Discovering Fatherhood (Irondad / Spiderson)

Chapter 17: Don't do it

Peter heard Ned's loud laughter even before his dad finished down the stairs, his cheeks turning red, which was just as embarrassing as being carried in his father's arms. Peter closed his eyes tightly and he gripped the fabric of Steve's shirt more tightly, squeezed it in his hands, forming fists and hid his face in the back of his dad, who had just reached the center of the lo living room and had stopped in front of Ned and his mother, with May at his side.

Ned kept laughing, causing Peter to get angry.

"Don't laugh, Ned." The brown-haired boy demanded with even redder cheeks.

"It's just..." Ned tried to say but the laughter won him over, preventing him from speaking, he thought the scene was very funny, he couldn't help but laugh as soon as he saw Peter in Steve's arms, it's that the way he had him loaded... it was funny. Steve had Peter leaning on one shoulder and holding the back of his knees with one arm, Ned laughed more. "I can't help it, I find it funny." He was honest, annoying his best friend with his answer.

"Me not." Peter snapped through clenched teeth, his voice muffled by the fabric of Steve's shirt.

"Obviously." Ned said, wiping away a tear that had escaped from laughing so much, he put a finger to his chin and analyzed Steve and Peter with his eyes. "Hum... if my dad ever carried me like that, I think I would like the earth to swallow me." He admitted shrugging his shoulders, being a little cruel with that comment.

Peter rolled his eyes and hid his face further into his dad's back, feeling the soft fabric of the shirt against his face.

"You don't help." The brown-haired boy complained, between embarrassed and angry.

Ned was about to say something, but his mother gave him a warning look.

"Enough son, don't make fun of your friend." The lady scolded him as she placed both hands on her waist.

Ned looked at her offended, he wasn't making fun of his friend, he had just laughed a little and they couldn't blame him, it was a funny sight to see since Peter was too big for his dad to carry him like that, he was a 15-year-old teenager.

"I'm not making fun of him, I just found it funny." Ned defended himself as he crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.

His mother ignored him and focused her attention on the Rogers marriage.

"I imagine that you are about to leave." Deduced the lady, it was obvious. Steve had Peter loaded in his arms and May was at his side, if they had gone down to the living room it was because surely the conversation between them had ended or perhaps it would continue at their home. Suddenly the lady was convinced of the second because it was obvious that Peter didn't want to leave and was taken against his will.

This made the lady very curious because Peter wasn't a disobedient teenager, some time or another he had done something stupid, causing his parents to put him on penance, but he always obeyed the orders they gave him without complaining, so it was striking the fact that now he was doing the opposite, why this sudden change of attitude in Peter? Why had he gone from being an obedient boy to being a rebel one? Was what had happened so serious that Peter wasn't willing to listen to his parents this time?

Ned's mother knew that something important had happened in that family, it was evident judging by how late it was when she heard the doorbell ring, Steve and May had come to her house looking for Peter at an unusual hour, they had never fallen so late at night, so... what was so important that it couldn't wait?

The lady was very intrigued to know what Steve and May had talked about with their adopted son, but logically she wouldn't ask them because it was personal and she shouldn't get involved, neither was Ned, speaking of Ned... his mom had to scold him on several occasions because he had wanted to climb the stairs and approach his room to eavesdrop through the door.