#starker: light angst | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

trashystarker · 8 months

Text

pictures don't lie - a starker one shot

Title: Pictures Don't Lie Fandom: MCU Pairing: Starker (Tony Stark x Peter Parker) Rating: Mature (Modern Day AU - Angst and Feels - Angst with a Happy Ending - Mild NSFW) Word Count: 2,300 Summary: Tony gets caught doing something harmless, and suffers the repercussions of it.

A/N: Here's my next offering for @starkerfestivals summer bingo event! Please enjoy!

---

Red wine dripped off of Tony’s face, his shirt saturated with the beverage that had just been thrown on him. He watched Peter’s retreating form, his lover in clear distress, waving his hands around as he grabbed his keys off the table in the foyer of their shared apartment. He heard Peter yell a loud “Fuck you, Tony!” before storming out of their penthouse, slamming the door shut behind him.

He reached for a napkin, taking a moment to wipe off the Merlot that had made his face sticky. It was fine. He knew that Peter was going to have a strong reaction to what he’d just told him, but it was better if he heard from him first, right? Tony sighed. Maybe not. Maybe it would have been better another way.

“Friday - keep an eye on Peter tonight, okay?” He spoke to his AI, who he knew could hear him as he’d programmed the penthouse to always have her on hand.

“Of course, boss. Did something happen?” Friday’s voice came through the speaker.

“No.” He lied. Of course something had happened. Another fuck up of his in a long life of fuck ups. And here he’d thought that things had been going pretty well for both him and Peter.

Clearly, that was a mistake.

The sun was setting on the isle of Manhattan, painting it in the beautiful colors of pink and orange, the skyline lighting up with nature’s beautiful symphony on full display. He left the dining room table and walked towards the balcony, pulling off his wine soaked shirt as he got closer to an escape. He dropped the shirt on the floor and went outside, needing to put space between him and the mess that had happened only twenty minutes ago.

Things had gone well. Peter had come home after working a bit later in the office. That’s where he’d met him. Tony had hired the best to come out of MIT, and Peter had been the star graduate last year. He put him on a special project that had the two of them working side by side, and through daily interactions it became quite clear to Tony that he’d found his equal. His partner. The person he could trust his life with.

Thankfully, Peter Parker had felt the same way, and two months after they began to work close together, he moved into Tony’s penthouse apartment.

A soft sigh left Tony’s mouth as he gripped the railing of the balcony. His heart hurt. His head ached. His shoulders were too tight, and his stomach felt like it was going to regurgitate everything he’d eaten at dinner. Had it been in bad taste to save the important bits of conversation until the end of the meal? In hindsight, he knew that the answer was yes.

The picture that had caused such a stir in his lover was still on the table, looking like a mocking portrait that could only cause harm to him and his own. Tony hated that there had been a miscommunication between the both of them. Peter had told him that all he wanted from him was honesty. And here Tony was, being as honest as he could be, and was getting screwed because of it.

His phone vibrated in his pocket. Letting go of the cool railing, he pulled it out and felt tears begin to well up in his eyes. “I won’t be coming home tonight. Don’t ask me when I’m coming back. I don’t know. I won’t be at work tomorrow. Leave me be for a bit, Tony. Please.”

Of course he was going to give Peter the space that he deserved. That was needed right now. But, Tony was stubborn. He didn’t want Peter to run away. Not when they could talk about this, and discuss what had happened. “Take care.” It was all he could muster up the courage to say to him, when everything inside of him was breaking apart.

Walking back inside, he took a look at the photograph and the anger returned. He had done nothing wrong. He’d gone to see his ex, and while the photograph looked more incriminating than it truly was, a picture was worth a thousand words. And it was clear what those words were.

Cheater.

Liar.

Destroyer of happiness.

Tony had gone to see his ex after a text had been sent to him, requesting for a friendly meeting. Tony didn’t think it was going to turn into this big production, but once he saw this photograph he knew that it was going to ruin everything. One simple act of kindness - two old friends sharing what was only a friendly laugh but could be seen as something more - had taken away the one person he’d cared about the most and pushed him away.

"I need to show you something.” Tony had said, as they were finishing up their pasta. “And you’re not going to like it.”

“Why do you think that?” His young lover - younger by about twenty years - looked up at him, the smile he loved to see so much present on his face. “I can’t be mad at you, Tony. You know I love you.”

“I know, sweetheart. But trust me, this is going to hurt. And please, believe me when I say that I had no intention of hurting you like this.”

The smile started to slip off of Peter’s face. “Tony, you’re scaring me now. What’s going on?”

He picked up the manila envelope that had been sitting on the table this entire time, and took the photograph out of it. He put it on the table, and saw Peter’s face begin to grow pale. “It isn’t how it looks.”

“Bullshit.” Peter pointed at the picture. “That’s Pepper Potts, isn’t it?”

“It is.” Tony had been open with Peter about his previous partners. Pepper had been someone he’d intended on making a life with, but things never worked out that way. Tony was actually glad that had happened, as it wouldn’t have brought Peter into his life. “But it’s like I said, it isn’t how it looks.”

“She’s got her arms around you.” Peter kept staring at the image. “You’re laughing.”

“I know.”

“You never laugh like that.”

He felt his stomach twist. “You know that isn’t true, Peter. I laugh with you like that often.”

“Did you sleep with her?”

“No.”

“You’re lying.”

“No, I’m not.”

The chair Peter was sitting on scraped against the floor as he hastily stood up. Tony was about to say something when Peter picked up his glass of wine, and threw it on him. “Fuck you, Tony.” He heard the tears in Peter’s voice, whether they were from anger or sadness, Tony didn’t know. He watched him leave, and heard him grab his keys off the table. Another loud ‘fuck you’, and his lover was gone.

All because of one stupid moment captured on film, making it look like two old flames rekindling something that was no longer there. Tony knew that Peter had every right to have reacted the way he had. If he'd come across a picture of Peter with MJ like this, well….Tony knew how he would respond, and how Peter reacted was with more dignity than he was physically capable of.

He went to his shared bedroom with Peter and went into their bathroom. He got into the shower, peeling off the rest of his clothes before doing so, needing to wash both the wine and his sadness off of his body. If this was the end between him and Peter, then fine. He’d make sure that Peter found a place to work at that could utilize both his talent and his charm to be a direct competitor to Stark Industries. He never meant to hurt him by spending time with his ex. It was a misunderstanding.

But aren’t all break ups caused by a misunderstanding? At least, to one person they might be. To the other, it might be as plain as day why the relationship was coming to an end. Tonight, it seemed that Tony was aware of both sides, and had to accept it.

Sleep was impossible. He stared up at the ceiling, feeling like utter death as the person that should be next to him was no longer there. He was tempted to ask Friday where he was, but decided that that might not be the wisest idea. For all he knew, Peter was getting revenge on him by sleeping with someone from his past. Wanting to even the score, even though there was no score to settle.

The front door of the penthouse opened at close to three in the morning. Tony held his breath as he saw a shadow walk into the room. The air smelled like booze. Peter had gone drinking. He could smell the whisky on his breath from twenty feet away. He heard him sniffle, and then saw his shadow begin to take off his clothes. Tony kept his breath quiet, as he didn’t want Peter to know he was awake. But, it seemed his younger lover knew because as soon as he hit the bed, he crawled into Tony’s space and put his arms around him.

Tony didn’t hesitate. He pulled Peter into a hug, letting him cry against his shoulder. “I didn’t cheat on you.” Tony whispered into his ear, as he heard Peter cry harder. “You’re the only person I want, Peter. No one else. Pepper is a distant memory. She’s a friend. Nothing more.”

“Do you promise?” Peter’s voice cracked, as he pulled his head away from Tony’s shoulder and stared into his eyes. “I can’t do this again, Tony. I don’t like how this feels. I feel awful. I feel sick.”

“That’s because you drank too much.” Tony tried to lighten the mood, his lip curled up in a half-smirk. “Did you get a fifth on sale?”

“I went and hung out with Ned.” Peter returned his head to his shoulder, and exhaled a long sigh. “I need you to promise me what you’re saying is the truth.”

He brought his hand up to Peter’s face, and wiped away a few tears from his cheek. “I promise, Peter. There is no one else. Only you.”

“How do I know that?”

“You have to trust me.” Tony knew that was a tall ask. “I trust you.”

“I want to trust you, but I’m scared.”

“Of what?”

“You hurting me. Again.” A broken whisper came out of Peter’s mouth.

Lowering himself down to be face to face with Peter, he looked into his eyes and could see the tears still there. “I will probably hurt you, but not because it’s my intention. I’m human, Peter. I expect you to hurt me too, but what makes us stronger is when we talk about it. When we don’t run away from each other.”

“I’m sorry.” Peter bit his lip.

“Don’t be. You had every right to leave.” He brought his forehead to Peter’s, and took a deep breath. “You came home.”

“I wanted to be with you. I needed to know that I was wrong.”

“Be patient with me, Peter. You’re going to see things you may not want to see, but always know that you are the only person who has this.” He brought Peter’s hand to his chest. “No one else gets this. Only you. You’re the only person I’m in love with.”

“Tony…”

Peter kissed him first, Tony willingly letting him take control of the kiss with a deep groan. His arms slid around Peter’s naked body, pulling him to lay on top of him as their kiss continued to deepen. Peter’s tongue filled his mouth, making parts of his body sing for joy, while it healed the ache in both his head and his heart. He felt Peter roll his hips, pushing himself against his body, Tony welcoming the touch with another deep groan.

“I love you.” He whispered into Peter’s ear, as his cock slid deep into his body, Peter’s soft moans now filling his ears. “I love you so much, Peter.”

“I l-love you, Tony!” Peter cried out, his moans becoming louder. “Oh, God…”

“Yes, sweetheart…” Tony knew that his lover was close. He reached between their bodies and began to pump his cock with his fist, his hips moving in an erratic pattern.

“Tony!!”

It was all he needed to hear. All he ever wanted to hear. Peter fell from his high as Tony brought him to an orgasm, the warmth of his hot seed flowing between his fingers as he pumped his cock through the bliss. Tony’s hips stuttered as a deep moan left his own mouth, thrusting deep inside for one final time as his own cock exploded, pouring his essence into Peter’s warm channel.

After a quick clean up, Peter secured himself back in Tony’s arms. “I vote tomorrow be a do nothing day.” Peter yawned, as Tony’s fingers began to play with the curls on the back of Peter’s neck.

“I think that’s an excellent plan.” Tony brushed his lips against Peter’s temple. “I’m sorry, Peter. Truly.”

“I know, Tony. I’m sorry too.” Peter lifted his head, and kissed him on the lips. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

He waited for Peter to fall asleep before he allowed himself to drift off. He knew that this wouldn’t be the last time something like this happened, but he was for sure going to try to make sure it didn’t happen again. But he was only human, and sometimes made bad choices. Luckily, though, his lover had been the right choice. Peter Parker was his better half; always had been and always would be. That made Tony Stark the luckiest man on the planet.

#starker #my writing #fanfic #starkerfestivals #summer bingo 2k23

40 notes · View notes

ao3feed-irondadspiderson · 7 months

Text

Not Rocket-Science for Dummies A Masterclass by Rhodey and MJ

https://archiveofourown.org/works/50064865 by AnonVale “Peter—look behind you!” The boy clasps Peter’s head, forcefully turning it around. Peter’s looking. And— Well, Rhodey’s not looking at Peter. He’s looking at a living memory—lightning wit and calculating brown eyes. Rhodey’s lightheaded with it—with late nights hidden in lab cupboards as tired security guards search for the source of echoing laughter—with breaking into Tiberius Stone’s dorm room and stealing his pipsqueak best friend’s final paper back—with punching Howard Stark in the face, shaking his knuckles out without an ounce of regret—with bunny-eared yearbook photos and shared school hoodies—with ‘I got it! I got it—Rhodey—stop—It’s not even—even heavy’ and ‘It’s a two-hundred pound robot, of course it’s heavy, dummy’—and later—so much later—too late, alway too late—with searching, searching, searching and never finding— Words: 5668, Chapters: 1/4, Language: English Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Iron Man (Movies) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: Gen Characters: Peter Parker, Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Happy Hogan, Michelle Jones (Marvel), Pepper Potts, Ned Leeds, May Parker (Spider-Man) Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones & Ned Leeds, Happy Hogan & Peter Parker, Happy Hogan & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Tony Stark, Happy Hogan & James "Rhodey" Rhodes Additional Tags: Mentioned Richard Parker, Mentioned Mary Parker, Mentioned Howard Stark, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, Humor, Crack Treated Seriously, kind of, some - Freeform, Dubious Science, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Bio-Dad Reveal, Good Friend Ned Leeds, Good Friend Happy Hogan, Good Friend Michelle Jones (Marvel), Good Friend James "Rhodey" Rhodes, em dash abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, very subtle, some light swearing, Bad Parent Howard Stark, NOT STARKER - Freeform read it on AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/50064865

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #iron dad and spider son #spider son #iron dad #peter parker #tony stark

29 notes · View notes

late-to-the-party-81 · 2 months

Text

New starts happen all the time

AN: Here I am, still clearing out my outstanding requests, and it's been a minute since I wrote some Starker

Anonymous asked: Peter Parker sleeps with tony and makes the mistake of wearing his boyfriends favorite boyband t-shirt to school. Request

Now, I know this is probably not the story you thought you were going to get with this prompt, but the muse does what it does. I hope you all enjoy anyway. I now know more about Engineering classes at MIT than I ever thought I would know. Also, no massive age gaps here, only about 3-4 years.

Unbeta'd, so apologies for typos and rogue comma's.

Likes are loved, reblogs are golden.

Mood board by me and dividers by @firefly-graphics

Join my tag list here

Master list

Summary: MIT is still a big adjustment, even when you are gifted, and bullies still exist, so it’s a good job Peter falls at Tony’s feet.

Relationship: College Peter Parker x College Tony Stark

Word Count: 6.4k

CW: College AU, No Powers, Strangers to friends, Friends to lovers, developing relationship, Gay Peter Parker, Pansexual Tony Stark, insecure Peter Parker, inexperienced Peter Parker, Supportive Tony Stark, Confident Tony Stark, Fluff, Angst, Bullying, name calling, attempted Sexual Assault, Background Rhodey/Maria, BAMF Maria Hill, Justin Hammer is a douche, Explicit Sexual content (oral sex, mutual masturbation).

“Watch it, nerd!”

Peter tried to right himself as he bounced off the shoulder of whoever had just shouted at him. He had hoped that once he’d swapped Midtown High for the hallowed halls of MIT that he wouldn’t have to deal with this sort of thing any more. However it appeared that college, even one where technically every student was a nerd or a geek, was still slave to the various cliques and sub-groups. The jocks were definitely those who majored in Astronautics, and those who studied Business Analytics liked to look down on everyone else, assured of the fact that their degrees would lead to higher paying jobs than someone doing a lowly science or engineering degree.

He readjusted the pile of books in his arms as he tried to work out if he was going the right way. Two weeks into his Freshman year and he still hadn’t gotten the layout of campus straight in his head. It didn’t help that he’d decided to Double Major in both Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, so always seemed to be coming and going.

And now he was late for his next class.

He hiked his backpack higher on his shoulder and started to jog towards his destination. However, the infamous Parker luck was once again on his side, or not, as the case may be, and suddenly he found himself tripping over a stone, or maybe it was even his own feet, and crashing to the ground.

For a few moments, Peter lay dazed, the taste of gritty dirt and the tang of iron in his mouth.

“Hey, kid,” a voice called out, “are you alright?”

Peter pushed himself up with a groan and shook his head to try and clear it.

“Be careful,” the voice said, closer than it was a moment ago, and suddenly there were a pair of hands gripping his upper arms, easing him into a sitting position. He blinked a couple of times, the way the sunlight was falling onto his face making him wince, but then the light was blocked out by a body and Peter gasped.

Back in highschool he had wondered why he wasn’t really interested in girls the way the other boys were. It had taken him a while to realise that he was gay, and once he’d made that revelation, he wondered why it had taken him so long to work it out. He supposed that it was all down to a hetero-normative society and all that.

However, if he were still in any doubt, the sight of the man before him and the way he was affecting Peter’s equilibrium - although maybe that was from his fall - was enough to bring his own understanding of his sexuality into crystalline focus.

“I hope you haven’t got a concussion, kid. But you do have a nasty cut on your lip.”

The guy was speaking but all Peter could focus on was his features, his tousled brown hair, thick eyebrows, equally dark eyes, perfectly straight nose and pouty pink lips.

“Here, have some water.”

As a water bottle was pressed to his lips, the pressure against the cut he’d apparently sustained jerked Peter back to reality. He took hold of the bottle with shaking hands and gulped down a few mouthfuls, eager to remove the horrible taste from his mouth.

“Umm, thanks,” he stammered out and tried to pass the bottle back to his erstwhile rescuer.

“Keep it. You might want it later, and to be honest, it has your blood on it, and while I’m kinky, I’m not that kinky.”

At the strangers words, Peter felt himself blush, because firstly, he was currently a vanilla as they came - mainly due to circumstance than anything else - and secondly, it conjured all sorts of images to his mind that he should not be having about someone he just met, regardless of how attractive they were.

“Thanks. Again.” Jeez, Parker. Way to show off your vocabulary.

“No problem, kid. Where’re you heading to in such a hurry?”

Horror swept over Peter’s face and he leapt to his feet, although he wobbled a bit.

“Shit, I’m gonna be late to Professor Hart’s class on Systems Design.” He desperately tried to pick up all of his books, but as soon as he bent over the world started to spin. He’d have fallen again if it hadn’t been for the stranger taking hold of him again.

“Hey, be careful,” he cautioned, before steering Peter over to a bench. “Let me.”

Peter watched as the other man collected all of his scattered belongings, trying not to stare at the way his ass filled out his jeans as he bent over. When he returned with all of Peter’s books stacked in his arms and Peter’s backpack over his shoulder, Peter looked away, worried about being caught staring. Some guys got weird about other guys looking at them, and Peter didn’t have enough experience to have a working gaydar yet.

“Come on then, let’s get you there.”

Confusion wrinkled Peter’s brow. “What do you mean? Get me where?”

His rescuer smiled at him. “Your class. I’m going the same way.”

“Oh. Umm, okay. Thanks.” Maybe it was head trauma that was affecting his ability to speak with any eloquence?

Peter stood up, and winced as he moved his left knee, actually glad that his hopefully new friend was carrying his stuff for him.

“I’m Peter, by the way. Peter Parker.”

“Tony,” the other man replied. “Tony Stark.”

It turned out that not only was Tony a fellow student, but being a Senior he was also a TA. Like Peter he was also a double major, taking Electrical Engineering as well, but had paired it with Biological Engineering. Therefore, with Tony assisting in some of the EE classes, Peter started to see him fairly often.

“You did well today, kid.” Peter willed himself not to blush at the praise as Tony clapped him on the shoulder as they left the Introductions to Algorithms class.

“Thanks, Tony. Once I’d got my head around the paradigm shift it wasn’t too bad. Thanks for help with that.”

The pair of them walked together towards one of the coffeeshops and Tony playfully judged his shoulder against Peter’s.

“No problem. Anything for a pretty face.”

Peter had also learnt a couple of other things about Tony over the last few weeks. Firstly, due to a combination of his outgoing, charismatic nature and the fact that he - or rather his father - was loaded, Tony was one of the most popular people on campus. People were always stopping him to say hi, and Tony generally had a friendly word for all of them.

Secondly, Tony was into heavy metal. Like really into it. He was always wearing a t-shirt plastered with the picture of one band or another; AD/DC, Black Sabbath, Pantera etcetera, often humming a tune under his breath when he was concentrating.

Thirdly, he was a massive flirt who’s love language was definitely physical affection. The first time that Peter had met Tony’s best friend and roommate, James Rhodes, Tony had been walking arm in arm with him, and when they’d stopped so James could peel off towards his Military Sciences class, Tony had given him a smacking kiss on the cheek. When Peter had tentatively asked if James was Tony’s boyfriend, the brash senior had just laughed.

“Nah. Rhodey’s as straight as a flag pole, more’s the pity. Why, you vying for the position?” He’d thrown Peter a theatrical wink and chuckled as Peter had gone bright pink. From then on he seemed to make it his mission to make Peter blush as much as possible, which didn’t help with Peter’s promise to himself to not think about Tony ‘that way’.

However, by and large, Tony had become his best friend. Sure, as the weeks passed Peter had gotten to know others in his classes and was building himself a circle of peers that he got on well with, but it wasn’t the same. He knew that he was infatuated by Tony, but who wouldn’t be. He was handsome, clever and popular, and Peter loved basking in his radiance. It also didn’t hurt that when he was hanging around with Tony other students were less likely to pick on him. Unfortunately he couldn’t spend all his time with the older boy, and was therefore still subjected to the kind of taunts he’d thought he’d left behind. At least no-one was trying to shove him in a locker.

The fall semester progressed, the leaves turning brown and dropping to the ground, and before Peter knew it he was visiting home for Thanksgiving weekend. While it was nice to catch up with his Aunt May and his old school friends, Ned and MJ, he found himself waiting to go back for those last few weeks before Winter Break. He also couldn’t hold back his blush when Aunt May questioned him about whether he’d met anyone special. It was true that he had, but it wasn’t like that between him and Tony, no matter how much Peter liked to fantasise about it. He and Tony were friends and, yes, the older boy liked to flirt with him, but that was who Tony was, he told himself. It didn’t mean anything, even if Tony didn't discriminate about who he liked . So Peter had lied and said he hadn’t, and if May didn’t believe him - which from the pointed look she gave him she most certainly didn’t - she was good enough not to raise the subject again.

Returning to campus on the other side of the long weekend, Peter made his way straight over to see Tony.

“Hey kid, good to see ya. Have a fun time with la familia?” Tony opened the door with a broad smile and gestured for Peter to make himself at home on the ratty couch.

Peter grinned at Tony’s jovial tone and threw himself down on the saggy brown cushions.

“Yeah. It was okay. Nice to catch up with my aunt and my friends, but I’m back and ready to work hard all the way up to Winter Break.”

Tony sat down next to him, clutching a bottle of beer by its neck.

“Well as long as you don’t work so hard you’re too tired to come to my Christmas party.”

Peter’s eyes went wide. “You’re inviting me?” he squeaked. “But I’m just me and you’re you.”

“Yes,” said Tony, “but you’re my friend and I want you there. No if’s, no but’s - unless it’s that cute butt of yours.” He pointed down at Peter’s backside and chuckled at the flush that appeared on his neck and cheeks. “You make it far too easy, Petey. I might really start to think you’ve got a crush on me.”

Somehow, Peter managed to regain his composure and continued to chat to Tony about Thanksgiving and the plans for the upcoming party until he realised it was time he ought to head back to his dorm. As he excused himself, and made his way to the door, Tony pulled him into a big hug.

“Can’t wait to see you at the party, kid.” He held onto Peter for what felt like a few moments too long, although Peter wasn’t going to complain. It felt nice to be held in someone’s arms, especially when they belonged to Tony. He gave his friend a shy smile.

“Can’t wait to be there. I’ll see you in class later in the week.”

Three weeks later, Peter jogged up the steps to Tony’s home, glad that his friend was holding his party somewhere he was familiar with. They’d seen a bit of each other over the last few weeks, but Peter had been busy making sure he was up to date on all his coursework, so that he could have a relaxed Winter Break. It was frustrating that he hadn’t gotten to hang out with Tony as much as he’d wanted, but it hadn’t stopped him from dreaming - and maybe other stuff - about the other boy, though.

He was nervous, though, and took a moment to smooth down his black t-shirt that he’d casually paired with some skinny jeans and a leather jacket. This was going to be the first big party he’d attended since starting at MIT, and he didn’t know that many of Tony’s friends aside from Rhodey. Also, the chances were that some of the attendees would be folk that didn’t view Peter as ‘popular’ material, despite Tony’s apparent endorsement of him. That guess was proved correct almost as soon as Peter had made it through the door, almost bumping right into Justin Hammer, who, like Rhodey, was majoring in Military Science.

“Oh, god.” Justin sneered. “Why doesn’t it surprise me that you’re here. Parker. You’re like a bad smell we can’t get rid of.” He threw back his head and guffawed loudly, his cronies laughing along with him. With his cheeks burning, but not wanting to make a scene, Peter ducked his head and moved further into the apartment, searching for Tony. He found him, predictably, in the kitchen. Equally predictably he was wearing one of his band shirts - a black one proclaiming his love of the band Black Sabbath.

Tony’s response to Peter’s arrival was the complete opposite to Justin’s. “Petey!” he cried, flinging his arms in the air, before pulling Peter into a crushing hug and planting a kiss on Peter’s cheek, dangerously near the corner of his mouth. “You made it!”

Keeping one arm firmly around Peter’s shoulder, Tony steered him over to where Rhodey and some other close friends were standing. “Let me introduce you to the gang.” Tony’s friends smiled as Peter was introduced to them, before turning back to their own conversations. Most were Seniors, like Tony and Rhodey, but one or two were Juniors.

“And this,” said Tony, “is Maria, the harlot who’s stolen my Platypus from me.” He clasped his hand dramatically over his heart and Peter giggled. The tall, brunette woman standing next to Rhodey rolled her eyes and then punched Tony in the arm.

“Can it, Stark,” she bit back, jokingly. “You still get to see him on weekends and holidays.” She then turned to Peter and held out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Parker. Thanks for keeping Tony occupied so Jim and I can have some time together without being interrupted.” Tony had the good grace to look a little embarrassed at her comment and Peter laughed again.

“No problem. For some reason I actually like him.”

Now it was Tony’s turn for the faux outrage. “Hey! I’m eminently lovable, I’ll have you all know.”

Rhodey clapped him on the shoulder. “We know, bud. We know. Now if you’ll excuse us, they’re playing our song.” He led Maria through the throngs of people towards the area that had been designated as the dance floor, all the while Tony looking on with his over the top pout.

Peter nudged him. “You’re happy for him really, aren’t you?”

“Oh definitely,” Tony agreed. “She’ll be good for him, and she also seems to be able to put up with me, so that’s good. Not that many people can.”

“I do,” Peter said vehemently. “And surely all the people here do as well.”

A small frown appeared on Tony’s face. “They put up with my money for the most part. I can probably count the number of true friends I have on less than two hands.” He looked at Peter, something in his expression morphing, and Peter found himself unable to look away. “I’m glad you’re one of them though, Peter.”

Tony lifted his hand, and for a moment it seemed to Peter as though his friend was going to brush his riotous curls away from his face, but then someone near them bumped against Tony and the moment was lost.

“Come on, kid. Let’s go mingle.”

Tony picked up a beer, and just gave Peter an understanding nod when he grabbed a soda for himself. Peter was glad that Tony wasn’t judging him or pressuring him to drink, given the fact that most of the other people at the party were, whether they were twenty-one or not.

They moved among the guests, Peter feeling like a sail boat being pulled along in the wake of a trawler. When Tony stopped to talk to someone, Peter hovered by his elbow, feeling a little awkward, but at the same time there was nowhere he’d rather be than basking in Tony’s radiance. He was like the sun, and Peter was the moon, absorbing what light he could, and reflecting back the rest to those around him. Peter wasn’t totally dependent on Tony, though. There were a few people there that he did know, and he took the opportunity to chat with them, and hopefully build up a bigger pool of friends. He was still at the beginning of his course. He’d be here for a few more years yet, and Tony, being a Senior, would finish at the end of this year and then who knows? It made Peter’s heart ache just to think about it.

It was inevitable that they’d get separated, but Peter wasn’t too worried. The apartment wasn’t that big and it wasn’t as though Tony was planning to leave his own home while the party was still in swing. It did mean, however, that there was more likelihood of Peter bumping into some he didn’t want to, like…

“Justin! I’m so sorry.” Peter rebounded off the other Senior’s arm with a loud exclamation and watched in horror as his soda sloshed out of the neck of the bottle and over the, no doubt, expensive fabric of Justin’s shirt.

“Parker! You dumb fuck!” Justin shouted back, slurring slightly, as he shook his arm to rid himself of some of the excess liquid. “I can’t even fathom why Stark lets someone like you hang on his coattails.” He peered at Peter, observing through the lens of his beer-goggles and Peter felt a shiver go down his spine as Justin’s expression turned into a leer. He took a step forward and Peter took an echoing one back. “Although,” he drawled, looking up and down Peter’s body, “I suppose that despite your stupidity you have other things going for you. Maybe you can make up for ruining my shirt? I’m sure Stark won’t mind sharing. You look like you could suck a dick well at least.” He stepped even closer, his cronies following at his back, caging Peter in. With how crowded it was, and the noise level, no-one would really be able to see him. Justin put his hand on Peter’s shoulder and pushed down, trying to get the younger boy down on his knees. “Come on - show me why Stark puts up with you.”

At the insinuation, Peter snapped.

With a shout he pushed up and back, shoving Justin away from him with all his strength and sent him staggering back into his friends. “Get off me!” he shouted, despite the fact his voice wouldn’t carry far. It was enough that a few people around them were starting to notice something was wrong. However, Justin’s pride, along with the amount of beer he’d drunk, made him decide to double down instead of quietly withdraw.

“You little shit. You should be thanking me for even paying you any notice.” He lunged forward, face red with anger and fisted his hand into Peter’s hair, making the younger man screw up his eyes and shout out in pain.

“Let. Go. Of. Him.” The menacing command came from behind Justin and he immediately complied, whirling around to look at the owner of the voice. Peter opened his eyes, overjoyed to see Tony there, but the feeling was muted by a deep embarrassment. Everyone was staring at them.

Tony walked right up into Justin’s space, but didn’t raise either his hands or his voice.

“Get out. You and your little crew. You’re not welcome here.”

Justin shook his head as if clearing it and stepped away from Tony with a small shrug.

“Whatever, man. The company isn’t as good as I thought it would be.” He started to walk towards the door, his friends a few steps ahead of him when he stopped and turned, unable to leave without having the last word. “Can’t believe you’re getting so bent out of shape over a rent-boy.”

Tony’s hands balled into fists and he stepped forward, a dangerous glint in his eye and Peter drew in a sharp breath, convinced that a fight was about to break out. However, Tony was stopped in his tracks as Maria clamped her hand down on his shoulder.

“It’s not worth it,” she hissed. “You know the Dean isn’t your biggest fan.” Tony seemed to be listening, because his shoulders slumped, the fight almost instantly draining from him.

“Pathetic,” Justin bit out. “I don’t know what everyone…”

His drunken tirade was cut off as Maria stepped forward and launched a perfect right jab at Justin’s nose, making his head snap back and causing red to bloom across his face. A couple of his friends caught him as he toppled toward the ground, but Maria was already walking back to Tony.

“I thought you said it wasn’t worth it?” Tony queried.

Maria shrugged as she shook out her hand. “The Dean likes me. And you really think Hammer is gonna complain that he got punched by a girl?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Peter saw Justin’s friends giving each other sideways glances before the decided discretion was the better part of valour and shuffled out of the door, holding up a dazed Justin between them. His attention was then caught by Rhodey, who appeared at Maria’s side, eyes sparkling. “Damn, baby! I have never been more attracted to you than I am right now.” Maria grinned back, cupped Rhodey’s face and started to make out with him.

Tony held up his hands. “Okay, okay. You two - get a room. Everyone else - back to partying now the trash has been removed. Petey-pie? You’re with me. I need to make sure you’re okay.”

Tony placed his hand on Peter’s shoulder to try and steer him, but he was feeling too keyed up - too embarrassed - so he shrugged it off. If Tony took umbrage at the gesture he didn’t show it, and instead just led the way to one of the only parts of the apartment Peter had never seen. Tony’s bedroom.

Peter was gnawing on his lower lip, too busy going over everything that Justin had said to really take in where he was, or that he was now sitting on Tony’s bed.

Is that what everyone thought, he wondered. That Tony only let Peter hang around because they were fucking? The thought was conflicting, because, yes, he would love to be fucking Tony, he couldn’t deny that, but he also knew that his worth as a person was not tied to who he was sleeping with - he and Tony had a real friendship and it pained him that others couldn’t just accept that.

Almost as though Tony could read his thoughts, or at least partly, Peter was brought back to the here and now when Tony crouched down in front of him and took hold of his hands. Tony peered up at him with sympathy filled eyes and his thumbs rubbed soothingly over the back of Peter’s knuckles. Or rather Peter assumed it was supposed to be soothing. However, it wasn’t having the intended effect because despite Tony’s affectionate nature he had never actually held Peter’s hands before. Which therefore meant that Peter was concentrating more on how it felt to really have Tony’s hands on him, than on calming down from his ordeal.

“Are you okay, kid? I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”

However, still full of frustration and hopped up on adrenaline, Peter shook Tony’s hands off and stood up in agitation

“Don’t call me that, Tony,” he practically shouted. “I’m not a kid, I’m eighteen.”

Tony raised his hands in supplication. “Noted. No more ‘kid’.”

However Peter wasn’t really listening, and was working off his energy by pacing up and down in front of Tony.

“Do you know what Justin was saying? Did you hear him? He thinks that you’re only friends with me because I let you fuck me.”

“And that would be bad,” Tony asked, tentatively, although Peter didn’t pick up on his tone. “If people think we’re fucking?”

“That’s not the point, Tony. It’s not about sex, it’s about the assumption that the only benefit to you is ass on tap, and the benefit to me is second-hand popularity.”

“Why would anyone with half a brain think that? And who cares what other people think, as long as we know the truth? You’re fun and brilliant, and you put up with me prattling on all the time. Like I am now. I should shut up. But before I do, can I just check. Would it, you know, be so bad, if we were?”

Finally, Peter picked up something questioning - unsure - in Tony’s voice and stopped moving.

“If we were what?” he asked, head cocked to the side.

“Umm, fucking. Shit! I mean…” Tony blew out a breath and looked up at the ceiling for a moment before continuing. “I really like you, Peter. Like ‘like you’ like you. Have done since we first met, in fact. I found myself hoping you’d fall at my feet figuratively, not just literally.”

Peter blinked, trying to process what Tony was saying, even as his verbal stream of consciousness continued.

“And I’ve just decided to do a Masters, so I’m going to be around past the end of this year, so I wondered if you’d like to be more than my friend, not that I don’t value your friendship. Quite the opposite in fact. I’ve been trying to let you know how I feel, but because I can be quite unsubtle I was trying to dial it back, so maybe I went too far the other way. But I got the feeling that you like me as well, and was hoping you’d be my boyfriend. And there doesn’t actually have to be sex. I don’t wanna presume that that’s something you want or are ready for… and fuck, I’m still rambling.”

Peter snapped back to reality and stepped forward, taking Tony’s hands in his, this time.

“Tony,” he interjected, a sudden boost of confidence taking him over.

“What?” Tony’s eyes were wide, like he was caught in the headlights of a semi.

“Shut up and kiss me.” Peter leaned in closer and pressed his lips to Tony’s.

For a moment Tony didn’t react, but then suddenly he was kissing Peter back and Peter was mentally punching the air in celebration. He’d been worrying so much that his crush on Tony would be unwanted, that somehow he’d failed to pick up on Tony’s signals. They’d probably talk and laugh about that later, but for now, Peter had singular focus.

He let go of Tony’s hands, so he could wrap his arms around Tony’s waist and pull him closer. At the same time he opened his mouth and teased the seam of Tony’s lips with his tongue. Tony’s hands came up to tangle in Peter’s hair as he accepted Peter’s deeping of their kiss.

It was only as his legs hit the edge of Tony’s bed that Peter realised they’d been moving, and had no idea which one of them had instigated it, but he smiled and chuckled into Tony’s mouth as they tumbled down onto it. Two pairs of lips and two pairs of hands roamed everywhere they could easily get, Tony pushing Peter’s jacket from his shoulders, and after a minute Peter broke away to pull his t-shirt over his head.

“God, Petey,” Tony exclaimed. “You’re so beautiful.” Then he pulled his own shirt off and surged back to capture Peter’s lips again.

Through all the kisses and the touching, both of them managed to shed their jeans, until only two thin layers of cotton separated them. Tony scraped his teeth over one of Peter’s pectorals, including his small, dark nipple, and Peter arched up with a gasp. Tony moved lower, kissing and nipping, until his face was nuzzling into the soft fabric between Peter’s hip and rigid cock.

“Can I, baby? I wanna make you feel good.”

Just the thought made Peter feel overwhelmed and he fisted the sheets as he whined.

“Y-Yeah. Oh, god.”

Tony pulled down Peter’s tight boxer-briefs and let out a sigh at the sight that greeted him. “I knew your cock would be just as pretty,” he said as he gently stroked over the soft skin with his index finger. Peter shuddered under the touch, so turned on that he was worried he was going to embarrass himself.

“I’m gonna kiss you now, and you just do what feels good, okay?” Tony soothed, and Peter just bit his lower lip and nodded.

The first touch of Tony’s lips on the shaft of his cock, mouthing up the vein that ran from root to tip, had Peter groaning wantonly. He wasn’t totally inexperienced, but there was no mistaking the fact that Tony had more skill than any of - admittedly few - previous lovers. When Tony flicked his tongue over Peter’s slit, lapping up the pre-cum that had gathered there, Peter thought he was going to fly into orbit and gripped the sheets with such ferocity he was convinced he was going to rip them. Tony carefully explored the head of Peter’s cock with his tongue, circling around the spongy tip and the underside of his ridge, tracing over his circumcision scar, and Peter? Peter whimpered.

“Shh, shh, baby. It’s okay. Just relax.” Tony’s words were whispered against the length of him, breath hot on his skin.

And then Tony finally took him into the warm cavern of his mouth. He must have been expecting it, because he didn’t make a move when Peter’s hips bucked at the sensation, his cock pushing deeper into Tony’s mouth. He let Peter get over his initial reaction before placing his hands carefully on Peter’s slim hips and starting to bob up and down. Peter could feel the way the flat of Tony’s tongue pressed against the underside of him and when he glanced down to actually look at what was going on he had to really fight the urge to just come, because Tony had swallowed all of him, that perfect, straight nose pressed right into the thatch of dark curls at the base of Peter’s cock.

“Fuck! Tony! Feels - feels amazing. Shit!”

Tony popped off and smirked up at him. “Such a potty mouth,” he quipped before taking Peter back in with a hum.

Peter suddenly found his left hand tangled in Tony’s hair, not really holding him in place, but more he just feeling him. It was getting harder and harder to hold back from coming, and while it would be bliss to spill himself into Tony’s mouth he didn’t want that for their first time together.

“Tony,” he whined and gave Tony’s hair a gentle tug, trying to communicate what he wanted with actions, given his brain didn’t want to let his mouth really work. Luckily for him Tony seemed to get the message and with obvious reluctance let Peter’s cock, wet and flushed pink, fall from his mouth as he slid his way up Peter’s body.

“What is it, Petey? What do you want?” Peter was sure he’d have had a better time answering if Tony hadn’t been nuzzling kissing his neck, but somehow he managed.

“Wanna feel you. Wanna feel us. Against each other.”

Tony lifted his head and smiled softly. “I got you, sweetcheeks. You just reach into that top drawer and get the lube and I’ll deal with these pesky underpants.”

Peter twisted at the waist, reaching up and to the side to pull open the drawer of the small wooden table and moved his hand around inside it until his fingers closed around a familiar feeling bottle. As he did that, he felt Tony pull his boxer-briefs, that had been tangled half way down around his knees, fully off. He turned his head back just in time to see Tony discard his own, and kneel by his side.

He was gay. Absolutely. Wow! He didn’t even realise he was reaching out until Tony chuckled.

“You wanna touch? Go ahead, baby. I’m all yours.”

Peter curled his fingers around Tony’s cock, immediately obsessed with the weight and feel of it in his hand. The way Tony’s eyes closed and his body shuddered as Peter lazily jerked him gave him a heady rush of power. On another occasion he’d love to just do this - touch Tony oh-so-softly - and see how long Tony would be able to hold out. However, his patience wouldn’t run to that now, so he urged Tony down to lie beside him. Peter squirted a healthy dollop of lube into his palm and slicked himself up, before doing the same to Tony. Then, lining his hips up to Tony’s, Peter wrapped his hand around the pair of them, pressing their cocks together.

For a moment, Peter couldn’t keep his eyes open, needing to block out one sense in order to deal with the overwhelming feeling of another, but when he did raise his eyelids again it was to find Tony looking back at him, brown eyes made even darker by lust. Tony leaned forward to capture Peter’s mouth for another ferocious kiss and then placed his own hand over Peter’s, helping him to jerk them both off.

The sounds of their sighs and moans, alongside the schlick-schlick of their cocks moving together, filled the room and Peter found himself rolling his hips, pressing up further and harder against Tony. He imagined what it would be like to do more with Tony, how they could discover those little things that made the other stutter and lose control. He wanted to know the taste and feel of Tony’s cock on his tongue. Maybe even the feel of it inside him, or even the other way around, if that was something Tony wanted. The possibilities seemed endless, and this was just the beginning.

However, having been on the edge longer than Tony, it was inevitable that Peter would come first. Sensing that his younger lover was close, Tony stopped moving their hands and just let Peter rut up against his cock within the circle of their joined fingers. Peter spilled his cries into Tony’s mouth at the same time he spilled his cum over the pair of them. It just felt so fucking good, and his hips kept moving until the sensations in his cock morphed into the sting of over-stimulation.

Moving Tony’s hand away, Peter let his softening cock fall away, and then tightened his own solo grip over Tony’s still hard cock, going back to jerking it, his own cum adding to the wet mess easing his way.

“Fuck! That’s it, baby. Just like that.” Peter watched with hooded eyes as Tony rambled and twitched within his grasp, head thrown back. “Gonna come, Petey. Gonna come. Feels so good. Yes! Yes!”

A feeling of immense satisfaction washed through Peter as Tony reached his peak and pulsed into his hand, and for the next few moments the pair of them lay next to each other, panting and coming down from their highs.

Peter opened eyes, feeling Tony’s gaze on him, and found him grinning. Then Tony was kissing him playfully and they both started to giggle. Peter twined his clean hand with Tony’s as they smiled and kissed, his heart feeling so light, he hoped he’d never lose this feeling.

“Please tell me you can stay tonight,” Tony asked, and despite his usual brashness, Peter could hear the note of insecurity in his voice. He let go of Tony’s hand so could brush a lock of dark brown hair from Tony’s forehead.

“I can stay. Don’t wanna be anywhere else. But I might have to leave early. I’ve still got some last things I need to do before I go home, and I have a feeling that you might prove a distraction.”

“Why would you think that,” Tony joked as he leant forward and took Peter’s lower lip between his teeth, pulling on it gently. “I can’t fault you for your dedication.” Tony eased away and got off the bed, walking across to his en-suite, confident in his nakedness, before looking coyly over his shoulder. “Coming for a shower?”

Peter had never moved so fast in his life.

When Peter blinked open his eyes the next morning, he was surprised to find it was well after 9am. Luckily, with it being Saturday he didn’t have any classes, but he hadn’t been lying to Tony about having some things he needed to sort out before the start of Winter Break. And the sooner he started them, the sooner they’d be finished and he could dedicate his remaining time to Tony before they had a two week period where they wouldn’t see each other.

He eased himself out from under the deadweight of Tony’s arm and climbed out of the bed. He tried to be as quiet as possible as he used the bathroom and when he came back out he was happy to see that Tony was still deeply asleep. After allowing himself a moment to observe Tony relaxed - and quiet - in sleep, Peter dressed as quickly as he could given he had to dig around Tony’s floor for his clothes. He had no idea when the party had actually wound down last night - he and Tony never had resurfaced, so he assumed Rhodey and Maria had taken over the hosting duties.

Peter dropped a gentle kiss to Tony’s temple, his heart flipping in his chest at the sleepy nose scrunch that crossed Tony’s face at the sensation, and then crept from the room and then out of the apartment which still showed all the evidence of the previous night’s party activities.

It was almost ten am by then, so as Peter crossed campus he could see a few other folk out and about, although most of them looked hung-over, or at least sleep deprived like him. However, after passing by the first few people, he realised that he was receiving a lot of stares. Worried that he was sporting a giant hickey, he stopped in front of one of the glass fronted buildings, intending to inspect his neck in the muted reflection, but when he saw himself he gasped, before starting to laugh out loud. A cowled skull stared back at him. It seemed that in his haste to get dressed he’d picked up Tony’s Black Sabbath shirt and not his own, plain black one.

If people had thought he and Tony were fucking before, there would be no doubt that anyone who knew the pair of them and saw this, would think anything else. The Peter of yesterday would have been appalled, but the Peter of today? Well he had taken Tony’s words of last night to heart - how much did the opinions of others really matter when it was no-one’s business but theirs?

With a smile on his face Peter squared his shoulders and walked back to his dorm, plotting about how he could steal another of Tony’s shirts.

Tag list: @km-ffluv, @wheezy-stucky, @kmc1989, @doasyoudesireandlive, @marvelstarker-mha98

#starker #tony stark x peter parker #college au #late writes

16 notes · View notes

the-mad-starker · 1 year

Text

Starker Smut: Be Mine

Inspired by this post from @anonoite 💗💗 The first one I got was kitty!Tony x kitty!Peter. So here I am coming in with kitty starker Valentine's Day 😌

Can you believe this cute lil thing spawned a 5k fic? I can't 😂 I meant for this to be so much shorter. I wanted to finish it for Valentine's Day but better late than never?

Summary: It's Valentine's Day but Peter knows Tony's keeping a secret from him. His alpha makes sure to correct that mistake.

WC: 5681

(AO3 Link)

Notes: Alpha/Omega, feline omegaverse, Barbed Penis (kind of), Intersex Omegas, Omega Peter Parker, Alpha Tony Stark, Vaginal Sex, Vaginal Fingering, Oral Sex, Dirty Talk, Implied Mpreg, Cat/Human Hybrids, Mating jewelry, Light Angst, Marriage Proposal, Creampie, (some) pain kink, mirror sex, multiple orgasms

Note 2: although I have tagged barbed penis, it's not exactly penis spines cause I didn't wanna... Shred poor Peter 😂 so it's still spines but blunted. So no bleeding 😅

Terminology: toms refer to male cats and queens refer to female cats, but in this situation, tom=alpha, queen=omega

Mating Jewelry inspo cause I doubt I did a great job describing:

💗💗💗

Tony's been secretive lately.

The thought plagues Peter's mind throughout the morning class. His ears, usually perked up and attentive, lie flat against his curly hair and his tail barely twitches.

It's February 14th. Valentine's Day.

The tom wouldn't be so cruel as to break up with Peter on Valentine's Day, would he?

Peter doesn't think Tony would do that to him but it doesn't bring him any comfort. What if Tony wants to give him one last hurrah, wine and dine Peter, then let him down easy the next day?

The feline buries his head in his arms even more because somehow that thought seems even worse than being broken up with on Valentine's Day.

A nudge to his side has Peter peeking out of his makeshift hiding spot. Ned's concerned face greets him.

"It's time to go," Ned tugs him out of his seat but Peter drags his feet even knowing Happy's waiting for him.

"I'd thought you'd be excited to see your alpha," Ned muses, his own ears flopping as they walk.

"He's gonna break up with me, Ned," Peter says as though it's inevitable. His tail curls around his waist as Ned tugs him along.

"What?" His best friend sounds appropriately offended. "No way, dude! You guys are like… perfect together."

"Yeah? What makes you think that?" Peter turns to look at his friend. He's latching onto any bit of hope because he really really likes Tony. Maybe even… loves him...

Ned pauses as though not expecting the question.

"You're both felines?" Ned says as though that simple fact is enough.

Peter groans and bumps against the beta.

"That doesn't mean we're perfect together…" Peter says. He wishes it was that simple. "Maybe he found another queen, a prettier one, with– I dunno, a fluffier tail? …I'm just me, after all. I'm just… Peter. Boring, nerdy Peter."

"Hey, don't talk about my best friend like that," Ned pokes him. "And there's no better omega or uh, queen, than you, Peter."

The way Ned fumbles with the terminology breaks him out of his gloomy thoughts.

"You can just call me an omega, I know the terminology is a bit weird to get used to," Peter tries to smile at Ned. He's grateful that Ned tries so hard. He's such a good friend.

"I'll get used to it," Ned shrugs. "Omega, queen. Alpha, tom. It's the same thing, just… a tiny bit different."

"Well, we call each other omega and alpha too," Peter points out. "So it's fine if you use those terms."

"If I can get used to it in my head, it'll be better," Ned says, determined. "And hey, don't change the subject. Why do you think Tony's planning to break up?"

The omega falls silent gathering his thoughts.

"I dunno, it's just… a feeling. Like he's hiding something from me," Peter says, ears once again hanging flat. "He hasn't been texting or calling as much. And he's been busy a lot…"

Ned takes it all in. He doesn't call Peter crazy or paranoid, which Peter appreciates.

"Peter. He's a genius billionaire that's CEO of his own company," Ned reminds him gently.

"Genius, billionaire, ex-playboy, philanthropist," Peter feels the need to correct him, his lips quirking up into a half smile.

Ned rolls his eyes but concedes.

"Right. That. That's a lot of stuff to be handling," Ned nudges him.

"Yeah," Peter sighs. "I know… I just… wish I didn't feel like he was hiding something from me."

"So… ask him," Ned suggests. "What's the worst that can happen?"

And just on cue, they arrive at the parking garage where Happy is patiently waiting.

Normally, Peter feels so excited, so giddy, when he sees Happy because that means Tony's waiting for him at the end of the ride. But here, he can't help feeling a tiny bit of trepidation.

He waves Ned goodbye and resolves to get the answer out of his alpha.

What's the worst that can happen, after all? Maybe just a little heartbreak that'll tear Peter's whole world apart.

Yep. Nothing to it.

---

Tony's plans for Valentine's Day have Peter wanting to melt into a pile of goo.

The plan goes as follows:

Happy taking Peter to get tailor fit for a suit

A romantic brunch in Manhattan, set on one of the rooftops overlooking the city.

Spending the rest of the night with his alpha at the penthouse, just the two of them.

The custom made suit has Peter feeling so pampered and spoiled. He always feels so self-conscious when he's on Tony's arm, more than aware of the difference in their social standing. But like this, clad in form-fitting trousers and a waistcoat that accentuates his slim waist, he looks like a model ready for a photo shoot.

The way Tony's eyes light up in genuine pleasure, his eyes inspecting Peter from head to toe and finding the omega more than perfect… The kit glows with pleasure and feels confident enough to step up to Tony.

Tony's ears and tail are as dark as his hair, all sleek fur. Peter's, on the other hand, is a sable brown but what really catches the eye is the texture. Fluffy and curly, every single move has them bouncing.

When Peter steps up to his side, the tom's tail sways forward and effortlessly catches Peter's.

"You look lovely, kitten," Tony all but purrs, snagging him by the waist and dropping a sweet kiss on his lips.

Peter melts in his arms, his tail twining possessively around Tony's.

"It's the suit," Peter blushes.

"Even if you were wearing a t-shirt and sweats, you'd still look lovely," Tony continues with the charm and maybe Peter would've laughed and called him a sap but today was different.

The insecurity is still in the back of his mind so he eats up the compliment and all but purrs when Tony strokes one of his ears with affection.

"You look good too, alpha," Peter says sincerely.

Tony must hear it often enough but Peter's sweet words have the alpha purring in happiness.

Their luncheon is amazing. No matter how often Tony spoils him, the omega still isn't used to this type of lavish lifestyle. The tastiest of dishes are placed before him, the meat practically melting in his mouth while flavor bursts on his tongue.

The view of the city is breathtaking too. The company makes it all even better but when Peter turns to face the tom, he can't help but feel a pang of sorrow.

What if this doesn't last?

Tony continues to distract him though, talking about mutual projects and his general day. Peter gets the full brunt of Tony's attention and he eagerly soaks it up like a parched flower tasting rain.

When they're tucked away in the car, bellies full and hands entwined, Tony mentions, "You're a bit quiet today, kitten. Anything wrong?"

Peter means to shake his head. He's decided during lunch that he doesn't want to ruin things and doesn't want to disrupt the romantic plan Tony laid out for them. If he has to be in denial, then let him be in denial.

He leans his head against Tony's chest and the alpha's arm winds around him, tucking him close to his chest. Tony's heartbeat thumps against his ear, steady and reassuring.

It all feels so perfect and Peter breathes in the scent of his alpha and home. He can't imagine being with anyone else but Tony.

"Don't break up with me," Peter can't help but murmur softly. He doesn't realize he's said it out loud until the alpha he's leaning on suddenly stiffens.

"What?" Tony sounds so confused and that's when it registers.

Peter sits up, eyes wide. When his tail tries to untangle itself from Tony's, Tony continues to hold on.

"What do you mean, break up?" Tony looks so adorably confused that Peter has to bite down on his lip to stop from repeating his words.

"Peter, sweetheart, kitten–" Tony takes his hands and squeezes gently. "Why do you think I'd want to break up with you?"

A minute shiver has Peter's body shuddering. Tony's words ignite hope in his heart. Hopefully, he hasn't ruined everything with his insecurities.

"I thought you got bored of me," Peter confesses, "You kinda… weren't as into our conversations the past week and… I know you're busy so I didn't want to bother you but it made me feel like… yeah…"

Tony's mouth drops open in a Gobsmacked expression and he seizes Peter in a hard hug.

"Silly kit," Tony says and the feeling of his hand sliding through Peter's hair and rubbing against the velvety soft fur of his ear is so soothing, so right.

"Happy," Tony calls out to their driver and Peter jerks, embarrassed that he forgot Happy was an unintentional audience in this. "I think it's time. Change of course, take us to the secret spot."

"Tony…?" Peter asks, unsure.

The alpha kisses his forehead and only holds him tighter.

"Shh, sweetheart, this will explain everything."

And because Peter trusts Tony, loves Tony… the omega closes his eyes and just breathes in the soothing scent of his boyfriend as Happy changes course.

---

The place Happy takes them to isn't familiar to Peter but that isn't unusual. The stores here scream luxury so it isn't a neighborhood that Peter would have reason to frequent.

The name of the boutique is a simple word, Promises, and when Tony leads him to the entrance, the door is opened by a peacock. Or– Well, Peter assumes it's a peacock man since the employee has a distinctive crest of blue feathers swaying above his hair.

"Mr. Stark," the man doesn't seem surprised to see him or Peter. "This way, please."

They're led inside and it's a spacious area with a few mannequins lined against the walls. The lights in the store are specifically placed to shine on the mannequins and there are strands hung on the bodies where bright sparks of light are reflected back.

Peter wants to get a closer look, attracted by the light, but Tony's hand in his has him tugging the younger man to his side.

A teasing pinch to his ear has Peter flicking it instinctively.

"C'mon, kitten," Tony says, "You'll see for yourself why we're here."

Peter still wants to peek but he's also excited to learn more. They rejoin the employee, following behind a train of brilliant green feathers.

They're shown into a room. A dressing… room? Fitting room? It's the fanciest dressing room Peter's ever been in. Definitely the most spacious.

In the corner, a large section is curtained off from the rest of the room with thick light blue curtains. In the center, there's a small platform that's surrounded by mirrors so that the person standing in the center could see every angle.

There are bouquets of red roses on corner tables. And there's a small white couch against the wall for the comfort of waiting partners.

Suddenly, Peter knows exactly what Tony's been so busy with.

"Tony, this…" Peter trails off, helpless, and even more helpless when Tony leads him to the curtained off area.

The curtains are retracted to reveal a single mannequin, very similar to Peter's size. Peter wouldn't be surprised if it is his exact measurements.

The mannequin is decorated in fine strands of gold. Just like the front of the store, the light here is specifically positioned to showcase the jewelry. And that's what it is… Jewelry. Peter hadn't been able to see clearly when they were brought in, but he realizes now that it could've only been jewelry.

"Tony…" Peter breathes out as he approaches the mannequin. He lifts a hand and hesitates as though touching them would make them disappear.

Tony approaches with him and when Peter hesitates, the alpha calmly presses his hand down on the thin strands that make up the chest piece.

"It's yours," Tony tells him softly. "I've been coming here to check the progress. Make sure everything was perfect, the diamonds, the rubies, the arrangement… It had to be perfect for my future mate."

The courting gift is beautiful. It's made up of delicate gold strands that make up a chest harness. It starts at the neck where a beautiful collar sits. From the collar, two strands of gold gently trail downward and wrap around to the back. Connected from these chains, two more meet in the middle where there are rubies. The first chain would sit right where his collarbone would meet and the next chain would be between his pecs.

From the last chain, three gold strands are attached. The center dangles just short enough to rest above his belly button while the other two are long enough to wrap around his waist.

And separate from the chest piece, two more delicate strands of gold circle around the waist, crossing in an X at the front.

Peter knows it must've cost Tony a fortune, one that the omega probably can't even fathom.

"Alpha…" Peter murmurs when he turns to Tony. The tom's tail is flicking nervously and his ears are pushed forward eagerly.

"Peter… I hope you know now how serious I am about you," Tony tells him. When he steps closer and pulls Peter into his arms, he leans down and rubs their noses together.

Peter can't help the soft rumble that comes from his chest. His grip on Tony's arms tightens and he leans into him.

"Kitten… Peter… Peter Parker…" Tony murmurs. "Will you be mine? My mate? My queen?"

Even though Peter expects the question, it still makes his heart jump. He gives a brilliant smile, his fluffy curls bounce when he leans up and kisses his alpha.

"Yes, yes–" Peter says between kisses and smiles and a heart full of joy. "Alpha, my alpha. I want to be yours, wanna be your mate, your queen, only yours…!"

Tony returns the kisses. Peter can feel the press of his alpha fangs against his lips, their kisses are so full of passion.

When Peter pulls away breathless and giddy with happiness, he can't help but look back at the courting gift. An engagement set, he now realizes.

"Wanna try it on?" Tony's voice, low and suggestive, almost makes him jump.

Peter's face blushes pink. A lot of the jewelry is meant to show off Tony's claim on him. The collar, specifically, is the traditional piece and often, it tends to be the only piece necessary for a mating. Tony, of course, is going for a full set.

The jewelry is meant to show off Tony's adoration for him, but it's also a quiet declaration to Peter himself of Tony's love. The collar is meant to be shown off but the other pieces, the ones that Peter can wear under his clothes or hide away, those are just for him.

The chest harness and the pieces that hug his waist are only for him and Tony.

Peter wants to try it on and he wants to show his alpha just how well he knows him and his body.

"Yes," Peter answers, turning and nuzzling Tony's neck. "Will you put it on me?"

"Of course, sweetheart," Tony murmurs with a crinkling of his eyes, "I'm at your service."

It's not the first time Tony has seen him naked. They're way beyond that and are intimate with each other's bodies. Tony has kissed freckles and moles on Peter's back that the omega hadn't even been aware were there.

It's safe to say that Tony knows Peter's body more intimately than even he does himself.

So when Tony starts to remove the expensive suit he bought for Peter, the omega lets him until he's completely bare. He's more than a little hard, more than a little slick, and Tony can smell it on him.

Tony's eyes when they look at him are all dark pupils and full of hunger. But the anticipation makes it all the more worth it and Tony turns away, though he has to adjust himself too.

Peter hums teasingly, rocking on his heels and waiting eagerly.

The first piece that Tony places on him is the collar. It goes around his neck, neither too loose nor too snug. When Tony secures the clasp on the back, he brushes over the gold with reverent fingers when it settles into place.

Then a necklace is put on him. Peter hadn't even realized that it's a separate piece, it matches the set so well. The sparkle of a ruby settles right in the hollow of his throat like it belongs there.

The chest harness is next and it attaches to the collar seamlessly. Peter likes that he can wear them separately or together. When Tony goes to secure the harness, Peter obediently lifts his arms so Tony can reach the back.

Just as he expected, a line of gold dangles from the harness and barely reaches his belly. The ruby is just as red, just as beautiful as the one on his throat.

Tony's hands linger on Peter's hips when he places the last piece but the alpha behaves himself. Peter almost wishes he didn't.

Once that's secure, Tony steps back and lets his eyes linger in appreciation.

"How's it look, alpha?" Peter asks shyly.

The piece had looked stunning on the mannequin and even though he knows this is custom made for him, he wonders if the jewelry is too fine, too delicate, to look right on him.

"Come," Tony beckons him, taking his hand and leading him back to the center of the room.

Peter feels self-conscious walking around naked but Tony has always been a possessive alpha and has always taken Peter's safety into consideration. He knows he can trust the tom to keep his privacy safe if only because Tony would ruin anyone who even glances at him.

The alpha helps Peter up onto the platform. He stands behind the omega as Peter takes in the sight of his body covered in Tony's claim and he looks…

Handsome. Stunning.

The alpha looks at him in the mirror, eyes dark, his tail curled possessively around Peter's waist. Standing in front of the alpha, Peter feels so small and covered in gold, he feels just as delicate.

He feels adored and loved.

Tony's hands roam over his body, feather-light, as he teaches the strands of gold.

"Do you like it?" the tom needlessly asks.

Peter catches Tony's hand as he settles over his belly, large enough that his palm nearly covers the width of him.

"I love it, alpha," Peter says honestly. He turns towards Tony, smiling brightly.

The alpha is satisfied and he nods before smiling mischievously.

"Good, although…" Tony turns and steps away, confusing the poor omega. He takes a step to follow but then waits patiently when Tony goes to the door.

Something is handed off to him from the other side but Tony makes sure that Peter is still safely ensconced inside, hidden away from any curious eyes.

The box he returns with is longer than it is wide, easily the length of his forearm. When he opens it, Peter's brows raise in surprise.

There's another piece in there and it matches the set Peter is wearing.

"Alpha?" He says curiously.

Tony knees in front of him and looks up with sparkling eyes.

"Did you really think this was all I had for you?" Tony teases gently before he leans forward, takes Peter's hand, and kisses his knuckles. "No, kitten mine, what you have on now… is just the start."

He takes the new jewelry out and holds it up for Peter's inspection. It's just one piece and compared to the chest harness, the direction of the gold is going the opposite way. Instead of falling in a V, the chains here go from a point and lead downwards.

Peter isn't sure where it's supposed to go until Tony gently takes a hold of the back of his knee and urges him to lift his foot. When he does, Tony carefully helps him balance so that Peter lightly places his elevated foot on Tony's bent knee.

The new piece of jewelry is secured around his thigh like a garter belt and Peter shivers at the feeling of Tony's hands on him.

"There we go…" Tony murmurs, pleased. His fingers stroke the sensitive skin on his inner thigh.

"Alpha… what did you mean by this being the start…?" Peter has to ask, otherwise, he'd lose himself to the feeling of Tony's hands. Something embarrassing would truly happen then, like Peter whimpering.

Tony continues to stroke his inner thigh with a loving caress and then he leans forward and places a kiss there.

Peter shudders and his entire body feels like it's being lit up from the inside when his alpha's warm breath brushes against his skin.

"My mate, my queen," Tony calls him, "The set you have now is not complete yet. I'll spend the entire first year of our mating adding to this one and when it's complete, I'll do it again and again…"

Peter's breath catches in his throat. It sounds like so much but it's also so very Tony. He can't deny that it makes Peter feel so very… very spoiled.

You don't have to… He wants to say but he knows Tony wouldn't do something unless it was something he wanted. So the only thing Peter can do is run his fingers through Tony's dark hair, rubbing his dark ears and purring contentedly.

"Alpha…" Peter licks his dry lips. Tony being so close, his alpha scent free and unfiltered, is doing such things to Peter.

He knows his alpha is doing it on purpose and Peter is more than willing to follow his lead.

"Alpha…" Peter murmurs again when those gentle hands start to press deeper into his skin and Tony's purrs against his inner thigh. His face turns to where the omega is hard, his cocklet aching for attention.

"I'm glad you like my gift," Tony says, purring as he nuzzles the hardening cocklet. "Let me show you how appreciative I am that you're accepting."

He sets Peter's foot down, allowing him to better balance for what he's planning next.

"Shouldn't I be thanking you, alpha…?" Peter gasps out when Tony takes his cocklet into his mouth.

The alpha's mouth is hot and his tongue is soft and wet against Peter's cock. The omega, so sensitive already, grips the tom's hair, trapping strands of it in his fist. He needs it, something to hold onto, as Tony sucks on his cocklet, the small thing fitting so easily in his mouth.

For such a small thing, it's so very sensitive and Tony knows it. He sucks gently, swirling his tongue around the top and tracing the underside of Peter's cock with the tip of his tongue.

"Oh… Oh…" Peter moans, squeezing his eyes shut when Tony's fingers creep up his thighs and start to tease his pussy.

He's wet, dripping with slick. His insides part easily for the alpha's questing fingers but once they're inside, they clamp down, desperate for something bigger.

"Alpha… Tony…" Peter begs, muscles clenching tight as the fingers dig deeper, pumping into him with purpose. "I want…"

Slick wet noises come from between his legs and his ears grow hot with the filthy sound of it. Tony's mouth on him, his devious tongue playing with his cocklet… Tony's fingers fucking his wet pussy…

Tony knows him so well… His alpha…

"M gonna… Alpha, please… I can't…" Peter wants to protest, wants to be fucked before he comes but Tony continues to suck and finger him even when Peter grabs onto his ears and tries to wrench him away.

"Mm…! Ah-alpha…" Peter is helpless as he comes into the alpha's mouth. His tail lashes out, spasming as his insides clamp down on Tony's fingers and he floods the warm mouth he's in.

Wetness gushes from between Tony's fingers and the alpha hums and swallows.

"Alpha…" Peter complains when it gets to be too much. His legs feel like jelly and he melts into the alpha's lap, slick staining Tony's pants but neither care.

He purposely rubs against the alpha's cock, almost desperate despite just having an orgasm.

The orgasm sates him for two seconds because his body takes note and demands more. He hasn't been mated, hasn't gotten fucked and he needs more than a suck and a fuck for his omega body to be satisfied.

So he writhes in the alpha's lap, a desperate needy thing that only wants one thing.

"Let me thank you, alpha," Peter begs him, kissing Tony's lips and tasting his own seed in the alpha's mouth. It only makes his body burn hotter, his insides feeling achingly empty.

"Alright, kitten, I'm not gonna say no to that," Tony says against his lips. And yet, he seems reluctant to part from Peter's mouth, licking and nipping at his lips.

Peter gets handsy and not only does he rub against Tony's erection with his ass, but he also reaches down and fondles what he finds. Tony's cock strains against his pants, large and demanding and so so hard…

Tony hisses at the direct touch and that does it.

"Turn around, kitten," Tony growls against his mouth. "Let me see that pretty pussy."

Peter shudders and obeys immediately, going on his knees and lifting his tail to the side so he's exposed and vulnerable to his mate.

"So perfect…" he hears Tony murmur behind him.

A touch to the base of his tail has him lifting his ass higher and pushing into Tony's touch. When Peter lifts his gaze, he sees their bodies in the mirror and it shocks him.

The jewelry is still glimmering brilliantly in the light but they look even prettier against the flushed pink of his skin. His face is particularly red, even more so when he sees his alpha positioning himself behind him.

Large and intimidating, the alpha is staring intently at the place between Peter's legs. It makes Peter squeeze his thighs together before he forces them to relax.

"Alpha… C'mon, alpha… Take it… take what's yours…" Peter says, tail waving in an almost hypnotizing gesture.

"God, you're such a temptress…" Tony groans before he rushes to pull his cock out.

Peter licks his lips when he sees it reflected in the mirror. Tony's alpha cock, thick and ready. He jerks when he feels the heat of it slap on his ass but a harsh grip on his hip keeps him in position.

"Here you go, kitten… You need it so bad, don't you?" Tony says as he positions the head of his cock at Peter's dripping pussy. The tip teases the omega's hungry hole and he shifts on his knees just to feel the alpha's cockhead nudging in.

"Please, please…" Peter whines when he can't get it inside by himself.

"Shh, I have you, kitten… Gonna give it to you…" Tony doesn't make him wait any longer and pushes inside.

Just the girth of his alpha's cock makes the breath in his lungs rush out when it pushes inside. The length, though, it feels as though Peter's split apart every time. It's only practice and familiarity that has Peter taking the impressive cock in its entirety.

Even then, that first thrust doesn't let Tony sink all the way. It's still enough for Peter to buck against his hold, hips wanting to simultaneously pull away and push back.

Tony groans, loud and clear, and pulls out only to fuck back in. Peter gasps, scrambling for purchase when the tom starts to fuck him hard, trying to inch his entire cock into the tight, wet space of the omega's body.

Peter's eyes threaten to roll to the back of his head as Tony works his cock in.

"Mmph! Mmm alpha…!" Peter cries out, pleasure making his body eager and primed for the rough fucking their kind enjoys.

Tony's cock works him open but he's still so big, so large inside him… Peter's insides are going to ache for days and it's what he wants… That type of pain that has the feline omega arching his back, begging to be mated and bred.

He could never have this with anyone else. It is only ever Tony for him, his tom, his alpha…

The pain of being fucked harshly transmutes into a type of pleasure that has Peter crying out and only begging for more.

"Alpha–" Peter cries out, "Mm, it hurts… hurts…"

Tony's hips never stop working. By now, his cock has sunk all the way in, plowing into Peter's insides over and over again.

"Yeah?" Tony pants, breathless, and then he folds his body over Peter's, covering him completely. His teeth nip at his mating mark and Peter feels like he's going to fall apart. "Hurts good, doesn't it, kitten? This is what you wanted. When you waved that pretty tail at me… Bent over and gave me access to that pretty pussy of yours…"

Another thrust, this time shorter but no less impactful.

"Mm!" Peter moans, his head tilting to give Tony better access to his neck. "Yes, alpha… yes… hurts so good… alpha's cock… splitting me open…"

"Mm…" Tony groans. He sets his teeth against Peter's sweat damp skin, teeth encountering gold and pressing in against skin despite that. "Don't want me to stop, do you, kitten? Want me to go all the way? Let my barbs out and make you pregnant…?"

Pregnant…

"Oh!" Peter gasps out, his mind going haywire with it. Tony's cock… Tony's come, Tony's barbs… The one thing that would scare the shit out of other omegas that weren't of their kind but Peter is exactly like Tony.

He was made for this. He would only ever get pregnant from a feline alpha like Tony. His body would only ever recognize an alpha of his kind and his heart would only ever recognize Tony.

"Yes, alpha, my alpha… give it to me…" Peter grows desperate, pushing back against the alpha's thrust, now hungry to be filled. "Make me pregnant… Fill me up… Do it, do it–!"

A hand clamps down on his nape and just like that, Peter's body goes soft and pliant.

"Alpha…" Peter whimpers as Tony takes full control. The hold has him incapable of moving but it's necessary for what's next.

Felines mating… It's rough on the omega and Tony needs to take complete control.

With a few more thrusts, Peter's body sways like that of a rag doll as his alpha takes his pleasure. He's happy to do it, happy to please his alpha.

His mind starts to float, pleasure and pain signals mixing in his head until there's only pleasure.

He knows the moment Tony gets close. The alpha's thrusting becomes rougher, almost jarring. The clapping of his hips against Peter's ass is especially harsh, sounding loud in the fitting room.

"Alpha…" Peter mewls and Tony hauls him onto his knees, replacing his hand with his teeth so that the omega remains pliant for him.

He catches a glimpse of them in the mirror, Peter's flushed body held captive in his alpha's arms. A feral glint gleams in his alpha's eyes and he stares at Peter and meets his gaze in the mirror. Between his spread thighs, the alpha's hard cock is seen in flashes of slick wet flesh, his heavy balls pulled tight and ready to deliver a thick virile load.

Tony's teeth in his flesh only add to the pleasure. Tony's rough calloused hand stroking his dripping cocklet… His thick cock fucking in and out of Peter's pussy…

He fucks another orgasm out of Peter and the omega is gone. The pleasure is even more overwhelming, the heightened pain turned pleasure has him clutching onto his alpha's forearm.

Tony's cock sinks in all the way and in the midst of Peter losing his mind, the barbs on his cock raise up, the blunted tips scraping and rubbing.

Peter screams, he yowls when he feels his alpha's cock grow and rub against his already tight insides. His eyes roll to the back of his head as the alpha's cock jerks inside him, pulses erratically, and fills his aching insides with come. The barbs feel even more prominent with Peter's pussy squeezing down like a vice and the omega moans in oversensitivity. The blunted tips rub him just like he needs and his entire body shudders in recognition, his demanding instincts finally quieting down at the feel of a feline male's cock breeding him.

Tony doesn't release him until he's done and so Peter takes it with soft whimpers and whines. He's being bred and his feline body knows it, his stomach cramping as more and more come is spilled into his overflowing pussy. Even when he feels like there can't possibly be more space, his pussy still shamelessly wants more, clamping down on Tony's cock and milking it for more.

When Tony's finally done with him, he lowers Peter gently onto the floor.

As always, their mating takes a toll on the poor omega and Peter looks at his alpha with hooded eyes, barely able to keep his eyes open. Tony settles between his legs, his tail flickering contentedly behind him. The satisfied smile he gives Peter spells trouble but the omega barely twitches when Tony puts a hand on his knee.

He does, however, whine, when Tony places his knee over his shoulder and lifts his hips.

"Alpha… can't…" Peter whines but he doesn't try to stop the alpha when Tony sets his mouth to his pussy. He only squeezes the alpha's head between his thighs and resolves to the fact that he'll most likely be fucked into unconsciousness tonight.

"Shh," Tony murmurs then laps at his pussy, licking away a mix of come and slick. "Let me clean my mate…"

So Peter just lays back and lets his mate clean up the mess, a purr sounding from his throat and Tony working him up to another release.

#starker #madstarker writes #nff #omegaverse #lmao please heed the tags #hybrids #feel like I gotta apologize to anonoite #i wrote such filth cause of a cute doodle 😂😂#FINALLLLLY DONE #ahhh been trying to finish since vday

66 notes · View notes

graceful-starker · 1 year

Text

You’re More Than Just a One Night Stand (Redo)

OG Prompt: Uhmm I dont know if this might make u uncomfortable, but I was thinking about a married!Tony cheating Pepper with Peter (he loves her but they are not in a good moment), and Peter accidentally (or not) leaves a hickey maybe too visible

Summary: Tony Stark and Pepper Potts have the most famous on again-off again relationship in the world. Peter Parker sees his opportunity and takes it.

Warnings: Cheating, unhealthy relationships, emotional manipulation, angst with a (starker) happy ending, alcohol mention, angst.

Notes: This is part of my New Years’ Resolution project (Guess what my New Years resolution is next year? To finish this list :P ) Anyway, people really liked this one, but thought that it would be better if I redid it now, because of how much my writing has improved over the years.

Word count: 7,714

~~~

Tony groans as he’s shaken awake, feeling the ache in his back before he even opens his eyes. Falling asleep at his desk is no longer a manageable task for his body, it would seem.

He stretches and blinks slowly, wincing at the fluorescent lights. “Oh, god,” Tony groans again, turning to look at who woke him up. “Hey, kid,” he sleepily greets Peter.

Peter smiles sadly at him. “You fell asleep in the lab again, Mr. Stark,” he states. And if the worry in Peter’s eyes didn’t look so real, so much like he actually cared, Tony might have snarked him for stating the obvious.

Instead, he just gives what he hopes is a reassuring smile and straightens up. “Pep kicked me out again,” he explains. He stands and starts to shuffle towards the coffee maker he keeps in the lab. “We’re broken up. Again. I give it twenty-four hours, honestly, this was a stupid reason to get mad at me, all things considered.” He was rambling, and he knew it. He always tries to keep his problems away from Peter, to not worry the younger man. He has a feeling he’s embarrassingly bad at it.

He’s surprised when he turns around and sees Peter right behind him, brows furrowed with a mix of worry and something Tony couldn’t quite decode in this context. Tony almost spills his coffee over Peter, but manages to steady the cup with a gasp. “Kid? What the hell-”

“This isn’t healthy,” Peter says softly. “She can’t keep doing this to you.”

Tony shrugs and looks just over Peter’s left shoulder, taking a sip before responding. “She puts up with my bullshit, I sleep in the lab sometimes. It isn’t as bad as it looks.”

“She’s hurting you,” Peter says, hesitating before touching Tony’s arm gently. “Not just emotionally, either. Your back hurts for days after you sleep at your desk.” The fact that the kid even knows that means Tony is as terrible at hiding his problems as he thought he was.

Tony shrugs again, but doesn’t move away from the comfort the boy is providing. “It’s real sweet of you to worry, Pete, but I’m really okay. ‘sides, she’s the only one that’s been willing to put up with me for more than a night,” he tries to turn the mood lighter, teasing himself so Peter will smile.

Instead, the worry is replaced with a mixture of anger and...and that emotion Tony can’t make sense of. “That isn’t true, Mr. Stark. I would--I know tons of people who would kill for a chance to be yours. And she’s taking advantage of it...she’s taking it for granted, acting as if you’ll always be there to take her back.”

Tony works his jaw. Emotions aren’t his strong suit, and being vulnerable is his worst nightmare. “Well, I will. I love her. There’s no one else.”

Peter swallows thickly, eyes flickering between Tony’s. “What if there was someone else?” Peter whispers.

Tony shakes her head. “There isn’t. No one else would put up with me, so it’s fine if she hurts my feelings every once and a-”

“I wouldn’t ever hurt you, if you were mine,” Peter says boldly, staring deeply into Tony’s eyes. Ah, that’s what that emotion was. “I wouldn’t ever give you up, even for one day. I wouldn’t ever make you feel anything less than my god damn sun, my universe.”

Tony’s mouth drops open, lips slightly parted as he takes in the words. He puts his coffee mug down, crossing his arms over his chest as he looks Peter over. “But I’m not yours, I’m hers.” He doesn’t want to hurt Peter, but it’s the truth. He and Pepper both know a break up is only temporary.

A flicker of hurt at the dismissal, but the kid is quick to regain his footing. “Not right now,” Peter whispers, stepping closer, getting bolder. “You’re single right now. You don’t have to take her back, when she calls for you. You’re single.”

“Not for long,” Tony protests weakly.

“You’re single,” Peter repeats, his lips a mere inch away from Tony’s. “Aren’t you?”

Tony lets out a shaky breath, looking down to Peter’s lips. The earlier words were so beautiful, so perfectly what Tony has always wanted to hear from Pepper. And his lips are so enticing, so pink and beautiful, and...and you know what, Pepper did break things off between them, didn’t she? She can’t be angry at anything he does anymore, he’s a free man. Right?

Fuck it.

Tony leans in that extra inch, connecting their lips softly. He waits for the feeling of guilt to leech into his brain, for the need to be loyal to Pep to hit him.

But it never does.

Peter wraps his arms around Tony’s shoulders, gently resting them so he isn’t holding on or pushing away. Tony isn’t as gentle. He wraps his arms around Peter’s waist, pulling him flush against his own body.

Peter gasps softly into the older man’s mouth, one hand sliding up to tangle into the older man’s hair. Tony releases a contented sigh, allowing the younger man to slide his tongue along Tony's lips.

Eventually, Tony opens his lips and allows Peter in, enjoying the feeling of their tongues gliding together. They both get lost in it, time seeming to exist outside of them.

Tony only comes back to his senses when Peter starts to kiss down Tony’s neck. The older man is breathless, both from the kissing and the way Peter’s lips feel against his neck. “Oh, fuck,” Tony breathes, grinding their hips together.

Peter whines at one particularly rough thrust, biting down where Tony’s neck meets his shoulder. Tony groans softly in Peter’s ear, pulling roughly at his hair. “Careful,” Tony warns.

Peter licks over the mark in apology, sucking a mark right above it instead. Tony sighs in half annoyance, but doesn’t want the boy to stop.

He simply enjoys the attention, enjoys the touches, enjoys the memory of the words Peter had murmured earlier.

It wasn’t until Peter started to rub at Tony’s cock through his pants he realized he needed to stop this before it got too far. If he hasn’t fucked it all up already. “Pete,” he whispers.

“No,” Peter argues, moving his lips up Tony’s neck. He kisses at Tony’s jaw instead.

Tony sighs, pulling away gently and kissing Peter’s lips. “I can’t do this to you, Pete. I’m always going to choose her. And you’re too important to me to lose.” He cups Peter’s cheek, rubbing his thumb gently over Peter’s jaw. “We should stop while we still can.”

Peter scoffs at that, keeping Tony’s hand cupped to his cheek by cupping his own hand over Tony’s. “I’m not like Pepper, I’m not holding my mere presence as a bargaining chip to get what I want.”

Tony pulls away at that, sighing heavily. He doesn’t like Peter insulting Pep, but the words still make him feel warm inside. Knowing he doesn’t have to be afraid of Peter leaving him...is this what Pepper feels like?

Tony kisses the boy once more, and sighs softly. “My point still stands, Peter. I’m going to end up with her, sooner or later.”

“And I’ll be here,” Peter starts, finally pulling away but holding Tony’s hand. “Waiting for when she dumps you again.”

Tony has started to feel more and more guilty the longer he doesn’t tell Pepper about Peter.

When she first called him back to the penthouse, telling him he was forgiven and they could get back together, he had hesitated.

Pepper had shifted uncomfortably. “Well?” she had pushed.

Tony had sighed, and pulled down his shirt. It was just far enough to show the hickeys. “I don’t know if we can keep doing this, Pep.”

Pepper had simply sighed in annoyance. “So you got a one night stand while we were broken up, so what? Is she worth ruining everything we have over? Are you not going to take me back because of some whore that spreads her legs for you as soon as you ask?”

Tony had ground his teeth together, but made a quick decision not to out Peter. “No, Pep, that isn’t what I...I mean...Pepper, I can’t keep doing this. I can’t keep feeling like I’m absolutely nothing to you. I can’t do this anymore.” Not now that Peter has shown him what he wants in a committed relationship.

Pepper had rolled her eyes. “Did she tell you that shit? She just decided I treat you like shit, huh? You’re going to let that whore tell you about our love life?” Pepper walked over and sat in Tony’s lap, her arms resting gently over Tony’s shoulders while one hand slides up Tony’s neck and cups the back of his head. “I love you, and I always will. No matter what happens. No matter what we go through, no matter how much you or I fuck up. None of that matters. The only thing that matters is that you and I belong together. Forever.”

Tony had melted into the words, looking up at her with adoration, but was unable to keep the conflict off of his face. “Pep...”

“Just tell me you love me too, and everything else goes away,” she had whispered.

“I love you,” Tony had said easily, and he had meant it. He did love her. He just...he knew he betrayed her. Far more than she thought he did. He didn’t have a one stand stand with a whore, he made out with a close friend. Someone Pepper has met multiple times, someone who has come up to their penthouse and had dinner with them. Someone Tony spends a good chunk of every day with.

And then there was Peter, too. He had said he wasn’t going to hold Tony’s momentary weakness over their relationship, but Peter can’t help himself. He can’t help the longing stares, or the lingering touches, or the way his eyes light up whenever Pepper dumps Tony again.

“Peter,” Tony had finally said one day, when the hand Peter had on Tony’s back slipped downwards. “You gotta stop. I’m sorry, but you gotta stop.”

Peter had only sighed, and pulled his hand away. He scratched the back of his neck with it. “You’re single again,” Peter whispered.

Tony didn’t say a word, only rubbed a hand over his face.

“You’re single again,” Peter said louder. “So what’s the harm in a one night stand?”

“The harm,” Tony said loudly, putting both hands on the desk a bit harsher than necessary. But then sighed and lowers his voice, looking into Peter’s wide eyes, sadness taking over his own. “The harm is...you’re more than just a one night stand, Peter. I can’t do this, because once I do, I’ll never stop. And the only thing I’ll do is hurt one or both of you, more deeply than any person should ever be hurt. And I don’t want to be that kind of monster.”

Peter had accelerated his breathing with every word, until he was practically gasping for air by the end. “You love me,” Peter accused. No, not accused...begged. He begged Tony for the words to be true, both with his eyes and his tone.

Tony hung his head, shoulders slumping in shame. “Don’t do that. Because I’ll still choose her, and you’ll still be heart broken.” He looks up at Peter again, feeling broken already. “And if you break, I’ll break.”

Peter just stared at Tony, looking both dejected and sad. “I want you, Tony. All the time. Every second of every day, I want you. And I won’t throw you away when you piss me off. I won’t reject you when you need me the most. And I’m not going to stop loving you just because you can’t love me back.” Peter’s voice breaks, and he steps forward, into Tony’s space. “I’m right here. Come and get me.”

Tony’s breath hitched, and then his resolve crumbled. He pushed forward, crushing their lips together in a kiss that was infinitely more intense than their first kiss. The first one was sweet, slow, gradually increasing in passion. This kiss was raw, hungry, and desperate.

Tony is a terrible person. He’s hurting Peter, even if the younger man insists he isn’t. And he’s hurting Pepper. He’s hurting her in a way she doesn’t deserve, even after all the shit she’s put him through.

But he can’t take it anymore. He loves them both, and he wants them both. And right then, in that short period of time, he could. He could have Peter, and the day after, when Pepper got bored of her little games, he would have her again.

And he will hate himself for it, every second of every day.

Tony knew it was a mistake before he even slept with Peter. But now, all he can think about is the beautiful young man. The way his back arches when Tony nails his prostate right on. The way his face screws up in pleasure, and his nose scrunches so cutely when he’s just about to cum. The way his curls feel around Tony’s fingers. The way Peter’s body gets so warm, it feels like fire when Tony rubs against it.

And now he knows. He knows what it’s like to be with Peter. He knows what it’s like to be with the man he loves.

And he knows how god damn awful it feels to crawl out of his sweet, warm embrace and right into Pepper’s waiting arms.

“You have more,” Pepper had said softly, pushing lightly on one of Peter's bite marks.

“You left me,” Tony says back, but he keeps his eyes closed. If she looks into his eyes, she’ll know. He knows she’ll know.

“I know,” she says softly. “Still.”

Tony shrugs. “If you leave me, I can do whatever I want. You don’t want me to, don’t leave me.”

Pepper kisses his cheek, before rolling over and turning off the light. “Just because we’re on a break doesn’t mean you don’t come back to me. You and I both know it isn’t a real break up. Tell yourself what you want, but when you sleep with whores, you’re still cheating on me.”

Tony bites his tongue. He bites, and he bites hard, until he tastes blood and he hears her even breathing. “Not a whore, honey,” he whispers, knowing she won’t hear.

Tony was guilt ridden. Pepper’s words had bothered him more than he thought they would. But she was right; they both knew it was just a game for Pepper. They both knew they weren’t really broken up. So Tony was a cheater, for sleeping with Peter.

Tony nearly jumps out of his skin as Peter enters the lab, reviving him from his thoughts. He turns his guilty eyes on Peter, and suddenly he doesn’t feel as bad.

Because Peter walks in, and he’s glowing. He’s whistling as he struts in, a giant pep in his step as goes to his station. Peter looks so beautiful, it makes Tony’s stomach drop.

And then Peter puts his stuff down and turns those big, bright doe eyes on Tony. And a brilliant grin splits across his face, and he looks so genuinely happy that Tony can hardly help but to breathlessly smile back.

“What’s got you so happy, kid?” Tony asks, fiddling with his wrench.

Peter laughs softly, and it’s music to Tony’s ears. “I dunno, I just feel good. I feel great, actually. I have since Friday,” he says, unsubtly hinting to their affair.

Tony laughs softly, but the guilt is starting to return. He doesn’t want to ruin this moment, to ruin Peter’s happiness for even a second. So instead of saying anything, he just stares at Peter with a smile on his lips and love in his eyes.

Peter starts to blush after a moment and looks down, laughing softly once more. “What are we working on today, Mr. Stark?”

Tony allows himself to look just a few more seconds, before he tears his eyes away to look down at the plans. “Mark III for your suit. I think it’s finally time to give you a suit that never had training wheels, don’t you think?”

Peter had lit up again, this time in excitement instead of happiness. His face is just as beautiful. “Awesome! Lemme see,” he says, coming over and getting in Tony’s space. He looks over the plans, and Tony fights the urge to wrap an arm around the kid’s shoulders to make everything easier and less awkward.

It’s going to be a long day.

Tony laughs bitterly, rubbing a hand over his face. “What’s the reason this time, Pep? Did I skip a meeting? Did I forget to do the dishes? Did I not bring you flowers when you wanted them?”

Pepper snarls at him. Usually Tony just sighs and gets out, he never questions her. “Just get out,” she says, flicking her wrist dismissively.

“No!” Tony says, standing up from where he had been sitting. “No, not unless you give me a reason, Pep. I’m tired of playing these games, they aren’t funny anymore.”

Pepper scoffs. “Of course they aren’t funny! Fine, if you want to know--yes, you missed a meeting. An important one, because you were too busy playing in the lab with the kid.”

Tony’s nostrils flare, and he stares her down. “Playing?” he asks, voice low and dangerous. “That’s what you call my job?”

Pepper scoffs again. “Yes, playing! Because you aren’t making anything for SI, you’re making his suit-”

“You know what?” Tony snarls, cutting her off. He grabs his coat, slipping it on and grabbing his keys. “We are done. We are done, Pepper. I’m done.”

She’s stunned into silence, and he’s gone with the door slammed before she unfreezes.

He gets in his car and drives, drives and drives and drives until he’s gotten all the anger in his system out and all he’s left with is a bitter sadness.

The truth is, he had always known, known, he was going to end up with Pepper. He wanted to marry her, and have kids with her, and always stay with her. But he just can’t take it anymore. The games, the hurt, the uncertainty. It’s all too much.

Before he knows what he’s doing, he’s parked in front of Peter’s building. He shouldn’t do this, not when he’s hurting. Their first time had been so beautiful, filled with only want and desire, not guilt and sadness. He doesn’t want to ruin what he and Peter had over this.

But he didn’t drive away in time. Because there was Peter, tapping on the passenger side window with a concerned look on his face. Tony sighs and rolls down the window. “Hey, kid,” he greets.

Peter frowns, unlocking the door and getting in. Tony glares half-heartedly, knowing he wouldn’t actually be mad in any universe. “Mr. Stark?” he asks softly. “What’s going on?”

“I shouldn’t have come here,” Tony admits softly. He puts his head in his hands, pulling at his hair in frustration. “I didn’t actually want you to see me like this.”

Peter doesn’t say a word, only gently rubs at Tony’s right shoulder. Tony can practically feel the frown on the younger boy’s face. He shouldn’t be here. Peter is too good, too perfect for this. He’s too kind to hear what Tony needs to say.

“I think it’s really over this time,” Tony says, voice breaking. He shouldn’t be here, but he is, and he’s about to hurt Peter.

Peter makes a sympathetic noise, letting his hand slide down Tony’s arm until he can carefully pull Tony’s hand away from his hair. He holds onto it, and Tony finally has the courage to look up at the younger man. “What makes you say that?” he asks softly.

And Tony doesn’t deserve Peter. Because here Tony is, broken hearted over the woman who was keeping Tony from Peter, and he’s not celebrating. He isn’t pushing Tony to think it’s a good thing, or making a move. He’s just listening. Comforting.

Tony doesn’t deserve this.

“Because I told her I was done. And then I walked out.” He sniffs, and looks sadly at Peter. “I don’t know anymore, Pete. I feel both like I’m done and like I can’t live without her. What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I...why can’t I just be normal? Why can’t I just decide I’m done with her, and be done? Why does it hurt this much?”

Peter doesn’t say anything again. He just leans over and hugs Tony, petting his hair softly. “Maybe you aren’t done,” Peter says softly, voice breaking. “Maybe you love her enough to put up with things you wouldn’t for anyone else.” He pulls away then, still holding Tony’s hand and looking deeply into the older man’s eyes. “I would understand that.”

He knows Peter wasn’t trying to hurt him with those words. But he did. Because Tony is an asshole, and he is treating Peter like shit. Peter is dealing with things from Tony he would never, should never deal with from anyone else. He shouldn’t deal with it with Tony either, but he has decided to.

Just like Tony is with Pepper.

“Peter, “ Tony whispers, holding back sobs. “Peter, I-”

Peter shakes his head, squeezing Tony’s hand. “I know,” he whispers back. “You don’t have to say it. I know.”

Tony sniffs, thinking again about how much he doesn’t deserve Peter. “Invite me up,” he asks, sounding desperate and broken.

Peter laughs softly, sniffling himself and shakes his head. “Not tonight, Mr. Stark. I think you need to go home tonight.”

Tony looks away, down at the steering wheel, fighting the tears again. “Peter,” he begs again.

Peter only squeezes Tony’s hand, leans over to kiss his cheek, and opens the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mr. Stark,” he says.

Tony lets out a shaky breath, slamming his head into the wheel. He stays for another ten minutes after Peter goes back up, before going back home.

He and Pepper have been back together for a solid three months, longer than they ever have been before. And Tony has been happy, these last few months. He feels like Pepper was so scared by Tony leaving, she doesn’t want to push it.

The bad news is, he misses Peter. A lot. And Pepper isn’t pushing it, so he doesn’t have any excuses to sleep with the younger man.

Peter has been more reserved lately. Ever since the night Tony parked in front of Peter’s apartment, he’s been more reserved and more...timid.

Tony misses the carefree laughter. The blindingly bright smiles. The love in Peter’s eyes when Tony gives the man attention.

Until one day, Tony just breaks. He can’t stand the lack of brightness in Peter’s eyes, and he misses Peter, and he just...snaps.

“Peter,” Tony says softly, making the younger man look up from his project.

“Yes, Mr. Stark?” He asks, looking up. And that does it for Tony. He can’t see the sadness there anymore. He doesn’t want to, and he knows how to fix it. Tony walks around the table, getting into Peter’s space. Peter’s breath hitches, and he looks up at Tony with wide eyes. “Mr. Stark?” he whispers.

Tony puts his hands on Peter’s hips, swallowing the guilt he feels towards Pepper. “Peter,” he whispers back.

Peter’s hands rest gently behind Tony’s neck, crossed at the wrists. His breath comes quickly, and his eyes light up. “Did you break up again?” he asks softly.

Tony swallows, looking at Peter with hungry eyes. “No,” he says honestly. “It doesn’t matter anyway.”

“Tony,” Peter whispers, eyes a conflicted mess. Tony knows Peter wants this, but he also feels guilty. Just like Tony.

“Kiss me,” Tony begs softly. “I want you, I want...I need you.” He doesn’t push the younger man, not willing to risk pressuring him.

Peter looks like he’s fighting himself, his eyes conflicted. But then the want wins over, and he surges forward.

Tony holds onto Peter’s hips harder, pulling the younger boy closer to him. Peter moans into the kiss, tongue exploring Tony’s mouth. They grind into each other, until Tony lifts the younger man onto the desk and then Peter grinds into Tony’s stomach.

Tony pants into Peter’s mouth, using Peter’s hips to encourage the grinding. He pulls away from the kiss, and Peter’s hands curl tightly into his hair. Tony shivers, kissing his way down Peter’s jaw and neck. The whines and moans the other man sings go directly to Tony’s core, and makes him feel even crazier and more desperate.

They pull apart only long enough to take each other’s shirts off, and then they attack each other’s mouths again.

Tony is momentarily distracted by the fierce kissing, but he eventually pulls away, panting into Peter’s mouth. He grins evilly, kissing Peter again once softly before falling to his knees. The action hurts more now than it would have if he were younger, but he doesn’t care that much. The gasp of happy surprise Peter emits is more than worth it.

They spend hours together. Hours of making each other feel good, of moving together, of being one. All over the lab, every which way. No surface in here is without a memory now. No where in his lab is just the lab anymore.

They end on the couch in the corner, Peter laying on top of Tony, panting together. Tony smiles up at Peter then, kissing him softly. He runs his fingers along Peter’s neck, satisfied with the marks he left behind. He asked Peter not to leave any where Pep could see, because he doesn’t want to deal with her knowing just yet. But he got to leave as many as he wanted on the younger man.

“Tony,” Peter whispers, shivering at the touches.

“Hm?” Tony asks softly, smiling happily up at him. Tony hasn’t felt so contented and happy in so long.

“I love you,” Peter says softly. He takes Tony’s fingers, kissing them softly.

Tony’s grin falters for just a moment, but he’s sure Peter caught it. He gets the smile back quickly, although it's slightly more bittersweet. “I love you too” he tells Peter truthfully. “I shouldn’t tell you, I shouldn’t do any of this to you...but-”

“It’s okay,” Peter lies, leaning down and kissing Tony again, feather light. “It’s okay. I’m always going to be here for you.”

Tony sighs softly. “I don’t deserve that. I don’t deserve you.”

Peter blushes and smiles at that, as if it was a compliment and not a warning.

It had taken them a surprisingly long time to get up the energy to get up and dressed again. They were so happy in their little bubble.

Little did Tony know that Peter ran into Pepper on his way out of the building. And even though Tony has no marks, no evidence on him that anything happened, Peter does. In plain sight. And Pepper had almost let it go, but then Peter had looked her up and down and smirked, and she knew.

A few months after their affair started, things felt calm for Tony. Like for once, everything was going right. He had Pepper, he had Peter. Everything felt calm and nice and lovely.

But of course, it couldn’t last.

Tony sighs in annoyance, rubbing at his eyebrow. “Pepper.”

“I don’t want to hear it!” Pepper shouts, arms in the air. “I want you out, we’re done!”

Tony sighs and stands up, scratching at his beard. “Over a missed meeting?” he confirms.

“Yes,” Pepper hisses, eyes narrowed. “Among other things.”

Tony shakes his head. “I thought we were past this, Pep. I thought we were done with the games.”

“And I thought you loved me!” Pepper shouts, tears in her eyes.

Tony sighs again, and his obvious disinterest grates on Pepper. “I do love you, Pep. I skipped a meeting, that doesn’t mean-”

“I know who you’ve been cheating on me with,” Pepper finally says, eyes full of tears. They fall, and she looks downwards, crossing her arms over her chest. “You didn’t just skip a meeting, you were with your little whore.”

Tony grates his teeth together, eyes narrowing. “See, I know you’re full of shit, because if you knew who I used to cheat on you with you wouldn’t-”

Pepper scoffs, looking up again. And that’s it, that’s the look. Tony knew he was going to do nothing but hurt her. And somewhere along the way, he stopped dreading it.

The pit of guilt in his stomach makes itself known now, though. And he, almost subconsciously, reaches out to touch Pepper, to comfort her. She leans into it, shaking her head in anger.

“I know who it is. I know. I don’t want you to spend time with him anymore.” Pepper tightens the cross of her arms.

“Pepper, you can’t...you can’t expect me to just...” Tony’s breath comes quicker, and he realizes the idea of losing Peter; not just giving up on the idea of bing with him, but never seeing him again...it makes him feel hollow inside.

“You don’t love me anymore!” Pepper accuses yet again. “You’d rather have that little skanky intern of yours over-”

“Peter is not a ‘skanky little intern’” Tony growls, pulling his hand away. “You like Peter, you’ve always called him smart and a hard worker-”

“That was before I knew he was a home wrecker-”

“What home?!” Tony yells, voice breaking. He almost regrets the words, but he sets his jaw and takes a deep breath. “You left me every other day. You made me feel like shit. You made me feel like I was worthless, like I didn’t mean anything to you. I have never felt safe or secure in this relationship, how can you call that a home?”

Pepper has tears streaming down her face, and her mouth is set in an angry frown. “And Peter...what? Makes you feel like you have a future with him? A pretty little thing half my age, who sleeps with the boss as soon as there’s trouble in paradise, you see a future with him?” She uncrosses her arms and starts to stalk Tony into the wall. “That’s the future you envisioned for yourself?”

“No!” Tony says, eyes full of anger and sadness and loss. “I pictured you and me. I pictured you marrying me. I pictured us having kids. I pictured building you a house, and raising our kids in it. I wanted to marry you! But you kept leaving me, and I didn’t feel-”

“Yes,” Pepper says, eyes wide and breath rapid.

Tony blinks in confusion. “What?” he asks, sounding dejected.

“Yes, I’ll marry you. And you can build me a house and knock me up and we can go far away from here. Just you and me. Yes, I’ll marry you.” Pepper leans forward and connects their lips softly.

Tony shakes his head when she pulls away. “I wasn’t done, I wasn’t pro-”

“I don’t care,” Pepper says, wiping her tears. “If you want that future, marry me. I’ll get word to the press, it’ll be the headlines tomorrow. Do you still love me? Do you still want me? Do you still want that future?” She cocks an eyebrow, lashes still wet with former tears.

Tony swallows heavily, unable to deny the truth. “Yes,” he whispers.

Pepper nods. “Then I’ll marry you. And you’ll get rid of the skank.” She turns on her heel, phone already to her ear, as she walks into their bedroom area.

Tony lets out a heavy breath, putting his head in his hands.

Pepper was right, of course. Every single headline in every single news network was about the world’s favorite on again-off again relationship finally committing to each other and tying the knot.

Tony is sitting at his desk in the lab, head in his hands. Every time he looks up, he sees somewhere he and Peter did something together. Every time he thinks about it, he misses Peter. And then he thinks about how he will never see the boy again, and he’s trapped, and he doesn’t know what to do anymore.

He winces as the door opens, and sighs heavily. “I said I want to be alone, Pepper, just leave me alone!” He can’t help the agony in his voice. He knows he’s being terrible to his future wife, but she was terrible first.

“Mr. Stark,” Peter’s voice breaks on his name, and Tony’s head shoots up.

Peter has obviously been crying. His eyes are red rimmed, and his hair is a mess. Tony’s own tear filled eyes meet Peter’s, and they both just stare for a moment.

“Peter,” Tony croaks, taking in all of Peter. It feels like this might be the last time.

“You’re marrying her,” Peter accuses. Because that’s really the only word for it. It’s not a statement or a question. It’s an accusation.

Tony takes another gulp from his tumbler, finishing off the glass and pouring himself another. He doesn’t like getting drunk anymore, but it feels like an understandable exception. “Apparently,” Tony answers.

“You don’t have to,” Peter says, tears still streaming down his face as he gets closer. “You can leave her.”

Tony rubs at his forehead, trying to think. “I know. I don’t know. I just-I...I don’t know.”

Peter goes closer, pushing Tony away gently from the desk and climbing into his lap. “Tony,” he starts, throat thick with tears.

Tony shushes him, kissing his shoulder softly. “I know. I know, baby.”

Peter shakes his head. He cups Tony’s cheeks, forcing the older man to look into his eyes. “I’ve been patient, Tony. I’ve waited for you to realize how much you don’t like her. I’ve sat aside while you went back to her every single time you left my bed. I supported you, and I gave you good advice, and I put you back together again when she broke you.”

Tony has his own tears in his eyes now. “Peter-”

“I can keep being patient,” Peter sobs, putting their foreheads together. “I can stay. I can wait. I can handle this, I can-can....” he hiccups, and lets out a shuddery breath. “I know I can do this, Tony. But I...marriage is so final, Tony. I don’t think you’ll ever leave her if you marry her. I’ll always be here, but is marrying her what you want? Is being stuck with her what you want?”

Tony closes his eyes, his own breath ragged with the pain he’s going through. “I love her,” he tries to desperately explain.

Peter takes a deep breath, leaning back just enough so Tony can look up at the younger man. “Then I’ll stay,” Peter says, wiping away his tears. He’s trying so hard to put on a brave face, and it breaks Tony’s heart.

Tony looks down after that, rubbing his thumb into Peter’s hip. “No...” the older man sniffs, looking up sadly at Peter. “She said I can’t see you anymore, if we get married. She found out it was you specifically, and she...she wants us to move away. She wants me to never see you again.”

Peter stiffens, and pulls Tony away. He looks into Tony’s eyes with fear. “No.” he shakes his head, sniffling loudly. “No, you can’t let her do that!”

Tony lets out a shaky sigh, leaning back in for a kiss. “I don’t know what to do anymore,” Tony admits. “All I did was hurt you both. All I did was ruin everything. Just like I knew I would.”

“Don’t marry her,” Peter begs through a sob. “Stay with her if you need to but don’t--please don’t marry her.”

“She won’t stay with me if I don’t marry her,” Tony says brokenly. “I’ll lose her, and I...” Tony shakes his head, looking away from Peter’s fearful eyes. “I love her.”

“You love me too,” Peter begs. And the fact that he sounds even a little unsure makes Tony hate himself more than words can express. “Don’t you?”

Tony surges up then, capturing the younger man’s lips in a fierce kiss. It feels a lot more like their second time than their first. Full of desperation, need, want. He pulls away before it can get too far, nosing at Peter’s neck. “I do. I do love you. So god damn much, Pete. This would be so easy, if I didn’t love you.”

“Then if you love me, you-”

“Peter,” Tony says, sounding as agonized as he feels. “You don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve you. You deserve so much better than me, so much better than what I’ve done to you.”

Peter pulls Tony back again, standing up and pulling Tony with him so they can be eye level. “I know. I know I deserve better, but I don’t care. I chose you, a long time ago.” His voice trails off, and he leans closer to the older man. “I can’t live without you, Tony,” he whispers. “Can you live without me?”

Tony opens his mouth to immediately deny it, but Peter shushes him. “No. Think about it. Can you live without me? Can you be happy without me? Can you marry her, and have kids with her, and never see me again?”

Tony closes his eyes, picturing that life. He can see most of it. Him and Pepper getting married. Him and Pepper holding a vague faced baby. Them living in a cabin. Away from it all, away from the Avengers, away from Peter.

But even in his make-believe, Peter free scenario, he can’t help but picture his favorite picture of them in the house. The one with Tony giving Peter the Stark Internship.

“No,” he says honestly, opening his watery eyes. “No, I don’t think I can.”

“What about her,” Peter prompts softly. He doesn’t look like the man he loves just told him he can’t live without him. He looks unbelievably sad. “Can you live without her?”

He tries again, this time replacing Pepper with Peter. Marrying Peter. Holding a baby with Peter. Living in the city with Peter. Raising a family with Peter. Seeing Pepper in every SI meeting, every call, every surface in the penthouse. She would be everywhere, even if they broke up.

Tony hangs his head, wanting to just disappear. Wanting the floor to open up and swallow him whole. “She’s the CEO of my company,” he softly reminds Peter. “I would have to leave SI to avoid her.”

Peter laughs bitterly. “I’m not asking you to cut her out of your life, like she is me. I’m asking, can you see yourself happy with just me? Can you live without her as your lover, your girlfriend? Could you be happy with just me?”

And it’s like a lightbulb goes off in Tony’s head. His head shoots up and his eyes fly open.

Because yes, yes he can live with just Peter as his lover. If he doesn’t have to cut Pepper out of his life, he can happily belong to Peter and Peter alone. Because Peter has never given him ultimatums. Peter has never made Tony feel stuck, or trapped, or broken. Peter has only ever made Tony feel safe, and wanted, and respected, and loved.

Tony surges up into Peter’s lips, holding the other man as close to himself as possible. Peter gasps into Tony’s lips, protesting for only a millisecond before melting into it. Tony pours all the love, adoration, and thankfulness he feels into the kiss. Because for the first time in...in maybe his entire life, Tony feels sure.

He finally pulls away after what could have been minutes or hours, staring up at Peter in awe. “Yeah,” the older man says softly. “Yeah I can. I...I can.”

Peter sniffles, looking at Tony with teary, suspicious eyes. “Does that mean-”

“I’m not going to marry her,” Tony says quickly. “I’m going to end things between us, for good this time, and I’m...I’m going to leave her. And if you still want me, I want-”

Peter crushes Tony in a hug, eyes wide with both surprise and excitement. “I didn’t think you would choose me,” Peter gasps, burying his face into Tony’s neck. “I didn’t get my hopes up.”

Tony sobs once, and then laughs in relief. “I love you, Peter Parker. I’m so...I’m so sorry it took me so long to realize what I-”

Peter cuts him off with a kiss, then hugs him tightly again. “It’s okay,” Peter promises, sniffling as he does. “Worth it.”

Tony laughs softly, kissing Peter and pulling him close. He kisses the younger man deeply, but not too intensely. He doesn’t want it to get out of hand just yet, not when he’s still-

“This is why we are moving away,” Pepper’s low, warning voice sounds.

Peter practically flies out of Tony's arms, unable to look Pepper in the face.

But Tony can.

Tony sighs in annoyance at Peter’s warmth being ripped away from him, and turns his gaze to her. “Didn’t I tell you not half an hour ago to leave me alone?” he asks coldly.

Pepper mistakes his hostility for something it isn’t. She takes it as her winning, as Tony being upset his ‘last meeting’ with Peter was interrupted. “Sorry Tony, didn’t realize you and your little home wrecker were in the middle of something,” she sneers at Peter, and the younger man winces.

It makes Tony see red. “Actually-”

“But if you don’t mind, slut, my fiancé and I have a lot of planning to get to. Planning the wedding, planning the house we’re going to move to, planning what we’re going to name our kids. My fiancé and I have a lot to do, so I’m going to have to cut your little seduction act short for the day, okay?”

Tony works his jaw, seething in anger. “Actually,” Tony says, louder this time. “There is no wedding to plan. We’re done.”

Pepper scoffs and rolls her eyes. “That’s what you said before you proposed to me,” she dismisses. “No more games Tony, let’s-”

“You’re right,” Tony cuts her off. “No more games. We are done, we are not getting married. I’m not choosing you, I choose Peter. I’m not living without him, and you aren’t taking him away from me.”

A spark of fear lights up Pepper’s eyes, and she darts her eyes from between Peter to Tony and back again. “No,” she says. “No, you agreed to marry me. You said you wanted to marry me.”

“I did,” Tony says, and his voice softens just a bit. No matter what she’s done to him, and no matter what realizations he’s had in the last few minutes, he can’t just turn off his love for her. The woman he was in love with for over a decade... “A part of me still does,” he admits. “But I’m not going to. I can’t do this anymore, I can’t do these ultimatums and these games and the manipulation. We’re not getting married.”

Pepper’s nostrils flare in anger. “Fine, we won’t get married. But you can’t see Peter anymore, I need you committed to me.”

Tony smiles sadly, scooting closer to Peter and wrapping an arm around his waist. “No,” Tony says. “I’m not giving up Peter. Ever. I’m giving up you. We are done, Pep.”

Pepper’s breathing quickens. “Tony, you can’t just-”

Tony shakes his head, kissing Peter's hair. “I can. I love Peter, and I want to be with him. We’re done.”

Pepper’s hands shake, and she shakes her head in denial. “Fine, keep your little whore! Just don’t throw away what we-”

“Stop calling him a god damn whore,” Tony growls, sympathy slowly dissipating.

“Keep us both,” Pepper says, ignoring Tony’s outburst. “Please baby, I love you! I’ve loves you for years, we belong together, remember? That’s all that matters, is that we love each other.” She steps closer, a hand outstretched in offering. “Please, baby, we love each other.”

And it’s so perfectly delicious. So perfectly exactly what he’s wanted for almost a year now. A nice, juicy worm wiggling away right in front of Tony’s face.

But Tony isn’t a fish, and he knows the hook is attached. He knows it won’t last, and the games will begin again. Until she manipulates Tony again, and until she hurts Tony again.

The older man looks down at Peter, seeing the building tears and the worry on his face. And Tony is again reminded of how perfect Peter is, and how much he doesn’t deserve such a beautiful, kind, loving person.

Tony smiles at Peter, and then looks back to Pepper. “No,” he says softly. “I want Peter, and I want him alone. I love you, but I don’t want you anymore. I want to feel safe, and loved, and wanted, and secure. I love Peter, and I want him. I choose him. You told me to choose, I choose him.”

“Tony,” Pepper says, barely a whisper.

“Effective immediately, our relationship is strictly professional. You are the CEO of my company, and I hold a lot of respect for you. But that’s all. Our relationship is no longer romantic or sexual of any nature.” Tony kisses the top of Peter’s head, pulling him even closer.

Pepper shakes her head, her eyes brimming with tears. “Don’t do this.”

“It’s already done,” Tony says with an air of finality. “Goodbye, Ms. Potts.”

Pepper scoffs, tears finally falling and she turns on her heel. She doesn’t say a word as she exits, slamming the lab door behind her.

Peter turns to Tony, looking at him with wide eyes. “Tony?” he whispers.

Tony breathes, smiling down at the younger man. “That wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be.”

Peter sobs in relief, throwing himself into the older man and connecting their lips with a mixture of relief, happiness, hope, and love.

And Tony kisses him back, with equal intensity, feeling more sure than he has in his entire life.

#starker #Gracie's New Years Resolution #My writing #tony stark #tw: emotional manipulation #tw: unhealthy relationship #tw: cheating #tw: alchohol mention #tw: angst

73 notes · View notes

my-starker-sideblog · 7 months

Text

Starker fic rec

I promised @underoosthreethousand that I had some fic recs, and I do! I've decided to just post them one at a time, and they will be pulled from my bookmarks at random.

I'm going to start with "For the Cameras" by LearnedFoot, because I am All About pining and getting together and pretend relationships and the emotional pacing is excellent in this story and ... this is just so *chef's kiss*.

No archive warnings apply on this one, and it has the tags Fake/Pretend Relationship, Undercover as a Couple, Pining, Mutual Pining, Getting Together, Sharing a Bed, Light Angst, Happy Ending, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Tony Stark Lives.

#starker #peter parker/tony stark #tony stark x peter parker #starker fic rec #starker fic recs

19 notes · View notes

starkerhowlter · 2 years

Text

Don't Pull Away

Ship: starker

Rating: M

Contains: mild angst, mentioned fantasies, tooth-rotting fluff, no smut

Initial prompt: @starkerfestivals summber bingo fill: headpats

Words: 1746

Summary: Peter loves Tony's hands in his hair. Tony loves having his hands in Peter's hair.

A/n: I know it's over but finally, my fourth work in the Starker Festivals Bingo is done! (I think I want to keep working on it despite it being over)

This was beta'd by the most gorgeous squishbean, @cozysafechaotic! and cheered on by my team on the Super Starkers server. Thank you guys as always for being your badass selves.

Read it on ao3

Tony notices the reaction immediately. One moment he's congratulating Peter on a job well done in the lab, and the next, the twenty-year-old intern's eyes are shining. At first, the older scientist couldn't figure out why until he realized his hand is still on Peter's head, fingers touching the soft brown curls.

"Good job, kiddo." He covers, removing his hand from the boy's hair, and placing them in his pockets.

"Thanks, Mr Stark!" He beams, "What should I do next?"

"I think it would benefit you to try and change the composition of the web solution powder to make it neater. Currently, the liquids aren't melding completely and it's going to harm the tensile strength in the long run."

"What should I use instead?"

"I honestly couldn't tell you. Why don't you try going to the chemical pantry and see if anything fits? I think that JARVIS has it cleared for you."

"Okay," Peter smiles and disappears out the door, leaving Tony with his thoughts.

"Fuck. J, can you play back the camera footage of that?"

"On it, sir." As soon as the man asks, a holographic footage screen appears before him. From this angle, he can see his hand brushing Peter's hair, and the way the boy's face lights up. "By the way, sir, Mr Parker's vitals spiked when you touched his head. I noted a spike in dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. His heart rate also spiked."

"No way." Tony falls back in his swivel chair, fingers running through his own hair. "Hey, J? Start a new experiment page."

"Title?" The robotic butler replies, obediently clearing the screen.

"Sparkle Eyes." The inventor smiles to himself because the description is such a perfect explanation for how Peter's honey-coloured eyes looked.

"Creating..." The screen changes to a chart of graphs "Created. Added 3.25 megabytes of information to the experiment page."

"Perfect. Please keep updating it with each instance as they happen."

"Only in the lab, sir?"

"No, whole complex. But just with me and Peter. No one else. Stevo and Manchurian Candidate would skew the records."

"Noted. Beginning Sparkle Eyes program."

"Thank you, Jar--"

"How about this? Think silica gel would clear it?" Peter presents a jar of silica beads, proudly.

"It would dry it out more, so it's worth a try. You might have to add more of a liquid though to make it sticky again. Think of making bread or cookies."

"Noted. I think I'm going to try mixing it in over a heated burner, where it's hot enough to melt but not hot enough to smoke us out."

"Probably a good idea. Do you need to create a safe environment or does it matter?"

"I think since I'm burning it, it's not really a problem either way." He returns to his desk, taking the lid off the solution in the flask. Carefully bringing it to temperature, the bubbles in the solution dissipate. He mixes in the silica gel, watching it turn into the sticky solution he's hoping for. "Holy shit, Mr Stark!!! I did it!" Tony looks up from his work to find Peter, with his hands in the air, staring proudly at him. "I made the web fluid correctly!"

"Well go on then, test it! Dum-e and I will get you down if you get stuck." Peter nods, loading the web fluid into a capsule and into his web shooter. He aims for the wall, swinging to land on the concrete ceiling of Tony's lab.

"It worked! It worked!!" He cheers, pulling himself free from the webbing. He drops back to the floor, and Tony ruffles his hair again. He revels privately in the way that Peter's entire face tints a gentle rosy pink. He tilts his head slightly into the older's touch before pulling away completely. One of the sensors on the desk chimes, breaking the trance the two have created for themselves.

"We should... yeah."

"Yeah... You're-- You're probably right. I need to go and.... erm... tighten the bolts on my left boot. It's been giving me issues." Tony pulls away from the younger, watching him with curiosity. Peter runs his hands through his hair repetitively and Tony selfishly wonders if he's trying to recreate the feeling.

---

Peter scratches gently at his scalp, hoping for the feeling of the man's fingers to appear again. He can't explain it, but he craves the feeling of Tony's hand in his hair. Almost as though the presence itself is a physical manifestation of how proud he is of the boy. It's self-centred, sure, but Peter can't help but wish everything Tony does is because of him. He wonders if Tony has noticed the way the younger boy leans into his touch, and wonders if it would be odd to ask him to ruffle his hair. To allow the boy to lay his head on Tony's thigh and let him comb his mechanic's fingers through Peter's curls as they watch whatever 80s movie Tony picked out. He wishes he could tell Tony, but he can't.

---

Tony finds any way he can to put his hand in Peter's hair after that day. He tried to forget about it, sure, but the way the boy would follow his hand anytime he came near, as though he were a puppy waiting for a treat or a belly rub. He silently begs for it with his eyes and Tony wonders if Peter knows he's doing it.

---

Two months later, Peter has a boyfriend.

The two students come into the lab and the stranger smiles at Tony. The boy's got a kind smile, one that makes it clear why Peter fell for him. Peter waves and greets Tony with a cheerful "Hi, Mr Stark! This is Harley! I just brought him over to check out my chemistry notes. He thinks he has an idea of how to synthesize the formula. Don't worry about him exposing my spiderman secret, his dad works for you!"

"Ah, Mr Keener! I knew you looked familiar! I think you weren't more than a sprout last time I saw you!" Tony coldly shakes Harley's hand, the craving for bourbon stinging his throat.

Harley looks absolutely starstruck. They really are perfect for each other.

---

It's all well and good until Harley leans over and kisses Peter. Something about needing to go to work and that he will see him back at the dorms tonight. He pays it no mind until Harley's fingers curl into the hair on the back of Peter's head and pull gently. Peter gasps into the kiss, breaking it off before it gets heated, "See you tonight!"

"Love you too, baby," Harley calls, disappearing out the same door they came in. Peter blushes gently, leaning back over his work as though nothing happened.

'Baby.' The title sticks in Tony's head, Peter's reaction causing one of its own in Tony. It's quickly replaced by a small popup by Jarvis about the hair grab. He murmurs to himself, 'no chemical changes' and smirks. Harley is merely a stand-in and Tony's never felt more satisfied. He wonders what would happen if he were to pull Peter's hair and call him baby. Would Peter gasp just as prettily? Would it be prettier?

"Hey, Mr Stark?"

"What's up, Spiderling?" Tony asks, walking over to the desk where the boy is mixing more fluid.

"I was just wondering if you had any more gel capsules. I need to make more web pills."

"I can see what I have. Wait here." Tony leaves and the rest of the day is just as stiff as the stress in his neck.

It seems like just as fast as their relationship started, Harley comes around the lab and up in conversation less and less. Tony meanly wonders if it's due to his and Peter's closeness that Harley feels threatened. He wishes he could call Harley, or "Harls" as Peter calls him, and tell him to watch as Peter's eyes blossom in sparkles and color when his hand touches Peter's hair.

He hasn't seen Peter in days. Well, real Peter. Holographic Peter has been keeping him plenty of company from inside the Sparkle Eyes file. Why turn to porn when he could turn to a personalized collection of photos and videos with Peter melting at his touch?

Peter returns one afternoon, eyes raw and red. "Peter?"

"Mr Stark..." He approaches Tony and falls against him, arms wrapping around his neck, face hiding against his own arm. At that moment Tony forgets how much he hates touch, he wants nothing more than to hold Peter and ruffle his hair, kissing the tears off his cheeks. He raises his hand hovering just slightly over the boy's head, debating if it's appropriate to touch his young mentee. Before he can reply, Peter's hand is gripping his wrist, pulling it the last few inches to tangle it in his hair. His shoulders fall, fresh tears falling from his eyes.

"What's happened?" Tony asks, gently carding his fingers through the curls.

"H-Harley. He cheated on me! Again!"

"Again? This has happened before, Peter?"

"Mr Stark, first, it was Gwen, then Quentin, then he swore he and Harry were finished and he swore he didn't have feelings anymore for him. I trusted him, I let him back in, I took him back and then I walked in on them fucking in our dorm room. I'm so stupid, Mr Stark. I shouldn't have gone back to him. But I did because I'm dumb and desperate and--"

"Woah, woah, hey! You're not desperate or dumb. You're just a fool in love. Why it's with that idiot I will never know but you're not dumb. He is. Got that? Sorry, let me just..." He goes to pull his hand out from the boy's hair, expecting to gain some clarity. Instead of being allowed to break away, Peter nuzzles closer to him, not bothered by the metal of Tony's watch brushing his ear. "Peter?" The younger looks up at him, brown eyes sparkling, as he connects their lips.

"Don't pull away. Not yet," he murmurs, sharing breaths with Tony.

"I won't go anywhere, kid." Tony smiles, kissing him again. "I'm not going anywhere."

Thank you so much for reading! Likes, Comments, and reblogs are very very much appreciated.

#shut up nika #nika writes #starker #tony x peter

28 notes · View notes

ursafootprints · 9 months

Note

For the writer ask game - K, Q, X!

K: Do you have a guilty pleasures in fic (reading or writing)?

Any time I write something that I don't usually read myself I feel a little guilty about it, haha. (Example: for all the angst of the Starkercest series, I do not myself read fics tagged with "Unhappy Ending" unless it's a very particular vibe! I can usually only do unhappy endings with fanfic if they're my own because then I'm innoculated against the sads since they came from my own brain, lmao.)

In the standard sense of a guilty pleasure-- ehhhh I don't think so? I have some fic kinks that are pretty dark/considered grody (preteen, somno, light watersports, gangbangs/captivity/mindbreak) but I don't feel bad about 'em; they just don't come up because I haven't written for them yet.

Q: I'm totally fine with "prompt" comments on my fics that are halfway between a prompt/request and just, like, speculating on ways the characters' stories could go in the future, and of course I'm fine with it if someone gives me a prompt on a topic I've asked for!

Outside of that, I'm not ???against it??? but it does make me feel a bit guilty, since I already have more WIPs/ideas than I'm likely to ever actually get through, so it's unlikely an unsolicited outside prompt would make it onto my list. Even my own ideas have to strike a very specific chord for me to tip from "fun to think about" to "I'm writing this," so I feel like people would be better off dropping their prompts in the Starker tag or the prompt meme on AO3!

X: How would you categorize your fanfic reading? Are you a voracious reader? Do you carefully pick and choose? Something in between?

I go through periods of reading a lot and not reading at all, and if I'm actively writing something I'm usually closer to the "not reading at all" end! I do tend to only read works with summaries/tags that invoke themes/kinks/AUs/etc. that I'm actively into vs being the "eh, I'll give anything a try" type, though-- there's sooo much fanfic that I'll never have the time to get through that I gotta narrow it down somehow, haha.

Thank you for playing 💖💖💖

#ursa asks #ask games

2 notes · View notes

bazzybelle · 2 years

Text

Unsung Heroes

I love this idea @mostlymaudlin, thank you so much for tagging me! I tried to focus on fics that had less than 200 kudos, with the exception of one that I'm including as a BONUS (and I'll explain why when the time comes).

A Man of Letters, or Five Times Baz Retreats, and the One Time He Doesn't: By @palimpsessed

Summary: After the war with Napoleon, all Simon wants is peace and quiet in the country with his friend Penny, but night terrors and panic attacks weren't the only surprises awaiting him back home. Dowager Lady Salisbury saw news of Simon's exploits abroad and arrived on his doorstep with the shocking revelation that he was her grandson. At his grandmother's insistence, Simon accompanied his newfound family to London, overwrought by excitement at the chance to finally belong, and anxiety from the struggle to fit his new role. Baz is heir to two very wealthy and well-respected families in England, but that hasn't stopped tongues from wagging. Baz has always been more interested in fashion and philosophy than in helping his father run the estate, and he refuses to settle down. Despite his recent sterling showing at Oxford, Baz's father has begun to lose all patience with his recalcitrant son. Matters went from bad to worse when Baz's fiancé threw him over only days after their engagement became public, rekindling rumours the family hoped to quash. Against his father's wishes, Baz has trooped off to London for another season with his friends, but the looming death knell of his good name has soured his last act of rebellion.

I love this fic for so many reasons, including that it was a COTTA fic, and that I love anything that Pal writes. But also the fact that it was SO CLEVERLY written! It's told through a series of letters either by Simon or by Baz, and the last chapter is just... SIIIIIIGH. I don't want to spoil too much because it is SO worth the read. :D

Just like Everybody Else Does: By DefinitelyYou (not on tumblr as far as I know)

Summary: It’s not the most embarrassing situation I’ve ever found myself in, but it’s still well embarrassing. Might even be in my top five, up there with the time I spelled my shirt and trousers off in Ms. Possibelf’s class, leaving me only in my pants, socks, and trainers. I’m not nearly as starkers this time around, but I still feel naked, emotionally speaking. I’m standing in the middle of the clearing in the Wavering Wood on a makeshift dance floor surrounded by magicked fairy lights while possibly the most depressing song I’ve ever heard rings through the clearing. I’ve been deserted by both my girlfriend and my nemesis, and everyone is watching my next move.

This author is BRILLIANT! And I know most people are more familiar with their other fic, How Shall I Love Thee When You are Gone? (With good reason, that fic is amazing). However, I found that this fic doesn't get nearly as much love as it should. I remember clicking on it because I love that song, and then being completely struck down with the angst and pining. Highly, highly recommend this fic.

The Window of Opportunity Series: By basiltonjeans (not on tumblr as far as I know)

Summary: Simon Snow meets Baz Pitch when he's eight years old, and they become the best of friends. With every year that passes, their friendship becomes more and more complicated. When Simon is eleven, he loses Baz, and is forced to pick up the pieces and move on. When Simon is old enough to truly get a grasp on the situation, he realises it's been love all along. He just hopes it's not too late. or; every year, something in Simon's life has changed. One thing always remains consistent: Baz.

This SERIES! You guys! This is one of my absolute all time favourite series. I read it a few years ago, when I just joined the fandom, and I remember when they posted the final two fics. I know, it's technically cheating because it isn't one fic, but 4, but I am telling you, these fics are wonderful. It has childhood friends to enemies to missed opportunities, to reconnection... Just a bucketful of warmth.

BONUS ROUND

Black Sheep: By @f-ing-ruthless-baz

Summary: “What’s her name?” “Whomst?” He’s been drinking. Of course. “The girl who suddenly started appearing in your Instagram posts a few weeks ago,” I say. I don’t want to fight him on this tonight. (This morning, I guess.) “I assume she will no longer be appearing in them?” “Oof. Niall. You’re so clever,” he says. “You should have been top of the class at Watford, instead of that twat. ”I snort a laugh, despite myself. “That twat was your best friend.” Dev makes a noise akin to pffffpfhhhthtttthh! “He was my cousin. You were my best friend, you dick.” “Stop, you’re making me blush.” “Anyway,” he says after an extra long beat, “her name’s not important.” It's been over a year since Dev and Niall left Watford--and Dev left England altogether. Since he left Niall behind.

So I know I said I would stick to fics under 200 kudos, and this fic beats that amount (also I thought I had bookmarked this fic, turns out I DIDN'T), but THIS FIC NEEDS MORE LOVE! Naturally I love everything that FIRB writes (and they know this), but this fic opened up the world of DeNiall for me. I never really saw them together until I read this fic. FIRB is so good with words and writing complex emotions.

Including those I've tagged above, I'm also tagging @carryonsimoncarryonbaz, @fight-surrender, @amywaterwings, @ninemagicks, @martsonmars, @aroace-genderfluid-sheep, @captain-aralias and @wellbelesbian

#spread some love #love this idea so much!!!#bookmark tag #belle babbles #I need to read CO fics again #there are so many fics being recced that LOOK SO GOOD #and I'm here all... so this fic is from 2019...

27 notes · View notes

ao3feed-scarletvision · 2 years

Text

Agosto De Mpreg 2022

by AlannaBlack

Evento organizado por @ilitia donde se dará temática al MPreg. Acá subiré algunos drabbles, moodboards, viñetas y/o oneshots que corresponderán a algunas de mis ships favoritas (Steddie, WandaVision, Hannibal, Stucky, Starker, Hartwin, Spideypool, Hughielander, etc.). Para mayor especificidad en los tags/etiquetas/pairings-prompts, podrán consultarlos al inicio de cada trabajo.No soy mucho de poner demasiadas etiquetas porque no me gusta spoilear a quien lee :) DISCLAIMER:

La redacción de todos los trabajos así como los moodboards hechos son completamente míos, pero no poseo los derechos de autor de los personajes, marcas, canciones ni tengo los derechos de las imágenes utilizadas en la creación de los moodboards/collages. La propiedad intelectual de los aspectos ya señalados -excepto la redacción de los fanfics- corresponde completamente a sus respectivos creadores/dueños. Esta colección es solamente con fines de entretenimiento. Espero que algo sea de su agrado :) *Nota para algunos* No se permiten adaptaciones y/o si algún trabajo/ship no es de tu agrado, solo pasa de largo. Viva la paz.

Words: 0, Chapters: 1/1, Language: Español

Series: Part 1 of AGOSTO DE MPREG (AGOSTODEMPREG)

Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Stranger Things (TV 2016), Hannibal (TV), Kingsman (Movies), Captain America (Movies), The Boys (TV 2019), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), WandaVision (TV)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/M, M/M

Characters: Steve Harrington, Robin Buckley, Eddie Munson, Wanda Maximoff, Vision (Marvel), Hannibal Lecter, Will Graham, Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes, Tony Stark, Gary "Eggsy" Unwin, Harry Hart | Galahad, Peter Parker, Wade Wilson, Hughie Campbell, The Homelander | John, algunos personajes de soporte segun el pairing pero no son muchos

Relationships: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, Wanda Maximoff/Vision, Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Harry Hart/Gary "Eggsy" Unwin, Peter Parker/Tony Stark, Hughie Campbell/The Homelander | John, Peter Parker/Wade Wilson, Loki/Thor (Marvel)

Additional Tags: steddie, wandavision - Freeform, Hannigram - Freeform, Stucky - Freeform, Spideypool - Freeform, Thorki - Freeform, Hartwin, Starker, Hughielander/Homempbell, oneshots, Moodboards, Humor, Drama, Romance, Mpreg, Light Angst, Family Feels, Surprises, ADMpreg2022, ilitiaforever, Alternate Universe, Not Canon Compliant, Fluff, Domestic Fluff

from AO3 works tagged 'Wanda Maximoff/Vision' https://ift.tt/0YZoIWN via IFTTT

#scarlet vision #scarletvision #the vision #wanda maximoff #scarlet witch #IFTTT

0 notes

ao3feed-irondadspiderson · 4 months

Text

I love you (you don't have to say it back though)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/52688878 by TheRegularWriter Howard's workshop was strictly professional. There was no space for father and son bonding. In Tony's workshop, everyone and everything is welcome. Including long rants about Star Wars. Words: 719, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: Gen Characters: Tony Stark, Peter Parker Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark Additional Tags: Mentioned Howard Stark, Howard Stark's Bad Parenting, Childhood Memories, Tony Stark-centric, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Emotional neglect, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Insecure Peter Parker, Neurodivergent Peter Parker, Father-Son Relationship, vent fic, Personal Canon, Light Angst, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Domestic Fluff, Platonic Relationships, anti starker, No Romance, Slice of Life, Star Wars References, Peter Parker is a Star Wars Fan, Drabble read it on AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/52688878

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #iron dad and spider son #spider son #iron dad #peter parker #tony stark

4 notes · View notes

starkeristheendgame · 4 years

Note

Tony hadn't been the same since pepper died in a car accident and leaving him with their daughter, morgan. Then everything changed when he and morgan goes to a flower shop and meets florist peter.

I loved this one! Gosh, there were so many ways I wanted to take this. Thank you so much for the prompt, Non! I hope that this satisfies you. I was so tempted to make this a two parter 😅 If you enjoyed this, please consider giving it a reblog!

TW: Mentions of grief | Grief processing | Allude to depression SFW

This time of the year always rolls around quicker than he can prepare for it. Her birthday is hard. Their wedding anniversary is harder. But this...The death date...It hits like a freight train, an unstoppable force of grief and nostalgia that if not for Morgan would render him useless.

As it is, dates outside of Halloween, Christmas and her own birthday don’t really mean much to her at this age, so where he wakes up immediately wanting to go back to sleep for the next week, she wakes up and begins bouncing on his head, shrieking about cereal and flowers.

“Wh’was ‘ah ‘bout flowers?” he grumbled, rolling away out of the danger zone of her spindly little legs. This was a day of shit-pot luck, though, and no sooner had he settled on his side away from her did a flailing elbow strike him across the temple.

“Flowers! You left a note on the fridge that said we needed flowers today,” she chirped, planting her tiny hands on his bare shoulder and shaking him with strength no six year old should possess. When his brain had stopped rattling around like a marble in a bean can he grumped and groused his way into sitting upright, rubbing at his temples.

After Morgan had gone to bed he’d stayed up, drinking the whiskey he’d promised himself he wouldn’t buy and looking at the photographs he’d promised he’d never unbox. It was the same every October 11th, a habit harder to break than being addicted to crack. It left him worse for wear each time, doubling his misery.

“Alright, bug. Go make yourself cereal. Daddy’s gonna shower and get dressed.” Her bony little heel caught him in the kidney as she scrambled off the bed and he wheezed as he pulled himself upright, staggering into the bathroom.

Not for the first time, he considered enrolling her in a martial arts class. She could be a champion by the time she was ten, if not just for the fact that all her opponents would be in the accident and emergency room.

He ran the shower too hot and stayed until his skin felt over-hot and numb, and forced himself to dress in a semi-nice shirt and the cleanest pair of jeans he owned. When Pepper was alive he’d always dressed to impress, loving the way she’d tease him or grab him by the shirt to drag him back into the bedroom, but these days the outside world was lucky to see him at all.

Morgan was on her second bowl of Lucky Charms when he dragged himself downstairs, and she looked at him intensely for a moment. “It’s Mommy’s death birthday, isn’t it?” she asked after a moment and he forced himself to contain the flinch, wandering over to her and soothing a hand over her hair, before he tugged her against his stomach in a hug.

“It is,” he confirmed roughly. It’d been five years but it was still like rubbing citrus over a fresh wound. He hugged her tighter for a moment, then let her go. “That’s why we have to get flowers today. We have to take them to Mommy’s grave.”

He reached for the lopsided note on the fridge and crumpled it, then threw it in the waste bin.

Pepper had wanted an ‘environmentally friendly’ burial and had been one of the first people in Manhattan to be buried in a ‘grave pod’, a hemp pod filled with seeds and fertiliser and her body. Over the past five years her burial had birthed a small silver birch tree with a sprinkling of wildflowers at its base.

The stupid tree made him smile each time he saw it, no matter how much his heart hurt. It was just the type of person she’d been, to do something so out-there and environmentally conscious, even in death. He was smiling now just at the thought of it, a quirk of his lips chased by bitterness as he let Morgan pull him down the street.

He always let her choose the flower store they went in it, and today she steamrolled other pedestrians out of the way on her mission to reach a gold and blue fronted store that proudly proclaimed itself as The Natural Gallery.

The store front was covered in various bushels and bunches, and even had a small stand full of singular flowers that were clearly left overs or on their way to wilting with a sign say ‘take one and spread some happiness!’

The scent of flora and soil was rich when Morgan yanked him through the doorway, and Tony breathed it in deeply as he looked around. The store’s arrangements inside had been organised like a rainbow, a solid curve of shelves that ran in a horseshoe shape from one wall to the other and behind the service desk.

Morgan immediately abandoned him to peruse the selection and Tony wandered up to the desk, peering with vague boredom at the unorganised mess that covered the desk as he waited for them to be served. There was a rustle from an open doorway just off to the side, a dull thump, and then what looked to be a teenager came staggering through the open space in a cloud of glitter.

Tony took a wary step backwards and was prepared to make his excuses to leave when the teenager turned around, and he suddenly found himself utterly disinterested in speaking at all. The young man was a touch on the shorter side but leanly built, with a chiselled face clinging to the last of its baby fat and the most doe-ish set of brown eyes he’d ever seen, shade matching the glitter-dusted mop of curls that sprawled over his temples.

Pretty. That was the word for it.

“I knew I heard you guys! Hey, I’m Peter. Sorry about the carnage, it’s a birthday thing,” the young man gasped, shaking off his shirt and bounding up to the desk with energy that could rival Morgan’s.

“What can I do for you today?” the florist asked, leaning against the counter in a casual pose. Tony noticed for the first time then that he was wearing a women’s style wifebeater, a shirt that proclaimed in glittery pastel letters Nazis deserve to be punched.

“I uh, I need flowers. For a grave.”

The florist’s cheery face immediately morphed into something softer. Tony hated that so he looked away. Hated the stupid expressions of pity and sympathy that people cast him every time he mentioned Pepper or her death. But when he forced himself to meet Peter’s eye again, it wasn’t exactly pity that he was met with. It was just something...Gentle.

“Of course. Are there any flowers in particular you know they liked, or any arrangements you had in mind?” the florist was already reaching for a notebook and the sample book as he spoke. Tony glanced over his shoulder to reassure himself that Morgan was still mooning over the pretty flowers, then turned back.

“Colourful. None of that... Sad, plain crap,” he breathed after a moment, keeping his gaze off to the side. Morgan had found an abandoned flowerhead on the floor and was cradling it carefully in both hands as she waddled towards them.

“Alright, I think I have an idea for an arrangement. And when are you looking to pick up?” Peter continued, flipping to a blank page in his notebook and immediately beginning to scrawl in slightly messy cursive.

“Today. Any time.”

The florist seemed surprised, pausing and chewing thoughtfully on his lower lip, but then he nodded and jotted down another note. “I can get something done in half an hour? I’ll just need a $10 deposit, and-- Oh, okay.”

Tony held out his bank card, gaze dropping down to Morgan as she approached the counter. “Take the full cost now,” he instructed blandly as she set the flower down on top of the counter.

“Mister! This one lost his friends. And his body,” she greeted, pushing the flower across the counter towards the florist, who cast her a warm smile and picked up the flower head with the same careful cradle of his palms.

“Oh dear, so he has,” he agreed, inspecting the flower carefully. “But that’s okay, because I know of a special job he can do even without a body.”

Morgan appraised him for a long moment before speaking. “Flowers don’t have jobs. They don’t need money,” she informed him seriously, before he turned to look up at her Father with pleading eyes. “Can we get cheeseburgers?”

Weak as he was, he couldn’t deny her anything even when he felt like this, and once the florist had rung up his card and handed him the receipt they left the store and headed to the nearest burger van.

Morgan chose her customary single cheeseburger with so much ketchup it dripped out of the sides, and they sat down on a nearby bench to people watch as they ate.

“I think his shirt is right,” she piped up after several bites, and he cast her a weary, wary gaze, reaching out to rub ketchup off her mouth with a napkin.

“Who’s shirt, bug?”

“The pretty flower man. His shirt said we should punch Nazis. I think it’s right.”

Tony blinked at her and wondered where she’d even learned about Nazis (perhaps he should have paid more attention to the curriculum sheet her elementary had mailed him) before he bit into his own burger, watching passively as a particularly bold pigeon chased after a small, fluffy dog.

They’d passed almost twenty minutes by the time they threw their wrappers in the bin, and Tony let Morgan tow him along back to The Natural Gallery.

Peter was ready for them when they stepped inside, despite the fact that they were five minutes early. The young florist was half-hidden behind a large arrangement of colourful flowers that made Tony’s chest constrict when he saw them, and he weakly let go of Morgan’s hand so she could power on ahead to the counter.

Peter looked over to greet them and seemed to realise that Tony needed a moment, because he immediately began to talk to Morgan about the flowers.

“The tiny blue ones are called forget-me-nots. Your Daddy didn’t want anything plain, so I used these instead of a flower called baby’s breath, which are tiny white flowers. These big ones are sunflowers, these are roses, and look, here’s the flower you found on the floor!”

Tony forced himself to wander closer. The arrangement was an artful splash of primary colours tied together with what looked like coloured rope, and the slightly rumpled flowerhead had been sewn into the front of the front of the rope, almost like a brooch.

It was the exact kind of simplistic yet artistic thing that Pepper would have loved, and Tony could feel his throat start to close up the longer he stared at it.

Peter didn’t do him the indignity of offering any pandering sympathies or well wishes, the energetic florist simply explained the meaning behind the flowers used, explained the rope was hemp dyed with red wine so it was all 100% biodegradable, and gave Morgan a pretty, yellow flower to tuck behind her ear.

Tony left him with a $10 tip for being a ray of sunshine despite the fact that he’d undoubtedly been a prickly, unapproachable customer, and that was the end of it.

Until a few months later, when Morgan hauled his ass straight back to The Natural Gallery like a greyhound after a rabbit for Pepper’s birthday.

Her birthdays were probably the ‘easiest’ of all the dreaded dates. It was more nostalgic than painful, and he often passed the day away looking through old memories and thinking of all the birthday plans they never got to do together.

This year, however, Morgan insisted on getting Pepper flowers as a present, and hadn’t even hesitated between the car and her single-minded charge to the florist. Tony was beginning to suspect this was premeditated.

The store hadn’t changed much since they’d last been here, and the florist was already at the counter with another customer when Morgan barged through the door.

“Hello again, little Miss. Stark,” he waved at her as she hauled Tony towards a display of pink flowers, and he frowned before remembering his name had been on his bank card and he’d told the florist to hold the arrangement under ‘Tony Stark’. It was painfully obvious Morgan was his daughter, so it was also easy to denote that her name would be Morgan Stark.

Still. The kid had remembered, out of all the names and people he’d seen in the months since.

It didn’t take long for the young man to finish up with the customer, and then the florist stepped around the counter, coming towards them with a broad smile. Tony desperately tried to remember the guy’s name, even as he found himself distracted by the lazy-casual outfit the teen wore.

His nails were painted purple.

“Peter! Mommy needs flowers for her birthday!” Morgan shrilled in greeting, and Tony could feel his expression twist. She said it so simply, as if ‘Mommy’ was just at work or home and it made that familiar sinking weight in his chest grow. In front of them Peter’s nose scrunched when he smiled, and he set his hands on his hips in mock thought.

“Hm, that’s a good present for a birthday! Do you know what flowers Mommy likes best? Or her favourite colours?” The florist - Peter - was just as cheerful as Tony vaguely remembered him being the last time. Tony piped up before Morgan could talk again.

“Same as last time. Please. Colourful.”

Peter seemed to get it instantly. His cheerful smile took on the softest warmth for a moment, before it became vibrant and lively again as he looked down at Morgan. “I think we can manage that, hm? If your Daddy doesn’t mind you being my assistant for a few minutes?”

“Daddy doesn’t mind,” Morgan answered on his behalf, and Tony found he didn’t have the motivation to argue, standing back and watching and Peter let Morgan pull him all around the store, pointing out every bright and pretty flower she came across.

Against his own will, something fragile and new began to bloom in his chest. It felt horrifyingly like warmth, like something...Verging on fond.

And it wasn’t entirely for Morgan.

The florist was a natural with her. He didn’t talk to her like most people talked to young children, infantizing and almost condescending. He listened intently to every word she said and taught her little snippets about each flower she pointed out, letting her touch the petals and letting her tow him around without ever reaching for her first, mindful of the fact that she was not only her own person, but the young child of a stranger.

He allowed himself to briefly imagine what it would have been like if Pepper had lived. If they’d had a son before Morgan, so she could grow up with a doting older brother that would smile at her the same way and indulge her every whim. Another doting family member to wrap around her little her finger.

“And one for Daddy too!” brought him out of his twisted musings and he looked across the room. Peter stood with a little wicker basket full of orange and red flowers, and Morgan had what looked to be a tulip tucked behind one ear.

Peter was holding another in his hand, and when he looked up the teen tipped his head a little, arching a brow with a smile that said may I?

He grunted, and while Morgan busied herself with preening in a tiny mirror, Peter crossed the room towards him.

“She’s wonderful. I hope if I ever have children, they turn out like her,” the teen murmured as he reached out and carefully tucked the flower into the breast pocket of Tony’s jacket. This close he smelt like flowers and a refreshing undertone, like clean water.

There was flower pollen in his hair and his lips were bitten a rosy pink. Freckles dusted the bridge of his nose in the barest hint of colour.

“She takes after her Mother,” he said it before he could even think about the words, but Peter’s smile remained steady and warm, with none of the usual overly sweet pity he was often met with.

“She takes after you, too. The perfect mix, I imagine.” And was that... A touch of teasing, maybe? The slightest sparkle in those eyes? Tony shifted under the scrutiny and looked over Peter’s shoulder, back to his daughter.

He supposed it was true. Morgan had every bit her Mother’s personality, but looks wise she’d taken after him the most. Her dark hair, fair skin and shapely jaw were all his features.

“She’s better than I am,” he breathed after a moment. She had none of his bitterness, none of his cynical bones. Perhaps it was her youth, but not even losing her Mother had soured her outlook on life. When he looked back Peter was still staring at him, and Tony realised just how close they were still standing.

Evidently, he wasn’t the only one.

“Are you gonna kiss ‘im?” Morgan asked from a little way across the shop, and Tony jerked, looking at her in alarm, but Peter simply gave a light chuckle, turning away and moving back towards the counter.

“Your Daddy is very handsome, but I’ve got to organise these flowers for your Mommy! If I get started, do you think you’ll remember to come back in twenty minutes when they’re ready?”

Morgan solemnly promised to be back here in exactly, precisely twenty minutes, and immediately demanded that Tony took her to find some juice. Tony held her hand as they walked out of the store, and he frowned down at her.

“Don’t say things like that again, sweetheart. I’m not going to kiss random people. Especially not on Mommy’s birthday.” It came out perhaps a little sharper than he’d intended, and he bought her an extra juice to make up for the almost hurt way she’d looked up at him afterwards.

The flowers were just as beautiful as last time. He left Peter with another tip, and tried to ignore how Morgan spent ages telling Pepper’s tree all about the ‘pretty flower boy’ that was ‘her and Daddy’s new best friend’.

He didn’t have the heart to correct her, and he had the sneaking suspicion that the next time she came with him to get flowers for something, she’d drag him straight back to The Natural Gallery.

He was half right, as it turned out. Morgan’s apparent adoration for the florist had transferred into a love for flowers, which became a blatant excuse to visit Peter again when it became clear Tony didn’t know anything about plants beyond shoving seeds into the soil of their backyard and hoping for the best.

“Peter will know!” she announced, after five minutes of the two of them standing helplessly in the plant food aisle of their local gardening store, staring at no less than forty different brands and bottles of plant feed.

“Honey, he’s just a store florist, he might not know everything about actual horticulture,” Tony tried valiantly, but she would hear none of it, and first thing the next morning she woke him up by kicking him squarely in the middle of the spine and shouting PeterPeterPeter!

Thus, he found himself hobbling gingerly into The Natural Gallery barely an hour after its opening time, grimacing at the early morning sunshine and cradling his coffee, which he’d had to pour into a travel mug because the longer he’d taken to drink it, the darker Morgan’s stare had gotten.

“Hi! Welcome to-- Tony?” Peter came up short where he’d popped around the corner, looking surprised to see them. It had been less than three weeks since their last visit, and the teen looked the most put-together Tony had ever seen him, far too chipper for this hour.

Morgan greeted him with a wave that bordered on violent, and she promptly ditched Tony in the doorway to bound up to the counter.

“We want a pretty garden but Daddy is useless and doesn’t know anything about flowers, so you have to come to our house and help us!”

Tony shot upright then cringed and reached for his back like an old man.

“Now, hang on. We never said anything about him coming over,” he warned Morgan, casting Peter an apologetic glance as he forced himself to catch up to his runaway child, giving her a stern look when he finally leaned against the counter. Morgan, unperturbed, looked at him like he was a simpleton.

“How else is he gonna help us plant flowers? Duh, Daddy,” she huffed at him, before she looked back across at Peter.

“I want pretty flowers like the ones you have. Daddy bought all the seeds and everything but it still looks plain and boring.”

He was almost offended on behalf of his garden. He had a very nice lawn, thank you very much, and the few flowers that had somehow survived with Pepper being there to care for them still came doggedly back every year.

“Morgan. You know the rules about going to strange people’s houses and inviting strangers home,” he reminded her pointedly, mock flicking her between the eyes.

“But Peter is our friend, and you said friends are allowed home as long as I ask and you make sure its safe!” Morgan protested, and Peter cooed.

“Aw, I think you’d be a wonderful friend, Morgan, but your Daddy is right. But! How about I give you and your Daddy some tips to write down for getting a really nice garden, and maybe you can take pictures when it all blooms and come show me?” Peter’s looked up at Tony when he said it, and Tony found he couldn’t do anything except - somehow - smile.

God, Pepper would have loved this kid.

It took Peter offering Morgan a freshly bloomed pink lily for her to fully accept the fact that she couldn’t bring her new ‘friend’ home, but eventually she came around to the idea, and Tony found himself in a surprisingly spacious back area of the store, surrounded by various floristry supplies and flower off-cuts and Peter tapped around on a slightly beaten up laptop, showing them different plants that were generally ‘safe bets’ to have in a garden, fertiliser types and the most common downfalls many a hopeful gardener faced when starting out.

As Morgan leafed intently through one of the many flower-based magazines laying around, Tony forced himself to speak.

“Sorry. She gets ahead of herself.” He didn’t need to elaborate on what he was referring to, but Peter just cast him a broad, warm smile, and nudged their shoulders together lightly.

“Don’t apologise. She’s a delight. I almost wish I was her age again. I don’t mind when you guys come here. It makes the day a little bit brighter. Who knows, maybe one day I might even get to see you smile.”

And Peter more or less embodied the smiley face emoticon at the end of the sentence, grinning sunnily at Tony before Morgan thrust a magazine page in his face and demanded to know what flower was being shown in the picture.

They left with a stack of print-outs and magazines, and as Morgan sat in the car on the way home she looked across at him thoughtfully.

“Peter is very pretty.” She probably meant it as a question, but it came out so firmly it sounded like a statement. He let the car roll to a stop and side-eyed her warily.

Was this her first crush? No, it couldn’t be. She was six. Tony hadn’t had his first crush until... Okay, yeah, no. It could very well be her first crush.

“Do you think so?” he asked after a moment, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. She looked at him like he’d just asked her what 1+1 was, and rolled her eyes before she looked forwards again, apparently not dignifying him with a response.

The next morning she woke him up right at the strike of six, and not even an hour later he found himself on his knees in the dirt of the garden, diligently rooting around in the dirt to pluck out weeds, rocks and to replace no less than half of the dirt with fertiliser from a big, stinky bag while Morgan dutifully moved each and every critter they came across to safety.

It took him four hours, but eventually every border of the garden had been re-dug, replanted and soaked through with the garden hose. Tony schlepped off to the shower with a groan, almost regretting the outcome of raw dogging his wife, no matter how good it had felt at the time.

He lathered himself up thoroughly and felt somewhat more alive by the time he made his way downstairs for another well earned cup of coffee.

To his both his joy and his dismay, gardening with Morgan became A Thing. Twice a week if it didn’t rain they dragged the hose out of the garage and watered all the grass and tiny little green shoots and once every two weeks they both found themselves kneeling in the dirt to painstakingly weed the soil and make sure their little ‘baby flowers’ as Morgan called them were growing unhindered and healthy.

Perhaps worst of all, he found himself thinking about Peter each time he tended to the garden or watched Morgan chat excitedly to her teachers and friends about all her new flowers and the pretty flower boy who taught her and her Daddy how to have a nice garden.

He thought of that sunny smile and those bright eyes, the curls that permanently looked like the kid had just woken up and the random assortment of clothing he seemed to just roll out of bed and throw on.

He’d had one or two hook ups since Pepper had died. Had briefly tried dating before he’d found he hated the differences too much, hated the lingering cloud of Pepper over each potential relationship, hated the way other kisses tasted like betrayal. Yet here he was, thinking about the lips on a kid he’d met three times.

Almost three months had passed, and Morgan had dragged him back to the gardening store to see if they had any pretty ornaments they could put in the garden. He turned to ask her if she wanted to bunny or the fox when he realised with a jolt of cold panic that she was no longer at his side. He tried to calm himself and glanced up and down the aisle, but she wasn’t in sight either.

Alright. Calm. She was probably the next aisle over. She knew not to wander off without telling him, but maybe she’d been distracted or he just hadn’t heard her. He set the ornaments down and jogged to the end of the aisle, stepping around the other one. No Morgan. No Morgan in the one on the opposite end, either.

“Fuck!” he huffed, spinning on his heel. The checkout desks? Maybe she’d tried to find a toilet-

“Tony!”

He spun on his heels and stared as he spotted Peter trotting towards him, hand in hand with one Morgan Stark, who looked happy but a little meek, especially once she met his eye.

“Hey, Mr. Stark. I’m so sorry, I was here buying seeds and I turned around and she was right there. She said she was here with you and she saw me walking and wanted to say hello. We came straight back to you, didn’t we, Miss. Stark?” Peter asked, looking down at where Morgan hung off his arm like a guilty koala.

“Uh huh. Because walking off from Daddy without saying isn’t good and makes him sad.” She evidently repeated from something Peter had said, looking up at the florist before she let go of his hand and bounded across to Tony, clinging to him when he lifted her up.

“Sorry Daddy. I didn’t want to make you said. I just wanted to see Pretty Peter,” she mumbled into his shoulder.

Peter’s cheeks were pink when Tony looked across at him again, and there was soil under his pink fingernails and dusted on his shoulders.

He took in a breath.

“Well... Maybe I can give Pretty Peter my number. Just so next time you run off because he’s better looking than me, he can call me so I don’t get sad, huh, bug?” he ran a soothing hand down her back when she pulled away to grin and him, and Peter’s cheeks looked like hot coals by the time Tony hesitantly glanced up at him.

“I’d like that,” the florist beamed at him, shuffling sweetly on the spot. “And, for the record... I think you’re plenty good looking.”

136 notes · View notes