Febuwhump- Irondad

Day 10: "How long has it been?"

this one kinda hurt tbh to write. also there is no parley/parkner in this to clarify. enjoy :)

 "How long has it been, kid? What brings you here?" Those two questions were spoken towards a ragged, drenched, teenager who stood in the open elevator. He seemed to have walked in the pouring weather without any common sense, baggy shorts and a large tee with a hole in the side that didn't look like it was supposed to be there.

Tony had immediately ran to the elevator as the words were announced by Friday "Boss, Harley Keener requests an audience with you," Tony had stood up abruptly and commanded that he would be sent up.

"Who-" Peter started, but he was cut off by the announcement of his arrival. Now he watched Tony mother hen over the boy and he peeked over concerned.

"Let's get you inside," Tony said, ushering the shaking boy inside. As Peter observed closely he seemed to be maybe a year or two older if not the same age as him. "Get him a towel and new clothes Pete," Tony commanded, and Peter tried to not feel the annoyance of their lab session being interrupted.

Twenty minutes later, after a warm shower and a cup of hot cocoa they had settled into the couches in the lab as the boy introduced himself. "I'm Harley Keener," He said, giving Peter a sharp grin.

"All the way from Tennessee," Tony said. "Why are you here?" He asked Harley.

"What, I can't come visit my grandpa?" He retorts, a smile on his lips.

"Grandpa?" Peter said shocked, sitting up quickly.

"Kid, do you really think I'm old enough to be a grandpa?" Tony asked exasperated. Harley put one hand to the side of his mouth and whispered to Peter "He works fast," And with a wink- a wink and he managed to look good doing it- he turned back to Tony. "Wanted to see what was so good about New York," and he shot Tony a look which he seemed to decipher and Peter couldn't help but feel left out. And when he left that night knowing that Harley was staying he couldn't stop the jealousy burning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next Wednesday the 'internship' included Harley. 

The texts after his messages about his patrol got shorter and shorter, and he was soon left on read. 

Happy stopped picking him up for Wednesdays.

He stopped showing up.

No one stopped him.

He patrolled, and patrolled, he got punched, beaten, kicked, shot, and he no longer had a medbay to head to. 

The night where he stitched himself up in an alley he had done it alone. 

The day where Flash had punched him and Aunt May couldn't show up and Tony hadn't picked up, hadn't cared Peter had hidden in the bathrooms and cried.

 The time he turned sixteen and went to get his license and had plastered that fake smile, internally remembering the time Tony had promised to teach him how to drive and they would build his first car together.

And when he found himself lying on a building and heard Karen say "You have received a call from Mr. Stark."

"Accept," he said dryly. He heard the beep signaling the line had gone through. "Hey Mr. Stark," He started with fake enthusiasm.  "How long has it been?"