Author's Note: Hello, hello, readers, and welcome back to The Many Adventures of Iron Dad and Spider Son! We are at the final part of the Weekend With Iron Man arc, and Tony has something that he wants to ask May and Peter! I hope you all enjoy it, but before we get to that, REVIEW REPLIES!
PastaShark000: I know, lol! I'm sorry, but I promise the alternate endings will have some fluff, and we got a long way to go before that even comes up.
xSapphirexRosesxFanx: Thanks! :D
Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything related to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Weekend With Iron Man, Part 3 (Sunday)
Peter always hated Sundays mostly because it always meant that the weekend was over and school would start back up again. Now, however, as he woke up, he was more concerned that it meant the end of the weekend with Tony. It meant that after a weekend with just him and Tony, they would go back to not seeing each other except occasional patrols together and FaceTime calls. It wasn't that he wasn't looking forward to May coming home; he couldn't wait to see her…just as he told her last night. He was just now going to miss Tony and the quality time they had together. A part of him wondered if there was any possibility they could still spend some time together, but that would be difficult… Tony was far too busy between his company, what was left of the Avengers, Pepper, and all kinds of other obligations that came with the life of a billionaire. Spending time with his intern on a weekly basis was the last thing on his mind at this point. He knew he could come over occasionally for upgrades and…like Tony said, injuries, but it would be impossible to do it on a weekly basis.
"Peter, boss would like me to inform you that you are to—and I quote—'shuffle off to Buffalo,'" FRIDAY said, "and get ready. You will be leaving for breakfast shortly."
The teen chuckled to himself as he sat up in bed. "Thanks, FRIDAY," he replied. "Tell him I'll be right there."
"Boss, Peter told me to inform you that he will be right there," FRIDAY said to Tony as he drank his coffee at the kitchen counter.
"Thanks, girl," Tony replied. His phone vibrated, and he took it out of his pocket only to see that May Parker was calling him. "Good morning, Mrs. Parker."
"Good morning, Mr. Stark," May said with a smile on her face. "How was the Spider-guy last night? That wound didn't seem too bad once you fixed it up."
As soon as Peter and Tony arrived at the tower after patrol last night, Tony immediately called May to let her know what happened, despite Peter's protests. While May was not exactly thrilled to hear that her 15-year-old enhanced nephew had a bullet wound on his shoulder, she was relieved that someone was there to take care of him.
"No, it was just a simple graze," Tony said. "Trust me, I wouldn't be this calm right now if it was worse, and you would've been on the next plane out of there."
"I don't doubt that," May replied. "I'm glad he had you there to help him. It breaks my heart knowing that…he would be doing this by himself before you came along and before I even knew."
"I am too," Tony said. "I even told him that going forward anytime he gets hurt like that again, he can come to the Tower or call me to go get him, and you know about the protocol for more serious injuries."
"Yes, I do, and I really appreciate it," May replied. As soon as May found Peter standing in his room…with the Spider-Man suit on, she wasn't happy in the slightest, and after a whole week of Peter trying to convince her that everything was okay, she and Tony finally got to talk. He gave a list of practically every single protocol in Peter's suit including the Emergency protocol, where if Peter was ever injured severely and his vitals went out of whack, his AI was programmed to alert FRIDAY immediately anytime, anywhere. "Well, I'm glad he's okay, and again, Tony, I really appreciate you pushing me to go and taking Peter for the weekend."
"You're welcome, May," Tony said with a smile. "We…uhh…we had a great time this weekend." There was no lie in that sentence. Tony enjoyed Peter immensely these past few days, and even though May wasn't going to be home until later that night, he couldn't help but already feel melancholy over the idea of not having the kid around. Yes, they could go back to simply communicating via FaceTime and occasionally meeting up for a patrol or upgrades, but compared to this weekend, when the kid was by his side for most of it, it wasn't the same. He would definitely miss having the kid around, and it brought him back to what Pepper told him the first time this happened.
"After everything that happened, you need someone who can be your friend."
"You're the adult, he's the kid. Take the initiative."
"I…uhh…I got to say, I really enjoyed having him around this weekend, May," Tony said after a moment.
"From what he's telling me, he's really enjoyed it too," May replied. "I hope this doesn't mean I'm the third wheel."
Tony couldn't see her facial expressions, but from the tone in her voice he could tell that she was joking. "No, of course not," he said. "You're his number 1, that's for sure, and that's…sort of why I wanted to run something by you."
"Oh? What?" May asked curiously.
"I was wondering if…there was any possibility Peter could come to…work with me once a week," Tony suggested trying to sound as nonchalant and confident as possible.
"Work with you?" May asked clearly interested in the man's proposition. "You're not planning on shipping him off to Germany every week, are you, Stark?"
"No, no, absolutely not," Tony said with a chuckle. "Trust me, that's done." That was the honest truth. Ever since the battle at the airport in Germany…and Siberia, Tony made absolutely sure that he had nothing to do with the Rogue Avengers. He wouldn't admit this aloud, but Peter had proved to be a great distraction from that. However with everything that happened months ago, the chances of interacting with the Rogues, especially Steve Rogers were slim to none. "It's just…I…think it would be good for him. He can get into something he really enjoys and get his hands dirty. If his suit ever needs a repair, we can work on it, and we can work on projects together, you know?"
"Well, I think it's a great idea," May said. "Although, I'm not the only one you should be asking. If he's on board, then I am too."
"Penny for your thoughts, kid," Tony suddenly said.
"Hmm?" Peter asked looking up at his mentor from his pancakes. "Oh, nothing, Mr. Stark, I'm okay. These pancakes are just amazing."
Tony furrowed his eyebrows together in concern as he studied the kid's face. Peter had been talkative when he came out of his room this morning after Tony finished his phone call with May, and the kid talked about how much he missed May and couldn't wait to see her. However, as soon as they arrived at the diner, he became somewhat less talkative. He seemed to have a melancholic look on his face, and Tony couldn't figure out as to why. "Are you…sure?" the billionaire asked. "Usually, even when the food is good, you're still talking more than what you're doing now."
Peter shrugged. A part of him wanted to tell Tony, but the other part of him was refusing to let him open his mouth. There was no way Tony would want to hear him whine about how the weekend was over and how he wanted to spend more time with his mentor. That would be way too weird, right? "I mean…uhh…I-I guess," he began to say, "I don't know. It's stupid. I was thinking about all those upgrades though. We can—"
"Kid," Tony said simply.
Peter looked right at his mentor, and just by looking at the man, he could tell that Tony wasn't going to let this go. So he sighed and mentally prepared himself for the humiliation and reaction that would soon follow. "Okay, I was just feeling…you know…the Sunday blues. I mean…I realized that May is coming home tonight—and it's not that I don't want her to come home. It's just…it's back to the real world tomorrow."
Tony furrowed his eyebrows together as he watched the teen. Unless times had changed since the last time he was Peter's age, teens were usually more vocal about not wanting to restart the week with school on Sunday nights. Peter actually seemed sad about it and even admitted to feeling down about it.
"And…I…I had a great time this weekend, Mr. Stark," Peter added looking down at his food in front of him. "I just…"
"What?" Tony asked gently.
"Well…uhh…" he awkwardly cleared his throat, "I just…wish that…or worried that it won't help again after this weekend, you know? I mean…I know you're busy and all that, and I really like keeping in touch with FaceTime and all that—I do. But…I kind of like this…us hanging out…being buds…working together a little more, you know?"
"Really?" Tony asked.
"Yeah…yeah, I…I don't know…I mean, it's nice to…actually see you, Mr. Stark," Peter said scratching the back of his neck. "I-I know it sounds really stupid, and I should just shut up and not sound so ungrateful for the time you've taken out of your busy schedule, but—"
"Kid, kid, slow down the motor for a minute," Tony said with a small smile making Peter blush slightly. "First of all, I'm really glad you told me that. Second of all, you don't sound at all ungrateful, so get that out of your head. I want you to tell me these things, okay? We're a team, and we have to communicate with one another and level with each other, okay?"
"Okay," Peter replied nodding. He still wasn't fully sure where this conversation was going, but he felt himself relax when Tony spoke about them being a team.
"Third of all," Tony began, "I'm glad you told me all this…because I was…kind of feeling the same way this morning. I really had fun with you this weekend, and…I agree…it would suck to have to go back to just texting, emailing, and FaceTiming, which is why I wanted to talk to you about something. I…spoke to May this morning, and I ran something by her. She thought this was a good idea…However, she would only agree to it…if you agreed to it."
Peter couldn't help the huge smile splashing onto his face. He didn't know what Tony was about to suggest, but if May seemed on board with the idea, then it was bound to be good. "What is it?" he asked.
The warm feeling came back when he saw the smile on Peter's face, and it brought a smile to Tony's face. He had really come to enjoy seeing this kid so happy. "How would you like to come to the lab or the compound and work with me once a week?" he asked. He thought it would feel weird asking the teen this, but it was the complete opposite. "We can iron out what day work, but maybe we can switch back and forth between the tower and the compound and we could make a day or an overnight out of it?"
"I-I would really like that, Mr. Stark," Peter said. "I really would."
"Good, we have a deal, kid," the billionaire said as they bumped their fists together.
Neither Peter nor Tony could stop smiling as they left the diner after making their agreement knowing that they wouldn't just go back to rarely seeing each other and chatting via FaceTime and text messages made this Sunday a thousand times better, and they couldn't wait to tell May once she was free to talk that night. For now, they would go back to the tower to work in the lab to work on some upgrades, and sure enough, they buried themselves in their work as they added upgrades to the Spider-Man and Iron Man suits until around lunch time when they managed to take a break from the projects to eat some Schwarma food that was delivered.
"You know, I just had another thought about these new little get-togethers we're planning," Tony began as they enjoyed their lunch in the lab.
Peter looked up from his lunch expectantly as he chewed his food.
"So…my best friend, Rhodey—and Vision—you haven't met them yet," Tony began, "are up at the compound, and I figured that if we spend one of these overnights or weekends up there…we could also use that time to train together."
Peter looked at him with widened eyes. "Are you serious?" he asked. "Y-You'd seriously let me train with you, War Machine, and the Vision?"
"Yeah, I mean…I'll check with Rhodey first," Tony replied with a small smile, "but…I think that would be good for you to have under your belt, you know?"
Peter could've sworn that if he were a balloon, he would simply burst with excitement. So far, this Sunday was getting better and better. "Yeah…yeah! That would be awesome!" he exclaimed. "Aw man, you and me sparring with War Machine and Vision!" He thankfully didn't mention the other Avengers, and it broke his heart that they weren't around. However, Iron Man and Tony Stark were always his favorites for many reasons, and he was thrilled at the thought of training and working with his mentor every week.
Tony smirked loving more and more seeing how excited Peter was. "Are you sure you're not just trying to butter me up just by so you could meet two of the remaining Avengers?" he asked teasingly.
"Aw, dang it, you caught me, Mr. Stark," Peter said with sarcasm in his voice and a small smile on his face.
Tony couldn't help but chuckle at Peter's joke. "Well, after Thanksgiving, I'll talk to them to see what works for them," he said.
"Great," Peter said. "Although," he leaned toward Tony, "between you and me, if we ever do teams, I think we could totally beat them. I mean, come on, I'm the one who stole Captain America's shield." He suddenly stopped when he realized who he mentioned and widened his eyes cringing. "Oh…s-sorry, Mr. Stark, I know that's probably not easy to talk about."
Tony held up his hand and shook his head. The memories of the battles in Germany and Siberia flashed through his mind, but thankfully, he hid it from his intern. There was no reason to bog Peter down with that drama, especially after talking about deceased loved ones on Friday night. "Don't worry about it, kid," he said. "It's rough stuff, but not taboo. Besides, not many people can say that they stole Cap's shield."
Peter gave his mentor a small smile despite feeling unsure. He wasn't sure what happened in Siberia. He was at the hotel when Happy went to pick Tony up from there, so he didn't see the aftermath of the battle. However, he always had a feeling that it had something to do with Captain America. He remembered how Tony looked when they came back to Germany before they returned home, and he couldn't blame him. They were his friends and teammates. Anyone would feel horrible about it, but Tony was trying to hide it. He had to be. No one would simply feel okay after all that. "I know," Peter said, "but I will still try to be more mindful of it."
Tony's smile automatically widened. "I appreciate that, Peter, thank you," he replied.
"You're welcome, Mr. Stark," Peter replied. "I mean…I know you would do the same for me. "We are a team, aren't we?"
"Damn right, we are, kid. Don't tell your aunt I said that."
The teen couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Mr. Stark, with all due respect, I go to high school. I've heard things a lot worse."
"Just wait till you get to college."
"I'm glad you guys agreed on the weekly meet-ups," May said over the phone as Peter and Tony worked in the lab.
"Yeah, I figured the day after Thanksgiving would be a good time to officially start," Tony replied as Peter handed him a took to use on his suit.
"I think that's a great idea," May said. "How's your arm, Peter?"
"It's feeling much better," Peter replied happily. He had honestly forgotten about his minor injury from last night. "Mr. Stark stitched it up last night, and it's been better ever since."
"I'm glad to hear that, baby," May replied. "I can't wait to see you tomorrow. I really missed you."
Peter couldn't help the smile that made its way into his face. He was so happy to be able to spend more time with Tony, but that didn't mean he wasn't excited to see his aunt again. After all it was their first time being apart for a few days ever since Ben had died. He missed her so much just as she missed him. "I really missed you, too, Aunt May," he said. "I'm really excited to see you tomorrow."
"Me too," May said, "and I can't wait for our dinner date tomorrow night. You guys will have to tell me all about the weekend."
"Of course we will," Tony replied. "We will be more than happy to regale you with the tales of the weekend with Iron Man."
Suddenly, a loud voice was heard in the background. "Oh, I should get going," May said. "We're about to board the plane, now."
"Okay, text me when you land, okay?" Peter replied.
"Of course, baby," May replied. "I'll be heading to work in the morning, so I'll text you then too, okay?"
"Sounds like a plan," Peter said with a smile.
"Good, I larb you, Peter."
Peter couldn't help but blush as Tony looked up from his work staring at Peter like he had grown an extra head. "I…I larb you, too, Aunt May," he said. "Safe trip."
"Safe trip, May," Tony quickly added.
"Thanks, guys," May replied. "I'll see you both tomorrow."
"We'll be there with bells and whistles," Tony replied.
"Good, looking forward to it," May said before finally hanging up the phone.
"So…uh…you want to explain to me what…'larb' means?" Tony asked his mentee after a moment of silence.
"I knew it was only a matter of time before you heard us saying it," Peter said rolling his eyes.
"And now that I have," Tony retorted, "you must explain."
"Okay, well, larb is this meat salad in Thailand," Peter began, "and it was my uncle's favorite Thai dish to get whenever we got take-out." He couldn't help but chuckle at the memory. "One night, we got take-out, and Uncle Ben was eating it. Later that night, I was heading to bed and said good night to May and Ben," Peter snorted, "and Ben—for some reason—just said, 'I larb you' to me instead of 'I love you.'"
"Out loud?" Tony asked incredulously. "He must've really enjoyed that larb."
"Yeah," Peter said laughing at the memory, "May and I refused to let him live it down for a day or two after that. We would say it when he left for work, and then…" a look of nostalgia came over him, "I don't know…we just started using it a lot. It was like our secret language, you know? And we started using it more after he died." He snuck a look at Tony, who was watching him intently. "I mean…I know it's stupid, but—"
"It's not stupid, buddy," Tony said with a smile. "I think it's great you have such nice memories of your uncle…and these 'secret phrases.' To me, that's one of the many ways you keep that person alive. In fact, you're lucky. Not a lot of people have that. I mean…don't get me wrong, I love both my parents, but…let's just say that I have nicer memories of my mom than my dad."
Peter looked at his mentor sadly as he once again mentioned his strained relationship with his father. He didn't like the idea of prying into Tony's life before Iron Man, especially when the media had no problem broadcasting it all over the place, but then again…the curiosity got the better of him.
"Umm…M-Mr. Stark?" Peter suddenly said after a moment.
"What's up, kid?" Tony asked.
"W-What…were your parents like?" he finally asked. "Umm…I-I'm sorry if I'm prying. It's just y-you talk about them, and I-I can't help wondering, you know?"
Tony chuckled. "It's okay, bud," he replied. "You can ask me whatever you want…within good reason, of course, okay?"
Peter nodded. He was honestly surprised that Tony told him this. He didn't expect Tony to lash out at him, but he and the billionaire came to his apartment to take him to Germany, and he didn't expect Tony to open up to him so quickly. Honestly, it made him feel warm on the inside knowing that Tony trusted him that much, and he managed a small smile. "Okay," he said.
"Okay," Tony began, "well, for starters, my mom was an amazing woman. I told you she taught me how to play piano, but that's not all. She was an amazing cook, and she made mean lasagna. Her singing voice…God, her singing voice was just beautiful. There were times when I would just sit on the couch by our piano and just listen to her. She was just…an amazing woman…a great mom. We traveled together…the three of us…at least once a year, and for as long as I could remember, she and I would go off and do our own thing while Dad took care of business." He sighed thinking of all the times it was him and his mother in Italy or even going out to get ice cream. "I…miss her…a lot."
Peter could only watch his mentor smiling with a hint of sadness in his eyes. He recognized that look. May had that look whenever she thought of or talked about Ben, and they in turn had that look whenever they missed his parents. "And…w-what about your dad?"
"My dad…" Tony repeated, "he wasn't exactly the warm and fuzzy kind of guy. Let's…let's just say that he kept me at a distance. You know, he knew Captain America. After Steve went under back in the 40s, he was obsessed with finding him and studying him. He would never shut up about the guy." The thought of his father and his former teammate being friends…his father wanting to find the super-soldier…the same super-soldier who denied him and Maria justice after they were murdered…just made his blood boil. Yes, he and his father didn't have a great relationship, but…his mother…
"He's my friend…"
"So was I…"
"Mr. Stark?" Peter suddenly said noticing the faraway look on his mentor's face. His sensitive hearing picked up on Tony's increasing heartbeat. "Mr. Stark? You okay?"
Tony seemed to have heard him because he jolted and looked at the teen. "Hm?" he said. "Oh yeah, I'm sorry, kid…just got lost in thought."
"You sure?"
"Absolutely, anyway, my dad and I never really got along because of that. He and I never really shared many words of affection, so we never really got close." There was so much more to the relationship between Tony and his father, but he wasn't about to unload all of it on his teenaged intern…not when he had just agreed to come work with him once a week.
"That's…that's awful, Mr. Stark," Peter replied after a moment. He felt that there was a lot more to Howard Stark, but Peter knew better than to push and overstep his boundaries. Tony was already kind enough to allow him to work with him once a week and to let him stay for the whole weekend. To pry would most likely ruin all that. However, he also couldn't believe that just how much the media failed to show this side of Howard Stark. Sure, he wasn't evil, but Peter thought about his uncle Ben and even his own father Richard Parker. He didn't remember much of his parents, but May and Ben told him how much they loved him and adored him. He couldn't imagine his parents, May, or Ben being emotionally distant with him…to the point where he would want to break the cycle.
"Yeah, but…I refuse to let this bog us down, alright?" Tony said with a smile. "So, let's finish up here so you can get to sleep at a decent hour. Maybe we can listen to some music?"
Peter couldn't help but smile at his mentor and nodded. "Sounds like a plan," he said. "Maybe we can put on some of that music you like…Led Zeppelin?"
Tony immediately stared at Peter like he had 10 heads and rolled his eyes. "Okay, I'm going to pretend you didn't say that. FRIDAY, shall we enlighten this young heathen and play AC/DC?"
"Of course, boss," FRIDAY said as Peter stared at him in confusion.
"I'm not a heathen, Mr. Stark," Peter said trying to fight the smile on his face as the song began to play over the speakers.
"You won't be once you reach musical enlightenment."
After another hour of waiting in the lab, Tony and Peter rather reluctantly closed up the lab and went back into the penthouse to go to bed, and once again, Peter and Tony went to bed with smiles on their faces with their agreement to their weekly meet-ups and their amazing weekend on their minds. Both superheroes were able to get some sleep before waking up the next morning on Monday, and Tony gladly dropped Peter off at school as they promised to meet up when the billionaire would come to take him and May out to dinner. While both the billionaire and the teen were still melancholy that their weekend came to an end, they still smiled that day knowing that it wouldn't be the last one they spend together. Plus, Peter was excited to see his aunt again after spending some time apart, so it was a win-win, especially when May agreed to go out to dinner with him and Tony.
After school, Peter grabbed his bags from his locker and made his way back to his apartment where he knew May would be waiting for him. She came home from work early to tidy up the apartment and to be home when Peter came home. As much as he couldn't help but look for an Audi, he couldn't wait to be in his aunt's arms again.
"May?" Peter said as he unlocked the door and walked into the apartment.
"Hey, baby!" she said immediately standing up from where she sat on the couch and running over to her nephew hugging him tightly. "Oh, I missed you so much!"
"I missed you too!" Peter said immediately hugging her in return. "How was it?"
"It was so much fun!" May said happily as she walked him over to the couch so that they could sit down. "I can't tell you how great it felt to get away. I mean, I miss you like crazy, but…you know after Uncle Ben…I don't know…I didn't think I could do it, you know? I-I'm glad Tony convinced me to go."
"I am too," Peter said with a smile. "It was really nice of him."
"It sure was," May said nodding. "Sounds like you two really took advantage of your time together."
"Yeah, we did," Peter replied, "and…it was really great! You know…after what happened with Liz's dad and…after I turned down the Avengers…I…I wasn't sure where things would go for us, you know? But…after the past few months…we've spent some time together, and it's been pretty great. I…I really want to keep this up with him. I was really glad he offered for me to meet with him once a week. I think it'll be great for us."
"I think it will, too," she said. "So long as you don't let it distract you from school or your friends."
"Absolutely," Peter said smiling.
"Thanks so much, Tony," May said with a smile on her face as Tony pulled up in front of Peter's and her apartment. "The food was great!"
Tony picked up May and Peter a few hours after Peter got home, and the three of them enjoyed some time at Olive Garden. The whole time, they exchanged stories from the past weekend and shared many laughs together. Unfortunately, because it was a Monday night, the dinner had to come to an end, and Tony drove them back home after he and May split the bill.
"Of course, May," Tony said with a smile of his own. "It was my pleasure. Next time, we'll have to have my fiancée join us."
"Definitely, I would love to see her," May said. "Text us when you get home, okay?"
"Yes, ma'am," Tony replied. "Have a good night. I'll see you soon, and Pete, I'll see you after Thanksgiving."
"Absolutely, Mr. Stark," Peter said as he shared a fist bump with Tony. "Thank you again…for everything."
"You're welcome," Tony said with a smile, "and hey, if you ever need anything before then, you call me, okay?"
Peter nodded. "Yeah, totally, I know I can count on you," he said as he and May got out of the car.
Tony smiled even wider as he watched May and Peter get out of the car and head toward their apartment…not before Peter turned around with a smile and a wave, which Tony happily returned.
Author's Note: Annnnnnnnd that's all for the Weekend With Iron Man arc, boys and girls! I really hope you all enjoyed it! Up next is THANKSGIVING, and while Peter and Tony have different things to do on the holiday, they make sure to keep in touch during the day! See you all in the next chapter!