Notes: Happy final Saturday everyone! I have such a mix of emotions about ending this story after these spectacular months, but I think what stands out the most is how grateful I am that you were all here on this adventure with me :) I'll save the more in depth stuff for the end notes, however I just wanted to say thank you to every single one of you. Whether you commented, gave kudos, or simply read and enjoyed the story, I'm happy that you were here to experience it! I feel so lucky to have such a phenomenal audience, so thank you so much❤️💙
TW/ FOR ABSOLUTE LOVE AND SUPPORT AND THE FLUFFIEST OF FLUFFS THIS CHAPTER!💖💕 i wouldn't end this fic on an angsty note :) I'll just save that for the sequel 😇
"Are you sure you want to be up and about right after that fight?" May asks her resilient nephew through his door as he gets ready to go to Stark Tower. Tony invited them, along with Ned and MJ, to spend Saturday at the Tower together. Peter immediately said yes and has been jittery with excitement ever since. He throws on one of his Midtown High sweatshirts and hurriedly stuffs his Spider-Man suit into his backpack, just in case. He steps out of his room to see May just outside it.
"Very sure. It's gonna be great with all of us there! Mr. Stark says it's gonna be, like, a celebration for beating Mysterio, or something." Peter shrugs his shoulders before putting his backpack on all the way.
"Alright, just don't push yourself, okay? You're shoulder and knee are still healing," May reminds him with barely hidden concern.
"Don't worry, I was on the outside of a plane when it crashed, remember? If I can survive that with just a few bumps, I can handle sore shoulder," Peter answers honestly. May raises her eyebrows and crosses her arms.
"That's supposed to make me feel better?" she questions as Peter laughs mischieviously. "Be careful or I might have to ground you from your field trip." May swats his back and pushes her nephew towards the front of the apartment.
"You would never!" Peter teases back, but walks towards the door anyways. As May grabs her purse and jacket, Peter's phone buzzes in his pocket. He pulls it out to see a text from Tony. He'll never get used to seeing a genius like Tony Stark's name pop up on his screen.
Mr. Iron Man
Tony: Still on for today?
Peter: of course! we're on our way rn
Tony: Good
Tony: Am I not good enough for you to type out the words "right now?"
Peter: you better watch out mr. stark
Peter: your ego is showing again
Tony: Never mind, just stay home. I'll hang out with Ned and MJ instead. At least they're respectful
Peter: hey! you said their real names!
Peter: and you say that like MJ didnt call you stupid the first time she met you
Peter bounds towards the stairs as he texts and May locks their apartment door before following.
Mr. Iron Man
Tony: Technicalities. No party poopers allowed, which means no Peter Parkers who insult my self confidence
Peter: ᵇᵘᵗ
Peter: ₘᵣ. ₛₜₐᵣₖ
Peter: ʸᵒᵘ ᶜᵃⁿᵗ ᵈᵒ ᶦᵗ ʷᶦᵗʰᵒᵘᵗ ᵐᵉ
Peter: ᵃⁿᵈ ᶦᵐ ʳᵉᵃˡˡʸ ᵉˣᶜᶦᵗᵉᵈ
Tony: What in the fresh hell kind of typing is that
Peter: its a tiny font generator!
Peter: you go to /tinytextgenerator and then you just copy n paste!
Peter: ˢᵉᵉ ᵐʳ. ˢᵗᵃʳᵏ
Tony: You're a weird kid
Tony: Do you need Happy to pick you guys up? He's already on the way to pick up your friends
Peter: nah we're good, we just got in the car and we're on our way
Peter: see you soon mr. stark!
Tony: Take care of yourself and your aunt, kid
The ride to the Tower doesn't go as fast it would have Peter had just swung, but he enjoys the extra time he gets to spend with May. With life being crazy between her job, school, and his patrols, they don't spend as much time together as they would like.
"So, Tony just wants 'celebrate?' Nothing Spider-Man related?" May asks skeptically.
"I'm pretty sure. Why? Is your Aunt Sense going off?" Peter smiles, causing May to playfully roll her eyes.
"And what if it is?" she challenges.
"Then I'd have to ask you when you were hanging out with a radioactive spider," Peter jokes, giving her a look as she drives.
"Hey, you don't know the crazy things I did in my college years." May flashes Peter a sly smile.
"I don't want to know anything you did back in college." Peter makes a grossed out face, causing May to laugh.
When they get to the Tower, May is reluctant to park out in front but listens to Peter's directions anyways. Peter leads the way to the elevator and they both head up to the penthouse.
"Good morning, May and Peter. How are you doing today?" F.R.I.D.A.Y. greets in a pretty normal tone. Peter silently hopes that Tony didn't reprogram her.
"Good! Is Mr. Stark up in the penthouse?" Peter asks curiously.
"He is, along with Rhodey and Pepper," F.R.I.D.A.Y. confirms. The elevator opens to show the three preparing what seems to be a lunch. Well, Pepper and Rhodey look to be preparing it while Tony is eating a sandwich. Peter is about to greet them, when he gets the idea to actually check if F.R.I.D.A.Y. still remembers some references…
"Mr. Stark!" Peter shouts as he runs up to the three adults. Tony startles at Peter's sudden shout, almost dropping his sandwich. Pepper and Rhodey both turn to Peter, their eyes wide with surprise.
"Jesus, kid!" Tony catches his breath.
"Stop!" F.R.I.D.A.Y. exclaims, making Tony jump again. "Boss could've dropped his croissant!" And there is Peter's answer. F.R.I.D.A.Y. most definitely hasn't been reprogrammed.
"It's a sandwich," Tony counters as he stares up in disbelief. Peter dramatically gestures to his mentor's dress shoes.
"What are those?!" Peter questions loudly, earning chuckling from Pepper and an outright laugh from Rhodey.
"They're his crocs," F.R.I.D.A.Y. plays along, making Peter crack up with laughter. Of course, Tony is at a loss for words. Peter can hear May's laughing behind him and sees Pepper cover her mouth to hide her smile.
"They're Louis Vuitton. Why? Do you want a pair?" Tony asks with a raised eyebrow, preemptively pulling out his phone. Peter chuckles and stands up straight.
"No, Mr. Stark. It's just a Vine reference," he assures. Tony looks up at him like a deer caught in headlights and stops taking out his credit card
"Oh." He quickly puts his card away.
"Really, Tones? That quick to get him a pair of designer shoes, huh?" Rhodey questions with a smile and crosses his arms.
"What can I say? I'm a giver," Tony says proudly as he extends his arms. "We do have something for you, though. But we'll wait 'til your friends get here." He clasps his hands together.
"You do?" Peter tilts his head in mild curiosity.
"Tony…" May warns, "you know how I feel about you buying things for us." Tony quickly waves her off.
"Yeah, well, it's not everyday Peter beats a circus freak. Besides, Peter already knows what it is." Tony shoots Peter a smirk.
"I do?!" Peter asks incredulously. He's so far past confused at this point. Tony simply nods.
"Don't tell me you actually got him that," Rhodey poorly clarifies with a chuckle.
"We did make a promise," Pepper speaks up, offering Peter a smile. Peter just looks between the three adults in confusion. Before he can ask anything, a voice sounds from the elevators.
"Woah! You're Colonel Rhodes!" Ned yells in excitement, rushing over to join the large group. He stares at Rhodey with wide, awestruck eyes. "It's so nice to meet you, Sir!"
"Good to meet you, too." Rhodey pats Ned's shoulder, who just about passes out. May and Pepper chat with each other as Ned geeks out over Rhodey.
"'Sup, Loser," MJ greets Peter. She punches his arm and leans her elbow on his shoulder.
"Yeah, Mr. Stark, what's up?" Peter redirects the question with a smirk. Tony raises his eyebrows.
"Are you sassing me? Don't sass me," he jokingly threatens. "I have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, y'know." Peter scoffs with a smile.
"Well, MJ said people in Hollywood are di-" He cuts himself off when he sees Tony's narrowed eyes. Peter clears his throat. "…Jerks," he quickly corrects instead, clearing his throat. Tony nods in approval and MJ pats his shoulder.
"Nice save," she commends casually.
"Peter!" Ned suddenly calls and runs over to them. "I am the Sand Guardian! Guardian of the Sand!" Peter has no idea where the off topic Vine came from, but he continues the reference nonetheless by gesturing to Ned.
"Poseidon quivers before him!" he shouts. Tony blinks then says,
"What in the-"
"Expletive off!" F.R.I.D.A.Y. expertly finishes the Vine. The three teens burst out laughing, leaving Tony only mildly annoyed but very confused.
"See, that's what we're not going to do. We aren't going to waste the day away with shitty video references," Tony scolds. A few seconds later, he casually adds, "Besides, I could just take the gift back… I won't hesitate, bitch." Ned and Peter whip around to stare at Tony with gigantic, disbelieving eyes.
"You…" Ned starts.
"Just referenced a Vine," Peter finishes in shock. Tony snorts as if it's obvious and asks,
"Am I hip yet?" All of Peter's previous feelings of being proud of Tony dissipate with that one word.
"And somehow you went from being cool to uncool in a matter of seconds," Peter sighs as he shakes his head. MJ, on the other hand, encourages Tony.
"Nailed it." She offers Tony a fistbump, which he proudly returns. "So what's the plan for today, anyways?" Tony smirks and turns towards Pepper and May, who are engaging in a more calm conversation.
"Pep," Tony catches her attention, "gift time." Pepper's smile widens and she nods.
"I'll help you," May offers sweetly before they both leave the room.
"Should I be worried or…?" Peter prompts skeptically.
"Relax, kid. Be excited, or something," Tony reassures with a knowing look. Somehow, that only worries Peter more.
"I'd be worried if I were in your shoes, too," Rhodey affirms, earning him an eye roll from Tony. When Pepper and May return, they're wheeling in a wrapped box almost as tall as Peter. Honestly, Peter hadn't expected something so big.
"Are, are you sure about this, Mr. Stark?" Peter makes sure as he stares at the large box.
"Yep," Tony assures again. "It wasn't my idea, it was yours." This only confuses Peter more, but he starts to unwrap it anyways. He eagerly tears through the paper until he starts to see wording printed on the side. His eyes slowly widen.
"A segway?!" He looks up at Tony for confirmation. When Tony nods with a slight smile, Peter looks back at his friends. Ned's eyes are just as big as Peter's and MJ actually looks impressed.
"You spoil him," Pepper whispers fondly to Tony, who doesn't argue and just shrugs.
"I can't believe you actually got me a segway! Thank you so much, Mr. Stark!" Peter rushes over to give Tony a quick, tight hug, then helps Ned get to work on unboxing the exciting new machine.
"Hey, we made a deal, right? I'm just holding up my end," Tony explains nonchalantly, still recovering from the fact that Peter just hugged him.
"Do I get to bring it home?!" Peter practically begs with a bright grin.
"No," May and Tony decline simultaneously. Peter saw that coming, but you don't know until you try!
"It stays here, but it's yours. You can take it out for a spin, if you want," Tony offers and Peter immediately nods. Peter's smile only grows before he's hugging Tony again, this time letting it last longer so Tony can process it. Tony just stands there for a moment, but he isn't as hesitant anymore. A few weeks ago he would've paled at the mere thought of hugging Peter, but things have changed. For the better. And he couldn't be happier. He securely wraps his arms around Peter to return the hug and just breathes in the moment. It's a perfect moment that neither of them want to end. For some reason, Tony's instincts take over and he places a gentle kiss on the top of Peter's head, then tightens the hug. Peter could cry of happiness, closing his eyes to relish in the moment of bliss.
Then, his phone goes off. It buzzes in time with both Ned and MJ's. Tony loosens his hold and Peter pulls out his phone to read a new alert from the police scanner app.
"Robbery in progress at the Metropolitan Commercial Bank on Park Avenue," MJ informs aloud. Ned narrows his eyes at her in confusion as Peter already starts pulling his suit out of his backpack.
"You got the app, too?" Ned questions curiously.
"I've had it since I got the phone. Can never be too prepared," MJ points out as she gives a noncommittal shrug. "Come on, Team Spidey has work to do." Ned's eyes seem to sparkle at her using his naming system.
"I'll change real fast in the guest room and swing out the window!" Peter lets his team know. "You two find a computer! Love you, May! Thanks, Mr. Stark! Good to see you, Pepper and Colonel Rhodes!" With that, he sprints to the guest room.
"Stay safe! Love you too!" May calls back.
"Be careful!" Tony warns, rubbing his forehead in stress.
It's never a dull moment when you're a superhero, but Peter wouldn't trade it for the world. His trauma won't disappear overnight and some experiences will continue to stay with him for the rest of his life, but he won't ever let any of it hold him back from making a difference in the world. He has that power, and he's not going to let it go to waste.
He has a responsibility to be Spider-Man for those who need him, so that's what he's going to keep doing. Protect those who can't protect themselves. And he doesn't have to do it alone anymore.
Peter jumps out of the window, feeling the warmth of the sun and the rush of wind against his suit.
"Good to see you again, Peter," Karen happily greets.
"Your Guy in the Chair, checking in!" Ned announces proudly.
"Everything's ready to go," MJ relays, too.
That's all Peter needs; his friends and his family. And he wouldn't have it any other way. He smiles, the weight of the world feeling just a bit more bearable.
"Let's go get 'em, team."
Notes: Wow wow wow, I can't believe it's over after almost four months of updating. This has been one of the most incredible experiences of my life, and it's because of you wonderful readers and commenters.
I started writing this story almost exactly a year ago, on July 19th, 2018 and finished it on March 20th of this year. Just writing was a fun experience in itself, but ironically I hadn't planned to post it at all. It was more so for me to get out some of my creative energy and was originally planned to be TWELVE CHAPTERS. You can see how well that turned out!
When I finished I thought hey, why not post it so other people can read it? Initially I was apprehensive because I had never published any of my writing before, but I didn't really have anything to lose. What really convinced me was the thought of other people enjoying reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. It seems to have been the right choice :) Everyone has been so supportive and sweet, I wouldn't change any it for the world! You're all the best audience I could have asked for and I truly mean it when I say I appreciate every single one of you.
A lot of people seem to be sad that this story is ending, and I'm right there with ya, so here's some of the fics I have planned!
-In between my main fics, I'll be dropping a one shot sometime next week! I feel like anything I say about it will give it away, so just know that it's heartbreaking angst as usual :)
-Spidey Tot: My next main, multi-chap fanfic! It's a Kid!Peter fic with 4 year old Peter that takes place pre-Iron Man. Don't worry, it'll have its fair share of angst and fluff too. It'll update every Friday!
-Another Irondad one shot, this one about Peter coming face-to-face with a Stark Industries weapon.
As for the possible sequel to this fic, which you're probably more interested in haha, it will take a while to be put out BUT it is being worked on! I currently have three chapters written and a basic plotline. I'll keep it pretty vague so that I don't give anything away, but it'll continue the same storyline as this story regardless of FFH. Funnily enough, there's already a parallel that I wrote in the plot months before FFH came out. Take that with what you will ;)
This may be the end of this fic, but it isn't the end of this account! As you can see, I have much more planned. As always, thank you for everything and I hope to see you all in the future. Have fun and stay safe out there ❤ 💛💚💙💜
If you'd like to keep up to date on upcoming fics and get sneak peeks, feel free to follow one of my accounts!Twitter: Kevy_Fanfics & kevy_grayce
Insta: kevy_fanfics & KevyGrayce