Chapter Text
Peter had always loved Christmas. Even at the worst times of his life- after his parents died, after losing Ben, there was something about the magic of the Christmas season that made it Peter’s favourite time of year.
This Christmas was looking to be if not one of the best, then definitely the biggest, that Peter had ever had. Rhodey’s mother was coming up from Philadelphia and had been invited to the penthouse for Christmas lunch. Happy was also coming- not that this was unusual, but this year he was coming as May’s “significant other” (Tony’s phrase) and not just as Tony’s friend. It was only a little bit weird still. May seemed really happy though, so Peter was happy too.
The morning of December sixteenth, Tony rang Peter at around nine in the morning as he lazed around in bed, too comfortable to get up yet.
“Want to go for a drive?”
“Sure,” Peter agreed immediately.
A normal person might have asked where they were going, or why the sudden invitation out of the blue. But Peter wasn’t exactly normal and spending time with Tony was an offer Peter would never refuse.
“See you in five,” Tony said and hung up.
Peter jumped out of bed and hurriedly got dressed, running a comb through his hair and tried to pull on his sneakers while exiting his bedroom, almost falling headfirst into the wall.
“Oof. Ow,” he grumbled, steadying himself. “May, I’m going out with Dad!” he called out.
May held up her phone in her hand as she sipped her coffee while sitting on the couch. “Yep, I see,” she replied.
Peter wriggled his foot into his shoe. “Oh. You don’t happen to know where we’re going, do you?”
May looked up in amusement. “You didn’t ask?”
Peter shrugged and she rolled her eyes.
“You’ll find out,” she said. “Take your hat and gloves. It’s cold outside.”
“OK,” Peter agreed and went to find where he’d put his gloves.
When Tony pulled up outside the Parkers’ building, Pepper was in the front seat.
“Hi,” Peter greeted them as he climbed into the backseat.
There were two bouquets of flowers on the seat beside him, he noted confusedly.
“Hey, kiddo,” Tony replied, flashing him a smile in the rear-view mirror.
Pepper turned in her seat to face Peter. “Hi, honey.”
Tony pulled out onto the road and started driving. The radio was on low, which was uncommon for Tony.
“Where exactly are we going?” Peter finally asked.
“This is a dumb idea,” Tony muttered under his breath instead of answering.
Peter frowned in confusion, as Pepper laid a hand on Tony’s arm for a moment.
“Long Island,” she said simply.
It wasn’t a very helpful answer, but Peter didn’t push. It took them about an hour to get to Long Island, and Tony was pretty quiet the whole time. Things made a little more sense when Tony pulled into a cemetery and parked the car and Peter suddenly remembered what the date was.
As they got out of the car, Pepper took hold of Tony’s hand and Peter hurried to fall into step on Tony’s other side. Tony immediately pulled Peter close, his hand gripping Peter’s shoulder tightly. Tony had been hovering a little more than usual of late and Peter wasn’t really sure why. He wondered if Tony had been dealing with his own nightmares lately- sometimes that spooked him, especially if Peter was involved. Peter couldn’t blame him- he was the same after bad nightmares of his own.
“When was the last time you were here?” he asked Tony quietly.
“The funeral,” Tony admitted. “Never saw much point to come back after that, and then after I moved out to California, it was kinda far away.”
Peter, who visited the graves of his parents and Ben a few times a year, couldn’t imagine that. But he wasn’t surprised that was how Tony felt. Especially given his relationship with his parents.
“So,” Tony said, coming to a halt and looking to Pepper. “Where are we going?”
She stared at him, and Tony rolled his eyes.
“I know you looked it up, because there’s no way you actually thought I’m going to remember where they are twenty-seven years later.”
Pepper sighed, nodded and gestured to the left. “I think it’s that way.”
They found the graves easily enough, thanks to Pepper’s directions. Pepper stepped forward to lay the flowers she carried and brushed away the snow that covered the stones. Tony stood there, frowning at the stones.
Peter hung back, shifting on his feet as Pepper moved beside him and linked her arm through Peter’s.
“Why now?” he asked Pepper quietly. “Why did we come now?”
Pepper smiled at him. “He thought it was time... well, I thought it was time,” she amended. “We were thinking that a lot has changed since last year.”
Peter flashed back to a year ago, talking with Tony about his parents in London. Asking him how a parent could not love their kid. A lot had changed since last year.
“Dad?”
Tony turned around and looked to him expectantly, Peter realised he wasn’t exactly sure what to say. So, instead, he just hugged him.
Tony hugged him back tightly, resting his cheek against the top of Peter’s head.
“I love you so damn much, kid,” he said softly.
Peter nestled his head more firmly against Tony’s shoulder, looking at the grave of Howard Stark.
“I love you, Dad.”
Howard Stark. 1917-1991. Husband and Father.
Accurate, yes. But empty.
Even Maria’s tombstone was inscribed with ‘Beloved Mother’ underneath the dates. But Peter knew Tony well enough to know that if Tony had chosen the words himself (there was every chance he hadn’t), that was all Tony could bring himself to say.
“You really are the best dad, you know,” Peter told him, his voice firm.
Tony pressed a kiss to his temple.
Pepper placed a hand on Peter’s back. “Tell him.”
Peter glanced up at Tony confusedly, and saw him staring at Pepper incredulously.
“Here?!”
“Why not?” Pepper said. “There’s a certain… poeticness to it.”
“But we had a whole thing worked out,” Tony said, almost whining. “With the present and everything.”
Peter stared at them, completely lost. “What present? Tell me what?” he asked.
Tony shook his head. “Nope,” he said, steering Peter away. “When we get home.”
Peter looked back at him, puzzled. “What? We’re leaving already?”
“What’s left to do? We put the flowers down.”
“You don’t want to say anything?” Pepper asked him.
“Dad and I didn’t talk when he was alive, why start now?” Tony shrugged.
“Tony.”
“Pep, I came, ok?” Tony said tiredly. “I came, I’m here. I’m not going to stand here when it’s thirty degrees out and talk to a slab of stone. Ok?”
Pepper regarded him closely for a moment and then nodded.
“Maybe next year?” she suggested gently.
Tony grimaced faintly. “Maybe next year,” he agreed.
Pepper winked at Peter out of Tony’s line of sight, and he grinned faintly as they headed back to the car.
Tony refused to answer any of Peter’s questions as they drove back to Lenox Hill, as much as Peter begged. Pepper just laughed when Peter tried to pry answers from her instead.
“No, he wants to do the thing. I’ll let him do it.”
Peter pouted. “That’s so unfair.”
“Blame Pepper,” Tony said. “She’s the one who ruined the whole plan with her ‘tell him now’ idea.”
Pepper rolled her eyes at him.
When they at least reached the penthouse, Peter turned to them impatiently the moment he stepped out of the elevator.
“Tell me what?”
Tony snorted, while Pepper hung up their coats and crossed the room to the Christmas tree, picking up the only parcel that sat beneath it.
“Here you go, honey,” she said, handing it to him.
Peter took it but hesitated as he made to open it. “Wait, why do I get a present? Christmas isn’t until next week.”
“Yes,” Pepper confirmed with a smile. “But your dad is far too impatient to wait that long. It’s been killing him for the past few weeks. Open it,” she urged.
Peter obeyed, peeling back the paper to find a navy t-shirt inside. He held it up to see, in white letters, the words ‘BIG BROTHER’ staring him in the face.
Peter’s jaw dropped and he gaped between the t-shirt, Pepper and Tony for a moment.
“Is this for real?” he asked.
Pepper nodded, breaking into a brilliant smile.
“This is awesome!” Peter exclaimed, hurrying to hug Pepper. “This is seriously legit?” he demanded.
Pepper laughed, holding him tightly. “Very legit,” she promised.
Peter pulled back, his eyes bright. “When?”
“June,” Pepper said. “Around the time you finish school.”
Peter sighed in relief. “Oh, good,” he said. “I was worried for a minute I’d miss it for my trip. Who else knows?”
“No one. Except my doctor, obviously,” Pepper replied.
Peter blinked at her. “Wait, I’m the first to know?”
“Who else?” Tony asked, squeezing Peter’s neck lightly.
Peter hugged Tony much tighter than he’d hugged Pepper, not giving much heed to his strength.
“Good news?” Tony asked him, sounding a little anxious.
“The best,” Peter reassured him.
Tony smiled, running a hand over the back of Peter’s head.
“Good.”
Peter had a thousand questions for Pepper and Tony.
“How long have you known? When are you telling everyone else? Do you feel ok?”
Pepper answered every question patiently. “We found out only a few weeks ago. We were thinking we’d tell the rest of the family at Christmas and release a statement after the New Year. And I feel absolutely fine, just a little tired.”
Peter’s gaze returned to the t-shirt in his hands reverently.
“Not even Rhodey knows? Or May?”
Pepper shook her head. “Nope. We decided you had to know first.”
A warmth spread through Peter from head to toe.
“Oh,” he said happily. “How are you telling everyone else?”
“We’re still working that out,” Pepper replied.
“Um, no,” Tony objected. “I gave the perfect idea,” he said, gesturing to the t-shirt in Peter’s hands.
Pepper rolled her eyes. “Maybe we don’t have to announce everything via t-shirt?” she suggested.
“It could be fun though,” Peter chimed in. “Seeing how long it takes people to notice.”
“See?” Tony insisted.
Finally, they came to a compromise. Their family- Rhodey, May and Happy- would be told in what Pepper described as “the normal way”, but when the time came to tell the other Avengers, Tony and Peter would get their way.
“You two are going to corrupt this kid before they can even talk,” Pepper deadpanned, her eyes shining with affection and amusement that her tone didn’t reflect.
“With any luck,” Peter agreed, and Tony beamed at him.
After a bit, Pepper went to lie down. Tony and Peter spent some time in the garage working on Dory, before Tony drove Peter back to Queens. Despite the fact that Peter hadn’t really shut up about the baby since he’d heard, when Peter made to get out of the car, Tony stopped him.
“Pete?”
Peter looked over at him, a little taken aback by how serious Tony’s face was.
“Yeah?”
Tony drummed his fingers absent-mindedly on the steering wheel for a moment, even as his eyes never left Peter’s face.
“You know I love you, right?”
Peter smiled, leaning over to hug Tony again. “I know,” he reassured him. “Love you too.”
Tony’s posture eased and he ruffled Peter’s hair lightly.
“Ok.”
“I’ll talk to you later, Dad,” Peter said, opening the car door.
“Not a word to May,” Tony warned him. “Or you’ll have to face the wrath of a pregnant Pepper.”
Peter laughed. “I won’t say anything,” he promised.
He knew it was going to be hard not to say anything, but his resolve was tested the minute he walked in the door and saw May.
“Hey, honey,” she greeted him casually. “How was your day?”
Peter’s mind immediately went to the t-shirt tucked safely in his coat pocket.
“It was really good,” he said.
“Yeah? What did you do?”
Peter perched himself on the arm of the couch, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl. “We went to Long Island,” he told her. “We went to the cemetery where Dad’s parents are buried.”
May merely nodded, so Peter figured she’d already known that was the plan.
“How was it?”
Peter hesitated. “It was kind of sad,” he said finally. “It was different from when we go see Ben and Mom and Dad, you know?”
May nodded. “I think it’s good that he went at least. Happy thinks it might give him closure.”
“Maybe,” Peter shrugged.
When he’d retreated to his room, Peter carefully stored the t-shirt in the bottom drawer of his nightstand, where hopefully May wouldn’t find it if she needed to go looking for any reason. Then he pulled out his phone, bringing up the sonogram photo that Pepper had sent him after she’d shown it to him.
Peter zoomed in to the little blob that was his little brother or sister, a grin spreading over his face. He was going to be a big brother, like he’d wanted to be since forever. He had no memories of asking his parents for a sibling, but he knew he’d definitely asked May and Ben many times. The most vivid memory was when he’d been seven, and Ned’s mom had just had Jacob, his little brother. Peter had been so envious of his friend.
Ben and May had let him down gently and told him that he was the only kid they were interested in having. Ben had also reminded him that any kids they had would be Peter’s cousins, not his siblings.
But this baby would be his sibling. Not biologically, but that made no difference to Peter. Or to Pepper and Tony, he knew. And the news definitely explained why Tony had been hovering more recently.
Peter opened up his laptop and typed 13 weeks pregnant into Google and clicked on the first result, totally immersed in his reading until May knocked on his door.
“What do you think about ordering Thai for dinner?” she asked, sticking her head through the door.
“Sure,” Peter agreed.
“Alright. I’ll order. What are you up to?”
“Uh, reading,” Peter lied hastily. “Bio.”
May barely blinked, even though Peter’s heart quickened. Technically, not a lie, right?
“Fun. You want your usual?”
“Yes please,” Peter nodded.
May retreated and Peter went back to his research.
‘The baby’s the size of a lemon and already has vocal cords, teeth, and fingerprints!’ he wrote in the message thread he had with Tony and Pepper, including a link to the website he’d been reading.
He double checked three times that he was writing in the right thread before pressing send. He didn’t want to be the person who spilled the secret through WhatsApp.
Tony replied a few minutes later.
Dad: It also says this is the week to prepare your child for the new baby. So…
The next message was a gif of Scar from The Lion King, singing ‘Be Prepared’.
Peter rolled his eyes as he typed a response.
Peter: Thanks, Dad.
Dad: Any time, kid.
Pepper’s response was more practical- she sent Peter the link to the pregnancy tracking app she was using, that would allow Peter to follow along with the baby’s development week by week. She also sent him a baby name app where family could compile a list of name ideas.
Pepper: Add any names you want, Pete.
Peter grinned and typed back ‘Awesome’ before there was a knock on the door signifying the food had arrived.
“Dinner, Pete!” May called out.
“Coming!” Peter called back.
He downloaded both apps to his phone before leaving his bedroom, making sure the shortcuts weren’t on his home screen. He didn’t want to have to answer awkward questions if someone should see his phone.
Peter had never been more excited for Christmas. May had already agreed that they could spend Christmas Eve night at the penthouse and have Christmas morning together with Tony and Pepper. Last year, they’d eaten together, but this was their first Christmas together as a family.
May had to work on Christmas Eve, so Peter got to the penthouse before she did. When May arrived, he and Tony were hunched over Tony’s phone, comparing notes on baby name suggestions while Pepper looked on amusedly.
“What are you guys up to?” May asked Peter after she’d greeted them all.
Peter immediately froze. “Uh, nothing much,” he lied.
May raised an eyebrow slightly and Tony rolled his eyes.
“Honestly, how do you still have a secret identity?” he asked Peter.
“Like you’re one to talk,” Peter shot back quickly.
Tony gently elbowed him.
May looked blankly at Pepper. “What am I missing?”
Pepper grinned, glancing at the boys before answering.
“I’m pregnant.”
May actually squealed.
“No?!” she gasped. “Oh my God. Congratulations!” she said, hugging Pepper tightly, immediately asking all the questions Peter had first asked, plus a whole bunch more.
“You,” May finally said to Peter, pointing at him accusingly with narrowed eyes. “You already knew.”
Peter grinned broadly and nodded. “Yeah. They told me last week.”
“And you didn’t say anything?!”
“I promised I wouldn’t!” Peter defended himself. “Why does everyone think I can’t keep a secret? No one knew I was Spider-Man for ages,” he complained.
“It’s because you’re the worst liar in the entire world, Underoos,” Tony said without looking up from his phone.
Peter scowled.
“I’m going to make sure the baby’s first sentence is ‘Iron Man sucks’,” he vowed.
“You cannot have their first sentence be a lie,” Tony shook his head, still not looking up. “What kind of example are you setting?”
Pepper rolled her eyes and turned to May. “Want to see the sonogram?” she offered.
May’s face lit up. “Yes,” she agreed.