Chapter Text
One day, that was all Tony had wanted. It had been a long week.
No, hold that thought.
It had been a long year. And by some miraculous happening, Tony had the day off. There were no meetings Pepper was rushing him to, nothing was currently trying to destroy the world, the team was keeping a low profile at the compound, and the Spiderling was safe and sound. It was going to be a good day.
Tony had slowly opened his eyes to the warm sunshine filling his room at the Tower. “FRIDAY, what time is it?” Tony asked as he stretched out in bed, yawning in a strange rare form of contentment.
“It’s currently 9:03 in the morning, Boss. Should I start the coffee?” Tony closed his eyes again, pulling the blankets up around his shoulder and inhaled deeply. What was the rush? He hadn’t gotten to sleep till nine in ages.
“I’m good, FRI. Let’s leave it for another hour. I think I’m gonna stay right here for a bit longer,” Tony decided as he closed his eyes again. It was the perfect day for absolutely nothing.
The AI paused, not yet confirming Tony’s statement. The man was use to FRIDAY giving some kind of verbal response. A long second later Tony opened his eyes and waited. “Sir, May Parker is attempting to call. Would you like me take a message or would you like me to send her to your voicemail? Perhaps redirect her to Mr. Hogan?”
Of course. Of course managing a day off wouldn’t be that simple. There was only one reason in the entire world May Parker would call him and that had everything to do with the kid. “Nope, patch her through,” Tony said as he sat up in bed, already throwing the blankets to the side and sitting up. That’s what he got for giving out his personal number to the woman.
He never once regretted it though.
“Tony?” May asked softly as soon as the call was connected. Already the man was up and searching for something to put on. He just wasn’t positive on if he’d be stepping into a suit or not.
“Is he okay?” Tony asked, skipping the formalities. “I can be wherever he is in ten minutes.” He was throwing on pants and a shirt, followed by a pair of shoes. It was incredible how quickly Tony could get himself dressed. It all came with years of practice. And years of panic.
“No, no, no,” May said quickly, he voice filling Tony’s bedroom. For a second Tony stopped, furrowing his brow in confusion. “Peter is fine. I do have a uh...well a bit of a situation that I was hoping you could help me with. It is about Peter but-he’s fine right now, he’s at school...I just need…” May stuttered out quickly and Tony could see where the kid got it from.
“You sound like Pete after I gave him three cups of coffee,” Tony joked, slowing down to tie his shoes. Him and May had a complex relationship. Not exactly friends, certainly not enemies.
It was more like a ‘you gave my underage kid the suit and now I expect you to take full responsibility for everything that happens to him’ relationship. But also a ‘we kind of have to work together on this if we want to see this kid make to graduation,’ relationship.
“You gave Peter three cups of coffee?” May asked, taking on the unamused tone that Tony was used to. “Seriously? He’s fifteen, the last thing he needs is coffee.”
“Relax May, it was only two!” Tony joked again and May huffed in frustration. “I’m kidding, no more coffee jokes. What’s wrong?”
“I was actually wondering, now that we’re on the topic of coffee, if you could meet me for some. I just wanted to talk and I don’t think this is the kind of conversation you have over the phone,” She mumbled and Tony’s stomach twisted nervously.
He didn’t like conversations that were too important to be held over the phone. Nothing good ever came of them. Knowing it was about Peter made it even worse. “I know you’re busy, I wouldn’t bother you if I didn’t need to. ”
“Give me thirty minutes and I’ll be at the apartment. I hope you’ve got a whole pot ready,” Tony mumbled. He should have been thankful that he didn’t hear May silently agree to that whole pot of coffee.
**
It was always a bit strange going to Peter’s home. It was completely different than the places Tony was accustomed to going. The two bedroom apartment was small but warm and welcoming. It smelt like spice and vanilla, probably from one of May’s many candles. It wasn’t like the modern carefully decorated tower Tony lived in. Nor was it like the avengers compound or the house in Malibu. It was a proper home and it felt like one too.
“So what do I owe this lovely visit? Not that I don’t love seeing you,” Tony said with a cautious smile. He couldn’t think of any trouble Peter had gotten into lately. Karen hadn’t reported any injuries or unusual happenings. The kid was good at hiding things so Tony could never be too sure about it.
He knew something was wrong just from the way May looked. Her actions were off, they were tight and planned and Tony felt out of his element. Because this wasn’t a criminal or a fugitive he was dealing with. It wasn’t a high official or a politician. It was a nurse from Queens and Peter Parker’s guardian. She glanced at the sofa and gave him a pointed look. “Sit down, I’ll get you some coffee.”
Tony wasn’t use to taking orders, he was always the one giving them. He was vaguely reminded of his school years and how the principle would always tell him to sit before he was yelled at. “You want cream or sugar?” May asked from the kitchen and Tony had to take another deep breath. This was exactly like being in trouble.
“Black is fine, May. But if I’m being honest I don’t necessarily like being dodged,” Tony said in return while he took a seat on the dated sofa. “Something is up if you asked me to come today.” It had to be because Tony could count exactly how many times he’d been to May’s home. It wasn’t often and it usually didn’t end well for him.
May returned with two cups, carefully sitting one down in front of Tony before she herself took a seat next to him. “I know, it’s just not easy to say,” May admitted. Tony wondered if maybe she was being suspenseful on purpose. May never seemed like the type for dramatics though. She was always straight and to the point and firm. Sort of like Pepper.
“Okay well…”Tony started before picking up his cup. “You could try talking?” He suggested before taking a sip. “Usually that’s what happens when two people get together to discuss something. You know most of the time I have a pretty good idea as to what I’m in trouble for. I can’t think of anything this time. Did he fail a class or something?”
The woman laughed softly, shaking her head before pushing her glasses up her nose some. She looked tired and worried. Maybe older then when Tony had last seen her all of three months ago. She had a couple more gray hairs but that was typical. If you were going to deal with Peter Parker you should expect some type of rapid aging.
“You aren’t in trouble,” May finally said. “And he didn’t fail anything, but I do need a bit of help,” she hesitated, quickly running her tongue over her lip nervously. She brushed some of her hair behind her ear and her eyes fell into her coffee cup.
Nobody said anything for a long moment. Instead May stared so hard down into that cup that Tony thought that her and the coffee might be having some kind of conversation. Or maybe she was was looking for an answer.
“May, you’re scaring me,” Tony blurted out, shaking the woman from her thoughts. “What’s wrong. Something is wrong because I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t.”
May nodded quickly before exhaling deeply. “You’re right. Something is wrong. I’m sick.”
Tony raised an eyebrow and waited for her to continue. When she didn’t he set his cup down and crossed his arms over his chest. You’re sick with worry?” He suggested.
Again May’s eyes dropped from his and she shook her head. “No, I’m sick.”
Okay, she kept saying she was sick but that didn’t exactly answer any of Tony’s questions. It was vague and if anything it only left more unanswered ones.
“Sick with a cold, sick with-with the flu...sick of Peter being Spider-Man? May I’m not a mind reader.”
“I’ve got cancer.” Finally she dropped the ball, her eyes meeting Tony’s again as she sat her cup down. She said it like suddenly everything would make sense, like the man next to her would automatically get it.
No. No. No. May couldn’t get sick like that. She couldn’t have cancer, she was too good of a person. She had too many things left that she needed to do and what about Peter? She couldn’t get sick because the kid was only a kid, barely fifteen. ‘He just turned fifteen’ Tony thought helplessly.
“You have cancer,” Tony repeatedly softly. How was he meant carry on this conversation? Nobody had ever looked Tony in the eye and told him something like that. “May I’m…” he felt too lost for words. “I’m so sorry. Anything I can do to help I will. We’ve got the best medical team at the compound. I can get you doctors, treatments, anything you need. We’ll cover it. If it’s money, consider it already paid for.”
“I have insurance,” May said quickly. “Right now they’re covering just about everything. It’s not exactly a matter of treatment right now.”
“What do you mean not a matter of treatment?” Tony asked. “I know cancer is expensive but we’ve got plenty of options.” We. He said we like they were in it together. Because they sort of had to be right?
Tony was fairly close to Peter, they spent time together at the tower, every couple of weekends they’d see each other and maybe work a bit in the lab, usually just upgrading his suit. There was an unspoken obligation there, at least Tony felt left like there was. He had the financial ability to help, so it felt like he should.
May opened her mouth to say something but no words came. She sighed again before closing her eyes and running a hand down the side of her face. “I’m sorry, I just found out a few days ago. You’re the first person I’ve told. I haven’t exactly talked to anyone about this. There isn’t a good conversation starter or a helpful tips flyer.
Okay that made more sense. She didn’t know how to talk about her treatment because this was a new discovery. “Hey, I'm serious. Whatever it takes we’ll figure it out. I’ve got connections, I know doctors, I’ve got pull everywhere.”
“Tony,” May said gently, reaching out to place a hand on his. Why was she trying to comfort him when she had just found out that she had cancer? “I’ve got pancreatic cancer. I’m already in stage four. Treatments aren’t going to cure this, at most it’ll buy me time.”
It had felt like a blow to the stomach. Tony didn’t believe that the world had ever been fair. This was only one of the many moments that confirmed that fact. “Well you have to try something, right? Chemo or radiation, something, anything?”
“I’m going to look into them,” May said carefully. “But we found it pretty late in the game,” she said with a sharp laugh, the sound bitter and distant. “I was feeling a lot of stomach pain, I was having some trouble breathing, a lot of nausea.” May explained while Tony listened carefully.
“I went to the doctor thinking it was just a flu or something like that and they did some tests, then a few more, and the next day they called me back in. It’s um...they explain it better than I do,” May mumbled and Tony wondered why this woman wasn’t falling apart at the seams. “It’s spreading and it’s advanced and what I’m trying to say is that treatment isn’t going to fix this. It’s everywhere.”
“But you said it would give you more time?” Tony asked repeating what May had already told him. It would give her lots of time right? Years. Until after Peter had graduated, until he went to college and then graduated from that too.
“Yeah,” May answered after another sip from her cup, Tony had long forgotten his cooling caffeine. “A few months hopefully. Right now I’m looking at about five, I’d like to stretch it to six.”
If he had been holding that cup of coffee, he would have dropped it right then. “I’m sorry, six?” He asked, his mouth feeling dry and his heart starting to hammer.
No. This was not happening. She means years, please say six more years.
“I’m terminal,” May said like she could read the man’s mind. “The doctor estimates I’ve got around five months of moderate health, if I opt for treatment they might be able to get six months out of me. Tony I’m dying.” There she was, the plain straightforward blunt May that Tony knew.
“Peter,” Tony forced himself to say and the woman next to him nodded in agreement. Now he was starting to get it.
“Exactly,” May pushed the glasses up her nose again. Eventually after another drawn out pause she went on. “I’ve got to figure something out for him. Because even if I make it, I’d be a bad parent not to make a plan. Do you understand that? No matter what happens I have to have a plan and right now...you’re it.”
Tony’s eyes snapped to her eyes and his expression said everything. Tony was not a plan. Not the plan that parents made for their children if anything unspeakable were to happen. Because May had been the plan! May and Ben were the plan and now...There was no way, Tony didn’t know the first thing about kids. Yeah he was an adult but not the kind that was equipped or responsible enough to be entrusted with a child. “Okay wait hold on,”
“Tony please I wouldn’t ask you if I had any other options!” May said quickly, seeing exactly where Tony was heading. “There is no one else. Ben and I were it and now it’s just me and now...I can’t just leave him to the foster system. You know they won’t understand.” No they wouldn’t because he was Spider-Man. Damn it. “If there was one other person who could do this they would be it. But there isn’t.” May’s tone was desperate and pleading. “Please. We’ve got no one. I don’t have anyone else to go to.”
“You can’t just assume you’re going to die!” Tony said shaking his head in disbelief. “You can’t die, May. This kid needs you, not me. It’s not me, it’s you it has to be you.”
Tony hated it, he hated being the person to say that he couldn’t take Peter but May had to just...buckle down and survive!
“I’m not assuming I’m going to die,” May said calmly. “But I have to prepare for it.” Her voice went a little softer and Tony could hear the underlying fear and devastation. “I’ve got a twenty five percent chance that I’ll live another year. Seven percent chance at making it to five years. I can’t even think about the next step unless I know Peter has a place to go. Someone who’ll take care of him.”
How do you say no that? How could Tony say no when May’s eyes were starting to well up with tears and her voice was cracking? She was dying and Tony couldn’t sit there and tell her ‘No I won’t take care of Peter.’
“Okay,” Tony said quietly. “ Alright-okay. You know that if anything happens I’ll take him.” No matter how much doubt Tony had, the answer would have always been yes in the end. May nodded her head and took another shuddering breath.
“Thank you,” She whispered, quickly trying to blink the tears away. Tony slowly picked up his coffee and took a sip. A long long sip.
“Does Peter know that I’m...that he’ll come with me?” Tony asked because he had to be sure the kid understood that he was up to bat if anything did happen. When it happened.
“Peter doesn’t know I’ve been diagnosed yet.” The day just kept getting worse and worse. Tony didn’t know much about kids but he knew that didn’t sound right.
“You haven’t told him him?” Tony asked while May shook her head. “You can’t...I know it’s hard but he has to know.” Didn’t he? Tony didn’t know the exact way to tell your kid that you had cancer. But Peter wasn’t a small kid, he wasn't five. Maybe this was something May should tell him. This was something you told your kids right?
“I’m going to tell him,” May said, that same firm look she always wore. “I need some time to figure this out. It’s...it’s delicate and he’s already been through so much. I wanted him to have…” May choked and Tony quickly reached out, to comfort her.
He stopped just short of touching her hand. Because Tony didn’t know how to comfort physically. He didn’t know to be warm or soft, he didn’t know what he was doing. Another reason why he was the worst possible person to take child in.
“Sorry, sorry, I’m okay, I’m alright.” May said quickly, clearing her throat. “I wanted him to have as much normal as he could for just a little longer. Let me get some things sorted out and I’ll tell him.” Again nobody said anything. Finally May muttered a soft, “I will tell him. Just not today.”
“Okay,” Tony said. The two sat there together for a long time after that. The silence was suffering and the ticking of the clock was like a heartbeat. So loud that it was almost driving the man sitting on the worn out sofa mad. What were they going to do?
Maybe everything would work out and May would get better and Peter would never have to know how close he’d come to losing another parental figure. Maybe Tony would never have to worry about how to finish raising this enhanced teenager. Because that would be the best case scenario. But Tony was use to hoping for the best and expecting the worst.
“Let’s make a game plan,” Tony said, breaking the deafening quiet.”I think we should start with the hard part first. We’ll get some lawyers together and make up custody plans. We’ll go from there.” It seemed like the best idea. Tackle the hardest parts and work their way down into the simpler aspects of it.
If he could take this emotional situation and turn it into business he might be able to get by.
“Okay, I’ll sign what we need to,” May mumbled, brushing a few imaginary specks of dust off her skirt. Tony stood up from the sofa followed by the woman and the two gave each other the same look. The look that read, ‘if this is the best it gets, we’re in trouble.’
“Please don’t stress out because I’m already stressed out and I don’t want to freak Peter out. I’m okay today, honestly I’m not going to die in the next hour. Really it’s so strange, I feel a lot better than I have in weeks after they gave me some nausea pills and a breathing treatment.”
“May, I’m sorry,” Tony said again. “Anything you need you got. I hope you think hard about what treatments are out there. I’ve still got a lot of faith.”
“Of course, and you know I’ve got a lot of faith in you. We’ve still got plenty of time to figure it out.”
Translate that into. Tony you’ve got roughly a few months to learn how to be a halfway decent parent.
“Right,” Tony nodded sharply. “How about I pick him up this weekend. I should have some custody papers made up by then, I’ll drop them off and you can look over them, sign them if it looks good."
And after a short exchange of goodbyes Tony was in the backseat with Happy driving him to a law firm in upstate New York. “Everything alright Boss?”
“I’m not sure, Happy. Let me get back to you on that one.”