Peter Stark. The name took some getting used to, but surprisingly, Peter found that he didn't mind it. In fact, the name gave him a warm feeling that started from the bottom of his feet all the way up his body to the top of his head. The teenager had thought of Tony Stark as a father figure for a long time- Starting sometime after they went in space and went after Thanos- To Peter's surprise, Tony felt the same way about Peter. It was more than just a mentor/mentee relationship.
Shyly, Peter had asked Friday if Tony was in his workshop, after laying in his bed for hours, unable to sleep. The AI had responded that Tony was in fact in the workshop and that he wasn't in the middle of anything important, if Peter would like to join him. Peter thanked Friday before climbing out of his bed and going down to the workshop. Friday announced Peter's presence to the older man, who turned from his favored workbench and waved Peter inside. The doors opened for him and he entered.
"Hey kiddo. Couldn't sleep?" Tony asked, looking over the teen. He took in the mussed hair from tossing and turning, the purple bags under Peter's eyes and Peter's thin Iron Man pajama bottoms.
Peter shook his head, hovering near the door, "No. Is it okay if I hang out down here and work on something?"
"Sure," Tony waved a hand to the chair next to him, and Peter took a seat. "I'm working on a few things right now. Do you want to work on your suit?"
Peter simply nodded, not sure why he felt like words were beyond him. He was grateful when Tony told one of the bots to fetch the Spider-Man suit for him. He logged into his screens and pulled up the specs for his suit. DUM-E brought the suit just as the final screen opened before him. Peter absently patted DUM-E in thanks and connected the suit to the computer. He began working, completely quiet, but his leg tapped earnestly on the floor in time with his typing.
Peter's mind raced a million miles per hour, bouncing from thought to thought, but revolving around one simple thing: Fathers.
Peter left his bedroom and joined his aunt May in the kitchen, where she was cooking. By the smell of things, she was losing the battle once again. "Thai for dinner?" She asked sheepishly.
Peter giggled and nodded his agreement. "That sounds like a safer bet, Aunt May."
"Why don't you call and set our order while I deal with this mess?"
He pulled out his phone and quickly pressed speed dial number 3. Once their usual order was in place, he set the table and sat down, watching May clean the stove and wash the pots she had used.
"How are you feeling, Pete?" She asked, joining him at the table.
"I'm okay," He replied, fingers tapping a beat on the worn and scarred tabletop.
Aunt May's eyebrows rose in disbelief, and she stared at him. "Peter."
"I guess I'm nervous, but it's not that big a deal."
"Why are you nervous?" He ran his hand through his hair and looked around the small kitchen before letting his eyes fall back to Aunt May. She looked at him with concern and love evident in her gaze. It reassured him enough to openly express his feelings. "What if Tony changes his mind? Or like, my dad and Uncle Ben would be upset that Tony is legally adopting me? What would they say if they could?"
"Oh honey. Your dad and your Uncle would be so happy that you and Tony have the bond that you do. They would be so grateful for him stepping up and being there for you where I can't, and in case anything ever happens to me. They loved you so very much. And I doubt very much that Tony would ever change his mind. Have you talked to him about the fears you have?"
"No, I haven't. I don't know how to get the words out, and what if I make him think that I don't want this?" Tears threatened to fall with every word his aunt spoke about his dad and uncle. "Do you…do you really believe they'd be okay?"
"Of course, honey. Why don't you call Tony after dinner and just talk to him about it?"
"Okay, Underoos. What's on your mind?"
Peter's head shot up from his screen and he looked at Tony, feeling like a deer caught in headlights. "N-nothing. I'm just working on my suit."
"The only time you're ever this quiet is if you're injured. You aren't injured, are you?"
"No! I mean, no, I'm not."
"Then, pray tell, what's got you so quiet this fine evening? If you say, 'nothing, I'm fine,' let me stop you now. You went to bed early, and came back down a couple of hours later, looking like you've got the weight of New York on your shoulders."
Peter kept his eyes downcast, "When I was little my dad died, and I went to live with Uncle Ben and Aunt May, and for the longest time Uncle Ben was the closest thing I had to a dad. Uncle Ben is gone, and my dad is gone. I never thought I'd have someone in my life again that would be a father figure for me."
"Kiddo. Look at me." Tony waited for Peter to look up before he continued. "If you found someone that fills that role for you, that's a good thing. If there's anyone that deserves to have that, it's you."
Peter glanced down and then back up at Tony. "What if the person I think of as a dad doesn't think about me like a son?"
"Pete, if the feeling isn't mutual the guy is a dumbass. You're the best kid in the world. He would be so lucky to have you as a son." Tony reached out and placed his hand on Peter's knee.
Peter felt the words he had been holding in leave him in a rush. "Ithinkofyoulikeadad,"
"Want to try that again, a little slower so I can follow along?" Tony squeezed Peter's knee reassuringly.
"I think of you like a dad." He repeated.
Peter's phone dinged with a text notification. Ready to go? He called out to May, letting her know that Tony was there and waiting for them. They hurried out to the street where they were greeted by Happy holding the back door of a ridiculously expensive car open for them. They climbed in, joining Tony in the backseat with Steve in the passenger seat.
Happy drove the group to the courthouse. He opened the back door and helped shield Peter from the paparazzi sharks hovering outside the entrance. Tony and Steve flanked Peter, with Tony's arm protectively around his shoulders. Happy led them in, with May bringing up the rear of their group. They hurried into the courthouse, and all took a breath of relief as they made it inside. Peter felt his heart rate slowly decrease with the noise and lights not surrounding him. Happy stayed near the courthouse doors, while Steve and May excused themselves to search for coffee. Peter leaned into Tony's side momentarily before starting to pace back and forth, his nervous energy surfacing.
"What exactly is going to happen, today?" Peter asked.
"Basically, just asking for the judge to allow me to legally adopt you and be one of your guardians and changing your last name to Stark. Obviously, the press already knows that I plan on adopting you. That would have been a hard secret to keep locked away. Changing your name will do one of two things- cause more problems than anyone wants for you or help keep you and May safer, since you're a part of my family."
"And what are those problems, again?" Peter gulped nervously.
"Someone trying to hurt you to get to me, is the biggest concern. But we've already beefed up security at the tower, compound and your apartment, just in case."
"Ok, yeah. That, that makes sense."
Tony stared at Peter for a moment, making the teen squirm under his scrutiny. "You know I'll do anything to protect you, right?"
"Sure, of course." Peter agreed quickly. He didn't doubt that for a moment. Tony's helicopter parenting had significantly gotten worse as time passed and they grew closer. Just the names of protocols in his suit and at the Tower and Compound were a giant indicator of Tony's over protectiveness.
Peter stepped into his apartment and was surprised to see Aunt May and Tony sitting on the couch, facing each other. They both looked up at him as the door swung open and he stopped in his tracks. Immediately, anxiety gripped his heart. He wracked his brain for anything he could have possibly done wrong to have Aunt May and Tony here, in person, instead of texting back and forth or calling each other. It had been awhile since he had been injured on patrol, his grades were solid, he hadn't even missed a decathlon practice in months.
"What's going on?" He asked, slowly stepping further into the room and shutting the door behind him. His backpack slipped off his shoulder and he swung it around to hold it like a shield in front of him.
"Hey, honey."
"Hey, Underoos."
Aunt May motioned him to the couch as he responded. "Am I in trouble, or something? 'Cause, I don't think I've done anything. I've been balancing things a lot better; I haven't been late for my curfew. Karen hasn't even had to remind me about it."
"You look like you've seen a ghost, Pete. You aren't in trouble. Your aunt and I were just talking."
"Come sit with us," Aunt May added. He set his backpack down and slowly made his way to the recliner facing the couch and sat down. "We've been talking about your future."
"What does that even mean?"
"We want what's best for you, and we were discussing what that is, and how to achieve goals, and set up contingency plans." Tony's expression turned to disgust as he finished his sentence. "I sounded like Howard. I'm going to rephrase all of that. You know I'm allergic to emotions, so cut me a little bit of slack, alright? May and I both love you and want to make sure that if anything ever happens, you're taken care of."
May cut him off with a hand on Tony's shoulder. "Tony and I are already co-parenting. We make sure the other is current on anything important in your life and we both support you, 100 percent."
Peter glanced back and forth between Tony and May in confusion. "Okay…"
"It's completely up to you, but we were talking about making Tony your legal guardian. We can go through the guardianship process or Tony can legally adopt you."
His jaw dropped, and his eyes settled on Tony. It took him several minutes to process what May had said. Adoption or guardianship. His eyes widened dramatically as the information soaked in. "What? I mean, like, you don't have to do that, Tony. You've already done more than enou-"
Tony cut him off. "Peter. Peter, stop talking. I don't do anything I don't want to do. You're my kid and you have been for a long time. I want to make that official."
"I-I. Okay. Yeah. That, yeah."
The judge turned her attention to Peter, sitting between May and Tony. "Peter, is this what you want? I've heard from everyone but you. There is not a right or wrong answer here."
He took a deep breath, surprised that the judge asked him his opinion. He looked up at her with watery eyes. "I want this. Tony's been a friend, a mentor and a dad when I never thought I'd have something like that again, ma'am."
He felt Tony put an arm around his shoulder and May took his hand in hers. He knew if he glanced at either of them, they would be looking at him with pure love.
"That's wonderful to hear. Now, for our final order of business. Do you want to keep your last name of Parker or change it to Stark?"
"I'd like to change my last name to Stark," His smile was genuine, and his confidence grew.
"That settles it. Peter, you are officially Peter Stark." She turned her attention to May, Tony and all of Tony's lawyers, "Make sure you file this with the clerk. Congratulations."
Their group filed out of the court room and into the hallway. The lawyers briefly spoke with May and Tony while Steve went to stand next to Peter. Peter turned to face Steve directly, smiling at the blonde man shyly.
"Hey, Peter."
"Hey, Steve."
"Congratulations are in order,"
"Iron Man is my dad. Wow." Peter smirked as he continued, "If you guys ever get married, I can say that Captain America is my step-dad."
"That would be an honor," Steve chuckled, glancing over as Tony and May joined them.
"Woah, there. I'm not ready to be discussing marriage." Tony's eyes widened in mock horror. "Let's go home. If I remember correctly, Clint and Thor were arranging a party."
Peter rolled his eyes. "Any chance we can avoid the reporters and stuff? Oh, and can Ned come over for the party? He will literally implode meeting the Avengers."
"Sure thing, Kiddo."
"Thanks…dad." Peter glanced up at Tony, shyly. His sensitive hearing picked up on Tony's heart rate increasing, and the slight hitch in his breathing.
"Kid, you're going to give me a heart attack."
"That's only because you're old." Peter deadpanned.
"Hey! We're literally standing next to Capsicle. I'm a baby in comparison!"
Peter's nose scrunched up, "That's a disgusting thought!"
May laughed, looking between Steve and Peter, and their twin expressions of horror. She couldn't stop laughing as Tony tried to backtrack. "God, no. Steve is not a cradle robber. That is not what I was implying. I was…yeah…no, I'm just gonna shut up now. Let's go home. There's a party waiting. C'mon. Out. Out."
Tony shooed them down the hall, following close behind them. Peter fell into step next to him, letting May and Steve walk ahead. He waited until they were a good way ahead of them, before stopping and turning to Tony. They stood there in comfortable silence for a few seconds and then Peter stepped forward and hugged Tony. He squeezed tightly, trying to convey everything he was feeling with it.
Tony seemed to understand. He murmured into Peter's hair, "Me too, kiddo, me too."