Spider-Son & Iron Dad one shots

Stars

Spooktober.25

a/n: listen to corpse bride's "Victor's Piano Solo" to get the same vibe I had while writing😌

Peter lets out a quiet sigh as he sits on the rooftop of his apartment building.

It was truly a bewitching night. The clouds were no where to be found, and the dark oxford blue of the sky was painted above him like velvety brush strokes on a canvas.

Starkly against the blue, there were brilliant specks of glowing white in all different shapes, creating patterns in the sky like the tiny freckles on Peter's nose.

Then there was the moon of course, which shown like a second more considerate and gentler sun over the taller buildings of New York. It casted hazy shadows in a ghostly light that didn't seem to fight against the darkness but rather dance with it in perfect harmony.

He was finished with patrolling for the night, and decided to take a moment to just sit and immerse himself with the breathtaking view he hadn't been able to see while fighting in darker alleyways.

With his mask held in his hand, he could feel the chill of the air which stung comfortably at his skin and lungs with every deep breath, making him feel alive in the most intended natural way.

There was the sound of machinery behind him, but Peter knew who it was before they even spoke up, so he didn't go to pull the mask back on.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Tony asks. The suit opens and Tony walks out of it, wearing fairly casual clothes.

Peter doesn't take his eyes away from the sky. He smiles a little. "I was just star gazing. I'm done with patrol tonight."

"Star gazing, huh?" Tony sits next to Peter and looks up. "You do this often?"

Peter couldn't help but feel a twinge of annoyance at first, upset by the sudden intrusion of space with talking. Just as fast, he reaffirms himself that this is Tony, and he probably took the time to come out here to check on him.

(Tony would always come check on him if it was early in the morning and he was still out in the suit. If he was still fighting things, Tony would help him wrap up the fight and send him home. If he was just sitting alone somewhere, Tony would talk to him until he was feeling okay enough to go home.)

Peter shrugs at the question. "Not so often. Just when the sky is clear. I've been here for an hour or so already."

Tony doesn't ask any more questions. He sits silently beside him, and they watch as stars flicker and shift in the sky.

Millions upon millions of celestial pinpricks, fading in and out as they live and die in what feels like seconds. Peter can hear Tony breathing quietly beside him, and somehow it makes him even more calm.

Whether he liked to admit it or not, Tony has grown into Peter's life in a way that was very paternal. He encouraged Peter, motivated him, supported him, but mostly he was just there.

He was there when Peter needed help on homework. He was there when Peter made mistakes. He was there when Peter needed someone to talk to about his struggles being a hero, which Peter never knew he needed so desperately until he had it.

And he was here now, when Peter found that his company was better than being alone, even if they were only looking at stars.

"You know, I wanted to be an astronomer when I was really little," Peter speaks up. "Like, in Kindergarten."

Tony hums with interest. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah." Peter smiles a little. "Because I watched Star Wars. I wanted to be the one to see all that stuff first, but I also liked science. So... Astronomy."

Tony snorts. "Who let you be a nerd at such an early age?"

Peter's smile widens and he shakes his head. "Shut up."

"I'm kidding." Tony nudges his shoulder. "I wanted to be an engineer when I was a kid, so I totally get it. Nerds are cool."

"You actually became an engineer," Peter points out.

Tony only smiles and shrugs.

They fall back into a silence. The city itself does not go quiet, for it is still full with the people who talk and live through the nighttime. The ambiences of their calm and the city's gentle buzz mix in gentle harmony, and Peter sighs again.

The sigh stretches into a yawn, because after all, it is late, and Peter worked as hard tonight as he does every other patrol.

Tony nudges his shoulder again and stands up. "You should get to bed soon. You've got school later. Promise me you'll go to bed at most in an hour?"

Peter nods at him. "I promise. Thanks for checking on me."

"No problem, kiddo." Tony smiles surely at him and walks into the suit. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Mr. Stark."

Tony flies off, the glow of the Iron Man suit blending in with the many other blinking lights in the sky.

Peter yawns again and stands up himself, putting on his mask. "Goodnight, New York."

And with that, he crawls back through his window, and goes to sleep.