You can trust now, Peter darling

15

A month had passed, and here Tony was, staring at adoption papers.

Peter had been under Tony's care for 1 month and 4 weeks. And in that time, they had grown incredibly close. In that time, Tony found out about his background, his powers, his engineering skills, and just how amazing and adorable the boy really was.

Tony cherished the hour he spent each week, teaching Peter sign language. He cherished the time they spent in the lab together each day and the smile it would bring on the boy's face. He would cherish their daily walks in the park, which Peter was getting really good at. He was outside for at least 2 hours a day. Sometimes he would go out on his own, but that would only last about 30 minutes.

Tony knew this is what he wanted. He knew he wanted Peter to become his son, he just wasn't sure that's what Peter wanted. He didn't want the boy to feel like he was replacing his parents. Or his Aunt and Uncle. Tony knew how much Peter loved them, it almost broke him.

Which was true. Peter didn't want to admit it to himself because he thought he would be betraying his actual family, but he's grown to love Tony. He relied on the man a lot. He felt safe and protected around him. Being around him made him happy.

He wanted to thank him somehow. Maybe by finishing up the project they were working on, which was fixing up the nanotech for Tony's Mark 85 suit.

Or maybe if he just spoke.

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"Pete, buddy, can I talk to you for a sec?" Tony asked the boy who was doodling at his desk in his room again. It was a hobby of his, drawing. Most of the time he would just draw spiders or maybe even portraits of random people. And he was good at it.

Right now he was working on a portrait of a man. A man that he needed to forget. The man who was in charge of the torture he received during his time at HYDRA.

Peter couldn't get him out of his head. So he thought that drawing him would give him an outlet, or at least some closure. Then he could tear it up, or burn it, or throw darts at it once he finished.

Peter put his pencil down and looked up at Tony. His eyes fell to his hands which were holding papers.

The man made his way towards Peter, leaning against his desk.

"I wanted to ask you something. And you can take all the time you need to answer it." Tony began before taking a deep breath. "I just want you to know how much I care about you, Peter, and how much I want to protect you. I don't want you to feel pressured in any way. I just want you to think about it, okay?"

Peter looked up at the man in fear.

'Should I be scared?' The boy signed. He was pretty much fluent in sign language. He was a very fast learner.

The man chuckled lightly before answering.

"No...at least I hope not." Tony sighed and then placed the papers he was holding on Peter's desk. The boy looked down at them, and then his eyes widened.

The paper was full of confusing words and boxes to fill in, but all Peter took from it, were the words 'Certificate of Adoption'.

Peter could feel tears making his way to his eyes, causing his vision to blur and his hands to shake. He didn't know how to react. Of course he wanted to say yes, he just couldn't move. It almost didn't feel real. He then felt a hand on his shoulder.

"You don't have to say yes. It's just something I've been thinking about recently." Tony reassured him when he took notice of Peter's reaction. He couldn't tell whether it was a good thing or a bad thing.

Peter stopped Tony's train of never ending thoughts by throwing his arms around the man. He cried silently into his neck before pulling away and nodding. The biggest smile grew on Tony's face as they stared at each other, Peter smiling too.

"Yeah?" Tony said, wanting a confirmation. Peter nodded again, and it was Tony's turn to embrace the boy, tears welling in his own eyes. Peter pulled away again.

'Can I ask something though?' Peter signed to the man, suddenly feeling anxious.

"Of course, anything." Tony said, still holding the boy's sides.

'Can I keep my last name?' Peter asked shyly. Tony didn't blame the kid for asking. Of course Peter would want to keep his last name, he didn't want to discard his family's name. Especially by allowing another man to become his father.

"How about we change it to Peter Parker-Stark?" Tony offered with a smile. Peter beamed at him and they hugged again. Tony took that as a yes and chuckled.

But Peter suddenly pulled away again and stared at Tony. He had a nervous look in his eyes and he began to shake again.

"You okay?" Tony said as he crouched down to Peter's level.

Peter started to feel sweaty. Was he really doing this?

Yes. It's time.

Peter opened his mouth. Tony widened his eyes, realizing what the boy was trying to do. Tony's heart started racing. He didn't say anything though, he didn't want to interrupt Peter in fear that he'll stop him from trying to talk.

But all the boy could do was let out a squeaky-wheezing sound. So he cleared his throat and tried again. Tony's vision blurred with hot tears.

"Th...Thank...Y-You." Peter finally got out. His voice was cracked and hoarse from misuse. But what he said was still loud and clear and made the tears in the man's eyes finally run down his face.

That was all Peter said. And it was all he needed to say. He didn't elaborate on what exactly he was saying thank you for. Because he knew that it was for everything. Everything that Tony had done for him in the past month.

Tony immediately pulled Peter into another crushing hug as the boy cried into his shoulder again. Tony could feel him shaking and ran a soothing hand down the boy's back.

"You're welcome, Peter." The man said softly near Peter's ear. "It's okay, you're okay." He comforted the trembling boy in his arms. He knew it took a lot for him to speak. Which was probably why he was now sobbing into Tony's chest.

Peter was terrified of speaking. But he knew he had to face his fears and do it. And he was glad that he did. But he still couldn't stop crying.

Tony pulled away from the hug and grabbed Peter's face with both of his hands, lifting it to meet his gaze.

"You did it, kid. You did it! I am so proud of you." Tony smiled as more tears threatened to fall. "You are so brave, buddy." He said as he hugged the boy again. Peter's sobbing had calmed down to a silent cry.

Tony would always remember this moment. The moment he heard Peter's small voice for the first time. And somehow, it sounded exactly like he thought it would. It was a beautiful sound, even with the cracks. Tony feared that it would be the only time he would hear Peter's voice. He didn't want that to be true.

But all he could do, and all he wanted to do in that moment, was comfort Peter, his soon-to-be son.