Spidey One-Shots

Son of Stark Pt. 8 (A Christmas Special)

It had been a few weeks since the... field trip incident.

Peter had since taken up the superhero persona 'Spider-Man' and was struggling to keep it a secret from his parents, not to mention all of New York! It took mad skills sneaking out for patrol nearly every night in one of the most secure buildings in the world.

Peter had almost been caught multiple times, not just when he was leaving or returning from patrol, but also while on patrol. He had to be extra careful around his dad, who had been parading around as Iron Man, trying to learn about the new hero. Unfortunately, Tony was now the least of his worries, with the holidays approaching.

Christmas was a few days away, and the rest of Peter's family would be arriving at the tower that night. Plus, they were staying not only for Christmas, but also for New Years Eve, totaling up to a full two weeks. How was Peter supposed to keep his identity a secret while being around the Avengers 24/7?!

Peter was pondering this thought while upgrading his web-shooters, sitting at the office desk in his room.

"Hey, Pete!"

Peter panicked, heart pounding as he scrambled to hide his web-shooters in a drawer. He then turned to the door, wearing a forced smile on his face, "Y-yeah, Dad?"

Tony stared at Peter with a confused look on his face, momentarily forgetting what he came to say, "Uh, I was wondering if you would come downstairs to help with the cookies?"

Peter relaxed, "Yeah, yeah... sure! Of course! I'll be right there."

"Thanks, kiddo," Tony said, ruffling Peter's hair.

Peter halfheartedly swatted at Tony's hand before turning back to his desk, waiting for his dad to leave the room.

Tony stepped toward the doorway, pausing momentarily to add, "By the way, the team will be here in a few hours."

"Okay, thanks, Dad."

Once the door to Peter's room was closed and Tony's footsteps could be heard no more, Peter reached for the web-shooters in the desk drawer, putting them in a better hiding spot before excitedly dashing out of his room to the promise of Christmas cookies.

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"Welcome to my humble abode, everyone!" Tony greeted the team.

"Oh, please, Tony. There is nothing 'humble' about your place," Natasha stated, walking past him. "How is my favorite nephew doing?"

Peter smiled, gladly accepting his Aunt Tasha's hug. "I'm doing good, Aunt Tasha," Peter replied, a bit stiffly.

Although he was happy to see his aunt, Natasha was the person Peter was most nervous about trying to hide his identity from. If she was the least bit suspicious, Natasha would not stop until she found out what was going on, and most likely, she would figure it out.

Soon the group was seated at the dinner table, having an enjoyable time catching up on what had been happening in everyone's lives since the last time they were together.

"Have any of you heard about that new hero, Spider-Man?" Tony asked.

Peter swallowed hard, trying his best to seem indifferent.

"I believe I have... Do you know much about him?" Steve asked.

"No. I've been trying to talk to him, but any time I get close, he swings away."

"From what I have seen, his skills seem very impressive, it would be great to confirm an alliance with him."

"I would love to ask him about his powers! I enjoy learning about the many ways enhanced beings received their special abilities!" Bruce interjected.

Peter could feel beads of sweat roll down his face. Why, oh why, did he choose to sit between his dad and Aunt Tasha?!

"How about a few of us go out tomorrow and try to talk to him?" Steve continued.

"That sounds great! This guy can't ignore a visit from the Avengers!" Tony stated triumphantly.

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Peter sat in his room, struggling to decide if he should still go on patrol.

After pondering it for ten minutes, he decided to go, as it would be suspicious if Spider-Man coincidentally didn't go on patrol the day after the Avengers decided to meet him.

Peter pulled on his suit, leaping out his bedroom window and swinging into the city.

After patrolling for twenty minutes, Peter heard the familiar sound of his dad's suit. Landing on the roof of a skyscraper, Peter waited for his family to confront him.

The Iron Man suit landed on the roof, with Captain America and Hawkeye appearing seconds later.

"Woah, it's the Avengers!" Peter said, faking surprise.

"Finally decided to give us a chance, huh, Spider-Man?" Tony asked.

"I must admit, I am flattered that the Iron Man has been wanting to talk to me. Now Captain America and Hawkeye, too?! Wow!" Peter added, making sure to speak in a deeper tone than usual.

"Listen, Spider-Man. We have been watching you, and I must admit that you have skill," Steve said, "We would like to join an alliance with you, maybe you could even become part of the team one day."

"What he said. However, to do that, we need to know who you are," Tony declared.

"We would keep it a secret, of course," Steve added.

"I'm honored, I really am. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to decline. It's called a secret identity for a reason."

"Come on, Spider-Man! We are giving you the opportunity of a lifetime! Are you really going to turn down the Avengers?" Tony said, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"I am," Peter stated, firing a web and leaping from the building.

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"Well, how did it go?" Natasha asked from her spot on the couch, where she and Pepper were sitting.

Peter casually walked into the room, curious about what would be said about the meeting.

"He did talk to us..." Steve began.

"He turned us down! He refused the Avengers just to keep his secret identity" Tony interrupted, sitting down in a huff.

"Let's forget about him for awhile, it is Christmas Eve after all! How about we watch a movie?" Pepper suggested.

"Sure!" everyone replied, with Tony halfheartedly agreeing.

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Halfway through the movie, Peter looked at his dad, feeling bad about refusing him. Peter wanted to tell his family about his powers more than anything! But he was too afraid of how they would react. Peter knew they wouldn't freak out, with all of them being heroes, and a few of them being enhanced beings themselves. Peter was afraid that they would tell him to stop being Spider-Man, that he was too young, or it was too dangerous. Peter knew it would only be because they loved him and wanted to protect him... but he really didn't want to stop.

Peter cuddled up against his dad, whispering into his ear, "I'm sorry you lucked out with Spider-Man today."

Tony looked down at his son. "It's okay, kiddo," he said, putting an arm around Peter, "You don't need to worry about it. You have nothing to do with any of this."

Peter smiled nervously, "Okay, Dad."

"Let's stop talking about this Spider-Man business. Let's focus on the movie and enjoy Christmas!" Tony declared.

Peter genuinely smiled, pulling his dad in for a hug.

Merry Christmas!

To make up for the long wait, and because tomorrow is Christmas, here is a longer chapter! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!