15: Third Time's A Charm

181 10 0
                                    

Peter wakes up slowly the next morning. He snuggles a bit closer into the warmth until he realizes what, or rather who radiates it. He tries to open his eyes and blinks a few times before he slowly gets used to the dark bedroom. It's clear that it's not nighttime anymore when small beams of sunlight find their way past the edges of the blinds.
Tony's still fast asleep. His face relaxed, lips parted, and a slight hint of drool staining on his pillow. It's adorable, really. Peter can't help but smile.

Adorable and bittersweet. Because Peter is very aware that the minute Tony wakes up, nothing peaceful will be left on that face. Peter feels more and more helpless with each day that passes. It seems like a never-ending cycle. If only Tony had a chance to see his daughter again... Of course, it wouldn't solve any of the underlying issues, but it'd mean the whole fucking world to Tony if he could. Peter has to do something. Anything.

Peter grabs his phone from the nightstand and squints his eyes until he manages to dial his screen's brightness down. He opens his chat with Harley and sucks at his teeth. Harley doesn't know about the whole Pepper/Morgan situation yet. But... Maybe there's something he can do for him?

[7.37 a.m.] Peter: Harley, do you happen to have either Natasha's or Steve's phone number?

He doesn't have to wait long for a reply.

[7.38 a.m.] Harley: Doesn't Tony have them?
[7.38 a.m.] Peter: He's still asleep.
[7.38 a.m.] Harley: Aight, gimme a second to send them to you.

Peter smiles when he sees the contact info appear on his screen. Gotcha. It's idle hope, but if he doesn't try, he'll never know.

[7.38 a.m.] Harley: Should I come over btw?
[7.39 a.m.] Peter: Yeah, probably a good idea.
[7.39 a.m.] Peter: He fell asleep fast, so that's good.
[7.39 a.m.] Peter: When will you be here? If you lemme know once you're at the door, we might be able to let him sleep a little while longer.
[7.39 a.m.] Harley: Good one. I think I'll be there in 20 min. Will keep you updated.
[7.40 a.m.] Peter: Cool, see u soon.
[7.40 a.m.] Harley: Thnx Pete, for being there for him. He needs it.

Peter smiles faintly at the last message. He has to admit that he notices it too; that Tony's walls crumble down more and more when Peter is around. But Tony needs both of them. All his friends. His bandmates. His family.
He chews on his bottom lip as he taps Natasha's contact info and starts typing out his message to her. Then once he hits the send button, he copies it and sends it to Steve as well.

-

Hey, it's Peter (from The Arachnoids). I'm with Tony right now, and I'm worried about him. He told me that he told you about Morgan. I wondered if you happen to know the mother. And if yes, if you have her number or e-mail, or anything that could help me contact her? The current situation will only get worse if we don't do anything.

-

Everything happened incredibly fast after that. Steve texted him back that he only vaguely knew who the woman was, but that his boyfriend knew her quite well. So, Steve gave him his boyfriend's number.
Peter carefully sneaked his way out of his embrace with Tony and sat down in the living room to continue his little mission there. He felt fired up. Felt that maybe this could finally lead to a breakthrough with Tony's problems.

At one point, Harley arrived as well, and the roadie was now making the three of them a rather elaborate breakfast.
"Tony needs to eat more. He's lost weight," is all he said when Peter asked. Peter hummed in agreement. He hadn't noticed, but Harley's known the man for a few years.

[8.29 a.m.] James: Hi Peter! Steve gave me a heads up about your message. I know Pepper, but I didn't know about Tony's involvement with her daughter. I would like to speak with Tony first before I confront her about it if that's alright. Do you think you can arrange that?

Peter's fingers hover over the keyboard for a few good seconds before he replies.

[8.32 a.m.] Peter: Thank you so much for responding so fast! I'll talk about it with him later, and I'll keep you informed.

"Breakfast's ready!" Harley announces as he starts putting everything onto the table. Toasted bread, scrambled eggs, and a few more things Peter can't see from his current position.
"I'll go wake him u-"

"I'm awake," comes a quiet voice from behind him. Peter turns around quickly to find Tony standing in the doorway of the living room awkwardly. He's wearing a simple plain grey shirt and a pair of sweats. Peter had been right earlier. The man's face looks troubled. Yet, at the same time, a certain innocence seems to flash across Tony's eyes when he spots all the food.

"Oh, Jesus, Harley. That's enough food for an entire week!" Tony chuckles lightly, and Peter's heart clenches with joy at the sound. It makes him feel all fluttery inside and- Peter's eyes widen. Uh oh.
"Nope," Harley teases back. "Gotta put some weight on you. Plus, I've seen how much Peter can eat in one sitting. It's insane." Tony cocks his eyebrow and meets Peter's gaze. Peter smiles sheepishly, trying to ignore his pounding heart at the realization that he's starting to like Tony. Bad timing .
"High metabolism," he jokes, trying to play cool.
"I bet."

It's not long before they're all at the table. Tony seems a little jittery, and Peter frowns. Of course, things are still shit, but he's starting to notice a small pattern in Tony's behavior. Whenever he's about to talk about something that bothers him, he begins to clench and unclench his left hand, sometimes rubbing his arm. It's exactly what he's doing right now.
"Tony, are you alright?" Peter tries carefully. Tony stops moving, and then after a couple of seconds, he takes a deep breath.
"No more secrets," he whispers. "I'm done with the secrets."

"Secrets?" Harley's voice sounds confused. Peter knows where this is going. He decides to keep silent and give Tony his time and space to tell Harley everything. Peter is so immensely proud of the man. It's not the first time he's had to talk about this, and it won't be the last. It's a constant hurdle. A constant inner battle. And yet, Tony doesn't give up. All this time and here he is, still fighting for himself.

That's how, for the third time, Tony opens up.

"I... I have a daughter."

The Arachnoids [A Starker Rock Band AU]Where stories live. Discover now