The Talk

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

“You know, I’d really like to start this out cold.” Tony began as Peter made himself comfortable in his rocky abode, and he reached for the phone. “But this is a two-milkshake job.”

The No Dairy, No Red Meat, and No Gluten rules sat woefully forgotten under the pile of Tony Stark’s vices. He had resorted to theorizing that Thor had passed along some metabolic tolerance by way of exposure.

Comments

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

“Any one of us could be gone by tomorrow. I’ve taken that to heart. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.” With a final pat to Peter’s head and the journal on his lap, Tony released him. “Go wherever you want to go.”

[st_arkintern]

Peter takes that to heart. He nods numbly and stands, one hand gripping the tissue, the other one clutching the notebook.

Peter wets his lips.

"I love you, Dad."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

“Love you more.” Where Tony could barely let himself be hug the boy or praise him before, the words and the gestures now flowed astoundingly simply.

[st_arkintern]

Peter smiles at that. "Love you the most."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

“Oh, do you wanna challenge me on this?” Tony spread his forearms in defiance. “I’ll pull the googolplex card.”

[st_arkintern]

"No higher number than infinity," Peter says, smiling.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

“Infinity isn’t a number.” Tony shot back.

[st_arkintern]

"Okay, okay," Peter says, holding up his hands in surrender. "Love you equally?"

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Tony couldn’t stop himself from grinning over hearing it from Peter’s mouth, folding his hands as he leaned over onto his knees.

“You know. You asked me about my old man. He turned up right around Christmas.”

[st_arkintern]

Peter's smile mirrors Tony's own. "Yeah?"

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

“He was younger than me. That was a trip.” Tony made his long bangs flutter with an upward sigh. “Thought I was hallucinating but...I knew. Just did. That was my old man. He had come down to visit by virtue of whatever laws this eldritch location abides by.” He swallowed, staring at nothing in particular as the sight of his father standing there in the bar came back in vivid flashes. His father had been smiling.

He’d almost never seen his father smile for anything that wasn’t a camera.

“He said...” he swallowed again. “He said...”

[st_arkintern]

Peter sits back down and sets the notebook back in his lap.

"What'd he say?"

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

“...Said a lot of things he wished he’d said in life.” Tony clapped his hands together softly. “Mentioned you. He’d have liked you.”

[st_arkintern]

"What'd you say?"

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

“That I have a boy. He knew.” Tony’s jaw worked from side to side. “That I’m trying to set a good example. ...Enphasis on trying.”

[st_arkintern]

Peter looks at Tony, his brows furrowed. "Do you think you're not doing a good job?"

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

“You know I love you.” Tony nodded to one side. “Think I’m doing alright so far.”

[st_arkintern]

"I think so too," Peter says. "And I've had three times as many father figures as you, so I think that makes me kind of an expert."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

“One of us has to be.” Tony rose after Peter. “Heading off?”

[st_arkintern]

"Yeah," Peter says with a nod. "I promise I'll tell you more about my dad and Ben some other time."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

“It’s a date.” Tony followed after Peter, tugging the boy against him long enough to nose his hair.

[st_arkintern]

"And I want you to tell me what it was like when you were a kid, too," he says, hugging him back. Maybe Tony didn't have any good father stories to share, but he had to have other stories, right?

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

“If I tell you, I’d have to kill you.” Tony opened the door up for the lad, winking.

[st_arkintern]

"Still want you to tell me," Peter says as he steps out the door. He turns around to face Tony out in the hallway, still clutching the wadded-up tissue and the notebook.

"See you tomorrow, Dad."