Chapter Text
“Are you nervous?”
“Yeah. Is that weird?”
“No, I’m pretty sure it’s normal. In fact, I believe Happy’s main job is to keep you from secretly sneaking out of a window and taking off.”
“Not a bad idea, funsy.”
“Well, at least wait until I’ve left the room before you bail, okay?” Peter asks, his eyes glinting with amusement. “Or Pepper’s gonna blame me.”
Tony releases a slow, controlled breath as he tugs at his cufflinks. “How do I look?”
“Totally lame.”
“Screw you, underoos.”
“You’re messing up your nicknames,” Peter says, still looking highly amused.
That’s right. Tony generally still sticks to ‘funsy’ when it’s Peter, and ‘underoos’ when it’s Spider-Man. But the two haven’t been that different, lately. Spider-Man is a little calmer. Peter is a little more animated, even with other people around.
Tony remembers the first time Peter uttered a full sentence at Steve, and how ecstatic the man had been about that. As if he’d won the lottery.
Peter had told Tony on his first day as a foster parent that he had stopped talking because he didn’t want to deal with questions that he wouldn’t or couldn’t answer. When it came to Spider-Man, that problem was easy to solve. All the Avengers knew about Peter’s identity, and it was something they could freely discuss.
When it comes to everything else, well, it isn’t all as easy. Peter still tends to revert back to his silence when the topic threatens to turn towards anything that reminds him of his family. Tony and Pepper aren’t always sure how to deal with it. They want Peter to be comfortable and do things at his own pace, but don’t want him to push away his feelings. Sam is a major help in all that. And the foster agency training actually helped a little, too. Not a complete waste of time, then.
He blinks when Peter snaps his fingers. “Earth to Tony? Are you still with us?”
Tony looks up, smiles. “Just thinking about you.”
Peter immediately looks a little flustered. “Why?”
“Because I love you,” Tony replies easily.
Peter turns even redder. “Save it for Pepper, dude,” he says awkwardly.
“There’s enough love to go around,” Tony promises.
“For me, too?” Happy asks as he walks in, fussing with his tie.
“There he is! The most irresponsible best man ever. I was about to jump out a window, I’ll have you know. Peter had to tackle me.”
“Well done, Peter,” Happy says, entirely unfazed. “Everyone is ready for you, Tony. In fact, Pepper’s mother is getting impatient.”
“That lady is permanently impatient. She’s like the direct antithesis of Pepper.”
“I like her,” Peter staunchly announces.
“You like everyone,” Tony tells him. “And everyone likes you. Like one of those Labrador puppies that wants to be petted by everyone and that everyone one wants to pet.”
“You’re blabbering,” Happy says.
“He’s nervous,” Peter explains, patting Tony on the arm.
“Let’s get going,” Happy says. “Rhodey didn’t get ordained for nothing.”
-
Pepper is wearing a pretty, green dress. She hadn’t wanted to buy a special wedding dress. “I don’t want to spend all that money on something I’ll only wear once,” she had said.
Tony had pointed out that they ran a billion-dollar company.
Pepper had pointed out that actually she ran it, and she could wear whatever the hell she wanted thankyouverymuch.
At which point Tony had given up.
It is a small wedding. The Avengers are there. And Pepper’s parents. And Peter’s friend Ned. They had set up chairs in the garden behind the compound, and planted enough flowers a few months ago to ensure that they are now surrounded by a sea of bright colors. Rhodey officiates the ceremony. They say everything that needs to be said, and then go on to eating cake which – let’s face it – is way more important.
“Can we take a picture together?” Peter asks. “The three of us?”
“Yes, of course funsy, c’mere. Bruce – could you snap one? Someone hold my cake. How does my hair look?”
“Totally lame.”
-
The meaning of the picture becomes clear a few days later, when Peter searches Tony out in his workshop and holds something out to him.
It is the empty picture frame, which is no longer empty. There are three pictures in the frame. A picture of Peter with his parents at the top. A picture of Peter with his uncle and aunt in the middle. And at the bottom is the picture of Tony, Pepper and Peter at the wedding.
Tony carefully takes it from him to study it closer. “You want to hang that in your room?”
“Yes…?” Peter says, looking up at Tony as if asking for his approval.
“I think it’s awesome. I’m honored to be part of this little list,” Tony says, his eyes scanning all three pictures.
“Yeah,” Peter says. “Don’t die, okay?”
“Do you want me to stop being Iron-Man?” Tony asks, dead serious, and in that moment, he is certain that if Peter says ‘yes’, he will follow through, hang up his suit and that’ll be it. He will just be a dad.
“No,” Peter murmurs. “You have to help people. We both do. You didn’t stop me from going out, because you get that.”
Tony nods. “And I’d prefer if you didn’t die, either,” he says in a slightly more playful tone. “Because I have plans for you.” He hopes Peter can read the ‘I love you’ between the lines without getting awkward about it again.
Peter nods. “I... have plans for you, too.”
Tony chuckles. Message received.
“I’m gonna show them to Pepper,” Peter says, taking his picture frame back and shuffling out.
Tony turns back to his project: The new Iron Spider Armor, a definite upgrade. The whole world will soon know that Spider-Man is now firmly on team Iron-Man.
How is that for good publicity?