He could hear the others speaking, arguing even, but Tony's mind were miles away. He had plans that afternoon, to pick young Peter Parker up from school and take him to see a bit of what Stark Industries had going on. Get a feel for this child, his child. It was only when voices started to raise that his head snapped up. "I'm sorry, how many countries have come on board with this so far?" Tony asked, causing the room to quieten down and his teammates to turn to him.
"Sixty-two and counting since the UN floor opened it for discussion. Many more are expected to follow." Thaddeus Ross answered from the video monitor on the other side of the room. Tony twisted his face, then nodded.
"Good. Let them." Tony said.
"Excuse me?" Steve Rogers shouted, confused. His voice was echoed by Sam and Clint's. "What do you mean 'let them?' Tony?"
"When I was lost in Afghanistan- Sorry did I say lost? I mean kidnapped- I saw, firsthand, what lack of regulation could do. You don't know this, Steve, but I was kind of a big deal when it came to war. I was THE arms dealer. And then I saw it. And I knew that as long as I was pumping these weapons of mass destruction out that the world would never be safe and it was all on me." He held his hand over the arch reactor in his chest. "So when I made the first iron man and used it to escape, the first thing I did when I came home was cut all weapons manufacturing. All of it. I needed to be reigned in then, and we do now."
"Tony, this could potentially set off all sorts of terrorism..."
"And in such cases the UN would give us a ring, right?" Tony ask. Ross nodded.
"Exactly." He confirmed. "But again, there is the chance it is not ratified once drafted. It is the beginning stages."
"So we let them." Tony said. "Anything else, sir?" he questioned, the 'sir' added when he addressed Ross to let him know that just because he agreed on this, he did not have any love for the man.
"No. I just thought you should be made aware." He said, clicking off his end of the communications.
"So- What do we do with this?" Natasha ask.
"We keep doing what we're doing. The world needs us. Just have to be sure to mind our 'p's and 'q's and let the world see they do need us." Steve said, and everyone seemed to murmur their agreement.
"See? Seems like it wasn't that big of a deal after all." Tony said, standing up. He made to leave when Clint spoke up.
"Where do you think you're sneaking off to?" He called. Tony froze, then turned back around.
"I have some business in the city. You know my business, right? The thing that keeps me paying the bills for you all since SHIELD bit the dust." He was not in the mood for this, and he was sure he made that clear. It was already almost ten thirty in the morning, and he had a bit of a drive ahead of him back from the compound and a meeting with a lawyer to get to before picking Peter up. He headed on out of the room as the rest of the Avengers seemed to fall back into discussion.
His hands were shaking in a way he had never experienced before. In hand he had a handwritten note from May Parker, which he was told he would have to give to the teacher who monitored the 'car riders' when school was dismissed. May had told Tony she would tell Peter that Stark Industries was "sending a car" but not that Tony was the one driving it.
He had half a mind to send Happy out to pick the kid up, but this was the only first impression with his son he would get- and heaven help him he wanted it to be a good one. So he sat propped against his bright orange convertible, and he couldn't help when he heard the school bell sound.
It was a few moments before the doors to the school burst open, and a very exasperated teacher with a clipboard struggled to watch all of the kids, who seemed to come to a dead stop when the saw him on the curb. Tony, hidden well enough behind his sunglasses, had to smile. Cellphones came out, and people started taking pictures. A few kids ask for a selfie, and he obliged as he kept a scan on the crowd. At last, he saw Peter and another boy come out the door, hanging back from the other kids. Peter didn't seem to be paying attention to the crowd of students which Tony was now excusing himself from to make his way over to the teacher with the clipboard. He noticed that seemed to be where Peter was headed as well.
"Hi." Tony said, holding a hand out. "Tony Stark." The older teacher blinked at him, mouth slightly agape.
"Uh, yeah." He said, taking Tony's hand for a shake. "I know who you are."
"Oh. Good!" Tony laughed. "I'm picking up a kid from you guys today, and I was told to turn this in by his legal guardian." He handed over May's note, written on purple stationary.
"Peter Parker?" The teacher said a bit loudly, sounding very shocked. Tony gave a tight, close lipped smile and shrugged.
"Yeah, Mr. Dulford?" Peter ask from behind them, but he stopped walking and stood drop-jawed when Tony turned at the same time as the teacher. Tony felt his stomach fall to the ground as he looked at him. He was a bit like looking in a mirror, lighter hair, different nose.
"OHMYGODITSTONYSTARK." Came out of the boy's mouth faster than anyone could quite comprehend, and despite his horrible nerves, Tony laughed.
"Nice to meet you, Peter." Tony said, instinctively holding a hand out again, which Peter stumbled forward and took, shaking with an almost comical amount of enthusiasm. He noticed the other kids had stopped again and were watching. "Ready to go?"
"YOU are the car that Aunt May said was coming?" He gasped.
"Well, I'm driving it." Tony said, clicking the fob in hand as the car rolled forward to where he and Peter stood. "That okay? We have some boring black Benzes we send to pick up the guys we do business with, if you'd rather..." But Peter was shaking his head.
"This is so cool. You just don't know." He said, following Tony, who opened the passenger door for him before going around. Peter's classmates were still clicking pictures as they drove off.
"So-" Tony said, entering traffic, "Tell me about yourself, kid."
"ME?" Peter squeaked, and Tony laughed again.
"Yeah. I've seen your room. You know about me." He said, "You talk."
And that was all Peter seemed to need. He rambled for a bit, but Tony was loving it. He was doing his best to make mental notes for interests the boy had, but also kept FRIDAY recording for future review. He nodded along mostly, as it was an adorable sort of nervous word flow Peter had going, but he did give input occasionally to let him know he was paying attention.
"We're here" He said, pulling up to the tech companies main campus, around the curb and hopping out of the car. Happy stood waiting and caught the keys as Tony tossed them. "Happy, kid." He said gesturing, "Peter, this is Happy. And yeah, its his real name." He said, and he did not miss the face Happy made as he walked by to go park the car.
"So, we have a few big things going, so it's really your pick what we see first. I have the robotics lab, and we are mostly using those guys in research like on Mars and the moon, or for remote surgical use. And we have some bio-engineering efforts that are pretty promising. What sort of thing do you like?"
"Chemistry and computers." Peter said quickly, then seemed embarrassed.
"Bio-engineering it is." Tony said, clapping a hand on his back as they made their way down a hall. Some of the people working greeted Tony with a curt "Mr. Stark" while others seemed to be terrified that he was wandering the halls.
"Mr. Stark?" Peter spoke up as they entered the lab, and Tony handed him goggles and a coat.
"Tony. But yeah?" He said, waiting.
"Why am I here?" He said. He seemed almost afraid of his own question, and Tony wasn't sure what to say. It was far, far too soon for the absolute truth just yet, but he needed something. He looked around the decontamination room where they were getting ready to go into the lab for a look around, and making sure they were alone, he spoke up.
"FRIDAY, loop security footage for the decom room 103-U, please ma'am." He commanded the AI.
"You got it, boss. You're invisible." She replied.
"This is you, isn't it?" He said, flipping his phone so that a hologram of Peter in his homemade suit stopping a robbery played. Peter's face went white.
"Uh-"
"No, it's okay. May doesn't know." Tony reassured him. "But I am seriously impressed. I don't know if you know, but I kinda foot the bill for this club of my buddies who have talents like this..."
"The Avengers?" Peter gasp more than ask.
"You've heard of us!" Tony laughed. "Yeah, those guys. You have some serious talent. How'd you get so strong though?"
"I was on a field trip with school to this scientific like... takeover of the museum of natural history and a spider bit me. Apparently, according to the guy who owned said spider at the display, it was being radiated to boost the tensile strength of the web produced for commercial use." Peter paused because Tony looked so very dumbfounded.
"A spider- bit you- and made you strong?" Tony said, blinking. "I mean, radiation is weird. One of my best friends gets big and green sometimes thanks to that. Go on." He said.
"And I just thought, you know, if I can do these things, I should. And help people." Peter said, shrugging. "Like you." He added. Tony felt his heart swell, ans he smiled.
"So the web you have?" Tony ask.
"I make it!" Peter replied excitedly. "Not organically, I formulated it."
"It's freaking amazing." Tony replied. "The tensile strength of it is off the charts. You should be very proud." He said, and Peter grinned.
"Thanks Mr. Stark." He said quietly.
"Tony is fine." He replied, before telling FRIDAY to start to roll tape again and taking Peter on in to see the different things Stark Industries had going.
Tony let Peter take his time, ask questions, mess with a few of the safer experiments before they ended their tour back at the curb, waiting on the car to be brought around. He was about to ask if he had enjoyed the trip when Peter's cellphone rang and he looked at the screen- Aunt May.
"Better take that one." Tony said. Peter nodded and walked off a few feet and answered. Tony stood by awkwardly, not totally wanted to eavesdrop but still listening to the boy gush about how much fun he had with Tony. How nice he thought Tony was. It made him both sick to his stomach and more happy than he had ever remembered being. His son liked him- so far.
In the car though, as Tony was driving, he couldn't help but over think. He knew he wouldn't wait too long, or Peter would wonder why he hadn't said something sooner. But he couldn't just throw it out there either.
"You enjoy today, kid?" Tony ask finally.
"Best. Day. Ever." Peter emphasized.
"Awesome." Tony said awkwardly. "I have a question for you."
"Okay." Peter said, his voice still perky from his excitement.
"About your parents?" Tony ventured.
"Oh."
"If that's okay." Tony added quickly. Peter shrugged, then nodded as Tony glanced over as they drove. Tony took a deep breath. "What happened there?" He ask, leaving it open.
"My mom worked for the government. She was a chemist." Peter said quietly. "I don't remember much about her. They told me she died in a plane crash when I was really little."
"And your dad?" Tony ask, his grip on the steering wheel making his knuckles go white. He scanned the road ahead and noticed an empty parking lot to pull over into.
"I don't know. They never told me." He said quietly, as Tony slowly pulled the car in and to a stop. Peter didn't seem to notice. "May might know. I feel like she probably does, but she's never said either way."
"Yeah, I got the feeling she knew, too. She really didn't seem very friendly with me." Tony caught himself saying. He almost wanted to run himself over too, because Peter turned to him quickly.
"Why?" He said, his face changed. Bothered.
"I have no idea what to say, for maybe the first time ever." Tony replied. He reached across and into the glove box, retrieving the print outs from the DNA testing he'd done. He handed the folded papers to Peter, who held them up and read them in the street light. He seemed to be almost in shock, shook his head, and re-read the document again, before letting it simply fall from his hands to the floor.
"Peter- I had no idea." Tony said quietly, softly. He didn't trust himself not to openly sob, but a stray tear did fight its way out and down his cheek.
"You're- Holy shit." Peter said, blinking hard at the dashboard before him.
"I swear, if I had even the slightest idea that you were out there..." Tony tried to explain. Peter's buckle from his lap belt clicked and Tony was shocked when the full force of the fifteen year old slammed into his side, arms around his neck. Tony no longer worried about the emotion he was fighting back, and he closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around the boy in return. He could feel him shaking against him, and the wet spot on his shirt from tears.
"My God, Peter, I am so sorry. I swear to you." Tony said, not pulling away at all, but moving to speak a bit better. "I would never have- I mean. I want to- Be there for you. If you want me to."
"Are you kidding me?" Peter said, sitting back. "Of course I do!"
"Oh." Tony released a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Oh good."
"So- Does May know you know?" Peter ask, sinking back into the seat.
"No. But, I mean, I have a lawyer- Not that I'm planning to take you away by force- Just to have my ducks in a row- And I have my rights too. But you can stay where ever you want. I mean, I know you just met me." Tony said, and Peter nodded. "But- That being said- We should probably talk to her too."
Bit of a cliffhanger for you all. Thanks for reading!