Bless The Broken Road

First Day Jitters

"What if no one likes me?" Peter bit his lip, snuggled under the covers as he peered up at his Dad. It was the night before he was due to go to his new school and the nerves had skyrocketed. Peter honestly felt like he would be sick as he laid down on his bed, watching his father with tired eyes. His stomach kept doing twists and turns, all of the 'what ifs' circling around in Peter's brain.

"They'll love you," Tony reassured, brushing some hair out of Peter's face. He kept his voice low and soft despite the increasing nerves he was feeling as well.

"You're just saying that because you're my Dad," Peter pouted. "You're biased."

Tony rolled his eyes, a smirk growing across his face. "It's still the truth. How about we ask the rest of the team, huh? I'm sure they'll all say the same."

"They're biased too!"

"What about Ben and May?"

"Biased!"

Tony paused for a second before raising one eyebrow and giving Peter a look. "What if i call Aunt Pepper, huh? I'm sure she'll agree with me."

Peter considered his Dad's words; his Aunt Pepper was the most straightforward and honest person he'd ever met. She would never lie. But Peter didn't need his Dad to call Pepper to ask if she believed Peter was loveable. He knew she would say yes in a heartbeat.

"But what if the reason people only liked me was because of my last name?" Peter chewed at his lip, letting all of his fear leak out for his father to hear. He was desperate for a normal life, sure, and public school was a part of that normal life but there was a growing fear of Peter's that if he became a normal kid with a normal last name then it would reveal that the last 7 years were all a lie. What if the reason people were only ever nice to him and called him smart and said he was such a nice person was all because he had the weight of the Stark name on his back. What if now he went by Parker, at least at school, the kids and adults would no longer see the need to kiss his ass and Peter would finally realise he wasn't as special or nice as he'd been told.

"You're the best kid i've ever met," Tony frowned, worried about his son's insecurities. He knew what it was like for the Stark name to dictate friendships and keep you questioning what was real and what was not. "Everyone will love you for who you are, not because of your name."

"You promise?"

"I promise," Tony knew he shouldn't make the promise because it was out of his control but he couldn't help it. Peter looked so nervous and scared that he had to try and ease his mind. After all, his kid was a wonderful human being and Tony could only hope everything would go well for him the next day.

There was a quiet knock on the door, drawing both Tony and Peter out of their thoughts. Steve stuck his head in, looking awkward but unapologetic at the same time. "Can i come say goodnight?" He kept his voice quiet, waiting for Peter's nod before walking into his room.

Tony smiled up at his boyfriend, watching as Steve knelt down beside him so he was kneeling by Peter's bed, one hand going up to run a thumb over Peter's forehead. "You're going to have so much fun tomorrow, Pete."

"Will they like me Steve?" Peter voiced his concerns to the blonde man. "Dad says they will."

"Without a doubt," Steve didn't even hesitate to answer. "They're going to adore you— who wouldn't?"

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Tony nodded, his hand joining with Steve's free one. Peter watched as his Dad and boyfriend smiled down at him, something warm filling his chest. Ever since Ned had spilled the beans about their relationship, Peter had been enjoying watching his father and Steve interact more like a couple together. They held hands and kissed each other's cheeks when in Peter's presence, creating the illusion of a perfect family.