Irondad Oneshots

we'll all be here forever

tw: mentions of dying/death, like almost suicidal ideation but idk 

(pls pls pls be so nice and gentle I haven't written anything in like 3 years and idk if this fandom is even alive anymore but I found a WIP and had the inspiration to finish it) 

*

The decline began when his principal mentioned, in passing, that Peter's applications would look bare compared to a lot of applicants with his lack of extra-curriculars. Sure, he had Academic Decathlon and a Tony Stark Internship, but otherwise, that space of his college applications was empty.

So, he took the initiative in his Senior year to join a few extra clubs to bulk up his application. He started a campaign for student class president, joined the robotics club, and got on the football team. As well as all that, he started tutoring during his lunch hours both for volunteer hours and as an addition to his applications.

He needed to get into MIT. He didn't think he could deal with any disappointment from anybody around him. Tony's been talking about Peter's future at SI after graduating MIT, May's already preparing to sell the apartment and buy herself a smaller condo when he moves out, Ben always said Peter had to go to a school that challenged him like MIT would.

He wouldn't let them down.

So he continued to squish his schedule as tight as he possibly could. AP classes, homework, four extra-curriculars, tutoring, Spider-Man, and the internship started leaving no time for himself. Sleeping at night started getting cut shorter and shorter, and he could barely make time to talk to his friends or May.

Tony notices first because he's always been a genius and way too observant for his own good, so when Peter slides into his seat in the lab, dragging a hand through his hair, and tossing a couple textbooks in front of him, Tony almost immediately grabs his shoulder and stops him.

"You okay, kid? You look a little rough?" Tony says, eyes already narrowed in suspicion. One hand cups Peter's face, thumb brushing over his cheekbone.

"Just been busy." Peter looks towards his homework. English, physics, biology, spanish, chemistry, history, the academic decathlon practice he's supposed to go over, the speech he's supposed to have done for the next debate for student class president.

Tony frowns, making his forehead crease. "You look like you haven't slept in days, kid. This doesn't just look like regular high school stress."

"High school student slash superhero is more accurate."

His watch continues ticking, the conversation wasting all of his precious time.

He needs to get his homework done during lab time so he can squeeze in some Spider-Manning before May gets home from her shift.

"Still," Tony says petulantly. He crosses his arms and frowns at the work. "You can't, I don't know, take a break from all this shit?"

If Peter takes a break, he'll have double as much to do the next day on top of football practice after school and robotics club after that. But he can't say that or Tony would force him to drop some of his extra-curriculars.

"Pepper would kill you if she found out you were being a bad influence on me," Peter says, but when it doesn't get the reaction he wanted, he frowns and shakes his head. "I'm fine, Mister Stark, just a little tired. Don't worry, the weekend's coming up soon."

Tony sighs overdramatically and moves back to his lab bench.

Peter purposefully fails to mention that he's got a football game early morning on Saturday, enough time to squish in some patrolling before he has an Academic Decathlon meet at Ned's house all afternoon, and enough homework to last him all night. And on Sunday, he has to finish his speech for the debate, he promised May he'd pick up his slack with chores, and he's tutoring a freshman in math all afternoon.