A New Home (2.0)

Chapter One

Peter closes his suitcase before lifting it off of his bed and carrying it to the front door. The house felt cold and empty; any feeling of life had faded from it weeks ago. On a normal evening, his mother would be cooking dinner. The windows would be open, letting in a slight breeze as she moved around the kitchen. He would be outside, attempting to fix the truck that would be his in a few months. His mom had planned to take him to test for his learners permit at the end of the summer.

She would step outside and call him in for dinner. After playfully scolding him for the grease and oil covering his clothes, she would send him to get cleaned up. They would be sitting at their small kitchen table, having dinner. She would listen as he rambled excitedly about the new school year, or about how close he was to having the truck fixed.

But things were far from normal.

Peter's mother wasn't cooking dinner. Instead, she was being laid to rest in Wimberley Cemetery. Pete wasn't working on his truck; instead he was about to leave the only home he'd ever known. And for what? To meet a man who hadn't been here?

He lost her to Leukemia. They'd tried- but nothing seemed to work. Chemotherapy had worked for a while, but things ended up taking a turn for the worst. She'd told Peter it must simply be God's will. He knew she was right; after all it's the prettiest flowers that are always picked first.

But it didn't make it any easier. Peter didn't have anyone else. He'd been staying with his friend Todd and his family since it happened, but he couldn't stay forever.

Child Protective Services had finally located his father- his closest blood relative, and what seems to be his only option. Peter knew as much about his father, as his father knew of him. He doubted his father even knew he existed; CPS had scheduled a meeting with him, but Peter doubted they'd told him anything over the phone.

His father was Anthony Stark.

Peter had done some research. Tony Stark was an inventor, a businessman, and the infamous IronMan. He was relatively well known in bigger cities, but in Wimberley no one really talked much about him. Peter and his mother never followed more than the local news, and his mom always tried to steer clear of the topic if Peter's father was ever brought up.

"Peter? Are you ready?" Mrs. Cohen was the one assigned to handle Peter's situation. So far she'd shown nothing but kindness and patience, both of which Peter couldn't be more thankful for.

The teen takes one more look at the empty house before giving a silent nod. He follows her to the car, suitcase in tow. Once in the car, she makes a small attempt at conversation.

"So... Have you ever been to New York?"

"No, Ma'am." Peter replies, his southern accent stronger than ever. He adjusts his baseball cap before turning to look out the window.

"Well do you know much about your dad? Did your mother ever tell you about him?"

"No, ma'am." He answers again, shaking his head. "Momma didn't like talking about him much. She always said we didn't need to. We were just fine with the two of us..." His voice cracks on that last sentence, and he feels his heart break just a little more.

"You know, Peter, I really am sorry about all of this. If I could fix it, I would do it in a heartbeat." Peter just watches as the landscape passes in a blur of color.

"Yeah. Me too."

~*~

Peter was exhausted. First the drive from Wimberley to the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. After that the flight to New York. After claiming their luggage they took a cab to their final destination.