"Seriously, another romantic song? What the fuck, Steve."
Peter bites down his bottom lip at Tony's snarky reply to the song reveal. It's Monday morning, and they're discussing their plan for the upcoming week. They're looking at their seventh show already and from now on they'll have to perform two choreos rather than just one. It's safe to say that Tony is stressed. He's tired. Tired of the intensive training for a sport he'd never done in his life. Tired of the country's eyes on him. Of course, he's used to being in the center of attention, but never before had his sexuality been such a hot item. Peter knows how much pressure there is on him right now, and he doesn't really blame him for feeling on edge. However, he will not allow the man to scold their friend and coach just like that.
"Tony, come on, it's-"
"Oh," Tony waves his hand dismissively. "Shut up."
What?
Peter scoffs and raises from his seat. Tony's lips part and Peter can see the regret crossing his face. He feels bad for the man, but he's not going to let himself be treated this way. He doesn't want to practice lifts when the man is this tense. So he grabs his bag and sighs.
"Alright, then. Go home, take care of yourself. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Wha-" He hears Tony's dumbfounded voice behind him. Peter simply ignores it and lets out a small breath when the door falls shut behind him. He almost feels guilty about walking away without saying another word. Without giving Tony a chance to speak.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow they'll discuss it properly.
He heads towards the rink downstairs and smiles at the familiar, comforting cold when he steps inside. It's not like Tony is the only one who's made sacrifices to participate in the contest. It's been too long since Peter just... Skated. No choreo, no teaching, just flowing wherever the music takes him. Since it's only 7 am the rink is still nearly empty.
Peter sits down at one of the benches and slides his feet inside the skates. He doesn't even bother taping his ankles the way he usually does to protect his skin. He won't be on the ice too long anyways. He-
"Hey, Pete."
Peter turns around and is surprised to see MJ standing on the ice and leaning on the edge of the rink.
"Hey hey," he replies, forcing a smile on his lips. He enjoys seeing her, but somehow the little incident with Tony has crept under his skin.
"Trouble in paradise, huh?"
"Ugh, Tony's a genuinely nice man, but he's awfully stressed out and taking it out on Steve and me."
"So you left?"
"Mh-mh."
"Cool. That'll do him some good. Now get your ass over here and skate with me."
Peter smiles and gets up, letting his worries glide off his shoulders when he feels the smooth ice allowing him to slide across. This is where he belongs most. This is where he feels free. MJ grins and grabs both his hands. She too is meant for figure skating. Her grace, her passion, her- Peter frowns and tightens his grip on her hands a little. His head snaps up worriedly. Her fingers are rough and chafed. And thin.
"Michelle," he breathes quietly. The girl freezes right where she stands, and he feels the tension rising in her body.
"Peter, it's nothing I swear."
"Then how did you know what I was gonna say?"
MJ presses her lips together and pulls her hands back. She crosses her arms in an attempt to hide them. Peter takes a quick glance at her body and feels panic rising in his chest. He hadn't been paying attention. Hadn't seen it coming. Her thin frame is showing more bone than it usually does. He spots how she tried to use a thicker pair of leggings to cover it up, but he knows her.
"It's..." MJ sighs. She knows that he knows. "It's not as bad as it used to be." Her voice is small and defensive. Scared. Peter's heart tugs at his chest and he bridges the gap between them. MJ relaxes slightly in his hold. How hadn't he seen it earlier?
"Has anyone... Said, y' know, stuff to you?" Peter asks carefully. MJ shakes her head right away.
"Not directly. It's..." Her voice trails off, and she stares at her toe picks. "YouTube is different than national television. People have strong opinions. If they don't like Clint, they hate me. If they love Clint, they hate me. I... My thoughts... They try to come up with a solution on how to fix that."
"Em..."
"Peter, please. Don't worry about it too much 'kay? I've already told Pep. She's getting me a referral to Dr. Banner again."
Peter stares at her in awe and tears cloud his vision.
"I am so proud of you," he chokes out and hugs her again, more tightly this time. She's been struggling again, but... She spoke to her coach about it. Pepper is fantastic, she'll definitely make sure MJ gets the care she needs so much. He feels her smile against his cheek, and he sighs. It's not the first time she's struggled with food. It's hard, in the ice skating world. Most skaters have... a handful of bad habits to cope with the stress of upholding their physique and nailing every performance. Peter has a bad habit of not taking good care of his blistered toes until he literally can't walk. Sometimes, he pulls an all-nighter just to watch stupid movies on Instagram or TikTok or whatever, because the thought of laying down in the dark by himself is too much. It's not right, but... He thinks he's still doing reasonably well. Not aiming for the Olympics definitely helps. The thought alone has him shudder.
MJ nudges his side, and the movement has him break from his string of thought.
"Wanna skate together?" MJ's posture stills show how uncertain she feels, but her eyes light up at her mere suggestion, so Peter can't say no. He never could. Not his skating partner and friend.
"Of course, I... Did you eat this morning?" MJ presses her lips together again, but nods.
"I... Yeah. I did. Not much, but enough to train. I promise."
"Good. Alright, let's go through Watermelon Sugar?"
"Ohhhh yes, I'd love that!"
Breathe me in, breathe me out,
I don't know if I could ever go without.
-
After an hour of training, Peter called for a break. In all honesty, he just didn't want MJ to overtrain. He invited her into his little studio for a second breakfast instead. She's seated at his kitchen table now while Peter preps their meal.
"So about you and Tony-"
Her sentence is cut off by Peter's phone vibrating on top of the kitchen counter. Incoming Call: Tony Stark. For a split second Peter debates whether he should ignore or pick up. He low-key wants to hear what Tony has to say. He taps the green button and brings the phone to his ear, sliding his other hand through his hair nervously.
"Hi, Tony."
"Peter, hey." Quiet. "Thank you for picking up."
"Yeah."
"I... I am sorry about this morning. I shouldn't have taken it out on you," Tony whispers. "Or Steve, of course."
Peter frowns a little, but a smile creeps onto his face. He honestly hadn't thought that Tony Stark would apologize this soon.
"Mmmh, apologies accepted, Tony. Thank you for calling me. I'm sorry too, I probably shouldn't have left."
"Would... Would you be up for a cup of coffee later? My treat, of course." Peter eyes MJ real quickly. The girl, who has already figured out what's happening, waves her hand quickly. "Go!" she mouths. Peter grins.
"Yeah, sure thing." And feeling a little bold, he adds. "Only if you come to pick me up in one of your fancy cars personally." Both MJ and Tony snort in unison.
"Deal."
-
Peter sips his mocha latte and groans quietly when a dot of whipped cream sticks to his upper lip. He sucks his lip into his mouth and sighs contently. Only then he realizes that Tony is watching him. Peter blushes, and-
Oh god. He blushed. He blushed. Nononono-
"I, eh," he stutters and puts the mug down. He wants to say something but he has no clue what. He can't shake the feeling that the way they're hanging out now very much resembles a date.
God, especially since MJ showed him this... fanfiction thing earlier this morning. He's heard of the phenomenon before, but never in his whole life did he think that one day people would be writing about him. MJ told him ever so seriously that she had, in fact, read some of them, and she'd been gushing about this Superhero AU where Peter is a kid with spider powers and Tony a mechanic that built a metal suit to fight off Earth's greatest villains. As she explained the plot, Peter had to admit it did sound rather creative.
No clue why someone would give him weird insect powers, but if it works, it works, right?
It's just that he... He never quite realized how smitten he is with Tony until MJ quoted a love scene, causing Peter to feel this stab of jealousy in his chest because fiction-Peter could have Tony, and he couldn't. So now, with Tony watching him like that, it seems like a slight overload of his senses. It has him paralyzed. Good or bad, he hasn't figured out yet. Thank God it's Tony who breaks the silence between them.
"I wanted to apologize for earlier today, Peter. I'm not sure what came over me, I... I panicked." Tony sighs and stares at the floor. Peter's earlier worries moving to the back of his mind. He feels they're treading on thin ice.
"Y'know Peter, my dad... He was very much against homosexuality. Always warned me. Threatened me. I know he's not here to judge me anymore but... It feels wrong that the entirety of the US knows now... It's- I don't-" Tony can't seem to find the right words and he casts his eyes down. His fingers curling around the ear of the mug a bit too tightly. His knuckles white, other hand pressed into the wooden table. Peter swallows. Carefully, he reaches out for Tony's shaky hand.
"Hey," he whispers. "I've got you."
Tony lifts his head slowly at those words. Peter's heartbeat picks up rapidly when he sees Tony's longing, no- yearning stare. Could this mean... It feels far too intimate and yet not close enough where their hands are touching. Peter slowly curls his fingers to drag the tips across the back of the man's hand. Tony clears his throat.
"I..." his voice sounds squeaky and tense. "It feels wrong that the entire US has seen how I fell in love with you, and I barely even registered it."
Peter can't seem to breathe anymore. He blinks. Once. Twice. Did Tony really just say that? He feels sweaty, hot all over. Flustered, confused. He opens his mouth only to shut it again and blows his cheeks up- a stupid nervous tick. Tony's hand twitches underneath his own, and then the man tries to slide it back.
"Peter, I'm so sorry, I thought maybe-" Peter grabs Tony's hand more tightly.
" Yes. " Peter rushes as he suddenly finds his voice again. "Tony... Yes. I feel the same way."
Both men stare at each other intently. Their hands painstakingly close, yet they both press into each other a bit more. Peter's gaze drops to Tony's slightly parted lips. Oh, how he wants to kiss him. How he wants to feel the rough stubble against his cheeks. He wants to taste the dark, bitter espresso lingering on the man's tongue as they breathe into each other. When Peter looks up, he can see the exact same thoughts crossing Tony's mind and he gasps. The older man groans and pulls his hand back quickly.
"We can't. Not... Not in here, Peter."
"Too public, I get it."
"Yeah."
"I-" Peter's voice is cut off by the sudden loud ringtone playing from Tony's phone. The man curses under his breath and grabs it from the table.
"Shit, it's Happy. I gotta take this one," Tony apologizes, and Peter nods. The boy leans back in his chair and licks his lips absentmindedly as he gestures for Tony to pick up. He doesn't quite follow what Tony says to his assistant. Chauffeur. PA. Whatever Happy's function is. All he sees is how Tony's expression darkens and he knows it's not a good sign. Tony rambles on and then ends the call. Peter tilts his head.
"You have to go, don't you?" Peter sees the way Tony's expression falters and sighs when the man nods. Confirming his suspicions.
"I am so so so sorry, you have no idea how badly I want to stay here, with... With you." Tony's voice sounds so soft and gentle, and a downhearted smile tugs on his lips. Peter wants to bridge the gap between them and kiss him anyways. Make him stay. But he knows that Tony runs a business. If it's important, it's important.
"Go. We have time."
"Yeah," Tony breathes. He leans forward again and quickly squeezes Peter's hand. "We do."
Peter watches how Tony grabs his jacket and gives him one last dazzling smile before hurrying out of the little cafe. Peter huffs a bewildered breath now that reality crashes down on him. He smiles into the distance as he picks up his mocha latte and chuckles to himself when he realizes he's counting down the hours until tomorrow morning, 7 am. That's when they'll see each other again in the rink. He smiles when he realizes that their song is, indeed, yet again, a romantic song.
I been tryna call
I been on my own for long enough
Maybe you can show me how to love, maybe