I Can't Make You Love Me || Peter Parker x OC

Chapter 28: Pick-Me-Up

⚠️Content Warning⚠️

Descriptive, anxiety/panic-like symptoms. Talk of medicated treatment for mental illnesses. Implied themes of Stockholm Syndrome. Implied themes of emotional abuse

More fluffy Spider-Son/Iron-Dad scenes

Tony's perspective

None of this was right; not one single bit of it. Ian loved his kid, so why would she call me crying over something that he did? And what would get them both so mad to the point of no longer being on speaking terms? The Malcolm's are good friends of mine, but Anneliesa wasn't my concern at all, or at least she wasn't until she got involved with my kid.

Peter has been a nervous wreck for the past week, coming to me every single time she texted him. But he wasn't doing it like some little kid with a crush, trying to find the best words to woo his girl. He was scared of her--no, terrified of Anneliesa, and was trying to figure out a way to get away from her for good.

When he told me that he had agreed to meet her for lunch tomorrow morning, I thought that he had been cloned and replaced. Peter would never voluntarily spend time with that girl, never in a million years. Then he told me about what his plan was, to blame it on some security thing that I had warned him about. Since Anneliesa had direct contact to both of us, and I didn't want to risk anything too serious happening, I advised Peter to keep me out of this as much as possible. I still agreed that it was a good idea though; he needed to cut ties with her before she did something dangerous.

"Kid, you doing alright?" I asked through the call launched in Peter's suit. I usually don't bother him while he's on patrol, but he specifically asked me to be on alert for all of it, even lunch.

"Yep. Mask's coming off soon, but you'll still be here, right?" He asked, sounding more and more like a scared child with every syllable.

"Only if you want me to be. But yes, I'll still be here, kid."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Pepper smile from her spot next to me on the couch. She had been feeling really sick these past few days, so I took the day off to do nothing but stay with her and take care of my girls. I still had Peter to deal with too, but but he can take care of himself for the most part.

"Okay, thank you, dad. You're sure this will work?" He asked, seeking reassurance for the ump-teenth time this hour.

"You'll be fine, Pete, just be gentle with her." Pepper advised, knowing that Peter could hear her through speaker-phone.

"Okay, okay. I see her in there, clothes are on, mask is coming off. Love you two, bye" Peter rushed out in one breath. Pepper and I both laughed, and bade him good luck. A mute symbol popped up on my phone, implying that his mask was now separated from the rest of his suit.

Pepper and I cuddled up together, listening quietly as the whole fiasco unfolded before us. When Anneliesa began her speech about how much she needed him, and all that had happened to her, Peter's faint intake up breath was heard through my phone, and I felt Pepper tensing more and more next to me the longer Anneliesa was talking.

"God, do you think she's telling the truth?" She asked, genuine concern laced in her words.

"I can't tell..." I trailed off, holding her closer to me as Peter asked the question on all of our minds.

"What happened?"

The time that it took for her to explain about the fight between her father and herself was full of silence from me, Pep, and Peter. When he apologized and started rambling, I internally groaned, but let it all play out. Then she asked him to stay with her, and Pepper nervously glanced at me.