Spidey One-Shots

Son of Stark Pt. 12

Peter couldn't complain. He had a great life. He had his best friend, his girlfriend, and a loving family. He had graduated with honors from Midtown High and was studying at one of the most prestigious universities in the country. He would even be graduating from said university in the spring with a four-year degree that he was completing in two years. This meant he would be out of school at twenty, and have a year to follow his mom and dad around to learn the trade before he became the next boss and CEO of Stark Industries. To top it all off, he had been Spider-Man for nearly five years and was still loving it.

It was this last aspect, however, that was posing some issues as Peter considered his new responsibilities.

Every angle he looked at it, Peter couldn't find a way where he could manage being the face of Stark Industries and keep his secret identity as Spider-Man.

Reason 1) As the new head of the company, Peter was bound to make plenty of enemies. If he could use his Spider-Man abilities without fear of revealing himself, he would be able to defend himself and those around him much easier.

Reason 2) Though he was currently recognizable to the public as Peter Stark, he was still a lesser-known Stark and not talked about on the news so much. Once he was in charge, that would all change. With his face plastered everywhere and the probability of him being mentioned on at least one news channel every night, it would be a lot more challenging to keep a low profile in public. Since everyone these days carried a portable camera with them everywhere they went, Peter's ability to slip into an alley to switch into Spider-Man undetected would be greatly hindered. If everyone was already aware of the fact, though, he could just tap the bands on his wrists and let the new suit his dad had built for him cover his body in broad daylight.

One of the worst things about debating the pros and cons was that he couldn't even ask his dad for advice because, though they often related very closely in their superhero issues, his dad never had this problem. As far as Peter could tell from watching clips of the 'big reveal' that still floated around the internet, he had decided on a whim to go off-script and let the world in on his secret.

He hadn't gone through years of crafting a persona and carefully keeping his personal and superhero life separate. He would have no better idea than Peter about how things would go down once this information that had been kept secret for so long was suddenly out there. Peter's dad had been able to face each villain as they came to attack him as both Tony Stark and Iron Man. Peter knew that in his case, there was a good chance that several people who held grudges against Spider-Man would come after him at once when they knew who he was.

Peter gnawed at the end of his pen as all these thoughts whirled around his brain. To reveal, or not to reveal? That was the question.

Tony walked into the penthouse living room just then and noticed Peter slumped in an armchair in this anxious state of mind. He moved to his side and ruffled Peter's hair as he said, "Hey, Pete, you okay?"

Peter blinked and looked at his dad. Though he may not know Peter's exact situation, Peter decided that it was worth asking him at least one question. "How did you know you were ready?"

Tony stared back, perplexed. "How did I know..." he began, before a look of understanding flashed over his face and he added, "Is this about marriage? Are you thinking about proposing to MJ soon?"

This finally knocked Peter completely out of his stupor. "What? No- not yet, at least," Peter stuttered out as his face flushed. He shook his head and began again, "I meant, how did you know you were ready to reveal that you were Iron Man?"

"Oh," Tony said. He settled onto the couch with a deep sigh, leaned back, and closed his eyes. A few moments of silence passed. Then he spoke. "A lot of it was impulse. Most of my decisions were impulsive back in the day. And I'm sure my ego was in play as well. But..." Tony paused. "I think it was also because the creation of Iron Man was the catalyst that changed the direction of my life - for the better. Iron Man was the embodiment of all the wrongs I was trying to right in my company, and in the world. He was so closely connected to the person I was becoming that it felt like I would be hiding a key part of myself if I denied his existence to the public." Tony looked into Peter's eyes as he finished, "I knew I was ready because I wanted people to know all of me."

Peter nodded, and said with a smile, "Thanks, Dad. That helps a lot."

~~~~~~~~

"...it is with great happiness that I pass the mic to Stark Industries' new boss and CEO, my son, Peter Anthony Stark." With that finish to his speech, Tony flourished his hand in Peter's direction and stepped away from the podium.

The crowd cheered and cameras flashed as Peter stepped forward. He inhaled deeply as he adjusted the cuffs of his business suit and thought over his decision once more. Then, he cleared his throat and leaned toward the microphone. "Thank you, Dad," Peter began. He gave Tony a meaningful look that implied he meant for more than just the introductory speech. "I am honored to have been given such a prestigious position, and I intend to do it justice. But, before I can properly step into this role, there's something I need to share. If I'm going to do this right, all of me has to be involved. So," Peter paused and, though that moment was silent for everyone else in the room, his heart was pounding in his chest and ringing in his ears as he opened his mouth to say the irrevocable line, "taking inspiration from how my father worded it years ago: I am Spider-Man."