Title: My Favorite Weakness (is You)
Chapter 17 Summary: A day with Tony and Peter goes... right?
Author's Notes: I tried my hand at fluff… did it work?
Chapter 18: Never the one who falls
- Morning of Peter's 3rd Day in the Other Universe -
Peter eventually shuffled into the kitchen, like Tony knew he would. As Peter blinked in the light, Tony walked over and got the whipped cream out of the fridge.
"Morning, sleepyhead," Tony greeted him.
"Good morning," Peter replied, rubbing his eyes.
"Still tired?" Tony laughed, looking at his watch almost noon. Peter stopped, as if trying to think about the question; Tony made his way with two plates of breakfast over to the table.
Peter frowned, "not really."
"Good," Tony stated, setting the plate on the counter on beat, "Because I've got a day of adventures planned for you – er, us. If you're up to it."
Peter blinked, "But what about… I'm sorry-" He cut himself off.
"About what?" Tony asked.
"I just mean, like," Peter looked embarrassed. "I didn't know if there was any way I could help in figuring out how to get me home? But we could do something else – I'm sorry."
The words stung Tony.
Peter closed his eyes, and with a quick pang of frustration in himself, Tony realized just how different this Peter actually was than his kid. He'd been thinking this whole time that he – Tony – had been the only one responsible for the differences in their timelines, because listening to the kid's description of the people in his life, Tony could understand his other self's mindset, just from what Peter had told him about his life, after he'd found him crying in the lab and in between Star Wars movies.
The tower's name being Stark, for one. He can't admit the thought didn't occur to him back when they were building; he hadn't even said it out loud, however, because of course his tower was for the team. The title had come and gone, more as of a temptation then a viable option.
Then there was the conflict with who Peter had called "The Rogues." Peter hadn't said much about them, only that Tony and Steve had gotten into a fight, but considering how unwilling he was to answer Tony's questions made him suspect he knew exactly what it was. Tony remembered the emotions he'd felt when Steve had approached Tony after Ultron and discussed Hydra's brainwashing techniques and how Steve's old pal Bucky Barnes had been involved in his parents deaths; whereas Steve had wanted to go save his friend, Tony saw him as a target; but that was only until he saw that the brainwashing could be reversed. Something in that exchange must have gone wrong, in the other universe. It had to have been then, Tony couldn't think of another time he would have been angry enough to almost turn against his teammates.
But what had been nagging at him the most, was his lack of relationship with Peter. It made him feel so guilty, because this one was not so far-fetched, when he thought about it. He remembered back when he'd been annoyed by the kid's persistent questions, how he had felt like he had to act differently whenever the kid was around, like the kid was something he'd only had because Tony wasn't mean enough to just give the kid a suit and a promise and then never call on him again. These thoughts and feelings had been brief and quickly forgotten, as Peter had quickly proven himself and more – the kid had become a true teammate. More than that even, and Tony had never thought of it until after – after it was too late – that Peter had really been the catalyst that turned the team from teammates to family.
As Tony remembered those thoughts and feelings, he hated hisself for being the way he was. How close he had been to taking that route, and how lucky he had been that he hadn't.
But now, he realized that he wasn't the only one who had changed for the better.
This kid had no trust in him.
And not to say that Peter didn't trust Tony with his life- that much was evident; but in Peter's world, Tony had done it. He'd been mean enough to give the kid a suit with a promise, and then Tony never called.
Thus, the blind faith Tony had apparently earned from this teenager before, that Tony always had Peter's best interest in mind, was not deserved in the child's mind before him.
Tony explained himself; "Hey, don't apologize," he nodded, "keep asking questions. I just forgot to update you last night after I got home.
"We're doing everything we can, at the moment. And by 'we,' I mean I'm working with Strange and his Hogwarts friends. I have my system searching for energy waves, but honestly, I'm limited when it comes to the whole multidimensional thing."
Peter nodded, but his eyes were still on the floor.
"Strange said, and please forgive the lack of scientific terminology as I'm not sure there is any, but he's working on figuring out where the alignment of the universes are, and then once that happens he has to figure out one of two things. Option A would be that he can try to send a signal to the wizards in your universe, and B would be that we would have to wait until they align, in which case we would have to figure out a portal."
"A multidimensional portal?" Peter asked with a downcast look.
"Yes," Tony said, "And I asked the same thing. But apparently Strange isn't worried about making the portal once he contacts the other dimension's wizards."
"I don't know the other – my dimension's wizards. And they don't know me."
Tony nodded again. This, Strange admitted, could be the main obstacle. Because if the wizards weren't looking inter-dimensionally, Strange's messages could go unheard.
"He's taken that into account, which is why they're not relying on that to work. So yes, they're still sending messages, but also looking for the alignment thing, which would apparently make it easier to do more from this side of the portal."
Peter nodded. "Okay."
"However," Tony added, "we can add stopping by Strange's cathedral to our day's to-do list, so he can explain it to you himself, if you would like."
Peter didn't respond at first, and Tony looked sadly at the breakfast he had made, thinking about the day's he'd planned. (Well, "planned;" he had a pool of ideas to choose from depending on moment to moment.)
"No," Peter said finally, and he looked up to make eye contact with Tony; "it's okay," Tony thought he saw some hope, "I trust you."
Tony swallowed his feelings on that one.
Peter went on. "Let's go out, like you were saying."
Tony felt out of his place. "Do you want to?"
"Yeah," Peter said, "Really. I was wondering, and you answered my question. If you can't help, then I can't add anything. If I just have to wait, then I'll wait." He shrugged. "What kind of adventure?"
The resilience of this kid.
"Do you want an itinerary or a surprise?"
Peter face twisted in thought; "well, since everything we normally do will be a surprise regardless, surprise me."
"Okay," Tony said, "First task, breakfast. Then we're getting out of the tower."
That seemed to interest Peter, as his features finally switched to life and he moved in his usual step to take a seat at the table.
Peter smiled; "Sounds good; and thanks for breakfast," Peter smiled at Breakfast Man, "perfect time to get rid of my hungry-headache."
Tony smiled and picked up the can of whipped cream again, "and I'll take that as a personal challenge to keep that headache at bay for the rest of the time you're in my care."
–
Several hours later, Tony and Peter were laughing at a picnic table outside of a small country restaurant; it was far enough outside the city that Tony felt safe enough to bring Peter to, and even then he'd given him a disguise.
"Seriously, you look wonderful," Tony said.
Peter nudged the too-loose, dark aviator sunglasses back up in front of his eyes, causing the top rim of the shades to become hidden from Tony's view under the Yankee's ballcap Peter was wearing.
"Too bad wonderful isn't the look I'm trying to go for," Peter argued, laughing.
"Too bad indeed," Tony responded, "because you look adorable. You'd have the chicks falling at your feet."
Peter rolled his eyes. "I don't have time for a girlfriend, and besides-" he hurried on before Tony was able to say something Peter was sure he didn't want to hear, judging by the look on his face. "Besides, we don't need anyone else falling; I already feel like I'm helping the entire city back up to it's feet every night I'm out!"
Happy's voice cut in the conversation as he approached the table. "It takes learning from someone as professional as Tony how to roll your eyes so strongly that I can see it through a disguise that covers the upper half of your face."
Peter grinned and shrugged. "I gotta exaggerate so you know what I mean."
Tony nodded. "Exactly; it leaves no room for a misconstrued message. Yet one must always be careful not to go overboard."
Peter drew his eyebrows together and lifted a mock-scolding finger. "There's a little gray area that I gotta stay in."
Now it was Happy's turn to roll his eyes, and Tony just laughed. "That's my boy."
Peter didn't know how to reply to that, so he was grateful when Happy quickly interjected with a new subject- "take your milkshakes from me before they, melt; here-" he handed Tony his chocolate-peanut butter dessert, "and your fudge brownie with a side of pizza," he said, placing it before Peter.
"Awww, Happyyy," Peter whined, "you didn't get a shake?"
"Sorry Peter, but 4000-calorie drinks aren't on my heart-health-booster diet."
"Tis true," Tony added, "I just keep my heart healthy by surrounding myself with my wonderfuI family and friends; and of course a certain magnet, but that plays a very unimportant roll."
"That's not how it works, Mr. Stark," Peter replied.
"Ouch," Tony said, feigning pain, "I'm no doctor, but that's gotta be worse for my health than this milkshake!"
Happy scoffed.
Tony lifted his milkshake up as a toast; "Here's to you, Pete, helping your beloved city back to her feet every night. Keep it up, just as long as you're never the one who falls."
They all took a sip, but Peter commented right before he took his: "I'm not anymore."
Tony almost choked on his drink.
"What was that?"
Peter grinned shyly, turning red with embarrassment.
"Nothing."
Tony's shoulders dropped in disbelief.
"I'm sorry- did you say 'not anymore?"
Peter paused drinking his ice cream to quickly say, "maybe," and took a bite of his pizza before adding, "maybe-not," and then continued delving into his drink.
"Nuh-uh, can't take that back now. Where are you falling? When did you fall?"
Peter gave up with a sigh. "I said 'I'm not anymore; I used to be really clumsy."
Tony raised an eyebrow.
"You know," Peter drew on, "before the whole Spider-Man thing."
Tony leaned forwards; "Oooooh, I'm intrigued; do go on."
Peter gave another Tony-worthy eye roll, and began his explanation.
"It wasn't anything that interesting. I would just like, fall off the monkeybars sometimes. I never broke anything, though. I also had this bruise here," he pointed to his left shin, "from accidentally kicking the corner of this old dresser in our apartment again and again. It literally didn't go away until my uncle got rid of the dresser."
"I'd like to see you kick it now," Tony said, "give it a taste of its own medicine."
Peter laughed. "That was nothing compared to the park, though," Peter said, "we'd go sometimes with our neighbors and their kids, and I swear every time I managed to fall out of a tree!"
"Wowwww," Tony laughed, "I'm beginning to think your basic ability to walk straight is a result of the spider bite!"
Peter shrugged, lifting his shoulder and fingers in question; "guess we'll never know. Although actually," He paused to take a bite from his pizza and push up the sunglasses again, "you're probably right on that, too. Aunt May said that when I was little, I used to walk into all sorts of glass windows and doors before they realized I needed glasses."
Tony gawked. "You wear glasses?"
Peter blushed, "I did, pre-spiderbite, and besides, what's wrong with wearing glasses?"
"Nothing at all," Tony said, an awestruck look still plastered on his face, "I just didn't know! How come I didn't know?"
Peter laughed, "I don't know; it wasn't on your list of interview questions for me, I guess."
"Interview questions? For your 'internship'?" Tony inserted finger air quotes.
"No, for, uh," Peter paused, "yeah, I guess it was for the internship. You sort of recruited me to go to Berlin with you."
Tony nodded, "Recruited. For what?"
Peter shrugged and looked down at the table. "It was… a field trip type thing."
Tony didn't say anything for a minute. Then he addressed Happy: "You recognize he's lying too, right?"
Happy glanced at Peter. "Yeah sure."
Tony looked at Peter, then back at Happy, trying to figure out which one of the two's strange behavior to address. Rather than listening to another story about what a disappointment his other self was and bringing down the table's atmosphere, he turned to Happy.
"You're being uncharacteristically quiet, Happs. What's on your mind?"
Happy straightened up in his seat with a shrug. "Nothing's wrong," he said.
"I didn't say anything about something being wrong, you brought that up on your own. What's wrong?"
Happy glared at Tony. "I said nothing's wrong." but then he turned to Peter and softened his demeanor, adding, "sorry, Peter, I'm just still getting used to this. I missed it."
Right.
That guilty feeling washed over Peter again. For a moment there, he'd almost forgotten he wasn't talking to the real Mr. Stark. Not that this Mr. Stark isn't real! But then, they probably feel the same way about him.
Tony rested his hand on Peter's shoulder, causing him to startle.
"Sorry," Peter breathed.
Tony smiled, "Don't be. I take it as a compliment you didn't know I was reaching for you."
True, Peter thought, his spider senses didn't warn him. He never really thought to look for patterns like that, though.
"Peter," Mr. Stark interrupted his thoughts; "stop overthinking things. We're glad you're here. Right, Hap?"
Peter looked at Happy, who nodded, forcing a smile on his face while looking like he was about to start crying.
His appearance made Peter laugh for some reason, and he was glad he had sunglasses to cover his eyes until Mr. Stark took them off.
"Heyy," Peter half protested, quickly wiping the trace of tears from his eyes before they could fall, "I see why you wear them so much."
Tony's mouth gave way to a half-smile, but he just set the glasses carefully on the table.
"You got me there. No suppressing emotions for you, though. We are going to get you home mentally stable and emotionally intact."
Peter huffed; "bold of you to assume I was ever stable or intact!"
He got a laugh from both Tony and Happy then.
"So, where to next, boss?" Happy asked.
Tony looked at his watch, as if that had the answer. "Hm. There's a bowling alley around the corner from here I thought we could stop by. And by around the corner, I mean 30 miles away, on regards to being in the middle of nowhere."
Peter grinned, "I've always wanted to bowl!"
"You've never been bowling?" Happy asked.
Peter shook his head.
"It's settled, then," Tony said, "I've got the place on reserve for us; you'll be able to swindle each member of the Avengers by dinner tonight."
Peter grinned, "including you?"
Tony stood up defiantly, picking up his shake; "most certainly not."
Happy wordlessly nodded from his seat, causing Tony so smack his arm before turning away towards the car. "Traitor!" he called back.
Peter shared a laugh with Happy, and tried to swallow down his undisclosed, still-present, and ever-growing headache before standing up to follow suit.
No reason to fret, right?
