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Tony Stark is trying not to be one of those helicopter parents he has heard about.
Being a parent in any capacity is kind of daunting and one that Tony really doesn’t want to screw up. When Peter Parker came swinging into his life, he had no idea what he was getting himself into. Had no idea that a young, intelligent, and kind boy would work his way into Tony’s heart and them down both a path they hadn’t seen coming.
Not that Tony would ever change a thing.
Tony had never seen himself as a father. His own had left little to be desired and nobody had ever told Tony that he was great father material. Yet, parenting Peter had come to him so naturally, it had shocked him. At first, he had tried not to get close. Everyone who got close to him ended up getting hurt in some way. But Peter hadn’t allowed that, and Tony found himself unable to stay away.
The more time they spent together, the more Tony came to see Peter as his kid. Tony found himself giving Peter a room in the penthouse to stay in since sleepovers became a regular occurrence. He helped Peter with his homework when he needed it and he loved spending time with Peter, whether it was in the lab or watching a movie. He found himself co-parenting with May, the two of them growing closer.
The first time Peter had called Tony dad, it had been with followed with cheeks flushing so bright that he could have been passed for being sunburned. It had made Tony’s heart flip in his chest and a smile so bright to lift his features. Since then, the word came more easily, and Tony rejoiced from going from ‘Mr Stark’ to ‘Dad’.
Rhodey and Pepper had commented just how well Tony had taken to fatherhood.
“It’s a good look on you,” Pepper had said with a soft smile and sparkling eyes. “I’m so proud of you. You good one for one another.”
“You think?” Tony had asked.
Pepper had wound her arms around his neck, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. “Yes. I’ve seen the difference in Peter from when you first met. You’re a great father, Tony. Anyone can see just how much you love him.”
“Are you sure he’s not really yours?” Rhodey had commented, half teasing when he had stopped by the lab one day. They had stood shoulder to shoulder, watching as Peter hunched over a lab table, working on his web shooters as they had been jamming. “He looks exactly like you right now.”
And Tony had beamed proudly. He knew that honour belonged to Richard and Mary Parker, and he hoped that wherever they were, they didn’t mind that Tony had stepped into the role of being Peter’s father figure. He hoped he was doing them proud. He would hate to be haunted from the grave.
So Tony was really trying hard not to hover. He let Peter do his thing, make mistakes, and hope that he learned from them. He made the effort to know about Peter’s friends and had resisted the urge to do a background check on them.
“You’ve met Ned,” Pepper had smirked at Tony when he had brought it up. “Can you really see him betraying Peter?”
“No,” Tony had mused. There was no way that Ned would ever betray his best friend.
He kept up with Peter’s interests and to try them himself. He tried to understand the current slang but often felt that Peter was speaking another language entirely.
So, when Tony noticed that Peter had stopped eating, he tried not to hover. At first, he brushed it off as Peter being late for school. He knew that Peter kept enough snacks in his locker to get him through the day.
When Tony had picked Peter up from school, he could hear the angry rumble of Peter’s stomach from the driver’s seat. He had opened the console and pulled out an energy bar and tossed it into Peter’s lap.
“How was your day?”
As Peter launched into a lively play by play of his science class where they had dissected a frog, Tony noticed that Peter didn’t eat the bar. He bit his tongue, resisting the urge to tell Peter to eat.
His worry only increased when Peter ignored every piece of food that Tony tried to subtly give him. Peter’s stomach continued to rumble, so Tony knew that he was hungry, but he couldn’t work out why he wasn’t eating.
With another loud grumble of Peter’s stomach, Tony couldn’t hold himself back anymore.
“You’re not eating,” Tony said bluntly.
Peter looked up from his notebook where he had been jotting down equations. “Huh?”
“Kid, your stomach has been rumbling since this morning,” Tony said, giving Peter a pointed look. “I’m going to take a wild guess that you haven’t eaten anything today.”
“I haven’t,” Peter said quickly. “I swear.”
Tony’s face dropped. “Kid. You know with your metabolism that skipping meals is not an option.”
“But I can’t eat,” Peter said.
Alarm bells suddenly went off. Tony crossed into Peter’s space, putting a hand to his forehead, feeling for a temperature. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt? Sick?”
“I’m fasting,” Peter said, gently slapping Tony’s hand away.
“What?” Tony blinked.
“It’s Yom Kipper,” Peter said, giving Tony a small frown. “Did you forget?”
Tony had forgotten about the Jewish holiday. Fasting for 25 hours, no wonder Peter hadn’t been eating. He cursed himself for being an idiot, forgetting about Peter’s heritage.
“I did,” Tony winced. “I’m so sorry, kid. Here I have been shoving food at you.” He shook his head.
“I thought it was just you being a dad,” Peter said, giving a small shrug. “Instinct.”
“It is,” Tony said, giving a small smile. “Sorry about that, kid.”
Peter gave Tony a smile. “I like it.”
Warmth flooded through Tony’s chest at the easy admission. It had taken them a while to get to this stage and Tony was thrilled that they had reached it. He wanted Peter to be able to tell him things, to confide him.
Peter’s stomach rumbling again broke Tony’s thoughts and he winced at the sound.
“I can’t wait to eat,” Peter moaned.
“Liquids first,” Tony said firmly. “Then something light. I’m not having you hurt yourself by overeating.”
Peter nodded, a guilty expression crossing his features. Tony suspected Peter was going to do just that.
“Don’t worry,” Tony said, gently ruffling Peter’s hair. “I’ll have everything ready for you when it’s time. You are not ending up in the Med Bay over this.”
“Copy that,” Peter grinned cheekily.
Tony started making a list with FRIDAY as Peter finished off his homework. Tony was in the middle of placing an order when arms wrapped around his waist, and he felt Peter lay his cheek on Tony’s back.
“Thanks, dad,” Peter mumbled into Tony’s shirt.
Tony softened, gently patting Peter’s arms. “Of course.”
“I love you,” Peter said. “Thanks for being the best dad ever.”
Tony grinned, shaking his head. “Thanks for being the best kid.”
Tony had many roles over the course of his life, but being Peter Parker’s dad was his favourite and one he would cherish for the rest of his life.