Work Text:
“And that is where Rhodey and I – ah, no I can’t share that story with you.”
“Mr. Stark! You have too!”
Tony Stark grinned down at Peter Parker, warmth filling his chest. Tucked under his arm and on a campus he had once called his home, Tony didn’t want to be anywhere else.
When Peter had come to him, giving him a shy but hopeful smile, asking if Tony would like to come with him on a tour to MIT, Tony had rushed to accept.
“Really?” Peter had asked, eyes wide and a smile so big it made his cheeks crinkle.
“Of course,” Tony had said, shaking his head with mild disbelief. It still baffled Tony that even after all this time, after everything they had been through, that Peter still sometimes questioned just what he meant to Tony. One day, Peter would understand that Tony would burn the world down for him if he asked.
“Yes! Thank you!”
“Is May joining us?” Tony had asked, already mentally planning the trip.
“She said she would leave the college tour up to you,” Peter explained. “And that she would take care of the dorm room shopping when the time came.”
Tony had felt an overwhelming amount of gratitude to May Parker and had sent her a bottle of champagne as thanks. May had sent back a selfie of herself holding a full glass and Tony had saved the picture as May’s new contact photo.
When they time came for the tour, Pepper and Morgan had waved them off and blown kisses until they were no longer visible in the rear-view mirror. The drive up the campus had been fun, Tony enjoying the one-on-one time he got to have with Peter that he hadn’t been able to have recently.
Peter had been practically vibrating with excitement, asking Tony about his time at MIT. Tony’s experience was mostly filled with heavy drinking and sleeping around and while he wanted Peter to have fun, he didn’t want it to be destructive like his had been. So, Tony had told the stories, editing them so he didn’t give Peter the wrong impression.
When they had arrived at MIT, the dean had been waiting for them, shaking Peter’s hand roughly, his eyes glued to Tony.
“Welcome! And welcome back, Mr. Stark! We are delighted to have you again.”
Delighted may have been a stretch as Tony still remembered the cow incident and he was sure the school had too.
Tony had been a little surprised that there was no one else on the tour as the dean started taking them through the campus.
“I did book it,” Peter had whispered to Tony when he had asked. “I put you and myself down.”
It struck Tony that they must have seen his name and decided that they would give a private tour instead. Tony was a little miffed as he had wanted Peter to get the whole experience. Possibly meet some new people he would be attending with. He kept that to himself and allowed the dean to take them through.
“And this is the engineering lab!”
The lab had changed since Tony had been a student (his generous donations helping with the upgrades). He looked around, a wave of nostalgia hit Tony. While Tony had enjoyed the sex and the drinking, it had been his classes that he had held his love.
“Thank you for your continuous donations,” the dean was saying. “With it we are able to have the latest technology for our students.”
As the dean continued to prattle on about the upgrades, they had made to the engineering department, Tony nodded along half-heartedly. His gaze tracked Peter as he moved around the lab, taking it all in. He watched as Peter moved to the white board, eyes flicking over the equation.
Peter took up a marker and started finishing out the equation. He worked methodically and quickly, adding notes here and there as he worked.
Tony was aware that the dean had trailed off mid-sentence, watching as Peter work. He smirked, sliding his hands into his pocket as he watched Peter work. Eventually, Peter put the marker down and turned around to find Tony and the dean watching him.
“Nice work, kid,” Tony said, giving an approving nod. He eyes flicked over the work and wasn’t surprised to see that it was flawless. “I see you added to make the design more energy efficient.”
Peter nodded, a smile spreading across his lips. “Yeah! This is awesome! Though I expect that it will be a little harder when the classes start, right?”
“Right,” the dean said weakly.
Tony supressed his laughter. He had no doubt that Peter had just solved an equation that the dean hadn’t set up, but rather what a current class was working on. Tony could correct him, but he wanted to show Peter off.
“What do you think, kid?” Tony asked as the dean seemed rather lost for words.
“I love it,” Peter gushed. “This place is amazing!”
“And you still haven’t seen everything yet,” Tony grinned. He looked at the dean. “Shall we?”
They left the engineering lab and Tony started leading them towards the cafeteria as the dean seemed in shock. The nearest cafeteria was thankfully not too busy, and Tony pulled out his wallet, handing it to Peter.
“Go grab us something to eat,” Tony encouraged.
“Okay,” Peter beamed and bounded away, looking like he belonged there already.
“Your son just solved the issue our professor was having,” the dean said, looking at Tony with wide eyes.
Tony preened at the mention of Peter being his son. “Did I forget to mention how smart Peter was?”
“Are we going to be able to challenge Peter here?” the dean asked, looking suddenly serious.
Tony raised an eyebrow. “You don’t want Peter to attend?”
The dean snorted. “Stark, we would love nothing more than your legacy to continue to learn within our walls. I know when you attended you were beyond the level of your peers.”
Tony was significantly younger than those he had attended with, and it was only thanks to Rhodey did he mange to come out the other end mostly unscathed. Rhodey had made the experience of college life more bearable, had taught Tony how to interact with other people and showed him that family didn’t always mean blood.
“Will Peter’s experience be the same?” the dean continued. “What can we do to ensure that he has the best experience here?”
Tony watched as Peter politely chatted with the worked behind the till, gesturing widely, and smiling brightly.
“Peter is going to outsmart me one day,” Tony said. “But I have no doubt that he will love his time here and will learn everything that he can.” Tony gave a small, proud smile. “Peter’s upbringing was very different to mine. He won’t have any trouble adjusting.”
The dean nodded. “And in terms of the classes?”
Tony snorted. “Kid is the hardest worker I know. He wants to be here, and he’ll appreciate every moment he is. I’m sure you professors here will come up with things that will challenge him.”
“And you will continue with his education where we may lack,” the dean finished.
The conversation paused as Peter hurried back to them, handing back Tony’s wallet. The pink on his cheeks let Tony know that even across the cafeteria, Peter had heard their conversation.
“I was just bragging to the dean how smart you were,” Tony grinned.
“Dad,” Peter whined, cheeks flushing brighter.
Tony laughed. “Come on. Let’s find a table and eat. We’ll need fuel for the rest of the tour.”
After a lunch, the dean showed them the rest of the campus. At the end of the tour, the dean handed Peter a MIT tote bag that was bulging at the seams with treats. Peter thanked the dean profusely and Tony had to practically drag the young adult away.
“So?” Tony asked as they made their way back to the car.
“Amazing,” Peter said breathlessly.
Tony grinned. “And your application?”
“Ready to go,” Peter nodded. “I just want you to look over it before I submit it.”
“I can do that,” Tony said.
“I promise I’ll work hard here,” Peter said, gazing up at Tony. “I won’t tarnish your good name.”
Tony shook his head. “Kid. You have already surpassed my good name. I’m not worried about any of that. I just want you to have the most amazing time here.”
“You think I’ll get in?” Peter asked.
“Kid, I think the dean will be tripping over himself to accept you.”
Peter blushed. “I didn’t know that equation was a professor! I thought the dean had set it up for me.”
Tony laughed, loud and bright. He had no doubt that Peter would turn MIT on its head and would leave Tony in the dust. He couldn’t wait to see what Peter did while at MIT and he would be cheering from the sidelines, proud and amazed that he could call Peter his son.