Spying on Spider-Man

Chapter 17

Tony was attempting to somewhat weld the boat together when Peter and I made our way outside. "Uh, Mr. Stark? Hey, Mr. Stark. Could we do anything? What do you want us to do?" Peter asked.

"I think you've done enough," Tony said angrily.

As Tony continued to fix the boat, Peter and I climbed to the top of a tall building nearby. When we were there, I stripped my mask off. Peter did the same thing. "What the fuck were we thinking?!" I said angrily as I kicked a pipe on the top of the roof, putting a dent in it.

Peter didn't say anything. He just sat on the edge of the building. We were both feeling awful about what had just happened. We were just reacting differently.

I heard a thud and turned to see an Iron Man suit on the roof next to us. "Previously on Allie and Peter Screw the Pooch: I told you to stay away from this," Tony said. "Instead, you hacked two multi-million-dollar suits so you could sneak around behind my back doing the one thing I told you not to do."

"Is everyone ok?" Peter asked.

"No thanks to you," Tony said.

"No thanks to us?" Peter angrily hopped off the edge and walked toward Tony. "Those weapons were out there, and we tried to tell you about it. But you didn't listen. None of this would've happened if you had just listened to us. If you even cared, you'd actually be here."

The suit opened, and Tony was actually inside it. He stepped out of the suit. "I did listen, kid. Who do you think called the FBI, huh? Do you know that I was the only one to believe in you? Everyone else said I was crazy to recruit a 14-year-old kid and to let my 16-year-old niece participate in government experiments," Tony said.

"I'm fifteen," Peter corrected.

"No, this is where you zip it, all right? The adult is talking. What if somebody had died tonight? Different story, right? 'Cause that's on you. And if you died, I feel like that's on me. I don't need that on my conscience," Tony said.

"Yes, sir," Peter and I said at the same time.

"I-I'm sorry," I said.

"I'm sorry," Peter said.

"Sorry doesn't cut it," Tony said.

"I understand. I just wanted to be like you," Peter said.

"And I wanted you to be better. Both of you," Tony said. "Okay, it's not working out. I'm gonna need the suits back."

"For how long?" Peter asked, clearly shocked.

"Forever," Tony said.

"No, please," Peter begged.

"Let's have it."

"You don't understand. Please. This is all I have. I'm nothing without this suit."

"If you're nothing without this suit, then you shouldn't have it. Ok? God, I sound like my dad."

"Peter, he's right," I said. Peter turned to me. "We can't base our worth on these suits. People could have died today because we got cocky."

"Allie...." Peter started.

"All I wanted was to make my parents proud, and right now my parents would be so disappointed in me. I let them down, I let Tony down. I let you down. I can't do it anymore."

Peter was silent for a second. "I don't have any other clothes," he told Tony.

"Okay, we'll sort that out," Tony said. He turned to me. "You can give me yours when we get home."

I nodded. "Mr. Stark, can I have just one moment alone with Allie? Please," Peter said.

Tony thought for a second. "You have two minutes. I'll be down by the Stingray."

Tony got back in his suit and flew toward where I had parked the Stingray. "What did you not want Tony to hear?" I asked.

"Allie, you know I love you. I love you more than anything and anyone except May. I will always love you. However, I can't drag you down with me. I won't. So Allie, as much as it hurts me to do this, I'm breaking up with you. I'm really sorry," Peter said. His eyes were filled with tears.

My eyes were the same way. "Peter, please, don't do this. You don't have to."

"I think I do. I can't bring you down with me. You have to live with Mr. Stark. You could get punishments that are so much worse than mine."

"Please, don't do this. Please."

Peter came over, grabbed my cheek, and pulled my lips to his. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

He let go of my face, put his mask on, and swung over to the Stingray. I followed him, and as soon as he was gone I broke down into sobs. Tony didn't know how to react. "Allie, if this is about me taking the suit away-”

"Peter just broke up with me." I looked at Tony. "I had just gotten up enough courage to tell him that I love him, I had just gotten him as my boyfriend. And because of you, he broke up with me."

"How is this my fault? I'm sorry that he broke up with you, but that's because of your actions, not mine."

"He broke up with me because of how you would have punished me if I got involved, so yeah, it's on you. I just lost my best friend, and he was basically all I had left. It's all because of you, and I will never forgive you for that."

"Peter made his own choice. Plus, he is not all you have left."

"Really? Because my dad is dead. My mom is dead. I haven't talked to any of my three godfathers in years. And don't say I have you, because I would bet everything that you didn't even want to take me in when you got the call."

"That's not true."

"Really? So you found out you had a secret sister that just died, and you were more than happy to take in her 16-year-old kid?"

"Yeah, because I hadn't just found out about my sister!"

I was so shocked that my knees almost buckled under me. "What?"

Tony took a deep breath. "I had met Tammy five years ago during the New York clean up. We got to talking, and eventually she told me she was my sister. I didn't believe her at first, but after I did some digging and found her birth certificate. So I gave her a call to get to know her. She was at lunch with me when she got the call about your dad."

I leaned onto the side of the Stingray for support. "And she kept you from me?"

"She knew you were getting teased at school. Being called Iron Wannabe. She thought that if people didn't know, it would be better for you. She was trying to protect you."

I couldn't even think straight. My mom had lied to me all these years. That was all I could think of as I went home, showered, got into my pajamas, and tried to sleep.