Spider-Man Oneshots || Peter Parker

Fall

Peter had been acting weird tonight.

It started when he showed up at the lake house two hours late. Tony had asked what was wrong the moment the kid walked through the door, but Peter refused to respond or even look him in the eyes as he made a beeline for the nearest bathroom.

He had initially been excited to come over for the weekend; it was something that he and Tony had planned for weeks in advance. School had just started again, and it had become difficult for the two to see each other on a regular basis now that Tony lived so far away.

Nevertheless, Peter always tried to swing to the lake house as frequent as possible to visit the Stark family and Tony did the same, spontaneously heading out to Queens to check up on the kid.

Ever since Peter had come back from the Blip, Tony was desperate to make up for the lost five years where the boy had been missing. Just seeing him in the near vicinity made Tony smile from ear to ear, and he promised himself to never again take his presence for granted.

But now, Tony watches with concern as Peter picks at the leftovers, clearly distracted with whatever was running through his head.

"Wanna tell me what's going on kiddo?"

Peter looks up from his Kraft mac and cheese, not noticing that Tony had been in the room to begin with.

"I'm okay," he says with a waver in his voice. Tony squints his eyes in return.

"You wanna try that again?"

Peter gulps and looks to the side, attempting to hide the sudden grief in his eyes. "I'm fine." 

"Is it something to do with school?" Tony presses on knowing the transition back to Midtown had been a tough one to cope with, especially with all the new students that filled the halls.

Any person who was Blipped had displacement issues, uncertain how to move forward after missing five years of their lives. This was something Tony consciously worked against, doing everything in his power to ensure that Peter was feeling comfortable despite the unfamiliarity of the new world around him.

Peter shakes his head anyway, and Tony tries again.

"Is it something with Spiderman?"

Peter hesitates before nodding. Bingo.

Tony is tempted to ask for details, but he refrains from doing so when he witnesses Peter begin to curl into himself. He knows that Peter will eventually confide to him, Tony just needed to be patient and let him share on his own terms.

With that thought in mind, he changes the topic of discussion and asks if he wants to watch a movie. Peter visibly perks up at the suggestion, and Tony breathes out a sigh of relief.

Because Morgan was asleep, Peter was able to choose the movie for the night. He picks Empire Strikes Back without a second thought, and Tony can't help but laugh at the predictability of it.

Tony pays special attention to the way Peter yearns for physical contact that night, leaning into his personal space more so than usual. He wraps an arm around Peter and allows him to rest his head on top of his shoulders. He combs fingers through Peter's hair working to get him to fall asleep, though it doesn't work.

By the end of the movie, Peter is still wide awake, eyes trained to the TV but not processing the story line he knew all too well.

When the credits eventually roll around, Peter stretches obnoxiously and offers a fake yawn,
"I think I'm going to head to bed now, thanks for watching the movie with me Mister Stark."