Spider-Son & Iron Dad one shots

tony the love advice expert

(A/N: i hope you all are doing okay and staying safe. sorry for the low updates!! things have been very crazy and I have had writers block for the longest timeeeee—I wrote a little oneshot because i wanted to upload somethin' special on my birthday. enjoy:)

"Mr. Stark, have you ever been in love?"

The question startled the engineer out of his thoughts, causing him to look over.

"Before Pepper, I mean." Peter added after a pause.

The kid seemed nervous; eyes fleeting and his limbs skittish, like a gazelle deciding when to flee. Tony grins.

"Does Peter Parker have a crush?" He started in a teasing voice. "Who's the lucky person?"

Peter instantly backtracks, his face flushing with embarrassment. Wh—No! I don't—Mr. Stark that's ridiculous, why would I—"

Tony, an expert in the language of Peter Parker, doesn't respond at all. In fact, if he waits for Peter to continue blabbering, then Peter should realize that he knows about his lies, and he'll admit right about—

"Ok, fine."

Now.

Just like clockwork.

Peter sighs heavily and collapses in a seat. The dramatics make Tony hold back a snort. "I really like MJ. Like, really really like her."

"Hmm," Tony responds simply, waiting for Peter to continue. As usual, he does.

"She makes me feel like the most special person in the world. Not Spider-Man. Me. And she is just so effortlessly talented that it makes me lose my mind," Peter explains breathlessly. "And like, I knew that Liz was just a crush, right? But with MJ—Everything just feels so right. Like this is more than a crush."

Tony thinks for a moment on what to say. Things like this were tricky. Saying the wrong thing could be detrimental, such as when Morgan asks him for a juice pop after Pepper has already said no.

"Well, have you told her?" Tony asks.

"I can't do that!" Peter squawks. "And besides. If i did tell her, it would be like, special. We're going on some summer field trip with the decathlon team later this year, to Paris and Italy and stuff. Maybe I'll say something then."

"Okay," Tony says slowly.

Internally, he was freaking out. Talking to Peter about his love life was something entirely uncharted, and something he wasn't too looking forward about with Morgan.

However, he needed to be focused on his other kid right now.

"Well, that sounds incredibly cheesy and very puppy-love-esque but I suppose that's sort of your brand," Tony reasons, leaning back and scratching his beard. "But it sounds like you've got it pretty planned out, so why do you need my help?"

"Because! Mr. Stark, I don't know what love is. You obviously do, considering you're happily married with a kid—"

"Kids," Tony corrects lamely.

Peter's shoulders relax and he smiles a little. "Oh."

"Go on."

"Right, well, my point is—You know what it's like. And I would talk to May, except then she would bring up Ben and I'm too tired to be upset, so..." Peter looks up. "Please?"

Tony stares at Peter for a moment and then shifts in his seat. "You already know what love is, kid."

"No, I don't. I already said that Liz was just a crush—"

"What about Ned? Do you love Ned? And May? And Morgan?" Tony asks.

Peter falters. "Well, of course I love them, but that's different."

"Of course it's different," Tony says carefully. "But you love them, don't you?"

Peter nods slowly.

"Well, do you love MJ, then?"

Peter pauses then, looking to the ground. "I...If you put it that way, then yeah. But how do i know if i love her, like, romantically?"

Tony thinks for a moment, looking around the room.

There's the soft whirring of machinery, quiet beeping from some of his robots across the lab. Lightsaber sound effects from Peter's phone, the movie lying abandoned on the table.

On his desk; pictures of his family. Morgan's kindergarten photo in a silver frame. Tony and Pepper's wedding pictures right beside it. On the top right of his desk, the photo that Peter and Tony took for his "internship" so many years ago.

The thing that stood out the most was an arc reactor. Old, but never rusting. A silver lining around it with the phrase: Proof Tony Stark Has A Heart.

"The time I knew I was in love with Pepper was three years after she started personally working with me," He explains with a fond smile. "It had been a rough day. I couldn't sleep. In the morning, she gave me a cup of coffee and told me it was going to be alright, and i knew I was hooked."

Peter smiles. "That's really nice, Mr. Stark."

"Yeah," He says with a sigh. "Did that help?"

"Yeah. It did," Peter says softly. "Thanks."

Tony gets up and ruffles Peter's hair. "Anytime, kid. At least i don't have to do this kind of talk with Morgan yet. Want some lunch?"

Peter nods, and the two walk out of the lab. Cartoons play on the living room television, with Morgan sitting on the carpeted floor.

"Tony, is that you?" Pepper's voice comes from the kitchen. She sounds amused. "Perfect! Morgan, tell Daddy what you told me."

"Uh oh," Tony murmurs with a smile. He picks Morgan up, settling her at his waist as Peter sits at the kitchen counter.

"I've got a crush on Max from school!" She says cheerfully.

Tony widens his eyes. He can practically feel his hair growing grey by the second.

Uh oh is right.

Fin.

(a/n: do y'all want another vine chapter?)