Part 2 of 'You're Just Like Him'.
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Peter was sitting in the med bay, staring at his lap. Doctor Cho was with him, checking him over.
Tony had been sitting in a chair in the corner of the room the whole time. He didn't want to get too close to Peter. Just in case...
"It looks like you're gonna be just fine, Peter. You have no life threatening injuries. Only a cracked rib that will heal itself by the morning. Are you in any pain at all?" Cho said to the boy in a soft voice. She didn't know what happened, but she could tell something was bothering him.
Yes, I am. But not in the way that you think.
"N-No, I'm fine. Thank you Doctor Cho." He said, finally looking up and catching a glance from Tony. His expression hurt Peter for some odd reason. He just looked so...distraught.
"Okay, so no pain meds are needed?" She confirmed.
"No, I swear, I'm fine." I'm not.
"That's great. Well, if there's any problems, you can call me. Okay?"
"Y-Yeah, okay."
Dr Cho smiled at Peter before she walked over to Tony. It looked like she was telling him the exact same thing she told Peter, so he lowered his head and stared at his lap again.
He heard her footsteps leave the room, but he still didn't look up. He didn't know how to handle this situation.
He heard Tony stand up and walk over to him, very slowly. Peter's heart started racing.
Tony finally reached him. He stood there for a few seconds before sighing.
"Kid, can you look at me, please?" He asked. Peter didn't. He just kept on staring at his lap, like his worn out sweatpants were the most interesting thing in the world.
Tony didn't bother asking him again. Instead, he crouched down in front of Peter to meet his gaze. He didn't say anything for a while, but he was glad that Peter didn't turn away from him.
"How's your head?" He asked him, the guilt sitting in his chest had spread through his entire body. It was eating him alive.
"Mm...'s fine." Peter mumbled and started drawing circles on his sweatpants with his finger. It was a nervous tick of his.
Tony bit his lower lip to stop himself from crying. His whole entire life, he didn't let himself become like Howard. He told himself that he wasn't. He had no idea that deep down, his father left a part of himself in Tony. It was genetics. And not even Tony could change that.
The door opened and Tony turned his head. Rhodey walked in, a worried look spread across his face. His expression only increased once he got a look at Tony.
He didn't realize, but his hands were shaking. He looked a mess.
"Dude, are you okay?" He asked him. He didn't know what happened. Of course he didn't. He actually wanted to comfort Peter before I dragged him away.
Hearing Rhodey's words made Peter snap his head up anxiously. He looked at Tony, and saw what Rhodey meant.
He looked like he was having a panic attack. He looked like he was about to pass out.
Peter didn't want that. As much as he felt betrayed, hurt...and just overall, shitty, about what Tony did to him, he still loved him. He still cared about him.
He carefully placed a hand over Tony's, which was rested on his knee, in hope that it would calm him down a little bit. Tony immediately took notice of the action and looked at Peter.
His heart broke a little bit more.
I screamed at you. I threatened you. I hit you. And you're still comforting me?
Tony removed his hand away from Peter's and stood up.
"I-I'm sorry. I just need...I need some air. Stay with him please." Tony stuttered to Rhodey before rushing out the room.
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It hadn't been very long. Maybe 20 minutes, maybe 30. Then again, Tony wasn't in his right mind. It could've been an hour for all he knew.
But Peter finally found him. He opened the door to the lab and saw Tony hunched over his workbench, probably doing some useless tinkering to distract himself.
Neither of them said anything for a while. But Peter walked over and sat next to Tony. Willingly.
That's got to count for something, right?
"I, uh...Rhodey and I had a talk." Peter croaked out after a good few minutes of silence. Tony didn't respond, but he made no effort to move his hands either. His project was laid out on the workbench, unfinished.
"He explained some things to me...a-about you." Peter continued.
Tony finally turned his body around so he was facing the boy. Peter copied the action.
"He did?" Tony finally spoke, confusion in his voice. Peter nodded. He seemed much more cooperative than he was before.
"He told me about your dad."
Oh.
Tony's stomach dropped.
"Kid, please. If you're about to tell me shit like 'it wasn't my fault' or 'you're nothing like Howard', then please don't. I don't want to hear it." Tony sighed and rubbed his forehead. But Peter ignored him.
"He told me he used to yell at you, and manipulate you...and he was just an awful person and an awful father."
"Peter-"
"Did he ever apologize to you?"
That made Tony fall silent.
"What...what do you mean?" He asked, afraid of where this was going. He hated talking about his childhood. He hated talking about Howard. But he guessed he deserved it.
"When he would hit you. Did he ever apologize? Did he ever try and make things better?" Peter asked. Tony bit his lower lip again. "Did he...did he ever feel bad about the things he did to you?"
Tony clenched his teeth and looked straight at Peter.
"No, kid. He didn't." He hoped his voice wasn't as shaky as he felt.
"Exactly. But you did. You did apologize. You did try and make things better." Peter said with a comforting smile and placed his hand over Tony's again.
The man looked at his hand and then back at Peter.
"How can you be so okay with this, Peter? How can you ever forgive me for what I did?"
He stayed silent for a while, trying to figure out how to answer.
"Because I know why you did it. It doesn't excuse what you did, but it explains it. And I understand." He said before shuffling closer to Tony.
"And as long as we both know for certain that it won't happen again, I can forgive you."
Tony looked down just as a tear finally escaped his eye and ran down his face.
"Please don't cry, Mr. Stark." Peter pleaded as he felt his own tears build up. Tony looked at him again and slowly brought his hand up to rest behind the boy's head. When Peter didn't flinch or push him away, Tony smiled and brought him into a hug.
He sniffed and wrapped his arms around him in a tight grip as Peter wrapped his own arms around the man's torso.
"God, kid. You're so precious." Tony breathed out. "I really am sorry. Fuck- I don't think I've ever been more sorry in my whole entire lifetime."
"I know." Peter's voice was slightly muffled.
"Do you...do you trust me, Peter?" He asked, afraid of the answer.
"Yes, Mr. Stark. I do." Peter answered almost immediately. God, kid. You trust too easily. It's gonna be the death of you.
"Then you know that I mean it when I say, it will never happen again."
"I know it won't."
They held onto each other tighter.
"I love you, Mr. Stark."
"I love you too, kid. So, so, much."
Tony's heart wasn't sure if it wanted to shatter completely, or mend itself.