ii.
When it comes to spending money – especially on Pepper or Peter – Tony didn't really think twice about it. He did after all built the kid a multi-million dollar suit and continuously upgraded the specs for a more new and improved suits.
Those upgrades cost money, not that he had ever told Peter how much an individual suit was really worth. Tony was more than willing to do it, to continue giving the kid, because each suit upgrade was designed to protect Peter, to keep him safe while he was out on the streets and to alert Tony in case he was ever in danger.
Compared to the monetary cost of the suits, it really wasn't that big a deal when he made the phone call for an appointment to the showroom. Well, to him at least.
But the look on Peter's face when he tossed the key in the air for the kid to catch was not something Tony had expected. He had expected an exuberant whoop or a smile at the very least.
Then he remembered the Fossil watch. He recalled how the kid had resisted the gift before finally caving in.
Peter really did have something against receiving anything other than his suit from him, Tony realised.
When Tony opened his mouth to say something, Peter was already shaking his head.
"I can't."
It really wasn't the two words Tony wanted to hear. A 'that's awesome' would have been such a welcome relieve.
"No such thing," Tony told him. "It's yours. Just don't wreck it. You're underage now but when you're old enough, don't ever drink and drive. Otherwise, no rules. It's yours, enjoy."
"No way, Mr. Stark. This is too much," Peter stood his ground.
Tony turned, facing him fully. He crossed his arms and asked, "How's this too much?"
"I – I didn't ask for it," the kid said, gesturing behind him.
It made Tony rolled his eyes.
"Sure, kid, it's called a surprise," he clapped his shoulder, "for your accomplishment. Now come along."
"Mr. Stark, I – I didn't tell you that I passed my driving just so you could get me a car. You're – You're mistaken."
"I'm mistaken?"
Peter grimaced.
"No that's not – I," he huffed exasperatedly.
The frustration was evident on his face.
As much as Tony would love to seize this opportunity to get a word in, he didn't. He waited for Peter to say whatever was on his mind. He needed to listen after all – Pepper had told him to.
"I just wanted to – to share the good news, Mr. Stark. I didn't mean for you to take it as me wanting a car. It's just something – something I'm proud of. I was just happy that I got to take my license and that I – I passed and I wanted to share that with you."
"It's something I'm proud of, too," Tony stressed the part, "and you coming to me to … share that with me… that's great. When you told me, I wanted to do something for you, Pete, 'cause this is something to celebrate, right?"
"Thanks, Mr. Stark, that means a lot, seriously. I'm just happy that you're proud of me," he mumbled the last part, as if he was a little embarrassed to say it out loud. "It's all I want."
Tony let out a breath.
"Let me just do this for you, kid. Why won't you let me?"
"I dunno," he shrugged. "Is this how you show it? By getting me something… A car?"
Peter seemed genuinely curious. His brown eyes were staring up at Tony, searching for an answer to his question. There was no malice in his question and yet, Tony couldn't help the slight defensiveness creeping into him.
Was he not doing this right? He had asked Rhodey whose own father had gotten him a Plymouth when he got his license so that was an opinion in his favour. He had asked Barton about it as well and while he had said that he would transfer ownership of the tractor at the farm to his son, Tony took it to mean that the principle remained the same – there was nothing wrong in giving Peter an automobile.
"Something wrong?" Tony frowned. "I'd have thought kids your age would be jumping with joy at getting a brand new car."
The moments those words left his mouth, Tony realised it was a mistake. Peter never did well when he was outright confronted that way. He was always trying to please him and this time it was no different.
The horror flashed briefly before Peter's face closed off entirely. He blinked once, twice and in a split second, he forced a smile on his face.
Something in Tony's chest hurt badly. He shouldn't have acted that way. Peter and him had come a long way, and the kid was comfortable being around him. He didn't mean to snap at Peter the way Howard had done countless times with him whenever he grew impatient.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark," he stammered.
"No, kid," he sighed, trying to set right the wrong. "Not something you have to apologise for."
"I – I don't want you to think I'm being ungrateful cause I'm not. I really, really, appreciate you getting me a car. It's not like your – your fault or anything that I'm uncomfortable. It's not on you. I guess… that's something I have to work on, like you've said before," Peter threw him a sheepish grin and added, "It's a super cool car, Mr. Stark."
Sensing a 'but', Tony waited except it never came.
Peter merely pocketed the keys, shoving them deep into the pocket of his jeans. "Seriously, Mr. Stark, thanks a bunch!"
Tony was moved to ask if he would like to take it out for a drive but he figured that he shouldn't push the kid. The fact that he actually kept the keys was a win for Tony and besides, Peter was already walking back towards the direction of the workshop.
It took Tony three weeks to notice that the car he got for the kid had never actually left the garage. He scrolled through the closed circuit videos in F.R.I.D.A.Y's database just to be certain and the car remained exactly where Tony had parked it when he brought it back from the showroom.
Peter had never driven it.
He picked up his phone, fully intending to find out the reason from Peter, if the kid wanted a different car or if the bright red paint was too obnoxious for the kid's taste. Truthfully, he just wanted to make the kid's commute easier but Happy was still complaining about having to ferry the kid back and forth to Queens whenever they stayed too late working at Tony's workshop.
Drumming his fingers on the work bench, Tony waited with the phone pressed to his ear. When a minute, and then two passed without Peter answering his phone, Tony grumbled something about throwing the damn phone in the river if he wasn't going to learn to pick up only to realise that the kid was now likely to be in decathlon practice.
He would call again later, he decided.
Tony was about to set to work on his repulsor when his phone rang. He snatched it up and answered without looking to see who it was.
"Mr. St – Tony."
He recognised that voice. It was a voice he knew well by now, thanks mostly to Peter Parker.
"May," he greeted. "How can I help you? Spidey giving you more trouble?"
To his credit, May laughed. It was a long standing joke between them that Peter's nightly patrol as Spider-Man was something that while she allow still gave her a headache – especially when she had to pry the extent of Peter's injuries from him since the kid was never going to be forthcoming on that front. Tony had upgraded the suit so Karen would provide a health report to F.R.I.D.A.Y at the end of each of Peter's patrol which he, of course, shared with May, if only to slow down the process of her having more grey hairs.
They had called this co-parenting, a word that had made Tony shudder at the beginning before Pepper pointed out that he had been doing it since he walked into Peter's apartment in Queens that first time.
"Sorry to bother you, Tony, but I just checked my roster and I have been scheduled to work double shift this weekend. We're a little short on manpower with the holidays coming up and I was wondering – hoping - if you could -"
"Of course," Tony cut her off, already knowing her request. "I'll send Happy to pick him up on Friday night after dinner. How's that sound?"
"Perfect," May gushed. "Thank you."
"You and your kid need to stop thanking me for every little thing," he rolled his eyes, not that the woman could see it. "I like doing them. We're not strangers anymore."
"We're not," May hummed in agreement.
"Hey, got a question," Tony threw that bit in casually. "I don't know if you're aware but I got the kid a car. It's been sitting in the garage – my garage - for weeks now. I get that Peter's a little uncomfortable with me getting him anything but I thought I convinced him about accepting the car."
There was a pause, a quiet inhale and Tony could picture May at the other end of the line trying to figure out how best to break whatever it was to him.
"About that, Tony, Peter's…. He's a little upset about it. Not with you specifically, just in general. The circumstances of it…."
"Anytime now, Parker," Tony joked, trying to hide his discomfort at the thought of having made the kid upset.
"He's been quieter than most and that is actually the reason I'm not too keen about letting him spend the weekends alone. He said he didn't mind but I'd rather he be around Pepper and you. So please, occupy his weekend."
"Tell me, May. What's upsetting the boy?"
He felt like this was the sort of conversation one had while sitting down just in case so he moved around the work bench to settle on a stool.
Five years ago, if someone had told him that somehow he would find himself in this situation, worrying about a teenager whom he just willingly bought a car for because he wanted to, he would have suggested that the person go through a thorough medical check-up.
But as it were, things are different. They had both nearly lost Peter and now that they have him back post The Snap, it became an unspoken mutual agreement that they both would look out for him even if Peter insist that he was capable of taking care of himself.
Co-parenting.
"When he was still around, Ben had made Peter a promise that once he gets his driving license, he would take Peter to get his first car. I – I think it's just brought back some memories and the things that could have been if it had been different. It's really not on you, Tony."
"Oh, shit," Tony exhaled, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I didn't know."
"You couldn't have possibly known. Peter doesn't talk about his uncle much."
"Look, May, where the kid is concern, I'm not trying to replace your husband. There's always going to be a space between Peter and I – that's where Ben is. But I…."
"I know," May said softly. "You want the best for him, so do I. But Peter's sometimes prone to bouts of melancholia if he's reminded of the past and you know how he is, Tony, he doesn't really share. He thinks he's trying to protect me that way, that I have enough on my plate without having to worry about him and this – his feelings, his emotions, his thoughts – it's not something Karen can report to us about."
Tony clenched his left fist, rotating it absentmindedly.
"Don't get offended that he's not driving the car. Give him time."
"Not offended, just wondering," Tony muttered.
"If I may make a suggestion…?"
"Yeah, anything."
He was all ears. Peter could be an open book at times but he was also a teenager, and Tony wasn't very good at reading them.
"Maybe you should have made Peter part of the process… Bring him to the showroom, let him pick the car he wants. Get him more involved, you know?" May said. "He'll resist and he'll insist it's not something he needs or wants and he'll likely choose the cheapest option there is because that's just how he is. He is a good kid, Tony."
"I don't doubt it."
"You should just talk to him. You know he'll listen. Tell him what you told me about Ben. Tell him again that you just wanted give him something because he had achieved a milestone in his life, he will let you. Be patient with him."
"Not my strongest suit," he chuckled. "I'll try. I'll do that over the weekend."
He wasn't a very patient man and when he wanted something done, he wanted it quick but where Peter was concern, he was willing to do anything for that kid.
Once May hung up, he began to compose a text to send to the kid – "Underoos, May just called. We've got weekend plans – you & I. We're putting something together. Bring some old clothes – will get dirty."
If he couldn't get Peter to accept a new car, then maybe he could get Peter to accept a car the both of them put together; something that they could customise and build from some of his and Howard's old car parts
Thank you all for your responses and reviews in the first chapter! They're so inspiring and motivating so I hope you've enjoyed reading the second part as much as the first :)