Several days passed, and despite Pepper’s incessant warnings that Tony wasn’t fully healed yet, Tony still found ways to sneak around the building to work on different things. Ever since finding out that Peter was actually alive, a new spring had jumped into his step. He was lighter, happier, and even more agreeable than before. He had sent a message to the Avengers thanking them for saving his life, and a sizeable check to the woman who helped him in the Milan airport.

He tossed out the liquor cabinet that he had kept stocked full during Peter’s disappearance, and had even managed to sneak out in the middle of the night to fix the burn damage on Peter’s suit that May had incited. More than the deeds he was doing, it was as if he was a brand-new person. Even after newly acquiring Peter in his life, Tony was never this happy.

His eyes were constantly shining with a brightness to put the sun to shame. His smile was wider than any crescent moon you would ever see in your life. His voice was high and filled with laughter, containing the edge of someone who was finally, truly happy. Someone who was calm, content, and ready to begin life again. His ecstasy was contagious, and it infected the air around him with an intoxicating breath of euphoria. Nothing could waver the unshakable Tony Stark, now that things were turning around.

Despite the passing of time, Tony had never once asked Peter about Aunt May. He knew that the two would have had paths crossed, but she hadn’t attempted to contact Peter or Tony, so Pepper and Tony agreed that the best thing to do would be to leave it alone until Peter came to them about it.

And a week and a half after he returned from Milan, he was getting dressed in his best suit. Dancing his fingers through his hair and smiling at himself in the mirror, Tony marveled at everything that had lead up to this point. Every heartache, bout of tears, and pain that plagued him was a long-forgotten memory, and they could inflict him no longer.

“Tony?” Pepper’s grinning face meets his eyes at the doorway. He matches her smile as she moves towards him, wiping dust off his jacket and straightening his tie. For months, the world had believed that he was dead. But now, he had a very big announcement to share.

“Is Peter almost ready?” Tony asks.

“I think he’s still in there struggling with his tie.” Pepper laughs. “You wanna go help him?”

“I got this.” Tony winks at her as he slides towards the door. “My ties only look half lopsided when I do them.”

He walks through the hall, his eyes trailing across the many pictures that he and Pepper put up of their family. They had taken quite a few, but one always stands out to Tony. The picture that had been hanging up in May’s house was the last one at the end of the hallway. No matter what, it would always be Tony’s favorite.

Even after several weeks of physical therapy, (and by physical therapy, I mean walking around late at night when Pepper can’t catch him, even though he wasn’t supposed to) Tony still limps a bit with the leg that got shot. He hates the reminder, but it has gotten considerably better since the first day he started walking. Only the video archived in FRIDAY’s memory will show how painfully embarrassing THAT ordeal was.

Tony lifts his hand to tap on Peter’s door that’s hardly opening an inch. Interesting noises spill out of the open slice, and Tony can’t help but smile. He can hear an angry yell, a lot of shuffling, a huff, and then the sound of a tie being thrown against the wall. Tony laughs and enters the room, his eyes meeting Peter’s. Peter sits in the middle of the room, his arms crossed and his face red with either anger or embarrassment.

“Oh… uh, hey.” Peter laughs before shooting a web to retrieve the abused tie from the floor.

“Need some help?” Tony smirks at him.

“Not if you’re going to be smug about it,” Peter grins, handing him the tie and holding still so Tony can tie it.

A minute later and the tie is wound very limply around Peter’s neck, and looks nothing like how a tie should look. It looks almost like a strange snake is dangling around his shirt.

“So… Pepper?” Peter says.

“Pepper.” Tony laughs, throwing an arm over Peter and leading him out into the hall, where Pepper is already waiting. She knew that they would need her help, but didn’t say anything to Tony for fear of bruising his ego.

A few seconds later and the tie is tied to perfection. Meaning, it actually looks how a tie should. Sleek and perfect, albeit a little tight. With his suit jacket on, Pepper makes Peter and Tony stand for a picture, where both of them pull goofy faces until she makes them stop. Even her stern voice has been tainted by Tony’s happiness, though, and she can’t help but reprimand them both with a smile. Finally, a beautiful picture comes out that Pepper promises to hang on their wall later.

They all pile into the car and head towards their destination, which had been kept a secret from Peter. He knew that they were going somewhere that involved dressing up nice, but that was the end of his knowledge. He wasn’t worried, though; he knew that whatever Tony was planning for him would end well.

Finally, after a while of driving, Tony pulled into the parking lot behind an extremely large building. He parked, then turned around to face Peter.

“Alright, I’m gonna be honest with you,” Tony says, “we’re here because I need to make a press conference really quick. Nothing too big, but I want you and Pepper there next to me. There’s going to be a lot of cameras, nosy reporters, and people who are probably going to say some pretty horrible things. So, you know, it’s going to be just like every other time.” He pauses to grin for a second, before he continues on. “But, if you think that it’s going to be too much for you, or it’s going to incite a bad reaction, I can call the whole thing off and do some interview with a four-star newspaper. What do you want to do?”

The pressure is on for Peter. On the one hand, he saw how poorly he reacted when he and Tony went to the movie theatre. But at the same time, that was a long time ago.

“I’ll be fine!” He blurts, without really thinking. “A press conference would be cool.” He grins at Tony, who looks at him with a twinge of uncertainty.

“Alright, then. Let’s go give these information-hungry ass…” He trails off as he sees Pepper’s disapproving look. They all laugh before heading inside.

As they neared the back entrance, Peter finally started to realize where the were. The big building, the KEEP OUT signs posted everywhere. It couldn’t be…

They entered the building, and were immediately surrounded by buzzing tech. It filled the air with electricity, a static that made Peter’s hair stand on end. The noises of mechanical whirring alone were enough to make him freak out.

He was in the headquarters of Stark Industries.

“No way!” Peter yells, running up ahead. He reaches a large, circular machine, with different sized lights blinking green. The outline of the lights form the seven continents on the ball.

The next was a half-finished robot, with wires spilling from the insides. Peter ran past more and more inventions, before stopping at the final one. Covered with layers of dust and dirt, Peter marveled at the machine he had only seen pictures of. The machine that created Captain America.

Sure, it was falling apart, and there was more pieces than there was machine, but it was Peter’s favorite all the same.

“It’s pretty cool, huh?” Tony appears at his side, looking around. “This is a lot of the stuff that my dad made. We moved it here for safe keeping.”

“This is amazing, dad!” Peter cries, looking at him with big eyes. “Thank you for bringing me here!”

They stand and smile for a moment, before they are urged to keep moving. “You can’t miss your, ‘I’m not actually dead’ press conference, Tony.” Pepper scolds.

Finally, they’re standing outside the doors that will lead into the room. The reporters are already there, and dull buzz of meaningless conversation slips past the door and reaches the trio.

“Ready for this, kid?” Tony says. Peter nods, and the doors are thrown open. Reporters scramble to sit down, and the conversation abruptly dies. In fact, all noise dies, other than the soft footsteps of Tony’s family and the occasional click of a camera.

Tony reaches the microphone and podium, with Peter and Pepper on each side of him. The cameras are in a frenzy now, flashing and clicking. Tony looks at Peter, who nods and smiles.

“A long time ago, I stood in this very spot with some great news to share with you all. Then, I came prepared. Now, all I have are my looks to get me through this one.” The crowd laughs.

“I have spent a long time being who I professed myself to be that day. A superhero. Iron Man. And it has been almost ten years since I ignored every instruction to follow the cards, but now I stand before you with no cards, and only procrastinating what I know you’re all dying to hear.

“Recent rumors, as early as eight months ago, jumped onto the internet after I was seen with this young man that you see next to me. People were claiming some outlandish things, but the most common of them being that he was my son.” Whispers. Clicks. Silence.

“But, we’ll get to that later.” Tony grins at the audience of now angry reporters.

“What you all need to know is that I am not dead. I’m not turning in my armor. I’m here to stay, and even after months of emotional tormet, physical torture, and depression. I’m back and better than ever. Pepper and I are, as you remember, engaged. The wedding will be held in a few months, but that’s not the biggest thing I have on my mind today. The biggest thing that I am worrying about today actually concerns the young man standing next to me. Which, not coincidentally, is why he is here today.” Peter looks at Tony with surprise, but Tony just winks at him.

“I am here to announce that after months of spending time with this amazing kid, months of giving him my heart and my happiness, of him saving my butt in ways both metaphorical and literal, that I’m ready to take a huge step. Peter,” Tony now turns fully to him, his words just barely being caught by the microphone.

“I… you more than… will you do me… honor and… with us… to the courthouse… some… papers… become my… son?” Tony didn’t even finish the sentence before Peter launched himself into Tony’s arms and cried a happy “yes!” into his shoulder. Pepper joined in on the hug, and the three of them sat there for some time, before Tony thought to lean back towards the microphone and announce,

“Ten years ago, I stood here to tell you I am Iron Man. Now, I stand here to tell you that I am a father!”

The crowd riots, standing up and yelling Tony’s name, shoving their cameras as close to him as the can. Happy jumps in front of the aisle, leading them towards the door. Just as Tony is about to leave through the door, a reporter slips in behind them, following them out into the hallway.

“Hey!” Happy angrily goes to grab the menacing-looking reporter, but Tony raises a hand to stop him.

“Sir, Mr. Stark, sir!” The reporter says eagerly. “Eddie Brock, I work for the Daily Bugle. I just have one question for you and your son.”

“Alright, quickly.” Tony crosses his arms.

“It in known to most of the internet that the name of the kid next to you is Peter Parker. Two weeks ago, his Aunt was found dead in a car because of a gunshot. The gun sitting on the floor was found to have Peter’s DNA all over it.”

Tony’s eyes widen as he looks at Peter, whose face pales.

“Sir, my question is: how are you going to clear your son’s name?”

/AN/ Ahhhh, second to last chapter is complete! I don’t want it to end, but I already have so many ideas for new fics! Let me tell you, guys, nothing will ever make me happier than this experience. I am so close to 100 followers, 4k likes, and 115k reads. It’s a dream come true. A miracle. And I’m so happy that I had all of you along for the ride with me. Sorry for being gone for so long, it’s been a crazy last couple of weeks. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I wonder what you guys think happened in the car… ;) /AN/