Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Mr. Stark? Are you-”

“Peter, please! Give him some space to breathe! Let Helen work on him!”

“Peter, move aside. I have to have space.”

“But he’s-”

“He’ll be okay, Peter. Move.”

The scramble of voices fill the room as Tony returns to consciousness. Feeling first returns to his head, which is pounding violently against the front of his skull. He can barely register the cool hand pressed against his forehead, and it would be almost soothing if he didn’t have a massive headache.

“Ugh…” he manages to mutter out before he can feel his mouth fail on him.

“Mr. Stark? It’s me, Peter!” Peter practically screams, but he sounds far away. Tony’s ears were not prepared for the sudden loudness.

“Peter, I thought I asked you to move!” He picks up Helen’s loud voice (albeit not as loud as Peter’s) from directly to his right.

Regaining more feeling in his chest and arms, the only thing he feels now is pain. He groans and manages to open his eyes, but immediately regrets it. The light above his head is intense, and it takes him a few seconds to squint at the area around him. He’s on a hospital bed, and realizing that, he almost freaks out. After waking up in Afghanistan to people who don't look qualified to be doctors digging around in his insides, it's obvious that he'd naturally be scared of anyone in a lab coat. Upon closer inspection, he realizes that he's most likely in Medbay. He calms down a little knowing that the doctors here are all trustworthy and won't hurt him, but it doesn't fully diffuse his anxiety. The heart monitor on his left is beeping much faster than normal heartbeats should. He can vaguely make out Peter, Helen, and Rhodey in the room with him. He first turns to look at Helen, who’s fiddling with a syringe.

Helen seems to realize that Tony’s eyes are open. “Hey, Tony. Just relax, it’s okay. I’m giving you some morphine to help with the pain.”

Tony only manages to grunt a sound of assurance before he blinks his eyes rapidly, still trying to adjust to the light.

“He’ll be okay, Peter, see? He’s already waking up.” He hears Rhodey’s familiar voice from across the room, most likely from where Peter is standing.

“Mr. Stark? Can you hear me?” Peter almost whispers.

“Just let him get situated, Peter. Let’s go outside. Dr. Cho will take good care of him, won’t you?” Tony can make out Rhodey’s figure turn to Helen as he speaks.

“Yes. In fact, he should be feeling better shortly. The morphine should be working any second now.”

Tony can hear Peter’s breath hitch; hesitating.

“Okay,” Peter says finally. “Just let me know when I can see him.”

“I will.”

Tony watches Peter and Rhodey leave the room. Helen pipes up again.

“You really took a hit out there, Tony.” Helen speaks quietly, as if to balance out the loudness of the teenager’s voice earlier.

Tony can feel the pain slowly fading away, but it’s replaced by relaxation and drowsiness. He struggles to speak but eventually manages to slur out:

“Is everyone okay?”

Helen turns to face Tony and smiles. “Yep. Everyone's okay, Tony. Get some sleep, okay?”

That’s all the permission Tony needs.

=-=+=-=

When Tony wakes up, he feels much better. He can see much better, and most of the pain from earlier is gone (except for the slight persistent headache). He notices the lights in the room are turned off, and twists to see the digital clock on the nightstand beside him. It reads 10:31pm.

A deep inhale beside him almost makes Tony scream. He spins to face the other side of the bed where he sees someone resting, probably asleep. He can’t make the body out clearly, but it appears to be Pepper. He's thankful for her presence; she's always there to help him when he's hurt, stressed, or just having a bad day. He supposes today was one of the worst days he's had in a while, since nothing prior to this stupid battle had been too risky for him. That battle was cutting it really, really close.

Earlier that day, Tony and Rhodey were investigating a tip they’d heard of Chitauri weapons in New York City. Tony was suspicious; his clean up crew had removed all alien evidence from the New York attack a long time ago. Upon arriving at the suspected location, they weren’t greeted with Chitauri weapons, but with a rogue sorcerer who claimed to be enlightened and almighty among mortals.

“You will regret the day you decided to battle against me!” The sorcerer shouted and begun preparing his defenses against Iron Man and War Machine.

“I sincerely doubt that.” Tony had said as he aimed his repulsor.

Tony got in a few good hits, and so had Rhodey, until the sorcerer chanted in a language that was foreign to both superheroes. Before Tony knew it, he was struck by a concentrated beam of light, and immediately lost consciousness.

“Mm…” Pepper stirs beside him, pulling him out of his memories. He puts his hand on hers and she immediately jerks up. “Oh my god, Tony! I was so worried about you! Rhodey told me what happened, and I can’t even imagi-”

“I’m okay, Pepper, I promise.” That’s weird. He remembers his voice sounding a lot deeper.

“You can’t even go a week with me gone to end up like…this.” She sighs.

“Like what?” His voice cracks and it’s starting to scare him.

“Tony…I’m so sorry.” Pepper’s eyes well up with tears. “Let me go get someone. I’ll tell the team you’re awake.”

Tony watches Pepper leave the room and his back slumps into the bad. What the hell happened to him? He knows he was in severe pain when he woke up, but he doesn’t know why. Did something happen to just his voice? Or did something happen to his body? Or to his mind?

No, he still feels like himself. He just doesn’t sound like himself. He's becoming frightened.

His train of thought breaks when he hears Rhodey enter the room. “Hey, man. How are you feeling?”

“Why the hell does my voice sound like I’ve been inhaling helium for the past hour?” He almost violently gestures to his vocal cords. Tony is now terrified by the way his voice is cracking and how…childish it sounds.

“Tones…I’ll be honest, I hate to be the one to have to tell you this. You took a big hit during the fight and collapsed. At first, I thought you were dead since the suit didn’t seem to be responding to anything I tried. But when I opened the suit…” Rhodey trails off and stares out the window. It takes all of Tony’s willpower to not reply.

“Tony, you’re fifteen. You’ve de-aged to your fifteen-year-old self.”

Tony’s brain shuts off. He doesn’t know how to process the information. It's like his brain stopped working all at once because he cannot believe it. Fifteen? Regressed back to a teenager? That's impossible. No de-aging technology exists. Magic, though? The rules are a bit trickier to understand. Of course, magic is something Tony does not care for, but can magic really de-age someone? Can it be reversed? Even if it can be, can it bring back the marks on his body that made him the man he should have been today? The arc reactor…Afghanistan…Yinsen…

He holds out his hands in from of him and observes more carefully. They are, in fact, his hands. But not his calloused, scar-ridden hands that he’d earned from years and years of engineering and lab work. They are his hands from youth: baby-skinned and innocent. They are his hands from MIT, from childhood…from his father. All of his achievements and struggles just vanished. Like they never happened.

Tony throws his hands out of his face to avoid digging himself into a deeper hole and finally acknowledges that Rhodey is saying something to him.

“…we tried contacting so many people, Tony, we even tried Strange. He came in while you were asleep and-” Rhodey is cut off by Tony’s quiet voice.

“Can you leave?”

“What?”

“I just want to be alone.” Tony’s voice cracks and he almost chokes out a sob. He sounds so much like a child, and that thought absolutely terrifies him. He can’t cry, not in front of Rhodey. He just needs time to think.

“Sure, Tones. Get some more sleep, if you can. Do you need anything?”

“I just need some time alone.” Tony’s voice betrays him, and he lets out a sob. Rhodey notices this immediately and comes over to his bedside. Tony doesn’t move. Once the tears begin, they can’t seem to stop, despite Tony’s best efforts to wipe them away.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” Rhodey reassures as he slowly reaches his arms out to Tony. When Tony doesn’t respond, Rhodey wraps his arms firmly around Tony. Tony doesn’t back away but doesn’t fully lean into the hug either. He's too distraught to react to anything at this point. The fat tears roll silently down his face (with the occasional sob) as Rhodey utters words of comfort into the night.

=-=+=-=

Tony can’t recall when he fell asleep, but when he wakes up, he is greeted with the warm light of the sun shining through the window.

At first, he doesn’t remember quite where he is, but in a flash, everything catches up with him all at once.

He got hit by a sorcerer.

He’s in Medbay.

He’s fifteen.

The heart monitor beside him starts to beep faster, and although he tries to calm down, he can’t. Helen almost tumbles into the room.

“Tony, are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m…I’m okay…” Tony stutters out. Helen doesn’t look convinced.

“Are you in pain? Does anything hurt?”

“No, I’m fine…I just-”

“Oh.” Helen murmurs, now seeming to realize the reason for Tony's anxiousness. She glances at the heart monitor and then back to Tony as he rattles off excuses for his state of being.

“I just need more of that medicine, Helen, please, that’s all I-”

“Tony, I’m so sorry. We’ve really tried everything, but nothing's worked. Rhodey already told you about all people we contacted, even Dr. Strange, but everybody keeps telling us the same thing: it’s permanent.” Helen explained reluctantly.

“What…what am I going to do?” Tony whispers just loud enough for Helen to hear him. He looks up at Helen, waiting for her to show some sort of hope. There is none. Helen timidly pauses to think of a response, but in her hesitation, the door creaks open, causing her to jump slightly.

“Hey.” Rhodey greets. Tony hums quietly in acknowledgement and Helen snaps out of her daze to nod in his direction. “How are you doing, Tones?”

“I…I don’t…” Tony turns his full attention to Rhodey and tries to convey his emotions through his eyes. If there's one thing Tony loves about Rhodey, it’s that he’s able to know what Tony’s feeling at any given moment. Rhodey just seems to understand him without having to talk about it.

“Pepper’s sorting out the legal stuff.” Rhodey explains. “She’s filling out the papers to make me your legal guardian until you turn eighteen. Then, you can inherit Stark Industries again and work as usual. Until then, we need to keep this whole situation on the down low since the press will go absolutely berserk if they pick up on this. You won’t be able to leave the compound for a while, but that shouldn’t be much of a problem for you, right?”

“…yeah. Yeah, I should be fine.” Upon hearing a solid plan about what was going to happen, Tony suddenly feels a rush of hope. Even though his situation was permanent, at least there’s a solid plan in place for his future. Tony could follow plans. Schematics. “Are you sure it’s a good idea to make you my legal guardian, though? Why can’t I just file for emancipation?”

“Pepper thought it would be good for legal reasons.” Rhodey sits down on a nearby chair. “She’s more on the business side than I am, so I don’t exactly know all the benefits. From what she told me, it was a good idea since the press would be easier to hold back now that you're underage, and because I can take care of all of your suits, patents, and shares of the company. It’ll just be much easier than trying to file for emancipation.”

“…what about Ross? What about…” Tony fights to keep the wobble out of his voice. He trails off before he got a chance to mention Steve Rogers.

Rhodey sighs before answering. “The team you assembled can deal with him. I’m part of that team, and I'll most likely be taking over as leader. Ross is none of your concern right now.”

“...it’s like I’m suddenly useless.” Tony mutters as his view drifts down to his lap.

Helen joins the conversation. “It’s not like you won’t be doing anything, Tony. You still can make things for Stark Industries and help with legal work, if you’re up to it.”

“I can’t just sit here and not try to do at least something!” Tony angrily raises his voice, but not enough to shout. He doesn’t want to freak himself out with his own voice again. “You said you contacted people, but what if we haven’t tried everyone? There’s got to be some way to reverse this. I can’t just grow up again! I have a life! I have work to do! I have responsibilities! I can’t just disappear. The media is going to pick up on something eventually! They never listened to me before, and this–” he gestures to himself, “–this is just going to make things worse! They’ll never listen to me now! What is Ross going to think when I don’t show up to discuss the Accords? What do you think Steve–“ Tony stopped himself. Steve is so much bigger than he is now. Tony doesn’t even have a way to fight Steve now that his suits don't fit him anymore.

Tony is on the verge of tears again. He silently curses at himself for being so vulnerable. He's in his fifties; he shouldn’t be this openly torn up. He's normally much better at controlling his emotions. Then again, he's now physically fifteen, so he could just blame teenage hormones. Thinking of himself as a fifteen-year-old sends shivers down his spine.

“Whoa, slow down, Tony.” Rhodey makes his way across the room to give Tony another hug, but Tony shifts back at the touch. Rhodey backs off and crouches next to the bed instead.

“It’s going to be okay.” Rhodey whispers.

“We’ll figure it out.” Helen chips in.

Tony successfully holds back the tears that threaten stain his cheeks. After a few minutes of sitting in silence, Helen leaves to inform the rest of the compound staff of Tony's condition. Rhodey almost leaves, too. However, he unexpectedly halts, turns around, and seems to remember something.

“Hey, Tony, do you mind if someone else visits you, or do you want to be left alone for a while?” Rhodey asks delicately.

Tony contemplates for a few seconds. “It depends on who it is. Is it Pepper? I wouldn’t be opposed to her–“

“No, Tony, it’s your intern from SI, uh…Peter Parker.”

Tony’s breath is caught in his throat. He forgot about Peter's existence. He wonders how long Peter has been at the compound. He wonders how Peter even heard about Tony's status after the fight. How much does Peter know? It occurs to Tony that he's about Peter’s age now. What a scary thought – to think that he is about as old as his own protégé. What would Peter think about that? Some small part of Tony wavers at the thought of letting Peter see him, but another part really wants to speak to someone who may understand. Maybe someone his age would understand. Tony shudders again at the thought of considering himself to be fifteen.

“Tony? Did you hear me?” Rhodey’s firm voice snaps him back into reality.

“Yeah, uh…yeah, he can come in, sure.” Tony swears his voice falters, but Rhodey pays no mind to it, so Tony assumes he’s in the clear. He lets out a quiet sigh of relief.

“I’ll send him in then.” Rhodey smiles and walks out of the room, leaving Tony to brace himself.

But he doesn't get much time.

“Hey, Mr. Stark.”

Chapter Text

Peter walks into the room and sits immediately at Tony’s side. Tony notices the purple circles under Peter’s eyes, implying that he’d been here all night. Does Peter care about Tony that much? Maybe he’s always looked like that. Tony can’t tell.

“Hey, kid.” The nickname seems wrong now. Tony cringes a little when the words leave his mouth.

“How-how are you doing?” Peter asks timidly.

“I’m good.” Tony replies quickly – maybe too quickly – and turns to look out the window.

Since Peter was always (up until now) much younger than him, Tony had always tried to remain calm around him. He always put on his media mask in front of Peter because Tony always thought Peter wouldn’t know how to react if Tony suddenly had a mental breakdown around him. Expressing emotions like that in front of your own protégé doesn’t seem very professional. Plus, Tony didn’t trust Peter enough. That’s not to say that he couldn’t rely on Peter in battle, or even in the workshop. Peter’s had many good ideas in the past when working on suits or SI products, and if Tony was being honest, he saw real potential and an amazing future awaiting Peter. Honestly, Tony was just scared of opening up to Peter enough to let him see the inside of his head like Pepper could. He’s not sure Peter could handle the stress of being anything other than an acquaintance with Tony.

“Are you sure, Mr. Stark?” Peter drags Tony out of his thoughts.

“Yep. I’m actually pretty okay despite being fifteen again. At least I can move around again like I used to instead of saying, ‘I’m getting too old for this shit.’” He chuckles a little, but there’s no real humor behind it. At least it’s not a total lie. He is trying to look at the upsides despite these terrible circumstances.

When Peter doesn’t reply, Tony turns to him to see why. Peter’s looking at everything except for Tony, and he’s barely wringing his hands, but it’s clear to Tony that he’s nervous. Why should he be? Tony tilts his head slightly in confusion, but Peter doesn’t notice.

“What about you? How are you doing?” Tony actively avoids using the nickname.

“Oh, me? Don’t worry about me, Mr. Stark. I’m fine. You should be worried more about yourself.” Peter replies about as quick as Tony did.

“How did you even find out?” Tony asks.

“Find out what?” Peter stops wringing his hands.

“The battle, me, everything. How did you know? You weren’t even there!”

“Oh, yeah, that.” Peter sits up properly. “I was patrolling in the area where the sorcerer was, and when I heard a blast I webbed over to where you and War Machine were. I got there a little late, though, because you were already unconscious. I helped Colonel Rhodes defeat the sorcerer, but it wasn’t as easy as you might think. He…”

As Peter continued to recount the events of the fight, Tony stares at Peter in pure wonder. Tony was already amazed at how passionate Peter was when it came to helping “the little people,” but this was something completely different. Peter retold the story by bouncing around, using hand gestures, putting on different voices for different people, and even demonstrating some of the fighting moves he used against the sorcerer. Tony doesn’t pay much attention to what Peter is actually saying; he’s just mesmerized by the passion behind Peter’s eyes, even though minutes ago, he had been nervous out of his mind to even be in the same room as Tony. He may just be imagining things, but it’s like Peter is much more comfortable and enthusiastic around fifteen-year-old Tony rather than adult Tony.

Weird.

“…after we finally got you here, I started freaking out because wow, Mr. Stark, I can’t believe you’re younger than me now!” At this, Tony jumps back into the conversation.

“Wait, I thought we were the same age.” He phrases it more like a question than a statement.

“Well, we are, but since I was born in August 2002, and I know you were born in 1970, but since you’re fifteen and therefore must've been born in May of 2003, then that makes you younger than me. It’s July, right?”

Tony goes over the math in his head and comes to the same conclusion. He sighs. “Yeah, that checks out.” He sinks further into the bed and turns away from Peter.

“Anyways, we got to the hospital and I followed you, Colonel Rhodes, and Dr. Cho here. As soon as I saw how much pain you were in, I felt really terrible. Like I could have done something to prevent you from feeling as horrible as you looked.” Tony hears Peter cut himself off abruptly, as if to stop himself from saying more.

That was something he and Peter had in common. They both blamed themselves for a lot of things. It’s one thing that Tony wishes Peter didn’t do; Peter is just a kid, and when he blames himself for things he can’t control, it only makes things worse. Tony knows this for a fact.

“You couldn’t have done anything differently.” Tony murmurs, still not looking at Peter.

“I know that. I just wish I could do more for you, Mr. Stark.” Peter says, sincerity embedded into the heavy weight of his words. It sounds like he’s about to cry.

Tony is stunned. It’s so quiet in the room that a pin drop would be deafening. How are such simple words affecting him so much? He’s only ever felt this touched with Pepper (or with Rhodey, occasionally), but something about what Peter’s saying right now is very impactful in a way that sort of scares Tony. Why does Peter’s influence on him feel like it’s been amplified?

Now that Tony thinks about it, maybe it’s because they’re both the same age now. It makes sense: teenagers tend to connect with other teenagers more than they do with adults. Maybe every teenager feels like this when they talk to other people their age. When Tony was a teenager, he was so preoccupied with inheriting SI and carrying on his father’s legacy that he didn’t have time to be a teenager like everyone else at MIT.

Maybe this curse was a blessing in disguise. Maybe this was a second chance. A chance to have the childhood he never got to experience.

But that was wishful thinking, wasn’t it?

“Mr. Stark?” Peter asks softly.

“Tony.” Tony replies, twisting around back to fully face Peter.

“What?” Peter furrows his eyebrows in confusion.

“Just call me Tony. You sound like you’re talking to my dad.”

“Okay…Tony.” Peter cautiously tests the waters.

For some reason, his name sounds a lot more special when Peter says it.

=-=+=-=

Tony was released from Medbay later that day after the doctors concluded there were no other side effects or health issues related to the sorcerer’s spell. He still wasn’t allowed to leave the compound, but he didn’t mind. He was happy to work in the lab for a while to get his mind off all of these overwhelming thoughts.

Peter had left a while ago because if he didn’t get home soon, his aunt was going to “absolutely murder” him. As hot as Peter’s aunt is, she’s equally as scary, so he understood Peter’s urgency to get home. Tony would never admit this, but it was a little sad to watch Peter leave.

Working in the lab is finally starting to lift his spirits, until he hears someone enter the keypad code and come into the room.

“Mute.” Tony utters absentmindedly to FRIDAY as the footsteps become louder.

“Hey, Tony. I’m just checking in – I guess I am your legal guardian now, so…” Rhodey approaches Tony, and for the first time, Tony notices just how much taller Rhodey is compared to him. The observation is slightly disheartening.

“I’m fine.” Tony replies in a monotone voice, which doesn't convince Rhodey in the slightest.

“Tony, it can’t be easy to wake up and discover that you’re a teenager again. I’m still your friend, and I want to be there for you.” Rhodey calmly insists.

Tony turns to Rhodey and is suddenly agitated. “Well how do you think I’m doing? I was finally getting somewhere! The Accords situation with Ross was finally steering in my favor, and then this happened!” Tony throws his hands up in the air and sighs heavily. “I don’t even fit into any of my suits now. I can’t…” Tony’s words trail off as he starts thinking of more opportunities he’s lost now that he’s younger.

“Hey, it’s okay, man.” Rhodey bends down to Tony’s level, but it only makes Tony feel younger and weaker. “Everything’s being handled, and you don’t have to worry about any of those things. Pepper and I have everything under control.”

That was another opportunity he lost. If he and Pepper weren’t compatible before, they certainly aren’t now. From the few times he’s seen her since the sorcerer, he doesn’t see her the way he used to. She’s still attractive to him, sure, but that’s all she is now. The CEO of Stark Industries, his friend, and attractive…but too old for him. This thought only sours his mood even more.

“How…how is she?” Tony asks in a small voice.

“She’s…honestly, Tony, she’s taking it as best she can. I can’t speak for her, though.” Rhodey replies. It’s the response Tony expects, but it still hurts to think about. “She was telling me about maybe setting up a press conference for you to-”

“No.” Tony steps back and firmly looks Rhodey in the eye.

“Why not?” Rhodey’s expression softens upon Tony’s stiff stance. “The world can’t just watch Iron Man go down in a fight and not return after a few days. They’ll start to come up with wild rumors, and misinformation is going to spread like a wildfire. We can’t have that happen, Tony.”

Logically, Tony knows he can’t hide in the shadows forever. He knows he can’t disappear off the face of the Earth and expect everything to turn out okay. If he’s honest with himself, he’s just scared to face the press in this condition. They’ll see him as weak and unfit and young…just like they did when he was actually fifteen.

“I thought you said we needed to keep this situation on the down low.” Tony lightly protests, looking down at his feet.

“I know, but after talking to Pepper about it for a while, she agrees that it’s best to just get it out of the way.” Rhodey explains. “Knowing the media, they’ll be all over it for about a week, then something else will happen, and they’ll be drawn to that like vultures.”

Tony hesitates before responding. “I…” That’s all he’s able to say before his emotions get the better of his voice. He looks up at Rhodey, who just seems to understand.

“I know you don’t want to, Tony, I know. You won’t even have to speak; Pepper and I will do all the talking, if you want.” Rhodey places his hand on Tony’s shoulder for affirmation. It’s very grounding, and Tony relaxes at the touch.

“…as long as I don’t have to say anything.” Tony finally replies after a few beats of silence.

“It’ll pass quickly, Tones, I promise.” Rhodey restates and pulls him in for a hug.

Tony wraps his arms around his best friend and sinks into the crook of his neck.

If Rhodey feels the silent tears, he doesn’t say anything.

=-=+=-=

The day of the press conference comes, and Tony neither feels safe nor comfortable. He hated press conferences as an adult, but now he hates them even more. The pressure lying on his shoulders is scary, and it’s much more intense than it ever was as an adult. He wonders if he felt like this when he was growing up, since being the son of Howard Stark meant that media swarmed him at every opportunity. Even having Rhodey next to him doesn’t help very much. There are so many lights, cameras, and eager reporters. The conference has barely started, but it’s already so overwhelming.

When he came out from the side of the stage, the reactions of the reporters made him want to turn right back around. It was a mix of gasps, laughter, angry gazes, judging comments, and tons of pictures. Tony’s mood instantly plummeted, and it took every inch of his will to avoid tearing up.

Pepper goes to the podium and states what she has to. She gives the summary of Tony’s condition, explains how he will continue to provide tech for SI, and other basic information like that. She then opens up the floor for questions, and she answers them with ease.

“Is Mr. Stark’s condition reversible?”

“Will Mr. Stark be attending school again?”

“What will become of the relationship between you and Mr. Stark?”

Pepper answers the question, but Tony avoids looking at her the whole time. He knows he’s come to terms with not being with her, but he doesn’t know how she feels. Besides, she’s too good for him, and she deserves so much better than covering Tony’s ass in situations like this. Sometimes, he wonders why she even sticks around.

One question, though, throws everyone off.

“How do we know Mr. Stark isn’t mentally fifteen, too?”

Tony’s head snaps to face the reporter. “What?” He asks, anger seeping through that one word in a way that even somewhat scares himself. He isn’t caught off guard for long and regains his composure before the reporter reiterates.

“You’re a kid now. How do we know we can trust a kid to continue being Iron Man?”

Tony’s rage overtakes his ability to think clearly. “I am Iron Man.” The flashing of cameras intensifies. “Nobody, not even a stupid sorcerer, can take that away from me. I will continue to be Iron Man, but not in spite of this idiotic reporter. The world needs superheroes now more than ever, and just because I might look different on the outside doesn’t mean I will stop being the hero that everyone needs.”

Rhodey and Pepper smile at his response. His frustration dies down, and he smiles back at them. Upon seeing their reactions, he feels a little more confident in himself.

“I think we’ll end the conference now. Thank you all for coming.” Pepper chimes in, and Tony breaths out a sigh of relief that he doesn’t know he was holding. Rhodey accompanies him off stage as the reporters howl for him to come back. Pepper hangs back on stage for closing statements, and Tony can’t thank the stars enough for this godsend of a woman.

As soon as the doors close behind them, Tony lets out a little sob and finally allows a few stray tears to fall. Rhodey turns to face Tony and quietly extends out his hand for Tony to take. Tony accepts the offer, and although it feels awkward at first, he finds that he likes the small affection from his friend.

They manage to make it to the limo without any more press noticing them, and he lets his whole body relax into the backseat. If fatigue was creeping up on him before, then it was extremely forceful now. He feels his eyes drooping, and before he knows it, he’s resting his eyes and slumping into Rhodey’s side. Rhodey wraps an arm around Tony, who is starting to associate his friend with comfort and safety.

Before Tony can help himself, he loses the battle against sleep with dried tear tracks streaking down the sides of his face.

It’s not the best sleep he’s ever had, but he knows he can't wish for better. The universe would never give it to him, anyway.

Chapter Text

Tony wakes up in the Iron Wing of the compound.

He sits up to inspect his surroundings. He’s relieved at the familiar sight of his room. He bundles up the silk of the bed sheets below his hands absentmindedly and inhales the instantly recognizable scent of his cologne, motor oil, and that new car smell. He relaxes at the solid mattress below him and tries to remember how he got here. The last thing he remembers is sleeping next to Rhodey in the limo, but he doesn’t know how he ended up in the compound. He supposes Rhodey carried him here, and Tony makes a mental note to thank him later.

Tony really has started associating Rhodey’s presence with safety and comfort. Prior to the sorcerer, Rhodey was just a friend who stopped by occasionally from the military. They would get to catch up for a few days before he had to leave again for another assignment. Now, Rhodey seems to be there for Tony all the time, even when Tony doesn’t know it. Maybe Tony’s perception of who Rhodey is to him is changing. Is Rhodey starting to become a counselor to him? A mentor? A father figu–

No. He doesn’t let himself finish that thought. A positive, loving father figure was never something Tony had in his life, and he doesn’t deserve kindness like that from Rhodey. Should Tony bring it up with him? Should he even keep thinking about it?

Tony pushes those thoughts aside. Thinking about something even remotely related to his dad always causes an incessant, but barely present layer of anxiety. Maybe some coffee could take the edge off.

For some reason, he doesn’t feel the overwhelming need for coffee like he usually does. When he was actually fifteen, he chose to drink energy drinks instead of coffee. Maybe his habits from when he was actually fifteen carried over when he got de-aged. He would have to test that theory later.

Tony gets up (albeit reluctantly) from his bed and makes his way to the kitchen. He stretches and yawns, but almost jumps when he enters the living room and spots Pepper sitting on the couch.

“Good morning, Tony.” Pepper says, setting down her tablet and making her way over to Tony.

“Hey, Pep.” Tony tries to act casual despite the surprise of her arrival. “I thought you were leaving after the press conference.”

“I am, but later. I thought we could chat for a while first.” Pepper and Tony both make their way to the breakfast bar in Tony’s kitchen while Pepper talks.

“About what? What exactly is there to talk about?” Tony responds with more bitterness than he intended.

“We need to talk about the business side of this whole…situation. Mostly about…” Pepper hesitates, “the ex-Avengers. The Accords. Ross.”

Tony suppresses a flinch at the mention of Ross. Pepper catches it though; it’s almost like he’s transparent to her.

“Now, Tony, please hear me out. I know you don’t want to talk about it, and I know it’s a very touchy subject for you, but we should talk about it sooner rather than later.” Pepper quickly adds and turns to fully face Tony. Her body language is confident, but Tony can see that her eyes are pleading. He sighs and joins Pepper on a nearby bar stool, sitting next to her so close that they’re almost touching. But not quite.

“Okay.” Tony agrees, even though his thoughts are screaming "no."

“Thank you, Tony.” Pepper waits a beat, then continues. “I suppose I should start with the fact that Ross has seen the press conference. He hasn’t published an official response yet, but the team you have set up has been relaying useful information.”

“Like what? What’d they say? What’d they see?” Tony scooches to the edge of his seat.

“Ross is extremely happy to have higher ground, but no one was surprised.” Pepper explains. “What they did find is that he’s been working on a project called ‘Locate.’ Nobody knows what it is, but we’re working on getting more information about it. Based on the name alone, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was just another idea to try and find the ex-Avengers, but no one knows for sure.”

“Figures.” Tony hisses under his breath.

“The Accords situation hasn’t improved, but luckily, it hasn’t gotten worse. The amendments you set in place that helped exclude Ross from any further interference have worked so far, but we’re under the impression that he found a loophole.”

“What? My lawyers went over those documents hundreds of times; there’s no way in hell that there’s a loophole.” Tony grimaces, not looking at anything in particular.

“That’s what I thought. I have no doubt that Ross just made something up to get his way. He just wants to have some sort of power over you, the ex-Avengers, and other future enhanced people.” Pepper agrees.

“That son of a bitch.” Tony knows that Ross is desperate, but to make up blatant lies like that? It makes his blood boil.

“The team is working on it. Tony, I can tell you really want to help, but I just don’t feel like it’s the right time. You just came out publicly about this…situation, and we can’t cause more drama by interfering right away. I know it’s not great, but please think about it.”

“Please, Pep, there’s got to be something I can do. Even if it’s just something tedious – and you know I don’t like tedious – I can do it–” Tony starts, but he’s interrupted.

“No, Tony, you have to focus on you for right now. Focus on getting comfortable in your own body and in your own mind. I don’t want you to have to deal with all of this important shit right now. All I wanted to do was to let you know about what’s happening, not for you to get involved in it right away. I know it sucks, but eventually, you can help. Just have patience.” Pepper calmly rests her hand onto Tony’s and glances at him.

Tony looks up into Pepper’s eyes. They still look pleading, but they also look wistful. It’s like Pepper doesn’t want this either. She doesn’t want to be the one to handle all the business, paperwork, and (worst of all) Tony’s mistakes. He doesn’t want her to handle all of this by herself, but she’s right. He does need to take the time to get a feel for his body. Maybe he could ask…

No. He can’t ask Peter. That would be a weird conversation. “Hey, Peter, I know I’m still your mentor, but what’s it like to be a teenager?” Even if he did ask Peter, how was he supposed to reply? What would be a good reply to a question like that?

As he sits there wondering, Pepper removes her hand and stands.

“What are you doing?” Tony asks, caught off guard.

“I’m going to miss my flight if I don’t leave soon. I’d love to stay and talk about this more, Tony, because it needs to be talked about…but I have to go.” Pepper walks towards the doorway, but before she leaves, Tony blurts out:

“I’m really going to miss you.”

Pepper stops in her tracks and twists around to face Tony. Tony doesn’t really know what to say after that. All he knows is that he doesn’t want Pepper to leave yet. He wants to tell her so much. His feelings about being fifteen, his conflict concerning Rhodey, his frustrations about not being able to help with Ross and the Accords – he could go on. He stares into Pepper’s eyes and hopes that his inner conflict shows. He doesn’t cry, but he feels like he wants to. Pepper – being the wonderful, caring woman she is – stares thoughtfully at Tony and sighs. She strides back over to him, kneels down at his level, and silently offers a hug.

Tony takes it.

Pepper leaves.

=-=+=-=

Later that day, Tony’s back in the lab working on a new suit to fit his smaller frame. He’s completely lost in his work and the music is turned up so loud that he doesn’t even notice when the door opens.

“Mr. Sta– Tony?”

"FRIDAY, mute!" Tony's voice cracks. He's so startled that he drops his screwdriver on the floor and jumps as it clatters around for a few seconds. He spins around to spot Peter and feels his cheeks heat up. He forgot that he was more easily startled when he was actually fifteen. Embarrassment and anxiety cloud his mind to such an extent that he doesn’t notice Peter making his way towards him.

“Whoa, hey, take it easy…” Peter scrambles to pick up the screwdriver and when he stands up, he is so close to Tony that their noses are almost touching. Tony lingers for a little bit and looks up at Peter’s face. He had never noticed it before, but Peter is a good five inches taller than him now. Tony knows he was a little short for his age, but now he wonders if Peter’s taller because he was naturally born that way, or if it was from the effects of his powers. Maybe it was like his metabolism or his super strength.

Tony realizes he’s lingering too long, even though only a few seconds have passed, he backs off almost fiercely and ducks his head. God, that was embarrassing.

“You okay?” Peter asks, which forces Tony to look up at him. Peter’s face shows nothing but concern.

“Yeah, I’m good, I’m good…just got a bit surprised there…” Tony mumbles out.

“Sorry about that…I just wanted to come over and ask you about something. If you’re busy, I can leave, it’s oka–”

“No!” Tony says before he can stop himself. He pauses for a beat, then regains his composure in a hurry. “It’s fine. I was just…really into my work, y’know?”

“Oh, yeah, I get that.” Peter agrees. “Whenever I’m working on my homework and I’m into it – like super into it – my Aunt May will knock at the door and I’ll jump so high that I stick to the ceiling! I remember this one time–”

“Did you want to ask me about something?” Tony interrupts. Hearing Peter go on and on about things is always fun, but it can get annoying if it’s something that isn’t too important or relevant.

“Oh, yeah, right. So, I had this question about this school project for Summer Robotics I’m working on. We have to make robots that basically fight to the death for this upcoming Robotics competition, and I want to make mine really cool but also agile and effective at the same time. I have some schematics for a design, but I wanted to run them by you to see what you think. The first design was good in my opinion, but the second one I’m prouder of. I like the placement of…”

Peter’s rambling becomes white noise to Tony’s ears. All Tony can focus on is the passion in his voice, the same passion he had in the hospital yesterday. How come Tony never noticed the spirit in this kid? As an adult, all Tony saw was potential. Potential and excitement. Just a normal kid (minus the enhancements) who was excited for the world. Maybe adult Tony never thought to look underneath the surface into Peter Parker’s life outside of crime-fighting and high school stereotypes. Now, all Tony can focus on is the enthusiasm in Peter’s voice, which is slowly, but surely, returning to Tony's ears in comprehensive sentences.

“…which I really thought was a good idea at the time, but it just wasn’t feasible with the resources at school. Then I remembered that you had a lot of resources, since you are Tony Stark, so I thought I’d drop by and show you the schematics. Here, I brought them with me…”

Peter drops to the ground and pulls out a few loose papers from his backpack. He does his best to uncrumple them and hands them to Tony. Tony glances back and forth from Peter’s face to the blueprints in his hands. These schematics are very detailed, almost as meticulous as Tony makes his own suits. He feels a rush of pride and…something else…wash over him. Peter’s clearly awaiting a response. Tony is so enthralled in Peter’s work that he forgets Peter is actually there.

“This…these are amazing, Peter. I mean, I have a few comments, but these are so detailed.” Tony looks up at Peter, who has the biggest smile Tony’s ever seen on his face. Tony feels that feeling again. He can’t put a name on what it is exactly, but it feels sort of similar to what he felt about Pepper whenever she smiled at him. Weird.

“Thanks, Tony! I’m happy to accept criticism, by the way. These are pretty new designs, and I kind of procrastinated on them a little bit since the competition’s in a week and we’ve had since June to make them…” Peter trails off, and Tony furrows his eyebrows and smirks at Peter.

“Are you telling me you’ve had weeks, weeks, to complete this design, and you’ve only started working on it now?”

Peter stares at the ground, and it looks to Tony like he’s expecting a lecture. Tony instead smiles and says:

“Let’s get to work, then.”

Peter looks up and somehow grins wider than before.

=-=+=-=

Tony and Peter work for what feels like hours. They’ve lost themselves in science and math; ignoring the outside world completely as they bounce ideas off each other and build to their hearts content. Tony hasn’t had this much fun for a long while; he makes a mental note to invite Peter to the lab more often.

Tony and Peter are currently in the process of building Peter’s design (which Tony had modified a little) and are throwing jokes back and forth like it’s no big deal.

“We should paint it or something. I don’t want it to just be silver. That would be boring.” Peter says.

“Yeah…what if we paint it some outrageous color, like neon green?” Tony replies, which gets a laugh out of Peter. His laugh is really memorable, and Tony’s love for it grows more the more he hears it.

“We can’t do that, Tony, it has to be a cool color, like red or dark blue, or-” Peter cuts himself off and inhales deeply. His eyes go wide, and Tony gets excited. He’s learned over the past couple hours that whenever Peter makes a face like that, he has a good idea. “We should make it Spider-Man colors! That would be so cool!”

“Wouldn’t that be a little suspicious? I mean, I’m all for the idea, but putting the Spider-Man logo on something that belongs to Peter Parker is going to be skeptical to some people.” Tony shifts his weight onto his left foot and fiddles with the screwdriver that he had dropped earlier.

“I could just say that Spider-Man is my favorite superhero. Even if he really isn’t.” Peter says nonchalantly.

“Well, who is your favorite superhero?” Tony questions.

“…I’d have to go with…Iron Patriot.” Peter’s shoulders shudder as he tries not to laugh at the way Tony’s sass comes to light on his face. Tony shifts his weight onto his other foot.

“Are you telling me that you don’t prefer the clearly superior red and gold armor over the colors of America? I made the suit, for God’s sake!” Tony playfully retaliates, and he’s rewarded by that sweet laughter that doesn’t fail to make him smile.

“No, no, I’m kidding, Tony…” Peter says through giggle fits.

He didn’t even feel this intensely about hearing Pepper say his name. Something about the way Peter says his name in that instance causes Tony to tense. It feels like sparks ignite in his heart and stomach. He’s heard of the saying “butterflies in your stomach” before, but this may be the first time he’s experienced it. It’s really cute, actually.

…what? Wow, did he really just think that? Tony shakes his head intensely and tries to regain his composure, but not before Peter notices.

“You okay, Tony?” Peter asks, and the kindness in his eyes is almost enough for Tony to spill everything, just like how Pepper had almost persuaded him earlier that morning.

“I’m…honestly, I’ve been much better. I’m fifteen, Pete, how can I be fine?” Tony frowns and turns around, heading towards the couch to sit down, but mostly it’s to cover up the fact that he’s blushing. Peter follows suit. “I’m still trying to get used to the idea, I guess, but I don’t know…It’s weird.”

“Yeah, being a teenager is weird, but I’m sure you’ll get used to it.” Peter comforts, but Tony can’t miss the look of disappointment in Peter’s expression when Tony doesn’t react.

Instead of replying, Tony remembers his question from earlier that he thought he wasn’t able to ask Peter. Despite all the red flags, Tony takes a leap and asks, “What’s it like?”

“What?” Peter turns to face him as they sit down on the surprisingly comfortable couch.

“What’s it like being a teenager for you? How do you cope with emotions, work through problems, that sort of stuff?” Tony turns his head away from Peter’s stare and represses the urge to freak out. What if Tony just screwed up? What if this was a little too deep for Peter? Tony knows that he hasn't known Peter on a friendly level for that long, but he thought Peter wouldn't bat an eye to a question like this. He just doesn't know, and that's starting to worry him. When Peter remains silent for far too long, he turns back to see Peter staring off into space. His elbows are on his knees, and he’s hunched over, looking lost in thought. He doesn't look like he's about to leave. Peter seems to be thinking long and hard about this question. Huh. Finally, Peter breaks the silence.

“I’ll be honest, Tony, it’s a bit of a mess, but it’s not too difficult. I imagine most teenagers don’t have superpowers like you and me, so they have it a bit easier. Personally, I find it easiest to wear my heart on my sleeve. So, if I’m having a rough day, people like Aunt May and Ned are able to see and help if they can. I know I would want to help them if they were having a rough day, so I want them to be able to do the same for me.”

Tony thinks about this for a second. Peter clearly feels strongly about his answer and Tony can see his perspective, but Tony and Peter didn't grow up the same way. Peter grew up in a loving environment with his aunt and amazing friends, but Tony was only surrounded by people who used him and never gave him a second glance. He was judged and abused by those who he thought cared for him, and when he tried to show the smallest ounce of love, they'd reject him. Tony knows that Peter has no idea what society is like, but he tries to understand Peter's reasoning.

“But if you ‘wear your heart on your sleeve,’ won’t that make you an easy target for people who want to hurt you?” Tony tilts his head to the side and scrunches his face in a questioning manner.

“I run into that problem all the time.” Peter chuckles, but there’s no real humor behind it. “It’s just a small price to pay for the people you love.”

Tony knows logically that Peter doesn’t know the harshness of the world and how sick and sadistic some people are, but he really wants to believe Peter knows what he’s talking about, so he keeps an open mind.

“Isn’t it just easier to work through the problems yourself instead of burdening someone else?” Tony blurts before he can stop himself, and quickly faces the wall in front of him to avoid Peter’s concerned gaze.

“Tony…” Peter practically sighs his name, but Tony interrupts.

“No, I get it, that was a dumb question, let’s just pretend I never asked–”

“Tony, you’re not a burden to anyone. If you need someone to talk to, I’m here. I know why you’re asking me all these questions. I’m not dumb.” Tony can hear the smirk in Peter’s voice, but he still doesn’t turn to look at him. “I used to think that I could get through all of my problems on my own, too, but it just makes it harder on everyone I care about. They don’t know I’m going through all these things, and when they finally find out, they get angry at me for not coming to them sooner. I know the feeling sucks, and I know internalizing everything seems like a better option, but trust me, Tony. It’s not.”

As Peter speaks, he’s slowly inching his way towards Tony on the couch. Their thighs are almost in contact and Tony can feel his heart racing faster the closer Peter gets. Why is he feeling this way?

“You can rely on me. I’ll be here for you whenever you need me. I promise.”

Tony wants to start crying. God, he’s been doing that a lot lately.

“You can’t promise something like that.” Tony halfheartedly protests.

“I know I can’t…but I can sure as hell try.”

It’s that single sentence that causes the back of his eyes to burn. The sincere kindness from someone who isn’t in his everyday life combined with the blatant honesty of the situation breaks the barrier for Tony.

Although he doesn’t let the tears fall (it takes his entire being to prevent it), he does recognize that all this time, someone like Peter has been missing from his life.

And now that Tony has him, he doesn’t want to let Peter go.

Chapter Text

Tony isn’t very good at holding on to things he loves for very long. Case in point: Peter.

Peter is not even inches away from Tony. He can see how nervous Peter actually is, and it’s a little calming, actually, since Tony is probably equally as nervous. Because he still retains the ability of pretending for the cameras, he can at least hide it a little better than Peter.

Tony’s a little startled at the sudden, loud voice of FRIDAY. “Boss, Colonel Rhodes is requesting access to the lab. Would you like me to let him in?”

Peter instinctively pushes himself away from Tony and crosses his arms. Tony wouldn’t admit this, but he already missed the warmth that Peter provided. Tony was about to reply before Peter spoke up.

“Sorry, Tony, I didn’t mean to get us off track. I can leave. I think we got enough done today, anyway, and I can continue working on this at home. Thanks for helping me out–”

“Send him in, FRI.” Tony said, and then turned to Peter, who was starting to get up from the couch. “You don’t have to leave yet. You’ve never really formally met Rhodey, right?”

“Uh, no, I guess I haven’t–”

“Then it’s settled. Sit back down.” Tony’s heart rate is slowly making its way back to normal. He feels a rush of confidence as Rhodey enters the room, smiles, and waves politely at the teenagers.

“Hey, Tones. Hey, Peter. How are you both doing?” Rhodey asks, but his words are more directed at Tony than they are at Peter.

“We’re doing pretty good. Peter came over to work on a summer robotics project with me.” Tony casually replies. Rhodey directs his attention towards Peter.

“Is that so?” Rhodey lifts an eyebrow and smirks, like he knows something that the teenagers don’t. Tony tilts his head in confusion, but subtly, as to not give in to Rhodey’s obvious teasing.

“Oh, uh, yeah, we were. Doing that. Yeah.” Peter stumbles on his words, and Tony can’t help but grin at his clumsiness. It’s hard to believe that for what Peter lacks in social interaction, he makes up for with agile, precise martial arts and combat training.

“I don’t think we ever really met. Other than in Medbay.” Tony suppresses a flinch, knowing that Rhodey technically met Peter in Germany. “Skip the formalities; you can call me Rhodey. Everyone else calls me that anyway because of this jerk over here.” Rhodey absentmindedly gestures over to Tony, who fake scowls back.

“Hey!” Tony jokingly jeers back, earning honest smiles from both Rhodey and Peter. Peter chuckles a little, then turns to Rhodey, who sits down on a nearby chair close to them.

“Good to finally, like, actually talk to you, Colonel Rho–Rhodey.” Peter hesitates. It might just be the trick of the light, but Tony swears that his cheeks are pinkening. “I watched, uh, the news…as stuff happened…I’m sorry about…uh…Germany…and the whole…” Peter gestures to Rhodey’s prosthetic legs that Tony had made for him. Rhodey just smirks and shakes his head.

“It’s no biggie.” Rhodey waves his hand around carelessly, downplaying the seriousness of the situation. Tony knows for a fact that Rhodey had to go through extensive therapy just to be able to walk again. Tony’s prosthetics were amazing, but in order for them to work, Rhodey has to control them; that was a tough problem at first, but nothing compared to designing a suit for Rhodey that fit himself as well as the prosthetics. Tony gives Rhodey a look that screams “yes, in fact, it is a biggie,” but Rhodey just smiles and pretends not to see him. “So, Peter, you were working on robotics or something?”

“Oh, yeah! It’s so cool! Tony’s helped me with a lot of the design! We installed all of these cool features and it’s just been a blast!” Peter’s grin widens the more he talks.

“So, it’s ‘Tony’ now, huh? Not ‘Mr. Stark?’” Rhodey comments. If Peter wasn’t blushing before, he certainly is now.

“Oh, yeah, uh…” Peter seems to be at a loss for words, staring at his lap. Tony decides to step in.

“I figured it would be weird for him to keep calling me ‘Mr. Stark’ since we’re both the same age now, and people of the same age don’t really call each other stuff like that, right? I just thought it was better this way. It also just sounds like he’s addressing my dad…” Tony trails off there, knowing that he made his point and doesn’t need to elaborate more.

“Makes sense to me.” Rhodey nods in reply. “So how long were you boys planning to stick around down here?”

“I was just leaving, actually. It was really nice to meet you, and all, but I got to get home before Aunt May freaks out.” Peter jumps in. Something inside Tony jolts – something inside him really doesn’t want Peter to leave just yet. Although he doesn’t think he expresses any sort of reaction to Peter’s words, Rhodey shoots him a glance that tells Tony that he knows. Rhodey holds a pained expression towards Tony as Peter gets up from his seat.

“Bye, Rhodey.” Peter smiles and waves at Rhodey, who lifts up a hand in acknowledgement. “See you later, Tony!” Peter yells from across the room as he makes his way towards the exit. With the slam of a door, Tony finds himself slumping more into his seat. For some reason, seeing Peter leave seems to bring his mood down slightly. He’s still happy from seeing Peter here and getting to be nerds in a lab for a few hours, but Tony isn’t as happy as he was when Peter was physically here.

“How have you been, Tones?” Rhodey fully faces Tony now. Tony shrugs and stares off into space.

“I’ve been better, but things aren’t as bad right now.” Tony states truthfully.

“Have you and Peter always hung out in the lab like this?”

“Not really. This has been the first time in a while, actually. It was fun, though. I had fun.”

“I’m glad.” Rhodey shifts his weight to the other side of the chair and grins.

“What’s that look supposed to mean? Do I have something on my face?” Tony asks, though he’s careful to hide the anxiousness in his voice. This entire time, Rhodey’s been acting like he knows more than he lets on, and Tony’s not about to let Rhodey leave before explaining himself.

“Oh, nothing.” Rhodey says, but there’s obvious sarcasm in his voice.

“Come on, tell me! You look like you’ve just been enlightened; let me in on this!” Tony smiles enthusiastically, but his mind is on the fence. Rhodey doesn’t usually act like this unless it’s something that he can tease Tony about for a long time. This can’t be good.

“It’s really nothing, Tony, it’s just…you look at Peter a lot like you used to look at Pepper.” Rhodey calmly explains.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Tony asks.

Rhodey chuckles and sighs. “Tony, you’ve been looking at Peter like there’s no one else in the room lately. It’s just funny to me. You guys seem like you’re becoming better friends.”

Now that Tony thinks about it, Peter is becoming one of his best friends now. There was no doubt in his mind that Rhodey would forever be Tony’s best friend, but Peter was slowly rising in the ranks. Even Peter’s presence is enough to break his walls, just like Pepper can, and she’s one of his closest friends! That has to mean something, right? Tony knows that he feels a lot better when Peter’s around; maybe it’s the energy that Peter gives off, or the way he’s able to make anyone laugh, no matter how sad they’re feeling. Maybe it’s the way Peter knows just what to say with every question Tony has, or the way Peter is so supportive, yet clumsy at the same time. He hasn’t even really hung out with Peter all that much, but ever since the sorcerer, they’ve seemed to hit it off very quickly.

“Tony, stop it.” Rhodey snaps Tony out of his thoughts.

“What?”

“Stop looking like you’re freaking out internally. I know that look from when we were at MIT, man, it’s such a classic ‘Tony Stark’ look.”

“Hah, hah, funny. I guess you’re right, though. Peter and I are becoming good friends. It’s probably just because we’re the same age now, and in retrospect, it was bound to happen.” Tony shrugs again and looks back at Rhodey, who still has a smirk on his face.

“Are you both just good friends?” Rhodey counters. Tony’s heart starts beating a little faster, though he doesn’t know why.

“You cannot be serious.” Tony plays it off as a joke and smirks, but Rhodey sees right through his bullshit.

“You cannot be serious with the way you’re looking at me right now, Tones. Come on, you like him. Don’t try to deny it – once you look at someone like you look at Pepper, I know.” Rhodey jabs and Tony’s hands are becoming clammy.

Tony tries desperately to maintain his composure, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult. Tony doesn’t even know why he’s feeling this way – he realizes that he does look at Peter the way he does at Pepper. He’s even acknowledged it himself, even though he’s never explicitly said it out loud. Maybe just hearing his thoughts in the mouth of someone else is a little uncomfortable, since he never tried to acknowledge it before. It was just a passing thought, not something he dwelled on for too long. Tony starts to feel a little exposed, but still tries to cover it up. He’s already lost it in front of Rhodey too many times, and he isn’t about to do it again.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Tony settles on with a smirk to sell the bit. Rhodey seems to buy it, but Tony knows that he can’t take much more. He doesn’t even know why he’s losing it like this.

“Oh, come on, don’t bullshit me, Tony. Just tell me – you totally like him. I see the goo-goo eyes you make at him, just admit¬”

Tony can’t take it anymore. Something about the way Rhodey’s talking is driving him mad. He can’t sit still, think, or even speak. He gets up and runs out of the room.

“Tony? Wait, hold on!” Rhodey calls after him, but Tony doesn’t listen.

“I just got to go to the bathroom I’ll be right back!” Tony quickly shouts over his shoulder and continues to sprint away.

His legs eventually take him to the bathroom. He slams the door and locks it, but he still thinks that Rhodey will follow him. Tony doesn’t even know why he’s feeling this strongly about some light teasing. He doesn’t really even care. All he knows is that he’s on the brink of a panic attack, and he doesn’t want to think about anything that Rhodey says. As he tries desperately to get a firm grip on his breathing, he hears a knock at the door.

“Tony? You okay in there? Please open the door.” He can hear Rhodey’s voice, calm and concerned.

“Yeah, I’m fine! Everything’s fine!” He replies a little too quickly to be even remotely considered fine.

“Uh huh. Open the door.” Rhodey repeats, but with a little more emphasis this time. Tony knows he can’t hide forever but talking to someone is the last thing he wants to do. He doesn’t even know his own feelings! How is he supposed to explain that to someone else?

Although he really doesn’t want to, he opens the door. Rhodey’s face falls as soon as his eyes set on Tony.

“Oh, Tony, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were sensitive about that topic.” Rhodey kneels down to Tony’s level again and put a hand on his shoulder. Tony shrugs it off. He doesn’t need Rhodey to comfort him for everything. He’s an adult, for God’s sake!

“I’m not sensitive! I’m just…” Tony doesn’t really know how to finish the sentence. Uncomfortable? Distressed? Self-conscious?

But, like always, Rhodey just gets it.

“Hey, don’t worry about it, okay? I won’t mention it again. Promise.”

“It was fine, Rhodey, really, I was handling it–”

“Were you?”

Tony is silent.

“I thought so. Come here.” Rhodey sighs and somehow, his face falls even more. Tony gives up and hugs his best friend once again. He really has to stop breaking down like this in front of Rhodey; he really doesn’t deserve to deal with Tony’s shit. Now that Tony’s fifteen again, he can fully lean on Rhodey without worry that he’ll stumble.

It’s nice, except Tony knows that he can’t go to Rhodey every time he has a mental breakdown.

But Tony Stark is selfish, so he’ll probably do it anyway.

=-=+=-=

Three days.

It’s been three days since Tony has spoken to Peter.

It’s not like Tony doesn’t want to stay in contact with Peter. Quite the contrary; Peter is the only person Tony can connect with nowadays. De-aging to a fifteen-year-old wasn’t fun, and it still isn’t, but Peter’s been a good person to go to for advice, support, and even as a distraction for a while.

But Tony can’t talk to him. He can’t. He has too much on his mind right now and involving Peter is only going to make things worse.

It doesn’t help that most of Tony’s thoughts casually drift to Peter. He doesn’t even know why, but his best bet is because they're the same age now. Tony doesn’t really identify with adults anymore, so it only makes sense that he’d naturally gravitate towards Peter. Tony knows it’s bad to push people away in a time of crisis, but he can’t think of anything better to do except confront Peter and explain what’s going on. Tony doesn’t feel mentally prepared for that yet, so this is the only option he has.

Staring at the ceiling of his room, contemplating his situation, and avoiding Peter.

Tony has been devoid of motivation for a while, ever since he and Peter were in the workshop three days ago. He doesn’t want to go down to the workshop; it reminds him too much of Peter, which is the one thing he’s trying desperately not to think about.

Ever since Rhodey mentioned it, Tony can’t stop thinking about it. They’re just friends. Tony doesn’t see it any differently than that.

So why was he thinking about it so much?

Maybe this is just his emotional teenage body overthinking things. He did this a lot when he was actually fifteen, too. At MIT, he would overthink a problem or a situation and end up doing something wrong. It wasn’t uncommon for other teenagers to overthink things, either, so maybe he’s just overreacting. Tony hopes so, at least.

Upon realizing this, Tony sighs. Every hour, he discovers something new or different that his teenage body can do that his older body couldn’t, or vise versa. It’s so distressing to be in a different body. He’s a lot skinnier, shorter, weaker, more emotional, and impulsive. He doesn’t like it. He still knows how to think reasonably and make rational decisions in irrational circumstances (it’s his responsibility as Iron Man to make those decisions), but maybe the reporter at the press conference was right. He just isn’t able to make those same kinds of calls like he could when he was an adult. How could he continue to be Iron Man when he doesn’t even know if he’s reliable? How can the world look to Iron Man and not also think “wow, there’s only a fifteen-year-old kid in there?”

Tony respects Peter’s decision to not reveal himself as Spider-Man. Peter has always said that he doesn’t want all the attention, but Peter’s really doing himself a favor. People won’t question Spider-Man since all he’s done is help people the best he can, and as long as he keeps doing it, no one will question his intentions, his motivations, or his personal identity.

Tony, on the other hand, isn’t so lucky. He was only able to keep his identity secret for a few hours before telling the media. Although revealing himself had its upsides, there were a lot of downsides, too. For one, since people knew Tony Stark and who he was, people weren’t as keen on trusting him at first to be a “superhero” since Tony was the opposite of one at the time. Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. That was Tony. Then, he flew a nuclear bomb into space. That got people to turn their heads. His reputation was finally starting to take a turn for the better.

Then this happened. One fight that Tony thought nothing of became an event that would permanently damage him for the rest of his life. Not only did his body physically change, but his emotional and mental state also changed along with the spell. That was the worst part. Fifteen-year-old Tony was under the thumb of his father, trying to live up to the legacy his father had instilled within him, and still half in love with Captain America.

That’s another person Tony really doesn’t want to think about. He wonders what Steve said at seeing Tony at the press conference. Did Steve even watch it? Did he even care? He knows exactly where the ex-Avengers are hiding. Should he even attempt to contact them?

No, he thinks. That’s a stupid idea. Steve shouldn’t, and probably doesn’t, care in the slightest. All he cares about is Bucky and being right. He’s Captain America, after all, and who doesn’t know what’s best for this country like Captain America does?

Steve knew. He knew what happened to his parents and didn’t even think to bring it up. Tony considered the Avengers the closest thing to family he could have, and for Steve to keep something this big from him tore him up inside. How could his own friend betray him like this? How could he sit there and know while playing dumb and pretend like nothing was going on?

He’s considered calling Steve before. More than once. But he never does. Every time he looks at the flip phone, he’s reminded of the shit that Steve put him through. Even hours after he looks at the damn thing, all he can see are flashes of Steve shoving his shield into the arc reactor every time he closes his eyes. He just can’t bring himself to forgive Steve. Not after what he did.

Tony doesn’t realize the tears are on his face until seconds before he’s overwhelmed by fatigue. His brain shuts off, and he’s out like a light.

He’s too young for this shit.

Chapter Text

Tony goes down to the lab again.

He really didn’t want to. It reminded him too much of all the fun he had with Peter, which made the pain come back stronger. He figured, though, that it was time to stop being a baby and work for once. Pepper has called him more than a few times asking about Stark Industries stuff, and although she understands his situation, he really needs to stop moping around.

He makes his way to the elevator and yawns. Man, crying yourself to sleep really takes the life out of you. He’s even more tired today than he was when he woke up yesterday. That’s another downside of being fifteen again. He’s tired all the time. He was able to stay up longer as an adult because he had coffee to fuel him, and adults don’t require as much sleep as teenagers. He sighs.

As the elevator descends, Tony goes over all the things he has to do while he’s there. He makes a mental checklist: first, he has to finish the SI stuff that Pepper keeps edging him about. Then, he has to work on trying to make a suit that fits him and that’s adaptable, so when he has growth spurts, he can easily adjust the suit to fit him. Finally, he gets to relax a little bit and sign a few things for Pepper. He wonders if he has his priorities in check. Shouldn’t he sign those papers first? Maybe Pepper would appreciate that more. Yeah, he decides. He’s going to work on actual work first, then figure out the Iron Man suit stuff.

When the elevator doors open, his heart stops, and all of his planning is immediately forgotten.

Peter’s back is turned to him, but Tony knows for a fact that’s Peter. He’s kneeling down next to Dum-E and U, who seem to be absolutely adoring Peter’s attention. Tony knows the robots don’t get as much attention from him as they should, so they love when Peter plays with them. That’s less important, though. Peter fucking Parker, the kid he’s been trying to avoid, is in his lab.

Hearing the elevator, Peter turns around and spots Tony. Though Peter’s smiling, Tony can clearly see the look of sympathy and concern in his eyes. They’re so entrapping that Tony feels like shrinking up into a ball upon Peter’s gaze. Tony expected anger or sadness or frustration. Then again, Tony didn’t expect Peter to be down here at all.

“Hey, Tony, uh…FRIDAY let me down here…hope that’s fine.” Peter stutters out, clearly flustered. Tony’s nerves settle a bit, but not nearly enough.

“Hey, Pete.” Tony manages to say. “Why are you here? How did FRIDAY let you down here?”

“Oh, well, I haven’t heard from you in a while, and after our last session down here, I figured you needed someone to distract you for a bit. You’ve probably been working a lot because of your whole situation, right?” Peter explains.

Tony understands, to an extent. Peter really does have a big heart like his aunt claims. From what Tony can gather, Peter believes that Tony has been cooped up working for SI and paperwork for the whole situation that he’s in. Wow, he is so far off. Tony supposes he should tell Peter the truth, but he doesn’t feel prepared. The whole reason Tony’s been absent is because he’s avoiding Peter.

He settles on telling him: “Yeah, it’s been a little stressful, but nothing I can’t handle.”

Peter’s face falls slightly, like he knows Tony’s lying, but Peter regains his composure just as fast as he lost it.

“If you say so.” Peter sighs out. Then, a smile comes back onto his face. “Hey, so, I brought that project for robotics again. I was testing out some of the features yesterday…or was it two days ago? Maybe – no, no it was yesterday. Anyways, I was testing out the features and I noticed a few problems with the…”

As Peter continues to rant about the project, Tony realizes something. Peter is very concerned. Like, very concerned. Far more concerned than anyone else has been within the past week. He was in the hospital with Tony when he de-aged, he visited once afterwards, he spent a whole day in the lab with Tony, and now he’s here today. And each time they’ve been in the same room, it’s not hard to feel the worry emanating off of Peter. Rhodey and Pepper have been so supportive, too, but they haven’t shown as much concern as Peter. Peter is head over heels worried about Tony, and all Tony can think is, why? Why is he so deserving of this worry from Peter? Why does he care so much? What did Tony do to deserve such a friend like him?

“…so now that’s broken, but I managed to salvage the pieces thanks to Ned. He helped me with that, so now I just have to figure out which piece goes where. I could kind of figure it out, but you put that together, so I decided that coming over would be the best option. FRIDAY was really nice, she let me in and that was great. I was worried I was going to be locked out or something, but then Rhodey overrode the door for me.”

“Rhodey was there? Why did he let you in?” Tony asks, now in tune with the conversation.

“Yeah, he said something about you needing a little distraction. He figured I would be perfect.”

That son of a b–

“Tony, have you been okay? Are you okay? I know I haven’t been as present lately, but the only way I can get in touch with you is through Happy, and he barely ever answers his phone for me. I hadn’t heard from you in three days! I was worried about you! After that conversation we had, I really thought we were connecting, so I texted Happy probably a lot more than I should’ve, but I never got a reply. So, I decided to come over instead. If I’m intruding or anything, I can leave, I’m sorr–“

“No!” Tony couldn’t stop himself before he let it out. Wow, his impulses have really been taking over far more than they should. “You can stay, it’s fine. It’s really okay, I’m really okay, I just…” Tony didn’t know how to finish that sentence.

Tony feels awkward. His hands are trembling, his eyes are glued to the floor, and all he can think about is how extremely bad this situation is. He’s been successfully avoiding Peter for the past three days, but he never stopped to consider Peter’s feelings. All Tony cared about was making sure that Peter was fine, and that meant that Peter had to stay away from Tony as much as possible. Tony has too many issues, and he only wants the best for Peter, so maintaining a good distance was the best option Tony had. He feels so stupid now.

“Hey, Tony, it’s okay…” Peter says, probably noticing Tony’s discomfort. “Did you want to sit down for a bit? Here…”

Peter takes Tony’s wrist and drags him over to the couch where they sat last time. Peter’s hands rest on Tony’s shoulders, and his touch feels warm, radiating a sense of tranquility and relief. Peter guides Tony’s body onto the couch.

“Work is stressful, right? Let’s take a little break, okay? Just sit here for a while, I’ll get some things set up.” Peter removes his hands from Tony’s shoulders and walks back towards his backpack.

As Peter pulls out the banged-up robot from his backpack and sets things up, Tony sinks into the couch and sighs. Peter doesn’t know that for the past three days, Tony’s been doing the exact opposite of what Peter thinks he’s doing, and now that Peter’s standing right in front of him, he doesn’t want Peter to know that.

Seeing Peter so flustered and so adamant about him makes his heart pump in a way that it only did for Pepper. This feels uncomfortable but extremely enjoyable at the same time. Peter spent all his time here so far caring for Tony, which makes Tony feel like he could be doing more for his friend. All he’s done is be a burden and push him away, which is definitely a bad decision on Tony’s end, but what more can he do? He doesn’t want Peter to know that he was being ignored. Maybe, to do this, he should get up and help.

Tony starts to get up, but Peter stops him.

“Hey, hold on, sit back down, Tony, just…” Peter makes his way over to Tony and sits down next to him, with the gap closed between their thighs. Tony feels Peter’s body heat like it’s the only sensation in the whole world, and he can feel his face heat up. Why is he feeling like this?

“It’s really fine,” he insists, “I just needed a few seconds, uh, we can start working on your project, if that’s what you came here for–”

“Listen, Tony.”

Tony shuts up.

“Work has probably been eating away at you. I get it, like, school’s the same way. I just…when I saw your face in the elevator, it really looked like you weren’t all that excited to see me. But, now, obviously, it seems like you’re fine with it, but I-I can’t help but think that maybe I should…come back some other time?”

Tony could feel his heart shake in his chest. Peter seems so sincere, and to think – Peter's probably blaming himself for Tony’s problems, again.

“No, it’s okay. Really. I’m okay, I think I just freaked out because I didn’t expect anyone to be in the lab when I came down here. I’m excited to see you, really, but I was a bit taken aback.”

“I suppose that makes sense…sorry for startling you.” Peter apologizes.

“Don’t worry about it.” Tony replies. “I am really glad to have you here.”

“Let’s work on some robots, okay? I’m sure you’re itching for some fun.” Peter edges on, and Tony nods his head.

They both get up from the couch and Tony can physically feel his heart sink a little when Peter pulls away.

=-=+=-=

Tony and Peter have been working for a little over three hours. Tony was a little awkward at first, but eventually, Peter’s warm and inviting nature was too much to resist. They spent hours doing what they love most: technology and science. They were in the middle of Peter’s project and bantering back and forth like everything was normal. Like Tony’s emotions weren’t on the fritz.

All the while, Tony’s heart keeps skipping, and focusing on the task at hand is becoming harder. He finds himself looking more at Peter than at the project. Peter’s smiles, his laughter, his enthusiasm; everything about him seems intense as opposed to all the other lab sessions they’ve had. Something is wrong here. Very wrong.

“Tony? Earth to Tony? You with me?” He can hear Peter say.

“Oh, shit, did I space out again?” Tony lightly taps his forehead with his palm and lets out a chuckle.

“Yeah, Tony, that’s like the fifth time you’ve done that. Usually you’re paying more attention. Is something wrong?”

Tony turns to face Peter. That is a mistake. Peter’s standing with all his weight on his right foot, his right hand on his hip, and a screwdriver loosely held in his left. His hair is a little fluffy and unkempt due to all the work they’d been doing, and Tony can see the slight dampness of sweat on his forehead. His body is fully facing Tony, giving him Peter’s full attention.

Tony then looks into Peter’s eyes. No deceit, no trickery, no betrayal, no anger, not even a hint of dishonesty. The only thing Tony can see in his eyes is worry.

Then, something in Tony’s head clicks.

Wait. Wait. No. This cannot be happening.

“Tony?” Peter inquires, staring right back at Tony.

“Uh…yeah…I’m good…hey can we maybe pick this up some other time I have some stuff to do and I’d rather not have your aunt yell at me for keeping you here late so yeah I’ll contact you later here let me help you pack up your stuff…” Tony rambled as he tore his eyes away from Peter and frantically started packing up the project into Peter’s backpack.

“Hey, chill, hang on a second–“ Peter tries to say, but Tony interrupts him.

“No it’s fine you probably have other things to do today anyway than hang out with me look there’s the door you can see yourself out so I’m going to go because I have some other things to do I just remembered so I’ll see you later bye!” Tony yells wildly over his shoulder as he makes a beeline for the elevator.

“Wait–“ He can hear Peter say, but the elevator doors close before Peter can say anything else.

Finally, alone again, Tony sinks onto the floor as the elevator makes its way up to Tony’s suite. Because Tony is the admin, the elevator won’t stop for anyone, so Tony lets himself plunge into a panic attack.

So many things make sense now. So many emotions that he’d passed off as weird or spontaneous finally have a better explanation. So many thoughts that he’d waved aside now have meaning.

He has a crush on Peter.

A crush. On Peter fucking Parker.

This is the worst thing that could’ve possibly happened.

This is not normal. He’s fifty. He has a crush on a 15-year-old. That’s definitely the opposite of normal. He cannot have this happen to him right now. This is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong, this is wro–

The elevator doors open to reveal his suite empty. He stumbles out and lands the exact opposite of gracefully onto the couch. He’s got to get his breathing under control.

‘Okay, okay,’ he tells himself, ‘just focus on breathing, just focus on breathing…four seconds in, four seconds out.’

He tells himself this for what seems like forever before he finally can breathe like a normal human being. The occasional shudder runs through his body every now and again, his hands are still trembling, and his eyes feel as if they’re about to burst, but he’s calm now. Well, he’s the Tony Stark version of calm now.

Tony lets himself stare up at the ceiling for a while. He needs to think about this logically.

He already knows it can never work. Peter’s too young for him. Too young and too inexperienced. It just can’t work out. So now Tony has to find out how to get over him.

Think of all the bad things about Peter. Yeah, that’d work. Okay, let’s see…

He’s spontaneous. He’s cocky. He’s excitable. He’s stubborn. He can’t think before he speaks. He can’t think before he acts. He probably has too much power for his own good. He’s desperate for Tony’s approval. The execution of his morals isn’t always the best. He’s too focused on helping people to care about himself. He could get beaten senseless and still try to save people. He has too big of a heart for his own good. He’s going to get taken advantage of eventually. Tony’s gone through the exact same thing; he knows what that feels like.

Tony mentally shakes his head. Stay focused!

…he can’t.

His mind is drifting towards good things about Peter. His big heart. His sense of morality. His athletic and acrobatic skills. His love for science and engineering, like Tony. The way he shifts his weight, or the look he gives Tony when he knows that he made a bad joke that Peter didn’t approve of, or the way his eyebrows furrow when he’s confused about a practical problem. The way his hair fluffs up when he’s been working for a long time, the way–

Ugh, no, what is he doing? All this accomplishes is digging himself into a deeper hole!

Tony sighs in frustration and sits in a more comfortable position on the couch.

He sits there for a long, long time.

What the hell is he going to do?

Chapter Text

“You did what?”

“I shouted something over my shoulder and left, Rhodey, and you’d know that if you paid attention the first time.”

“I was listening, Tones, I just…”

Tony paces back and forth in Rhodey’s suite. The feelings are still raw, but Tony was hopeful that Rhodey could help him process this fierce, insane hurricane of emotions swirling around his mind.

“Tony, I don’t understand. Why did you leave? You just said you ‘realized’ something and left, but that seems kind of important.”

“I’ll tell you later, Rhodey, why did you let him down into the lab?” Tony makes sure to lace the sentence with frustration. He stops pacing and turns to fully face Rhodey. “What made you think that it would be okay to let him down there?”

“Let me answer your question with another question. Why have you been cooped up in your room for the past three days? Huh? Want to explain that one to me?” Rhodey retaliates.

“Hey, no, I asked you first! That’s not fair!” Tony fumes, forming fists at his sides. He stops pacing to shoot Rhodey a death stare. Rhodey pays no mind to it, though.

“I thought Peter told you, Tony, I thought you needed a distraction! I was worried about you, y’know.” Rhodey pauses, and Tony's demeanor relaxes. “When your best friend secludes himself from the rest of the world, you kind of want to know what happened. I thought that the best thing to do was to help a little by silently letting Peter into the lab. You both seem to get along really well, so I thought it would be perfect if you two spent some time forgetting the rest of the world for a while. Clearly, I was wrong and should have asked you first. I’m sorry, Tony, but I was only trying to help.”

Tony sighs. Rhodey’s right. He would never do something to intentionally hurt Tony in any way. Rhodey just doesn’t know that the whole reason Tony secluded himself was to avoid Peter. He better explain this soon, or Rhodey isn’t going to understand.

“It’s fine, Rhodey, I get it. I know you were only trying to help, but it’s just that…” Tony turns away from Rhodey to look anywhere else. “The whole reason I was up in my room...was to avoid Peter.” He humorlessly smirks, but his face falls again within a few seconds.

Tony can see Rhodey’s face contort out of the corner of his eye. “Tony, why would you want to avoid Peter? He’s been such a huge help for you this past week-"

“Yeah, that’s the problem.” Tony interrupts and turns to face Rhodey. “He has been a huge help. He’s been here this whole time, and I just…I don’t quite know how to feel about it.”

“What do you mean?” Rhodey edges him to continue.

“Well, you’d think that I, the infamous Tony Stark, wouldn’t need people to help me out or anything like that because I’m an emotionless billionaire-"

“Hey, hang on,” Rhodey stops him, “that’s what the media thinks of you, okay? Don’t group the rest of us in with them. Not me, not Pepper, and definitely not Peter.”

“Yeah, okay. You’re right. You guys are nothing like them.” Tony sighs. “It’s just that Peter hasn’t been a huge part of my life up until a week ago, and already he’s been able to do…this to me.”

“Again, please explain to me what you mean. You know I can’t help you when you don’t tell me what’s going on.” Rhodey shifts his position to the edge of the couch cushion to give Tony his full attention.

Tony sighs. He’s really going to admit this, isn’t he?

“Rhodey…I think I may kind of…like Peter.”

Rhodey is silent, but only for a brief moment. “You mean-"

“Yeah. ‘Like’ in that way.” Tony makes air quotes to emphasize his point.

“Oh.”

Tony can practically hear the cogs in Rhodey’s mind turn. At least it’s out in the open now. Tony’s a little shaken up, too. This is the first time he’s admitted to liking Peter out loud, and that’s scary, but also relieving. It’s a lot like when he first told Rhodey he liked Pepper, but man, that was way easier than this.

“So…” Rhodey speaks up after a minute. “Does this mean you’re…gay? Bisexual?”

Tony is taken aback. “What? No, no, I don’t know. Maybe? Does it matter?”

“I guess not, but I’m just trying to understand. Sorry.” Rhodey tilts his head down, probably pondering this whole situation.

Tony understands. Rhodey hasn’t been kept in the loop recently, and it's mostly Tony’s fault. Rhodey is his best friend, after all, so to not keep him updated is a pretty big dick move on Tony’s end. Maybe he should tell him that, before he forgets.

“Listen, Rhodey-”

“Is this why you panicked a few days ago when I teased you for liking Peter?” Rhodey tilts his head back up to look at Tony.

Now that Tony thinks about it, that makes so much sense. Tony had liked Peter before he knew it himself, so the sudden urge to lock himself in the bathroom that day made complete sense.

“Yeah, I guess so.” Tony replies.

“I’m so sorry about that Tony, I didn’t know…” Rhodey trails off and looks into Tony’s eyes, pleading for forgiveness.

“It’s okay, Rhodes, I didn’t know either.” Tony says comfortingly.

They both sit in silence for a few minutes, but it’s not awkward at all. Tony still needed time for all these emotions to sink in, and he had no doubt that Rhodey was doing the same thing. Tony hasn’t even fully accepted the thought yet. He’s only been a teenager for a week, and already he has a crush on a boy his age? That’s also just wrong.

“Tony, you really have to stop making the face.” Rhodey breaks the silence.

“What face?”

“The one that you make when you think about things too hard. Tell me what’s wrong.” Rhodey states in a way so enticing that Tony feels like he can’t say "no."

“This whole thing is just…wrong.” Tony says, and he immediately feels a weight lifting off his shoulders. That felt so good to say, but it didn't make the situation itself feel any different.

“Can you tell me why?” Rhodey asks softly, probably to avoid agitating Tony in his vulnerable state.

Tony finally turns to face his best friend. Upon seeing Rhodey's pleading, caring eyes, he feels a sharp, intense urge to let everything out. So that’s exactly what he does.

Tony tells Rhodey everything. About how he thinks he’s felt this way ever since he saw Peter in the hospital, how caring Peter’s been ever since then, and everything leading up to this moment in Rhodey’s suite. Rhodey just sits quietly and lets Tony rant. It’s almost as if Rhodey knows that Tony needs this.

“…then I came up here to talk to you. This whole thing just feels wrong, Rhodey; I’m fifty! I’m fifty and I feel this way about a fifteen-year-old kid! I feel so dirty! I don’t know how to handle it. I thought I could do that on my own, but I clearly can’t. I don’t know how to feel, I don’t know what to say…Rhodey, I have no idea what to do.”

Rhodey, after being so patient, waits a few seconds for Tony to elaborate. When he doesn’t, Rhodey finally speaks. “Tony, it’s okay. Please trust me when I say that this is okay. Everything is okay.”

Tony waits a beat before replying. “I really want to believe you.”

“Tony, you’ve got the wrong mentality.” Rhodey says without hesitation.

Tony can’t help but stare at Rhodey in disbelief. “What?”

“I know it’s not easy and I know you can’t see it right now, but Tony, you aren't fifty anymore. Sure, you may be mentally fifty, but you and I both know you don’t act that way anymore. You’re a lot more emotional, impulsive…look, what I’m saying is you’re acting exactly how you look, but that’s not a bad thing. I know it seems really perverted to think of Peter that way, but you’re still looking at him through the lens of the adult you used to be. Since your condition isn’t reversible, you can’t keep going with this mentality that you are fifty. You’re not anymore. You were. That’s just how it is.”

Tony doesn’t want to believe him. Tony knows he’s fifty. He knows he’s a bit more impulsive and emotional, like Rhodey said, but that doesn’t mean he’s 100% fifteen. All he has now is his experience and his memories. Is that really all he has left? Now he’s just stuck in this body that doesn’t express how he feels properly.

Wait, no, hang on a second. That’s inaccurate. Instead of saying that Tony doesn’t express how he feels properly, it’s more like he’s expressing all of his internalized emotions that he was really good at hiding when he was an adult. He was an expert at putting on a face for not just the media, but also for the people he cared about, and now that he’s been de-aged, he’s having a hard time containing all those emotions. They’ve been finding ways of leaking out through his voice, his actions, and his body. He’s been crying a lot more, he’s been having more panic attacks, and he’s been a lot more sensitive than he ever was as an adult.

He has to work on that.

“Rhodey…I see what you’re saying, but I can’t wrap my head around that yet. I guess I just have to work on accepting the fact that I’m fifteen now, don’t I?”

“I’m afraid so, man.”

Tony shuts his eyes, sighs deeply, and takes a moment to compose himself. Wow, this is possibly the most emotional he’s ever been in his whole life. Then, he opens his eyes to see Rhodey staring back at him comfortingly. A sudden wave of exhaustion overcomes him, prompting him to sit down next to Rhodey on the comfortable couch. Being in a vulnerable state has really weighed him down.

Rhodey places his arm around Tony’s shoulders and brings him closer. Tony immediately sinks into Rhodey’s side. Being around Rhodey as of late has been like taking a fresh breath of air. No words have to be said, just a tranquil silence. Tony goes from sinking to melting into Rhodey’s side, which Rhodey responds to by tightening his grip. It's like Rhodey's preventing him from plummeting into the Earth itself.

It’s reassuring to know that Rhodey won’t let him fall.

“Anything else you want to talk about? I have all night, kiddo.” Rhodey says absentmindedly, but it means the world to Tony in that moment. Maybe it was an after-effect of the emotional distress he was just subjected to, but knowing that Rhodey had all night to talk to him was very soothing. Not to mention how the use of the nickname “kiddo” and how right that felt. But Tony doesn’t want to touch on that. He has too many other things going on right now.

And although Tony feels very relaxed, he does want to discuss some other things with Rhodey.

“Yeah, actually…has the Ross situation gotten any better?” Tony shuts his eyes, both to hide himself from Rhodey’s gaze and because he's so tired.

“Tony, I don’t think we should talk about that.” Rhodey automatically replies.

“What? Why?” Tony sits back up to open his eyes and look at Rhodey. “Is it worse? Has Ross done something bad? Is something wrong?”

“No, Tony, nothing like that.” Rhodey reassures. “It’s just that firstly, you just basically poured your heart out to me-”

“…I didn’t ‘pour my heart out’ to you…” Tony says under his breath, knowing fully that Rhodey could hear him. But Rhodey continues, ignoring Tony completely.

“-and secondly, you don’t need to know about it. Pepper told you to focus on yourself for the time being, didn’t she?”

“How do you know I talked to Pepper?” Tony’s eyebrows furrow.

“She and I talk often. We need to make sure that Ross doesn’t get the advantage now that this-“ he gestures to Tony’s figure, “-has happened. Pepper’s doing an amazing job keeping Ross at bay, but who knows how long that will last. Ugh, listen to me.” Rhodey chuckles humorlessly. “I shouldn’t even be telling you any of this.”

“No, wait, Rhodey, please. Tell me.” Tony scoots a little closer to Rhodey, trying to entice him to continue. “I was a major part of this whole thing before I got de-aged. I know I can’t really do anything about it now, but I think that at the very least, I should be updated. I swear I won’t try to do anything unless you or Pepper gives me the ‘okay.’ Please.” Tony attempts to give Rhodey his best “puppy eyes” in an attempt to get him to say something, anything. Tony really needs something other than Peter to think about.

“…Okay, but this better not go back to Pepper.” Rhodey caves in.

“YES! I mean, uh, yeah, I swear. I won’t tell her anything you tell me. Thanks, Rhodey.” Tony beams up at Rhodey with curiosity written all over his face. Rhodey smiles and begins his explanation.

“Alright…well, I’m sure Pepper mentioned Project Locate, right? She investigated that more, and as it turns out, it really is just another project dedicated to finding the ex-Avengers. They’re working on disbanding Ross’ whole operation as we speak. It shouldn’t be that much of a problem soon.” Rhodey explains.

“Aw, I was hoping for a fight or something to go down. Too bad we’re just too good.” Tony comments with a smirk. Rhodey rolls his eyes, but continues.

“As for the Accords, a meeting is scheduled for this weekend to discuss how things will continue without you there. Ross is starting to act really confident now that you’re not there to intimidate him.”

“I intimidated Ross? All this time, I thought he was just being a dick, but…huh.” Tony shrugs and went back to heeding every word that came out of Rhodey’s mouth.

“Yeah, we thought that too. He’s been cockier without you around. It’s starting to get on everyone’s nerves.” Tony can feel Rhodey shudder slightly, no doubt because he’s getting sick of dealing with Ross.

“Ugh…I’m so sorry, Rhodey. I wish there was something I could do. I wish I didn’t let my guard down, I wish I didn’t get hit by that stupid sorcerer, and I wish I wasn’t the cause of all this stress-” Tony apologizes, but Rhodey places his hand, which was originally resting on Tony’s shoulder, over Tony’s mouth to shut him up.

“Don’t you dare apologize for something that’s out of your control, kiddo. Don’t you fucking dare.” Rhodey declares, and Tony tenses up at the underlying harshness in his voice. Rhodey never swore. Never.

Rhodey sighs and removes his hand from Tony’s mouth. Tony takes in a breath; it’s deeper than normal, but not a traditional deep breath. Just enough to get some more air in his lungs.

“You’re not the cause of my stress. Ross is. Don’t you ever forget that.” Rhodey finishes, placing his hand back on Tony’s shoulder.

Tony waits a few seconds before replying: “Language.”

Laughing feels so good right now.

Chapter Text

Tony’s being carried away somewhere. Tony’s far too enveloped in his fatigue to recognize what's happening, but before he tries to make sense of the situation, he feels his back practically weld itself to the comfortable surface that materializes below him. Relaxation wraps around him, and he plunges into a very (much needed) deep sleep.

When Tony wakes up, he doesn’t open his eyes right away. He knows he isn’t in his own suite, but at least he knows where he is. It didn’t fully register yesterday, but he knows for a fact that this is Rhodey’s room. Rhodey received some of the fuzziest, coziest, softest bed sheets and blankets when Tony designed the compound. Tony’s determined to enjoy this moment while it lasts.

Wait, he hears someone talking. Whispering.

It’s only now that he feels another body shift next to him.

“Yeah, I have him right here.”

A brief pause.

“He’s okay, don’t worry, he’s just…having a rough week.”

Another longer pause.

“I completely agree. He doesn’t deserve any of this. I just wish there was more I could do to help. Heh, I understand how you feel now, I suppose.”

Tony wonders how long Rhodey’s been up. What time was it? Has Rhodey stayed here all night with him?

Still, Tony doesn’t move.

“Yeah, I’ll talk to you later. I’m sure you have a lot to do…and yes, I will ask him about the paperwork. You know him; you have to hold his hand the whole way to get him to do anything. And yes, I’ll have him call you. Okay, bye.”

Tony can feel Rhodey shift again, probably to set his phone on the nightstand. Tony’s quietly proud that he’s been immobile for this long.

Tony hears Rhodey sigh and whisper: “It’s going to be alright, kiddo.

“Everything feels strange, I know. Being de-aged can’t be easy, and I’ve seen first-hand how difficult it’s been for you. I don’t fully understand what you’re going through, but I’ll do my best to try. I am your legal guardian now, after all, so shouldn’t I be doing more?” Tony hears him sigh again. “Just…don’t shut me out. Let me help you because I really, truly want to. You’ve helped me more than enough times…just let me return the favor, okay?” Rhodey sharply exhales, and Tony can hear the grin on his lips. “What am I saying? You’re asleep anyway. Even if I told you all this when you wake up, you’d still deny it. At least I can tell you now and hope that somehow, you understand.”

He feels a firm, yet gentle hand set down on his hair; Tony feels it stroking back and forth, as if Rhodey’s petting the top of his head. Tony fights with every fiber of his being not to stir and alert Rhodey that he’s awake. He…strangely enjoys this. Rhodey doesn’t even know that Tony’s awake, and yet he cares for Tony in a way no one else has before.

This isn’t like how Tony cares about Peter…no, this is something else entirely.

He just can’t put his finger on it.

Tony feels Rhodey’s hand leave his head, and he unintentionally frowns at the sudden absence of warmth. He feels Rhodey rise up; he doesn’t leave the bed, but he isn’t laying down, either.

“It’s scary, kiddo, I know, but it’ll be alright.” Rhodey whispers again. “Wake up whenever you feel like it…you deserve it.”

With that, Rhodey gets up and quietly shuts the door behind him. Tony finally opens his eyes, turns on his back to face the ceiling, and places his hands under his head.

What just happened? Rhodey’s never done anything like that before…maybe he’s just concerned and expresses it by doing whatever he just did. But ever since Tony got de-aged, Rhodey and Pepper have been acting a little more…parental. Tony wonders why they started acting that way, and why he keeps allowing it to continue. Maybe it was because he never noticed it until now, or maybe he’s been subconsciously okay with the treatment.

Rhodey’s definitely taken on more of paternal role in Tony’s life in the past week. Tony still believes that he doesn’t deserve someone like that. His own father never really acknowledged his existence, and it was only when he died (and Nick Fury forcefully inserted himself into the picture) did Tony realize that his father did truly love him. Howard never expressed himself properly, so it only makes sense that he’d record a video in the hopes that Tony saw it when he was older.

Rhodey wasn’t like his father at all. Rhodey was a completely different kind of person; he was someone who didn’t let his ego or self-pride take over his entire personality. No, there’s no way Rhodey is treating Tony like this on purpose. It’s probably a subconscious response. After all, it’s probably easier to treat someone differently based on their appearance rather than their mental age.

Or maybe Tony’s overthinking this. Rhodey may be acting differently, but Tony may be jumping to conclusions too soon. Maybe he should ask Rhodey about it. No, on second thought, that would make for an awkward conversation. “Hey, Rhodey, why are you treating me like I’m your son all of a sudden?” That would never end well.

Tony decides to not linger on the subject too long. He’ll push them aside until he talks to Rhodey more. He takes a deep breath, and he suddenly recalls everything that happened yesterday. Mysteriously, he starts to shiver. Maybe the emotions are still too hard to process, or maybe he’s just cold, but he has a feeling that it’s not the latter.

After a few minutes of being left alone with his thoughts, a sudden wave of smells waft into the bedroom. It smells…delicious. Like eggs and bacon. Tony enjoys the bed for a few more seconds before getting up to follow the smell coming from the door.

“Oh, good, you’re awake. I was worried you had died.” Rhodey greets sarcastically when he spots Tony exiting the bedroom.

“Oh, no, I’m totally dead. I’m actually a ghost right now. Oooo…” Tony waves his hands around and does his best ghost impression. Rhodey side-smiles, then turns his attention to the food cooking in front of him.

“Guess this ghost can’t have any food then because he’s not really alive…” Rhodey replies in a sing-song voice. Tony laughs for a moment.

“No, wait, please, it smells really good! This ghost can eat, I swear! Please, Rhodey!” Tony begs. Rhodey turns to him and smirks.

“Alright, just don’t go leaving ectoplasm everywhere. I don’t want to clean up more of your messes.” Rhodey chuckles. Tony’s laugh wobbles, but he tries to make it convincing enough for Rhodey to not notice. That joke rubbed him the wrong way. Not only because it was true, but because Tony still feels really guilty about it. Rhodey shouldn’t have to clean up his messes. Tony’s problems aren’t Rhodey’s.

“You okay there?” Rhodey finishes cooking and walks over to the dining table, two breakfast plates in hand, as he speaks. He sets them down, and Tony takes a seat in front of one. Tony must have stayed silent for too long and Rhodey assumed something was wrong. So much for trying to convince his best friend he’s fine. It never works.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Just…still shaken up from yesterday, I guess.” Tony replies.

“It’s understandable. It’ll take some time, but I think you’ll be okay.” Rhodey tries to reassure. “Just eat up; you have some homework to do.”

Tony thinks back to Rhodey’s phone conversation in the bedroom. Could he have been talking to Pepper?

“What do you mean?” Tony asks as he digs into Rhodey’s excellent cooking. His taste buds practically shudder with delight; wow, this is really, really good.

“Pepper called me when you were still asleep. She said you still have SI paperwork to do. Did you know about this?”

“What is this, an interrogation?” Tony chuckles.

“She also mentioned that she’ll be back for the Accords meeting this weekend. She knows you won’t be going, but she’d love to come and visit.” Rhodey explains.

“Oh, cool. I miss her.” Tony comments.

“Yeah, she said she wanted to check in. She also said to call her at some point today.”

“Yeah I can do that.”

The next few minutes were spent devouring the amazing breakfast Rhodey made. There wasn’t much more that needed to be said anyway. Other than, of course, Tony’s whole situation with Peter. What’s Tony going to do the next time he sees Peter?

“Tony, I really think you should get in touch with Peter.” Rhodey says, as if reading Tony’s thoughts. “Invite him to the lab, go hang out at his house, I don’t know. As long as you talk to him.”

“I probably should…” Tony speaks in between bites. “I don’t know…will he want to see me? After all, I did run out and leave him by himself in the lab without any explanation.”

“I’m sure he’s just as worried about you as I was yesterday, Tony.” Rhodey confidently reassures. “He’ll be glad to hear from you. He was really excited to see you the other day. You should have seen the look on his face when I gave him access to the lab.”

Tony imagines that scenario and smiles. Peter probably thanked Rhodey a million times outside the elevator doors. He probably had the biggest smile on his face and bounced around like he was an eight-year-old. Tony smiles even more.

Tony then remembers what Rhodey said yesterday. Peter has been nothing but supportive and kind, of course he would be ecstatic to hear from Tony. Worried, but relieved. He'll worry about what he's going to say when the situation presents itself.

“Yeah…okay…I’ll call him at some point today.” Tony finally says.

“I’m glad to hear it, kiddo.”

Again, with the use of the word “kiddo.” Tony would absolutely find it crazy if Rhodey called him that when he was fifty, but now, it’s strangely okay. Ugh, Tony can’t let Rhodey know that he likes the nickname, or he’ll never hear the end of it.

=-=+=-=

Tony finally gets around to the SI paperwork after a little tinkering in the workshop. Tony didn’t initially want to go down there in fear that Peter would be there, but Rhodey promised that he would ask Tony before letting Peter down there again. Tony trusted Rhodey, so he finally convinced himself to go down and spend an hour or two down there doing what he loved: working on suits for himself. He made a little progress for the first hour, but then he spotted the SI paperwork out of the corner of his eye. Tony thought he’d just get it done for Pepper’s sake.

Tony didn't think that going through paperwork would be too difficult, but life seems to want him to suffer. Most of the papers are lawsuits and settling complaints from other companies and customers, and Tony inclines to believe that it's because of his de-aging. Tony sinks into his stool a little, feeling guilty. What must Pepper be going through to resolve his mistakes? He feels so terrible that she has to continue cleaning up his messes after all this time. Pepper's done so much for him...I guess the least he can do is sign off on these papers.

Midway through filling out paperwork, his phone dings. And keeps dinging. Tony initially ignores it, but the annoyance finally strikes a chord in him. He picks up his phone and sees Pepper's name in the caller ID. This must be important. Doesn't she have to be in a meeting right now?

Tony immediately answers.

“Tony! Thank god, I’ve been trying to reach you!” Pepper picks up on the first ring and almost immediately jumps into a rant.

“Whoa, slow down, hello to you too! Calm down and explain.” Tony interrupts.

“Okay, okay…” Pepper takes a deep breath before continuing. “Do you remember when I told you to focus on yourself and not worry about Ross for a while?”

“Yeah, why?” Tony cocks his head to the side, confused.

“Forget about that for a few minutes. That project I mentioned, ‘Project Locate,’ isn’t what we thought it was. It’s something much, much darker. Oh god, I shouldn’t even be telling you this, but you know Ross better than anyone. Please tell me you can help me out here.” Pepper’s pace gets quicker the more she talks, like she’s in a hurry or in danger.

“Are you safe? Is anyone hurt?” Tony asks to ease his mind.

“Yes, Tony, I’m safe, everyone is. Nothing has happened yet, but things are going to get out of hand fast. The team says they don’t know exactly what’s happening, but they know that it has something to do with you. I don’t even know if the ex-Avengers are even involved anymore. This is probably so much information for you, and I’m sorry, but I’m going to come visit later to make sure you’re safe. Are you safe? You are safe, right?” Pepper voice is laced with stress and worry.

Tony shudders, but answers confidently. “Yeah, Pep, I’m okay. And before you ask, things have been ordinary. None of Ross’ men have showed up or anything. I’m okay.”

“Good, good…” Pepper calms down slightly. “I’m still stopping by later to make sure you put in more security at the compound. Make sure Rhodey is close by until I get there to double check everything, okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll start putting in some new precautions to FRIDAY’s code.” Tony says, waving his hand, knowing that FRIDAY will pick up on what he wants her to do. She’s good like that.

“Okay good…I’ll see you later, okay? I have to go; this meeting is so stressful without you here.” Tony’s sure Pepper absentmindedly said that, because she inhales a little too sharply to be normal directly after she finishes talking.

“I wish there was more I could–” Tony begins, but Pepper interrupts him, just like Rhodey did the other night.

“No, no apologies, I shouldn’t have said that. Go back to worrying about yourself, okay? I have everything covered for now. I’ll be sure to let you know if I need anything at all from you, okay?” Pepper assures.

“Okay, I’ll see you later.” Tony says, starting to shiver. “Be safe.”

“Yeah…you too.” Pepper replies before hanging up.

Oh, god.

“F-FRIDAY?” Tony squeaks out amidst his panic. “Can you tell Rhodey to come down to the lab?”

“I’ll let him know right away, boss.” FRIDAY swiftly answers.

Tony removes himself from the paperwork to sit on the floor. He was able to keep it together on the phone with Pepper, but he couldn’t keep that up for too much longer without going into a panic attack. Another person with him is exactly what he needs.

It’s funny. When he was fifty, he would have never considered acting on his impulse to ask Rhodey for help in a state of panic, but now, it seems almost right. Maybe unloading all those emotions and pent up stress last night allowed him to be a little more open about going to Rhodey for help. All Tony knew is that he didn’t want to be alone.

Rhodey seems out of breath as he bursts through the doors of the elevator, like he had sprinted to get here.

“Tony! Tony?” Rhodey’s eyes dart around the room, probably scanning for danger (he was in the military, after all), before settling on Tony underneath the desk. “Oh, there you are.”

Rhodey makes his way over to Tony’s side and places an arm around his shoulders. Tony already feels better knowing that Rhodey’s there to protect him.

“What’s wrong, buddy? FRIDAY said it was urgent.” Tony can’t see Rhodey's face, but he definitely sounds worried, like Pepper on the phone.

“Pepper says I might be in danger.” The words escape Tony’s mouth before he can stop himself. “She called me and said that things could be dangerous for me…I didn’t know what to do.”

“Well, you did the right thing by asking FRIDAY to contact me. Good job, kiddo.” Rhodey comforts, and just that sentence simultaneously makes Tony feel infinitely better and let out a few tears. Rhodey doesn’t say anything, just moves to face Tony directly. Rhodey then pulls him into a hug.

Tony just cries, not worried at all about being vulnerable.

After a few minutes of just sitting on the floor and crying, Tony finally pulls away and explains his reasoning for calling Rhodey down to the lab.

“Do you feel safe now that you’ve asked FRIDAY to install new security codes?” Rhodey asks.

Tony thinks for a moment. “Not really. I don’t feel safe alone.” He answers honestly.

“That’s okay. I love the honesty.” Rhodey calmly encourages. “If you want, I can sort of supervise while you continue to work down here. Would that be okay with you?”

Tony doesn’t say anything for fear that he will start crying again. He decides to nod instead; it would be more comfortable if Rhodey were here with him.

“I’ll stay, it’s alright.” Rhodey brings Tony in for one last small hug before standing up, extending a hand to Tony. Tony takes it.

He feels so much better knowing Rhodey will protect him.

Why didn’t he feel this way when he was fifty?

Chapter Text

Tony’s been working in the lab for a few hours now. Ever since he got the phone call from Pepper, he’s been on edge. Luckily, Rhodey’s been by his side for the entire time: cracking jokes, making suggestions, and protecting him. Tony definitely feels safer with Rhodey watching over him.

After a while, Rhodey decides that Tony’s had enough playtime. He almost has to physically drag Tony out of the lab to go get some lunch.

Tony and Rhodey sit at the table back in Rhodey’s room for a while. Only small chit chat makes its way to light up the mood, but there’s a mutual understanding that there could be danger at any time. Tony knows that he’s prepared: his modified suit for his fifteen-year-old body is past the prototype stage, only needing minor modifications that he could do without if a battle arose.

Rhodey looks like he’s on guard, too. Every once in a while, Rhodey’s eyes dart up to scan the room, making sure that there is no danger with them. Rhodey did this down in the lab, too. Tony wonders if Rhodey has his suit close by.

Suddenly, a ding from Rhodey’s phone makes them both jump. Tony relaxes after realizing what made the noise and continues eating while Rhodey picks up his phone.

“Pepper’s here. I’m going to grab the door. I’ll be right back, okay?” Rhodey cautiously asks, almost like he’s walking on eggshells while talking to Tony.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Let her in.” Tony replies, taking another big bite of Rhodey’s beautiful cooking.

Rhodey leaves the dining room, and all of a sudden, a wave of fear runs through Tony’s veins. Something about Rhodey not being in sight rubs Tony the wrong way. He wraps his arms around himself, losing his appetite. Is he just imagining this, or is Ross here? Has Ross come for him? Where is he?

Tony knows he’s probably freaking out for no reason, paranoia getting the best of him, but there’s something unsettling about Rhodey not being with him.

Rhodey returns with Pepper only a few seconds later, but to Tony, it seems like an eternity has passed. Tony couldn’t keep this to himself. He jumps out of his chair and sprints over to Rhodey, enveloping him in a hug. Rhodey hugs back, hesitation clear in his actions, but also understanding.

“Hey, Tony.” Pepper says quietly, probably to avoid upsetting Tony. “How have you been?”

“I’ve been better…” Tony says into Rhodey’s chest. He pulls away slowly, realizing how weird this looks.

“Let’s go sit down and finish eating, okay?” Rhodey places a hand on Tony’s shoulder and tries to guide him towards the table. Tony obliges, following Pepper and Rhodey back to the dining room to sit down.

Pepper begins, and rightfully so. “I’m sorry for the phone call, Tony. I know it wasn’t the best time and I know you’ve been busy adjusting to the new body, but this couldn’t wait. I didn’t mean to make you worry, but I kind of screwed that up, didn’t I? Did you install more security?”

“Yeah, FRIDAY did it when you called.” Tony replies. “Can you tell me more about this project? Since I’m involved, I think I have a right to know.”

“Tony, I don’t think–” Rhodey begins, but Tony stops him.

“No, Rhodey, I need to know this. The insurance of my safety is involved now, so I feel like I should be updated.” Tony turns back to face Pepper, his eyes pleading for something, anything to work with. “Please, Pepper.” He says in a small voice.

Pepper sighs. “There’s been a little more investigating done since earlier today when I called you.” She begins.

“The team investigating him thinks that the word ‘Locate” may be an acronym for something much sinister. We still think the ex-Avengers are involved, and we don’t know for sure, but it seems to be mainly about tracking you and your movements ever since you got de-aged. Apparently, Ross has taken a great interest, and he even told us that he ‘lost his shit’ when he saw you at the press conference.”

Tony shrinks in his seat slightly.

“I think as long as you have FRIDAY do perimeter checks often and make sure security is tight here at the compound, you should be okay. Make sure you know everyone who walks through the front doors of this place.” She finishes.

“Yeah, I can do that.” Tony says confidently but shudders internally thinking of what might happen if a security breach occurs. Ross’ men aren’t just random people hired off the street. They’ve trained their whole lives for missions like capturing the great Tony Stark. He can feel his hands start to feel clammy, rubbing them on his pants to try and dry them up to no avail.

“Great. Also, I really don’t think you should leave the compound unless you absolutely have to.” Pepper adds. “Ross’ men could be anywhere, and I don’t like the thought of you outside until we can get Ross to back off or sabotage his project.”

“I agree with Pepper. Do you have any reason to leave the compound?”

“Not that I can…” Tony trails off, suddenly remembering something important. “Wait! Peter’s Robotics Competition is today! I almost forgot!”

“No, Tony, I don’t think that’s a good reason to leave the compound.” Pepper immediately rejects that suggestion. “Is there any other reason?”

“Please, Pepper, I have to make it up to Peter after these past couple days. I can bring Rhodey and Happy with me…I can bring extra security. Please let me go and do this.”

“I’m sorry, Tony, I can’t let you leave for something like that. Rhodey, what do you think?” Pepper turns to Rhodey, a begging look in her eyes.

“Yeah, Tones, I don’t think this qualifies. You need to stay here and make sure that you’re okay. I’d rather be safe than sorry.” Rhodey looks sad, but firm.

Tony sighs and reluctantly says: “Fine.”

=-=+=-=

Tony decides to blow off some steam in the lab again. Rhodey offers to come with him again, but Tony insists he’ll be okay without Rhodey’s supervision. Tony scowls as he works, thinking about how Peter will be so let down if he doesn’t go to the competition.

Did Tony even say he was going to come with to the competition? He doesn’t remember. The last time they spoke, Tony realized he had a crush on Peter, and Peter didn’t even understand what was happening. Did Peter even try to contact Tony? They haven’t exchanged numbers or even email addresses. Tony feels stupid for not even thinking about that.

Peter’s been so kind and understanding, and all Tony’s done for him is confuse and abandon him. Guilt washes over his entire being, and he collapses on the floor. The clanging of pliers echoes throughout the lab as it hits the ground next to him. Tony doesn’t even bat an eye.

He needs to make it all up to Peter. There has to be something he can do.

Going to the competition would be the best way to make it up, maybe throw in a gift for winning (since Peter is definitely going to win). Tony remembers what Pepper and Rhodey said earlier: he shouldn’t go outside without supervision and extra security. Isn’t the new Iron Man suit enough protection? He knows how to fight; he’s been doing it for a long time.

Sorry, Pepper. Sorry, Rhodey.

Tony’s going to that competition.

=-=+=-=

Since Tony has complete administration control over FRIDAY, it was incredibly easy to sneak out, even with the new security updates. All he had to figure out was where to go. Peter never mentioned where the event was going to be held. He supposes the best place to start is Peter’s high school.

In his newly modified Iron Man suit, he flies over towards the school, making sure to do excessive perimeter checks (for Pepper’s sake and his own). Flying the suit isn’t a problem for him since he remembers all the muscle memory from when he was fifty. He discovers that he can fit into smaller spaces now that he’s shorter (he has a lot of fun with that) before finally arriving at Peter’s high school.

It’s been a while since Tony’s left the compound, but the high school doesn’t seem any different to him other than being bigger. Buildings are a lot more intimidating when you’re shorter, huh?

Tony spots a poster on the window near the front doors of the school. He does one last perimeter check before stepping out of the suit and onto the solid pavement. Walking up the stairs, he can start to make out the words on the poster.

“Midtown High School Summer Robotics Competition! When? August 8th, 4pm-7pm. Where? Midtown High School Gym. Who? All the wonderful summer robotics students! For more information, visit Mr. Harrington in the Science & Technology Department.”

Tony smiles to himself and steps inside the building. He can already hear the sounds of whirring and kids yelling from down the hallway. Tony follows the noise and it leads him to a large gym.

Trifolds, folding tables, and a lot of poorly designed robots line the walls, and the main floor is filled with parents and students. Tony suddenly wonders if Peter’s strangely attractive aunt is here, too. He supposes that’s weird to say now. Yeah, never referring to her as “strangely attractive” again. In the middle of the gym is a handmade arena, probably a fighting ring, with many people gathered around it. Tony can’t see it too well since he’s shorter than everybody there.

Tony starts to scan the room for Peter. He needs to find Peter before people start to recognize hi–

“Mr. Stark?” A voice from behind startles him. It doesn’t sound like Peter.

Tony turns around and sees a boy he doesn’t recognize running up to him. He takes Tony’s hand in his own, excessively shaking it.

“Mr. Stark! Oh, I’m such a huge fan! Wow, you are, like, my hero. That was dumb, why'd I say that? What are you doing here? Probably sponsoring Stark Industries, right? Ugh, that was a stupid question. Oh, wow. This is such an honor. Wow.” The kid rants until he finally loses his breath. He deeply inhales and looks like he’s about to continue, so Tony puts an end to it.

“Yes, hi, nice to meet you too. Listen, I’m looking for someone. You wouldn’t happen to know Peter Parker, would you?” Tony asks, letting go of the boy’s hand.

“Y-You’re looking for Peter?” The boy’s eyes widen. “He’s, like, my best friend! Oh, my god. I-I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Ned! Here, i-if you need Peter, he’s next to my booth over there. I can take you to it!” Ned says, taking Tony by the hand again. Tony shakes the hand off and wipes it on his pants.

“I’ll just follow you. Can you maybe–” Tony lowers his voice down to a whisper so that only Ned can hear him, “–maybe lower your voice a little? I don’t want much attention to myself tonight.”

“Oh, sure, sure, sure, sure. Sorry, Mr. Stark.” Ned replies, blushing and looking away. He starts to walk towards Peter’s booth, looking back occasionally at Tony to make sure he was still there.

Finally, they arrive at Ned and Peter’s booths. Ned’s trifold looks clean and organized; he probably had help from his parents making it look pretty. He looks to the right of Ned to see…

It’s Peter. He doesn’t seem to notice Tony yet, but that won’t last long, so Tony takes in the sight as fast as he can before disaster strikes.

Peter’s sporting a casual look: a science pun t-shirt and jeans. The t-shirt really defines his muscles, but it isn't as apparent if you're not looking for it. His hair looks a little unkempt, probably from putting together his robot and making modifications as it gets more beaten up. A light coat of sweat covers his face, which is definitely apparent when Peter looks up at the light.

He looks so…attractive.

Tony can feel blood rushing to his cheeks, and suddenly has doubts about coming here. What if Peter didn’t want to see him? What if Peter is mad at him? What if–

“Tony?”

Peter’s voice seems to echo throughout the room. He turns to fully face Tony. Oh, no. He’s mad. Tony shouldn’t have come here, he shouldn’t have left the compound, what if he really screwed up?

“What are you doing here?” Peter asks, stepping towards Tony. Tony starts to lock up. He forgot how intimidating Peter can be, even if he wasn’t trying.

“I-I-I, uh…hey, Peter.” Tony stutters out. Stupid, stupid, stupid–

“Yeah, hey, Tony, um, what’s going on? Are you here for the event? Ned said you were here sponsoring Stark Industries, but I don’t see their booth anywhere…” Peter trails off, scanning the room for the nonexistent Stark Industries sponsor booth.

“No, I, uh…” Tony mutters, prompting Peter to look back at him. Tony looks up at Peter. He only looks confused. Maybe a little hurt. Tony feels all the guilt rise up. “Peter, I’m so sorry. I ran out of the room with basically no explanation, and I wanted to make it up to you by attending your competition tonight. It’s totally understandable if you’re mad at me and I get it if you want me to leave, but I wanted to make it up to you.”

Tony reaches into his back pocket and pulls out the gift he prepared for Peter. A small wrapped box with a little bow around it. Tony may not know much, but he does know that presents definitely help rekindle a relationship. Tony can see Peter hesitate to take the gift, but eventually the box ends up in his hands.

“Tony, you didn’t have to do this. I already forgive you, y’know.” Peter says as he stares at the box. He unwraps the bow and proceeds to tear open the box. He pulls out a brand new StarkPhone, a newer series that hasn’t been released to the general public yet. Peter’s eyes go wide.

“It has, uh, my number on there. You kept complaining how you had to get through Happy to chat with me, so, uh, there you go, I guess.” Tony feels the need to justify his decision in getting Peter a brand-new phone.

“Tony, this is…wow…thank you, but you really didn’t have to.” Peter insists, still infatuated by the StarkPhone. “Is this…”

“Yeah…not even on the shelves for the general public yet.” Tony smirks, knowing by Peter’s expression that he’s not mad. Maybe hurt, but not mad. The whole world around the two boys is starting to fade away. Guilt is still present, but Tony’s happy now that he’s made it up to him.

“Tony…thank you.” Peter looks up, pocketing the StarkPhone. “But really, all I want to know is why? Why’d you leave?”

“I–”

“And before you think anything, I’m not mad. At all. I just want to know if you’re okay.” Peter says before Tony can get a word in edgewise.

Tony looks down at the floor. He can’t. Not now. Not here. Explaining why he left was the one thing he didn’t want Peter to ask, but it does seem like the only thing that he can do to make it up to him. Logically, the only thing Tony would want if the roles were reversed would be the exact same thing Peter is asking for. An explanation.

“It’s…” Tony begins, but then stops. His mouth started talking before he knew what he was going to say. Peter just stands there and waits patiently.

Tony doesn’t know what to do. He can’t tell Peter the truth – he’s only been a teenager for less than two weeks, and already he’s developed a major crush on Peter. He needs to come up with another excuse.

Does he really want to lie to Peter? He can’t do that to the person who’s been so supportive and kind this whole time. What’s he going to do?

He resorts to looking up to Peter and trying to explain what he’s feeling through his facial expression. Peter’s face contorts for a fraction of a second, confused. He relaxes in the same amount of time, understanding somewhat why Tony wasn’t saying anything.

“Was it personal? You didn’t leave because you were sick of me, right?” Peter’s expression saddens.

“No, no, of course not.” Tony rushes out, guilt slowly overtaking his veins. He’s really tempted to just tell Peter, but he knows that wouldn’t end well. Just think of something, anything–

“PETER? PETER PARKER? YOU’RE UP FOR COMPETITION! GET OVER HERE!”

Both boys jump at the sudden loud voice of (presumably) Mr. Harrington. Tony breathes a sigh of relief. Maybe he can get away from tonight without having to explain anything.

But deep down, he knows he has to at some point.

Chapter Text

“Ugh, sorry Tony…” Peter sighs and straightens his stance a little. “Guess it’s time to see if that robot of ours works, huh?”

Tony can barely register what Peter is saying. He feels the adrenaline leave his body in a rush that almost inflicts a physical reaction. Almost. As all the anxiety washes out of his body, he feels a wave of relief encompass his body. Whew…saved by the bell.

“You want to come with Ned and I up to the arena?” Peter asks, moving his head slightly, which catches Tony’s attention once again.

“Yeah, sure, I’ll come with.” Tony replies, following Peter as he signals to Ned to follow them.

Tony walks behind Peter and Ned up to the arena. It’s not exactly the best-looking arena he’s ever seen, but it seems to be getting the job done. It’s made out of wood that looks like it was just thrown together in the shape of a square. Along the fence are students and parents alike, cheering and rooting for their preferred robots in the ring. Right now, two robots were fighting to the death; a yellow one and a green one. None of these were Peter’s robot, so he guessed that Peter’s turn would come next after this battle.

“Hey, Peter, I’m actually going to wrap up my booth. I lost anyway, might as well clean up, you know?” Ned says, darting his eyes between Peter and Tony, as though he still can’t believe he’s interacting with the great Tony Stark.

“Yeah, sure, Ned. Go ahead. This fight has to finish up anyway, and we both know who’s going to win, so you won’t be missing much.” Peter frowns, and Ned seems to understand.

“Of course…” Ned seems annoyed. Tony can’t help but feel a little left out, as though there’s an inside joke that he doesn’t seem to get. “Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Stark, really, it’s been such an honor–”

“Yeah,” Tony interrupts before Ned can finish thanking him. He doesn’t want to deplete the breath from this kid again. “Nice to meet you, too.”

After standing there awkwardly for a few seconds, Ned eventually wanders off with a skip in his step. Tony can’t help but smile, knowing he’s making Peter’s friend happy just by existing. It’s an unfamiliar feeling, but it’s comforting, so Tony doesn’t dwell on it.

“I already made it through the qualifying rounds, so the next round is the championship. It’ll be me and…Flash.” Peter explains, bringing Tony out of his thoughts.

“Who’s Flash?” Tony inquires, turning to face the robots. Currently, the green one is winning.

“He’s no one, really, just this guy who likes to make life harder for me sometimes. It’s whatever, though, Tony, it’s not a big deal.” Peter tries to dismiss, but Tony isn’t going to let him off the hook so easy.

“What do you mean, ‘makes life harder?’ Like bullying? Peter, that’s not cool.” Tony pulls his eyes away from the robots to give Peter direct eye contact. It’s a little hard, but he manages to maintain it.

“I can’t really do anything about it, believe me, I’ve tried.” Peter shrugs.

“Can’t you just punch him back? You’ve got super strength, for God’s sake!” Tony makes sure to quiet his voice down for that last sentence; he and Peter can’t afford to let anyone know that he’s Spider-Man. Tony would be devastated if he accidentally gives away the secret to the public. He would never forgive himself.

“First of all, Tony, there’s nothing physical that goes on. It’s okay. It’s just that this has been going on since before I was bitten. I didn’t have the strength to retaliate before, so–”

“So, you can’t now, either.” Tony interrupts, turning his head back to the arena. Although it sucks, Peter has to maintain the façade that he’s just as weak as he was before the bite.

“Yeah.”

The boys stand in silence for a moment while thunderous cries erupt from all around them. It appears the green robot has won the fight, and people were cheering for the winner.

Peter pointed directly at the kid. “That’s Flash.” He said, annoyance heavy in his voice.

“Want me to kick his ass?” Tony says before thinking. He’s so overwhelmed by the desire to tear into this other kid, he doesn’t realize the words have tumbled out of his mouth before Peter chuckles to his right.

“As funny as that would be, maybe it’s not the best idea.” Peter smiles. “Maybe after the championship, if you’re lucky.”

Tony knows that Peter’s joking, but he wouldn’t hesitate to beat that kid up if it meant that Peter could be a little less stressed at school. Something about picturing Peter having a hard time at school due to dicks like Flash aggravated him in a way that he doesn’t think anything else has before.

Before Tony can say anything else, Peter’s name is called again, and Tony guesses that he has to split up from Peter. But, to his surprise, Tony feels his hand being dragged along by Peter’s.

“You didn’t think I was just going to leave you there by yourself, did you?” Peter smiles again. “Come with me into the ring. Ned’s not here and I could use the moral support. Plus, you helped me make the thing; I wouldn’t want you to miss out on our creation in action.”

It takes every fiber in Tony’s being to stop himself from blushing as Peter leads them into the arena gates. Peter’s robot sits in a corner of the ring, so naturally, the boys gravitate toward that corner as the announcer begins hyping up the crowd.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are down to the final two contestants! Flash Thompson and Peter Parker will be competing for the title of Summer Robotics Champion! Let’s give them both a huge round of applause!”

The room seems to be divided into two groups of people; half were cheering for Flash, and the other half cheered for Peter. The people in Flash’s support didn’t look like very friendly people compared to those who were supporting Peter. Tony didn’t think that this competition would be so competitive – since it is only a summer program – but clearly his assumptions were wrong. When he turns to look at Peter, it’s as if he’s preparing for a literal fight to the death.

“Let’s just get this over with, let’s just do this, come on Peter…” Peter mumbles to himself. It seems as if Peter doesn’t even need Tony for moral support. He’s doing it all on his own. Tony wishes he could hype himself up the way Peter is right now. But more than that, Tony wishes he was able to do something more to help right now.

The cheering crowd brings Tony back from his thoughts as Flash takes his position at the opposite end of the ring.

“Our contestants are in position! Without further delay, let’s begin!”

The crowd roars with excitement, clearly passionate about the epic battle that is about to ensue.

Peter is asked to come forward to the center of the ring to discuss rules, but judging by the looks both boys are giving each other, Tony knows they know the rules already. He can’t hear what they’re saying from that far away, and the cheers from the crowd definitely don’t help, but he’s lived long enough to recognize when someone isn’t saying the nicest things. He thinks he sees Flash’s lips form the word “penis,” but he doesn’t think he’ll ever know for sure. He knows that what Flash said can’t have been anything related to nice, though, since Peter turns around with his face seeping from anger.

“You ready?” Tony cautiously asks. Peter’s eyes evolve from anger to boldness.

“Yeah. Let’s fucking do this.”

Tony’s sure that he’s never seen Peter this determined before. Or swear before. He had seen him fixed and serious, but never so intensely, like his very life depended on it. Tony would never admit it, but he’s a little bit scared.

He supposes that something in his face must have alerted Peter of his unease because Peter’s face immediately shifts into a look of sympathy. He quickly recovers, though, confidently smiling after half a second. Tony swears there’s something else behind his eyes; guilt? Warmth?

…affection?

“Hey, you ready to kick some ass?” Peter asks, the eagerness to demolish Flash and his robot clearly lacing his voice.

“Let’s do it.”

=-=+=-=

The battle between the two rivals is captivating. It feels to Tony like a war between good and evil, and to say he’s “into it” is a definite understatement. Both robots were banged up from the previous competitions, so the probability of either of the boys winning is about on par with the flip of a coin.

As the battle progresses, Tony starts to pick up on subtle key differences in both boys’ fighting styles. Flash tends to make riskier, cocky moves, while Peter’s method is much more calculated and purposeful. The advantage ends up being Peter’s, though, because Flash’s risky strategy may work against inexperienced players, but Peter is tactful. He plays like he expects Flash to make a risky move. Tony is quite impressed. It’s like Peter is anticipating every move Flash makes.

After a grueling, tense ten minutes, Flash ends up trying to pivot backwards, but Peter took this as a sign to attack and smacks Flash’s robot’s power supply, completely compromising the robot. Flash lets out a growl and Tony struggles to keep his giggles to himself as Flash futilely tries to plead with Mr. Harrington. Peter, meanwhile, jumps for joy, and catches Tony by surprise when he feels a hand grip his own. He stupidly stares at the interlocking fingers for a few seconds before his gaze drifts up to Peter’s face. Peter laughs, like somehow, this activity is normal. Tony smiles back, but can’t help feeling slightly timid. Did this mean Peter liked him back? No, this is just something friends do, right? He isn’t sure.

But Tony is selfish, so he doesn’t let go until Peter does first.

Of course Peter ends up being the victor. Flash was impulsive; playing that way can only get you so far. As Peter is handed his trophy, Tony can’t help but grin so hard that he swears the corners of his mouth are touching his ears.

Peter returns to Tony with Ned close behind him, showering Peter with compliments.

“The way you punched his robot and then immediately did a 180-degree turn was insane, dude! I couldn’t have done that better myself! And the final blow to his power supply was so cool! Did you see the sparks? He’ll have to get a whole new component to replace it! And remember in the beginning when you–”

“Hey, Tony!” Peter exclaims, holding up his trophy for Tony to see. “I didn’t expect it to be this big!”

“Hey again, Mr. Stark! Did you see Peter’s fight with Flash? Oh, right, hah, stupid question, you were in the ring with him. Never mind, that was a dumb question.” Ned chimes in.

“Yeah, it’s huge…you have space in your room for it?” Tony asks, not trying to ignore Ned, but can’t think of a proper response for him.

“Yeah, I probably have a shelf somewhere, or somewhere in my closet. I’ll figure it out when I get home, I guess.” Peter responds.

“Oh, Peter, speaking of home,” Ned says, “I should probably go find my mom. I’d love to stay and talk to you and Mr. Stark longer, but–”

“Just call me ‘Tony,’” Tony interrupts. “You sound like you’re talking to my dad.”

Ned stutters for what feels like an hour. “R-Really? W-Wow, thanks Mr. Sta– I mean, Tony! Wow…” Ned shuffles away towards his mother, mumbling a half-hearted “goodbye” to Peter, clearly caught up in the excitement and embarrassment. Tony chuckles a little before turning his attention back to Peter, who’s also stifling a giggle.

“So, you won.” Tony says, not really knowing how to steer the conversation.

“Yeah, but we both knew I was going to. Thanks again for all your help, Tony, I don’t think I would have been able to win without you.” Peter smiles again and Tony can feel his heart pump louder. Is it faster, too?

Tony reflects on the past couple weeks. He remembers working in the lab with Peter, all the light-hearted banter, the jokes, the smiles, the laughter; he wonders if Peter is thinking about all this, too. For a split second, Tony thinks that if someone were to touch his cheeks, their fingers would burn. Tony shakes his head a little, trying to shrug off the feelings that he knows Peter can’t reciprocate. Why would he? Tony has too many issues. He doesn’t want Peter to feel responsible for Tony’s happiness. Why would Peter even consider it? Tony’s smile doesn’t feel authentic anymore.

Peter wouldn’t like him back that way.

After a few seconds, Peter speaks up again. “So, hey, about what we were talking about earlier…” Peter trails off, waiting for Tony to reply. Tony was hoping that Peter had forgotten about that conversation and that this night would just be fun without Peter bringing up the subject again, but he supposes that this was inevitable. “I know I said this before, but I’m not mad at you. I just want to know why you left so abruptly.”

Tony can’t help but stare down at the floor once again. He knows he can’t lie, but he also knows that this conversation won’t get anywhere if he doesn’t say anything. He has to say something¬–

“Hey, Penis Parker!”

A voice from behind Tony shouts loudly in their direction, causing Tony to freeze up at the sudden deafening tone. Peter must have seen how Tony shrunk a little where he stood, because he immediately places himself between Tony and Flash, who was approaching slowly toward them.

“Good game, man, it was amazing how much cheating you were able to get away with.” Flash smirks. He’s clearly trying to get a reaction out of Peter. Tony peers out from behind Peter, which Flash immediately notices. “Protecting your little boyfriend, huh? How cute!”

“Back off, Flash.” Peter says that like he’s dealt with this bullshit for his entire life.

A flicker of rage races across Flash’s face for a fraction of a second as he closes in on Peter. “Not so tough now, huh? Don’t have a robot big enough, huh? Don’t have auntie here to protect you, huh?” Flash’s nose practically touched Peter’s as they glared into each other’s eyes. At least, Flash is. Tony can’t tell if Peter’s facial expression is the same from where he’s standing.

Tony thinks about what Peter mentioned earlier, about how he couldn’t defend himself now because he couldn’t before the bite. He’s sure Peter’s thought about just straight up punching this dick before, but he’s also sure that Peter came to the same conclusion: it would only arouse suspicion. Peter’s life is hard enough as it is without everyone knowing he’s Spider-Man. Tony doesn’t have to see Peter’s face to know how badly he wants to punch Flash right now.

“I said, back off, Flash. You lost.” Peter repeated. If Flash was annoyed before, he is definitely angry now.

“What did you just say?” Flash definitely succeeds in being intimidating to Tony, as he’s much taller and a lot stronger than Tony is. If Tony was fifty, he could have ended this kid’s life in a fraction of a second. That kind of power sure would be useful now.

In a rush of panic, Tony quickly whispers to Peter, “Hey, maybe we should just leave.”

He should have known Flash would take that opportunity to insult them. “Yeah, Parker, just take your little boyfriend and go. He looks a little scared!” Flash breaks eye contact with Peter to scowl at Tony. “Doesn’t look like you give him much attention.”

Flash seems to be done with the insults for tonight, as he turns around muttering gay slurs. He hears Peter heavily sigh in relief. Tony really respected him for keeping his cool the whole time.

“You okay?" Tony asks timidly, still shaken up from the ordeal. He doesn’t know why that interaction scared him so much. Maybe his fifteen-year-old body crumbled more when faced with intimidation back in college, or maybe it was the insults themselves. They weren’t even that good of insults. Tony feels weak. He wouldn’t feel weak if he was fifty.

“Yeah,” Peter lets out a shaky breath, “I’m okay…I’m okay.”

Without even looking in Tony’s direction, Peter finds and grabs Tony’s hand with ease and pulls him out of the gymnasium. Tony can only stare at the back of Peter’s head with childlike wonder; what is he doing?

Peter takes both of them to the street outside the gym, where parents and students are cramming into their cars and leaving since the event has concluded. They both end up taking a seat on the concrete steps leading down to the parking lot. Tony can spot Flash hopping into an expensive looking car, blasting trap music as he skids out onto the street. What a show-off.

For some reason, Tony thinks back to Flash’s insults. He called Tony Peter’s “little boyfriend.” They aren’t dating, they would never date. Because Peter couldn’t handle dating him. Tony came with too much baggage. He’s lived so much longer than Peter has; there are just some things that Peter can’t and probably will never understand.

Then again, Peter isn’t as inexperienced as he looks. He seems to be more in touch with his emotions than Tony ever has in his entire life. Maybe there were a few things Tony could learn from Peter. But even if there were a few good things, they are far outweighed by the bad things. Tony’s anxious, he’s messes up all the time, he doesn’t know how to deal with his emotions, and now he’s far more impulsive than he ever was as an adult. He can’t put that stress on Peter.

“You know, we don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, Tony.” Peter breaks the silence that Tony didn’t realize had taken over the two of them.

“What?” Tony breathes out, forgetting for a moment what Peter’s referring to.

“About the other day, when you ran out of the lab. I can kind of tell that it’s a touchy subject; I shouldn’t have pried. I’m sorry.” Peter explains, eyes glued out in front of him and away from Tony.

“Oh, uh…” Tony stutters out. He never expected Peter to just give up like this. Tony had been contemplating lying to Peter earlier. Peter is now giving him an easy way out.

So why does he still feel the need to explain himself?

“I…” Tony doesn’t quite know what he’s trying to say. Is he trying to thank Peter? Is he trying to justify himself? Even he doesn’t know. A small part of him wants to blurt everything out, but another part of him knows that’s a bad idea. Tony doesn’t think he can handle the rejection. For God’s sake, he’s only been a teenager for two weeks, and already, he’s fallen hard for this boy that he barely knew up until recently.

Would it just be easier to get it over with? Would it be easier to stay silent?

What’s the best option here?

“Well…” Peter stands up, stretching his arms behind his head. “Tonight has been fun. Thanks for coming, Tony, I really appreciate you coming tonight.”

Peter’s face is indescribable. The light from the streetlamps shines on half his face, lighting up his eyes and the slight dampness covering his face. His brown hair swaying in the cool breeze of the night, his confident demeanor…it’s all too much.

Tony blushes. He blushes hard.

A glint in Peter’s eyes (like an idea just came to him) somehow pull Tony out of his thoughts. “Are you going back to the compound?” Peter asks after Tony doesn’t say anything.

“Yeah, where else would I be going?” Tony doesn’t mean for it to sound rushed and rude, but judging by the look Peter gives him out of the corner of his eye, he can tell that maybe he screwed up. Why did he keep doing this? He just made Peter his friend, and now he’s going to leave, and now they’re not going to be friends because Peter was mad at him and–

“I was going to suggest a little walk around the city first, but if you want to go home, then–”

“No!” Tony almost yells. Stupid, stupid– “I’d love to, uh, do that. Yeah.” He sounds so dumb.

“Cool! Come on, I know a cool place we can hang out down this way!” Peter doesn’t seem to notice Tony’s internal conflict as he takes Tony’s arms and swiftly pulls him up. Tony’s eyes widen; he never experienced how strong Peter actually is. He can only feel his cheeks grow hotter with every passing moment, and if Peter noticed, he hasn’t said anything. Yet.

He knows he should go home. This is risky enough as it is.

But Tony is selfish.

Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

Chapter Text

In retrospect, maybe Tony should have gone back to the compound. Flying back fearing Ross’ stupid project would be far better than walking with Peter right now.

It isn’t that Tony doesn’t like hanging out alongside Peter; quite the contrary. Peter was a joy to be around. In fact, his heart pounds against his chest and his hands feel clammy just by watching Peter. His hair is shining brightly under the lights of New York, the sweat from the heat of the robot fights clinging to his forehead and shirt, showing off his fit figure that seemed to glisten. Goddamn it, he’s head over heels already, isn’t he?

It doesn’t make sense. With Pepper, it was a slower, steadier relationship (relatively, considering his track record with women). Tony intentionally did this because he cared about Pepper so badly. He supposes that when he was fifty (man, that’s weird to think about being older in the past tense), he had a bit more emotional restraint, more resistant to the feelings Pepper instilled in him instead of immediately falling for her. She was also his PA first, so maybe he restrained himself to avoid weird office romance, too. With Peter, this was the complete opposite. His untamed emotions now feel controlling rather than controlled. It only makes sense now that his emotions would be holding the reins instead of his head.

As they’re walking down the sidewalk to this “cool place” he talked about, Peter’s got a spring in his step. No doubt it was from the elation from winning the competition, but Tony wonders if he had something to do with Peter’s happiness as well. He hopes that’s the case.

Speak of the devil: “Hey, Tony, we’re almost there! I’m so excited! Ned and I have been hanging out at this park since we met in elementary school. You’re gonna love it!” Peter exclaimed excitedly. Tony finds his lips quirking up in a light smile. Somehow, Peter always found a way to cheer him up.

Rounding one last bend, Tony sees why Peter was hyping up this park in particular. He’d never been to this part of Queens before. The park itself isn’t anything special; it’s the surrounding beauty that captivates his interest. Little kids can play on the playground, but there are far more entertaining things for teenagers and adults to do. Plenty of open spaces, light up by the overhanging streetlights, a few young trees littered among the pavement, as well as one big tree in the center of the playground. There are also plenty of benches and green grass; a rare commodity in a place like New York.

“Come on, follow me!” Peter’s hand shot out to capture Tony’s wrist, pulling him towards the center tree. Tony can’t help but think about the last time Peter grabbed his wrist, pulling him onto the couch in his lab. He shakes his head, trying to rid his head of emotions and just let fate (or Peter) take hold of his life for a moment.

Upon reaching the big tree, Peter starts to talk about how he and Ned discovered this secluded part of Queens. “… we didn’t mean to, but we got lost on the way home from school. Neither of us knew each other that well, but we were kids, so we thought that if we wandered long enough, we’d eventually figure out where one of our apartments was. I knew the look of my building, but Ned had just moved to New York from Philadelphia, so he was way more terrified than I was. Not to say he’s always like that, though! He’s the best friend I could ever ask for! Anyways, we stumbled upon that corner we passed back there, and no one was there! We had a whole park to ourselves! Since we were, like, ten years old, we decided to just play around here until an adult that looked trustworthy managed to notice that we didn’t have adults with us. By sheer coincidence, it was actually Ned’s Lola that found us back there! Turns out, Ned’s apartment building is a block away! Can you believe how lucky that is? Thank god she showed up. Bittersweet, though, since Ned and I really got to bond and we were a little upset to part ways after Aunt May showed up. We’ve been meeting at least once a week ever since.” Peter finishes, fondly grinning at the vivid memory. Tony envies him; he didn’t really meet his long-term friends until way after college.

“I… well, it’s a beautiful place.” Tony settles on.

“I know, right? This tree especially. Ned and I tried to climb it when we were kids, but the branches were always too high up for us to reach.” Peter giggles as he raises his left arm towards a branch.

“Well? How about now?” Tony asks.

“Huh?” Peter turns his head to Tony’s, his brows furrowed in confusion and his mouth hanging agape.

“Climb the tree.” Tony pushes, a smug grin on his face.

“You know what? Maybe I will! We won a tournament tonight, right? Come with me! Let’s climb this sucker!”

“What? Wait, hold on–”

“Let’s go!!”

All of a sudden, Tony’s stuck to Peter’s right side, unable to wiggle his way out of Peter’s firm grip around his lower back. Tony can’t help but shudder at their closeness. They have never been this physically close before. Peter doesn’t seem to mind though; actually, from his confident grip and smile on his face, Tony imagines that Peter might be familiar with lifting people up. His mind wanders as Peter webs his way up the tree. How many girls have been gently lifted by Peter into trees or on top of buildings like this? His face drops a little at the thought. What if Peter has brought other people to this tree? Had a special time with them and spent even more time just sitting in the tree, talking and joking together?

… what if they did more than talk together?

“You okay, Tony? We’re at the top now! Look at the view!” Peter derails Tony’s train of thought as he realizes ‘yep, we’re kind of high up now.’

He can’t lie; the view is far more phenomenal than the view from down below. They’re in a position where each of them can sit on a branch opposite one another, and they have a perfect view of the brightly lit buildings of downtown. If he squints, Tony sees the highway far off in the distance, where cars are whipping by driving to unknown destinations. Some of the bigger buildings have windows lighting up and blacking out while people leave and reenter their homes.

It's truly beautiful.

But nothing sticks out more than the calm lights reflecting off Peter’s face.

“What do you think, Tony? Pretty, huh?” Peter speaks softly, undoubtedly trying to maintain the tranquility of the moment.

“Yeah, Pete, this is… wow…” Tony couldn’t think of anything, words evading his grasp as he struggles to keep his eyes off Peter’s. The scenery is gorgeous, and it sucks that all he wants to do is stare at Peter instead.

“You’re gonna think this is dumb, but I’ve… never actually thought to climb this tree before. Good idea, man. No regrets.” Pete admits. Tony feels a bit better invigorated knowing that he’s the first person to be here with Peter like this. Maybe Tony can actually find his words again and make conversation like normal people can?

“So… do you, uh, come back here often?” Shit, that sounded so much like a stupid pick-up line. What a dumb-

“Actually, not as much anymore. Ned and I came here all the time when we were younger, but now, school sort of… always has our time. And we hang out more at our apartments anyways. Speaking of which, Ned just got a new Lego Death Star from Star Wars and we’re gonna build it together soon! That’ll be so much fun! He got it from his Lola for Christmas last year, and we just got around to making some time for it this weekend! Finally, it’s almost been a year! School really kicked our asses.” Peter smiles and glances at Tony. “Maybe you could come help us! I’m sure Ned would be ecstatic to have you there; I can ask him if he’d be okay with it!”

Tony smiles back sadly. “I’d love to, but…”

“What’s wrong?” Peter immediately notices Tony’s hesitation. He’s so perceptive. Concerned. Patient. Kind. Understanding.

How could someone like Peter possibly want to spend time with someone like Tony?

“I’m good, it’s just…” Tony bites the bullet. “… why?”

“Why what?”

“Why do you want to hang out with me? I get that we’re friends, but… Peter, I’m fifty!” Once Tony starts, he can’t stop. “I’m an adult who was permanently slapped back into a body that, frankly, scares me sometimes, and I have- I’m not someone people are friends with; I’m someone who people use as a resource for… money, fame, anything other than genuine connection. I’m sorry, but as much as I like spending time with you,” Tony takes a deep breath, “I don’t think I should spend time with you.” Tony can’t look at Peter anymore.

“I’d probably just end up hurting you.” He whispers.

He knows his insecurities are getting the better of him right now, but his unfiltered teenage brain can’t help it. Tons of emotions spiral through his being all at once: regret, sadness, relief, hurt, devastation, and just plain anguish. This is for the best, isn’t it? Sure, it was going to hurt for a while, but he’d get over it. Tony was selfish, but he’s held on to Peter long enough. This had to end at some point regardless, right?

Peter doesn’t make a sound. Tony almost wonders if he left him alone in the tree, until he feels a warm hand resting against his cheek. The hand guides his head to face Peter’s, though Tony still can’t bring himself to look Peter in the eye. This was such a stupid idea. He should have stayed back at the compound, or rejected Peter’s offer of hanging out tonight, or stayed in his room longer, or-

“Tony, look at me.” Peter’s soft whisper cuts through Tony’s thoughts like a sharp knife. Tony brings himself to look into Peter’s eyes. For the umpteenth time, Peter shows nothing but concern. This isn’t pity, this isn’t a manipulative tactic. This is a friend genuinely showing worry for him. Tony can feel tears beginning to trek down his cheeks. Oh god, not now! He brings his arm up to wipe them away, but Peter got there first. He brings his hoodie sleeve over the palm of his free hand and wipes the tears away for Tony. Damn, Peter has such a good heart. Tony lets out a sob, unable to bottle his emotions any longer. Peter starts caressing Tony’s cheeks with both hands, wiping his tears away in the process. This is more kind than what Tony deserves. Tony’s such a mess. He’s unable to regulate anything in this stupid body. Part of him yearns for his old body back. Then, he’d be able to contain himself like a rational, responsible adult.

But another part of him knows, on some deeper level, that he needs this. He’s been bottling up feelings for the better part of forty years, becoming so good at hiding them that sometimes he forgot he even had them in the first place. This teenage body, despite its flaws, is a teacher in a weird way. He’s reintroducing himself to parts of his inner psyche that he’d thought he buried a long time ago, never to see the light of day again. Now that his control has been practically eliminated, unfiltered raw emotions wrack his body with sobs; pain and frustration that’s been carefully bottled and placed on the shelves of his mind rolling off and crashing against the floor.

And what sucks the most is how bad he feels that Peter is the one to endure his breakdown.

“Hey, Tony, shh… it’s alright, I’m here…” Peter whispers along with more sweet nothings as all of Tony’s walls begin to collapse. He’s sure he has never sobbed this hard in his entire life. Fucking hell, why did he make Peter feel like he needed to care for Tony like this?

“I- I- I- I d-didn’t m-mean to- to-” Tony begins to apologize, but Peter stops him.

“Hey, man, just don’t, okay? Listen to me, Tony. I don’t really know what’s going through your head, but I’m sure it’s not good, yeah?” Tony nods vigorously. “Yeah, that happens to me sometimes, too. I can’t imagine the feeling of being thrust physically back in time, but I do understand what it… what feeling bad about yourself feels like. I’m sure it’s not just me; pretty much every teenager nowadays has low self-esteem, but for people like you and me, superheroes, it just… kind of hits different for us.”

Tony’s surprised as Peter eloquently speaks, like he’s been thinking about this more often than he’s letting on.

“It sucks as someone who can do more than regular people can when you can’t save everyone. There’s been more than one occasion where I’m on patrol, and unfortunately, the situations haven’t panned out the way I’d imagined them. I’ve seen people die, Tony. Right in front of me. Including my own uncle.” Peter takes a second to breathe deeply, and Tony notices his eyes drifting off to look upon the horizon. Tony didn’t even know. “Every single day since, I’ve thought about how I could have saved him somehow. How I could have done something, but the truth is, there’s nothing I could have done. I didn’t have the powers I have now back then, and now that I do…” Peter trailed off. Tony’s heart broke for Peter. How devastating and traumatizing that must have been. For the brief moment of silence they shared, collectively mourning a man who meant a great deal to Peter, Tony wonders if his uncle would have approved of Tony and Peter being friends.

“The point is, Tony, you can’t save everyone, you can’t help everyone, and the truth is, sometimes instead of trying to save everyone else, you have to save yourself first.” Peter confidently looked back into Tony’s eyes. “It took me a few months to figure that out. Prioritize yourself sometimes. Let someone in,” Peter scootches a bit closer on the tree to reach his arms around Tony’s waist, “and let yourself feel this.”

Tony doesn’t need any more encouragement. His eyes feel like broken dams and his breathing shudders like it never has before. If he was only tearing up before, he’s full on sobbing now. Peter just sits in silence and holds him while Tony desperately clings back, surprisingly eager to let his frustrations pour out of him like a river.

They sit in that big tree for so long that Tony’s sure hours have passed at this point, but he can’t bring himself to care. Peter continues to encourage Tony to let it all out, and Tony keeps surprising himself because my god, how many tears can one human body hold?

Tony eventually calms down enough to pull away from Peter, but not before tightening his grip on Peter as a thank you for all his help. Tony’s throat feels dry, his chest hurts from sobbing, his eyes feel gross, and he can’t stop shaking, but he feels way better for some reason. Like a weight he didn’t know he’d been carrying slowly vanished with every tear that escaped him.

“You feeling a bit better?” Peter whispers in that soft way he’s been whispering all night, providing a calming aura to an overwhelming Tony.

“I… I think so, yeah…” Tony slurs. He keeps forgetting that crying really drains the life out of him. “…thank you.”

“Of course, Tony.” Peter’s lips form a lopsided grin, and Tony instantly reciprocates. “If it helps at all, one of the biggest reasons I love hanging around you is the way we just… it’s hard to describe it. I don’t know if you feel the same way, but I always thought we get along great like none of my other friends can. You’re one of my best friends at this point, Tony. I know it sucks to have been put in this situation, but I feel like you’re de-aging has… brought us closer together? Maybe? I don’t know, maybe it’s stupid-”

“No!” Tony interrupts. “No, I completely agree, actually! Weirdly enough, I feel the exact same way.” Tony shyly looks towards his hands, wringing them together as he forms sentences that don’t immediately push Peter away. “I guess I thought that you felt… obligated? To stick around and hang out with me. Maybe you only hung out with me because of that need to save everyone, like you said.”

“Not at all, Tony, I hope you know that I’ve never ever felt that way about our friendship.”

“I get that now, yeah. I just… it’s hard.”

Tony steps through a door he knows he can’t go back through.

“Peter, I have so much… so many different experiences and- and history that comes with being a Stark that I don’t want to expose you to. You don’t deserve to put up with my shit; I don’t want you exposed to my thoughts. Believe me, as much as I want to tell you everything, I just can’t. And don’t say you can handle it because I can’t even begin to wrap my head around the fact that I was literally kidnapped and brought to Afghanistan! I barely escaped with my life, and if I couldn’t process that right after it happened, I’m sure as hell struggling with that now. See, I shouldn’t have even told you that! Ugh, this whole situation… I just- I can’t- I’ve been… I’ve been through so much shit, Peter. I’ve survived so much. The last thing I want is for you to feel obligated to… I don’t know, ‘fix’ me? All I want is for us to be friends,” damn, that stings to say, “and not subject you to the dumpster fire that is my mind.”

“Tony,” Peter once again coaxes Tony’s face to look at his own. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know what kind of fantasy land you’re living in where you think you’re making me feel obligated to ‘fix you,’” Peter air quotes, “but that is not at all how I see it. Man, I just see you as one of my closest friends who needs some help, and I’m more than willing to help where I can. You really did go through a lot, but I’m not here to try and ‘fix’ all your problems. No offense, but that’s kind of your job; I’m just here to support you.”

Tony, despite the vulnerability, puts a hand on his heart and puts on a surprised expression. “Wow, Parker! Frankly, I’m appalled! Truly appalled! I’m taking so much offense to that right now!”

Peter giggles, raising his hands in self-defense. “Hey, man, I meant no disrespect! I’m sorry!”

After a moment of light-hearted humor, Tony relaxes once more. “Thanks, though.” He hesitates before tacking on: “Honestly, you’re… I’ve never had a friend like you before.”

“How so?” Peter inquires. And oh shit he was screwed. How do you reply to that without sounding like a love-sick idiot?

Fuck it. Time to improvise.

“I… you just, get me, in a way that not even Pepper has before. And that’s saying a lot; she’s the queen of understanding the inner machinations of Tony Stark! There’s just something about… how… the way we… ugh, I don’t know how to describe it.”

“Take your time.” Peter patiently waited as Tony squirmed uncomfortably. Was it really now or never?

“…Peter, I-”

A strike to the back of the head knocks him unconscious. Tony swears he could hear Peter calling his name as he plunged into a painful sleep.