A New Home (2.0)

Chapter Nine:

When Peter wakes the next morning, for one brief moment, he forgets. For one small moment, he forgets that he is in Stark tower. He forgets that he's not back home. He forgets that his mother isn't in the next room, ready to wake him and start the day. But then that moment fades, and he's hit with reality. The reality that he's in New York City. With a new family. In a New school.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he sits up in bed- no, he's still on the couch. He remembers now; falling asleep here while watching videos on his phone. Wait, where- 

He fumbles for his glasses before putting them on- he wasn't going to find anything without them. Then, he starts throwing pillows and blankets to the side in an attempt to find the device. All but yeeting the blanket, he hears a thud as the phone hits the floor. He picks up the device, thankful in that moment that he had an android. That phone could outlast just about anything.

Picking it up, he slides it in his pocket. 

He stumbles into the kitchen, only to find Tony Stark sitting at the kitchen table. A computer sits in front of him, and he seems focused. Whatever it is must be important. 

"Morning, Mr. Stark." 

"Afternoon." Tony answers, looking up at the boy. Tony can't help but smile at the kid; hair a mess, looking slightly bewildered. It's almost funny.

"Pardon?"

"It's not morning. It's almost 2:00 in the afternoon." 

Peter's eyes widen in panic, confusion, and maybe worry? He rarely sleeps late, and never until almost 2:00 in the afternoon. Wait that meant-

"I missed school!" Peter wasn't entirely sure why he was so worried about it; he'd skipped yesterday. So the absence didn't bother him. Anything he missed, he could make up easily. 

"I've already called. I told them you've not been feeling well. Both yesterday and today shouldn't count against your attendance record." Peter sighs in relief, before fully realizing what had just been said. Yesterday? That meant he knew. He knew Peter skipped.

"Yeah... yesterday. I'm real sorry. It won't happen again." 

"You don't have to apologize, Pete. You needed a day, so you took it. There's nothing wrong with that." Peter nods in response, then takes the seat across from Tony. Stark continues to work, and Peter just sits there. Lost in thought. Surrounded by people, and he feels more alone than he has in his entire life. Simply because that one person isn't here. 

He feels empty. And he can't tell anyone. 

"Kid? You okay?" Peter snaps back to reality, his train of thought interrupted. 

"Yeah... yeah I'm alright. Just lost in thought I guess."

"You're thinking about her, aren't you?" Tony asks. Peter isn't exactly sure how to respond. Had it been that obvious? "You know, I know exactly how you're feeling right now."

"Really?" Tony nods. 

"Yeah. I was a little older than you when I lost my parents. And... it hurts. It still hurts to this day. Some days more than others. Sometimes, it's overwhelming. But I'm going to teach you something I wish I'd realized years ago."  

"What?" 

"You can't shut people out. Because when you do that, you keep yourself from healing." Tony tells him.

"Well, she ain't coming back. So I don't see the point in talking about it." Peter doesn't want to talk about it. If he opens up about it, that makes it real. 

"Listen, kid, I know how much you miss her. But you need to talk to someone about this. It's going to eat you up inside if you don't. If you don't want to talk to me, then talk to Pepper. Or even that friend of yours. Just talk to someone." 

"I'll think about it." Peter replies quietly. He can tell there's something else Tony needs to say, but isn't quite sure how. "You good, Mr. Stark?"

"Yeah. No. Maybe, depending on how the next few minutes work out." 

"Sir?" Peter questions. Tony sighs and does something on his computer, though Peter isn't sure what. The man reaches to the side of the computer, before taking out what looks like an SD card adapter. Only different. This one looks more like something used for programming. 

"This could go one of two ways. You'll either hate me, or think I'm amazing..." He answers with a half-hearted laugh. Tony removes a small chip from the adapter. He stands up, walking over to Peter and handing it to him. "I know what it's like to lose a parent. That chip is an Artificial Intelligence Unit. Similar to Friday. Just put it in your phone the same way you would an SD card."

"Why would I hate you for this?" Peter asks, taking the device. 

"You'll see." 

Peter realizes what Tony is waiting for him to do, so he takes a moment and inserts the chip into the SD port on his phone. When his phone powers back on, he types in his password and comes to his home screen. It's then that he hears a voice coming from his phone's speaker. Not just any voice, her voice. 

"Hey darlin'. This isn't me, as much as we both wish it was. But maybe now you'll always remember my voice." 

Peter starts crying for what feels like the one hundredth time. He can tell Tony is waiting on him to say something -anything- But Peter isn't exactly sure what to say. So he doesn't speak. Instead, he does something he hadn't dared to try since he arrived. 

He hugs his father. 

It takes Tony a moment to recover, momentarily shocked by the kid's decision. Tony had expected hate, not a hug. But a second later, he's hugging him back. 

"Does this mean you're not mad at me?" Tony asks quietly. 

"I can't be mad." Peter replies, his voice shaking. "This is the best thing ever, Mr. Stark. I know it's not her, but..."

"It's a part of her. I know."

"How'd you do it?"

"Technology works in weird ways, kiddo." 

"Mama would be happy. Thank you, Tony." He freezes. This is the first time Peter has called him anything other than 'Mr. Stark', and Peter hasn't even realized he's done it. Deciding against mentioning it, he instead breaks the hug. 

"Well I don't know about you, but I could use something to eat. How does Pizza sound?" Tony asks awkwardly. 

"That sounds great, Mr. Stark." The disappointment with the all too familiar title fades quickly when he sees the kid smile." 

It's one of those rare moments when the kid looks genuinely happy. This had all worked out perfectly, and he couldn't wait to tell Pepper. 

Later that Night:

"You should've seen it Pep. He looked so happy. " Tony tells her, leaning back against the headboard of their bed. 

"And it's because of you." She answers with an encouraging smile. 

"He even hugged me. He actually hugged me! And he called me 'Tony'! Not 'Mr. Stark' or 'sir'. Just Tony." 

"And you thought you couldn't do it. What was it you said? 'I'm not fit for this'?" Tony says nothing. "Today proved that to be false, Tony. Today you proved that you would do anything to make sure Peter doesn't feel an ounce of sadness. You proved once again that you cared. And not just as anyone would care for a child, Tony. Today you acted like a father, and I'm proud of you." 

"How did I ever get so luck?" Tony asks. "I don't deserve you."

Pepper gives him a smile. 

"You really don't. " She kisses him softly, before settling in bed next to him. "Goodnight, Tony."

"Goodnight, Pep. I love you."

"I love you too."