Spider-Son & Iron Dad two shots

The Coparenting Agenda

a/n: bc the may parker-tony stark coparenting trope is so underrated

Spooktober 19: Concussion

When May's phone began buzzing on her desk, she couldn't help but sigh with relief. She had been busy all day, fielding work calls, sorting paperwork, reading statistics until her head hurt. A break was in order no matter what, but the telltale sound of a text message from her personal phone rather than her work one usually meant pleasant company.

She expected it to be Peter that the text came from, because she didn't really have anyone else that texted her regularly. Sometimes he'll send her little 'memes' or funny videos throughout the day to keep her spirits up if she's stressed. Other times he'll just send random tidbits, things that happened at school, homework that was due, movies they should watch—Anything, really.

She had been meaning to text Peter anyways, because she didn't think she would be home in time to heat up the leftovers in the fridge for dinner. It was already nearing five in the afternoon, and whether she wanted to or not, she probably wouldn't be home until seven or eight because of the backlogged paperwork she had been saddled with.

But the text message she received wasn't from Peter at all.

[Tony Stark: Hey, May. Wanted to let you know that Peter got himself into some trouble on patrol today and got a minor concussion. He's okay now, and he'll probably be healed enough to leave in a few hours thanks to his "abilities."]

May frowns and fully turns away from her laptop. It always made her uneasy when she found out Peter had been hurt on patrol. The kid was strong, and she knew that, but at the end of the day he was still a kid. She picks her phone up to quickly send back a response.

[May Parker: What happened? Should I leave work early?]

The mental image of an unconscious Peter with blood-soaked hair passes through her head, and her expression goes firm with worry.

[Tony Stark: He just bonked his head while swinging and not looking where he was going. I've got it pretty much handled from here, there's no need to leave work unless you want to.]

May sighs with relief.

[Tony Stark: The only reason I haven't sent him home on his merry way is because he's currently passed out on the Compound's couch and clinging to me like a koala.]

That... That was a new mental image. May blinks as she tries to wrap herself around the reality she was living, for not the first time and definitely not the last. She truly was texting the billionaire playboy philanthropist, famous heartthrob of the 1990s, Anthony Edward Stark about her pseudo-son nephew with superpowers.

She never had been a huge fan of Tony Stark, per say. Everybody had seen the tabloids back then, when Stark Industries was better known for their missiles than good charity. As a charitable woman herself, a part of her never really forgot that first part of his history.

Her weariness for him grew even more when Peter first started working for him. All of the sudden, the kid she spent years caring for was exhausted, lying and sneaking about, constantly distracted by something in his own head so far beyond May's realm of thinking. He was overworked, constantly second-guessing himself. Of course her first obvious thought was to blame his new internship, it was the only new variable in the equation at the time.

Peter had looked up to Iron Man since as long as May could remember. She remembers Ben and her talking about purchasing tickets to expos whenever Tony Stark was planning on coming to New York, she had purchased signed photos and gifted toy repulsors and Iron Man footie pajamas on Christmas morning.

She understood that Peter grew up with a very different Tony Stark in the headlines than May did. Working alongside Iron Man? This was a dream come true for him.

Now, with the knowledge of what really went down in Germany, and that field trip to the Oscorp, and every night in between and afterwards, May understood some other things that she was willing to accept.

For example, Tony had become more responsible since the time he was constantly in bad press. He took the mentor role with Peter very seriously, May had seen it with her own eyes.

He didn't hesitate to call May if Peter was pushing himself too hard. It wasn't often, but enough for May to know that he truly would do anything to protect the kid and keep him safe. That was a common place they could agree upon.

He also didn't hesitate to text May if Peter had gotten hurt, and all of his texts would talk about the kid in a very patronly manner, sort of like the texts he had just sent.

Shortly put—May had to come to terms that she was indeed co-parenting Peter for the second time in her life, and while weary at first, she had grown comfortable and almost relieved that the other responsible adult looking after Peter also had the ability to help him with his double life.

After a few seconds of thinking, May typed out her next response.

[May Parker: Text me pictures.☺️]

[May Parker: Call me if anything changes. You can keep him for the night if you want, he doesn't have school tomorrow.]

[Tony Stark: Is there a holiday or something?]

[May Parker: Parent-Teacher conferences. Want to be there?]

[Tony Stark: Ha ha.]

May smiles. She turns off her phone and continues working with the knowledge that her nephew is in safe hands while he sleeps off his head injury.

Later, when she finally turns off her computer at the end of the night, pulling her purse over her shoulder to leave the office, she checks her phone one last time.

Tony had sent a series of photos, the first one an awkward selfie with Peter drooling on his shoulder, and the other two being screenshots of security camera feed, showing Peter still comfortably passed out while Tony drifts off beside him.

She saves the photos to her camera roll with a grin, for she now knows Peter's next Christmas present.

(Now all she needed was to find a good frame.)