A Dad for Christmas

A/N: AU where May is dead and Pete is living with Tony.

I wrote this around Christmas time but never posted it! (Also, for those who still follow for my Tolkien stuff, there's an update on my profile for you to look at!)

The atmosphere of the Tower was one Peter wasn't accustomed to, if he were being honest. He'd only ever spent Christmas with May in the past, and those times were spent passing along newspaper-wrapped cheap presents and flicking through old family photo albums. Now, however, he was sat in front of a fire and a Christmas tree bigger than he'd ever seen before, Pepper and Happy seated opposite, glasses of champagne in their hands as they conversed happily. Tony was sat next to him, legs curled up underneath and his own empty glass hanging limply in his hand as he swept a load of wrapping paper from his lap and onto the floor.

The small family had just finished opening each other's gifts, and Peter could honestly say he'd never felt more overwhelmed. He'd received a ton of new tech, including a phone and laptop, a bunch of new – expensive, he'd noticed with a grimace – clothes, and a freaking car. He hadn't even learnt to drive yet, but Tony had claimed he 'had to be prepared'. The kid had cried at that, jumping mindlessly into the man's arms and thanking him over and over. Tony had simply hung onto him like a lifeline, a smile on his face that was the most genuine anyone had ever seen.

Peter had sheepishly offered his own gifts to Tony – a photo frame of the two at Coney island and a few little things he'd picked up at random stores over the previous few months – and the man had accepted them all with the biggest grin, as though they were the best things he'd ever received. It'd been hard for Peter to try and imagine him putting it all on… so maybe he hadn't been.

Nevertheless, there was still one gift he hadn't yet given to Tony. A gift he'd worried over for months, now. Pepper had helped him make it possible, and for that he'd be eternally grateful (if it was accepted, of course. If it weren't, he'd probably die of shame and embarrassment) and he was painfully reminded of that when the woman briefly paused her conversation with Happy and rose both eyebrows at him, smiling softly in encouragement.

Peter visibly gulped and reached behind him, sliding out the present he hadn't needed to wrap from where it'd been hiding under a pillow.

"Damn this wrapping paper," Tony mumbled. "Happy, why'd you have to use so much?"

The man in question rolled his eyes. "It wasn't all me, you know."

"Yeah, yeah."

Peter glanced at Pepper and she nodded. "Hey, Tony? I think Peter has something there for you."

Tony looked up and over at Peter, eyes resting on a large envelope in his hands. He rose an eyebrow. "Really, now? Wonder what it is. It better not be one of those cards that you open and then some irritating voice starts singing Christmas songs you won't be able to get out of your head for the rest of the year."

Peter smiled nervously and shook his head, reluctantly handing it over to the man. "No, nothing like that." Tony took it and immediately set about gently opening the top of the envelope and slipping out what was inside.

Raging bulls.

That was the best way Peter could think of describing how his heart felt at that moment; raging bulls racing and running around inside him, causing flurries of anxiety and nervousness to creep into the rest of his body and render him almost paralyzed with fear. Was this a bad idea? This was a bad idea. It had to be.

He watched with terrified eyes as Tony set the brown envelope to one side and glanced at Peter questioningly before returning his gaze back to the documents sitting in his hands.

It didn't take him long to register what they were.

"Pete…" he started, voice barely containing the nerves he was feeling as his eyes roamed the pages. "These are adoption papers."

Peter nodded once, gulping yet again. His head spun around to look at Pepper for help, desperation wearing his face like a mask, and she chuckled softly before standing to her feet and walking over to both him and Tony. She knelt in front of the still man, smiling at the pure shock on his face as his eyes were clearly scanning the pages over and over again. "Peter has a question for you," she said, resting her hand on his knee, and Tony was barely able to force himself to look up and turn to face Peter. There were tears in the kid's eyes, and he couldn't tell quite yet what they were doing there, but he found himself also choking on any words that rose to his mouth.

"Um… Mr Stark," he began, hands wringing, "you've- uh… you've been there for me for as long as I can remember. Since May… since Aunt May passed, and even before that you were always looking out for me and treating me like your own kid. I'm so grateful for everything you've done and everything you're doing for me, and so I- I…" He quickly found himself struggling for words and almost sighed in relief when Pepper intervened.

"You've talked about this for so long, Tony. You've always wanted a kid, and I think we both know Peter is that kid." She looked at him with a warm smile, and at last he lifted his watery eyes to stare into hers. In that moment, he looked in absolute awe and shock that it almost made Pepper laugh, nevertheless he turned to stare at Peter before she could make a sound.

"You… you want this, Pete?" he asked, disbelief shining in his voice.

Peter nodded, dropping his gaze to his fidgeting hands. "I- I think… yes. But, only if you do, too. It's completely fine if you don't want to; it's probably stupid and you should pretend I never said any-"

"I want it more than anything in this world."

The kid's heart skipped a beat. Here he was, one hundred percent regretting his decision to give Tony the papers, and yet the man had agreed to them in almost a heartbeat. Looking at him now and seeing the tears roll down his cheeks instantly made all doubts disappear into ash, as if they'd never even been present.

Tony shut his head and shook his head. "Why would anyone, let alone you, want me as their father?"

"Mister Stark, you're the coolest person on the planet! I've looked up to you since I was a little kid, and I never stopped," Peter suddenly blurt out. "I just… you're a dad to me, anyways. We may as well make it official… right?"

Tony chuckled and blinked, seemingly not at all bothered about the tears that were flowing freely from his eyes. With shaking hands, he carefully set the papers to the side as if they were the most prized objects in the world. "Damn right, Pete. Come here." In a second, Peter was crushed in Tony's embrace, the two of them clinging onto each other. The kid took in a few shaky breaths and allowed himself to melt into Tony's hold, hanging onto his shirt as though he thought he'd leave at any minute. It was a rare moment of complete and utter joy that made both Pepper and Happy's own eyes water; to see the two so happy after experiencing so much shit was proof that anyone could do it.

"Will you sign them, Tony?" Peter asked after a little while, his voice slightly muffled against Tony's shirt. "You don't have to, but it would be real nice. The best Christmas present ever."

Tony chuckled and ran his fingers through the boy's hair. "Kid, of course I'll sign the papers. I'd deemed you my boy a long time ago, we just didn't know it then. But, now? Peter Parker, you are my little spiderweb of light, my hope, and my happiness. To officially be made your father would be the best thing to ever happen to me, and I hope you know that."

Peter smiled. He'd had so many doubts about arranging for these papers – would he want to sign them? Would he think it too soon? What would May think? – but simply being in Tony's arms swept them away and out of his mind forever. It'd been stupid to believe he wouldn't want to sign them; Tony loved him like his own son already, and so what harm would signing a paper and making it official do? And as for May… well, she would have wanted anything for her nephew. Knowing he had a solid, legal guardian that would care for and love him like his own would put anyone's heart at ease, let alone hers.

The flames danced gracefully in the fireplace, casting a warm glow on the room. An almost hazy mist of oranges and yellows and reds enveloped the four people in the room, painting the most beautiful canvas.

So much had changed in so little time, and yet it had ended in the most magical way.

"Merry Christmas, son."

"Merry Christmas… Dad."