Five Times Peter Parker called Tony Stark 'Dad'

2. Amnesia

Tony had looked at the MRI scans with the doctors. They told him the damage might result in retrograde amnesia, but couldn't give a final decision. It was best just to wait for Peter to wake up and then go from there, everyone had agreed.

From the moment he was admitted, Tony stayed by Peter's side. After the kid had taken a hit for the man, like the mad lad he is, it was the least the man could do as a thank you. And so, he sat in that cheap hospital chair that probably was wearing out the cushion because it has been used for so long until Peter woke up.

It had been a few days before the sheets stirred and the teen's vitals picked up. In an instant, the man was standing by the bed, gently running a hand through Peter's undone curls as a way of calmly coercing Parker back.

And sure enough, Peter's brown eyes slowly opened as he leaned into the touch. He looked around the room, taking in the information before landing his gaze on Tony.

"Hey.", the man greeted, as if waking a young child from naptime. "Hey.", Peter responded, if a bit shakily. He didn't know anything about him, but the teen decided he liked this man. He seemed calm, smart, caring.

"You took a bit of a hit there, kiddo. You remember what happened?", Tony asked slowly and calmly. Peter stared at the sheets, before squeezing his eyes shut in concentration. He gave up after a moment, shaking his head in defeat. "That's alright. Can you tell me the last thing you remember?", the man asked, watching Parker carefully.

"... I don't remember anything. Who am I? Who are you?", Peter asked this time. The heart monitor picked up as the teen panicked. "Hey, hey. Deep breaths. In, out.", Tony instructed, exaggerating his own breaths for the boy to follow.

"There you go. You're doing great.", Tony encouraged as the teen calmed down again. "Well, your name," the man began, poking a finger at Peter's chest, "is Peter Benjamin Parker. You got hit in the head and ended up with amnesia. Hey, it's alright. We'll get everything sorted out." The teen nodded slowly, processing the information. After a long minute, Peter looked back up at Tony expectantly.

"My name is Tony Stark. Genius, superhero, billionaire, philanthropist.", Tony introduced, giving a soft smile. "Superhero?", the boy perked up with a smile. "Yeah kid, and you're one too; you got hit pretty hard during a super villain fight." "Me? A superhero?", Peter echoed, voice obviously doubtful.

"Yessiree; Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, saving the people of Queens, New York one day at a time.", Tony answered, voice slightly laced with pride as he spoke of the hero. "Awesome.", the teen breathed.

"How you feeling?", Tony asked, flipping the roles. Peter thought for a moment before shrugging. "Alright, all things considered. Kinda hungry but...", the teen trailed off nonchalantly. Tony chuckled lightly.

"Yeah, ok. I'll go get the docs and you something to eat. Be right back.", the man waved, moving towards the door.

"Bye...Dad!", Peter called after hesitating for a moment. "That's what I called him, right?", the man heard from the other side of the non-soundproof door.

Tony sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He really hated to be the bearer of bad news.

The man put on his shades, took a breath, and walked off.