Chapter Text
It only took forty minutes and seven missed calls- six from May and one from Tony, plus two concerned texts from Ned- before Tony himself slid into the seat next to Peter on the subway, somewhere around Washington Square Park.
Forty minutes since Peter had left his apartment and boarded the M train, feeling both the inexplicable feeling that he needed to keep moving before he completely broke down, but the heaviness and numbness of his limbs kept him from walking or swinging anywhere. The train seemed like a good compromise.
It was probably less time, really, because Peter was guessing May had only called Tony twenty minutes ago at most.
Peter had managed to nab one of the forward-facing seats in the subway car, head slumped against the window as he steadily ignored every vibration of his phone.
When Tony took the seat next to him, neither said anything at first. Peter didn’t even acknowledge his mentor.
“Ok,” Tony finally said. “What’s going on, kid? You’re either going for the Guinness World Record of how long you can stand the smell of the subway; or you flunked a pop quiz at school and have hence decided your only possible future career path is riding the rails like a hobo and you’d better start practicing. Which is it?”
Despite himself, Peter choked out a laugh that he had to fight not to become a sob. Tony looked mildly satisfied.
“Neither,” he replied hoarsely, staring at his lap. “May called you?”
“Yep,” Tony nodded. “She said you two had a fight and you left, which makes me lean towards the hobo theory. Because the only times May gets seriously pissed- at you, not at me- is over school. Or if you’ve done something dumb and gotten hurt, but I think I’d know about that. Because May usually ends up yelling at me too.”
Regardless, he scrutinised Peter carefully for any signs of injury.
Peter rubbed his eyes as tears pricked at the corners.
“We had a fight,” he confirmed.
Tony nudged him gently. “What’s going on, Underoos? You and May don’t fight. I’ve known you how long now?”
His question made the rising threat of tears even stronger, and Peter desperately tried to blink them back.
It had been seven months. Seven months of Tony mentoring him- officially- since May had discovered he was Spider-Man. Of weekly lab days, which soon turned into weekly dinners, daily texts and calls, until Peter was sure he spent more time at Tony and Pepper’s penthouse than he did anywhere else. Seven months had changed Peter’s life drastically- for the better. In some ways, it was crazy to think that he and Tony had gotten so close in so short a time. In some ways, it felt like Peter had known him for his entire life.
“May was already home from work when I got home from school today,” Peter said, his voice shaking. “She said she had news. She got offered a new job… better pay, better hours, no more nightshift.”
“That sounds awesome. The catch is?”
A lump rose in Peter’s throat. “It’s with the Mayo Clinic. In Minnesota.”
He wasn’t looking at Tony, but he felt him tense beside him.
“Ok,” Tony finally replied. “That is… less awesome.”
His voice wavered for only a second, but that waver was all Peter needed before he broke.
“I don’t want to go,” he choked out. “New York is my home. I’ve lived here my whole life! I like my school, and my friends are here. I can’t be... you know, in Minnesota! And I don’t- I don’t want to leave!”
He didn’t want to leave Tony was what he didn’t say, but Tony got it anyway. He always did.
His face softened behind his sunglasses and he wrapped an arm around Peter’s shoulders, tugging him against his side. He didn’t speak again until the train was coming into Lexington Avenue station.
“Come on, bud,” he said quietly, nudging Peter to his feet.
They left the train and Tony prodded Peter towards the turnstile.
“I get the train thing,” Tony said. “But maybe spending an afternoon riding the subway with no aircon in the middle of May wasn’t the best idea, yeah?”
Peter smiled faintly but said nothing.
When they exited the station, Happy was waiting with the car. Peter hadn’t even noticed Tony texting him, and he wondered if he’d missed it or if Happy had tracked them.
Tony slid into the backseat next to Peter without a word to Happy, and before Happy had even put the key in the ignition, Peter had burst into tears.
Tony just hugged Peter silently, raising the screen between the front seat and back and ignoring Happy’s concerned look.
“Oh, Pete,” Tony murmured softly. There was nothing more he could say.
Peter just sobbed onto Tony’s shoulder. He couldn’t help it, although he was mortified for crying like a baby in front of Tony. This wasn’t the first time he’d cried in front of Tony, but he’d never cried like this before. But Tony didn’t complain or make fun (not that Peter had expected him to), he just let Peter cry and rubbed his back gently, despite the fact that Peter’s hair and t-shirt were all sweaty from the stifling hot subway car.
Happy drove them not to Queens, but to Tony and Pepper’s. When they entered the penthouse, Pepper was in the living room waiting for them, her eyes dark with concern.
“You’re home early,” Tony greeted her in surprise.
Pepper nodded. “My last meeting got cancelled, so I thought I’d come home early. Is everything ok?” she asked, her eyes flickering anxiously between them.
Peter’s eyes filled with tears and he almost broke into fresh sobs again, but he just barely managed to hold them back. Tony squeezed the nape of his neck lightly, not answering Pepper’s question.
“Why don’t you go grab a cool shower, bud?” Tony suggested to Peter gently. “Freshen up and then come back.”
Peter nodded reluctantly, heading without hesitation to the bedroom he always stayed in when the occasion called for it. Either because May was working the night shift and Peter didn’t feel like being alone, or he and Tony had gotten wrapped up in their work and lost track of time. He was a frequent enough visitor to always have a few spare changes of clothes left in the room. Only yesterday, he had loved that. Loved knowing that he had a place where he was always welcome. Today it hurt. Now it was just another thing he was going to lose.
Peter figured that Tony had either forgotten about his enhanced hearing in the moment, or assumed the shower would drown out their voices, because Peter had barely turned on the water when Pepper’s voice reached his ear.
“Happy called me and said that Peter and May had a fight and you were out looking for him,” she said. “I got here as soon as I could. What’s going on, Tony?”
“I need you to call May,” Tony said quietly, his voice heavy. “Tell her that Peter’s here and he’s ok… physically.”
“Why can’t you call her?” Pepper questioned.
There was a pause, and Peter strained his ears.
“May got a new job,” Tony finally said. “At the Mayo Clinic in fucking Minnesota.”
Peter heard Pepper’s sharp intake of breath.
“Oh, honey,” she whispered and fresh tears sprung to Peter’s eyes.
There was another long pause before Tony spoke again.
“Pep...” Tony croaked, and Peter clenched his jaw together to muffle a sob.
“I’ll call her now,” Pepper said swiftly.
Peter jumped in the shower, trying to tune out the sounds from beyond the bathroom now. He didn’t want to hear Pepper and May’s conversation.
When Peter finally returned to the living room in fresh clothes with damp curls, Pepper got up to hug him.
“May’s on her way over to talk,” she said gently.
Peter nodded, his stomach sinking. He didn’t know what the point of talking was, May had already decided she wanted the job. She didn’t ask Peter how he felt about the idea, she just told him that she was taking it. Right after she told him that she’d already been offered a job at the Mayo clinic once and had turned it down after Richard and Mary died. May and Ben had decided moving state so soon after losing his parents would be too much change for Peter.
Which, to Peter, meant that May had already turned down her dream job once because of him. And she didn’t want to do it a second time.
He dejectedly stumbled over to the couch to sit beside Tony, burying his face against Tony’s shoulder.
“Minnesota is so dumb,” he muttered, sniffling.
Tony wrapped his arms around him tightly.
“Yep,” he agreed. “So dumb.”
“Tony,” Pepper scolded him.
“What? You want me to lie to him?” Tony asked her. “I don’t lie to Peter.”
Pepper rolled her eyes. “Have either of you ever been to Minnesota?” she asked.
Tony paused. “No,” he conceded reluctantly.
Peter shook his head, although he didn’t think that mattered. He didn’t have to go to the sun to know it was hot.
For a moment Peter feared Pepper was going to do what May had done after breaking the news- launch into a spiel of facts about Minnesota to try and sell him on it.
But she just sat back in her seat and watched Peter sadly.
After a few minutes, Tony cleared his throat. “You know, they have a Spam museum in Minnesota,” he said in a pained voice. “That… sounds interesting.”
“No, it doesn’t. Spam sucks,” Peter muttered, scowling faintly as he buried his face deeper into Tony’s shoulder.
Minnesota could have a life-size replica of the Death Star for all Peter cared. It didn’t have his friends. It didn’t have Tony.
Tony just rested his chin atop Peter’s head and held him tighter.
“I can’t be Spider-Man in Minnesota,” Peter mumbled. “May’s already picked out a school- it’s not even a STEM school. And Minnesota is cold.”
“Yeah, but it’s so close to Canada that everyone is ridiculously polite and good-natured,” Tony said in a forcibly light tone. “You’ll fit right in, Underoos.”
Peter just sniffed again, closing his eyes tiredly.
When May arrived, Pepper greeted her warmly and offered her lemonade and cookies. May declined both, taking a seat on the armchair Pepper offered her, all the while Peter refused to raise his head from Tony’s shoulder.
“Peter?” she asked gently.
Peter ignored her and May sighed.
“We can give you a moment,” Pepper offered, and Peter unthinkingly twisted his fingers tighter into the cotton of Tony’s t-shirt.
“No, it’s fine,” May refused quietly. “I- I guess this affects you both too.”
Pepper nodded slightly, but Tony pressed his nose into Peter’s damp curls, almost as reluctant as Peter to meet May’s gaze. May directed her words to Peter regardless.
“Pete, I’m sorry,” May apologised. “I know you don’t want to go, but… this job is such an amazing opportunity for me. The Mayo clinic? It’s the best hospital in the country. This is more money, better hours… it means no more nightshift.”
She took a deep breath. “Look, we wouldn’t be moving until the summer, they’ve agreed I don’t have to start until September. It means you can finish the school year at Midtown with your friends, and still have your birthday here.”
“What’s the job, May?” Pepper asked when it became obvious Peter wasn’t going to say anything.
“It’s a research job,” May explained, a note of excitement entering her voice. “For Alzheimer’s disease, helping to develop clinical trials. My mom died of it, so it’s always been something I’ve been interested in. When the job came up, I never dreamed I’d get it. But then they called me today. God, I still can’t believe it.”
Neither could Peter, but not for the same reason. This was like a living nightmare.
“And look,” May continued enthusiastically. “Rochester is a great city. It’s one of the safest in the country. We can have a house, not an apartment. With a lawn.”
Peter didn’t care about a lawn. He’d live in a cardboard box if it meant staying in Queens, staying in New York.
“I can’t be Spider-Man in Minnesota,” he said again, finally looking to his aunt.
May paused, biting the inside of her cheek. “No, honey,” she agreed. “But… isn’t that a good thing?”
Peter stared at her incredulously, while Tony’s grip tightened on him ever so slightly.
“You’ll have more time to focus on school, and spend time with your friends-”
“My friends are here,” Peter reminded her.
“You’ll make new friends,” May replied immediately and Peter scoffed.
May sighed again. “I’m sorry, honey,” she said. “I really am. But I have to do this. And I think in the long run, it’s going to be really great for us both. A fresh start.”
Peter squeezed his eyes shut. That was what May had said to him right before he’d stormed from the apartment. After he’d asked her if this was her way of keeping him away from Tony, and she’d hesitated just a fraction too long for his liking.
Tony and May had come a long way from seven months ago after she’d discovered that he was Spider-Man and Tony had been helping him behind her back. May had admitted to Peter more than once that she was impressed with Tony’s dedication to teaching and protecting Peter. But Peter knew that Tony wouldn’t have been her first choice to mentor Peter- she would’ve preferred Captain America or someone with a less colourful reputation, despite the fact that Captain America was currently a fugitive and a war criminal.
Not to mention the fact that Tony’s reputation wasn’t even close to the Tony that Peter had come to know over the past seven months.
“Is there no STEM school in town he could attend?” Tony asked May.
It wouldn’t make the move any more bearable, but it would at least ensure Peter was at a school that suited his talents and interests.
“Not that I can afford, and they don’t offer scholarships like Midtown does,” May said ruefully.
They all knew what Tony was going to say before he even opened his mouth.
“I could-”
“No,” May cut him off firmly. “Tony, I really appreciate everything you’ve done for Peter, I really do. But no. He’s my kid, and I’ll provide for him. If that means he has to suck it up and go to a public school, so be it.”
Peter inwardly cringed. Suck it up.
May’s face softened. “I am really sorry,” she said regretfully.
Tony’s face was almost as sad as Peter’s as they both looked at her.
“Peter, come on. Let’s go home.”
For a moment, Peter considered refusing. But instead, he slowly let go of Tony’s t-shirt and uncurled himself from the couch.
“Thank you for coming to get me,” he murmured to Tony as he hugged him goodbye.
Tony squeezed him tight. “Any time, kid. I’ll see you on Wednesday, yeah?”
Peter nodded and hugged Pepper goodbye too, before he followed May to the elevator with a heavy heart.
Suck it up. He felt like those words would be repeated quite frequently in his immediate future.