I could be the reason we stay up all night.
To be someone, all we've got is to try and get it right.
V.
The work week had come and gone and the two teenagers were now inseparable. They always met up for lunch, which definitely did not go unnoticed by Tony. Elly was currently working in the lab, still programming different things into the Spider-Man suit. Thankfully though, she was finished creating his A.I. assistant, and the supportive mother style robot actually proved to be incredibly helpful. "Is it redundant to have the robot designed for the suit help create the suit?" Elly asked to the program pulled up on her virtual screen.
"A little, Ms. Stark. But, after running an analysis on all of Peter's online footage, my data should prove useful." The technology spoke. Dad had his sarcastic, straight laced asshats for his assistants, A.A.R.O.N. was a chill, older brother assistant; for Peter, Elly wanted to make one that was incredibly supportive of him since she knew essentially nobody knew of his secret identity. She would leave the naming to him, however. So far, she had installed web shooters as well as back up stock for additional web fluid. His goggles were completed and installed into his mask as well. Not only did they block out majority of the light, but even came with different settings such as X-ray and infrared vision, and a visual sound detector. In that specific mode, the embedded aides amplified his already sharp hearing and visualized it in his goggles to give him an additional thirty mile radius range of sight with an infrared overlay. Elly was really proud of that one. There wasn't much left to do on his suit accept just adding on extra capabilities.
"Hey, kiddo. Can we talk?" Elly turned to see her dad standing behind her, his arms crossed and looking very disgruntled. She turned her swivel chair around to face him fully, giving him her undivided attention. "So you and Parker, huh?" Was all Tony said.
"What about Peter and I?" She inquired suspiciously.
"Are you two...dating now?"
"We're hanging out." Elly replied elusively, not liking the way her dad was accusing her. "Is that a crime?"
"Elly, he's too young for you. He's still in high school and—"
"Dad. He's barely two years younger and like I said, we're just hanging out. I hardly think that's criminal." Tony rolled his eyes; she just had to have his sass. He huffed in frustration before he leaned along her desk.
"Elly, cut the bullshit. Just tell me, are there feelings between you two?" His daughter rolled her eyes.
"I don't know, dad. I really don't." Once again, her father huffed.
"Fine." Was all he said before all but storming off towards the elevator. Elly resumed her work, slightly agitated with their interaction, but also concerned with what her father was going to do next. He wasn't always a rational man when it came to his emotions, and she feared what his next move would be. Meanwhile, Tony took the elevator down to the training room to see Peter sparring with Natasha and Wanda. "Take five." He directed to the ladies. "I need to talk to this one." His eyes were narrowing in on Peter, instantly making Spider-Man nervous. His arms were crossed over his chest with a scowl on his face.
"Uh, h-hey Mr. Stark, what's up? And why do you look so pissed off?" Peter added the last part in a very hushed mumble.
"Probably has to do with some punk ass kid dating my daughter without asking for my permission."
"W-Wait, she said we're dating?! Really?!" As excited as Peter was, Tony groaned before pinching the bridge between his nose with his fingers.
"No, kid. And you're not going to be until you clear it with me!" Tony unfolded his arms for a brief second as he paced around the training room before gripping Peter's shoulders. He used more force than he needed to, exuding strength and dominance. "Elly is my pride and joy, Parker. Everything I have done in my life, I have done it for her."
"But Mr. Stark, we aren't—"
"Zip it! I'm talking." Tony snarled. "I like you kid, you got heart. But she is my daughter, do you understand me? And she has been hurt enough in her lifetime that I don't need some confused kid playing with her fragile emotions!"
"I don't want to hurt her, Mr. Stark." Peter blurted out. Tony was annoyed that he had interrupted him once again, but decided to hear the boy out this time. "I want to be there for her. I-I really like her and I-I..." He trailed off, unsure of what to say next. He didn't really have a plan on what he wanted, considering they had only met a month ago. But he wanted more, that was for certain.
"You're going to think this through." Tony responded adamantly. "You want to keep being Spider-Man? Fine. You want to date my daughter on top of that? Then you have to think about the repercussions that come with being a hero." Tony opened the door to exit the training room but stopped in his tracks. "Come find me before you leave today." Peter hadn't been able to get a word in edgewise, a solid frown on his lips as Mr. Stark exited the training room. His training resumed shortly after Tony made his departure, but Peter was constantly getting his ass handed to him by Wanda and Natasha.
"You're distracted, kid." Natasha said after knocking him to the ground once again. "Whatever Tony said to you, you need to either push it aside or use it to motivate you." Her advice had Peter on his feet once again, ready to fight. But he couldn't push away his thoughts, so he listened to the latter. He was never going to stop being Spider-Man, that much he knew. But the time he spent with Elly had helped him realize that this crush he had on her was more than just admiring her beauty or wanting to hook up with her. He wanted to be with her. He wanted to hold her hand everywhere they went and to be able to tell people 'Yeah, that's my girlfriend'. But was that going to be enough for Tony Stark? Was that going to be enough for Elly? Did Elly even want to date him? He still hadn't known the real answer. The only way he was going to get that answer was by talking to her, and the thought of confessing his feelings made him want to vomit. It was either that or the fact that Natasha had kicked him in the stomach for the umpteenth time.
After the beating Peter had taken in his hand to hand training session, he went to the communal dining room to have lunch with Elly as he had been doing for the last couple of weeks. She was already there, preparing their meal as she usually did. Peter had already told her once she didn't need to do that but she insisted she enjoyed cooking. She greeted him cheerily, but her face fell when she noticed his furrowed brows and slight frown. "What's wrong?" She asked.
"What? Oh, n-nothing." He responded, forcing a smile.
"You're a terrible liar, Pete." She stated, setting their plates on the table. "What's wrong?"
"Your dad came to talk to me." Elly froze as she raised her fork to take a bite of her meal, looking like a deer in headlights.
"O-oh. What did he say to you?" Silence rose between them and while she wanted to say it was because Peter was chewing his food, she knew it was because he wanted to hold off on this conversation.
"He asked if we were dating." He mumbled quietly, but was just loud enough for Elly to hear.
"What did you tell him?" Silence again. But this time, Peter dropped his fork and knife with a soft clang and grabbed her hand that was closest to him.
"I told him the truth and that we weren't but...I-I wanted to tell him yes."
"Tell him that we were..." She couldn't finish her sentence, prompting him to squeeze her hand tighter. She didn't oppose the thought of them being together as vehemently as she did when she first met him, and she wanted to say that but words were lost upon her. Her lips trembled trying to speak, but she couldn't.
"He told me to keep being me, to keep being Spider-Man. But that I needed to really think about being Spider-Man if I-I wanted to be with you. I-I don't really understand what he meant by that." Realization hit Elly hard.
"Him and my mom…" Her voice was barely above a whisper as she finally spoke. "My dad has kept me hidden my whole life so I would never be in harm's way, so I would never get hurt like he's hurt my mom." A single tear dripped down her cheek as she put the pieces together. Her mom had left her there, only to be across the ocean as she says. But maybe her mom was running; running from the pain and problems her dad was causing by being Iron Man. Both of her parents thought Elly to be too naive to understand that her dad being who he was caused the family strain, but she knew better. Peter took the words in very carefully, analyzing each word to think of his response.
"L-look, Elly. I really don't know what kind of answer your dad wants from me. All I know is that...that I want to be able to tell people that I'm seeing the most incredible, brilliant, independent girl."
"W-wow, um..." Peter was preparing himself for rejection, but his rambling thoughts wouldn't allow him to keep his opinion of her to himself any longer. "Peter, you hardly know me, I-i...h-how…?" She couldn't even form a question. Sure, she was able to piece together that he had a crush. But this was so much more intense than she could have fathomed.
"All those things I said are what I do know of you, and I know more than just those three words. I-I want to keep learning more, Elly. I-I just...ughhh." He groaned, feeling frustrating and idiotic as he held Elly's limp hand as he confessed. "I-I like you, okay? A-and I probably should have let go of your hand a long time ago but wheneverwetouchIjustfeelsomuchbetterand—" Peter's words were rushing together so quickly, Elly not only didn't understand him but also wondered how he managed not to breathe. She needed him to stop and relax for a second before he gave himself a heart attack at fifteen.
"Peter, Peter. Shh. Listen to me for ten seconds, okay?" She finally started gripping his hand back, easing his anxiety ever so slightly. "At graduation, I told you and my dad that us being together would never happen, but I-I love spending time with you. So much more than I thought I would. I feel like I can actually be a kid and not some miniature version of my parents a-and the time I spend with you has been the only thing that quiets my guilt about Rebecca and my parents fighting." Elly was rambling now, finding the strength to tell Peter how he made her feel. A small chuckle left her lips, making him raise an eyebrow at her. "My dad is never going to accept this, you know. He's going to write it off as stupid teenage love." Though the words slipped past Elly, Peter's heart throbbed at the use of the word 'love'.
"I don't want him to hate me!" Again she chuckled before leaning over to peck his cheek, much to his surprise.
"Just be honest with him, like you were with me."
"H-honest, huh? Okay..." He grabbed both of her hands, holding one of each in his. "Madelyn Joyce Stark, c-can we do this properly? If I ask for your dad's permission, w-will you please be my girlfriend?" The use of her full name had never sounded so fulfilling.
"Go ask dad, Peter." Despite the sarcasm in her voice, they both understood that the answer was yes. They continued eating their lunch as normal and Elly returned to the lab afterward to finish her work for the day. Peter had gone back to the training room, this time just for some peace of mind while he lifted some weights. Elly had said to be honest to Mr. Stark, but he was so concerned if that would really be enough for him. He hadn't even been fully able to express his feelings to Elly, how was he going to face her dad? Thinking things over was not helping, Peter decided. Finishing up his set, he took a quick shower and changed into street clothes before making his way up to the lab. After exiting the elevator, it took everything in him to not go straight to Elly's workspace and hug her to ease his nerves. But he knew that he needed to face Tony Stark sooner rather than later.
"Uh, M-Mr. Stark?" Tony turned to see the kid fidgeting uncontrollably with the hem of his shirt. "I came to talk to you."
"Whatcha got for me, kid?" Him arms were once again folded over his chest, emphasizing the glow of his arc reactor. Tony's face was stone cold with eyebrows raised expectantly. Peter took a deep breath before locking eyes with his mentor.
"Mr. Stark, I just have to be honest. I-I can't guarantee the future, but I am going to do everything in my power to protect her. The only thing that is for certain is that I-I have feelings for your daughter a-and I would like to ask for your blessing in dating Elly." Silence. A deafening silence. Tony's lips pursed into a hard line as he tried to think of reasons to deny the boy.
"You are aware that Elly will be turning eighteen soon and is attending ESU in the fall, right? How do you plan on handling that?" Long before Tony had even asked this question, it had been constantly plaguing Peter. He had thankfully been able to give it some thought, but could only hope his response would be good enough.
"I plan on being with Elly for as long as she'll have me. I want to celebrate her accomplishments, you know with her academic scholarship and all, and I want to be there for a milestone birthday. I-I just want to be there for her and be a part of her life." Peter said with assurance. It was clear to him now that this was what he wanted. Tony nodded before putting a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"This is off the record kid and don't let this go to your head, but I haven't seen her glow like this in a long time. She was really hurt when she lost her friend, and I don't ever want to see her like that ever again. So you already know, if you screw this up, I will make sure you hurt as much as she has." Peter gave a light gulp but nodded. "Other than that, you have my permission." Tony wanted to say that he was gritting his teeth as he spoke, but that would be a lie. He knew Peter had nothing but good intentions, as he did for his own family.
"R-really? Thanks, Mr. Stark!" Without thinking, Spider-Man gave Tony a hug before running off to the other side of the lab to his now official girlfriend. As soon as he got close enough to her, he tackled Elly. The wind was knocked out of her but she thankfully didn't fall to the ground.
"What the—?!" She felt Peter's arms squeeze around her middle; he was completely engulfing her. "Peter! Jesus, what's gotten into you?"! He finally let her go, allowing her turn to face him.
"He said yes!" It took a minute for the words to process in her mind. "Your dad said yes, Elly!"
"Really?!" Her arms wrapped around his shoulders as they embraced in excitement. It was strange for her. A person as hidden as her to be wrapping her arms around a boy who lived a double life, as her first relationship. The excitement had finally subsided and Peter settled with his arm faintly touching Elly's lower back as she saved and closed her files that she was working on.
"Hey, I wanted to look at that." He pouted.
"It's supposed to be a surprise, Peter." Though the files were already close, he persisted in trying to sneak a peek. "Nice try, Parker. Are you ready to go?" He nodded in response. Elly got up from her desk and walked over to her dad's side of the lab to grab her keys from him. At first, Elly said nothing to him, just watching him work. As she watched, her mind took over as his fingers tightened various gears on a cannon he was working on. The manual labor he put into his suit, the labor he was putting into being Iron Man, made her think of her mom's absence. She'd already been gone a week—not needing to present to see all the work Tony was doing. Her absence proved that her mom never actually saw how much was going into protecting their little family; just how hard he was trying for them. "Hey, dad?" Tony looked over at the two teenagers. "Thank you. For everything." Elly wrapped her arms around her father, squeezing as if he was going to disappear from her life too. The expression on his face softened immediately before he tucking an arm around his child.
"Anything for you, Madelyn." The use of her name for the second time today, filled her heart with warmth.
Author Note: Hiyo~ This story has already been posted to my Tumblr, Tom-Hollandaze but I figured I would share this here.