responsible.
Three days wasn't a lengthy suspension, and his principal had rambled on about how good of a kid Peter normally was, and how he knew he had a lot going on at home and this was his one warning and blah blah blah.
Peter hadn't cared. He'd do it again if someone said the same thing to him. But he had a feeling that Flash wouldn't be bothering him for a while, not after this.
It was only a couple of minutes before his dads showed up, and Peter wanted to groan. He didn't really want either of them there for this, but both were infinitely worse than one or the other.
"Peter? Are you okay?" Papa was looking him up and down.
Peter shrugged. "I'm fine."
Principal Morita stepped out of his office then and invited all three back to discuss the incident.
Peter was silent as Morita discussed the student accounts - all from Flash's friends, and Peter had specifically told Ned and MJ not to say a word about what they had heard - so of course, each account painted Peter in a bad light.
When Morita was done sharing everything he knew with Peter's dads, Dad spoke.
"I'd like to hear from Peter why he felt the need to punch this other student. Getting into fights is not typical behavior for our son."
"I've asked Peter for his version of events multiple times, but he refuses to speak." Morita offered with a shrug.
This was true. Peter didn't ever want to repeat the words that had been said. His point was made, and he was willing to deal with any consequences that arose - both at school and at home.
"Pete, why don't you tell us what happened?" Papa said gently.
"I think we heard it all from Mr. Morita." Peter said, the first words he'd said since the meeting had started.
Dad and Papa exchanged a puzzled look, but Peter ignored them. "Peter-" Dad started, but Peter didn't let him finish.
"No, Mr. Morita has told you what happened. I'm not arguing about it. I'm suspended for three days. Can we go home now?"
"Mr. Rogers-Stark, why don't you step outside while I talk with your parents?" Mr. Morita suggested, though Peter knew it wasn't actually a request. Without a word, he picked up his backpack and left the room, collapsing in one of the chairs while he waited for his dads to be done.
They were in there for about ten more minutes before his dads came out. Peter got his stuff together and followed them out to the car, collapsing in the back seat. The ride was silent, which Peter appreciated, as even with his earplugs, noise was still bothering him today.
Back at the compound was the first time that his dads spoke to him again. "Peter, why don't you go to your room and calm down and we will be in to talk to you in a little while?" Papa said, and this was another instance where Peter could tell it wasn't really a suggestion.
"Okay." He shrugged, pushing away the feelings of rejection that were threatening to overwhelm him. He knew his dads' disappointment and anger were going to be part of his consequences for what happened. He just had to get through it. It was better than letting his Dad ever know what had been said in the cafeteria.
In his room, Peter pulled out his cell phone and texted Ned and MJ in their group chat.
I don't ever want what was said by Flash today repeated. It's obviously not true, and my Dad shouldn't have to deal with that. I'm sure I'm grounded, so I'll see you in school next week.
Peter sent the text before deleting the message off of his own phone and powering it off. Peter pulled his MIT sweatshirt that used to be his Dad's out of the closet and on. He needed the comfort from that sweatshirt right now, even though he didn't want to admit it. He then took some time to shut down his computer, and set it with his phone on his desk. He pulled out his Spiderman suit and set it with them, putting it all into a bag.
There was a knock on his door while he was finishing up shutting his tablet down, and Peter called, "Come in," not turning around to see what he knew was his dads coming into his room.
"What are you doing?" Dad's voice sounded alarmed. Peter turned around, picking up the backpack he had shoved all the stuff into.
"What do you mean?" He looked down and realized what it looked like and flushed. "Here." He shoved the bag into Papa's arms and sat down on his bed, making it clear that he wasn't trying to go anywhere.
"What's all this?" Papa asked, opening the zipper.
"My phone, my computer, my tablet, and my Spiderman suit." Peter said, as if it were obvious.
"Why?" Dad sounded confused.
"Well, I'm grounded. There's my stuff." Peter shrugged, and pulled out his textbooks from his school backpack, knowing that he would have to work hard over the next three days to stay caught up.
This seemed to throw his dads off, because they glanced between each other, startled.
"Well, we aren't taking your computer." Papa said, pulling that out of the bag. "You need that to do school work, which is really all you're going to be able to be doing until you go back to school. You're right that you are grounded from your phone and tablet and from being Spiderman."
Peter nodded, knowing this would be the case, and took his computer back, glad that they had thought through the fact that he would still need that to effectively keep working.
"You also won't be training at all through your suspension - you're in trouble for fighting, so it appears we need a break from it."
Peter tried not to make a face - he hadn't anticipated that consequence. But it was less than a week, he'd manage.
"Anything else?" Even Peter could tell his voice was flat, but he couldn't bring it in him to care.
"Peter, what happened?" Dad asked him, but Peter was already shaking his head.
"I already told you. I'm not talking about it." Peter hissed. "It's over, it won't happen again. But I don't want to discuss it."
"It isn't like you to get into a fight." Papa said gently. Peter sighed. It would be so much easier if they just got angry with him, this gentle, understanding reaction wasn't what he was expecting.
"It was just a bad day." Peter said, trying to make it clear that he didn't want to continue this conversation. His dads seemed to pick up on it, because they stopped pushing.
"We've discussed your internship." Dad started, glancing at Papa as he spoke. Papa nodded to him. "We are not going to ground you from that - it's an important part of your education. You can go at the times that you normally do."
Peter looked up at them, surprised. "Really?"
Papa nodded. "Really. Pete, your internship gives you not just information, but valuable life skills that can keep you alive. A consequence is meant to make a point, not to take away things that you need."
"Thank you." Peter said quietly. "Can I work on my school work now?" He asked.
His dads looked at each other again.
"Yeah, Pete. Go ahead and work on your school work." Dad said quietly, before both left the room.
It wasn't until Peter had heard their footsteps completely recede that he allowed himself to cry.
