Peter can tell that Harley is trying not to cry. They both are if he's being honest. They're standing around the breakfast bar in the kitchen with Tony, Pepper, Rhodey, May, a Notary, and a Stark Industries Lawyer. Harley's mom is on a video call only because she couldn't get the time off to fly there. It's quiet and serious enough that even Tony is cracking a joke.
Tony who's joking at least 80 percent of the time. Tony who mostly speaks in loving jabs and funny references. Tony who's going to be their dad. Their real legal dad in just a few minutes, barring all the approval to be done within the courts themselves.
Peter tries to gulp down a whine and Harley elbows him lightly. They're in this together, he's trying to say. Brothers.
There's signing and initialing and thumbprint-ing. Peter and Harley have already done their parts, the few that they'd had anyway. If they were sitting they'd be on the edge of their seats, but since they aren't they each take turns biting at their nails or fiddling with screws and bits from the lab that they have stuck in their pockets.
Peter can hear everyone breathing and the beating of their hearts, but the loudest sound in the room still seems to be the scritch-scratch of pen on paper as Tony signs the last line with a flourish.
"Congratulations, Mr. Stark," says the Notary as he gathers up all of the paperwork. "You're a father."
The silence in the room breaks as Pepper and Rhodey both break into sobs and May cheers.
"Fuck, Tones," says Rhodey with feeling. "You're a dad. Like legally."
"You're both dads," Pepper puts in.
"And you're good at it or whatever," Harley says with his arms crossed, a tear rolling down his cheek before he rubs the back of his hand across it. It takes less than a second for Tony...their dad to pull both Harley and Peter into a bone-crushing hug, kissing the tops of their heads even though he's barely that much taller than them.
The notary and the lawyer must leave while they're all wrapped up in the hugs and waterworks because when they finally separate to the sound of Harley's mom admitting she has to get back to work before hanging up, they're nowhere to be found.
"Dad," says Peter with tears in his eyes and a smile on his face. It's still unbelievable that this man saved the world for him. Stood up to space, time, and a literal fucking titan, just to be able to watch him make goofy projects in the lab and ruffle his hair. He squeezes him tighter, rubbing his tears into his dad's goofy rock t-shirt. "You really are a great dad."
"What can I say, I was given great kids."
"You haven't even met them all yet," Peter says in a whisper.
Tony pulls back, narrowing his eyes at his younger son.
"And how would you know that?"
"Super-hearing, remember? I've heard their heartbeat since it started beating."
"Pete, I—"
"It's okay, dad. It's better than okay. It's great actually. Congrats." Both of their smiles are soft and loving, until Harley fake gags.
The laughter and feeling of family encompassing them is a balm on Peter's heart. After years of feeling like a burden even when May told him he wasn't, it feels nice for all of them to choose him. Again and again. To choose to be his family. To choose to love him.
He smiles wide, but the tears come easier this time.
--:--
"Pregnant!?" Harley wheezes, sitting up from where he'd been slouched across his bed. His dad is leaning against his desk, looking over blueprints Harley had drawn up in class.
"Yep."
"Wait wait wait...is this the surprise Peter was lying about not knowing?"
Tony laughs. "Probably, yeah. The kid can't lie to save his life."
"May says it's only 'cause he cares."
"The kids disgustingly sweet."
"Wonder where he gets that from?"
"May, definitely."
"Of course you'd say that. And uh..." Harley clears his throat. "I'm assuming you guy's didn't just choose to tell him first right? Cause you thought I would be hurt or something? He just figured it out."
"Kid, he knew before I did. Said he could hear their heartbeat when it started beating."
"Freaky," Harley says, but a part of him is relieved. The part of him that doesn't want to admit he still feels a little jealous to have Peter around sometimes. Especially when he's known Tony longer, but Peter's got to spend more time with him. There are times when the jealousy feels like it will eat him up inside. Then he remembers that they're all a family. That love is not conditional. That he didn't do anything wrong to drive his birth father away. That Tony is his dad now, in all the ways that count, and having siblings won't change that.
Tony's smile is fond and Harley is happy to see it. Glad that they've made it here after so long away from their families. The man in front of him is a far cry from the one he'd run into months ago when he had first landed in New York and even further from the man he'd met years ago when he'd found him in his shed. Harley laughs.
"Guess you're both a little freaky, Patatino," says his dad ruffling his hair. "I mean you're from Tennessee. That's weird enough as it is, don't you think? Spidey boy can have something."
Harley laughs again. "Oh yeah? Then what's your excuse."
"Trauma," says Tony in complete seriousness and Harley laughs even harder at that, throwing a pillow at him. He catches it easily and throws it back before leaving the room.
"I hate you!" Harley calls after him jokingly.
"No, you don't!" Tony yells back.
"I can try!"
His dad finally laughs a bit more at that. They're officially a family now, he thinks as Peter comes rushing into the room with Legos and a smile on his face.
It was just he, his mom, and Ava before. Now he has a hoard of people who love him with everything they have and he knows it.
Sometimes he's glad that his dad never came back. Tony's a hard act to follow.
-§-
hey futher muckers
last 2 chappies (& a epilogue) going up like right now
i'll try to post them on ao3 too before i go back to sleep, if not i'll do it whenever someone reminds me haha
as always this fic got away from me buttttttt
im thinking finally wrapping up this 2 parter will help me to get back into writing.
school and work has been absolutely whooping my ass so ive been reading when i have the time instead of writing
im working on an actual novel so let me know if any of you would want to see excerpts of that.
its an OC witchy sapphic romance
anywayssssss hope y'all liked this chappie
love y'all
-- angel janeé xoxo 💋
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Our Dad's an Ir⎊n Dad || Marvel
Fanfic[sequel to A Dad of Iron Will] Tony's retired. Mostly. He brought his kid back (and half the population with him), but it's been months since he and Pepper have had a full house. Now Harley's home and Peter's back and not even Tony knows what they'l...
