Family is more than Blood

by EmptyFridges

Summary:

It's several months after Homecoming and Tony now has a more active role in Peter's life. But Peter is a teenage superhero, this isn't easy for either of them. A Spiderson/IronDad story full of fluff. Does contain disciplinary spanking of a minor.

Chapter 1

Peter mindlessly tapped his pen on the edge of the desk he was seated at as his Spanish teacher droned on about conjunctions. It was Wednesday and the school day couldn't end fast enough, Mr Stark promised him they could spend the evening in the lab tinkering with his webshooters and he couldn't wait.

"Peter….Peter! Are you even listening to me?" Peter was startled back to the present by the sharp tone of his teacher, he looked down blushing as everyone turned to stare at him.

"Lo siento, ¿puedes repetir la pregunta por favor?" He asks cheeks burning as his classmates tittered around him.

The teacher repeated the question and he mumbled back a response quickly to avoid further attention. No attention was better than the wrong sort after all.

Minutes later his spidey-sense tingled which he reluctantly ignored due to being in class and as he expected seconds later a ball of paper hit him on the back of the head. Reaching down he picked it up surreptitiously to avoid another reprimand from his teacher and flattened it out. He drew in a breath, he shouldn’t have been surprised really, he had known it would be from Flash, the paper on his desk sported a crudely drawn picture of a boy in frayed trousers, a slightly too short on the arms sweater and surrounded by books with tears running down his cheeks. The words 'Poor Penis Parker' framed the drawing and he didn't need to turn around to know it was Flash sniggering behind him. Flushing he angrily scrunched the paper back up and dropped it into his bag to throw away later. Studiously ignoring the boy and his gang of morons laughing behind him he continued to note down his teachers words, determined not to let the boy see how his taunt had affected him. Showing weakness would just make everything worse, of that he was certain.

Only ten more minutes until lunch, he thought to himself, then another two classes and I can go to the tower. His stomach was in pain from hunger and all he could think about was getting his lunch, breakfast seemed so long ago. Stupid spider metabolism. As soon as the bell rang he grabbed his bag and rushed out determined to meet Ned and join the lunch queue as quickly as possible. So focussed on looking for Ned in the sea of students crowding the corridor he was taken by surprise when a harsh shove pushed him sideways into some lockers. Shocked he turned to see Flash grinning at him and unconsciously curled in on himself slightly gripping his bag tightly.

"Please Flash I don't have time for this, just let me get my lunch, leave me alone" he told the bigger boy tiredly.

The boy's smile became predatory as he leered over Peter.

"You know, I don't think I will Penis" he replied and turning to address his friends continued, "You know what boys? I'm feeling really hungry today what about you?"

Dread pooled in Peter's stomach already knowing what was coming even before they all agreed with Flash. Quicker than Peter expected he was punched hard in the stomach and had to drop his bag in fear of someone suspecting something was afoot. After all if this had happened before Spiderman he was certain he would have been in tears by this point. He would let himself be the victim to prevent someone else being in his place but he refused to give Flash the satisfaction of making him cry. So, he curled up in a ball to cover his stomach, to be fair despite being Spiderman he could still have the wind knocked out of him, it was still unpleasant. He so wished he could just hit him back but he couldn’t, right now he wasn't Spiderman he was poor, useless Peter Parker and had to act like he would have a year ago, before he was bitten. As he clutched his stomach he heard the others grab at his ratty bag and open it emptying the contents all over the floor. He saw his blue meal ticket which gave him a free lunch flutter towards the ground and reached out a hand to grab it but was beaten to it by Flash.

"Oooh thanks Penis," he jeered. "I think I'll take this, you'll have to go buy yourself something."

Gritting his teeth Peter ignored the taunt. Everyone knew blue tickets were for people that got free school lunches, so Flash knew by taking it away he wouldn’t be able to eat. He also knew Flash knew he was on a scholarship, this school was expensive but assholes like Flash didn’t understand, would never understand.

He flinched as a hand came down to rest on his shoulder.

"Only me."

He turned and smiled up at Ned who quickly helped him pick up his things which were strewn all over the hallway.

"Sorry I got held up in biology, you can have some of my lunch if you want" The larger boy offered with a sad smile.

Mumbling his thanks Peter pulled himself up self-consciously dusting himself off. He entered the cafeteria to a shout of thanks from Flash who was grinning like an idiot as he bit into a burger, another in his other hand.

"Ignore him, he's an idiot" Ned murmured to him as he pulled Peter towards their normal table.

Nodding absently but still upset at the bully’s words Peter sat down as Ned went to grab some lunch for them both. Peter really was lucky to have Ned, he always stuck by him and he didn’t think he could ever repay him for all the help he had given him over the years. The other boy soon returned with a full tray of food and Peter ate a few fries to stave off the hunger pains in his stomach and accepted a bag
of chips but left the rest for his friend. After all Ned wasn't the loser who let their meal ticket get taken by Flash and his friends.

Seeing Peter was brooding, most probably about Flash's actions Ned tried to distract him. "So, what's the plan with Mr Stark tonight?" He asked knowing perfectly well asking about Stark would cheer his friend up, it always did. He couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across his face as his friend's mood did a total 180 and he started to babble about the changes they were thinking of making to the web grenade feature of his suit.

The rest of lunch passed quickly Peter did feel considerably better by the time the bell rang for afternoon classes. If only that could last though.

The two friends quickly made their way to their computer class and their usual seats towards the back of the room, Ned insisted they sat there because he said the computers were faster, but Peter was sure it was just because the teacher couldn’t see what you were doing when you sat there. Within five minutes the classroom was full and Mr Smith started their lesson.

Peter found computer class fine, it was fairly easy and he never really had to do much revision for it, he was gen z after all, every teenager knows at least the basics, but it’ Ned's favourite class by far. After hacking into Peter's suits all those months ago the boy got really into coding and now regularly codes in his spare time determined to work in the field after school. He was crazy good at it to be honest, if Peter ever needed anything coded or hacked into Ned would be the man for the job.

The class was fairly loud as everyone chatted amongst themselves while doing their work, as long as the work was done their teacher didn’t care. Staring at his screen Peter listened with half an ear as Ned prattled on about his new Lego set…"yeah so we could make it this weekend? Are you free?" he asks.

"Can't do this weekend I'm at my internship. Mr Stark said he would take me…" he started before being interrupted.

"Ugh Penis stop this lying!" Came Flash’s voice from behind him, he had been walking back to his seat and overhead Peter's words. "No one believes a loser like you actually knows Tony Stark. Why would SI hire you? You’d only be taken on because it's good publicity to hire poor losers." He said cruelly "stop lying for attention. Why would anyone care about you anyway?"

Why would anyone care about you? The words rattled round in Peter's head and he hardly noticed as Flash moved away. He ignored Ned's worried looks and just turned back to his screen in an attempt to look busy as the words kept going round and round in his head.

Maybe he was just a pity project. He thought to himself. Why would Mr Stark care about him? But that couldn't be right Mr Stark has told him he cares about him before. But that could be lies? He lies to the press all the time he could lie to him too. Maybe he just likes Spiderman and Peter is the unfortunate cost.

Wallowing in his misery his earlier excitement for working in the lab after school fades away, unfortunately the rest of computing and the following chemistry class fly by and Peter knows he will be asking Ned for his notes later as he has been preoccupied the entire afternoon Flash's words still in the forefront of his mind. Luckily for him Flash wasn't in his chemistry class and he thought if he rushed he would be able to go to his locker for his books and go out the front of the school to meet Happy without running into the boy. With this in mind he practically ran out the classroom as the bell rang.
Unfortunately, Peter's day could get worse than hunger, a punch and verbal abuse as Flash appeared round the corner just as Peter pushed his locker closed. He turned ready to walk away but saw two of Flash's friends coming towards him from the opposite direction.

"Oi Penis, what are you doing here?" his tormentor called.

Realising he had nowhere to go he stopped and turned to look at Flash. "You know I think I get why you are alternate for decathlon Flash" he replied attempting to act like he wasn’t terrified, "I'm standing here in front of a locker with my name on the front, full of my things, holding a school bag full of textbooks from this school, it's almost as if I go to school here."

Others in the vicinity laugh quietly around them and he watches smirking internally as Flash flushed in a mix of anger and embarrassment.

"Shut up Penis" he shouted back getting up into Peter's personal space and promptly shoving him hard. The smaller boy puts on the stumble back as he could have easily stood his ground as Spiderman but of course Penis Parker could not. Flash sneered down at him and pushed him again making him fall to the ground.

"That's where you belong Penis, remember that. No one cares about you. You are nothing." He snarled spitting on the fallen boy before walking away.

Ashamed and uncomfortable with the others in the corridor staring at him Peter dragged himself to his feet up avoiding eye contact and jogged away just as his phone beeps.

Where are you kid? – Happy

He doesn't bother replying but speeds up and waved half-heartedly as Happy's car came into view. With a mumbled hello he climbed into the back seat throwing his bag down forcefully.

"Good day?" Happy asked eyeing him in the rear-view mirror.

"Hmmm? Yeah fine Happy" he sighed as he turned to look out the window, Flash's words still repeating in his head.

Why would anyone care about you? You are nothing.

As he drove back towards Stark Tower Happy kept looking at the teen in the backseat in the rear view mirror unsettled with the uncharacteristic quiet from the boy, it was usually difficult getting a word in edgeways around his ramblings, he was a little like Tony like that. He wouldn’t admit it to the boy or anyone in fact but he had grown fond of the kid’s non-stop chatter. He had been driving twenty minutes and Peter was still looking forlornly out the window it was worrying.

"You alright kid?" He queried watching as the boy plastered on an obviously fake smile. He had been Tony’s personal body guard for years he knew a fake smile when he saw one.

"Yeah great totally fine Happy." Yeah the kid definitely wasn’t fine.

Peter couldn’t stop himself fidgeting as they got closer to the tower fiddling with a loose thread on his sweater as Happy pulled into the private garage. Grabbing his bag, he swung it onto his back as he climbed out the car, following Happy to the elevator and stepping inside. They both stand in silence for several seconds before Happy looked down at him and raised an eyebrow. He remembered the first few times he had come to the tower he thought Happy had been saying some sort of super-secret password he wasn’t allowed to know to get the elevator to work but then found out Tony set everyone’s passphrases as the elevator was voice-activated. When he began coming over regularly he was given his own password resulting in Happy refusing to use his own when with Peter, when he complained Happy just told him to suck it up. To be honest having his own access code for Stark tower sounded really cool but it was just embarrassing having to say either Peter Parker picked a peck of pickled peppers or Spiderbaby every time he visited (the phrase depended on whether or not he was in his suit). He supposed Happy’s refusal to use his own password unless he had to made sense. Of course this wasn't the only security measure, Peter knew F.R.I.D.A.Y assessed whether they were themselves with brief scans while they were inside the elevator.

Happy's impatient cough brought Peter out of his musings and he mumbled his code blushing. Before he knew it they were at the second to highest floor where Mr Stark's lab was located and he immediately saw the man himself on the far side of the room a cup of coffee in his hand as he looked over some blueprints projected onto the wall.

"Well if it isn't my favourite Spider" Tony said as he turned around at hearing their entrance, eyes warming slightly as he looked at the teen. "Have you eaten?" followed immediately and at Peter's shake of the head he walked over putting a hand on the boys shoulder. "Upstairs, now. You know where the snacks are. Bring down a few, we might be here a while." He lightly turned the boy and pushed him back into the elevator as he told F.R.I.D.A.Y. to take him upstairs.

Spinning to look at Happy as soon as the elevator doors closed he started quizzing the man, "so whats wrong? You look worried. Your shoulders were tense when you walked in."

"It's the boy…” Happy started.

"What? Is he hurt? Why didn't you say something sooner?" Tony asks frantically as he cuts the man off, worry clouding his face.

"No he's fine" the bodyguard assured smiling slightly at his Boss's overprotectiveness. "Well maybe not fine he was quiet on the way here. I think something is bothering him."

Something is bothering him? Tony thought to himself. "Okay, no problem, I got this. Don't worry. I have this.”

Happy grinned nodding wondering which of them Tony was trying to convince. As Peter came back granola in one hand and a fistful more in the other Happy turned and left in the elevator the boy just vacated.

"Okay my little Spider let's get to work."

A small smile works its way onto Peter's face as he dropped the granolas down on the table in the corner they had christened the snack table several months before. He quickly made his way over to his usual work station and projected his webshooter designs in front of him. The first time he had come in all the fancy tech had blown his mind, but he was getting more used to it now, occasionally he would come down and Mr Stark would have added something new and he would geek out, he didn’t think there would ever be a time he wouldn’t to be honest. He grabbed a pen from the drawer and begin making notes and small sketches not noticing the billionaire looking up at him with worry every few minutes.

"So what are you trying to do underoos?" Mr Stark asked twenty minutes later making Peter jump as the older man’s words pulled him back into the lab.

"Oh umm just I want the webshooters to make it easier to replace web cartridges so I don't have to stop to do it. I'm trying to make it something I can do with just one hand. The idea is if I flick my wrist a certain way it will drop the empty cartridge and then…."

Tony looked at the kid fondly as the teen rambled on about his intended improvements a strange feeling he couldn’t quite name in his chest. He had noticed that happened a lot these days especially around Peter. "That sounds great buddy, you really are good at this." He grinned as the boy blushed at the praise and looked down shyly. He had started praising the boy more in an attempt to boost his self-confidence, but he wasn’t sure how well it was working to be honest. "Well I won't distract you, get on with it."

Peter nodded and continued soon getting lost in his work again.

After another twenty minutes Tony looked over at the boy, he had been extremely quiet today usually the boy talked a mile a minute about anything and everything.

Peter continued working but it seems less fun than usual, less exciting. No matter how hard he tried Flash's cruel words wouldn't leave his head. After all, why would Mr Stark care about useless Peter Parker, he's a busy man Peter should be grateful the man is putting up with him, grateful he even lets him in the building, grateful…

"You know you can tell me anything Peter right?" Tony's words interrupted his spiralling thoughts and he nodded distractedly continuing his work.

Tony left it at that and continued to watch the boy work rather mechanically and without his usual enthusiasm for the next ten minutes. "Peter what is it? You've been quiet since you came in, whats wrong?"
Peter’s head whipped up as his face paled, "n-nothing Mr Stark."

"No. Come on somethings wrong. You can tell me, Peter." Tony insisted as he watched the boy bite his lip clearly wrestling with himself. Tony stayed quiet as he looked at the teen a single eyebrow raised, waiting. Peter would cave, he always did.

"Do you only care about me because I'm Spiderman?" The boy blurted out after almost a minute of silence.

Tony blinked slowly, shocked at the words that had just come out the teen’s mouth, he opened his mouth to reply but Peter started talking again before he could.

"It's okay, I understand sir really, why would you care about me? I'm no one just a kid from Queens…"

"What no! Peter look at me. No." Tony wouldn’t listen to this, he couldn’t listen to this. He took a step forward and lifted the boys chin with his fingertips forcing him to look him in the eye. "No Peter, I care about you. Peter Parker. Yes, you are Spiderman and we would probably have never met without you being Spiderman but of course, I care about you. Why else would I make sure you eat enough and keep an eye on your grades. If I didn't care about you I would not punish you for getting in dangerous situations, I would not have you staying over every other weekend or invite you into my lab."

Tony was sure his heart was breaking as he looked down at Peter who had tears running down his face wiping one away he continued, "Where did this come from Peter?" Peter looked down embarrassed and mumbled an apology. "No, I don't want an apology Peter, why did that even cross your mind? Where did this come from? Tell me."

"A boy at school was just running his mouth, saying stuff."

Tony held back a sigh, the boy was being bullied. How could he have missed this. This perfect boy was being bullied and he the supposed genius hadn’t noticed. "What was he saying Pete?"

"He said I was a liar and my internship wasn’t real, he said I’d only be hired because I’m a pity project. That no one cares about me because I'm just a useless loser"

Tony pulled the kid into a hug and smiled softly as the boys arms circle him, he couldn’t help but reflect on how far they’d come since he turned the boy down in the car all those months ago. "Peter I care about you so much. May cares about you. Happy cares, he was worried when you were quiet today Pete, we all care about you. Peter Parker. Your friends care, don't listen to that boy."

He sighed as Peter sobbed into his chest and gently manoeuvred the boy so they could sit on the sofa in the corner. He whispered assurances in the boy's ear as he ran his hand through his unruly hair, it always soothed the kid. "You are not and will never be useless Peter. You are worth ten of that boy. Was it just words though Peter? You need to tell me, was it just this one time?"

Peter was sure there was nowhere safer than inside Mr Stark's arms but he was still too embarrassed to tell him just how awful Flash was so he just nodded into the man’s chest mumbling that it was just words nothing else.

"You would tell me though if it was more wouldn't you Peter?" The Tony asked worried relaxing ever so slightly as Peter nodded again into his chest and started to doze off. A few more minutes pass before
Tony feels the boy relax completely and he hears his breaths even out. Untangling himself from Peter he arranged him, so he was lying comfortably on the sofa.

"I care about you so much it hurts Peter." He whispered assuring himself that if it was anything more Peter would tell him. Wouldn't he? Why wouldn't he? Yes he definitely would.

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

Peter didn't know what to tell Mr Stark. Several weeks had passed since the whole crying into the man's chest incident and Flash was only getting worse. He had become more physical and it was impossible to hide it now. He looked at his feet as the elevator rose Happy's hand resting on his shoulder, he didn't know whether it was to reassure him or keep him from running. He knew the man had probably texted Mr Stark already to warn him what he looked like. Should he just try and shrug it off? Say it was from patrol? But he hadn't patrolled last night and Mr Stark would know that. He was sure the man also knew with his enhanced healing he wouldn't look this bad if the injury was two days old.

Tony sat on the couch in the lounge wringing his hands, as he heard the elevator arrive he turned and couldn't prevent the small gasp that slipped out when he laid eyes on Peter. The kid looked awful. His right eye was swollen shut and blood leaked from his lip. It was quite the shiner he was sporting and he could feel fury bubbling up inside himself at the sight. How could anyone hurt Peter? Peter was kind, thoughtful, perfect. Why would someone do this? He walked towards the teen and gripped his shoulders as he checked the boy over for other injuries. “FRIDAY scan for injuries, other than the shiner.”

"m-fine Mr Stark." Peter mumbled.

The man let out a snort, "If this is fine I never want to see not fine Pete. Sit down and put this on your eye." He said as he handed Peter the bag of peas Happy had just given him.

Peter sat himself down on one of the couches as he held the peas on his face. He didn't know how to start, how do you tell your idol you're too weak to stand up to one normal un-enhanced fifteen year old and a few of his friends? He started a little as he felt the cushions dip down beside him as Mr Stark decided to sit alongside rather than opposite him. He was unsurprised when Happy sat down on the other couch, the two had grown closer in recent months so he wasn't surprised the man wanted to know how he ended up with a black eye.

"Pete who did this to you?" Tony demanded.

He looked down biting his lip wondering whether he should just lie and say he snuck out of school to go on patrol. But Mr Stark always knew when he had been on patrol so he doubted that would work and last time he lied he spent twenty minutes in the corner, he would prefer not to have to do that…maybe no answer was better than a lie.

Tony looked down at the boy and gently removed his lip from between his teeth, "don't do that Pete, come on who did this to you? It had to have happened at school. You can speak to me, would you prefer if I called May? Would you tell her?"

The boy shook his head frantically but still refused to answer, he wasn’t a snitch.

After several beats of silence Happy spoke up. "It was that boy wasn't it? With the stupid name?"

Peter’s now chalky white complexion was answer enough for the two men.

"The one from a few weeks ago?" Tony asked anger clear in his tone. "You told me it was just words! What's going on Peter? You haven't been yourself in a while. You've been quieter, paler, thinner. You can talk to us buddy. Why did he hit you?"

"Because I didn't give him my lunch ticket." Peter replied, he tried so hard to keep his emotions in check but his voice cracked part way through and he shuddered as he let out a humiliating sob. He was Spiderman he shouldn’t cry over one stupid meal and one stupid bully.

"Oh Peter…"

"I'm sorry Mr Stark I should have just given him it, I was just so hungry it's been weeks and I haven't had lunch at all, it's every day. I'm so sorry." The boy word vomits hardly thinking as the words tumble out.

"Woah no. Peter you don't apologise for not giving him your lunch. This is not okay. Why didn't you tell someone he had been bullying you?"

"It's fine it's not that bad, if I had just given him the ticket I wouldn't have a black eye, it's fine Mr Stark. I’m not a snitch."

Tony sighed running his fingers through the boy's hair soothingly as he thought about what to say to make the boy understand. "What if it was Ned he punched Peter? Would that be okay?"

"No of course not, Ned doesn't deserve that."

"Exactly" Happy stated with conviction, "and you don't either kid, you haven't done anything to deserve that. Is it just you or does he bully others too?"

"Just me"

"Why?" Tony demanded outraged that anyone would pick on his kid. His? Woah where did that come from? How could anyone pick on this kid? Wonderful, selfless Peter?

"Because I exist" Peter replied in a strange detached voice as if he was quoting words he knew by heart, "I'm just a useless, nerd, Penis Parker who no one cares about, poor, an easy target."

Silence. Neither man says anything as they look at Peter in total shock, a tear runs down Tony's face. Peter looked into the man's eyes and flinches as sadness turns to fury in seconds.

"Peter you are never to say that again okay!” he says gripping the boys shoulders and forcing him to maintain eye contact so he can see the conviction and honesty behind his words. “You are Peter Parker, you are amazing, smart, selfless, Spiderman, you are my intern." He is heartbroken that some little punk thinks it's okay to make this boy's life miserable, and for no real reason at that. He feels awful, he should have noticed. It had been weeks, himself and May had spoken about Peter acting weird but they had initially put it down to hormones or something, not this. Never this.

Happy watched the pair, Peter slumped dejectedly on the couch, Tony's arm around his shoulder holding him tight in a quasi-hug. It looked so domestic, it wasn’t a scene he had ever expected to see Tony a part of, yet the man looked so natural. "How long has it been going on Peter?"

The boy shrugged looking at shoes "a few years?" as he feels Tony's grip subconsciously tighten around his shoulders in anger he quickly continues, "but that was just words, he has only hit me once. Just today. That's it."

Tony grips the boys chin forcing him to meet his eyes once more. "Do NOT lie about this Peter, tell the truth, you are not to protect this boy. What's his name and how long has been hitting you? If you don't tell me now you will stand in that corner until you do and for every minute you’re there that’s a week you’re grounded from the suit.”

Happy's mouth dropped open at the threat knowing from the other man's tone that was a promise.

Peter seemed to come to the same conclusion and his shoulders slumped as he replied "Flash, Eugene 'Flash' Thompson and a few months. But I can handle it." He assured the older men voice rising towards the end.

"This is not handling it." Tony replied furiously gesturing to Peter's eye. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"I'm not a grass, Mr Stark!" Peter replied outraged "I don't care how angry you are at me. I am not a grass."

"Pete.." Tony sighed feeling exhausted all of a sudden. "I'm not angry at you I'm angry at this kid who thinks it's fine to beat you, bully you and steal your lunch every day! Why didn't you tell us? May loves you, Ned loves you, heck…I love you Peter, we can fix this, it's not a weakness asking for help."

At those words Peter broke down and threw his arm's round Tony's neck as he cried years of tears over Flash's bullying. Tony rubbed his back soothingly and with a single look at the man Happy made his exit stopping to run his hands through the distraught boy's hair. "I'm here for you too Pete" he told the teen quietly before leaving.

"Ssh Peter it's okay" Tony soothed the child in his arms, because that’s what he was right now. He was a scared bullied little boy needing comfort. "I'll sort this out. No need to worry okay, just have a nap…I'll wake you for dinner."

Within minutes the boy is asleep and Tony grabbed his phone to call May then Peter's school. This will not happen again. Not on his watch.

Chapter 2

Summary:

There is some confusion over Peter's bedroom and a shopping spree

It was Saturday evening and a 'tower weekend' as May had dubbed them so Peter was seated on the couch watching TV with Mr Stark as Pepper moved around the kitchen making dinner for the three of them. Peter really liked Pepper she was pretty badass, slightly terrifying when angry but badass all the same. He had never seen Tony afraid of anything until he walked in on Pepper shouting at him for not having signed some documents for SI. She was amazing, she was funny, cool, intelligent, caring and for some reason she didn't seem to mind the random kid her fiancé had allowed into their lives and home, in fact she doted on him and was always very welcoming. It baffled him to be honest, why would she be welcoming to some kid she had been dumped with?

Tony reflected on the last few weeks, since himself and May had spoken to Peter's principal the boy was happier, back to his normal hyperactive self, even once Flash's suspension ended. And it seemed to have done the trick in getting the boy to stop calling him Mr Stark at last, although that could just be a result of Pepper making him use her given name. He looked over at the teen lying on the other end of the couch his feet resting on Tony's lap and couldn’t help but smile at him.

"Do I have something on my face?" The boy asked confusion clear on his face, huh…seems he was maybe staring at the kid a bit too long. Good one.

"No nothing underoos, just thinking," he replied quickly, "I'm going to check how long dinner will be, do you need anything?"

"Emm…yeah could you grab my phone charger from the guest room please?"

Pepper had been walking into the room as Peter spoke and stopped dead in her tracks when she registered the boy’s words. "The guest room! The guest room!" She turned furiously to look at Tony who paled as her sharp eyes seemed to bore into his skull. "Peter that's your room, it's not a guest room or a spare room, it's your room." Turning once again to look at her fiancé she continued “how could you just ignore this Tony! What is wrong with you.”

Peter opened his mouth to say something, he wasn’t sure what but a look from Tony had him shutting it again. "Dinner will be ten minutes" Pepper continued, "and I'll grab your charger Pete" she told him fondly ruffling his hair as she left the room.

"She wouldn't have got anything for me" Tony mumbled under his breath.

"Sorry do you want to say that again Tony?" Came Pepper’s voice from the next room.

"No...no nothing darling" he backtracked frantically as Peter laughed at him from the other end of the couch. He stuck his tongue out at the boy like the adult he is in retaliation earning himself an eyeroll and a small grin.

A minute later Pepper returned throwing Peter his charger, her phone in her hand as she skimmed through her appointments for the following day deep in thought. "Go and wash up for dinner Peter once you've plugged that in, remember no phones at the table so not in the kitchen kid."

"Yes Pepper"

"Wait, you never told me why she got to be Pepper straight away and I put up with Mr Stark for a year." The man called after the retreating boy.

"She's much scarier than you Mr Stark, I had no choice." Came the cheeky response before he hears the boy enter the bathroom

Tony laughed softly but one look at Pepper puts a stop to it.

"How could you not tell him that room was his Tony? Have you been in it recently? It doesn't look like anyone lives there. I don't care what you and the boy have planned we are all going shopping tomorrow for his room, no arguments. No wonder he questions his place in your life you haven't given him solid proof he is here for the long run!"

Suitably cowed Tony nodded face full of realisation as her words sunk in, how could he have overlooked that? He was practically co-parenting the boy at this point how could he have missed it? He had never really thought about it, when Peter was here it wasn’t like he spent a lot of time in his room they were usually in the lab or watching TV together or something so it just slipped past him.

When Peter entered the large kitchen he immediately took his usual seat to the left of Tony and let Pepper serve him. After the first time they ate together she has insisted herself or Tony would serve him as he apparently didn't put enough on his plate for a growing, teenage spider. To be fair what he did serve himself was the amount he had at home, it maybe wasn't enough but it was okay, it was all they had.

He loved these dinners, they were a highlight of his week, at home he often had to eat alone because of May's shifts and his Spiderman patrols but Tony insisted they sit down when he was at the tower and eat together. It was a time they spent discussing what was happening in their lives and joking around, he loved it. It was so domestic he never could have imagined something like this happening to him in his wildest dreams.

Tony loved these dinners, as a child Howard rarely ate with him, his mother did more frequently but even that was only once or twice a month, he resented them for that, they may have been busy people but what was half an hour in the evening to eat as a family? He would be damned if Peter felt like that, he knew he didn't always eat with May and he wanted the boy to experience family dinners at least once a week. Theres that word again he thought…family, he had been using it a lot, at least in his head when thinking about Peter and Pep.

"We are going shopping tomorrow Peter for your bedroom is there anything in particular you want?" Pepper asked lightly halfway through the meal as if she was simply asking about the weather.

"You don't have to Pepper, it's really no problem I don't need anything. You don't need to spend money on me." Peter said immediately uncomfortable with the thought, his room was fine, what else did he need there? There was a bed, desk, wardrobe, what else went in bedrooms?

"Peter we don't have to, we want to, I should have done this months ago, you've started staying over here up to three or four nights a week, you deserve a room just for you." Tony told the teen, looking him in the eye, he needed the boy to understand the importance of this.

Blushing Peter looks down at his plate and nodded still obviously uncomfortable. The table fell into silence, not an uncomfortable one just one where no one really had anything left to say as they all finished off their meals, Tony continuously filling Peter's plate until he had eaten three servings, it did make Peter feel a childish but he couldn’t really find it within himself to complain, he sort of enjoyed the attention.

Once they were all finished Pepper stood and started collecting the plates…this was another rule implemented by Tony after eating together they all wash up together and no leaving the table until everyone is finished, Tony was very strict on being polite to each other and said leaving early and not pulling their weight was disrespectful. They quickly settled into their normal rhythm and the dishes were washed by Tony, dried by Peter and put away by Pepper.

Once they’d finished they made their way to the lounge where they would usually watch a movie after eating but Pepper held back, "I would much prefer to stay here with you two but I want to come shopping with you tomorrow so I need to go and do some work. Make sure you're in bed at a decent time, and I mean both of you." She said sternly "I want to be out of here by ten boys."

She didn’t bother waiting for their responses knowing they know better than to try and argue when she states things like that. Grinning to herself she left for her own office which was just a few floors down calling on F.R.I.D.A.Y. to tell her to stop working at midnight. Tony had offered to turn one of the spare rooms into an office for her or move and extra desk into his own but she liked to keep home and work separate and it was hardly an inconvenience having to go down a few floors anyway.

Peter flopped back down onto the couch after retrieving his phone smiling as Tony does the same. He left Tony to choose what they're watching, it was pointless trying to choose himself, the man would change the channel if anything contained too much swearing or sex scenes. He had tried to argue once before that most teens were able to watch those sort of things but Tony shot him down telling him in his penthouse he would not be one of those teens. It was infuriating, he didn't watch much TV at home, it put up the electric bill too much so he had to go to Ned's to catch up on Game of Thrones. He was surprised Tony hadn’t put child locks on the TV yet, but then again it probably just hadn’t occurred to the man especially when FRIDAY probably had the ability to turn off the TV whenever anything inappropriate happened. He grinned as Tony put on Star Wars Episode IV, he knew the man wasn't a huge fan and that made it even better.

Tony smiled fondly sensing Peter's glee, he knew how much the kid loved Star Wars and the boy had been complaining he hadn't had time to watch it in a while just last week, also he knew there was no awkward bits, he had been through a lot, he did not want to add watching sex scenes with his kid to that list…not that Pete was his kid of course.

Twenty minutes into the film Peter turned to the billionaire, "Mr Stark…"

"Tony" the man interrupted immediately, Peter was getting better at using his name but he still reverted back to Mr Stark when he was nervous
.
"Tony….you don't have to buy me anything just because Pepper says so, I don't mind. You do enough for me as it is letting me stay over and giving me dinner all the time. Giving me the Spiderman suit."

"Peter I'll only say this once more, we want to do this for you. You aren't a burden on us, we enjoy having you here and want to show you by giving you your own room. We should have done it months ago, it just took Pepper to make me realise and I'm sorry about that."

The boy opened his mouth to argue again but a raised hand from Tony stopped him. "No more Pete" he says as moved over slightly throwing his arm around the kid pulling him close so the boy can rest his head against his shoulder.

Two hours later Pepper came back up from her office and opened her mouth to scold the two when she sees their movie is still on at half past midnight but hearing a light snoring from her fiancé she swallowed her words smiling.

"Have you snapped a photo F.R.I.D.A.Y?"

"Of course" the AI responds.

Smiling softly Pepper tiptoed across the room and shook Tony awake, he blearily looked up at her confused for a moment before he sensed the weight on his shoulder and warm breaths against his chest. Without prompting he lifted the teen up like a young child and followed Pepper to Peter's room delicately placing him into the bed as Pepper pulled back the duvet. The boy was worryingly easy to carry he noted, he would have to look into that. Was it a spider thing? Or something else?

Pepper watched with a smile as Tony put the boy in bed and tucked him in before pressing a light kiss to his forehead and stepping back throwing his arm around her waist. She leaned over and pecked him on the lips before stepping forward and copying Tony's actions from before.

The two stood and watched Peter for a moment, both thinking about how young he looked in the oversized bed before turning and leaving for their own. They really were lucky to have him in their lives.

Peter's sleep was interrupted by an insistent beeping courtesy of F.R.I.D.A.Y. He had decided after the first time he stayed over he hated the AI first thing in the morning. At home he would just snooze his alarm and would eventually be woken by May but at the tower there was no snooze option unfortunately and it drove him crazy.

"I'm up, Fri. I'm up" he groaned running his hand through his unruly hair as he swung his legs out of bed. He knew that would make no difference to the beeping though as the alarm was programmed to continue until he pressed his finger on a touchpad on the opposite side of the room. Cursing under his breath he dragged himself across the room hitting the panel with more force than was probably necessary. Looking across his room to the giant clock on the wall he wondered why exactly he had been awoken at eight thirty in the morning, on a Sunday no less! Suddenly the night before came rushing back to him. I don't need anything! He thought to himself sourly as he contemplated simply going back to bed.

Tony had been waiting in the kitchen for the last ten minutes for Peter to come through for breakfast. He had heard his alarm go off and the boy hitting the panel with enough force to smash glass if it hadn't been specially reinforced, what could he possibly be doing? If he had gone back to sleep after being specifically told they were to be leaving at ten he was going to kill the kid.

"Peter, you better be up" he called, "if you aren't in here in the next five minutes I'll be buying you iron man bed sheets."

"Coming" Peter almost shouted, Tony could hear the boy scrambling across his room.

Peter came into the kitchen giving Tony a half-hearted glare for his threat and slumped down at the table after grabbing himself some cereal. The two ate their breakfasts in comfortable silence both still in their pyjamas, Peter in some Hello Kitty bottoms and a t-shirt Tony had bought him to walk home in after he got grounded from his suit one time. Tony somehow managed to look cool in anything he wore though and was pulling off his Iron Man pyjama pants rather well, maybe it was a rich person thing? He was 100% certain Harry Styles could wear a bin bag and still look cool or Thor. Thor could wear literally anything, he was the coolest.

Peter stood to rinse his bowl in the sink but was met with a raised eyebrow from Tony as soon as his bum left his seat. "You better not be about to wash that after only one bowl Peter. You know you need to eat something else or you'll be hungry again in an hour."

Tony watched with a smirk as the boy slumped back down into his seat sighing as he poured himself a second bowl of cornflakes. The older man was just having the last sip of his coffee when Pepper walked in already dressed for the day.

"Right you two, I want you dressed and ready to go in half an hour, I've got us a reservation for dinner so wear a good shirt, we can grab something as we go for lunch. Sound good?"

Both men knew there was no question there. Peter nodded thinking furiously on what to wear as he went back to the guest bedroom….his bedroom sorry. He opened his wardrobe to have a look at what to wear but a quick look in the mirror at his slightly greasy hair led him into his ensuite.

He loved the bathroom in his room, it was the coolest bathroom he had ever used to be honest and he tried to shower at the tower every Sunday anyway so he wouldn't have to at home. May and him swapped who showered first every day because they wouldn't afford the hot water for two showers so one of them had to have a quick cold wash.

Ten minutes later Peter had washed his hair and dried off so was now standing looking at his clothes in despair. Deciding he didn't really have a choice he threw on his nicest t-shirt and his least frayed pair of jeans with his usual ratty trainers wincing slightly as he caught a look at his reflection.

When Peter walked into the room Tony stood immediately anger coming forward. "Peter I don't know what you are trying to do but turn yourself straight back around and get dressed properly, Pepper told you we have dinner reservations." He watched as the boy blushesd looking at his shoes as he shifted foot to foot mumbling something. "What was that Peter?" He asked impatiently, seriously they had asked one thing of the kid and he did this.

"I don't have anything nicer" the boy repeated eyes still glued to the floor.

Tony rans a hand through his hair sighing, "right well we will stop at your apartment and grab something from there on the way, I'll tell Pepper." He noticed Peter still looked uncomfortable and it suddenly hit him. "Do you have anything suitable at home Peter?" he questioned all traces of anger gone. His swore his heart broke a little as the boy did a sort of half shrug and he sees a tear run down his cheek. Oh god. This was new territory for him, sure he had noticed Peter didn’t wear the nicest clothes but he thought it was just a Peter thing or some sort of style, it had never occurred to him that the boy didn’t have a choice.

Peter was surprised when Tony pulled him forward into his chest, "ssshh it's okay Peter, don't worry we will get you some clothes while we are out. No need to be embarrassed, I’m sorry for snapping at you."

Blushing furiously Peter stepped back "no! You don't need to get me anything, its fine Mr Stark really!"

"Peter we aren't arguing on this, I want to buy you new clothes, it's my responsibility. Don't worry about it."

Pulling himself together the boy nodded unhappily feeling guilty about Mr Stark offering to buy him even more things.

Pepper entered the room taking in Tony dressed in a slightly more casual suit than usual while Peter…while Peter looks like his clothes are as old as he is. She opened her mouth to tell him to go and change but a frantic shake of the head from Tony stopped her. Sighing she beckoned the boy forward and combed his hair with her fingers instead trying to get it into something resembling tidy, noticing as she did so that the boy leant into the touch somewhat.

Peter stared out the window as he sat in the back of one of Tony's larger cars, larger as in it actually has seats in the back. He hardly paid any attention as Tony and Pepper talked in the front seats about which shops to go to.

Much sooner than he would have liked the car came to a stop in a private parking garage and he followed Pepper and Tony out of the car walking in between them as Tony steered them towards a furniture store.

"Peter what do you want for your bedroom?" Pepper asked smiling down at him.

"Ummm I don't know just whatever…I guess…I really don't mind…"

"Yeah so clear underoos." Tony snorted. "Right we need a new desk, chair, sofa, bedside tables, bed and wardrobe"

"Woah, woah no!" Peter yelped "I don't need all that! I don't need a different bed! The bed I already have is great, it’s the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept on."

Tony had been tempted to comment that the bed Peter slept on was nothing compared to his own and clearly Peter had never slept on an even half decent bed before if he liked the one he currently had so much but a look from Pep kept him quiet. He didn’t want Pete to be uncomfortable after all.

"Peter," Pepper said soothingly as she looked into his eyes, "wouldn't it be nice to have a room you actually love though than a room you just think is okay? And the bed what if you have someone stay over…"

"Ummm no he isn't dating until he is at least thirty Pepper! No just no!" Tony interrupted shaking his head.

Laughing lightly at the blushing Peter and outraged Tony she continued "I meant for Ned. At home you have the bunk bed, how about a bed with a pull out bed for him to sleep on?"
Nodding Peter allowed himself to be pulled over to look at beds and quickly choose one he liked and simply decided to also get the matching bedside tables. A bedside table is a bedside table after all no matter what Tony claimed. After an hour or so he genuinely started to enjoy himself once the furniture had all be chosen and organised to be delivered to the tower before they move onto more casual things. Pepper left them both so they could choose duvet covers and posters while she went to collect various miscellaneous items such as a washing basket and waste paper bin. Peter may have a bedroom but he was to keep it tidy after all.

Tony looked at Peter seeing how overwhelmed he is at the sheer number of duvet options and took pity on the kid. "Do you just want a pattern Peter? Or how about something themed...ooh look Iron Man, how about that?" He teased.

"How about no." Peter deadpanned looking at his mentor unimpressed. "A pattern is good, it's calming"

Nodding Tony began to look through their options "well the curtains you chose were blue with white circles so how about something similar?"

Grinning Peter quickly selected a set and threw them into the cart ignoring Tony’s complaints about thread count whatever that was. Probably a rich person thing? They continued on to the posters section where he choose two science related ones and three Star Wars ones, once again ignoring the jibes from the older man.

Tony watched fondly as Peter seemed to forget about money for a moment and just choose things he liked for his bedroom. He couldn't help but feel guilty for not doing this months ago but swore to himself he would have it all set up for Peter by next weekend, he'll even paint…well hire someone to paint. He also made a quick note on his phone to arrange for some of the new stark tech to be set up in his room, the kid deserved an entertainment centre, and he would buy him a games console too. The games console was a great idea actually, mainly so he had some way to punish Peter if he was in trouble, he had been speaking to one of his heads of department who told him that was how he punished his son for misbehaviour, the man had claimed grounding his kid was useless if he would have just sat in on his Xbox regardless so grounding him and taking away the controllers was a suitable punishment.

An hour later they meet up with Pepper again and Tony swiped his card to pay for the mountain of items they purchased before they headed to the food court for a quick bite to eat for lunch.

Peter's stomach clenched as he stood in the fanciest clothes shop he has ever set foot in, he felt very out of place in his scruffy clothes and was currently being eyeballed by the security guard as if he might try to make a run for it with some fancy jeans. Ugh this was why he shouldn’t shop in places like this, he didn’t belong here.

He looked over at Tony who appeared like he couldn't be more at ease as he talked to one of the women that worked there gesturing wildly while he did so.

Tony looked over at Peter, who looked vulnerable and nervous stood by himself, so he quickly wrapped up his conversation as he organised for a new suit for himself to be ready to be collected by Happy tomorrow. Walking over to Peter he wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "Right then Pete let's start with underwear. Boxers or briefs?" He said casually laughing lightly as the boy turned as red as one of his Iron Man suits.

Four torturous hours later they finally left the last clothing shop, Peter didn’t think he had owned as much clothes in his entire life as they had bought today. He had new everything from winter hate and gloves to trainers to a pair of swimming trunks. In the final shop he had been sent away to change for dinner with a bag of clothes Tony handed to him in his hand. He grinned as he caught himself in the mirror dressed similarly to Tony in dress pants and a shirt.

Pepper smiled warmly at the pair walking slightly ahead of her. They looked like father and son was all she could think as she watched Tony throw a casual arm over the boys shoulder as they chatted.

Chapter 3

Summary:

There are money worries in the Parker household and Tony immediately steps in to offer support.

Peter was worried about May. She had been working extra shifts for the last several months but in recent weeks she was working seven days a week. He’d noticed money was tight several months after Ben died, how could he not? With one less wage coming in their income fell considerably. When Ben was alive they struggled sometimes but struggling then just meant they didn't go out for an ice cream or on a day trip for a few months…struggling now was much different. Struggling now was them trying not to turn lights on unless it was essential, taking two-minute showers and he didn't remember the last time the TV was on in the apartment. But it was getting worse, they had never had issues getting food on the table before but now it was a totally different story. He knew May was stressed about it but there was nothing that could be done, she had added him to the free school lunch programme just after the summer which helped somewhat and he had started showering at the tower whenever he could as well as eating there often. One less meal he ate at home was less money May had to spend.

Peter never told Mr Stark or Pepper how difficult things had become and he knew May hadn't either. Although he was sure she would swallow her pride had she been aware of his increased metabolism, he had kept that piece of information from her to stop her worrying even more, as it was she often skipped dinner to make sure Peter ate. He hated it. He had taken to pretending to have had dinner while on patrol, he would claim someone gave him a burger in thanks or an old lady bought him a sandwich just so May would eat dinner. They planned their meals for the week when he got back from the tower on Sunday nights. May knew he ate at Tony's on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays so that eased the pressure somewhat.

As they sat planning for the week ahead he turned to May nervously, "Aunt May…I think perhaps it's time I got a job after school or something.” The amount of money they actually had to spend this week was lower than usual, the bus fare had increased suddenly for May to get to work which cut their budget substantially.

Her sigh and murmur of agreement made him realise just how desperate they had become, he had suggested the idea not long after Ben died but she told him to focus on his studies, adamant that they could cope they would just have to make some sacrifices, clearly things had changed.

"I'll start looking tomorrow" he promised before going back to his bedroom and writing up a CV.

Monday turned to Tuesday which turned to Wednesday and he still had no job to call his own, not for lack of trying though. He had heard back from one small shop who said they would be willing to take him on two evenings a week and all day Saturday, he had a week to respond. He knew he would have to accept, he had no choice, he would have to just bite the bullet and tell Tony he wouldn't be able to come round on Saturdays anymore. His room was only decorated a few weeks ago and this was the thanks he was giving the man he thought to himself ashamed. Tony had done so much for him and now he was going to cut the man out, he had to though, he didn’t have a choice in the matter.

Tony was worried about Peter. The kid had arrived an hour ago, wolfed down some cookies and chips like a starving man and hardly said anything but a mumbled thanks. He looked across the lab at the boy who was chewing nervously on his lip. Tony knew that look, he had seen it several times before when Peter wanted to tell him something but was worried he would get in trouble. He knew the boy would tell him sooner rather than later so continued his tinkering, he knew it wasn’t Spiderman trouble the boy was in, he had Karen give him updates after every patrol and personally checked the logs weekly so it had to be something else.

Three hours later they had eaten dinner with Pepper and were now relaxing in front of the TV and Peter still hadn't shared. He would give him another half an hour to speak up before he asked Tony thought to himself.

Twenty five minutes later Peter turned to his mentor looking upset. "Umm…Mr Stark…Tony….I'm really sorry but I won't be able to come over on the weekends anymore" he stuttered.

Woah, woah, not what I was expecting, Tony thought panicked but tried to mask it. He turned to look at the boy slightly hurt "Do you not like coming here anymore Peter?" he asked.

"NO!" Peter almost shouted back, "It isn't that, not at all, I love coming here. It's just…I need to find a job, money is tight and the one I found wants me to work Saturdays, no one will hire fifteen year olds, it’s my only option."

Relieved Tony relaxed back into the sofa "Peter there's no need for that I can just give you and May some money, how much do you need?" He asked taking his wallet from his pocket.

"No Mr Stark! No! We won't accept charity." The boy insisted holding his hands up in front of him.

Tony sighed, of course the kid wouldn’t accept charity, the boy was too proud and he was sure May would say something similar. "How about you work for me then?" He asked, "You could become a proper intern, I'll speak to Pepper and May and get it set up"

"You can't just give me an internship Tony!" Peter said scandalised.

"Pete…I'm not giving it to you, you've earnt it, you're the brightest kid I know" Realising the kid still looked unsure he continues "okay…how about you do a trial, this weekend come and try out I'll have someone watch over you and they can decide if you become an intern, okay?"

Looking more comfortable Peter nodded gratefully "thank you Tony, I'll be there"

Grinning Tony ruffled Peter's hair, "good man,” looking at his watch he blinked, wow time did fly when you are having fun. “It looks like it's time for you to go Underoos, Happy is downstairs, I'll send you the details, see you Saturday kid"

Grinning Peter waved as he left the penthouse a bounce in his step as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Which to be fair it probably had

As soon as Peter left the room however Tony's smile vanished and was replaced with a worried frown. Suddenly Peter's strange behaviour was making sense to him, that time he claimed to have forgotten to eat after fainting during training, his thinning figure despite the boy’s assurances he was fine and his insistence of showering at the tower before going home. He immediately grabbed his Starkpad and began composing an email to his head of Interns and personnel. He knew Peter was smart enough for an internship but he was sure Gregor would kick up a fuss about some random kid coming in, hence the trial thing, he was certain Peter would have the man eating out the palm of his hand within an hour. He certainly had himself doing so he thought ruefully. He could have just told the man Peter was hired and left it at that but he didn’t think the boy would have been too pleased with that, he wanted to be hired on his own merit not through nepotism after all.

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Saturday came both too soon and not soon enough for Peter, Tony had called him the evening before and told him he would be collected from his apartment at half past seven. May had already left for work so the boy was alone standing in front of his bedroom mirror desperately trying to tame his flyaway hair. When his phone pinged he grabbed his backpack and with a last look to make sure his tie was straight left the apartment wringing his hands nervously.

Tony had to admit it was rare for him to be awake at half seven in the morning but for Peter he was happy to, he’d probably happily do anything for that kid to be honest. He had decided to collect the boy himself for his first day and planned to stop so they could have breakfast beforehand. When the passenger door opened he looked at the boy and grinned as the kid’s jaw dropped, he was clearly expecting Happy.

"Mr Stark! What are you doing here?" Peter asked confusion clear on his features.

"Am I not allowed to take my favourite intern in for his first day?" He replied with a grin.

"I'm not an intern, I'm on a trial Tony" The boy muttered he would not count his eggs before they hatched.

Tony ignored his comment entirely and headed towards his favourite breakfast place.

Peter was nervous, he mechanically ate the giant breakfast Tony had ordered for him but he could hardly taste it. He’d never done anything like this before, he had never even had a job interview, why did he think he could do this? Before he could stop it his worries came tumbling out his mouth. "What will I be doing? What if they don't like me? Will I still be able to come over if I don't get the internship?"

"You'll be fine Peter, I promise. You'll be helping in the labs, talking science that sort of thing. You’re good at that kid, just imagine we’re in my lab that’ll help. How could they not like you underoos? You're great, you're smart, you're thoughtful, funny. They'll love you Pete." Tony assured the visibly nervous boy "and if you don't get it? Which by the way you will, of course you are welcome at the tower, even if I have to drag you round every Wednesday for the rest of your life kiddo. You can’t get away that easily."

The tension left Peter's shoulders at the older man’s words as he exhaled in relief. "Okay, I got this. It's cool I can do this" he muttered to himself earning him an amused look from the man opposite him. Looking up at his mentor he asked the question he had been thinking about ever since Tony brought up the idea "Tony you won't force them to take me on will you? I want to earn this or get rejected for me. I don't want to be taken on because you made them."

Tony put down his coffee and looked the boy in the eye. "Pete…I don't get to choose if you are employed okay? And I promise not to interfere, I'll stay away all day, but you have to be up in the penthouse for dinner okay? It's still Saturday and lasagne is on the menu. Also we have a guest coming over."

Peter nodded, a grin spreading across his face as they pulled up around the corner from the tower. When the car stopped around the corner from the tower he climbed out and looked at his mentor in surprise when he did the same. Tony walked round and gripped the boy’s shoulder’s lightly to look Peter in the eye. "Good luck kid, you've got this, don't stress" he told the boy as he ran his fingers through his hair in a soothing gesture. It always calmed the boy down.

"Toooony" Peter whined batting the man’s hand’s away, "I just got it tidy"

"That hair will never be tidy Pete, it's fine you look cute they'll love you"

With that Peter turned away squaring his shoulders as he left shouting back at the older man that he isn't cute. He’s practically a man and men aren’t cute.

Tony watched him go already planning on going straight upstairs to watch a live link of Peter's first day through FRIDAY’s cameras.

Gregor stood in the main foyer of Stark Tower waiting for the new intern. He had no idea why Tony had forced him to take him on let alone lie to the boy! The teen thought he was on a trial but he was under strict instructions to take him on in some capacity regardless if he was just to be making coffee. How have I been left babysitting some snot nosed kid? He thought to himself trying to keep up his calm façade as he eyed those coming into the building. That must be him, he realised as he saw a young man around fourteen or fifteen entering the building looking nervous. Well at least he dressed for the occasion he thought taking in the shirt and tie, his hair could have been tidier but he supposed the more doting types in his labs would love it. Actually on second thought it did make the kid look sort of cute.

Peter started when a tall man in a lab coat shouted his name, steeling himself he promptly met him with a firm handshake and a smile introducing himself. "But of course you already know I'm Peter, you just said my name…sorry…I'm rambling Tony says I do that a lot" He looked down blushing, he had been here all of two seconds and already made a fool of himself. Great.

Gregor bit back a laugh, storing the titbit about Tony away, clearly this isn't just some random kid then if he knew the big boss by his first name. He led Peter towards an elevator briefly explaining where most the labs are located, he opened his mouth to give his access code for the elevator and was promptly taken aback when the boy started a tongue twister. "emmm…kid what are you…?" he started but was immediately shocked into silence when they begin to ascend.

Peter looked down once again blushing, "sorry habit, I won't do it again" he muttered to the older man. His head shot up once again when he heard the man laugh softly "it's fine kid, unexpected but fine, plus I try to avoid using my own where possible I just didn't expect you to have one." Unsure what to respond to that Peter just nodded trying not to fidget too much and followed the man out as the reached the eighty fifth floor.

"Well I don't really know where to put you yet so I want you to sit here for the next three and a half hours and work through these workbooks okay? I don't expect you to finish, they get progressively harder so you'll probably get stuck before I'm back anyway. Once we have the results I'll know where to put you." Gregor told the boy, he felt slightly bad, the boy looked terrified, but he had to treat him the same as he treated the others. God what was Tony thinking? College kids struggled with this test, was it even ethical to give it to a child?

Peter nodded and settled himself down at a table in the small conference room he had been led to, taking a pen out of his backpack he thanked Gregor as he gave him a stack of booklets and quickly started to flick through them. The first appeared to just be chemistry so he got to work quickly confident in his abilities. He breezed through the first several pages of questions to test his knowledge and makes easy work of the equations that follow, about two thirds of the way through the workbook he began to run into problems though but looking at his watch he decided not to dwell on it. He could always come back to them. Setting the book aside he grabbed the next one and got started. He followed the same process with the biology and physics books but couldn’t stop from sighing to himself when he began struggling slightly earlier with both of them than he had in the chemistry booklet.

He knew chemistry was his strongest of the three subjects though so tried not to dwell on it and slip into negative thoughts. By this time two hours had passed he reached over to the final book entitled coding and robotics with a grin on his face. He may be good at chemistry, but robotics was his thing and he had got much better at coding recently.

Gregor was surprised when he returned to the room after the allotted time is up to see Peter not looking upset in any way, nervous sure but not upset. He had given these books to prospective interns hundreds of times and a good third of them are either close to tears or already crying by the time he collected them, Peter is the youngest by far to have done this so he's shocked he looks okay. He collected up the workbooks and led Peter up several floors so he could have lunch with the other interns. On the way he stops by four different labs dropping off the books for marking so he can decide what to do with the boy after lunch.

Peter gaped as he was led to the intern's casual floor, it looked a little like he imagined a college social room might in dorms. He was told to grab a seat and help himself to food so does so with relish taking several slices of pizza for himself and a huge pile of fries. He had been there mere seconds when a group of six young adults wandered in all chatting amongst themselves.

"Hey, kid. Are you lost?" One of the girls asked slightly confused, she had never seen anyone younger than twenty one in here and this kid looked like he had just hit puberty. Ugh she didn’t have that long a break and she didn’t want to waste it giving Mr Hogan every detail of the boy, people shouldn’t be able to just wander all the way up here after all.

"Ummm…no…Gregor took me here told me to help myself then left, said he'd be back after lunch" Peter replied uncomfortable under the gazes of the interns.

Shrugging and deciding not to question his presence any more the college students included him in polite conversation as they helped themselves to food.

Half an hour later Peter was feeling slightly more relaxed amongst the others, they all shared their own experiences of the workbooks and told him how surprised they were he was given them, most of their content was college level after all. That came as quite a surprise to him, sure they got quite difficult but the first half or so of each one he could manage easily. Conversation had quickly become much more relaxed however and he found himself debating which Italian Restaurant was the best in New York. Peter jumped a foot in the air when a very familiar voice sounded from the door "Romano's is the best, no competition."

Tony grined, he just couldn't help himself, he wanted to see the kid. Gregor had called him not five minutes ago saying Peter was some sort of tech genius. Well duh…he already knew that, as if his kid…..the kid…the kid…he had to stop doing that, wouldn't be a genius. The six interns gaped at him, he supposed it made sense they only saw him occasionally maybe once a month or so, he did make sure to meet each of them personally every few months but that was it. They would never have seen him on their floor.

"Mr Stark…what…" Chloe gaped, unable to form a coherent sentence in surprise, the pizza halfway to her mouth forgotten.

Tony simply smiled at her before he wandered in and helped himself to a slice flopping down next to Peter as he did so, "Don't mind me, just pretend I'm not here."

Soon conversation picked again amongst the students, but Chloe quirked an eyebrow when she heard the young boy, Peter's, words. "I thought you were going to leave me alone? I'm meant to be doing this myself. I don’t need you here stalking me."

“Oh are you embarrassed by me Petey-pie.” Tony asked ginning. “Am I not cool enough for you?!

Peter blushed at the nickname as Tony simply laughed at him and ruffled his hair once again. "Toooony" he whined sounded much younger than his actual age “stop, leave me alone. Why are you even here? Don’t you have work to do?” Seconds later he heard the clicking of heels against the hardwood floor of the corridor and turned to see Tony pale. He knew that sound and couldn’t stop a grin from spreading across his face. “You’re not?...oh my god, you’re hiding aren’t you?”

The other interns all turned to stare at Tony as Peter’s words got louder. They couldn’t believe a child was getting away with speaking to the man like that but they couldn’t deny the boy seemed to be onto something as Tony didn’t deny his words and in fact seemed uncomfortable all of a sudden. A sharp U-turn from the teasing look he had sported moments before. The footsteps outside seemed to be getting closer and as they did Mr Stark looked more and more ill at ease.

Pepper couldn’t believe her fiancé, he was a fully-grown man but acted more like a child than the actual child that practically lived with them. She had meetings pretty much all day and on her only break she had just sat down to eat her lunch when FRIDAY told her Tony hadn’t gone to his meeting and was instead on the Intern’s floor. Which he had also promised to stay away from what with Peter being there.

The interns had all met Pepper Potts before and knew she wasn't a woman to cross, everyone with a head on their shoulders knew that. But on the occasions they had met her she had been the height of professionalism and easy to get along with, but this Pepper Potts that had just walked into the room was terrifying. "Tony you are supposed to be in a meeting, like right now! You promised not to skip this one, you promised me" They all turned to see Tony Stark, actual Iron Man! Go white as he frantically tried to appease his fiancée with no success.

Tony knew a losing battle when he saw one and simply sighed, he would definitely pay for this later he knew, ugh she would probably tell Rhodey at dinner, and then he would gloat. Maybe Peter would be a good shield from it, he would be a great distraction. He was brought out of his musings by a sharp cough from Pep. “Sorry, Pep, love of my life. It won’t happen again, I’m going now, I just thought I’d check on our wonderful interns.” He said as he left the room waving goodbye to the stunned students still eating their pizzas.

Pepper sighed in frustration at his antics. “Sorry you had to see that.” She said to the room as a whole before turning to look at the only teenage in the room. “How’s it going Pete? You know we’re having people over for dinner right. So you can go out after you’re finished here today but you need to be back by seven,” She gave the boy a soft smile as he nodded blushing under the confused gazes of the others in the room. “Good boy,” she told him ruffling his hair ignoring his half-hearted grumbling. As she left the room what she had done hit her. She had embarrassed the boy like a mom did her child, oh my god. And she had told Tony not to embarrass him. She had fallen under the boy’s spell as well, she would have to apologise to him at dinner.

Peter shifted nervously under the gaze of the others for a moment before they all began peppering him with questions at once. He opened his mouth to try to answer when Gregor re-entered the room. Thank god.

Gregor looked at the room in confusion. All the interns had crowded around Peter who looked extremely uncomfortable being surrounded like that. “Oi, what are you all doing? Can’t you see he’s uncomfortable. If you have nothing better to do than interrogate teenagers you better get back to work.” He had to suppress a grin as the interns practically sprinted out of the room under the force of his glare.

“Thanks.” Peter muttered once they had all left.

“No bother kid.” The man replied as he started walking back towards the elevator beckoning for Peter to follow.

Peter's nerves had returned ten-fold by the time they reached the small room from before. He slid himself into the same seat as Gregor took the one opposite, his workbooks in hand.

"So Peter. I've had these all looked over and it's clear although you know a fair bit about biology and physics it's not really for you, you know much more than the average high school student but your chemistry is well into the second year of college level despite a few gaps, we can work with that."

Peter nodded thrilled trying not to let his grin get too wide, he appeared to have done it! He had earned himself an internship.

"Your tech work though, I got that cross marked to ensure there wasn't mistakes in the marking. Peter, you could probably get a job with your knowledge in plenty of companies. Your robotics and tech work is amazing, it's the highest score we've ever had on the test and you're the youngest by several years to take it!"

Blushing again Peter looked down unsure what to say.

"So I've spoken to Mr Stark and you've got the internship, consider the trial over, you've passed. We expect you here, Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Saturday morning, that okay? You will work under Dr Stephens he heads the tech labs, we will also put you up with Dr Youngson in chemistry from time to time."

A smile split across Peter's face as his words sunk in. "Thank you, sir!"

"You've earned it kid" Gregor smiled. "No time like the present and all that, you're here until five so may as well get you introduced to the rest of the team. We also need to sort out your pay and fill in some paperwork and you're ready to start."

Peter's grin stretched from ear to ear as he nodded and followed the older man from the room, a bounce in his step.

He didn't know it but his grin was mirrored on Tony's face who was watching the entire exchange in the penthouse on the lounge TV.

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

Several hours later Peter was swinging between the buildings of Manhattan having changed immediately after leaving the internship. He had two hours until he had to be at the tower for dinner so he thought he may as well patrol, there was no point going back to Queens just to return again.

Ping

He quickly stopped his lazy swings and landed gracefully on a rooftop so he could answer his phone. Mr Stark got a bit testy if he didn't answer within a minute or two without good reason and after being grounded from patrolling for ignoring three calls from him because he was having too much fun showing off to pedestrian's front flipping while swinging between buildings he always made sure to answer as quickly as possible.

Remember I’ve got a friend coming over for dinner. Seven o’clock kid, don't be late. Keep safe underoos. – Tony

 

Peter grinned as he fired back a quick response assuring him he would be on time. He wondered who was coming for dinner, he should have asked earlier when he saw Tony in the Intern lounge but it had slipped his mind, Tony called them a friend so it probably wasn't someone in Stark Industries. One of the board members came over for dinner once and it was the worst. Soooo boring, he had thankfully been excused as soon as he had eaten dessert by Tony, ugh surely he wouldn't have to go through that again, that man could put anyone to sleep. A scream in the distance pulled him from his musings and he swung in it's direction to offer his help.

"Karen, what've you got?"

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

Peter was late. He had told the kid seven and he had promised he would be on time. He asked him to do one thing! Terror quickly overtook Tony as he realised the boy hadn't sent a text since the last one hours before, oh god…maybe he was hurt. The man stood and began to pace nervously running a hand through his hair. "Pepper have you heard from Peter recently? He's late and hasn't sent me a text."

Pepper walked into the room hairbrush in hand clearly halfway through getting ready. "Not since I saw him this afternoon, no" she replied Tony's fear quickly affecting herself. She watched her fiancé turn impossibly paler and rushed over placing a calming hand on his chest, "Tony, Tony…look at me, take a breath, I'm sure he is fine it's only just seven now let's give him until quarter past and if he isn't here by then you can track him."

"Pepper! Anything could happen in fifteen minutes, what if…"

"Tony, we both know you have hundreds of protocols on that suit, Friday alerts you when Peter skins his knee, he is fine, you would know immediately if anything happened to him! Just sit down and take a breath. He's a teenager, he's probably just forgotten or something."

Dammit! Peter thought to himself as he swung as quickly as he could towards the tower, he had fallen asleep on a rooftop and woken at a minute to seven. Tony was going to kill him. He dropped down into an alley around the corner from the tower and quickly changed into the clothes he had hidden there, Tony had told him to avoid being seen entering the tower too often as Spiderman, he didn’t want him becoming a target to get at Iron Man after all. He was probably already in trouble for being late, he didn't want to get himself in even more.

Throwing his suit into his backpack he sprinted round the corner dodging round people with muttered apologies as he raced towards the tower. Deciding the front entrance was probably quicker he raced in.

Colonel James Rhodes stood just inside the entrance of Stark Tower, he wasn't required to use the public entrance of course but he was early so decided to, he liked to just sit and watch people go about their lives. He had been chatting to Happy and Gregor for several minutes when someone sprinted past them. He turned to follow them with his eyes curious as to why no one seemed to be stopping the person…wait teenager? That was certainly no adult. He turned back to Gregor shocked when he heard him shout out to the boy "running late kid?"

"I prefer to call it a slightly mistimed arrival" The boy shot back still running as if his life depended on it, responding to the odd greeting as he headed towards the elevator. Rhodey positively gaped as the notoriously stiff Happy let out a snort, "he's not gonna be pleased with him that's the second time this month" Gregor nodded in agreement with a wry smile of his own.

"Sorry who is that child? Am I missing something? Who won't be pleased?" Rhodey asked somewhat impatiently as the elevator doors closed taking the boy from view.

"You know what, I'd head up now James" Gregor told him still smiling, "I'm sure Tony will be able to tell you, I really must get going anyway" he continued with a glance at his watch. Rhodey watched the two wander away leaving him alone still confused with everyone's relaxed attitude over the boy but looking at his own watch decided it was probably a reasonable time to head up to the penthouse anyway. Tony would be able to clear whatever this was up.

When the elevator reached the penthouse Rhodeys mouth fell open and he had to double check he had actually come to the correct floor. He stood frozen because there in the lounge was Tony and the kid, arguing.

"Peter. No, you have no excuse, you should have gone home or come here if you were tired…"

"But…"

"Sorry did you just try to interrupt me? No…you don't get to do that, the adult is talking. You could have at least set an alarm so you would be here on time. You promised me! You young man are grounded for a week, and the dishes are all yours tonight."

Rhodey watched the young man open his mouth to sass back then clearly think better of it in the face of Tony's raised eyebrow. God that was intimidating, who knew a single eyebrow could be so scary?

With a sigh Tony opened his arms and the boy fell into them for a brief hug with a muttered apology. He watched as his friend smiled and propelled the boy towards the guest room "have a quick shower, Pepper has laid some clothes out, I want you back here in ten Pete."

Tony turned running his hand through his hair again as he took a deep breath relaxing now he could see the kid was safe and sound. He jumped almost a foot when he saw Rhodey standing in the elevator mouth wide open staring at him.

"Are you broken Honey-Bear?"

Rhodey came back to himself with a start "Who…What…."

Seeming to grasp what he was asking Tony gestured for him to take a seat and started talking. "That's Peter, Peter Parker, my…um… protégé? I really wanted him to meet you, it wasn't really the first impression I was going for to be honest. He's a great kid, smart, kind…"

Rhodey took a second to register what Tony was saying, "so you are what to him?"

"His mentor" Tony replied quickly to be met with a snort from Rhodey and muttered "right"

"Hey what does that mean?" The younger man squawked indignantly.

Rhodey was saved from answering however with the entrance of Pepper who greeted him with a friendly hug and praise on his new bionics. Talk quickly turned to his new legs but he couldn't help but notice Tony checking his watch every now and again, clearly timing the kid. How did I miss Tony becoming such a dad?

Pepper watched her fiancé from the corner of her eye. "Tony go and check on the lasagne would you? And get Peter." She smiled fondly as he jumped up to do as she bid then turned her full attention to Rhodey. "Sorry he's a bit jumpy when Peter is involved, we're hoping he'll calm down a bit soon, he doesn't even realise it half the time."

Seconds later Tony re-entered the room his hand on the kid's…Peter's shoulder. "So this is who I wanted you to meet, had you actually been on time you would already know but…" At this the boy looked down blushing slightly. Deciding to save him from further embarrassment Rhodey stood up and extended a hand.

"Hey Peter, I'm James Rhodes, you can call me Uncle Rhodey." Three heads snapped up to stare at him at his words and he grinned. "I won't answer to anything else kid." The boy raised his eyes to look at Tony and was met with a shrug.

"Once his mind is made up there's no changing it underoos."

Peter smiled nervously and reached out to grip Rhodey's hand…Uncle Rhodey's hand. Oh my god…this was War Machine. He opened his mouth to start peppering him with questions but was quickly stopped by Pepper telling him to leave the interrogation until they are at least sat at the table. Peter dropped into his usual seat and waited as Pepper served herself. He was about to reach out to take some for himself when his plate was taken from him.

"Sorry underoos, I don't remember that rule changing" Tony scolded lightly batting the kid’s hand away as he dished up the boy's meal.

Blushing Peter looked down and dug into his food silently. How could Tony do that to him, in front of War Machine…so uncool!

Rhodey looked at the boy sensing exactly what he was thinking and went to reassure him. "No need to be embarrassed Peter, I dished up Tony's meals right through college I even had to feed him once" He grinned as the boy forgot his embarrassment immediately and turned to look at a now blushing Tony.

"Playtpusss…not in front of the kid. He still thinks I'm cool. Don't make me revoke uncle status" He whined.

Pepper laughed lightly, "Tony you are so far from cool."

"Ugh, my own family" Tony sighed dramatically acting wounded "how could you betray me so?"

Conversation flowed freely after that with Rhodey's question of what college Peter wanted to go to being met with a "I don't know" from the boy and "MIT, he's going to MIT" from Tony. After dinner Rhodey insisted he help the boy with the dishes "if I'm to be your cool uncle may as well start now, eh kid?" he said with a wink.

Several hours later Tony had sent the kid half-asleep off to bed assuring him his uncle would still be there in the morning.

"Being a dad looks good on you, never would have expected it but well done Tones."

"He's not…we're not…I'm not…" Tony tried but a raised eyebrow from his friend made him stop and just give a sincere thanks.

Chapter 4

Summary:

May has a big question for Tony

Tony was nervous. He had received a text from May that very morning and hadn't been able to get it out of his head. She didn’t text often but when she did he knew it had to be important.

I need to talk to you, preferably when Peter is at his internship or school. When suits you? –May

Yeah. Not a text he wanted to receive. He had immediately cancelled the three meetings he had that morning and made his way to Peter and May's apartment. He had only been a handful of times, but he didn’t need to look up the address, anything to do with Peter he just knew. He knocked twice on the door and took a step back as he waited for May to open the door. Did she change her mind about Spiderman? Was Peter in some kind of trouble? Oh god, did she think he was a bad influence on Peter? Was she going to stop him seeing the kid?

May opened the door to an almost hyperventilating Tony Stark, not the way she saw her morning going to be honest. "Tony. Tony look at me, are you okay?...TONY!" She asked frantically trying to get the billionaire’s attention.

The man jumped the dazed look in his eyes suddenly disappearing as he came back to himself. "Sorry, sorry. I'm fine" he assured her blushing.

May stifled a snort at the blatant lie but stepped aside so he could enter the apartment regardless. "Coffee?"

"Black please"

Tony perched on the edge of the sofa unable to stop his leg bouncing slightly with nerves. His eyes combed over the photos of Peter spread throughout the room, as they do every time he visits. God, he wishes he could have seen Peter grow up, he was such a cute kid. Not that he isn't still cute, because duh…he is…Pete would deny it but he is definitely cute. The cutest in fact. Moments later he was roused from his thoughts by a mug being pushed into his hands. Before he even realised he's talking he blurted out his greatest fear "please don't make me stop seeing Peter, please May, I can't." he practically begged her. “I know you’re his aunt and guardian so I have no rights. But please…I’ll do anything you say just please don’t stop me seeing him.”

May reared back as if he had slapped her. "Woah, no, no. Is this why you are acting so strange? No Tony it's nothing of the kind, the complete opposite actually." She watched as he seems to slump down in relief and slid himself back onto the sofa fully resting against the back. He was clearly much more relaxed now that his fears had been laid to rest.

"Tony" May told him seriously making sure to meet his eyes, "Peter adores you, I would never stop you from seeing him, what you've done for him…heck what you've done for us is amazing. After Ben died, Peter changed he became quiet, withdrawn, sullen, he wouldn't speak to me about anything, but then you came into our lives." She looked away from him unable to retain eye contact and instead stared at an old school photo of Peter on the side table. "since Peter met you I have been seeing the boy I raised, he is more confident in himself, he smiles all the time. I could never take that away from him Tony. That boy loves you. He has always looked up to Iron Man but now he looks up to you Tony. The man not the suit of armour." May tore her eyes from Peter's photo and refocused on the billionaire at the other end of the sofa. She wiped the tears that had begun to run down her face away self-consciously.

"Thank you." Tony was unable to get out anything more, but he knows he doesn't need to. Those two words were a thanks for everything. For his new life, for Peter, for his own happiness.

After several minutes of silence and reflection from both of them Tony broke it with a small laugh. "May, I hope you didn't invite me round just to cry and drink coffee." He looked over at her, she is silent for another moment clearly trying to find the words. He can’t help but worry slightly.

"I want to put you down as a secondary guardian for Peter"

Tony felt his jaw drop and knew his eyes were probably embarrassingly wide. "Sorry, can you say that again?" he gasped. He must have misheard her, because who would ask Tony Stark to be their child’s guardian?

"Tony, he needs a male role-model in his life, you are already his guardian in every way but on paper." May told him seriously, not an ounce of humour in her tone.

 

"Why me? Why not someone else? I’m Tony Stark I don’t do kids.”

"Tony" she sighed exasperated. "You are Peter's idol, his eyes light up when you walk into the room, he talks about you all the time, you must know how he looks up to you. And you…Tony. I know how you feel about him. Your outburst just minutes ago when you thought I’d stop you from seeing him proves that. He may not have realised yet and you may not have admitted it to yourself but everyone around you knows. Think about it…James Rhodes, your brother in all but blood declared himself Peter's uncle within minutes. Does that not tell you something? Especially when the boy accepted it without issue."

Tony blushed, he had of course known what Rhodey was implying when he came for dinner. But he had to admit he was surprised when he followed through, he kept correcting the boy until he called him uncle Rhodey without a thought. Pepper always commented on his actions around Peter too, called him a helicopter parent every time he brought up the kids location while he was patrolling or that time she called him a soccer mom when he wouldn't let Peter leave the table until he had eaten all his broccoli. Which was crazy because he was a growing Spiderboy he needed to eat his vegetables, could Pep not see that? He was sure May was aware of the whole Junior thing as well. Half of SI had taken to calling Peter that now, he was sure Gregor had started it but he couldn’t or perhaps wouldn’t tell the man to stop. He had to admit the first time he had seen Peter respond to the name a massive grin had spread across his face and even Happy's sarcastic comments couldn't get him to stop smiling. People were calling Peter his kid? Peter who was amazing and kind and smart, he would be honoured to have such a kid.

May watched as Tony digested her words, taking in everything she had said. It was impossible not to notice the bond forming between the man and her nephew. She knew the man was aware on some level he had become a father figure he perhaps just hadn’t fully accepted the fact yet.

"Why now May? Is something wrong? Are you ill? Is this why you didn't want Peter here when I came round?" Tony asked her worriedly.

May smiled as she raised her hand to calm him. "Nothing of the sort, no need to worry I'm perfectly healthy. It's just a backup, it'll give you more rights and Peter more security. Also I've been offered an opportunity at work, I haven't told Peter yet I wanted to ask you first, it could lead to promotion. Work are beginning to lay people off, I'm worried if I don't take this I might be next. And I need this job Tony, I love my job as well, I don’t want to leave."

 

Tony nodded along with her "You should definitely go for it but why are you consulting me? You love your job don't let this pass you by" he knew how hard she worked, she definitely deserved a promotion, she had refused the offer of money multiple times and he knew money was still a little tight. May had insisted Peter save most of his internship money, she only accepted a fraction of it to help with the bills.

"It's in Arizona Tony…for two months, I won't be able to come home during it, I need someone to look after Peter."

That's when he realised why she was asking. She wanted him to step up and care for the kid full time…for two months. Could he do it? Peter spent half the week at the tower anyway, surely it's not too much more making it the full week? But what about school Tony never had to make sure he got to school on time that was May's department. What if something happened while he was looking after the kid?

Before he could let his thoughts spiral even more he answered. "Of course May, no problem, I'd do anything for the kid…for both of you. When do you leave?"

"Not for another three weeks, have you fully thought this through Tony? Two months is a long time, are you comfortable with this? It's okay if you don't want to, I will work something out, but this will change your relationship with him, you know this? If you commit to this you are committed forever. He’s a teenager he needs stability. He’s a boy not some pet project."

"I know that May. I've been committed since I first laid eyes on him." He replied sincerely looking her in the eye, "you know he's like,,,like…a.."

"Son to you." May finished for him as his voice cracked before he could say it himself.

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

Peter had been told about his stay at Tony's the Saturday after the decision was made and then spent the next two weeks trying to convince May it was unnecessary. He loved the tower don't get him wrong but he did not need a babysitter. He was fifteen! Practically an adult. He would be fine, he was already at the tower half the week anyway so what was three or four nights at the apartment. He had pleaded with May, tried to sway her with facts – he was responsible, he was tidy, he then tried promises, "I won't be any trouble May, I promise I'll look after everything". It hadn't worked, he was just given extra chores and a scolding for being so unreasonable. He wasn’t sure why he was acting this way to be honest. He loved staying at the tower with Tony and Pepper but he still argued against it. He supposed he was just worried they would resent him for intruding on their lives for two whole months.

So, it was finally the day and May was leaving in less than an hour. They had spent the entire day before together doing all their favourite things, they had Thai, watched movies and just hung out both knowing they wouldn't be able to for another two months. Since he moved in with May and Ben as a child the longest he had been without them was a week when a relative of May’s got sick and they couldn’t take him. He had stayed with Ned at the time and he remembered crying for hours after they left. He had been terrified and he supposed maybe, he still was.

May was already packed but as a teenager he hadn't even started. He didn't really need to take much stuff though, he had plenty of clothes at the tower and F.R.I.D.A.Y. had access to thousands of movies. He ended up with just his backpack filled to the brim with his school supplies which he had thrown in haphazardly. If he had forgotten anything important he could just nip back he supposed.

He was nervous though, he tried to hide it but apart from that one time when he was seven he had never been away from May. The longest other than that was the weekends he spent at the tower but that hardly counted it was only a few nights at a time and he always knew where exactly May was and when he would be going home. There was no real timeline for this trip of Mays. Two months she had told him but she didn’t have an exact date for being home and he hated it.

May could practically feel the anxiety rolling off Peter as she pulled him into a tight hug. "I'm sure you'll have a great time at Tony's Peter. You always love going there. I'm only a call away remember. You can send me a text whenever you want and I’ll call when I can."

Peter nodded into her chest unwilling to pull away as he gripped her tight. "You'll stay safe yeah May? Text me when you get there?"

 

"Of course I will baby, no need to worry. I'll text so much you'll be sick of me!" she joked.

"Never."

They stood for a moment savouring each other's warmth before the silence was interrupted by a knock at the door. Peter pulled away and opened it unsurprised to see Tony and Happy on the other side.

"Ready kid?"

Peter nodded silently as he slung his bag onto one shoulder and grabbed one of May's cases for her. The four of them walked down the stairs to the two cars parked outside. Happy and Tony took the bags from their hands and loaded the cars before each getting into one giving the Parker's a final moment to themselves.

May once again pulled Peter into a bone crushing hug and held him tight. She pulled back but kept her hands on his shoulders forcing him to look her in the eye. "Have fun Peter, remember to call okay? No need to worry about me, I'll be home before you know it. Now, keep safe. Don't do anything dangerous, be good for Tony and Pepper and follow their rules okay? You know they can punish you just as I can. Keep your grades up."

Peter blushed furiously but nodded, murmuring an agreement.

"I larb you" Both said together voices cracking slightly as they turned away and stepped into separate cars. One headed to the airport, the other Stark Tower.

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

They had arrived at the tower an hour ago and Peter had gone straight to his room. Tony knew Peter was aware he was expected to be present for dinner in an hour so wasn't worried. The kid just needed time to process everything. He couldn't stop his own worries creeping up though. What if Peter really didn't want to stay here? He knew the boy had been resistant to coming, May had told him but she had assured him it was probably just nerves. What if it all went wrong?

Pepper had made sure to keep her evening clear on the day of Peter's arrival. She knew they would have to keep him distracted the first few nights to stop him feeling too home sick. She understood he stayed over all the time but this was for two months and she knew the boy would be stressed, Tony too for that matter. She had invited over Rhodey for a movie night and knew Tony had plans to order in dinner. The thought of her fiancé brought a smile to her face. When he came home three weeks ago with the news he was to be Peter's secondary guardian he had been terrified. He almost called May to get her to change her mind. She knew the man was doubting himself but she also knew he was a wonderful father to Peter. She had convinced him to sleep on it before calling May knowing perfectly well he would never abandon the boy, he had woken up the next day and immediately ordered himself parenting books. It was sweet to be honest.

They were hidden in the back of his wardrobe right now. Rhodey had seen one laying out and proceeded to make jokes at Tony's expense for the next half an hour. She knew Tony had read them however as she kept finding them on her bedside table with sticky notes marking pages for her to read. Tony's nerves had quickly become excitement especially in the last week, he had been acting like more of a child than Peter. He'd been in the lab creating even more protocols to keep Peter safe, this time for within the tower itself. He had even been grocery shopping! Tony Stark went grocery shopping, admittedly it was clearly a long time since had been, if he ever had, because he came home with ten different cereal options. "What if he doesn't like Captain Crunch though Pep!? Or what if he prefers cornflakes on Tuesdays?" She had laughed then kissed him for being so thoughtful.

Tony felt unprepared. Logically he knew he was anything but, his kitchen cupboards and fridge were nearly overflowing, FRIDAY now had five hundred and forty seven new protocols for Peter and he had read and made notes on twenty three parenting books. So I theory he was ready. But had he done enough? Didn’t all new parents thing they were ready? He was startled from his musings by Pepper

"You alright there Tony? Do you think it's time we order some dinner? What does Peter want?"

"Oh ummm I don't know, should I go ask him? I thought he needed space."

"It's fine I'll go, Rhodey is due any minute anyway"

Pepper left Tony seated on the sofa and made her way to Peter's room, situated just two doors down from the master one. Knocking twice she entered when she receives a soft "come in" from the teen. He's sitting on his bed, his back to her staring into space, clearly thinking about something. A very similar position to the one she just left her fiancé in in fact. "You okay there Pete? What do you fancy for dinner?"

After a few seconds of silence she realised Peter wasn't listening to her so sat herself down next to him, the bed dipping with her weight. She putsan arm around his shoulder and pulled him close, smiling as he snuggled into her for comfort. "You can talk to me Pete…would you like me to get Tony? Missing May is fine, it's normal"

She waited a few moments and was about to go and get her fiancé when the boy spoke. "It's the plane, that's why I'm worried."

She stayed quiet sure he would continue. She has no idea how to respond anyway, what was wrong with planes? He was still staring into space, eyes unfocused when he spoke again.

"My parents, they went away, on a plane and never came home. It crashed." He told her tonelessly.

It hit her all at once and she pulled the boy onto her lap easily holding him close, as if he was much younger than he truly is. "Peter, listen to me. I won't lie to you planes do crash yes, but so rarely, did you know you a person is more likely to become an Olympic gold medallist than be in a plane crash? You can't do anything sitting here worrying, May will be fine."

Peter did in fact feel slightly better at her words, the lead in his stomach lightening somewhat. "Can I go out? Just for a bit? To take my mind off it? Just an hour or two? I'll be straight back, I promise"

Pepper thought on it for a second, knowing it would be a good distraction for him. "Okay." At his grin she continued "But first you need dinner, I am about to order it, so you can have your dinner and then go out but I want you home by midnight okay? Not five past midnight. Midnight. Or you're grounded okay?" She told him sternly. Peter could be lax with his curfew and she didn’t want his very first night here to end in him being in trouble.

"Midnight. Got it." Peter grinned hugging her close. "Thank you Pepper"

Pepper looked down at him, his smile, his doe eyes and it suddenly hit her. Tony wasn't the only one who saw Peter as his child.

Chapter 5

Summary:

Peter find himself in trouble and two guests arrive at the tower.

Peter loved staying in the tower, he was able to work in SI labs outside his usual internship hours and Tony invited him into his personal labs often. On paper it sounded really cool and to be fair it was but he wasn't allowed into Tony's labs alone nor was he allowed to work without approval in the SI ones. He was sick of the restrictions, he was practically an adult! Why did he need supervision or approval to do even a tiny experiment? He wasn't even allowed to make his web fluid without Tony being in the room. He obviously wasn't allowed to make it in the SI labs because of the whole secret identity thing but he had no idea why Tony wouldn't let him into his private lab to make some! He had been making it for well over a year, he had been doing it in a drawer in the chemistry lab at school without supervision and that was way more dangerous than doing it in Tony’s lab. He had considered doing it at school again but when he had been doing that before his grade had fallen so he’d rather not make web fluid just to then be grounded from Spiderman.

Peter sighed loudly and threw his head back against the couch. He had come in from school and completed his homework but he still hadn't seen hide nor hair of Tony. Why did he even let me stay if he wasn't going to be around? He thought to himself angrily. The man had been acting strangely the past four or five days, he always made sure to be at the table for dinner, Pepper insisted all three of them were to be present while Peter was staying but he disappeared straight after. It was odd, Peter hadn't wanted to pry, Tony was a busy man, maybe it was some kind of huge business deal? Maybe Tony was just sick of him? Maybe looking after Peter fulltime was too much?

Sure, Tony made sure to be in the kitchen coffee in hand each morning, he insisted on driving Peter to school but he hadn't been in the penthouse when he got home. He had asked yesterday over dinner if he could use Tony's lab to make his webs but the man said he would have to wait a few days, he was too busy and wouldn't be able to supervise until the weekend. It was so annoying, he had told the man he didn’t need supervision but had been shut down pretty quickly.

Suddenly it came to him, he had been making the webs for ages, he could practically do it in his sleep these days. Mind pretty much made up he quickly glanced at his watch. It was only four and dinner wasn't until half past seven…plenty of time.

"FRIDAY when will Tony and Pepper be home?"

"Miss Potts' final meeting ends at seven o'clock, estimated time of arrival seven fifteen. Boss has no estimated time of arrival. Would you like me to enquire when he will return?"

"No! No! It's fine Fri thank you." Peter said frantically.

Tony hadn't come in until seven twenty five all week, so he was definitely fine, no one need ever know. If FRIDAY asked Tony the man would want to know why he was asking and he didn’t have a good excuse, why would Tony suddenly change his routine? Mind made up he made his way to Tony's lab.

"Fri? Do you have to tell Tony if I enter the lab alone?"

"…no…I do not. But I recommend you do not enter the lab alone"

Grinning Peter ignored the AI and entered the lab pressing his finger against the pad to open the door. He knew better than to touch anything, Tony was far too observant he would know if anything moved, but Peter had his own workbench so he was fairly sure Tony wouldn't notice if anything on it moved slightly. It was pretty messy anyway, he wouldn’t notice if something was moved so he doubted the billionaire would. He quickly set to work collecting the chemicals he needed for his web fluid. He hummed to himself as he worked, settling into the familiar movements oblivious to the world around him. He ended up making much more than he intended, but that was fine surely? He didn't know when he would next be able to come in here either with or without Tony so he may as well have a large stock. He had asked Friday to alert him at quarter to seven so he had time to clean up and sit in front of the TV so he had no worries about being caught.

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

Pete was going to be thrilled, Tony knew it. The boy had spoken for a full half an hour about 'Dr Banner' just two weeks ago, and now Tony had Bruce with him. He couldn't wait to see Peter's face. He'd spent the last five days trying to get everything ready for Bruce's arrival, more Natasha's arrival to be honest but still. He had been busy. He had to ensure she was not going to be arrested on sight. He had been shocked when Bruce had got in contact with him earlier that week asking if himself and Natasha would be welcome. They had been with Thor and the Asgardians in Norway for the last several months but were eager to come home. Tony was thrilled. He hadn't realised how much he missed Bruce. Probably because Peter did such a great job filling the void, the kid was a great help in the lab but he was glad his friend, his science bro was back…they could be like a science squad now with Pete there.

He knew Nat had been slightly wary about coming home, which was why it had taken so long to get everything sorted. Both of them wanted physical proof, documents and the like to show she would not be sent to the raft. Sure, she let Cap get away at the airport but it was just to stop anyone doing something they would regret. Tensions had been running high in Berlin but no one was aiming to kill then again perhaps T’Challa was, he had been in Siberia. Grief could drive anyone mad.

Bruce looked over at his friend and smiled. It was good to be back, good to be home. Natasha and himself had spoken at length once they had reunited and had been happily together for a couple of months now. They were taking it slow but things were going well, he was happy for the first time in a long time. He could see Tony was as well. He was surprised to be honest, Tony didn't have a great track record when it came to looking after himself. He had been gobsmacked the first time the man had hung up on him so he could go and eat his dinner.

Nat felt her whole body relax as soon as she stepped into the elevator heading up to the penthouse. The top several floors of the tower always had that effect on her, it was one of the only places she could let her guard down. One of the only places that felt like a home. She had been worried it would feel different being back after so long but it was if she never left. Tony was welcoming despite her actions against him and more importantly she had Bruce. She had been relieved when she quite literally walked into him in Oslo, she had begun to think he maybe wasn't going to come back to earth at all especially after her forcing him to become the Hulk.

She could see Tony bouncing slightly on his heels in her peripheral vision. She couldn't remember seeing him looking so happy before. Pepper had told her it was Spiderman…Peter that had changed him, changed both of them in fact. Nat was eager to meet the kid, she had seen him in Berlin, he had potential…could cut down on the chatter but he definitely had potential. Why he was staying with Tony she didn't yet know, but the man had invited both herself and Bruce for dinner so they could meet him, so the teen clearly meant a lot to the billionaire.

The three of them stood in silence as the elevator climbed the tower, each in their own thoughts. About halfway up it stopped and smiles spread onto all their faces as Rhodey walked into the elevator.

"Did my invite get lost in the mail Tones?" he asked with a grin as he pulled both Bruce and Nat into quick hugs.
"It's Friday, you always come for dinner on Friday why would I invite you when you would be here anyway?" Tony asked raising his eyebrow in amusement.

Letting out a small chuckle Rhodey nodded unable to argue the point. The last time he couldn't make Friday family dinner and didn't give warning beforehand he had been shouted at by Pepper. Just the memory made him shudder. Needless to say he would always give at least a days' notice if he couldn't make Friday dinner. Also, Pepper had told him Peter had been gutted when he didn’t turn up despite trying to hide it, that comment had struck deep. He enjoyed the weekly meal, it was a good way to keep up to date with everything that had been happening, he was able to catch up with his nephew, he still hadn't heard the word dad being used but he knew it would be…some time…no idea when but some time it would be. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

A few floors later the elevator came to a stop again and Pepper walked in a stack of files in her hand.

"I thought you weren't finishing until seven Pep?" Tony asked as he pulled his fiancée in for a quick peck on the lips.

"I cancelled, wanted to spend some time with my favourite boys, I can catch up tomorrow anyway." She told him with a smile.

Several moments of quiet passed as the elevator continued to climb towards the penthouse. Tony still bouncing slightly on his feet, he couldn't wait to see Peter's face when he saw who he had brought with him to dinner. Speaking of Peter…

"Hey Fri? Where is underoos? I have some people he would like to meet."

"He's currently in your lab sir, should I alert him?" The AI replied immediately.

Nat and Bruce saw the change in everyone as those words were said. Pepper immediately reached out placing a hand on her fiancé's shoulder as if to ground him her face falling slightly into a look of disappointment at the same time. Anger crossed Tony's face as he swore under his breath, Pepper's comforting hold seeming to do little to calm him. Rhodey just sighed in exasperation and palmed his face knowing perfectly well what awaited his nephew, and himself, he always helped the boy with the washing up when he was in trouble.

The tension in the elevator could be cut with a knife and the silence was finally broken as the elevator stopped at the floor of the lab without the need for a command.

"I'll take them upstairs and order dinner, Thai? Hear him out Tony, he maybe just nipped down for a second." Pepper tried to assure him.

Tony scoffed at her words as he stepped out the elevator. "He's fifteen Pep he knows the rules and he knows the consequences, I don't care if he only put a finger inside he knows the lab it’s off limits when he's alone. And Thai really? You are rewarding the kid."

It’s Peppers turn to scoff at that one. "Which of us let Ned come over when Pete was grounded?"

With no response to that Tony simply walked away, towards his lab, towards his kid…his kid who was in deep trouble.

Peter was so immersed in his work that he didn't notice the door to the lab open and Tony walk in. He did however notice the man when he let out a sharp cough to attract his attention.

Tony watched as the boy's head snapped up at his cough and his face paled dramatically knowing he had been caught in the wrong. The man maintained eye contact with the kid as he put down the web shooter in his hand.

"What are you doing here?"

The question was crisp and clear, Peter could hear the steel and fury under the question however and didn't think twice when his own anger and resentment at the man bubbled up within himself. "What does it look like" he replied snarkily.
Tony raised an eyebrow at the boy trying not to let his disbelief at Peter's disrespect show on his face. "Would you like to try that again Peter?" he asked staring into his eyes. He watches as the teen gives a sulky shrug but refuses to speak. "You know perfectly well you aren't allowed down here alone, we've been over this rule multiple times."

Peter doesn't think as his furious response leaves his mouth "your rule is fucking bullshit."

Both of them freeze in a state of disbelief, the words repeating in their heads.

Tony was gobsmacked. How dare Peter speak to him like that! The boy knew that was unacceptable, Peter would never speak to May in such a way he was sure. Fury quickly replaced the shock he felt and he could barely get the words out. "My office now. I want your nose in a corner by the time I get there" he gritted out. He had thought to punish the boy immediately but that was something Howard would have done, the man would have punished him immediately while he was still angry. He was sure he would still be angry with Peter when he did punish him but he needed time to think and time to cool off a little.

Peter decided he didn’t particularly want to walk past the man just in case he swatted him, Tony had a habit of giving him the occasional swat when he was misbehaving so he turned on the spot and stormed out the other door of the lab before he made his way up the stairs. It was only two floors and he knew Tony would probably take a moment to calm himself down anyway before coming up to his office so he didn’t need to rush. He marched up the stairs furious at Tony. He hadn’t been there all week and then suddenly appeared the one time Peter went against him and his stupid rules. Why was he so angry anyway? That lab rule was bullshit. Oh god…I swore at Tony Stark… he thought to himself in a slight panic before pushing it down and letting his anger overtake him again. The man deserved it anyway…asshole.

Tony followed Peter upstairs a minute or so later and came to an abrupt stop once he reached the penthouse. Peter was frozen in the doorway looking into the lounge where Nat and Bruce were sitting staring back at him. He stopped just behind the boy, kicking himself he should have realised Pep meant upstairs as in here not the floor below where the two would be living. They were coming for dinner after all.

Tony dropped a hand down on the frozen teens shoulder feeling him jump at the contact. He leant down and murmured into the boy's ear "I believe I told you to find a corner in my office Peter."
"Fuck off." Peter snarked back as he tried to shrug the hand from his shoulder. He heard the other occupants of the room take in a breath but couldn’t find it in himself to care.

Fury overtook Tony once again at the boy's attitude. Without thinking he took his hand back and swatted Peter hard. "If you don't get moving this second young man I will spank you right here. Do you hear me?" He said in a dangerous voice too quiet for the others in the room to hear.

Peter nodded and practically fled to the office the door closing forcefully behind him. Bringing a hand up to run through his hair Tony made eye contact with Pepper who has just entered from the kitchen.

"We will go downstairs, I'll order dinner to arrive in a couple of hours so you can deal with Pete unless you would prefer I do it?" She asked already knowing the answer.

Tony shook his head, "no I've got it, he was rude to me and in my lab, I will punish him" he turned to look at Bruce and Nat, "I'm sorry you had to see that, I don't know what has gotten into him. I assure you it will not happen again."

Still in shock over what they just witnessed Bruce and Nat simply nodded and moved towards the elevator in a stunned silence.

After a minute or so of staring at the wall Peter's anger subsided somewhat and dread overtook him. He was so dead. He wasn't afraid of Tony, far from it, but he did not want a spanking. He heard Tony enter the room after about five minutes and sit at his desk. Ugh definitely a spanking, Peter had been sent to the corner of the office several times now and the only time Tony had ever sat on that chair was after the ferry fiasco.

"Come here." Tony sounded resigned yet firm and Peter slowly turned, his eyes on his toes as he walked towards the man.

"Look at me Peter."
Peter looked up at the man and could already feel a slight lump in his throat when he saw the disappointment in his eyes. He hated himself for making Tony look like that, the man had let him stay with him and he did this?

"You are to be punished for being in my lab unaccompanied and for your foul language. Which do you want first?"

What kind of ridiculous question was that? He didn't want either. And two different punishments? Oh god one was a spanking but the other? Would he have to do lines again? Would he get two spankings?

Tony watched as the boy turned over the question in his mind then simply shrugged. Making the decision himself Tony grabbed the boy's ear and led him to the bathroom on the other side of the office. He sat the boy on the closed toilet seat and opened the cabinet grabbing a face cloth and a bar of soap. He had bought these after reading the parenting books but had honestly never expected to be using them. This was like when he said to May he hoped not to have to spank Peter again but here they were.

When Tony began lathering the soap and covering the cloth in suds Peter realised what his punishment was. His mouth had been washed out once before when he was six and had said the word shit after hearing some older boys say it in the street. When the man turned around wash cloth in hand Peter kept his mouth resolutely shut.

"Peter Benjamin Parker, if you don't open your mouth in the next three seconds I will be taking you downstairs and punishing you there." It was an empty threat he could never do that to the boy. His punishments were private, it was a family matter but he didn't know that. Giving the boy the odd swat was embarrassing enough a full spanking or mouth washing would be too much.

As soon as Peter opened his mouth Tony rubbed the cloth all round his mouth, over his tongue, teeth and gums ensuring his mouth was filled with suds. "One minute per swear Pete so that's three minutes."

Peter tried not to move his tongue and tears quickly came to the corners of his eyes due to the rancid taste of the soap. How could something smell so good and taste so vile? He breathed through his nose and started jumping his leg up and down to distract himself from the horrid taste in his mouth. He had just begun drumming his hand on his thigh when Tony began speaking.

"You, young man are never to speak like that again in this house okay? You are not to use such foul language against someone. I don't care if you are angry you can express yourself with other words you are a smart boy, I did not deserve to be treated like that. If you are willing to swear at me would you speak like that to Pepper or May?"

He watched a tear slide down Peter's cheek as he shook his head furiously. "That's what I thought, if I ever hear you use such language again you will find yourself straight back here okay."

He stopped lecturing the boy and looked at him feeling terrible. Fat tears were rolling down his cheeks from the awful taste and the boy was clearly trying to distract himself it. "Just one more minute Pete then you can spit." He murmured reassuringly, he knew the boy needed to be taught a lesson but it still hurt to do it to him.

Peter started to countdown in his head desperate for the minute to end. He would never swear again. Or at least not where Tony could hear him.

"That's it, you can spit. You can rinse three times underoos" Tony said as he handed him a glass.

Peter jumped to the sink spitting immediately eager to get the foul taste from his mouth. After rinsing three times the awful soapy taste remained but wasn’t quite as horrendous as before. He looked at Tony with his doe eyes begging for another rinse but was met with a shake of the head and a hand on his shoulder steering him back into the office.

Tony sat himself back on his desk chair and opened his legs before pulling the boy forward to stand between them so they are eye to eye. "So let's try again Peter why were you in my lab, despite me expressly forbidding you from going in alone?"

When he didn’t answer immediately and instead stared at his shoes Tony reached a hand forward to lift his chin forcing eye contact.
"I just wanted to make more web fluid I'm running low"

"Peter I told you I would do that with you this weekend. Why did you go into the lab?" Tony asked baffled.

"I don't understand your problem, I have been making the web fluid for ages, I know what I'm doing."

"Peter." Tony said firmly stopping his babbling. "I know you can make the fluid but you don't know everything that is happening in my lab all the time do you?" As the boy shook his head he continued. "So what if something in your web fluid contaminated something of mine? It could blow up, anything could happen."

At those words Peter paled as he realised the implications of his actions. "I didn't think…" he mumbled.

"You didn't think…Peter you are a smart boy. You cannot do this again do you understand?" The boy nodded glumly, resigned. "Right over my lap" As the boy moved to drape himself over the elders lap Tony gave a gentle but firm reminder to him "pants Peter, when you risk your life or risk getting hurt needlessly I will spank you bare."

His face flamed but he did as he was told and stiffly laid himself over Tony's knee.

Ugh this is just as horrible as last time Tony thought to himself. He quickly activated his gauntlet and brought his hand down on the boys bum. He built up a steady rhythm as he turned the boy's skin pink before he began talking.

"Why are you here Peter?"

Remembering the sharp swats for taking too long to answer the last time Peter was prompt with his response. "I broke your rule and went into your lab without permission." He groaned slightly as a harsh swat prompted him to continue "I could have got hurt, or caused an accident and I was rude to you."

Nodding to himself Tony sped up his swats bringing them down harder turning the kid's ass red. His leg kicks slightly but Tony quickly moved his own to trap it there, preventing Peter from hitting him. Soft hiccups started to leave Peter which then turned to yelp and quiet cries. The sounds pulled at Tony's heartstrings but he knew he has to finish the punishment or Peter would never learn. Soon the cries became all out sobs as he continued peppering Peter's ass. A minute or so later the boy falls limply over Tony's lap.

Tony took that as his cue to finish up and promptly raised his leg for access to his sit spots. He rains his hand down hard on the boy, wanting to make sure he will be feeling his punishment for several hours.

Smack smack "You are never to go in my lab by yourself again" Smack smack "You are not to risk your life for such a stupid reason" Smack smack "And you are not to use such foul language again" Smack smack

He replaced the boy's underwear internally wincing at the boy gasped and lifted Peter up quickly so he was once again standing between his knees. "I'm sorry Tony." The boy cried into his chest sounding much younger than he is. "I didn't mean to be bad, I didn't mean to disappoint you"

"Hey, hey. Peter you've been punished and now you're forgiven. It will not be mentioned again, but you are banned from all labs for the next ten days. No going to the lab with me. No internship."

His heart broke as Peter continued sobbing into his chest as he rubbed calming circles on his back. After several minutes Peter pulled away looking into Tony's eyes and suddenly became embarrassed.

"Did they…did they hear?"

It takes a second for Tony to realise what Peter meant. "No they didn't, I sent everyone downstairs."

Peter fell forward again into a hug and sat himself on Tony's lap his aching bum between his knees, garnering a chuckle from the man. He rested his head against the man's chest tiredly and only gives a slight grunt in response to Tony's warning that he will have to be at dinner in half an hour.

Tony sighed as Peter's breathing evened out and he idly ran his fingers through his hair. "FRIDAY tell Pepper to order food if she hasn't already me and Pete will be through in half an hour"

Moments later he was startled by Pepper walking in to check on them a smile breaking out at the sight of her two boys. Tears on both their cheeks.

Tony looks down at the teen in his arms, looking much younger asleep with tear tracks still on his face from his punishment. Sighing softly he lightly shook the boy awake.

"Pete, hey Peter. You need to wake up buddy, dinner will be here in five minutes."

The boy made a non-committal noise and pressed himself further into Tony's chest, "mm not hungry"

Tony stood up forcing the boy to do the same despite his mumbled protests, "c'mon underoos, dinner at the table, uncle Rhodey’s here. Don't you want to meet Nat and Bruce? It’s Dr Bruce Banner as you told me for half an hour last week."

When Peter's face turned a brilliant shade of red Tony realised what the problem was. "Peter, they won't mention it. I promise. Go and get washed up then go to the kitchen for dinner okay? I'll talk to them, I'm sure Rhodey will help you with the washing up after as well."

Nodding sulkily Peter left the office and made his way to his bedroom avoiding the lounge as he did so. Walking into his bathroom he washed his face but it was still slightly blotchy from crying and he knew he wouldn't be able to hide it. Knowing if he wasn't back in the lounge within five minutes Tony would come and get him he quickly changed into a pair of sweatpants but it did very little in reducing the pain in his bum. With a last look in the mirror he left his bedroom for dinner and walked down the hall to the lounge.

Bruce looked up as Peter entered and immediately saw the boy had been crying but a quick look at Tony told him not to draw attention to it. "Hi. Peter isn't it?" he asked as he stood up extending a hand to the teen "I'm Bruce."

Oh my god. Bruce Banner is speaking to me. Bruce Banner who probably knows I just got my ass handed to me by Iron Man is talking to me! Peter thought to himself. Unable to form words he just opened his mouth several times before giving a shaky nod as he shook the outstretched hand. "n-nice to meet you…Dr Banner…your photo is on the wall at school…umm" A hand comes down on his shoulder and he instantly relaxes leaning back slightly into Tony, although careful not to put any pressure on his undoubtedly still red ass.

Bruce watched transfixed as the kid relaxes almost entirely into Tony. His friends face seems to light up when looking at the child despite the fact he had punished him not even an hour before. "Call me Bruce, no need for titles, from what Tony has been telling me you'll be a science bro in no time." He watched the boy's face flush red in embarrassment.

"yeah…that sounds really cool, thank you...Bruce. I can't wait."

Tony moves his hand from the kids shoulder and ruffles his hair "of course you will be waiting at least ten days though won't you Pete, and you will have supervision"

Ugh Tony is sooo uncool. Peter thought to himself, how could he do that to me in front of Dr Banner, in front of the Hulk! "Yes sir" he grumbled realising Tony probably wanted an answer. He then immediately excused himself as Pepper calls him to set the table for dinner.

Nat sat herself down at the table watching the people around her, it felt so domestic. She was swiftly joined by Tony, Bruce and Rhodey as Peter and Pepper place the last take away dishes on the table before joining them.
Peter flushed as he sat down, his wince undoubtedly noticeable to their guests, he can feel Black Widow’s eyes on him and resolutely kept his eyes on his plate.

Tony allowed conversation to flow naturally but couldn’t help but notice Peter's silence, it's probably embarrassment at his situation but he couldn't find it within himself to feel for the boy, he knew what he was doing was wrong and got caught so suffered the consequences. "So Pete, Nat and Bruce are going to be staying here, on the floor below. I was thinking you could do some training with Nat if you want."

Peter's jaw dropped and he looked up from his plate for the first time eyes darting between Tony and the mentioned woman. "ummm…I guess…if that's okay with you Miss Black Widow"

He heard his uncle Rhodey snort beside him at the title and his lips quirk at his following hiss of pain, he probably received a kick from Pepper, it happens most times he comes over for dinner to be honest.

"Nat is fine kid."

"Thank you…this is so cool…"

Before the kid can continue babbling and probably embarrass himself further Rhodey asked him about school. She noticed the uncle Rhodey title as soon as the boy used it and made eye contact with Bruce, they would be discussing this development later without a doubt. Perhaps it was some sort of subtle encouragement, Tony's paternal actions were almost impossible to miss, the boy was clearly spanked while they were sent downstairs and with the way he kept screwing his face up she wouldn't be surprised if his mouth was washed out. That was much more of a surprise to be honest, who'd have thought it, Tony Stark being against swearing.

She watched as the boy seemed to relax, he still shuffled slightly in his seat trying to find a comfortable way to sit but he began engaging in conversation with Bruce over science. After finishing her meal she stood and scraped her plate into the bin, before she could move to wash it Peter intercepted her.

"I'll do it." He muttered embarrassed. "It's a rule, I've got it"

She looked down at him smiling slightly and gave him a wink "I'll scrape, you wash, your uncle Rhodey looks like he's drying kid"

Peter grinned up at her, who knew Black Widow could be so cool?

"Ugh is everyone going to undermine my punishments?" Tony cried dramatically as he threw his arms into the air. The three ignored him and made quick work of the dishes before going back into the lounge where everyone else was sitting.

Peter dropped himself down on the sofa but couldn't contain the slight hiss of pain he let out as he did so. Before he had a chance to think he felt hands around his waist pulling him up and found himself back on Tony's lap ass between his legs once more. He half-heartedly struggled to get away, he didn't want to look like a baby in front of Bruce and Nat after all but he quickly realised Tony wouldn't be letting him move anytime soon and settled himself down to rest on his chest. "You're so uncool" he murmured to the man quietly gaining a startled laugh from Pepper on Tony's other side.

Bruce couldn't help but smile at the domestic scene opposite him, Tony, his arm around Pepper sitting on the sofa with Peter on his lap curled up with his head resting where the arc reactor used to reside almost asleep. He reached a hand out which is immediately taken by Nat, how glad he is to be home.

Chapter 6

Summary:

Peter's grounding maybe isn't as terrible as he expected it to be

Being grounded sucked. Peter was halfway through his lab ban and bored to tears. He hadn't known at the time of his punishment but he was grounded as well as banned from the labs. To be fair this was the most trouble he had ever been in with Tony so it made sense he supposed and it was in the lab that he had gotten in trouble it would be poor par-…what no. Poor mentoring if Tony let him use the lab. When he had been grounded before he just did extra internship work or asked Tony to work with him in his private lab because he wasn’t allowed to see his friends, use his Xbox or the internet, but this absolutely sucked. It was embarrassing too, Tony had told him he had to tell Gregor himself that he wasn't able to work in the labs for ten days, that was bad enough but then he had ran into the other interns who had become sort of cool older siblings to him. They had dragged him into their break room Saturday morning to quiz him on why he hadn't been there at 8am like he usually was.

Even thinking about it made Peter blush. He had to say out loud that he had been grounded by Tony Stark, he had been grounded by Iron Man! How humiliating. When he had been grounded before he just couldn’t be Spiderman so it wasn’t like the interns knew, this was the first time since he first met them he had actually felt like a child in their company. On the plus side Chloe did text him when they had breaks so he could go and join them, otherwise he would go crazy he was sure of it. After that first day they hadn't mentioned the grounding again which he was thankful for and he knew they wouldn't bring it up in front of others, they were cool like that. But it still sucked.

So here he was with five days left of his grounding, alone and bored. He had come in from school an hour ago and already completed his homework. Tony had told FRIDAY Peter could only use his laptop for school work so the AI would immediately turn it off and inform the man if he did anything else. Tony had also taken away the controllers for his Xbox. Ugh. So bored. This was undoubtedly the worst grounding he had ever received, he had been banned from Spiderman before and lost his laptop and controllers but never the labs too! It was so dull! He let out an angry sigh and just as he contemplated asking FRIDAY to put a film on his phone buzzed. He glanced down and grinned as the intern group chat lit up, they were all taking a quick break. Thank god! He grabbed his shoes and sprinted to the lift telling the AI to inform Tony where he was if the man asked.

He walked into the intern lounge to be met with the usual shouts of “Hey Junior” and “mini Stark”. He rolled his eyes at the teasing but grinned slightly regardless, he wasn’t sure who had started it but he was sure more people called him Junior than Peter now. He grinned at Chloe and dropped down next to her, he got on with all the interns but she was probably his favourite she had sort of adopted him as her quasi brother and he couldn’t find it in himself to complain.

“Surviving?” She asked him with a grin.

“Hanging on by a thread I swear!” He said dramatically. “I’m so bored…one tiny thing and now I’m going to die of boredom!”

He heard a snort from the opposite side of the room and looked up to glance at Toby. The guy was pretty cool to be honest, he was extremely blunt at times and sarcastic but he was nice enough and also knew a lot about Star Wars, that alone sold Peter on him. "Any of us would have been fired or at least given a formal warning for doing unapproved work in the labs kid…forget about Mr Stark's private lab. Which by the way you’re the only person I’ve ever heard of who can go in there whenever they want.” The older boy told him. “A short ban is nothing.”

Peter rolled his eyes at his words, he knew he was right but still. “It still sucks, this is the highlight of my day. I can’t use my Xbox or laptop! Or anything! And I can’t go in whenever that’s what caused this in the first place.”

This time it was Chloe’s turn to laugh as she put her hand to her heart dramatically “Oh the hardship, no Xbox, no laptop. What will you do Pete? How will you survive? God it must be tough being Iron Man’s kid.”

Peter laughed at her dramatics until the final sentence when he stopped dead at her words. "You know I'm not his kid right…tell me you do know that, we aren't related in any way." He questioned her slightly worried. Did people think he actually was Tony’s kid? Maybe he shouldn't have let the Junior thing go on so long? Did Tony know? He must do Gregor always said it…so did that mean Tony hadn’t corrected anyone over it?

She simply rolled her eyes at him once again. "Family isn't blood Peter, anyway forget it tell me about your thoughts on how to improve my experiment.”

Peter stayed with the interns for another twenty minutes before they all headed back to work and he went upstairs, there was no point sitting in the lounge by himself after all.

"I'll never go in the stupid lab alone again" he mumbled to himself angrily as he stepped out the elevator.

"Seems like your punishment is working then kid" A voice said from the next room making him jump up onto the ceiling in fright.

"Nat! Stop doing that to me, how can I not hear you even with advanced hearing? And if you’re looking for Tony or Pepper they’re both in meetings."

She just laughed as she jumped over the back of the sofa and settled herself down. "No I was looking for you. How's it going?" she asked as he dropped down next to her in the seat he had occupied earlier.

"I'm sooo bored. I have nothing to do, Tony and Pepper are in meetings until dinner, the other interns are busy and I can't invite my friends over or go out with them because I’m grounded and uncle Rhodey won't be back in New York until Friday." He whined sounding like the stroppy teenager he was.

"Sounds tough kid. I'm not busy though we could do something, get to know each other. That’s why I came up…and Bruce is in the lab but still."

Peter looked up at her shocked "really? Thanks, that sounds so cool, I don’t know what we can do though, I can’t use the internet or my Xbox or the labs or go out."

Nat had already asked Tony what the kid was and wasn't allowed to do whilst grounded, she didn't want to get on the man's bad side so soon after getting home after all so knew she would have to do something inside the tower with Peter. Initially she had thought about sparring with him but that counted as ‘spidermanning’ according to Tony so was a no go.

"Can you cook Spiderman?" She asked, he was a fifteen-year-old kid it was highly unlikely he could but it was polite to ask.

"Ummm…not really, I can make scrambled eggs that's about it"

"I'll teach you then маленький паук"
Peter turned to look at her quizzically at her words but decided to simply let in slide, he didn't want to annoy her into not hanging out with him after all.

Nat decided to start out easy and set to work collecting the ingredients for pizza dough. While she got Peter to google them a recipe.

"Okay this looks easy enough" Peter muttered to himself.

Turns out it wasn't as easy as it looked. "Peter…how is it even possible to get flour on the ceiling? All you had to do was mix."

"Sorry…sorry, I just got a bit excited I'll try again."

Nat let out a brief laugh and measured out even more ingredients for the teen. "If Tony wasn't your dad I'm sure he'd be annoyed with the mess you're making"

Peter stopped what he was doing almost dropping the bowl in shock. "Tony…he isn't…he's not" he stuttered unsure if he actually wants to finish the sentence or disagree with Black Widow for that matter. Why do so many people think he’s my dad? He's just a guy, he's just letting me stay because I'm Spiderman…but do I want him to be my dad? Maybe? He wasn’t sure.

Nat watched as Peter's face cycled through emotions. She felt a bit bad she had just met the kid and now she had made him uncomfortable, she reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder "don't worry about it маленький паук I shouldn't have said anything, it's not my place" she told him soothingly.

Peter nodded jerkily mind still racing. Maybe he is my dad? He does act a bit like one sometimes, a bit like Ben used to. He checks my homework, makes sure I eat healthily and punishes me like I'm his kid. You don't just wash any kid's mouth out after all. He couldn’t help but think of the other times Tony had perhaps stepped beyond the mentor role.

Nat could see Peter’s thoughts were spiralling and thought it was probably best to distract him lest he work himself into a panic. "Hey want to hear about the time I had a mission in Budapest with Clint?"

Peter nodded, he knew what she was doing but he did really want to hear her story.

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Bruce walked into the kitchen twenty five minutes later and couldn’t help but let out a gasp of surprise. Nat and Peter were standing shoulder to shoulder at the kitchen counter spreading tomato onto five pizzas, flour was on every surface including the walls and the ceiling.

His gasp interrupted Nat who was clearly telling an eager Peter about some sort of mission she had been on judging by the kids expression. "Better not let Tony hear you corrupting his kid Nat" he teased making Peter blush slightly.

"Pfft what can he do to me?"

Bruce shrugged conceding her point and rolled up his sleeves to join the pair. "So what are we putting on them?" He watched as Nat turns to look towards the teen, clearly they'd built up some sort of relationship in however long they have been making pizzas because the kid hardly spoke in front of her before today being far too star struck or perhaps just intimidated by her.

"I was going to make them all different so there's choices; Hawaiian, meat feast, vegetarian, chicken and then margarita because Tony is boring"

"Sounds great I'll get started on meat feast then"

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Twenty minutes later they finished adding the toppings to their pizzas and Peter couldn’t help but grin, he had been sure he would die of boredom before Tony or Pepper got back from work but here was just having made pizza with Black Widow and Bruce Banner!

"Only one of us can reach the ceiling so I guess that's on you to clean before Tony and Pepper get home Peter, I'll take the walls and Nat you good with the floor and counters?" Receiving a nod from the other two Bruce got to work happy to listen to their casual banter. It seemed Peter had the ability to charm anyone, Nat usually took months to be so casual people, then again Tony's relationship with the boy may play a large role, after all he doesn't trust easily either and Nat did trust the billionaire.

Once they had all cleared up Peter went back through to the lounge and began to flick through the channels as Nat (he couldn’t help but grin at that, he was allowed to call Black Widow Nat!) and Bruce went downstairs to change. He quickly settled on Westworld, Ned had been raving about it, hell even MJ mentioned it and she hated almost everything.

After several minutes he was jostled as another body leapt over the sofa to sit next to him. "Hey Nat" he said without needing to double check who it was. He also saw Bruce at the same time she jumped the couch so it wasn’t exactly a difficult guess to be fair. Within moments the two were settled at the other end of the couch Bruce’s arm over he shoulder and the three sat in comfortable silence as they watched the show.

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Tony was eager to come home, back to the penthouse and his family, he had been stuck in meetings all day and had only had time to text Peter once during the kid's lunch break. As he stood in the elevator arm around his fiancée he couldn't help the slight guilt he felt as he predicted the scene that would await him in the lounge. Since grounding Peter on Friday he had come in each evening to see the boy bored on the couch, once or twice he had a book in his hand but he was always alone and always always bored. He knew Peter deserved to be grounded but he still felt bad, god paren….mentorhood was hard.

"Tony, you know he deserves it, stop feeling guilty, he only has five days left anyway and you'll be here for two of them"

He nodded at Pepper’s words the guilt in his stomach easing somewhat as he tapped his foot impatiently, eager to get home to his boy. His phone pinged and he fished it out his pocket, to check what was going on hardly looking up as they reached the penthouse and he stepped out the elevator. Hearing the TV however his head snapped up and he ran across the room snatching the remote up and turning it off before turning to face Nat and Bruce who were sitting dumbstruck on the couch.

"What the hell Nat?...No we don't watch those kind of shows with a child present….PG only. And you Bruce, I thought you would know better. You’re an actual adult!" He ignored Nat’s glare he could feel burning into his skull at that comment, she had no right to glare anyway right now.

"Tony….that's so uncool, it was just getting to the good bit. I'm fifteen not five!" Peter burst out outraged, he had been enjoying that, he totally understood why everyone was raving about it now.

"No…nope…no. No kid of mine is watching that, you'll be influenced by it, it'll ruin you!" he cried dramatically as the kid sighed in annoyance. “Pep back me up here.”

Pepper sighed, she did not want to be dragged into this at all she had had a long day. Deciding leaving was probably the best option she just left the room and headed towards the kitchen which smelt amazing, which was surprising she was almost certain Peter couldn’t cook.

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"So what's it like being grounded by Tony Stark?" Peter's head jerked up at the question, he just shrugged at his friend who had clearly been trying to ask for a while.

"Ummm…what? Being grounded is being grounded Ned. No Xbox, no phone, nothing fun! It’s pretty much torture."

"Duuuude. You know what I mean did he go all Iron Man on you for disobeying him? My parents would kill me if I went in somewhere I wasn’t allowed and then swore at them."

"What! No Ned course he didn't…"

Ned didn't catch the end of the sentence due to his friends mumbling. "Sorry Peter did you just say apart from the gauntlet? Dude…did you get spanked by Iron Man?” He lowered the volume at that last question honestly shocked. “What else happened?"

Peter fidgeted on the spot slightly uncomfortable but he always shared everything with Ned, they knew everything about each other so he tried to speak quickly as if that would make it less embarrassing. "He washed my mouth out and made me stand in the corner to cool down."

Ned's jaw dropped as he stared at his best friend. "Oh my god. That's such a dad move. Peter Iron Man is your dad. He is Iron Dad." He told him excitedly.

Peter dropped the burger that was halfway to his mouth to look at his best friend. "No he isn't…he's umm…he's my…He’s not my dad Ned."

"Peter he's your dad. Think about it. How many people have sworn at Tony Stark and lived to tell the tale? Not just tell the tale but be allowed back to see him again? You call his best friend uncle Rhodey for god sake! And he made you turn off the TV when a sex scene came on that is pure dad."

"Hey! He didn't tell me to call him that, that was all Uncle Rhodey he wouldn't answer to anything else and I can't not speak to War Machine Ned!" Tony is just Tony, he couldn't explain it not even to himself but Tony is everything he needs him to be. “And the TV thing….well…”

Ned scoffed shaking his head at his friend. One day Peter would realise Mr Stark is his dad. He decided to let the matter drop Peter was clearly uncomfortable so he picked up his own burger and continued eating swiftly changing the subject to discuss the possibility of an Obi-Wan prequel movie.

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It wasn’t until several hours later when Peter ran his conversation with Ned through his mind again that he realised what Tony had said when he turned off Westworld the night before….no kid of mine…no kid of mine….so does he see me as his kid? Oh my god, Tony Stark is my dad. It hit him all at once, he makes Dad jokes in the lab, makes sure his homework is done and correct before he can do anything fun, makes sure he eats his five a day, he even carried him to bed that one time he fell asleep in the lab. He had somehow accidentally got himself a dad…how was that even possible?

Chapter 7

Summary:

Peter falls sick and it's Tony's opportunity to act like a complete dad

It had been two weeks since the dad realisation as Peter was now calling it in his own mind and he couldn't get it out of his head. Everything Tony was doing he was now second guessing to see if he was just acting as he was out of a sense of duty as his mentor or for another reason. Even worse the thought had expanded to include Pepper pretty quickly, he may not hang out with her alone as much as he did Tony but she was always there for him and when Tony was busy in the evenings she was always happy to watch a movie or something with Peter. She had taken to showing him how to cook recently, after all Tony could make lasagne and little else so she was determined one of them should be able to cook in case she went away anywhere on business. Her words were stuck in Peter's head…I refuse to go away on business and come back to find my boys have been eating only takeaways for weeks, no way. Peter you will learn. Her boys…Tony's place was clear…but Peter didn't want to assume his own.

He had to admit Pepper's actions were easier to interpret than Tony's but sometimes he was not a fan of her mothering, he couldn't decide if she did it in an attempt to make him miss May less or because it was the just the way she was. He was getting tired of thinking so much on the topic or maybe he was just tired…sighing he dragged himself out of bed and into the shower sniffing slightly. Truthfully he didn’t feel amazing but it was probably because he only just woke up and was still tired, he was Spiderman he was certain he couldn’t get ill so the thought barely crossed his mind.

Pepper took one look at Peter when he came into the kitchen for breakfast before school and sighed. The boy looked pale. "Peter you look pale, do you feel alright?" she asked pressing her hand against his head worriedly, a year ago if someone told her she would be fussing over a teenager she would have laughed but here she was.

Peter took a step back slapping her hand away "I'm fine Pepper, just stressed I've got a lot of school work, I'm fine" truthfully his head hurt, his stomach was churning uncomfortably and he was exhausted but he did have a lot of school work to do and a class test in chemistry so it was probably just a tension headache, nerves for his test and then he had had quite busy patrols the past few days so that explained the exhaustion.

"You don't feel too warm I suppose, it could just be from your shower" Pepper sighed as she held her hand against his head again as he nodded furiously at her words.

"I'm fine, honest." Peter assured her as he skirted round Pepper into the kitchen to make himself a bowl of cereal for breakfast.
Pepper decided just to let the matter drop, Peter would tell her if there was something wrong with him, wouldn't he? Yes he would, he's a smart boy. Convincing herself she is just overreacting she asks Peter about school and allows conversation to flow normally. She was probably worried over nothing, ugh she was such a mother hen sometimes.

Twenty minutes later Peter found himself sitting silently in the backseat of Happy's car on his way to school. "You okay back there kid? You're awfully quiet?" The man asked, as much as he complained about the kid’s nonstop chatter he did enjoy it sometimes and the silence was unsettling.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good Happy great in fact." Why did people think something was wrong with him? He was fine just nervous and tired. They pulled up around the corner from his school moments later (Peter said it would look strange if Tony Stark’s driver was seen dropping him off all the time) so Happy didn’t have time to question him anymore before Peter jumped out and jogged towards the front doors.

As soon as Ned laid eyes on his best friend he knew there was something wrong, ten years of friendship made it almost impossible for Peter to hide anything from him…other than Spiderman that is but that hadn't lasted all that long anyway. Knowing Peter would just deny feeling ill he decided just to ignore it unless Peter got worse. His friend was stubborn and he couldn't be bothered arguing with him, he himself had been ill over the weekend, his mum almost hadn't let Peter visit on Monday she was so convinced he was still sick…on second thought he probably made Peter sick…oops.

The two only had time for a quick hello before the homeroom bell rang and they had to fight their way through the sea of students towards their class.

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By the time Peter dropped into his usual seat in Chemistry, his third class of the day, he felt horrendous, it was strange he had never felt like this over a test before and this wasn’t even that important. He could see Ned to his left looking at him worriedly but ignored him, he was fine, totally fine. Him feeling warm and sweaty was probably just from rushing to class because he couldn’t get sick…could he? Had he been sick since the bite? He honestly had no idea, if his body could heal the odd black eye he got while patrolling overnight then surely he couldn't get a cold. He was startled from his musing when the person in front of him passed him the stack of tests for him to take one and pass it along, doing so he couldn't help but shiver slightly…he was warm two seconds ago, why the hell was he shivering now?

Trying to push his discomfort to the back of his mind he turned his test and started reading at his teacher’s command. Ten minutes later he was somehow feeling worse, the words on the page seemed to be moving and he was having difficulty stopping his teeth from chattering. He unconsciously curled in on himself as if that would help him feel better and tried to battle on with his test but by this point he could hardly see straight let alone read.

Suddenly it was as if the world tilted on its axis, his head was spinning and the churning in his stomach returned abruptly and violently. He attempted to stand “Sir…” he mumbled too quietly for his teacher to hear but loud enough for Ned to look up at him and blanch. He managed to heave himself onto his feet holding the desk for support but quickly fell sideways and would have hit the ground if not for Ned grabbing his arm.

"Mr Parker! Mr Leeds! What is the meaning of this? Get on with…" started Mr Grant, but upon lifting his head and taking a look at Peter he stopped abruptly and leapt to his own feet. "Another one?" he sighed quietly to himself. "Take a seat Mr Leeds, I've got him." He gripped his student's arm and was shocked when the boy almost collapsed against him, he really must be unwell how did he even make it to this far in the day? The heat coming off the boy was astonishing how he was still conscious was amazing.

Peter could hardly focus on putting one foot in front of the other as he was almost dragged by his chemistry teacher to the nurse's office. Usually he would protest having to see the nurse but he honestly felt far too horrendous to care, he just wanted to sleep…okay throw up then sleep.

Peter was dropped onto the cot in the corner with a bucket placed between his legs, he tuned out the conversations going on around him as his stomach turned violently and he was sick into the bucket. Tears ran down his face unchecked as he heaved several times bringing up his cereal from that morning. This was horrible, so embarrassing, throwing up at school was a low point, he was hot and sticky and couldn’t stop a sob from escaping.

"Peter your Aunt isn't answering, we will just call the next number okay? No need to worry, you'll be home and in bed soon" Peter nodded hardly listening to the nurse’s words as his head continued spinning. After another minute or so of throwing up he turned himself to lie on the cot, the cool leather of it feeling great against his sweaty forehead and was unconscious almost immediately tears still running down his face.

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Tony was bored. He was in another shareholders meeting and it was just as dull as always, he knew why Pepper insisted he come to them but it was still mind-numbingly boring. Suddenly a phone started to ring and he was snapped into full alert. After all phones should be turned off in meetings and he loved making people uncomfortable over it when they forgot. Huh…why was everyone looking at him? He could feel twelve pairs of eyes staring at him including those of his very unimpressed fiancée. Then it hit him that was his phone, but who could be ringing him? His phone was on emergency calls only and Pepper was here with him and Peter at school. He pulled his phone from his pocket ready to just hang up but one look at the caller ID and he stood up from his chair. "Excuse me ladies and gentlemen, I really must take this." He ignored their grumbling as he tilted the screen somewhat so Pepper could see who was phoning, receiving a nod from her he sped from the room picking up the call as he did so.

"Stark here…no really me…no she's away…yes of course…is he okay? What’s wrong with him?...I'll be there as soon as I can."

He hung up the phone as he ran down to his private garage, usually he would have called Happy but the man was on the other side of the city making some deliveries so he would be quicker going himself. Jumping into the closest Audi he sped towards Midtown worry clouding his mind.

Tony reached Peter's school in record time, he had probably broken numerous traffic laws but his kid was sick…would that work in court…meh…he was Tony Stark it would be fine. He rushed inside glad class was still in session otherwise he would probably be mobbed, which would slow down his trip to Peter, where the hell was the nurses office anyway?

Seconds later he spotted a sign for said office and followed it skidding to a stop outside the door. Running a quick hand through his hair he knocked and entered the small room his eyes immediately falling on Peter who was asleep on a cot in the corner. God the kid looked like shit. Was that a bucket of sick? Oh my god was he dying? Why didn't he get Pepper to come she would know what to do?

"Mr Stark?"

Tony was pulled from his spiralling thoughts by the question and turned to face the person that spoke.

"Sorry to interrupt your day, but you were down as his secondary contact, we didn’t think it was actually you. Peter felt unwell in his chemistry class, we called his Aunt but she didn't answer so you were next on the list. As you can see Peter is too unwell to stay in class today would you be able to take him home?"

"It's no problem, I'm never too busy for Peter. May is away he is staying with me at the moment I'll take him home, don't worry. What's wrong with him?"

"I'm only a nurse not a doctor Mr Stark but it appears to just be a virus, he has thrown up several times and has a fever. Many students have had it in the last few weeks, I daresay he will be fine in a couple of days."

His worry fading the tiniest amount Tony nodded and walked over to the boy in the corner. He kneeled down next to him and lightly shook his shoulder. "Hey Peter…Pete…you need to wake up buddy, I'm taking you home."

Peter groaned, he could feel someone shaking his arm to wake him up, but he didn't want to wake up, he was comfortable sleeping. The shaking became more insistent and he grumpily peeled his eyes open to tell them to stop when he realised who it was. "Tony" he grumbled "Go 'way…I wanna sleep, I'll go later."

Tony laughed slightly, Peter sounded much younger than usual and he didn't have the heart to make him walk to the car, the kid was sick he would make allowances! Sighing he stood up and pulled the boy into his arms, it wasn't easy but Peter wasn't particularly heavy it was more awkward than anything else, the boy was all gangly limbs. He smiled politely at the nurse as she opened the door for him and carried his kid towards the Audi he had parked illegally right outside the school gates in his rush to get to the boy.

Opening the passenger side door he managed to deposit Peter onto the chair albeit with some difficulty, the kid was a dead weight. He pulled the seatbelt over the boy before getting in himself. He looked worriedly over at the teen, a sheen of sweat was clear on his forehead yet he was pale as a sheet, how did people do this? He had tear tracks down his face. The nurse said it was just a virus…but she wasn't an actual doctor he would get a second opinion…it could be anything! His kid was sick! Why didn't the nurse call an actual doctor, it was Peter that was sick! His Peter! Could he sue the school for being neglectful?

He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialled, he knew the perfect person to help him.

"Helen, I heard you're in New York, it's an emergency can you meet me at the tower?"

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Helen was unimpressed. Tony used the word emergency…this was certainly not an emergency. She had rushed here from the other side of the city thinking someone was dying from the desperation in Tony’s tone. She looked down at the teen in the bed and her heart went out to him it really did, but he was not that sick. He had a virus from school he would be totally fine in a few days.

"But look at him! He is sick, can't you give him something? He has a fever Helen!" Tony half whined half demanded.

For the first time since arriving she truly looked at the man. His hair was a mess from running his hands through it in worry and frustration and his clothes were crumpled and stained with…was that vomit? Most probably from carrying the boy.

"Look Tony, I get it, I really do…I'll hazard a guess this is the first time he's got sick under your care…all new parents go through this. He is fine, in a few days he will be back to his usual teenage self, just make sure he rests, and drinks plenty of fluids. If you really need a doctor Bruce will be enough, Peter will be okay Tony, trust me."

Tony looked at her doubtfully. Why wasn't she helping him? Sure she had hooked him up to an IV with some slightly enhanced drugs to help with his fever due to his metabolism but she didn't seem too worried. Was she looking at a different kid to him? Peter was pale and sweaty, his breathing laboured. Peter was not fine. He opened his mouth to argue further when a hand clasped his arm and he turned to face his fiancée.

"Listen to her Tony, I'm worried too but we won't leave him by himself, he will be fine. Bruce is just one floor down if we need him. Helen is a doctor she has not steered us wrong yet has she?"

Tony looked into his fiancée's eyes and nodded sulkily. "Fine, but I will call you if anything changes Helen. If it's to do with Peter it's always an emergency."

The doctor rolled her eyes but nodded at the worried parent standing over his ill son. "Fine Tony, but I assure you he will be okay, remember plenty of fluids, you want his fever to break."

Pepper nodded at the doctor and showed her to the door thanking her for her time knowing Tony would not be leaving their kid's room for anything short of a global disaster…actually maybe not even for that…Peter came first, always.

Not long after Dr Cho had arrived and declared Peter was not ill enough for the med bay Tony had carried him up to his bedroom, after all he wanted Peter to be comfortable and where better than his own bed? So here he now was sitting on Peter's desk chair, his fingers absently running through the teen's sweaty locks.

"You need to change your shirt Tony, that one is disgusting…." Pepper started wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"I'm not leaving him"

She sighed as she looked fondly at her lover, he'd never looked more like Peter's father than in that moment. "Good thing I brought the shirt to you then isn't it?" she replied smiling sadly as she threw it at him and sat herself on the chair at the other side of the bed. Peter was rarely anything but full of life so to see him looking sick was jarring and something she didn't wish to see again anytime soon.

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Several hours had passed since Peter was carried to his bed and Tony had yet to leave his side, he had called to update May on the situation reassuring her she needn't come home but other than that he had silently watched over his child. Peter's temperature was still high but no longer rising, clearly Helen's drugs were doing something for the kid, but not enough. He currently had Bruce working on more medication for Peter, usually he would be eager to join but right now he couldn't bear to leave the boy's bedside.

"You should wake him, he needs food Tony" he jumped at Pepper's words, the first spoken between them in over an hour. He nodded as she stood leaving the room, he could only assume to get something for Peter to eat.

Tony moved his hand from the boy's hair and lightly shook his shoulder. "Peter, hey…time to wake up underoos."

Peter could hear someone calling his name but it seemed muffled and far away, he was comfortable why wouldn't they go away? The voice became more insistent and he could feel a hand on his shoulder, now awake he groaned audibly rolling onto his back as he lifted a heavy arm to cover his eyes. God, he felt like shit. He peeled an eye open and looked to his left to find the owner of the annoying voice was to his surprise, Tony.

Why was Tony here? How did he even get here? Where was he? Was this school? It didn’t seem like school, the bed was too comfortable. The questions ran through his head quicker than he could comprehend them, he could feel his chest ache as his breathing sped up due to his panic.

Seeing the beginning signs of a panic attack Tony stood and leaned over Peter to look into his eyes. "Hey look at me Pete…you're okay...you're in your bedroom, here, at the tower, you were sick at school remember?" He told the boy trying to keep his voice gentle and soothing.

Peter stared up at him blinking slowly as his breathing slowed but he still couldn't understand what the man was saying. "Huh" he grunted unintelligently which earned him a snort from Tony. He tried to push the man's hands away when they felt his forehead but he felt far too weak so just settled for an unhappy sigh as the man dragged him up into a sitting position and propped him up with pillows.

"Hey don't look at me like that" Tony chided the pouting teen "you need food kid, Pepper will be back in just be two minutes with some soup for you. How do you feel? Are you going to be sick?"

Peter shrugged, he didn't really know to be honest, he supposed he wouldn't know if he felt sick until he ate something. He looked up when Pepper entered, lap-table in hand and grinned, he hadn't realised how hungry he was until he could smell chicken noodle soup. He gripped the spoon in his hand but was having difficulty scooping soup onto it and getting it to his mouth without spilling any.

Tony watched as Peter tried and failed a good six times to eat his soup and he knew he would have to intervene. He reached over and plucked the spoon from the boy’s hand while perching himself on the edge of the bed. "Let me, Pete" he murmured softly.

Peter could feel the blush covering his face but he had to admit he was hungry and he clearly didn't have the energy to feed himself so he just nodded and resigned himself to the humiliation of being spoon-fed at fifteen. He was pleasantly surprised when Tony didn't make any jokes at his expense over it and simply fed him spoonful’s of the delicious soup. Before he had even eaten half the bowl however he could feel his eyes drooping and he had to fight to stay awake, Tony's murmured promises that if he had a few more spoonful's he could sleep were the only thing keeping him falling asleep right that second but he couldn’t help but let out a small whine.

Pepper had watched on fondly as her fiancé spoon-fed the boy they both thought of as a son and couldn't help but notice the two moving closer to each other while doing so. By the time Tony had finished feeding the boy he was fully sitting on the bed and Peter was tucked into his side Tony's arm around his shoulders, holding him close as he struggled to keep his eyes open. She knew she would be asking FRIDAY to give her a snapshot of the moment later.

Tony looked down fondly at the boy at his side, he could plainly see the boy's exhaustion. "Go to sleep underoos, we'll still be here when you wake up, you'll feel better after a nap, I promise."

The boys sleepy response would be etched into Tony's brain until the day he died, he was sure of it. "Th’nks dad."

Tony couldn’t help but look up at his fiancée a grin splitting his face, “did you hear that?” he whispered excitedly, “FRI did you catch that? Send it to my phone.”

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It was Wednesday that Peter was sent home from school sick and only now four days later was Tony allowing him to leave his bed for anything other than the toilet. The first day and a half hadn't been too bad because he had admittedly been too sick to feel bored but since then it had been torture! So boring.

Sure he had to admit Tony had made sure he was never left alone, heck, the man hadn't left his side at all for the first two days and was still texting him every few hours between his meetings to make sure Peter was okay but Tony hadn't let him do anything but watch TV and sleep, he was going stir crazy. Sure he was a teenager and he loved both of those things but he was usually so active, sitting in bed was just boring.

He had finally been able to leave his bedroom though, he was now a whole thirty feet away from it! Tony had allowed him to move into the lounge which was a minor improvement. He knew the man had been worried he had been hovering over him for days but it was getting a little suffocating especially as he now felt pretty much one hundred percent fine but Tony still wouldn't let him do anything, he couldn't visit the labs, invite Ned over or even go down and see Nat and Bruce. Tony had also made it very clear Spiderman was not to be patrolling until at least Tuesday.

Today was the first day he had been left by himself since he fell ill, in the past he would have considered just doing whatever he wanted and gone out patrolling anyway, but he knew Tony would class that as endangering his health needlessly as he still wasn't in top form…and he certainly didn't want his ass warmed because he went out due to boredom. So here he was sprawled out on the couch under a blanket watching Netflix, he was hardly paying any attention to the screen however and was simply letting his mind wander.

He was beginning to feel at home here in the tower and he couldn't help but feel guilty over it. His home was in Queens with May, was he abandoning her by feeling so comfortable here? While he'd been sick in bed he had missed her, it was the first time he could remember being sick and she wasn't there to comfort him, it really made her absence hit him more than it had any other time over the past few weeks. Tony and Pepper were there and gave him anything he wanted or needed, he couldn't ask for anymore from them but still, he missed May.

It had only been three weeks but it was the longest he had been apart from May since he had gone to live with her after his parents died, she was the only mother figure he had up until Pepper, sure he called her Aunt May, always had and always would but she was there for him. So yeah, he missed her terribly. After Uncle Ben had died they only grew closer so it was tough not seeing her whenever he wanted. He couldn’t even call her whenever because her shifts could be unpredictable.

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Rhodey was not prepared for the scene he walked into when he left the elevator. He knew Tony had to go to several meetings this afternoon and Pepper had back to back meetings the entire day and with Nat and Bruce away for the weekend he knew his nephew was probably lonely and bored so decided to visit. With Peter being ill Friday family dinner was cancelled so he hadn't seen the boy in over a week, and he hadn't expected the first time he saw him for the boy to be curled up on the sofa staring into space with tears running down his cheeks. He knew the teen was probably in a world of his own so moved slowly and tried not to startle him, "Hey Pete, what's wrong?"

When the boy didn't answer he simply lifted the blanket that was covering him and sat down next to him before pulling the teen into a side hug and letting him sob into his chest. He knew the boy wasn't still sick, Pepper had told him the kid was completely fine but Tony was just being paranoid in not letting him leave the penthouse. Which begs the question, why was he crying?

Peter knew he should be embarrassed, he hadn't even realised he was crying until Uncle Rhodey pulled him in close, but he couldn't find it within himself to calm down or pull away, he simply let his uncle comfort him and he cried. After several minutes he calmed down and pulled away from Rhodey who was looking at him worriedly.

"What's up Pete?"

Peter didn't know why he let the words slip out but he did and he had no way of taking them back. "Do you think May hates me because I think of Tony as dad in my head sometimes?"

Rhodey felt his jaw drop, he knew Peter had let the d word slip after all, Tony had called him within minutes of it happening almost in tears. He didn't expect Peter to admit to his feelings so soon though. He looked down at his nephew wiping away the tears softly with his thumb, "Peter look at me, I don't know your Aunt May but from what I've heard about her I don't think she could ever hate you."

Peter thought about his words for a moment allowing them to sink in. Rhodey could be right, May had always supported everything he did, even Spiderman but was this too much? She had raised him after all would she be angry he was replacing her? But was he really replacing her? She was still Aunt May, Queens was still his home. Tony and the tower was just becoming like a second home, kind of like when parents divorced he supposed.

"Why don't you call her? I'm sure she's missing you and wants to see you're better with her own eyes anyway"

Peter found himself nodding, he knew if he didn't call he would just worry and if he worried, Tony would worry and then Pepper and they would tell May something was bothering him, so everyone would just be worried.

"I want to do it alone" he found himself saying with more conviction than he perhaps felt but he was relieved when Rhodey nodded assuring him it was fine and he would check back on him in an hour or so.

Peter moved back to his bedroom dragging the blanket with him before asking F.R.I.D.A.Y. to video call May through his TV. She picked up on the second ring and he couldn't stop the smile which spread across his face as he laid eyes on her. She looked tired, she was probably working hard but she looked healthy and that's all he could ask for.

"Hey Peter, feeling better? Pepper told me Tony is being a bit overzealous."

He laughed lightly at her words assuring her he was totally fine and Tony was just worrying over nothing. They fell into casual conversation easily as if they were together and not hundreds of miles apart speaking through screens.

May knew as soon as her eyes fell on Peter something was bothering him, he was fidgeting slightly and not fully invested in the conversation. She let conversation flow for twenty minutes or so before interrupting knowing if she didn't Peter probably wouldn't speak up about whatever was on his mind. "Peter, why did you call? What's on your mind?"

Damn. He should have known she would be able to tell, other than Spiderman he had never managed to successfully hide anything from her. "I call Tony dad in my head sometimes" he blurted out as if saying the words quicker would make the moment pass faster. He avoided looking at the screen, at her face, in a mix of embarrassment and fear.

May smiled softly, she knew this call was probably coming and she was glad Peter was willing to talk about it with her rather than bottling it up. "Peter look at me, there's no need to be embarrassed, I expected this. It's okay I don't mind, it's understandable." She watched him fondly as his head snapped up and jaw dropped in shock.

"But I never called Uncle Ben that. Is it not disrespectful?"

"Peter you were four when you came to us you probably don't remember much, but you had known us forever, I was Aunt May and Ben was Uncle Ben to you. Why would we change that? It just became normal for you, we never expected to be called mum or dad. We both knew we were in those roles but the title was not needed."

He let her words sink in and felt his whole body relax as the tension he didn't know he had left his body. "You don't mind then?"

"Peter, Tony is your dad in everything but blood, if you want to call him dad call him dad. I know he will be thrilled, and the same with Pepper, you would not be disrespecting my role in your life if you call her mum. I understand."

"Thank you" he mumbled as he brushed the stray tears from his cheeks. He felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

When Rhodey entered the apartment an hour later he was almost knocked from his feet due to the force of Peter's hug. He held the boy tight in his arms as he babbled into his chest his thank you's for telling him to call May. When Peter pulled away he smiled down at him. "Do you think we have time for a few games of Mario Kart before your dad gets home?" Never before had a question of his been met with such a dazzling smile.

Chapter 8

Summary:

Peter goes out on patrol but it doesn't go quite as planned

Tony watched as Peter shifted from foot to foot waiting for his response, he knew he would have to say yes and let him go on patrol but he wasn't particularly happy about it. What if his illness came back all of a sudden while he was out? What if he wasn't actually one hundred percent – sure Bruce had said he was fine, so had F.R.I.D.A.Y. and Pepper, but what if they were wrong?

Peter sighed softly, he was losing hope, Tony had promised he could go out on patrol today if he felt fine, and he was totally fine! He had been back at school the day before with no issue and he had done some sparring last night with Nat, Tony was being ridiculous. The man had asked Bruce to check his temperature three times! Three times! Rhodey and Pepper were no help, both just watched in amusement as Tony mothered him. He had completed all his homework, eaten all his dinner including the second and third portions Pepper had served him, he had even tidied his room, Tony had no grounds to stop him going out as Spiderman and surely the man knew it.

Tony sighed deeply, "fine. You can go out…" he had to pause for Peter's whoop at his words. "but you have to be home by midnight, on the dot. Other than that usual rules apply underoos, got it?" He smiled as the boy nodded his head frantically eager to change and go out. "Off you go then Pete" the words had hardly left his mouth before Peter was running back towards his bedroom to change and grab his webshooters.

Peter wasted no time in changing into his suit and running up to the roof of the tower. Leaving from the roof was always exhilarating, the view was stunning and he loved the adrenaline rush of the slight freefall before he shot a web towards the next building. He wasn't allowed to leave from the roof every time, after all, Tony didn't want the general public to know Spiderman lived with him in case Peter was discovered to be living there and a connection was made. Him living at the tower wasn't necessarily a secret, after all, Ned and MJ both knew as did many Stark Industries employees, Tony and Pepper were just reluctant to let the masses know in case it put Peter in danger. So, the odd time he did leave from the roof he loved it.

He swung his way towards Queens only deviating from his course to break up a small scuffle outside a bar. Within twenty minutes he had reached Queens and was breathing heavily. It was the fastest he had ever managed to reach it from the tower and he couldn't help but be proud of the accomplishment. He lay down on the roof of an apartment building to catch his breath and chat with Karen for a little while. After about ten minutes his breathing had evened out so he leapt up and began to swing aimlessly around Queens looking for trouble…if Tony ever asked he was looking for people to help, he would never look for trouble.

"Karen, have you got anything for me?"

"Small-scale burglary two blocks east. No 'call me dammit' weapons"

Peter rolled his eyes at that, one time he didn't call Tony when faced with someone with alien tech and he wouldn't drop it. He'd been grounded after that particular incident and wasn't looking for a repeat anytime soon.

As he approached the scene he could see three men dressed in black with their faces covered loading items into the back of a truck, the classic bad guy look as he liked to call it. Swinging down so he landed on top of the truck they all stared at him in shock. "Ever heard you shouldn't take what doesn't belong to you?" he asked sarcastically. He leapt into action immediately webbing the feet of the first man to the street he was standing on before winding it around his legs so he had no chance of moving before the police arrived. Looking up he could see the other two were trying to get away, he webbed the hand of one to the door of the truck preventing him from escaping with their ill-gotten gains. The third appeared to have given up entirely on their crime and was simply trying to run away, but no ordinary man would be able to outpace Peter especially with his webs. Throwing an arm out he effortlessly caught the man's left leg in a web and pulled him back as the man swore colourfully at him. "Hey, hey, hey watch the language man…not cool". He made quick work of the man leaving him webbed to the side of their truck as he asked Karen to call the police and report the location of the criminals.

He webbed away before the police arrived, he was always slightly anxious they might try and question him or something so he tried to make himself scarce before they arrived. "Good work Spiderman". He couldn't help the grin that spread across his face, he knew Karen was just an AI and not a real person but he still appreciated the sentiment from her. It was nice to feel appreciated.

The next two hours or so passed in a similar manner as he continued patrolling Queens. He generally stayed within Queens itself for the majority of the evening only heading back towards Manhattan as he neared his curfew. He sighed softly to himself as he continued towards the tower he had half an hour until he had to be home and he was determined to make the most of it but it had been an extremely quiet night.

"Karen, you got anything yet?" he was expecting a negative response just as he had received the last several times so let out a small cheer at her response. "A large group of suspicious looking men are gathered four blocks west. Several knives. No 'call me dammit weapons'"

He jumped into action immediately pausing on a rooftop which would give him a good view of the people below. He could see straight away what Karen had been speaking about, there was a group of maybe ten men dressed head to toe in black standing together some of whom appeared to be arguing. He remained on the rooftop for several seconds as he took a good look at the scene quickly spotting several of the men had knives and knowing he would have to get a hold of those quickly. Peter leapt into action straight away snatching two of the knives within seconds and webbing them to the wall of the building he had been on top of mere moments ago, he had learnt the hard way to stick them somewhere rather than just toss them away. Taking on ten fully grown men was difficult he had to admit but he had managed before and as he was removing the knives quickly and efficiently he felt more confident. He realised pretty quickly that these men were one group and simply disagreeing with each other, they were, unfortunately, able to settle their differences enough to fight Peter with some efficiency. Suddenly Karen started almost shouting in his ear and he noticed at the same moment some of the men tense as they looked into the shadows. "Call me dammit weapons present Peter"

Swearing softly Peter ordered her to call Tony, he did not want another punishment after all and spun on the spot to face the new threat. A man was emerging from the shadows dressed in dark clothes with his face covered but that was not the main issue. The gun in his hand was not like one Peter had ever seen, not even like one he might see on the TV. Alien Tech. It had to be. "Leave us, I will handle him, keep looking for buyers, we have a lot of stock" the man commanded to the others who wasted no time leaving the scene.

Peter swallowed nervously, he knew Tony would be on his way and he wasn't that far from the tower so he would probably only be a couple of minutes. He just had to keep the man distracted.

Tony was in his workshop when F.R.I.D.A.Y. cut off his music, he looked up from his work angrily about to demand an explanation when his AI spoke. "Alert from Spiderman. Alien tech situation, help required." He swore loudly leaping over the table towards the door as he activated his nanotech armour at the same time. Tony was on the roof in moments and wasted no time leaping off it, just as his kid had earlier that evening. He flew as fast as he could towards Peter's location unsure what exactly he would find, the Alien tech that ended up on the street was unpredictable sometimes they were like ray guns other times they were just flares. He was really hoping for the latter this time.

Peter let out a breath as he heard Tony's repulsers in the distance quickly coming closer to them. The man was fast, he didn't appear to be enhanced but he was clearly a career criminal of some kind as no matter how hard he tried Peter could not get the weapon from him. They seemed to be evenly matched as neither gained much ground on the other.

Tony's heart was in his throat when he laid eyes on Peter but he was also proud of the boy. He had known he was in trouble and called him immediately, the boy also seemed to be holding his own. He landed behind the man with a thud causing him to turn slightly to face the suit. Tony watched with satisfaction as his face paled as soon as he registered who was in front of him.

Peter seized the brief moment and grabbed the gun with a web pulling it from the man's slackened grip. The small thrill of excitement quickly vanished however as he pulled the gun towards him. He couldn't say how it happened, it could have been his webs reacting with it or maybe the man managed to pull the trigger but he heard a bang then indescribable pain in his shoulder.

As soon as he heard the bang Tony shot the man in front of him not caring if he killed him or not as he rushed towards his son in all but blood. Peter had fallen to the ground in shock but still appeared to be conscious. He slid his arms under the teen and gathered him into his arms immediately heading back towards the tower calling Bruce to the medbay at the same time.

Peter was barely clinging onto consciousness when he arrived at the tower in agony. His whole body felt strange, lethargic but his shoulder felt like it was on fire.

Bruce jumped into doctor mode as soon as Peter was placed on the bed. He appeared physically okay apart from his shoulder which had…was that a dart? Sticking out of it. He took a closer look and gasped, he had seen those before.

Tony watched as realisation crossed Bruce's face and the man began to work with even more urgency. Which just made himself even more stressed, he wanted to question the man but that would distract him from Peter so he held back. Within minutes he had removed the dart from the boy's shoulder and was dressing it. As soon as the dart was out he appeared much more relaxed however as if all the tension swept from his body, it was a stark contrast to how he had looked when he recognised the dart…so was Peter okay now? He let the man finish his work before looking to him for an explanation, which he provided immediately.

"I saw those darts in Sakaar they are a punishment for criminals, they are used to de-age offenders to serve longer sentences before they die or keep them alive for a lifetime of suffering."

Tony choked at his words rushing over to the teen on the bed and running his fingers through his hair as if he would disappear. "So Peter? Will he be okay? How much younger will he be? Will he have to redo years of his life?"

Bruce looked over at his friend's panicked state and smiled. "There is a cure, I can ask Thor to go and retrieve it, it may take him a week or so to collect it though. But Peter will be fine, the drug works relatively quickly his body will change soon, I will give him a sedative to keep him out, it's a painful procedure otherwise, I cannot say how much younger he will be though, it could be a few years it could be ten. There’s no way to know."

"But he will be fine? Will he remember us?"

"Yes physically he will be fine, maybe a little pain from his bones shrinking down but some painkillers will sort that out. He will remember you and everything about his life but he won't act like he does now, he will have the memories he has as a fifteen-year-old but the attitude and temperament of his physical age."

Tony digested his friend's words as the worry enveloping him receded somewhat at the news Peter would be okay. One thought suddenly took over his mind replacing the remaining worry with panic.

"What if he's a baby? Nappies? Crying? Bruce what do I do?"

Bruce just laughed at the man, "Tony he's your son, you'll be fine. We both know you’ll do anything for him and you have Pepper."

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

Tony was exhausted. It was now seven in the morning and he had hardly had any sleep, he phoned Pepper immediately after Bruce sedated Peter to explain the situation to her. She had been in Boston on business for a few days but cancelled the rest of her meetings citing a family emergency and was due back in an hour or so. She had of course been much more proactive than himself and had already organised for toys, clothes and other items to be delivered to the tower sometime that day.

Of course, after Pepper he had to make the much harder call to May to explain her nephew was going to spend the next week or so de-aged because of some alien tech Tony had been unable to protect him from. She had wanted to come home initially but it wasn't a feasible solution as she would lose any chance for a promotion, so she made him promise to let Peter call her at some point that day.

He looked down at the child still asleep in the hospital bed, Bruce assured him the sedatives had worn off and the boy would wake up soon. It had been a bizarre experience watching Peter de-age in front of his eyes. It had only taken about four hours in total but it was amongst the strangest four hours of Tony's life, and he had been to Space. Watching someone go from a teenager to a toddler was bizarre, his face had grown rounder and obviously he had shrunk as time wore on.

Bruce had looked over Peter and said he was about three years old which to Tony's relief meant Peter was likely potty trained. He looked so cute in his sleep, he tended to gel his hair as a teenager to tame the curls but as a toddler he had a full head of them and Tony was in love. In fact he was certain this was the cutest boy he had ever seen. He had changed him into one of his own t-shirts once he had finished shrinking knowing there would be nothing in the penthouse that would fit until Pepper's order arrived.

He couldn't take his eyes off the boy who looked so tiny and innocent so noticed immediately when he began to stir. He watched as Peter blinked sleepily several times before looking around the room, the confusion and slight fear he was feeling was clear to see on his young face. The whimpers which escaped him broke Tony's heart.

"Hey Peter, you're okay. You got hurt you're in the medbay, do you remember?"

"Funny gun"

Tony smiles at the childish answer, "yes Pete well done, the funny gun made you small again." He had read the parenting books he had picked up months before cover to cover and he couldn't be more thankful now. He remembered reading that it was important to praise young children and he intended to do his absolute best for this boy. He would never forgive himself if he somehow scarred Peter during his time as a child.

Peter nodded distractedly as he looked around the room. "Aunt May?"

"She's away Peter, but you can call her in a little while" He saw the child's lip begin to quiver and tears pool in the corner of his eyes. "Shhh don't cry underoos, it's okay, I'm here, Tony's here" He said soothingly, he had no experience with kids and he really didn’t want his first interaction with small Peter to end in tears.

He moved to sit next to the child on the bed who quickly burrowed into his side seeking comfort. Tony simply lifted the toddler and swung his legs onto the bed as he deposited the boy on his lap and held him close.

Peter was confused, he had woken up in a slightly familiar place but wasn't able to actually name where he was. He had just wanted May, when he woke up she always made things better, her hugs made him feel safe, hearing she wasn't there was devastating. He would have started crying if the man sitting at the side of his bed hadn't spoken so quickly. Tony…Tony…he knew that name. "Daddy?"

Tony looked down at the boy in his arms in shock. He opened his mouth to say something but couldn't get his words out, did Peter know who he was?

Peter looked up at the man confused. Why isn't daddy answering? He turned in the man's arms to face him and looked into his eyes. "I-on Man? Daddy."

Tony let out a choked laugh at Peter's words. "Yes Petey-Pie. Iron Man's here. Daddy's here, no need to worry. Daddy's here." Those words seemed to be enough for the toddler as he immediately threw his tiny arms around Tony's neck and hugged him close. Tony let out a wet laugh as the boy cuddled into him.

The scene Bruce walked in on two minutes later was one he never would have expected to see a year ago but having seen teenage Peter and Tony's relationship he was unsurprised. Tony was sitting on the hospital bed his chin resting on Peter's head as tears ran down his cheeks. When the two made eye contact Tony whispered "He called me Daddy, he knows who I am, and he called me Daddy."

Bruce grinned, he had seen it coming for a while and was thrilled for the man. "It was about time. I need to do a few checks, it will only take a few minutes then Peter should be free to go."

As soon as the words left Bruce's mouth Tony felt the boy in his arms tense then start to tremble. "Sshh Peter it will only take a few minutes okay. Daddy's here I'll hold your hand the whole time." The boy was still shaking though and he knew it was probably poor parenting but he didn't want to argue with a toddler so decided bribery was the way to go. "If you're good for Bruce you can have blueberry pancakes for breakfast Pete, doesn't that sound good?" Blueberry pancakes were one of Peter's favourite foods Tony knew, it was also one of the few things he could actually make for the boy so whenever Pepper was away he made them for breakfast and Peter always demolished them.

At the words blueberry pancakes Peter sat up in Tony's arms. "Pwomise?"

"I promise Pete"

With that declaration Peter climbed from the man's lap and shuffled to sit on the edge of the bed facing Bruce.

Bruce rolled his eyes at Tony, Peter really did have the man wrapped around his little finger. He let a smile appear on his face as he looked at the child sitting on the edge of the bed swinging his legs nervously. "This won't take too long okay Peter, no need to worry." He started by testing the toddlers reflexes and checking if Peter had any pain remaining from his rapid de-aging. He checked his ears and chuckled along with Tony and the boy himself as he checked his heartbeat causing the boy to almost squawk as the cold medal touched his chest. Within ten minutes or so he only had one test left and knew it would probably cause tears, with a glance at Tony he knew the man was aware what was to come.

Tony put his hands under his child's armpits and pulled him back onto his lap hugging him close knowing the needle Bruce was about to use to take blood would probably cause tears. As he expected as soon as Peter laid eyes on the syringe in Bruce's hand he shrunk into Tony's chest and tears came to his eyes.

"Hey Petey, this is the last thing, you'll get pancakes afterwards remember" Tony murmured to the child bouncing him slightly to try and calm him. Knowing the boy would get worked up if the blood wasn't taken soon he decided distracting him was probably his best option. "Peter you know I am Iron Man yes? Can you tell me about the avengers?" He knew Peter's answer would probably mention the Rogues, a subject which was still sore for him but he knew big Peter idolised the Avengers so it was likely three year old Peter was the same.

Peter launched into his answer "there's Daddy, Captain 'Merica, Hawkeyes, Black Widow, Thow, Hulk an there's Waw Machine! Hulk and Bruce same, Nat big spider. Unca Rhodey waw machine!"

While listening to Peter babble on Bruce readied his syringe and inserted it into Peter's elbow as Tony cupped the boy's head preventing him from turning to look at what Bruce was doing. Seconds later Bruce had the blood he needed and removed the syringe placing it in the labs fridge out of Peter's view, Peter who was still talking about the Avengers. "All done Pete, well done you!" He told the boy a smile on his face.

Peter looked up at Bruce in shock, eyes wide unable to believe he had taken blood without him even noticing! He looked from Bruce to his arm which now had a plaster on it several times, when he took a second look at the plaster he looked up at his daddy. "Spida-man!" he shouted turning back to Tony jumping slightly in excitement.

Tony peered down at the cute child in his arms and ruffled his hair. "That's right Peter Pan. Spiderman. You were such a brave boy for Bruce and you know what brave boys get?" he asked with a grin.

"Blueberry pancakes!" the child cheered practically leaping off the bed and running towards the elevator causing both men to jump to their feet and run after him. Peter had barely been awake an hour and already they were running to keep up, Tony had the feeling the next week was going to be exhausting.

Notes:

Thank you so much for all the kudos and reviews it means so much to me

Chapter 9

Summary:

Tony and Pepper experience raising a toddler

Tony watched fondly as Peter sat at the table barely able to see over the top of it devouring his fifth pancake, he had put a cushion down but it hadn’t really helped. He had briefly wondered whether Peter still had his spider powers, with the amount the kid was eating it certainly looked like he still did, how such a tiny body could eat so much was honestly astonishing.

"Can I have 'nother daddy?"

Tony turned to look at the toddler raising an eyebrow at him, "what's the magic word Pete?"

"Pwease Daddy, can I have 'nother pancake"

Tony ruffled the boy’s hair, it was quickly becoming his favourite thing to do to be honest and gave him another. Several boxes of supplies for the boy had arrived not ten minutes before and he really wanted to look through them but always eating at the table was a rule for big Peter so he had to ensure little Peter followed it too, and leaving the boy alone obviously wasn't an option. He also didn’t want to distract Peter from eating, teenage Peter could be excitable and easily distracted he didn’t even want to consider what toddler Peter would be like.

Ten minutes later Peter had gone through another two pancakes and finally seemed to be finished eating. "C'mon little man let's go get you some clothes on," Tony told the boy who just pouted at him.

“I wike this daddy.”

Tony couldn’t help but sigh as he kneeled down so he was eye level with Peter. “I know you do Pete but there’s lots of clothes here you can choose from you can’t walk around in just my t-shirt.”

“S’not fair daddy. I wike this.” Peter said crossing his arms over his chest. Tony was sure the boy thought it made him look intimidating but it was just cute.

“Peter, we aren’t arguing over this, you need to change you can’t wear just a t-shirt and you’ve got bits of pancake on it.”

Peter stomped his foot on the ground and opened his mouth to argue but Tony held up a hand to stop him.

“Peter. I just said we aren’t arguing over this. You don’t stomp your feet when you don’t get your way okay. And if you keep arguing you’ll have to go and stand in the corner. So are you going to be a good boy for me and put on some of these clothes Pepper got for you.”

“Pepp’r?” Peter asked with a smile as he pointed at the clothes excitedly.

Tony rolled his eyes, “yes Peter, Pep bought these so will you put them on.”

Peter nodded all arguments forgotten now he knew Pepper bought the clothes. Tony had no idea why that would make a difference to a toddler but he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

Pepper blinked when she entered the lounge unable to comprehend what she was seeing. Tony was kneeling on the floor hair a mess from running his hand through it in frustration holding a green t-shirt with a skateboard on the front in his hand. Peter was stood looking at the man arms crossed over his chest, wearing nothing but a pair of underwear.

Hearing her entrance Tony turned to look at his fiancée beseechingly. "Help me, he refuses to put clothes on. It's been ten minutes."

Pepper walked into the room fully and knelt down to be eye level with the boy she saw as her own. "Hey, Petey whats the problem? It's not nice being difficult for daddy, he's trying to help you, you can't walk around dressed in only your shorts baby." Her heart melted as Peter immediately looked down ashamed and dug his foot into the floor, his answer was so quiet she hardly heard him.

"Don't wike it."

"The t-shirt?" At the boy's nod she turned to look at her lover. "Did you let him choose Tony"

"I just took the top one! He's three Pep!" The man spluttered confusion all over his face.

Turning back to her boy she looked into his eyes "Okay, you can choose what you wear Peter, I'll give you three shirts to pick from. But if you have a problem you have to use your words okay darling? No sulking." She pulled him into a hug at her words and almost missed his response.

"Yes mummy. Sowwy." She made eye contact with Tony over the child's shoulder and saw tears in his eyes. She gave the child in her arms an extra squeeze before letting him go.

Five minutes later Peter was dressed. He had on soft black sweatpants and a light blue t-shirt with a dinosaur on the front, Tony's face when Peter had chosen that shirt over the Iron Man one was priceless!

While Pepper dressed Peter Tony called Bruce and Nat up to the penthouse to give him some help unpacking Peter's new toys and clothes. The two had wanted to stay afterwards but Bruce had to get in contact with Thor and Nat had been called into a meeting at SHIELD.

"What do you want to do then Pete?" Tony asks the adorable child sitting next to him on the couch.

"Paint"

"Good choice bambino. Let's go to the table then, and you need an apron you don't want to ruin your new clothes after all."

Peter nodded and sprinted into the kitchen where Pepper helped him put an apron on, she had taken the full day off to be with Peter and reduced her meetings for the next week to make the most of the time they had together.

Within minutes Tony regreted allowing Peter to paint, the child was a menace! Sure Peter looked to be having the time of his life but he was covered in paint, thank god for that apron. The boy even had paint in his hair. Pepper had decided not to join in with the painting and Tony couldn't help but envy her slightly, she stood a bit away from the table camera in hand and notably totally paint free. Tony on the other hand was covered in the stuff, Peter had tried to hug Tony while covered in paint but hit the man in the face in his excitement. The little monster just giggled too!

Peter was in his element. He loved to paint, he had more paint here than May had, he had blue, red, yellow, green and pink but he didn't like pink so didn't use it…apart from in his picture for mummy because she wears pink shoes so must like it. He had done three pictures already, one for mummy with pink flowers, one for Dr Buce an' one for daddy, his one for daddy was his favourite it had mummy an' daddy an' Peter in it!

Tony looked at the painting which was still slightly wet that Peter was trying to force into his hands. He suddenly understood why some of his scientists had pictures drawn by their kids in their labs or on their desks, Peter's picture was a work of art. He knew he was probably grinning like an idiot but he couldn't find it within himself to care. "Let's leave this to dry Pete, then I'll put it on the fridge, how does that sound?" The child threw himself into his arms, he'd take that as a 'that sounds good'. He turned to glare playfully at Pepper as she let out a laugh seeing Tony's high-end shirt covered in bright yellow paint.

"How about you two take a bath and I'll make us some lunch."

Tony nodded and stood up still holding his son in his arms…he didn't want paint over the entire penthouse which he was sure would happen if he left Peter to walk to the bathroom. "C'mon then Peter Pan, let's get cleaned up then we can have PB and J sandwiches," he told the child as he jiggled him around in his arms slightly making him giggle loudly.

If Tony had known bathing a toddler would be so difficult he would probably have asked Pepper for help. Here he was, still covered in paint and sopping wet as his boy laughed at him from inside the tub. "Peter stop splashing me, you need to get washed so I can get clean after"

"Daddy in." The child demanded laughing.

"No Peter I'm not getting in, I will after"

Unsurprisingly Tony did eventually fall victim to his son's doe eyes and ended up joining him in the tub still wearing his boxers. Peter looked adorable, he had been attempting to copy Tony's goatee with bubbles before trying to give the man himself a bubble beard.

"Come on you little monster, let's get washed up"

He grabbed the children's shampoo Pepper had ordered for them and gently washed the boy's curls being careful not to get any in his eyes. He made quick work of washing the child's hair but that then led to Peter wanting to return the favour and Tony trying not to swear when the kid got shampoo into his eyes.

"Hold out your hands Pete" he squeezed shower gel into the boy's hands as he took some for himself. "Go on then get washed Bambi, I don't want to see any paint on you at all." His eyes crinkled as he watched Peter mimic Tony's movements, he had never felt more like a dad than he did in that moment as his son copied him.

Her boys had been in the bathroom now for over half an hour, it was getting ridiculous, how long did a bath take? She had made their lunch and even cut up some carrots and left them in the fridge should Peter want a snack later. Sighing to herself she made her way to the bathroom knocking once before walking in. She was still holding her phone in her hand and snapped a quick photo at the scene before Tony could react to her presence and stop her.

Her fiancé was in the bath with their son playing some sort of war game with toy boats and rubber ducks. Both of them looked carefree and laughed without worry, she felt bad having to break it up to be honest. "Come on boys, lunch time" She grabbed a towel and pulled Peter from the bath laughing as we groaned in frustration at her actions. "Don't be like that Pete, you can have your lunch then we can call Aunt May, how does that sound?"

"May, May" the boy screeched trying to run from her arms still sopping wet.

"Let me dry you first baby, we have plenty of time to call May"

Peter hardly sat still throughout his lunch he was so eager to speak to his Aunt May but Pepper was firm and made sure he ate at least two sandwiches and a yogurt before he left the table.

Two minutes later the family of three was sat on a couch in the lounge facing the TV. "Call May Parker Fri"

May answered as soon as her phone rang and immediately brought a hand to her mouth in shock. There was her Peter, a toddler again. Sure, Tony had told her what had happened but seeing it with her own eyes was something else. The child looked adorable, his curls making him look angelic, but she had raised the boy from the age of four and knew he could be an absolute terror when he wanted to be. "Hello, Petey what have you been up to?"

At his aunt's question Peter began to babble. "I woke up in the funny room an' Doc Buce looked in my eyes an' mouth. And he had a needle May! And I had pancakes with daddy…"

At the boy's words May looked at Tony who was avoiding eye contact clearly uncomfortable. "Tony, Tony I spoke to him a few days ago about it. I don't mind if he calls you dad. I know my place in his life, it's fine, the same for you Pepper, Peter loves you both. He would have called you those names soon anyway this incident just sped it up." She told the pair calmly, they deserved this and she did not want them feeling uncomfortable or guilty about it.

Peter huffed, he was supposed to be talking to May! She was meant to look at him! Why was she talking to Daddy? "I'm still hewe May" he whined making the woman chuckle and turn back to him.

 

"Of course you are baby, sorry I shouldn't have interrupted you, what did you do after breakfast?"

"Painteded"

"Painted" Pepper corrected the boy smoothly, it didn't matter if Peter would only be a baby for a week she would make sure he spoke correctly, who knew if there would be some sort of carry over into his teenage life if she didn't?

"That…and I painteded Daddy, me an' Mummy. An' flowers an' Doc Buce.. Then I had a bath. An' played war boats ducks with daddy."

May nodded along as he spoke relaxing as he did so. Teenage Peter could be so solemn at times, he had a lot on his plate what with Spiderman, school, his internship…sure he loved all those things but sometimes she wished he took more time to just have fun. She looked up at the clock in her room and sighed, she would have to go unfortunately her shift started in half an hour.

"Pete, it's time I have to go, I'll call again in a few days."

Peter's face dropped at her words, she felt horrible but didn't really have a choice. "Now be a good boy for mummy and daddy okay?" After she received a nod from her boy she turned back to the two adults either side of him. "Thank you so much for this, I don't know what I would do without you. Take lots of photos and don't let him walk all over you he can be a terror at mealtimes, if you have any problems I'm just a call away."

The small family spend the rest of the afternoon playing with Peter's new toys just enjoying each other's company. By quarter past seven Tony and Pepper were both exhausted and thrilled Peter seemed to be as well. He went down easily without a fuss which surprised them both, he had been running around all day, they expected him to be too excited about his new situation to go to bed. But he willingly climbed into his bed wearing his new Iron Man pyjamas….this time all three choices were Iron Man and settled down as Tony read him a story.

Tony had barely read five pages when he looked up to see his child sound asleep clutching a small tiger to his chest. He stood up to leave wrapping his arm around his fiancée as he did so, they would have time for a movie or something now Peter was in bed. With both of them working so much it was honestly rare to get an evening just the two of them, they weren't too bothered about dates but sometimes a romantic evening was needed. "Tell me if Peter has any problems Fri" he ordered as he left the room ensuring the bedroom door was left open a crack in case Peter woke up scared of the dark in the night.

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

"Boss, Mr Parker appears to be in distress"

Tony took a moment to register the words which roused him from his sleep but as soon as he realised what his AI had said he sat bolt upright in bed. He swung his legs out the bed and practically ran to the child's room terrified of what he would find. Was someone else in the tower? Was Peter hurt? Was something wrong with the de-aging?

He burst into the room and immediately saw the problem. Peter was covered in sweat and tangled in his duvet crying out in his sleep. "Nooo…leabe me 'lone, it's dark…hurts…scared…"

Tony rushed over to his child and perched on the edge of his bed before beginning to run his fingers through the boy's sweaty locks. "Hey, Pete, it's just a bad dream, daddy's here. Wake up." It broke his heart seeing the boy in such distress, how long had this been going on? Peter was often tired, was it nightmares that kept him awake? Peter soon woke up but didn't fully register his surroundings as he began sobbing in terror. Sighing to himself Tony lifted the child up onto his lap pulling his head against his own chest so the kid could hear his heartbeat. "C'mon underoos, you'll make yourself sick if you keep crying like this." He practically begged as he rubbed the toddlers back gently, murmuring reassurances into his ear, within five minutes the heart-breaking sobs had died down to the occasional hiccup and he knew he would have to question Peter.

"Peter, what was that? Do you get nightmares a lot?" He sighed as the boy nodded into his chest refusing to meet his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?" He asked genuinely confused.

"Not a baby" The child muttered into his arms quietly, so quietly Tony had to strain to hear him.

At those words Tony pulled the child away from his chest and looked into his eyes. They were red and swollen from crying, the child looked pathetic and it was amongst the worst things he had ever seen. This was his child, who had been having nightmares for god knows how long and hadn't told him. How often did teenage Peter wake up screaming and then lie in bed crying with no one to soothe him? How could he have not realised?

"Peter, listen to me. Having nightmares doesn't make you weak, I have nightmares, you've seen scary things, it's understandable. But you need to tell me when you have a problem, okay buddy? Daddy can't make anything better if you don't tell me what the problem is."

The little boy nodded again and put his thumb into his mouth as he burrowed back into the elder’s chest. Tony knew he would probably have to speak to teenage Peter about this, the best way to reduce nightmares was to talk about them after all. He would also have to get FRIDAY to monitor the boy's sleep every night and wake him if Peter was in distress. If his son was in trouble, he wanted to be there for him, whether it was trouble as Spiderman or trouble in his sleep.

He stayed sitting on Peter's bed for another ten minutes rubbing circles into the boy's back to keep him calm. "What were you dreaming about?"

He thought the boy was going to ignore him at first but then he heard him take a deep breath, undoubtedly to steel himself for what was to come. "Vulture…big meanie…building falled on big me, scared, dark, all 'lone daddy. No one there…no help." Peter spoke into the man's chest and he could feel tears on his bare chest.

"Peter…I'll not let that happen again, that was my fault, okay. You should have had help, and I wasn't there for you. I'm sorry baby boy, listen to me, I won't let that happen again." He spoke directly into the boy's ear as he gently rocked him in an effort to calm him down. His back hurt from the uncomfortable angle he was sitting at and he could see the goose bumps on his arms from the cold air but he would stay in that position all night if that was what his son wanted.

He looked down at the boy in his arms, Peter's arms were wrapped around his neck tightly as if he was afraid Tony would disappear if he loosened his grip. He moved his own arm to slide it under the child's bum to pull him closer and sighed, he had been so preoccupied with calming the boy he hadn't noticed he had wet himself in his sleep. Tony knew it was from the nightmare and didn't know how to address the topic. The child would be embarrassed but he needed to get him clean and into dry clothes before letting him go back to sleep.

"Pete, you've had an accident, you'll need to have a quick bath okay" As he expected Peter sniffled as he nodded, he was clearly embarrassed at what had happened, he could see the tips of the boy’s ears redden after all. "Hey there, no need to be embarrassed, it's normal Bambi, you had a scary dream." He knew Peter probably wasn't taking his words in but he would repeat them as often as he had to for the child to understand.

Pepper entered the room at just that moment, she hadn't been woken by FRIDAY’s alert but had woken up cold not long after as Tony's body heat was no longer there to keep her warm. She had thrown on a dressing gown over her pyjamas and headed to their son’s room. One look at the scene in front of her and she knew what to do. "Tony, go and get him washed up, I'll change the sheets." She told her fiancé as she ran her hands through Peter's hair and pressed a kiss to his forehead when the sleepy child turned towards her upon hearing her voice.

Ten minutes later Tony had managed to wash the toddler, which had been extremely difficult as he had quite literally stuck his hands together to prevent Tony letting go of him. He walked back into the boy's bedroom and easily caught the pyjamas Pepper threw at him. He couldn't help the small laugh that escaped him at the Iron Man pyjamas, it was probably very egotistical of him, but the boy was just too cute and that only increased when he was wearing Iron Man themed clothing.

Tony walked over to the newly clean bed and tried to put Peter in it but the child refused to relinquish his hold on Tony. "C'mon Peter, it's time you got back to sleep, I'll be right back if you have any more bad dreams okay." No matter what he said the child wouldn't let go though and kept muttering "don't leave me" into his ear.

"Peter I won't fit in your bed, it's for little boys. I promise I'll be back if you have a bad dream bud" He now regretted buying the toddler bed for the child, they had been worried the usual one teenage Peter used would be too high and he could be hurt falling out of it. There was no way Tony could fit onto the tiny bed they had bought for the boy, just perching on the edge was difficult. He felt like a monster as the boy sobbed into his chest, Peter yawned but he knew trying to let go of him would probably result in a meltdown, he turned to look at his fiancée with a raised eyebrow to see if she had any idea what to do.

"Hey Petey, do you want to sleep in mummy and daddy's bed?"

Tony openly gaped at her words, he didn't have a problem with Peter coming into their bed, he would hardly take up any space after all, he was just surprised.

Peter nodded at the offer. He knew big him would have said no, but he was scared and tired and wanted mummy and daddy.

At the boy’s agreement Tony once again tightened his grip on the child and walked back towards his own bedroom. Entering the master bedroom he walked straight over to the kingsize bed and was surprised when Peter loosened his grip on him without needing to ask. He dropped the child down in the centre of the bed, and gosh did he look cute. The boy was dwarfed in the massive bed and he couldn't help the grin on his face as he watched Pepper climb in next to the toddler.

Pepper sighed in contentment as she felt the bed dip when Tony got into bed on the other side of Peter and immediately threw his arm over the boy and her.

"Night Pep, night Petey" he mumbled after several moments of quiet but all he got in response was the deep breathing of the two most important people in his life, asleep in his arms.

Chapter 10

Notes:

Hey, thank you so much for all the reviews I'm glad you are enjoying my fic. It has been pointed out to me that mummy is not used in America but I didn't know if mommy was a thing so I just ran with mummy, once Peter is a teenager again he uses mom. Also I have zero experience with children so I know Peter probably isn't acting like a three year old, I just pulled the age out the air to be honest. Hope you enjoy this chapter, thanks again for the reviews.
-EmptyFridges

Peter woke up confused, he had never woken in such a comfortable place before and there was a strange weight over him stopping him from getting up. He whined lowly in his throat and tried to wriggle out of whatever was holding him down but couldn't help freezing when a voice spoke up right behind him. "Pepper…not now…it's too early…five more minutes"

 

He knew that voice! The boy turned over and smiled widely seeing his dad still asleep behind him, he seemed to have mumbled his complaint half asleep and gone straight back under. Well Peter couldn't have that, he was awake…why wasn't daddy?

 

Tony swore to himself in his mind, what was Pepper's problem? He was still exhausted so it couldn't be the morning yet…what could she possibly want? He groaned audibly when a hand began poking him which he tried to sleepily bat away. The man froze when the only response was a high-pitched giggle…that certainly wasn't Pepper. He peeled his eyes open to see a small finger mere millimetres from his eyeball. "Peter if you dare poke me in the eye you will be in trouble." Tony couldn't help the snort that escaped him when Peter pulled his hand back as if burned with a squeak. "Go back to sleep, Pete it's not time to get up yet."

 

Peter looked up into his daddy's eyes confused. He was awake and now daddy was awake, of course it was time to get up.

 

Tony sighed as he looked at the boy now half lying across his chest. "Pete…it's not time to get up yet, mummy's still asleep." His words just earned him a confused look, "Pete you know we do what mummy tells us, mummy's the boss, and she's asleep so it can't be time to get up yet." Honestly not his best work but he had barely been awake a minute and had only had four hours sleep across the last two days, luckily that seemed to be enough to convince the toddler cuddling him who immediately stopped moving. "Go to sleep Peter Pan" he mumbled already halfway back to sleep himself as he kissed the boy’s curly hair fondly.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

The next time Tony awoke he felt considerably more rested. Peter was still lying across him his head resting on his chest where the arc reactor once sat, with his mouth wide open. Tony wrinkled his nose when he saw the line of drool leaking out the boy's mouth onto his own bare chest. A chuckle to his right tore his eyes from him.

 

"He definitely got that from you"

 

Tony snorted at her words but couldn't really deny them. He reached his free arm out to pull her close and immediately gave her lips a peck. Then another, he was just leaning in for a third when a hand smacked him in the face. Hard.

 

“Oww. Peter what the hell kid.” He immediately regretted his words when Pepper pinched him, hard, luckily the kid didn’t seem to have been paying too much attention.

 

"Ewwww….no….daddy stop ewwww…..mummy" The boy said covering his eyes childishly as he pouted.

 

He looked at the suddenly very awake boy on his chest with an eyebrow raised. "What's ewww Pete?" he couldn't supress his snort of amusement as Peter made kissy faces at him. "Is me kissing mummy disgusting?" At the boy’s nod he moved quickly. He rolled over careful not to crush the boy in his arms so he was leaning over Peter who now couldn’t move due to Tony's arms boxing him in. He leant down and planted a kiss on the boy's nose receiving a groan from the boy. "Is this ewww Pete?" He did it twice more laughing before he blew a raspberry onto the child's belly which had been exposed by all his wriggling pulling his pyjama top up slightly.

 

Peter started laughing uncontrollably as his daddy's goatee tickled his stomach. His legs kicked wildly as he tried to get away.

 

“Daddy! Stop! Mummy help.” He laughed loudly his childish giggles reverberating round the room.

 

Pepper couldn’t help but laugh, Tony was in his element and she didn’t think she had ever seen Peter act so carefree, it felt right.

 

"Still ewww Petey?"

 

"No…no… not ewww Daddy…not ewww" he gasped.

 

Tony stopped and leant over to kiss Pepper again earning another groan from the boy below him. "Right c'mon, breakfast time." he cried jumping out of bed and pulling Peter into his arms. He grabbed a shirt from his drawer as he left the room. He sure wouldn’t mind waking up to this every day.

 

"Pancakes!"

 

"You bet Peter Pan"

 

Tony placed Peter down on his usual chair in the kitchen which now had a small booster seat on it so he could actually see over the top of the table and grabbed the boy a cup of orange juice and a straw. He didn’t think the boy would need a sippy cup but he also didn’t want to have to clean juice up, plus kids loved straws.

 

“T’anks daddy.”

 

Tony smiled at his son as he ruffled his hair before grabbing the ingredients for pancakes smiling when Pepper walked into the room now fully dressed. She joined him and within minutes the family of three were sitting around the table eating breakfast. He couldn’t help but marvel at how domestic it was as he and Pepper chatting about work and turned to check on their kid every now and then.

 

Once everyone had finished Pepper collected up the plates and washed them while Tony wiped their child’s face which was covered in juice from the blueberries. She sighed regretfully, she didn’t want to leave them but she had meetings that couldn’t be missed, she had rescheduled some of them or delegated but the three she had today were important. She kissed her fiancé when he lifted his head to look at her then pressed one onto Peter’s head as she ran her fingers through his hair.

 

Peter looked up when his mummy kissed him confused. He reached his arms up towards her smiling as she pulled him close. 

 

Pepper smiled as she held Peter on her hip, to be honest picking him up was probably a bad idea it would now be even harder to leave him even if it was only for a few hours. “Hey Petey-baby.” She said to gain his attention. “I need to go to…” Before she could continue Peter tightened his grip on her and whined, she looked at Tony for help but he simply shrugged having no idea what to do either. “Look at me baby. I’ll be home later, you can play with daddy all day while I’m gone okay? You’ll have fun without me.” She said bouncing slightly in an effort to calm the boy.

 

Tony’s heart twinged at the sight but he knew Pepper had to leave and soon. “The sooner mummy leaves Bambino the sooner she can come home.” He tried to tell the boy in order to console him but he still sobbed into his mum’s shoulder. Sighing he slipped his hand between the child’s stomach and his fiancée side and took the child from her. Pep herself looked close to tears, how did people do this? He felt like a monster. He kissed her lightly as he continued bouncing their son whose tears were soaking through his shirt. “Just go Pep, he’ll be fine.” He assured her as she kissed the child’s head once more before leaving.

 

He moved the child so they were chest to chest, Peter’s legs wrapped around his waist, his head underneath his own chin. He rubbed soothing circles into his back as he walked around the room still bouncing the child and humming. “Sssh Pete, c’mon calm down baby. Mummy will be home I promise, how about we get dressed and make her a present.”

 

After several more minutes of pretty much begging on his part the child stopped crying at last and he carried him through to dress him, Peter could walk but he was being really clingy and honestly he didn’t want to deal with another meltdown so soon.

 

He quickly dressed the boy…after letting him choose his clothes of course, he didn’t want another mess like yesterday and got himself ready for the day. “What do you want to do Petey?”

 

“Toys?”

 

Nodding Tony followed the boy into the living room where they had put a toybox full of toys acceptable for three-year olds, he hadn’t actually looked in it himself but he was sure Pepper knew what she was doing. He sat himself on the couch and watched as his son opened the box and began to pull things out, he took his StarkPad out and opened his emails looking up at Peter every thirty seconds or so to assure himself the boy was fine.

 

Peter quickly found action figures of the Avengers and grinned to himself but couldn’t help feeling sad over the lack of Spiderman. Oh well he could just be Spiderman he supposed. He set up his toys and sat on the floor making fighting sounds as they fought the giant dinosaur figures he had found in the box.

 

Tony couldn’t help the sad smile that grew on his face as he watched his boy play, he had the Avenger’s as a team, it was only a child’s imaginary game but it still made his heart twinge. As much as he felt betrayed by Rogers he still missed them, although Nat and Bruce living just downstairs helped and Thor was due to visit in the next few days, hopefully with a cure for Peter. He went back to his emails answering the most important ones and forwarding some on to Pep, why people still emailed him about things that were clearly CEO matters was baffling.

 

“Daddy. Play?” Peter said after a while pulling on his dad’s trouser leg to get his attention.

 

Tony smiled down at the cute child and put down his tablet, “Okay Pete, who am I?”

 

“I-on man silly!”

 

“Of course baby, sorry.” He took the Iron Man toy and joined his son in attacking the dinosaurs unable to stop himself from laughing when Rogers got hit with the dinosaur’s tail and Peter threw him across the room. They continued playing for a while longer until they defeated the dinosaurs and Peter’s stomach rumbled.

 

Tony immediately felt guilty, it was day two of looking after the child and already he had forgotten to feed him. “C’mon Bambino time for some lunch. Let’s put your toys away. How does PB and J sound?”

 

Peter grinned and ran towards the kitchen but was quickly caught by his dad and pulled back. “Not so fast baby, toy’s away first.” Peter stuck out his bottom lip but his dad simply ignored it and stared back at him.

 

After almost a minute Peter sighed and grabbed his toys, ugh why did he have to put them away what if he wanted them again? He knew that look on his daddy’s face though and did not want to be in trouble so threw his toys in the box then threw his arms up so his daddy would lift him up.

 

“You are so lazy underoos.” Tony told him as he lifted him onto his hip with a laugh, he gave the child some apple slices to crunch on while he prepared lunch one handed. Within minutes he placed the boy on his booster and sat in his own chair so they could eat. Watching Peter eat was hilarious, the boy seemed to miss his mouth as often as he managed to eat and he couldn’t help but laugh as the boy looked at him his whole lower face covered in jelly.

 

Once they’d eaten he wiped Peter’s face clean again and took him back into the lounge. “How about we watch a movie Bambi?” At Peter’s grin he grabbed some blankets and settled down on the couch with the toddler tucked into his side. “What shall we watch Pete?”

 

“Toy Stowy daddy?”

 

“Good choice baby.”

 

He had been unsure whether three-year olds needed naps but considering Pete fell asleep within half an hour he thought that was probably answer enough. He pulled the boy closer to himself and soon found his own eyes drooping. God kids were exhausting.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Tony felt cold all of a sudden and his eyes snapped open in confusion. Had he been asleep? Why was he asleep on the couch? Looking at the floor he realised the blanket he had been under had fallen to the floor and it all came back to him. Looking down in a panic he realised his son was no longer curled into his side. He shot to his feet. “Peter! Pete, where are you?”

 

When he didn’t hear an answer his panic just got worse as he looked under the table and went into the kitchen. “Peter! Come on where are you.” He swore his heart was in his throat as he tore through the penthouse trying to find his son. He could feel tears running down his cheeks but was too stressed and worried to both wiping them away. “Peter c’mon stop it.” He knew the boy had to still be on this floor he couldn’t leave the floor without supervision, thank god he had thought to set up that protocol while waiting for Peter to wake up after being de-aged. That thought did ease his worry somewhat but that didn’t stop Peter getting hurt or something.

 

“FRIDAY where is Peter? Is he hurt?” He asked frantically after five more minutes of searching, kicking himself for being so stupid to forget about his own AI.

 

“Master Peter is in the lounge, unhurt sir.” He let out a breath of relief ignoring the new name the AI was using for Peter, he would look into that later. He ran back through into the lounge but still couldn’t see his son.

 

“Peter, where are you?” He called again running his hand through his hair for what had to be the hundredth time. Then he heard a noise. A giggle? He froze and suddenly anger over took the fear in him. Here he was out his mind with worry and Peter was hiding from him.

 

“Peter come here. Stop messing around.” He heard the giggle again and frowned as he tried to place it. He closed his eyes hoping he was wrong before he looked up and sure enough there was his son, stuck to the ceiling. “Peter.” He said shortly making eye contact with the boy, “come down here. You shouldn’t be up there.”

 

Peter looked at his daddy and suddenly hiding from him didn’t seem so funny anymore, he looked angry. He shook his head and stayed where he was.

 

Tony couldn’t believe the boy’s audacity, “Peter this isn’t a game, come down here or you’ll find yourself in even more trouble.”

 

Peter shook his head again at his daddy’s words, if he was already in trouble he didn’t want to come down, “nu-uh.”

 

“Peter you can’t stay up there forever, you will get bored before I do, every minute you stay up there is another minute in the corner.” He sat himself on the couch and watched his son who was mulling his words over.

 

Peter knew there was no way he could get out this, he just wanted to play a joke and now he was in trouble. It wasn’t fair. But Aunt May always said jokes should be funny, and daddy had been upset, so maybe it wasn’t a joke. His daddy had sounded scared and worried when he didn’t know where he was. He crawled forward a little on the ceiling so he was directly above his daddy and unstuck himself.

 

Tony swore his heart stopped when Peter dropped and he caught him on instinct honestly surprised he had been able to put his arms out so fast. He put his hands under the boys armpits and looked into his eyes before running his eyes over the child’s body to see if he was hurt. “Is he hurt FRI?”

 

“Master Peter is fine sir.”

 

Tony let out a breath of relief and turned the boy over on his lap and landing six quick swats on his ass before standing up the boy still in his arms and placing him in the corner. He knew the swats wouldn’t have hurt the boy, he clearly still had his powers, but the child’s sobbing was still heart wrenching.

 

“Hey Petey-Pie calm down, I know those smacks didn’t hurt that much. You can’t do that baby, that was dangerous just dropping from the ceiling like that, what if I wasn’t able to watch you? Take some deep breaths before you make yourself sick.” He told the boy as he pulled him in for a quick hug. Once Peter had calmed down he held him at arm’s length and forced the boy to meet his eyes. “Now I want you to stand in the corner for three minutes and think about your behaviour today Peter. Okay.”

 

At his son’s miserable nod he turned him around to face the corner and sat on the couch. Punishing teenage Peter was difficult but punishing the three-year-old Peter was akin to torture, he felt like a monster as he watched the boy sob softly his small shoulders shaking. He knew he probably should have left him in the corner more than three minutes but he was sure that would feel like a lifetime to a three-year-old.

 

Peter felt terrible. He hadn’t meant to be mean to daddy, he just wanted to play a joke. He was sure he had been in the corner an hour now, it was horrible. He had made his daddy sad, he knew he had tears running down his cheeks but he couldn’t stop and didn’t bother rubbing them away.

 

“Come here Petey.” As soon as he heard his daddy’s words he turned around and ran towards him to give him a hug.

 

“Sowwy daddy!” He sobbed into the man’s stomach. “I didn’t mean to be a bad boy an’ make you sad.”

 

“Sssh, Peter, you weren’t a bad boy, what you did was naughty but you aren’t a bad boy okay. You just scared me, I woke up and didn’t know where you were then when I was looking for you clearly worried you didn’t say anything. And then when I asked you to come down you didn’t and when you did you did it in a dangerous way baby. I was terrified. How would you feel if I did that to you baby?”

 

Peter climbed up onto his daddy’s lap and threw his arms around his neck, “I’m sowwwwwwy.”

 

“Sssssh I know baby, you’re forgiven, it’s okay. Just don’t do it again okay. And don’t climb on the ceilings. You could get distracted and fall.”

 

“Can we pway something daddy.”

 

“Sure thing Bambino, what do you want to do?” He was honestly amazed the boy had calmed down so quickly, as a teenager Peter was usually subdued for at least a few hours but toddler Peter just seemed to bounce back immediately.

 

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Several hours later Tony found himself lying on his stomach in the lounge building a castle with Lego under Peter's direction. He knew three-year olds probably weren't meant to use such small toys but Peter seemed to have something of big Peter still in him and didn't appear inclined to put the blocks in his mouth. He watched Peter fondly as he built whatever he was building with ease, he kept complaining Tony was 'doing it wrong' resulting in Tony simply watching as Peter played. The child was adorable, his face kept scrunching up in frustration when pieces didn't go together as he wanted them too and he kept mumbling to himself. Tony wished he could freeze time in this moment, no worries, no stress, just watching his son have fun as they waited for the love of his life to come home for dinner.

 

It was as if his thoughts summoned her. At the very moment Pepper walked in, Tony was sure Peter must have heard the elevator coming up because there was no way a three-year-old could move that fast. He watched as Pep was nearly bowled over with the force Peter knocked into her legs.

 

Once she regained her balance Pepper pulled the child up into her arms and planted a kiss to his forehead as he excitedly told her about his day. She walked over to the couch and simply sat and listened treasuring the moment as her lover prepared dinner.

 

"Come on Pete, time to get washed up for dinner." She told him half an hour later, the boy was practically glued to the television, she had no idea what he was watching to be honest, but parental lock was still turned on so she wasn't worried. "Peter." She repeated when he didn't move. At the third repetition she walked over and knelt next to the boy taking his chin in her hand. "Peter, it's time to get washed up for dinner, I shouldn't have to ask three times, I know you heard me." Luckily that seemed to be enough and the boy jumped up with a quick apology and dashed to the bathroom to get washed up. She followed behind, teenage Peter always managed to get water on the floor when washing up for dinner she didn't want to give three-year-old Peter any opportunity to make more of a mess.

 

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That night Tony laid an exhausted Peter down in his bedroom. "If you have any bad dreams, come to mummy and daddy's room okay Petey? You don't need to be alone." He would be alerted as soon as Peter showed signs of distress, but he hoped by reinforcing the message to toddler Peter the teenage version would also seek comfort rather than suffering through night terrors alone.

 

Sure enough, several hours later Tony was awoken by F.R.I.D.A.Y. and lay in bed for a few minutes to see if Peter would come to them. He kept his eyes shut as he heard his bedroom door swing open, he had left it ajar for the child and could feel the boy's eyes resting on him, he was clearly debating whether or not to climb into the bed. Tony simply lifted an arm and smiled as the child jumped up without a second thought and settled himself down between his parents. The three-year-old was asleep in minutes.

 

Chapter 11

Summary:

Peter gets a day away from the penthouse

Peter woke up and took a few moments to work out where he was. He knew he wasn't in his own bed but it wasn't until he felt his daddy's arm holding him in place he realised he was in his parent's bed and also realised he needed to get out of it. He began wriggling trying to slip out from his daddy's grip without waking him up.

"Pet'r? What do you want? St'p wriggling?" Tony grumbled still half asleep as he pulled the boy tighter against him to stop him moving.

Peter ignored his words and continued moving around, "daddy I need out" he whined trying to keep his voice down so as not to wake his mummy up.

"Petey mummy's still asleep and she makes the rules remember, go back to sleep its not morning yet." Tony said opening an eye to look at his son.

"Daddy. I need out." Peter repeated slightly more forcefully as he began to put more effort into his wriggling. "I need out."

Tony groaned loudly, it was too early for this. "Why?"

"I need to go."

"Yeah you've said baby, go where?" The boy groaned and continued wriggling in his arms. "Peter stop it use your words."

"I need to go daddy." Peter practically wailed in his ear. What was daddy's problem? He couldn't help but reach down and grip himself he was not going to have an accident in mummy and daddy's bed just because daddy was being stupid!

Tony saw the movement and cursed under his breath, he should have realised, he was such an idiot. Suddenly wide awake he lifted the boy up and almost ran to the bathroom both of them letting out a breath of relief as the boy made it. "Sorry baby. I didn't know that's what you meant."

Peter just shrugged eyes drooping once again now his bladder wasn't almost bursting. He reached his hands up once he had washed them so his daddy would pick him up. "Night night daddy." He murmured into the man's ear and was asleep before they even left the bathroom.

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Tony woke up to the smell of food and his eyes shot open. Waking up to food was a rarity usually he made breakfast for himself if he was to have any so why the change? His question was answered moments later when Peter ran into the room. "Daddy it's breakfast get up!" He shouted as he jumped up onto the bed and immediately began pulling him up.

"Woah, calm down Underoos. What's the rush?"

"Mummy said we can go to the park after lunch."

Tony internally winced, he hated going out in public and there was always a high chance of being mobbed, going out with Peter seemed risky. He didn't want to subject him to that, especially as a three-year-old. He dragged himself out of bed and grabbed a t-shirt before following his son to the kitchen. He made eye contact with Pep as soon as he walked in and raised an eyebrow in question.

Pepper put a plate of pancakes down in front of Peter then turned to face her fiancé, "it's not healthy, having him stay inside all the time, I spoke to May this morning and she told me there's a park near their apartment that's out of the way and quiet we won't run into any press. There's a duck pond as well, I'm sure he'll have a great time."

Tony simply shrugged, there was nothing he could do about it anyway, Peter had already been told and seemed so excited, he was sure the boy would be devastated if the plans were changed.

"Plus if we are busy all day today hopefully he will be too tired to kick up a fuss tomorrow." Pepper murmured.

Tony sighed at her words, they both had to go into work tomorrow for a few hours and didn't know how to tell Peter. Would it be better to spring it on him or tell him in advance? Both had advantages, but both also probably contained tears. He took his own plate of pancakes from Pepper and sat down digging in immediately, he had to admit a huge bonus of Pete turning into a toddler was pancakes for breakfast every day. Usually he was stuck with just cereal, maybe a cooked breakfast at the weekend, he could certainly get used to this. He looked up at his son and blinked, he didn't think he'd ever seen anyone eat as quickly as Peter was…it was slightly unnerving.

"Woah, Pete slow down, you don't need to rush the park isn't going anywhere." He said when the boy looked like he was going to choke he had put so much food in his mouth. "We still need to make a picnic anyway." He let out a sigh of relief when Peter slowed down and began to eat a slightly more human pace.

As soon as Peter left the room after his face and hands were wiped clean Pepper whipped round to speak to her fiancé. "Why did you tell him we were going to have a picnic? It's January Tony! People don't have picnics in January, what are we going to do? He's expecting one now."

Tony blushed not having thought about that himself. "Sorry, it just sort of slipped out, okay…well he's staying with Nat and Bruce tomorrow, how about we take him downstairs and have a picnic in their lounge, we can take a blanket and everything. Then he can get more used them as a toddler and they can know a little of what to expect." He grinned when Pepper nodded which quickly turned to a frown when she asked what they would do until then.

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Twenty minutes later they were all dressed and Peter sat on the floor in front of the TV playing with his action figures once again. His daddy said they couldn't go to the park straightaway, they were going downstairs to see Bruce and Nat first.

Tony had asked FRIDAY to tell Nat and Bruce they were coming down for a few hours until they could go to the park, Peter was excited to be going anywhere so keeping him in the penthouse all morning probably wouldn't end well. Even going a floor down was an adventure to the toddler. He knew they would have already made it toddler proof, he had told them the day before Peter would be spending at least a day with them after all.

Pepper kept looking into the lounge to check on Peter as she made PB and J sandwiches for their picnic, she thought that would have been enough but Tony was adamant they go all out. She was pretty sure he himself had never been on a picnic so it made sense she supposed, she knew Peter would have fun regardless but seeing Tony do something as domestic as put a picnic together did warm her heart. She left Tony to finish putting a salad together and put cookies in a box to pack a bag for Peter.

She grabbed an Iron Man bag from the pile of things they had bought for the toddler and put in a change of clothes just in case as well as a hat and gloves, it was January after all she didn't want him getting cold. She grabbed a soccer ball and added that, she had considered a football but the boys hand eye coordination wasn't amazing in his younger body. Within a couple of minutes she had everything ready and went through to get Peter. She held his welly boots in her hands and picked him up, there was no point making him put them on when he would take them off as soon as they got downstairs anyway.

"Tony you ready?"

Tony came through from the kitchen carrying a picnic basket and Pepper couldn't help but gape, she had no idea they even owned one and was amazed Tony had even considered it. "I said we were having a picnic, baskets and blankets are the main part Pep." He mumbled blushing slightly.

"Go now?" Peter asked looking up at his mummy who was holding him on her hip.

"Of course honey, let's go see Nat and Bruce."

Peter grinned up at her laughing as his daddy struggled to balance everything in his hands to take downstairs, he was excited to see Nat and Bruce he hadn't seen Nar yet and Bruce had taken blood the last time he saw him...

Pepper looked down in confusion when Peter suddenly went silent and began squirming. "What's wrong baby? Are you okay?" She asked as the elevator descended.

Peter stayed silent until he finally said "No needles" to her as the doors opened. He heard a laugh from behind him and turned his head curiously to see Nat standing waiting for them a smile on her face.

"Don't worry маленький паук, I'll keep you safe." She assured him reaching out her arms to take him from Pepper.

Peter clung even tighter to his mummy for a few seconds as he stared at Nat unsure if she telling the truth, would she take him and give him needles? Was she lying? Could she keep him safe? After several seconds he reached a hand out and held out his pinky finger. "Pinky pwomise?" He grinned when she reached out and hooked her finger around his own ignoring his daddy's chuckles and the flash of a camera. "Down pwease mummy."

Pepper put her son down and smiled as he ran straight into Nat and hugged her around the legs. "Hey Nat" she said as she took the basket out of Tony's hand and placed in on a side table, it would be a while until they ate anyway. She smiled at the woman's interactions with Peter, she had already lifted him up and was nodding along as he babbled.

Bruce grinned when he entered the room, Nat looked comfortable with Peter and the boy didn't look like he was going to leave her anytime soon so he simply invited the two adults in and led them to the lounge where Nat and Peter joined them a few moments later, Peter was still babbling and seemed to be going into great detail about his adventures the last few days.

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Tony couldn't help the proud smile that spread across his face when Peter showed him the model Iron Man he had just put together. "Looks great buddy." He told the boy ruffling his hair before he ran off again to speak to Bruce. The toddler had been a little nervous when he first noticed Bruce but once he gave him a pinky promise he wouldn't use any needles on him Peter had relaxed considerably. The morning had flown by, the two had toys already for Clint's kids should they come over so they had just taken those out for Pete to use, he was glad Clint's eldest was eight though, the toddler puzzles they had were a little simple for his kid.

"Hey Petey, it's time for our picnic can you go and wash your hands for us baby?" Pepper asked, she knew she was maybe overdoing it with the pet names but the boy hadn't complained, he even seemed to enjoy it, she couldn't help but wonder if he would as a teenager as well. He had had a tough life a bit of tender, loving care could go a long way.

Peter nodded and ran through to the bathroom to wash his hands, when he returned he smiled brightly when he saw the furniture had been moved in the lounge and everyone was sitting on a blanket on the floor. He ran over and sat between his mummy and daddy unable to keep from fidgeting. He was getting a picnic and then going to the park, how lucky was he?

He smiled when Nat handed him a sandwich and ate in just a few bites giving his dad a cheeky smile when the man laughed at his jelly covered face. He reached to grab a cookie but before he could a hand came down to grab his wrist and he looked up at his mummy.

"Eat four sandwiches first Pete, cookies are for after." She told him softly smiling when he just nodded. "Good boy."

Peter ate his sandwiches before eagerly reaching for a cookie and eating a handful of carrot sticks. He sat in silence, content to just enjoy his picnic as the adults talked around him. He held his hands out towards his daddy when he was finished giggling as he tickled him while wiping his fingers and face clean.

Once everyone was finished Tony stood up and helped Bruce clear up while Pep took Peter to the bathroom and helped him put his shoes and jacket on.

Peter fidgeted as his mummy zipped his jacket up, whining under his breath as he became uncomfortably hot. "No mummy." He moaned trying to pull the zip down again but the jacket was too puffy to allow him to use his arms properly. "Too hot."

Pepper sighed as soon as those doe eyes turned to look up at her. "Fine, I'll unzip it for now but as soon as we get there you are zipping it up without complaining okay?" When the boy nodded she unzipped it and grabbed the bag full of the boy's things so they could leave. "Go and say goodbye to Nat and Bruce Peter." She told him.

Peter ran back towards Nat and Bruce who were talking to his daddy as he put his own jacket on, "bye bye Nat. Bye bye Bwuce. T'anks for lunch and toys." He told them with a grin as he hugged both of them round the legs.

"No problem маленький паук it was a pleasure having you here. Have fun at the park with mummy and daddy okay?" She grinned when the boy nodded and pressed a kiss into his hair before he ran back to Pepper and Tony.

Tony thanked them both and reminded Nat to collect Peter at eleven the following day before he grabbed the boys hand and headed to the elevator with his family.

Bruce couldn't stop smiling when he saw Tony's actions. He had never seen the man happier than he was that morning, he was made to be a dad. Or at least to be that boy's dad. "It's amazing isn't it." He said to Nat nodding in the direction the family had just left in.

"It suits them and it's good for the boy I'm sure, I know he has an Aunt but he needs the support especially being who he is." She replied as she gave him a kiss. "What are we going to do tomorrow? From what Tony said earlier he probably won't be pleased they're leaving even if only for a few hours."

Bruce just laughed. "There's no need to worry, Thor is coming tonight, I think that will be enough entertainment for the kid."

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"Pete, stop fidgeting." Tony grumbled as he tried to work out how to strap him into the car seat they had bought. He was a genius a car seat would not beat him!

Peter groaned as his dad kept poking around trying to strap him in. It was taking forever, he looked at his mummy widening his eyes so she would come and save him. He grinned when it worked, it didn't work when he was in trouble but it was a good way to get something he wanted. "T'anks mummy," he said sweetly when she saved him from his daddy's poking fingers and got him sorted in seconds.

Tony was gobsmacked. There he had been struggling with the stupid seat and Pep came and fixed it in seconds! How was that possible? Shaking his head he climbed into the driver's seat of the black Audi turning the mirror so he could still see his son sitting in the back. It wasn't far to the park but Pep had still given the boy his Thor action figure for the trip so he wouldn't get bored.

It only took them ten minutes to get to the park and as soon as Peter laid his eyes on it he was almost vibrating in his seat he was so eager to go and play. Pepper walked round the car and opened the door looking Peter in the eyes before undoing the straps holding him in place. "Peter, it's really important you do no Spidermanning here," she told him seriously. "If you do any sticking to things or climbing things you shouldn't we will come back to the car okay young man."

Peter nodded with wide eyes knowing from his mummy's tone she meant business. "Yes mummy. Pwomise." He grinned when she lifted him out the seat and zipped up his jacket, which he was thankful for, it was quite cold. As soon as she put him down he sprinted over the playpark his daddy hot on his heels. He shot up the ladder but stopped at the top of the slide looking at it unsurely. It was a tunnel and he was sure it would be dark inside, he wasn't sure he wanted to go on it after all.

"Petey, come on down the slide. I'll catch you at the bottom. Don't worry baby." Tony said as he stood at the bottom, he had seen Peter's expression as he seemed to mull over going down the slide or not.

"Pwomise daddy?"

"Always underoos."

Peter smiled softly and sat down before he came himself a tiny push and slid down the slide, he closed his eyes as soon as he started moving, not opening them again until he felt his daddy's arm wrap around him.

"See that wasn't so scary was it. Do you want to try again?" When his son nodded Tony let him go so he could run back up, he smiled at Pep when he saw she was filming their interactions on her phone.

The second time Peter came down the slide he kept his eyes opened and giggled when his daddy caught him. By the fifth time he was giving himself quite a big push so he would go faster and every time his daddy caught him with a smile on his face. He loved it.

After almost fifteen minutes on the slide Peter seemed to get bored of it so Pepper offered to push him on the swings. The boy adamantly refused the baby swings so she lifted him up and told him to hold on tight so he wouldn't fall. She smiled when Tony stood in front of the kid just in case, she started pushing him lightly smiling at his whoops. She hadn't been this relaxed in ages, it was perfect, spending an afternoon at the park with her family, no work, no press, no stress. It was amazing.

Once Peter had tried everything in the park out twice his daddy took out a soccer ball and he eagerly chased after it, giggling as his daddy tried to tackle him. He had done this with Ben as a child and it felt amazing to experience it now with Tony.

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When they finally got home after hours at the park Tony had to carry the boy from the car. He had dropped off almost immediately tired out from his full day of activity. He kissed his head lightly and smiled as the boy snuggled into him still asleep. Himself and Pep had taken hundreds of photos and videos which he couldn't wait to frame. Getting Peter to eat his dinner and take a bath was surprisingly easy that night, what with him being so tired, He put a movie on and the three sat snuggled up on the sofa, it didn't surprise either adult when Peter was asleep within the first ten minutes.

Chapter 12

Summary:

Peter makes a new friend

Tony was initially surprised when Peter didn’t come through to get into their bed in the night until he realised the kid’s exhaustion the day before probably stopped any dreaming. He looked over at his fiancée and smiled softly, seeing her so relaxed the past few days had been amazing, she loved being CEO but he knew how stressful it was, these few days of less work despite having to care for a toddler had done her good. Maybe he should plan a few days off for them all later in the year so they could go somewhere. Nodding to himself in agreement he got out of bed pressing a kiss to Pep’s cheek as he did so before grabbing a suit and going to shower. Once he was out he stuck his head back into the bedroom to see Pep still asleep so simply left to go and make breakfast for the three of them, the smell would surely wake her up anyway. They only had just over an hour until Nat was going to come and collect Peter and they had yet to tell the boy he would be staying with them for a few hours.

 

He grabbed some eggs out the fridge and set about making some omelettes for the three of them, they had eaten pancakes every morning since Peter had been deaged and he fancied a change, he was sure the other two wouldn’t complain. Not even ten minutes later Pepper wandered in Peter held securely on her hip and he couldn’t help but grin at the sight. It didn’t matter how many times he saw them like that it still made his heart melt. He pressed a kiss to both their cheeks as he served breakfast.

 

Pepper couldn’t help but laugh as she looked at Peter, he seemed to be incapable of eating without getting covered in food. She wiped his face and hands clean before passing him to her fiancé so he could get the boy ready for the day. She loved watching the pair interact whether it was now or when Peter was his teenage self, the boy brought out a side of Tony she had never expected to see. Once the pair had left the room she put everything into the dishwasher before going to get herself dressed.

 

Peter was confused. He had noticed his daddy was wearing different clothes to normal which meant he was working so surely that meant he would be with mummy, but when she walked into the lounge where he was playing with his Thor action figure she was also dressed for work. He dropped his toy and pulled himself to his feet as he looked at his parents in confusion. “Mummy wowk? Daddy wowk?” He asked his bottom lip quivering.

 

Tony’s heart broke a little as he looked down at his son, he should have known the boy would notice he was wearing different clothes. He knelt down so he could look his son in the eye and rested his hands on the tot’s shoulders. “I’m sorry Petey-Pie but mummy and I have to go to work, we won’t be long and will be home before dinner time okay?”

 

“I come?”

 

“No sorry baby, you can’t come. It won’t be very fun but Nat and Bruce are going to look after you. Remember how much fun you had yesterday? Well today will be the same just me and mummy won’t be there.” He had never felt like more of a monster as he tried to explain to his son why he had to leave and why the boy wasn’t allowed to come as well. Just as it looked like the boy was going to burst into full on tears he heard the elevator doors open and pulled Peter onto his hip as he turned to face the newcomer.

 

Peter tensed when he saw Nat come into the room, he loved Nat she was really fun but he wanted to stay with Daddy! He shook his head and ignored the woman as she walked over sticking his fingers to his daddy’s shirt so she couldn’t take him away. “No daddy!” He kept repeating as the man tried to hand him over. Suddenly he felt a finger under his chin forcing him to move his head, he scrunched up his face but looked up at Nat anyway.

 

Nat understood why the boy was acting the way he was but she knew the meetings Tony and Pepper had to attend were important and both of them looked like they might cave and simply stay. Before either had the chance to say anything she looked into tot’s eyes. “Peter. Come on. Stop sticking to daddy like that. You had fun with Bruce and I yesterday didn’t you?” When the boy nodded she continued a smile spreading across her face. “Well we can have even more fun today, because there’s someone downstairs who wants to meet you. Do you want to know who it is?”

 

Peter looked up at Nat in confusion, who would want to meet him? Was it worth unsticking himself from his daddy? “Who?”

 

Nat leaned in close her lips against the child’s ear as she whispered “Thor.” She knew immediately there would be no more trouble getting the boy to come with her as he tried to leap out of his dad’s arms and into her own.

 

Tony couldn’t stop the twinge of jealousy he felt when Peter seemed so eager to go and see Thor. What did Thor have that he didn’t? He forced himself to smile thought when Peter looked up at him in excitement, it was better than the tears the boy had been in moments ago so he simply pushed his own feelings down as he looked at his son. “Are the tears over now Petey?” He asked smiling softly when the boy nodded. “Good boy. Now you are going to be a good boy for Nat and Bruce okay, remember to use your manners and no climbing on the walls or ceiling.”

 

“Yes daddy. I go now?” Peter asked vibrating in excitement. He was going to see Thor, Thor wanted to see him, this was the coolest.

 

“See you later baby, give your mummy a hug and then you can go with Nat.” He walked towards Pep passing the boy to her before letting him run to Nat and go downstairs.

 

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Bruce stood as soon as he heard the elevator door open and made his way to greet Peter, he wasn’t quite prepared for the boy to sprint into the room and charge into his knees however and would have lost his balance if not for Nat grabbing him. “Woah, hey there buddy, what’s the rush?” he asked as he patted the child on the back. Usually he was uncomfortable around children but it seemed Peter was the exception, he had a much better hold over the other guy these days but he was fairly sure even he would love the kid.

 

“Thow Bwuce, where’s Thow?” Peter asked the scientist as he looked up at him still keeping a hold of his legs.

 

Bruce held a hand out for the boy to grab and led him into the lounge where he had left Thor on the couch. He wasn’t too sure how well they would get on, Thor was obviously the boy’s favourite but the man himself could be rather intimidating and he wasn’t always aware of his own strength. As soon as he entered the room Thor got to his feet and he could feel Peter shrinking against him as he hid behind his legs.

 

Thor stood when Banner walked into the room, he had been told of this boy months ago but had not realised until that morning he was Stark’s son and also the man of Spiders? He was only here now because he was able to get the antidote for the boy’s situation, he would have liked to have visited before but getting his people settled in Norway was his first priority. He was nervous though, Nat and Banner had told him things he could and could not do with the child, he had never been in contact with a Midgardian child before and he wasn’t sure what to do. When he saw the boy hide he knelt down in front of Banner, everyone was tiny to him so he was sure he was probably giant to a young boy. “Hello man of Spiders, I am Thor God of Thunder. I hear you have heard of me?”

 

Peter giggled slightly, Thor spoke funny! He peered around Bruce’s knees and loosened his hold on the man’s pant leg. “Hello,” he mumbled shyly peeking up at the god. “I have a toy Thow.” He stated “he’s my favourite.”

 

Thor smiled at the boy’s words. “And you are my favourite Peter Starkson. I have a gift for you.”

 

At those words Peter moved towards Thor and away from Bruce. He loved presents. He reached out eagerly for the bag in Thor’s hand. “T’ank you.”

 

Nat smiled widely as she watched the boy open his present, his expressions were adorable as he saw his own Thor costume. “Let me help Pete.” She said as the boy stood stock still staring at Thor like he had hung the moon. She opened the box and helped the kid put on the armour, cape and arm bands. She snapped a quick photo of the boy before letting him run back towards Thor with a face splitting grin.

 

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Peter loved his Thor costume, he had spent all morning running around pretending to be the god of thunder with the man himself and listened in admiration as Thor told him about his adventures. Thor was the coolest.

 

“Peter, it’s time for lunch kid.” Nat told the boy before sending him to wash up. He had been well behaved all morning despite all the excitement. She was thankful for Thor though, Bruce had to keep nipping down to his lab to check on the antidote, they hoped to administer it tonight after all and she didn’t think she had the energy to look after the kid herself. It was good Thor’s energy seemed never-ending and the man was as excited as the three-year-old to play God of Thunder.

 

Peter ran back into the kitchen still dressed in his Thor costume and climbed up onto a chair thanking Nat as she placed a plate of PB and J sandwiches in front of him as well as a bowl of carrots and celery. “I want all of that gone before you leave the table kid.”

 

Nat watched out of the corner of her eye as Peter at his lunch, he seemed to be pointedly ignoring the celery. “Peter, eat your celery, at least try a bit you might like it. Your mummy and daddy won’t be happy if you don’t finish your lunch.”

 

“I don’t wike it.” He told her as he crossed her arms.

 

Nat was about to respond when Thor cut her off. “Do you not like celery man of spiders?” The god asked while eating some of his own. “A god need’s celery to be big and strong.”

 

Peter looked up at Thor dubiously for a moment. Did he need to eat celery? He did want to be big and strong. And he would probably be in trouble if he didn’t. Sighing he picked up a piece and crunched on it. His eyes widened in surprise, it was good!

 

Nat relaxed and mouthed a thank you to Thor, it could be easy to write the man off as stupid but that clearly wasn’t the case. “Good boy Peter.” Once everyone had finished she gave Peter the gift herself and Bruce had bought him, earning herself a tight hug when the boy saw the Lego Avenger’s tower.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Tony blinked when he walked Nat and Bruce’s apartment. He knew Thor was visiting but he hadn’t expected to find the man sitting criss cross on the floor wearing his full armour with his tongue between his teeth as he built Lego opposite his own son dressed in the same manner.

 

Peter looked up and grinned when he saw his daddy. He jumped to his feet and laughed when the man caught him and swung him up onto his hip. “Hello daddy. Look what Thow got me.” He said pointing at his clothes.

 

“It’s very nice Petey-pie. Is that Lego new as well? I see Bruce and Nat have been spoiling you,” he teased as he looked at his science bro and his deadly superspy girlfriend.

 

“Yeah, I showed Thow how to Lego, he never used Lego daddy. Why don’t they have Lego in space? Lego is the best.”

 

Tony just grinned and held his boy close. He knew his meetings had been essential and they had got a lot done but still he was glad to be home, also he had received a message earlier from Bruce to tell him they could cure Peter tonight so he was eager to spend a few more hours with his toddler son.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Several hours later Tony was sat in his son’s bedroom, they had eaten dinner and watched a movie as a family before he dressed the kid in one of his nerdy t-shirt and put him in bed. He ran his free hand through his hair as he sat on a chair next to Peter's bed the other was stroking the kid's curls. The boy's normal bed was back.

 

The last five days would stay with him forever and made him somehow love Peter more than he had before. He had taken hundreds of photos of the boy: covered in flour after an attempt at baking, swimming with Pepper, asleep in his dinner, at the park, everywhere he could get a photo he did. He even had a photo of Peter in floods of tears stuck to the wall as a result of seeing a spider…sure Pepper had scolded him something fierce for not helping the boy immediately but it was going to be perfect blackmail material for teenage Peter.

 

Pepper looked down at Peter, he looked tiny in the large bed and scared. "Peter there's no need to worry, we will be here when you wake up, you'll be able to go back to school tomorrow and see Ned and MJ." Her words seemed to have some effect as Peter's lips quirked upwards but he still looked nervous. Pepper got herself into the bed next to Peter and pulled his head into her lap taking Tony's place running her fingers through his hair to soothe him. She hated seeing him so scared but he needed to get back to his regular life. She was slightly worried he wouldn’t remember being a toddler as he didn’t seem to have many memories from being a teenager right now, but she supposed they would just cope whatever the outcome.

 

When Bruce entered the room he couldn't help himself and snapped a final photo of the family with young Peter. Pepper was sitting with the boy's head on her lap soothing him as Tony sat on a chair next to the bed holding his son's hand. Bruce knew Peter was afraid of needles but there was nothing he could do, the only way to administer the antidote was through a shot. "Hey Pete, I need you to be a brave boy for me can you do that?" he asked the clearly scared boy. "It'll only feel funny for a second then you'll fall straight to sleep"

 

Peter looked up at Bruce. He was scared and really didn't want a shot but he wanted to go back to school more. He wanted to see Ned and MJ and go back down to the labs with the other interns, he wanted to go out as Spiderman again. With those thoughts at the forefront of his mind he nodded.

 

Tony unconsciously rubbed his thumb over the back of Peter's hand to soothe him. Bruce had just injected him and the boy would fall asleep soon. He was afraid. Would Peter remember the five days they had had together? Would he still call him Dad or would he go back to Tony? Could he bear going back to Tony? He was startled from his thoughts by mumbled words from the boy in the bed "Love you mummy, love you daddy."

 

"Love you too Pete" the two reply almost in unison as they look down at their child, love in their eyes.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Peter felt strange when he woke up. His whole body ached, he supposed that was unsurprising though, he did age twelve years overnight after all. He gave himself a second to centre himself before he opened his eyes. He was definitely on a bed but his head was not resting on a pillow, he could also feel a weight at the bottom of the bed next to his feet. Opening his eyes he immediately saw Pepper above him, asleep. Her back was resting against his headboard and her hand was still in his hair, he was afraid to move in case he woke her so just moved his eyes to see what the weight at his feet was. He gasped slightly at the sight, logically he should have known it was Tony, the man had hardly left his side when he had the flu, so he was unlikely to leave him when he was being aged twelve years in as many hours.

 

"Tony."

 

Tony's head whipped up at his name. He had been dozing but was not fully asleep and his eyes lit up as Peter spoke. He slid off the bed and sat on the chair he had been on previously as he pressed his hand to his son's forehead. "How do you feel? Headache? Should I get Bruce? I'll call Bruce anyway." He asked frantically as his eyes raked over the teen to see if he appeared hurt in any way.

 

"Tony…Tony" Peter tried to interrupt the man's babbling. "Tony…Dad!" Tony fell silent at the name and Peter blushed. "Dad, I'm fine, I feel fine honest. Well my legs hurt a little but that's all, probably just growing pains."

 

Tony snorted "you told me you were fine when you had that concussion." Peter opened his mouth to argue but the man powered on "and that time you broke your arm. Your version of fine couldn't be further from mine son." He watched as Peter's face lit up at the endearment his eyes wide with wonder. "Pete. I would be honoured if you called me dad and Pep feels the same, but you don't have to. I know May spoke to you about this but it's up to you. Don’t feel pressured, take it at your pace kiddo.”

 

Peter nodded his head "Dad feels right."

 

"I'm glad." Tony told the boy, he knew he probably looked like a total sap with a huge grin across his face but in that moment he couldn’t care less.

 

Pepper was woken sometime later by her boy's voices. Their murmured conversation drew her from sleep slowly and she felt Peter tense then immediately relax as she began running her fingers through his hair once more. "Peter." She said still not opening her eyes "leave your hair natural more often, I prefer the curls."

 

"Yes mom"

 

Her eyes shot open at his words and were met with two grinning faces. "I assume Bruce has already seen you?" she asked the boy and receiving a nod she continued going straight into mom mode. "Okay then, Tony go make breakfast, pancakes good for both of you? While he does that Peter you get in the shower then you young man are going to school, there's plenty of time for you to make it there. You have missed enough school with the flu then the whole de-aging thing, we don't want your grades to fall."

 

Peter opened his mouth in indignation fully prepared to argue and get at least one day off but was met with a raised eyebrow from the woman above him, he swallowed his words. "Of course mom."

 

"Good boy," she said and ruffled his hair just as she had when he was a toddler. He thought he should feel embarrassed and too old for such a gesture but he leaned into the touch regardless.

Chapter 13

Summary:

Peter's two months with the Starks are up and it's time to go home

Peter had been back to his normal age for two weeks and Tony still couldn't help the grin that spread across his face every time the boy called him dad. He had been worried Pete would be embarrassed about how he acted as a toddler and pull away from himself and Pep but it seemed the opposite had happened. The boy had no issue with them running their hands through his hair or pulling him close when they sat watching a film, he also never pulled away when Pepper kissed his head before school every morning. Of course the boy was slightly embarrassed about some of the things he had done as a child but that was totally understandable. But still he was worried. He knew Peter was still having nightmares but he refused to speak about them, May was due home in a few days and he wanted to address the issue before Peter returned to living in Queens half the week. The boy couldn’t go on as he was he would run himself into the ground.

 

Tony decided the best way to get Peter to talk about it was to simply force the issue, the first few times FRIDAY woke him up to tell him Peter was in distress he had left the boy hoping he would come to them but it didn't happen. After that he went to Peter's room and held him close until he stopped crying but the boy still refused to talk and the nightmares continued. Tony knew he rarely fell back to sleep after a nightmare and it was clear to see, the bags under Pete's eyes had bags. It had been two weeks now though and enough was enough he would not let the boy continue to suffer needlessly. Pepper, May, Rhodey and even Nat had tried to speak to him about his obvious exhaustion but he had just shrugged it off and tried to say he was fine. Peter was not fine.

 

Also Peter's stubbornness over the nightmares was beginning to have a knock on effect, Tony had received an email from Midtown that morning telling him Peter's grades were falling, this could easily be explained away by the days he missed when he was ill and while he was a toddler but the email also mentioned a poor work ethic and disrespectful behaviour in class. He had also been sassing back to both Tony and Pepper much more than usual in the past few days to the point it was bordering on insolence. Similarly, Gregor had reported Peter's internship work wasn't up to his usual standards and Karen had told him Peter was becoming reckless in the suit. So yeah, it was past time he spoke to the kid.

 

Tony was sitting on the couch waiting for Peter to come home from school, Pep had rearranged her schedule after hearing about the email from Peter's school and would also be back shortly so they could discuss the issue as a family. Tony had asked May if she wanted to be part of the conversation but she had a shift that evening and believed all three of them sitting Peter down to discuss things would probably just make him defensive rather than open with them.

 

Peter felt uneasy. Usually when he stepped into the elevator FRIDAY would ask what floor he wanted to go to but today he just received a greeting and the elevator began climbing immediately. His spidey sense was quiet so he knew he wasn't in danger so he racked his brains tying to think of anything he had done in the last few days that could get him in trouble, why else would he have to go to the penthouse immediately? He couldn't think of anything in particular though, sure he was slightly short with his dad the evening before but if Tony was going to mention it he would have brought it up straight away, his Spanish grade had dropped to a C- but there was no way his parents could know about that already, he himself only found out today after all. His mind was still racing when the elevator finally stopped at the penthouse and he couldn't help his nervous swallow when he laid eyes on his mum and dad sitting side by side on the couch, the opposite one clearly left for himself.

 

"Why don't you take a seat Peter?" Peter knew his dad wasn't asking despite how he may have worded it, he did however notice that he wasn't being sent to the office so maybe he wasn't in trouble.

 

Tony watched as Peter perched himself on the edge of the couch, the boy was clearly nervous and confused with no idea what was going on. "Peter we need to talk about you sleeping habits." He watched as his son's face closed off completely at his words.

 

"What about them, I'm sleeping fine." Peter said shortly.

 

Pepper responded to the boy's defensive words without missing a beat. "Peter, there's no need to hide, we know you are having nightmares but you need help if you want them to get better. You need to talk about them. We let it go for the last two weeks and that was a mistake on our part. Your lack of sleep is seeping into the rest of your life."

 

Peter scoffed and looked at them with challenge in their eyes. "No it isn't. I'm fine, my grades are fine, Spiderman's fine."

 

Tony arched a brow at the boy's blatant lie and help up a hand to stop him. "Peter. Your grades are falling, your internship work is not to its usual standard, Nat says you've been sloppy in training with her, you're receiving more injuries as Spiderman than usual and your behaviour both at home and school is deteriorating. So before you try to lie to us again think about that." He watched as Peter blanched as his problems were practically shoved in his face. Tony softened his voice as he continued. "Pete, asking for help doesn't make you weak, we are all worried about you. This can’t go on, it hurts us to see you like this."

 

Peter nodded at his dad's words trying to push down the lump in his throat. "I'm sorry about the nightmares."

 

Pepper sighed and moved across to sit next to her son "Pete…you don't need to apologize for the nightmares, they are not your fault okay, it's normal to have nightmares after a traumatic experience but you have to speak to someone. It’s the only way they will get better."

 

Peter nodded once again and thought for a moment. Who should he speak to? Clearly May was out she would worry too much and probably ban him from being Spiderman for life and there was no way he would speak to a therapist about anything.

 

Pepper could see the indecision on Peter's face and decided in this situation it was probably best she just chose for him. "Pete speak to Tony, I'll go any get us something sorted for dinner. You will not be going out as Spiderman again until you have got this off your chest, you are putting yourself in danger going out as exhausted as you are."

 

Peter sighed at her words but couldn't help the small smile that came to his face as she took the decision from his hands, it was much easier to simply be told what to do sometimes.

 

Tony waited until Pepper left the room before moving to take her place next to Peter and throw his arm round his shoulder. "So Pete, hit me."

 

"Dad…I don't really know what to say."

 

Tony sighed, he supposed just straight up asking was a bit easy. "When you were a toddler Pete you woke up screaming but you managed to get back to sleep, do you know why? You didn't tell us what your dreams were about then but you got back to sleep again every night." He hadn't expected a blush to cover Peter's face at his words. The boy had turned red as a tomato and Tony was bewildered.

 

Ugh this was so embarrassing. This was exactly why he didn't want to talk, "You'll laugh." He mumbled almost too quiet for Tony to hear him.

 

"Peter. I promise I won't laugh at you, I need you to be able to sleep. I'm worried, we're all worried, whatever it is I'll do my very best to help you." Tony assured the teen.

 

"I fell asleep because I was in your bed." Peter blurted out after a moments pause studiously avoiding eye contact.

 

Tony's heart broke at his boy's words. "Peter there's no need to be embarrassed, you are welcome to come into our room if you have a nightmare, it's fine. We encourage it, I would rather you share our bed than not sleep. And when you're at May's call me okay, you know I don't sleep all that much, I can help you get back to sleep. Hell. I'll fly to Queens if I have to Pete. I’d do anything to help you underoos."

 

Peter nodded still not looking at his dad.

 

Tony knew Peter was avoiding looking at him and knew he probably wouldn't come to their room of his own initiative, at least at first so was already mentally planning to carry the teen there next time he woke from a nightmare, which would likely be that very night. "Okay, so that will help you get back to sleep, but what are you dreaming about Peter? How long have you been having these dreams?"

 

"A few months." Peter answered ignoring the first question completely.

 

"A few months…a few months" Tony mumbled largely to himself. "The Vulture! Is that what you are dreaming about?" The shaky nod he got in response was answer enough.

 

Peter took a breath and gathered his courage, now his dad knew part of what his nightmares were about he just wanted to tell him everything. "I dream…I dream I'm stuck under that warehouse. And I'm alone and stuck, and no one is there."

 

Tony paled dramatically as his son’s words registered, he had never asked Peter for a full rundown of what happened homecoming night after all, he had heard something about a falling building but he had disregarded the information almost immediately once he had funded the repairs. He pulled the teen tight into his chest and soon felt his t-shirt dampen from Peter's tears. "Shhh…you're fine Peter, I'm here. Daddy's here." He reassured the boy, just as he did when Peter was a toddler he rubbed soothing circles on his back to calm him down. "Pete…you should have told me." He knew nothing more needed to be said on the subject, at least for now and was simply content to hold his son in his arms for a while, even when the tears stopped he continue holding him tight until the boy himself pulled away and looked up at him, a watery smile on his face.

 

"So I've talked…can I go on patrol now?"

 

Tony snorted in response and ruffled the boy's hair. "As soon as I see that C- rise to a B kiddo." He laughed at the boy’s pout, he was clearly wondering how Tony knew about that. "Nothing gets past me son, now I believe that sounds like Pep setting the table, go get washed up."

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

That night Peter lay in bed staring at his ceiling, he was afraid to sleep or well afraid to dream anyway. Despite what Tony had told him mere hours before he was embarrassed. He knew FRIDAY would probably alert his dad if he had a nightmare and there was no way he was sleeping in his parent's bed. What if someone found out? He was Spiderman, he should be able to sleep by himself, what kind of superhero was he if he couldn't even deal with his own dreams? Even if he wasn't Spiderman he was fifteen! What sort of fifteen-year-old needs help to fall asleep? He could just imagine the taunts he would get at school if anyone found out. The fact his dad was Tony Stark would perhaps give him some cool points but that was unlikely to deter people like Flash who seemed to thrive on making his life miserable.

 

Peter sighed audibly at the thought of Flash. Sure, the boy had stopped hitting him after his suspension but his words could be just as hurtful, they were even worse than before and cut to the bone. He knew he should just tell his dad but that was so embarrassing, he was practically an adult, he should be able to deal with Flash himself. Also, if he told Tony the man might go all Iron Man on Flash, sure Peter didn't like the asshole, but he didn't want to scar him for life, or for his dad to murder a teenager over some schoolyard taunts.

 

He rolled over in his bed and reached out for his phone sitting on his bedside table. After a few moments of slapping his hand uselessly on the table he managed to grab it, he may have enhanced senses but he definitely didn't have night vision, the fact he was exhausted was probably a factor as well to be honest, his spidey sense hadn't been quite as sharp as usual recently after all, he hadn't mentioned that to his dad though, he was sure the man would ban him from Spiderman otherwise. Although he was banned from Spiderman right now anyway he supposed so it probably didn't matter all that much at the moment. He tapped his phone and blinked several times as it lit up on full brightness almost blinding him.

 

"Your phone curfew is in place Peter" FRIDAY said almost as soon as Peter tried to unlock it.

 

He rolled his eyes at the A.I's words. One time, one time he stayed up late the night before a test scrolling through twitter and his mum and dad flipped. Sure he had almost fallen asleep the next day during said test but that was beside the point. Pepper had refused to let him go out as Spiderman that evening so he could get a full night's sleep before his exam and when she found out his exhaustion was because of meme's she had promptly told Tony to hack Peter's phone and make it practically unusable whenever they wanted it to be. From that day onwards Peter was unable to use his phone once he had been sent to his bed, he had tried to hack into Tony's hack but that had just resulted in his phone being confiscated for a few days. Having Tony Stark as a dad was awesome but it was almost impossible to sneak anything past him.

 

Sighing he threw his phone down perhaps more aggressively than he should have. He was exhausted. He could feel his eyes drooping and it was becoming difficult to stay away as time went on, perhaps just a quick nap would be okay, surely if he only slept for a little while he wouldn't have time to have a nightmare. With that thought in mind he asked FRIDAY to wake him up in an hour and a half. He seemed to fall asleep immediately after.

 

Tony stared at the ceiling deep in thought. Pepper had practically ordered him to be in bed before two am, she was adamant that if he wanted Peter's sleep to improve he himself should lead by example. But it didn't matter what time he got into bed he was sure he wouldn't be able to sleep anyway, he was too worried about his son, at least in the lab he was able to distract himself, in his bed he had nothing, well he had Pepper she was currently asleep next to him. He envied her ability to sleep so peacefully, even after the mandarin incident she was able to sleep, then again she did go to a therapist after said incident.

 

His phone beeped and he grabbed it to take a quick look sighing when he saw it was a notification from Peter's phone to tell him the boy had tried to unlock it. He knew how Peter's mind worked and knew he would probably try to avoid sleeping but he was sure the kid would eventually drop off, his two weeks of poor sleeping had to catch up to him eventually after all.

 

Tony was woken from his dozing less than an hour later by his A.I.

 

"Peter appears to be in distress boss."

 

The man practically leapt out of bed ignoring Pepper's mumbled groans as his movements jostled her. He was in his son's room in seconds and his heart broke a little, like it did every time he had to wake Peter from a nightmare, the boy was tangled in his sheets moaning slightly with sweat beading on his forehead.

 

Tony walked across and perched on the edge of his son's bed as he began to card his fingers through his hair. "Hey Pete, I'm here, it's just a dream Petey, you need to wake up, come on." He had gone through these actions countless times but they were just as difficult now as the first time, he would do anything for this boy, but he was unable to protect him from his own mind, his own nightmares and it broke his heart. Soon Peter's struggles died down a little and he was able to manoeuvre himself so the boy was in his lap, he found Peter calmed down quicker with more body contact. He continued mumbling soothing words into his ear as the teen woke and began to sob into his chest. He tightened his hold on the boy and stood up ignoring his mumbled protests, sometimes you had to do what would help your kid even if they didn't want the help. Despite Peter being Spiderman and very in shape Tony had no difficulty carrying him back to his own room, huh maybe Rogers was onto something when he insisted Tony start exercising more and lifting weights.

 

By the time he made it back to his own room Pepper was awake and waiting for them with the duvet pulled back so Tony could easily drop their son onto the mattress. Tony was unsurprised when the boy immediately moved towards Pepper and curled up next to her for comfort, he watched as she made herself comfortable and threw her arm over the boy and immediately began to run her fingers through his hair soothingly to help him fall back to sleep. Tony climbed in behind Peter just as he had when the boy was a toddler and put his arm over the boy and Pepper pulling them close as if his presence alone would keep both of them safe in their slumber.

 

Peter was almost asleep as soon as he was placed down in his parent's giant bed but his last conscious thought was that he couldn't remember the last time he felt so safe.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Peter was mortified when he first woke up sandwiched between his parents but neither of them mentioned it so he decided he should maybe just do the same. He couldn’t deny his sleep had been amazing once he had been taken though to sleep. He got himself up and went back to his own room to shower when his mom got up, leaving his dad asleep in bed. After a quick shower he threw his school things into his bag and looked around his room. May was coming back that night so he wanted to make sure he had everything he needed. He would still be coming back to the tower after school but he would be back in his bed in Queens that evening. Unable to see anything he needed he made his way to the kitchen for breakfast.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Peter started when an elbow was dug into his ribs sharply. He jerked his head up from his phone to look at his best friend with a scowl.

 

"Dude, if you keep checking your phone every ten seconds Mr Harrington will definitely catch you, and do you really want detention today?"

 

Peter sighed, he knew Ned was right, he was just excited and anxious. He had spent the entire day counting down to the end of his final class so he could rush back to the tower. He had attempted to convince his dad to let him take the day off during breakfast but the man was having none of it, especially when he found out Peter had double Spanish. Ugh stupid Spanish, just the thought made him feel ill. Although he had handed in an essay during said class so his grade would probably be back to a B by tomorrow so he could go out as Spiderman.

 

As much as he was looking forward to seeing his Aunt he couldn't help but worry. Was she really as cool with the whole mom and dad thing as she made out? Would hearing Peter say it in person make her change her mind? And would he struggle to sleep back in Queens? He was worried about going back to Queens, sure his dad said he could phone him but he didn't want to inconvenience him, he had already put up with Peter for two whole months surely he wanted a few days without him?

 

Another elbow drew him out of his musing and he decided he should probably at least look like he was paying attention, he was sure his parents and May would kill him if he got detention after all.

 

After what seemed to Peter like hours but was realistically more like thirty minutes the final bell rang and he couldn't have been happier. He grabbed his bag and was one of the first out the classroom as he rushed towards his locker. He quickly grabbed his books and began to make his way out towards the parking lot where Happy would be waiting for him when Flash stopped in front of him.

 

"Hey Penis. Where are you off to in such a hurry?" The boy demanded rather than asked.

 

Keeping his head down Peter attempted to shoulder past the boy but his efforts came to no avail as Flash pushed him back. Groaning internally Peter looked up at his tormentor. "Flash, I don't have time for this."

 

The slightly taller boy ignored him and asked again why he is in such a hurry to leave.

 

"Flash, I need to go, I don't want to be late." His words were met with another scoff from the other boy. "Flash seriously leave me alone, I have my internship." Peter ended up blurting out in an attempt to get him to leave him alone.

 

"Sure you do Penis. I don't know why you keep trying to make out you have an internship. Everyone knows Stark Industries only takes on a few college students as interns each year. Why would an idiot like you work there?"

 

Peter rolled his eyes at the words he's heard from Flash a hundred times before. With a quick glance at his watch he knew it probably wouldn’t be long before Happy comes barging into the school to look for him. Realising Flash was still spouting nonsense he decided to let a little of his super strength loose and barged past the boy to sprint towards Happy's car.

 

"Took your time kid." Happy grumbled in way of a greeting as Peter jumped into the back seats throwing his back down next to him.

 

"Sorry Happy, I was chatting to Ned." He told the man, he knew if he mentions Flash Happy would tell his dad and he would prefer the man didn't know, he could handle Flash after all it was just words, he was totally fine.

 

Happy nodded at the boy's words and immediately asked about his day, he knew he may act disinterested but it's sort of become their thing at this point. He let him talk, the kid's non-stop chatter used to irritate him but now he enjoys it, he's easy to chat to. "How's Spanish going kid?" he asked when Peter stopped for breath.

 

"Ugh, Happy!" The boy responds with a roll of his eyes and exaggerated sigh. "not you as well! Every other sentence is someone asking about my Spanish grade, it was one C-. Even Uncle Rhodey sent me a text about it."

 

Happy laughed at the teens words. "Pete you are usually a straight A student. A C- is a big change, we only ask because we care."

 

Peter felt slightly bad for complaining after that statement. "Sorry Happy, I know, it's just annoying. Yeah it's fine…well it will be fine once my essay is marked that should bring up my average."

 

"Good to hear it kid. So what about MJ is she sitting next to you yet at lunch or still six seats away?"

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

In no time at all they pulled up into one of the tower's many garages and Peter hopped out eager to see his aunt. "Peter picked a peck of pickled Pepper" he shouted as he approached the elevator. He usually mumbled it as quietly as he could due to embarrassment but he was just too excited. Plus, it didn't really matter if anyone else heard him security wise, FRIDAY scanned everyone who entered the elevators to make sure it was the correct person, Peter was convinced Tony just added the passwords to mess with people. Huh, he should maybe ask mum what hers was surely she wasn't saying a really embarrassing phrase every time she needed to go anywhere.

 

To Peter the elevator ride seemed to take forever, he was convinced it didn't usually take this long to get to the penthouse. He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited and couldn't help but groan as the elevator stopped several floors too low to let someone in.

 

"Great to see you too Pete." Bruce laughed as he walked in.

 

"I just want to see May" the boy whined in response earning another chuckle from the scientist.

 

May could hardly contain herself. She had never been away from Peter for such a long time before, video calling was good but it wasn't the same. She was perched on the edge of the couch coffee in hand opposite Pepper, Tony had just nipped away to grab a photo album full from the week Peter was a toddler. A year ago she couldn't have imagined such a situation in her wildest dreams but now it seemed almost normal, they had somehow become sort of strange family, all because of her amazing nephew.

 

The doors opened a Peter couldn't help but grin widely as he stepped out the elevator with a shouted "I'm home!" As he said the words his eyes connected with his aunts who had stood up as soon as she heard the doors open, he didn't waste a second as he ran over to her arms outstretched.

 

"Hey baby." She murmured as she pulled the boy in close. After several seconds of just relishing being together again she pulled back and took her nephews face in her hands. "You look better Pete, are you sleeping better?" She grinned widely at his nod "Glad to hear it baby. It's good to be back I've missed you."

 

Peter nodded in agreement and his eyes widened as he saw Tony re-entering the room with a book in his hand. "Dad!" he groaned. "Nooo, you can't just show everyone that book, it's embarrassing you already have photos of me as a toddler everywhere anyway." He continued gesturing towards the photo frames dotted around the room.

 

"I'll think you find I can. Why wouldn't I show everyone how cute my son is?" Tony responded laughing at the expression on the teen's face. "Come on sit down, May wants to see them."

 

With a put upon sigh Peter drops down next to his dad on the couch snuggling in close as he throws an arm over his shoulder and passes the album towards him so May can see from Peter's other side.

 

Pepper smiled as she watches the three of them sitting opposite her totally absorbed in the album between them. It had been almost half an hour and they were still engrossed. She knew Tony was trying to keep both May and Peter here as long as possible, he had been anxious for several days about Peter leaving even if it was only for two days, he would be back on Wednesday for his internship and dinner with them. She felt the same to be honest, it would be strange not having Peter in the penthouse 24/7, his shoes lying haphazardly in the lounge regardless of how many times he had been told to leave them either in the cupboard next to the elevator or in his bedroom. The boy walking into the kitchen each morning bleary eyed for breakfast would be missed but he would be back in several days and his Aunt hadn't seen him in two months, it was selfish of them to try and keep them here longer to be honest.

 

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Several hours passed and May knew it was time they had to go. It was plain to see Tony had been trying to stop them from leaving but it was getting late. They had stayed for dinner and even a movie but Peter had school tomorrow and she did want to get back to her own bed. "Right Peter come on." She said as she got to her feet, "it's time we got going, we need to get home."

 

Peter nodded at his Aunt's words standing up himself. He grabbed his school bag from where he had dropped it as he came in and turned to face his mum and dad. "Thanks for letting me stay here, I hope I wasn't too much trouble."

 

"You're never too much trouble Pete don't worry." Pepper said as she hugged him and kissed his forehead. "We'll see you Wednesday okay, and remember you're staying here for dinner, May has a late shift so you can sleep here." At Peter's nod she walked towards the other woman in the room to give her two boys privacy.

 

"It's been great having you here kid." Tony said as he also hugged the teen, still holding him close he continued "now remember, if you have any trouble at all I'm just a call away, I don't want you coming in here looking like a zombie on Wednesday okay? Any nightmares and you're to call me, got it?"

 

"Yes dad." Peter mumbled blushing slightly as he pulled away and walked back to his aunt. The two enter the lift leaving Tony and Pepper in the lounge his arm around her waist.

 

As the door closed Tony finally lets the sob he has been supressing for the last twenty minutes out. He never thought he would ever have a son but now he has one letting him go even for just two days seemed like the most difficult task in the world.

Chapter 14

Summary:

The Stark wedding is coming up and with it a Bachelor weekend

May had been home nearly two months and Peter's life had turned into a steady routine. With May's promotion her shifts were now more regular and she rarely did overtime so he always knew where she would be. Before she would pick up any and every shift she could so they could make ends meet, usually leaving him a note or a text telling him he would be alone, now with her regular schedule his time could be planned. He stayed in Queens Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sunday nights and in the tower the rest of the week, he was happy with the new arrangement as he could see his Aunt whenever she was home and his mom and dad when she was at work, it meant May wasn’t alone and he wouldn’t feel guilty for leaving her, she said he shouldn’t feel bad but he couldn’t help it.

 

As great as having May home was Peter found being away from his dad difficult, in the tower just knowing Tony was next door in case he had a nightmare was comforting but in Queens he woke up screaming more often than not. After several nights of being unable to fall asleep and yet refusing to phone his dad Tony had come over and installed some sort of baby monitor in his bedroom which would wake the man if Peter had a bad dream. At first Peter had been angry and embarrassed at his dad's actions until the man pointed out that if Peter had just done as he was told and called him if he had a nightmare such drastic actions wouldn't have been necessary. The brief argument that followed only resulted in Peter standing with his nose in the corner of the kitchen under Tony's watchful eyes for half an hour until May came home from work and scolded him further. He had to admit since the monitor had been installed he had been sleeping much better, as soon as he woke up from a nightmare his dad would already be calling him to help him get back to sleep, a few times he had even come over on particularly bad nights. Which he was still amazed about, Tony was a busy man, he was Iron Man, a world class engineer and scientist and also planning his wedding whenever he had a free moment but he still had time for Peter.

 

Just thinking about his mom and dad’s upcoming wedding brought a smile to his face, the press had no idea and the guest list was extremely small but the wedding was only a week away. Peter was on his way to the tower now in fact, he had been invited to his dad’s bachelor weekend, he Peter Parker was going to Tony Stark’s bachelor weekend! It was mind blowing. May had left a few hours ago she had been invited to his mom’s weekend away, he didn’t know any of his mom’s friends to be honest, well he knew her secretary Julia she was nice and he supposed Nat was probably there as well. The thought of Nat at a spa retreat brought a grin to his face, he just couldn’t imagine Black Widow lying by a pool with cucumbers over her eyes. He honestly had no idea what was planned for the weekend, considering he was invited he doubted there would be strippers or a crazy party, his dad wouldn’t let him watch Game of Thrones it was highly unlikely he would allow him to experience anything like that. Also his dad rarely drank anymore, in fact he had never seen him drink more than a few beers in front of him or maybe a couple glasses of wine with dinner. What did people do on bachelor weekends when they weren’t going to get drunk or pay for strippers? He had only ever seen them in films so had no idea what to expect.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

Tony grinned as his son bounded into the lounge throwing his bag down on the couch as he did so. “Hey kid, how’s it going, did May get away alright?” He asked, of course he knew she did and he knew Peter probably knew he did, the boy and Pep called it helicopter parenting he just said he was prepared and connected. Sure, Rhodey and Happy both said the same as his fiancée and son, but what did they know?

 

Peter just rolled his eyes at his dad’s question. “We both know she did dad, what are we doing today?” He had asked every time he saw the man since he had found out he was invited but still hadn’t been told anything, it was killing him. He flopped down on the couch and helped himself to the chips on the table, they were probably for everyone to snack on when they arrived but he was a growing Spider-boy he needed sustenance! He froze a handful of chips halfway to his mouth and looked at his dad as a thought occurred to him, “we aren’t getting fitted for suits are we?” He had never actually had to get it done himself but he had been there when his dad was fitted before and it took forever! He was here for a fun weekend not to waste a day getting poked and prodded at.

 

Tony knew exactly what his son was thinking he could see it clear as day on the boy’s face, “no we aren’t getting fitted for suits this weekend Pete.” They were getting fitted on Tuesday but he wasn’t going to tell the boy that, he didn’t want to deal with the boy’s puppy dog eyes managing to convince him to skip it, he was positive Pep would kill him. As much as he wouldn’t mind if the kid turned up in one of his nerdy shirts he was not prepared to argue with Pep over it. She said they would be in matching suits so they would be in matching suits, he simply had to choose which one and get them fitted.

 

“Do you need me to do anything dad? Am I dressed okay? Do I need to get anything else or pack anything?”

 

“You’re good kid.” Tony told the boy as he dropped down next to him on the couch, “I’ve already packed for you.”

 

Peter couldn’t help but grin up at his dad at his words, he was maybe too old for his dad to pack a bag for him but he didn’t really care to be honest.  Although the downside was if his dad told him what to pack he may have had an idea of what they were going to be doing.   

 

 

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Almost an hour after Peter had arrived, who admittedly was early for had to be the first time ever, Happy walked through the door bag in hand. “I can’t believe you were the last one to get here Hap.”

 

Happy made to respond with the middle finger but as he went to do so caught sight of Peter and decided against it. He didn’t want to get on the wrong side of Tony’s overprotectiveness two minutes into the bachelor weekend after all. “Had to make sure everyone knew what they were doing while I was away. You’ll thank me when you don’t get robbed this weekend.”

 

Tony simply rolled his eyes, “I’m Iron Man no one is going to steal from me.”

 

“Ummm the Vulture did dad, that was literally his whole thing. How could you forget?”

 

Tony shivered at the reminder, just the thought of that guy made his heart clench, he pushed down his anxiety and ruffled his son’s hair. “Well okay but look where he is now Underoos. Anyway, now we’re all here I can tell you what we’re doing.”

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Two hours later Peter found himself standing in overalls paintball gun in hand. They had taken a helicopter…which in itself was awesome, his dad, Bruce, Uncle Rhodey and Happy hadn’t seemed as excited as he was but he supposed it was probably normal for them, he had been slightly worried his babbling may have annoyed them but the grins on their faces told him otherwise.

 

Once they arrived they had a run through of some regulations and the like as well as a quick go in a shooting range to get a feel of the guns. He knew his dad, Happy and Rhodey didn’t need it but he appreciated the opportunity, he didn’t want to go out into the game and be useless after all. The five of them were their own team and they were up against another group they didn’t know so he was banned from using his powers and Bruce was wearing a heart monitor just in case. Although he had played paintball before when the Avengers were still one team, so if no one else was concerned neither was Peter.

 

Tony looked around the small room they had been told to wait in, they had fifteen minutes before their game started and they could go into the arena to hide their flag then another five minutes before they could start. Just one look at his son and he knew he had made the right decision with this activity. Rhodey had unsurprisingly taken command and they were all happy with that decision…well Happy wasn’t but they had some weird rivalry all of a sudden, he wasn’t 100% sure what that was about to be honest.

 

Peter grinned as he ran into the arena and hid the flag in the fort they were protecting. They were to play three games of capture the flag before there was a free for all game so it was decided for this first one he was to protect the flag. He climbed up to the top of the fort and hid himself from view while still being in position to see anyone approaching. He knew Happy and Bruce were somewhere outside the fort keeping guard but he wasn’t 100% where, they were wearing comms though so he could easily find out if he was in danger of shooting them. When the claxon went off to begin the game he tensed and began to look around, he was not going to be the reason they lost their flag.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

It turned out Bruce was the reason they lost the first flag…well so was Peter but he was going to lay it on Bruce. Bruce had tripped over a root and been shot so was out, that left Peter against the three that were approaching, he had been forced to move from his hiding spot to cover where Bruce had been which ultimately led to him being shot and the flag being taken…so he was blaming Bruce. 

 

Thankfully they had won the next two games so morale was high as they all took a water break. Before Peter could walk back into the waiting room he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to look at his dad questioningly. “Kid, it’s free for all so obviously you’re with me right.” Peter opened his mouth to respond negatively but then thought for a second. Happy had already asked him the same question while they had been hunting the others team flag in the previous game and he had agreed, Happy was one of their best players so it was a no brainer teaming up with the man, but then again his dad didn’t know that.

 

“Of course dad.” Now he had two people who weren’t going to be shooting at him, he should probably try to get Uncle Rhodey’s support too, he was undoubtedly a threat. When he grabbed a second bottle of water at the same time as his Uncle he asked him if they could team up and had to suppress a smirk when he agreed.

 

At the sound of the claxon Peter took off running to go and hunt down the people who were originally on the opposite team to himself, he had nothing to worry about with his own team after all. Unsurprisingly a mere two minutes into the game he heard his dad’s laughter as he shot Bruce, honestly no wonder he had never hulked out during the game, he hardly got to play long enough to get his heart rate up. He continued walking through the trees stepping lightly as he did so, he may not have been allowed to use his spider powers but walking lightly hardly counted, it wasn’t like he could help that after all. He tiptoed through the trees and managed to shoot a man from behind…not very honourable sure but this was war. He laughed as the man swore about being knocked out by a kid. He had been thrown off during the second game when someone called him kid but then he realised they had probably noticed the height difference or heard someone refer to him as such. It wasn’t like they could see his face, everyone had helmets on, that was a major reason his dad had chosen the activity, he didn’t want it getting out he was having a bachelor weekend and more importantly he wanted to protect Peter.

 

Ten minutes later he laid eyes on his dad who lowered his gun as soon as he realised who he was. “Have you shot anyone other than Bruce?” He asked as he tried to work out if his plan of playing everyone off against each other was still going to work.

 

“I haven’t seen Rhodey or Happy but I saw the big guy on the other team go out a few minutes ago so one of them got him. So that leaves at most seven on the field including us.”

 

Peter nodded and grinned as his dad patted him on the back before making off in the other direction. He had already glimpsed Happy through the trees who had also shot one man on the other team…well he assumed that was what his gesture meant and considering the way the man was going it was likely a different man to the one his dad saw.

 

Rhodey swore as he ducked down narrowly avoiding the paintballs that soared over his head. The braces he was wearing were honestly a work of art, he forgot he was wearing them often and the reaction times were incredible, he grinned to himself as he shot the man who had nearly got him. That was his second, he wondered how many were left.  He began to make his way towards the centre of the field, as time went on and less players were left the walls automatically closed in so he knew he would run into someone else sooner rather than later.

 

Peter grinned from his position behind an upturned jeep, he knew his dad was opposite him somewhere coming from the other side of the field so if he could just lure him further in a little he would undoubtedly run into Happy who was on his right. He turned to look at Happy and gave him a thumbs up when he heard a quiet cough, he grinned when the man began to move, Dad had decided super hearing hardly counted and a cough was the signal that he was going to move forward, he had to whistle to respond that it was clear so did so loudly. He grinned when he heard lots of shots in quick succession followed by Happy swearing loudly.

 

“Happy where the f….” Tony started as he dived out the way of his shots, he knew exactly where his son was there was nowhere the man could have come from that Peter wouldn’t have seen him…unless. That little shit. He looked at Happy briefly who was also looking confused to see him. He could see when Happy realised what was going on as the man lowered his gun slightly.

 

Peter knew they had figured out what was going on but he still had an ace up his sleeve. A whistle was also his signal for his uncle who was much further out than his dad and Happy, he grinned when he heard two shots and the impact of the paintballs against the two men. He shot up instantly from his position and sprayed the area his Uncle was in with shots whooping when he heard furious swearing and a bell to signal there was a winner. Ha. Who was a child now?

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Tony couldn’t decide if he was proud or furious with his kid for that stunt. As soon as they were out of the arena he pulled off the teen’s helmet and put him in a headlock. “You little shit. I can’t believe you turned on me like that. My own bachelor weekend!” He smiled as the boy just laughed and tried to free himself, he made eye contact with Rhodey and released the kid pushing him towards the other man as he did so.

 

Peter couldn’t stop laughing as his uncle tickled him ferociously. To be honest it didn’t matter what they did to him he was still the winner. He had the trophy. He hooked his leg back around his uncle’s and pulled causing the man to flip. They were in the changing room now he could use his powers. He flipped over careful of his uncle’s braces and sat on his chest. “I beat you in the arena and beat you here Uncle Rhodey. Who’s the child now?” He taunted as the man tried to stand up.

 

Tony laughed and snapped a photo before hooking his arms under the teen and pulling him up. “Alright Muhammad Ali, cool it. Let’s get a quick photo then you are getting a shower, you smell Spiderbaby.”

 

Peter pouted at his dad’s words but did as he was told, he was excited for whatever else was planned.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Tony had spent ages thinking about what he wanted to do for his bachelor weekend, he knew it was meant to be the best man or at least groomsmen who organised it but he wanted to make sure Peter would be involved and importantly not traumatised. He knew paintball would appeal to everyone, well perhaps not Bruce but his science bro didn’t hate it so he would take that as a win. He had initially thought about racing he did own cars and a track after all but Peter couldn’t drive and he didn’t want his son’s first time behind the wheel to involve speeding, that didn’t send the sensible driving message he wanted to instil in his Spiderling. So in the end he hired a cabin in Vermont for the weekend, it was private so there was little risk of being discovered by the press or fans. He had also ensured there would be Quad bikes there, it seemed a fairly good compromise when they weren’t able to race, he was sure everyone would enjoy it.

 

Peter practically leapt out of the Quinjet when it landed, eager to see where they were. He had been a little gutted when he saw their helicopter had left but he thought the Quinjet was perhaps even cooler…it essentially became invisible that was some next level science right there! He grinned when he realised they were in essentially the middle of nowhere, for once he couldn’t hear cars or faint arguments of people in the next apartment…well he could hear Uncle Rhodey and Happy arguing over something but he was going to ignore that. He had always lived in New York and other than the occasional school trip he had never left other than when he went to Berlin, this was going to be sooo cool.

 

Tony smiled fondly as he looked down at Peter who was practically vibrating he was so excited. “You can go in kid, there’s enough rooms for us each to have one, take your pick.”

 

Peter grabbed his bag and ran into the cabin, well it was maybe slightly too big to be called a cabin but still. The downstairs area was all open plan so he jumped up the stairs three at a time so he could choose his room, it was only for one night but it was still exciting. He peered into each one he passed but it wasn’t until he got to the fifth one that he found the one he wanted. The large window looked out over a lake and there was a bathroom that joined the room to the next one which appeared to be the master bedroom so would surely be taken by his dad. Other than the view this bedroom was identical to the ones he had already passed but he still grinned, he had made the right choice, he could hear the others making their way upstairs and choosing their own rooms as he dug through his bag to see what his dad had packed for him.

 

After a few minutes Peter made his way back downstairs and sat down in front of the fire, helping himself to a can of coke as he passed the fridge. Within minutes he was joined by his dad who as predicted had taken the room next to his own, they were soon joined by the rest of the group. “There’s a barbeque on the deck, Happy, Rhodey are you fine to man that for us?” Peter grinned as the two men nodded reluctantly, their competitiveness was ridiculous. Peter looked back to his dad when the man began speaking once more, “you go with them Pete, Bruce and I will get some wood for a bonfire.” He nodded and ran off after his Uncle and Happy causing both men to smile warmly at him.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

An hour later all four men and one spider teen were sat around a bonfire by the lake eating burgers. Or in Peter and Bruce’s cases multiple burgers. Tony couldn’t remember the last time he had been able to relax like this with his friends, to simply sit and eat a burger a cold beer in hand. He couldn’t help but remember the last time he had sat like this though, there was more of them then, it was before the team had broke up, it was a bittersweet memory now.

 

Peter could see his dad was getting lost in not so happy thoughts so reached over and tapped him on the arm to get his attention. “Is there blankets somewhere? I’m getting kinda cold dad.”

 

Tony was pulled sharply from his own mind at his son’s question and looked him over, no wonder the kid was cold he was still in a t-shirt. “Of course, I put one in your bag, also grab yourself a jumper or something. It is not t-shirt weather kiddo. And can you grab a few more beers on your way back please?”

 

Peter nodded and took a few steps before turning back to look at his dad. “Can I have one?” His question was met with soft laughter from Happy and Uncle Rhodey so he crossed his arms over his chest uncomfortably but didn’t back down. “Please dad. Just one.” He tried when his dad raised an eyebrow at him.

 

Tony didn’t really know what to say. He was afraid, he had been Peter’s age once and had tried alcohol, he fallen off the wagon quickly after that. He opened his mouth to say no but Bruce beat him to it. “It’s getting late kid, you don’t want a beer at this time. How about a hot chocolate?”

 

Peter mulled it over for a second. He didn’t particularly want a beer, he just wanted to try it, to be one of the guys but looking at his dad he could see he wasn’t comfortable with the idea. He considered asking once more but then just accepted Bruce’s offer relaxing when he saw all the tension leave his dad’s body at his words, it was his dad’s weekend he didn’t want to stress him out. There was always another time.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Once Peter returned bundled up in one of Tony’s old MIT sweaters and a blanket holding a hot chocolate he passed his own chair and curled up next to his dad. He received a raised eyebrow but refused to be swayed, it was comfortable here. “Tis cold dad.”

 

Tony just chuckled softly and threw and arm over his son lazily while maintaining his conversation with Rhodey, within twenty minutes he could hear the soft snores coming from his son. He couldn’t think of a better way to spend his bachelor weekend.

Chapter 15

Summary:

Peter gains and Uncle and last minute wedding preparations come together.

Notes:

Hey, thank you so much for the reviews as you can see I am now moving away from the previous fic although nearly everything from it will be incorporated at some point. This is a shorter one I'm afraid and I'm not as pleased with it as I usually am but it can't be helped.

Peter covered his mouth as he yawned widely in the passenger of Happy’s car, they had got back from Vermont just before midnight the night before and he was still being made to go to school unfortunately. He was missing school on Friday for the wedding so it made sense he supposed, he had already missed quite a lot of school that semester what with the flu he had then the whole de-aging thing and he knew if his grades drop he couldn’t go Spidermanning so he could hardly complain.

 

“Have you had breakfast kid? We can go via McDonalds if you want.”

 

Peter whipped his head up suddenly wide awake at Happy’s words, “I could eat” he said. Ginning as Happy snorted at his words, clearly seeing through his non-answer. One of the best things about his weekend away was his now improved relationship with the man. Sure they got along well before but Happy offering to pass McDonalds on their way to school was new as well as the offer to sit in the front seat which had never happened before.

 

Sure they had got along well before but the last few days had seen a change in how they interacted. In the beginning he was slightly intimidated by the man and certain he didn’t like him, he could be quite gruff and almost always had a serious expression on his face, but then again, he was SI's head of security he supposed they were essential for the role. Now though he considered him something of an uncle figure…well not something he was an Uncle figure. He had shown him how to ride a quad bike over the weekend and kept sneaking him extra smores when his dad had tried to cut him off. Also, was as close to his dad as Uncle Rhodey was, so that made them essentially brothers…so surely he was his Uncle, but would he be uncomfortable if he called him that?

 

"How long have you known dad Happy? Longer than Uncle Rhodey?"

 

"No not as long as James, but longer than you've been alive squirt. I became his chauffer first then his personal bodyguard in ‘93. We became friends at some point and now here I am driving you about."

 

"Oh did I cause you to get demoted?" Peter asked without thinking.

 

Happy just laughed at the kid’s question and rolled his eyes fondly, “Peter, are you feeling okay? Your protection is number one, as soon as this co-parenting thing started between May and Tony he changed hundreds of protocols in the tower. FRIDAY is programmed to protect you at all costs. So me protecting you, that's not a demotion kid, it's the highest honour I could get. I couldn't believe Tony trusted me so much, especially after the Vulture incident."

 

Peter mulled his words over in his head for a moment, he knew his dad loved him and, on some level, knew his wellbeing came above anyone else's in his dad's mind but to know he had decided so as long ago as he had was mindboggling. He shoved those thoughts aside and thought on the rest of Happy's words. "Why wouldn't dad trust you after the Vulture incident? It was just an accident, you're the best man at your job and dad trusts you. You're like his brother aren't you? I would forgive Ned if he did something like that…well as long as it was an accident. That’s how family works isn’t it?”

 

Happy swallowed past the lump in his throat, this kid was just too much. "Yeah maybe you're right kid, I suppose we are brothers in a way."

 

"No suppose about it." Peter declared resolutely not allowing Happy to argue, the car fell silent for several minutes before Peter gathered up his courage and blurted out his question just as they pulled into the drive through at McDonalds, that way if the man said no he could just eat the entire way to school and avoid having to talk, "can I call you Uncle Happy then?"

 

Happy choked unable to form words. Damn this kid. He would not be made to cry by a fifteen-year-old…and definitely not at McDonalds.

 

Peter looked up when he heard Happy make a strange noise. "Oh my god, sorry I didn't mean to make you cry. I won't do it again, sorry Happy." He babbled as he frantically tried to think of something to say.

 

"You're fine kid, it was just unexpected." The older man replied wiping his eyes self-consciously, "course, I'm your uncle. You didn't offend me it's fine." He continued as he reached over to ruffle the teen's hair. "You know what, I've got a Lego set with your name on it…I was saving it for your birthday but what else is an Uncle for if not to spoil you behind your parent's back?"

 

Peter laughed at the man’s words grinning as he accepted the bag of food he was handed. Three McMuffin’s? What a win. His mom and dad tended not to give him junk food this was a shaping up to be a great week. He practically inhaled them and shouted a goodbye over his shoulder before running into school.

 

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Peter grinned as he jumped into the car next to his newly christened uncle after school throwing his backpack into the back seats as he did so. “So that Lego set? What is it? Will you help me with it? It’s not as fun alone and mom and dad are making wedding plans until dinner time. You don’t have work that needs doing do you?” Peter asked practically in one breath.

 

“Kid breathe.” Happy told his nephew slightly perturbed he had managed to say so much in one go. “The Lego set is in the trunk, it’s a surprise, yes I’ll help you and as protecting you is my work no I don’t have plans.” He smiled softly at the teen’s excited whoop, “how about we stop for ice cream on the way home…just don’t tell your mom.”

 

“My lip’s are sealed.”

 

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Rhodey rubbed his eyes as he walked into the penthouse unsure if he was hallucinating. He had intended to get there before Peter got home from school but he had got caught in traffic, to be fair he would not have got stuck if he hadn’t decided to stop for some ice cream. He had then been made even later when he was cornered by reporters asking outside the tower asking whether a date had been set yet for ‘the wedding of the century’. He rolled his eyes at that one, the press were going to be gutted when they found out next week it had already been and gone, the press release was already written and just waiting to be sent out with a photo or two in a weeks’ time. He knew he could have taken the private entrance but he enjoyed the regular public one, he liked saying hello to the employees he rarely saw and he had to organise a meeting with marketing, Tony had made him the face StarkMedical so he had a few things to sort out with them, sure he could have organised it over the phone or something but sometimes it was easier to meet face to face. He had expected to come in and find Peter on the couch watching TV or something equally teenagerish. The boy wasn't allowed to go out as Spiderman until after the wedding just in case. Tones and Pepper were stressed enough as it was Peter going out on patrol would just add to it. So yeah, had not expected to see his nephew and Happy sitting on the floor either side of the coffee table building a Lego Buckingham Palace with Downton Abbey playing in the background surrounded by chip packets and ice cream when he walked into the penthouse.

 

Peter whipped his head around as soon as he heard the elevator doors open, his Spidey-sense was silent so he knew it wasn't anything to worry about but he still wanted to see who it was, his parents weren’t due home for another few hours and May was at work. He couldn't help but smile as he looked at his Uncle's gobsmacked expression, after about thirty seconds he thought he should probably say something, standing still for too long was probably bad for his Uncle's leg braces anyway. "Hey Uncle Rhodey, how's it going? Do you want to come and help me and Uncle Happy? Or did you have plans? Mom and dad won't be home for a while they both have meetings and then some last minute arrangements for Friday to sort out.”

 

Rhodey grinned at the blushing man behind Peter as soon as he heard the new title the man had gained. "Sure thing, I spoke to your dad earlier, that’s why I’m here thought I’d keep you company, I’ve got ice cream. Although I must admit I thought you’d be bored out your mind but I see you’ve replaced me.”

 

Peter rolled his eyes at his uncle’s words. He was about to reply but Happy beat him to it.

 

“Well I understand why you’d be replaced Rhodes. I blow you out the water in the Uncle department.”

 

Rhodey scoffed at the other man’s comment, “Keep dreaming Hogan.”

 

Peter sat back in silence as he watched the two men snark at each other. Huh, maybe this was why they had been so competitive for the last little while. He grabbed the spoon he had been using for the ice cream he had already finished and opened the Stark Raving Hazlenuts his uncle had just placed on the table.

 

Peter grinned as they continued arguing, well arguing was maybe a bit much, squabbling perhaps? That was something brother’s did, right? "I just want to make it clear you are the older brother in this relationship, I'm the hip young one."

 

"Keep telling yourself that Rhodes, I saw you google what is a meme last week." Happy shot back before turning to look at Peter who looked like he was having far too much fun watching them banter back and forth. “What do you think Pete?”

 

“Nu-uh I’m keeping out of this, do you wanna watch a film with us Uncle Rhodey? We were going to watch something until mom and dad got back.”

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Pepper pinched the bridge of her nose as soon as she entered the penthouse, she shot her fiancé a sharp look when she heard him snort next to her. Peter was lying on the couch his head on a sleeping Happy’s lap and legs thrown over a similarly unconscious Rhodey. All three were surrounded by candy wrappers and empty ice cream tubs.

 

“I guess Happy and Rhodey got over their disagreements then.” Tony deadpanned as he kicked his shoes off and walked into the room. It was almost dinner and Peter had said he would help himself and Pep make it.

 

Peter groaned as he was lightly shaken awake, “go ‘way, m’sleepin.”

 

“I don’t think so Spiderbaby you’re helping with dinner, c’mon up you get. Let’s leave those two oldies to their naps. And don’t for a moment think you are getting desert.”

 

Peter just grinned cheekily, “I’m sure one of my Uncles will be able to change that dad,” he told the older man earning a cuff to the back of the head and a shove into the kitchen.  

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Peter smiled when he walked out of school Tuesday to see Uncle Happy’s car parked in it’s usual spot. “I thought you weren’t going to the tower today?” Peter just shrugged at Ned’s words, he supposed there must have been a change of plans or something. The pair did their handshake before Peter jogged towards the car, threw his bag in ahead of him and hopped into the backseat when his Uncle opened the door.

 

Tony grunted when a bag came sailing into the car and hit him in the chest. “Jeez kid what do you have in this? Bricks?”

 

“Oh sh…” Peter was stopped from finishing and saved from getting into trouble when his uncle’s hand shot up to cover his mouth. Well this was a new experience, he was picked up from school all the time by Uncle Happy so that was normal but why were Bruce, Uncle Rhodey and Dad also in the car? “Why are you here? Is there a mission? Are we going somewhere?”

 

Tony just rolled his eyes at his son’s excitement, “yeah, let’s call it a mission Pete. Anyway enough of that you’ll see soon enough, did you get that algebra paper back?”

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Almost forty minutes later the car came to a stop and Peter looked around eager to see where they were. As soon as he realised he let out a whine, “Dad, do we have to? My suit from homecoming still fits I’ll just wear that.” He huffed as the man ignored him and practically dragged him through the back entrance of the tailors. He had been here once before, it was posh and stuck up, it sucked. His dad was so comfortable in environments like that but it was all knew to him, he hated it. He wasn’t good at talking to strangers and he always felt like he was being judged and didn’t belong.

 

Bruce could see the teenager was uncomfortable with just one look and a glance at Tony told him the boy would probably be in trouble if he kept dragging his feet. He let his arm fall on the kids shoulder and squeezed gently. “I know it’s uncomfortable Peter, I understand, I hate these places too. Just grin and bear it.”

 

Peter looked up unsurely at Bruce, he supposed it made sense, both his Uncle’s had been friends with his dad for years they were undoubtedly used to stuff like this but Bruce hadn’t been around that long. “But I’m just a kid, what if they say something.” He didn’t want to be seen as a charity case.

 

Bruce smiled fondly. “Kid you’re with Tony Stark if they treat you any differently to the rest of us he will go somewhere else and they know it. No one wants to lose Tony Stark’s business.”

 

Tony had been listening in and paused before he entered to look at his son. He bent his knees slightly to be at eye level with the boy, “Pete, listen to me. It will be fine okay. I know it’s weird for you but we need to get these suits fitted okay. You’re getting fitted for a couple…” he raised a hand to stop Peter from speaking when the kid opened his mouth to interrupt. “Don’t argue, you’re getting fitted for several suits today and then we won’t need to come back for quite a while okay kid?” He sighed when the boy just nodded mulishly but ruffled his hair regardless before turning and entering the shop.

 

Peter made his way straight to the chairs he sat on the last time when he walked in, smiling when Bruce sat down next to him. “They’ll be a while, Tony will probably take ages to choose something. He wants everyone to match so it has to suit all of us.” Peter sighed softly and slumped back in his chair as he did so, it was going to be a long afternoon.

 

“How about Hot Rod Red?” Tony asked Rhodey raising a brow at the older man as he held up a swatch of fabric.

 

“If you turn up wearing something that colour you won’t be leaving with a wife.” He grinned when he heard his nephew snort from behind him. “You’re having a fairly traditional wedding Tones, you need to go black or navy for the suits I think.”

 

Tony nodded as he thought about it. “Pep will be in white obviously so let’s go black, it’s classy and timeless. It’ll look great in the pictures.”

 

Peter grinned, well that hadn’t taken too long surely the rest of it would be over really quickly.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

How wrong he was. Peter peeked at his phone and had to withhold a sigh when he saw the time. They had only been here an hour, it felt like a lifetime!

 

Tony turned to look at his son who looked almost bored to tears. “Hey, Pete.” When the boy looked up at him he continued. “Go with Rhodey and have a look at some things you want. You need a tux and at least three options for galas or parties okay?” He sighed when the boy looked at him wide-eyed. “Dec,” he called one of the senior tailors who currently had nothing to do, “can you help my kid please, make sure he gets something classy. And please don’t tell him any prices.” At the man’s nod he grinned and nodded in thanks before turning back to deciding between the four suits he had narrowed it down to.

 

Peter simply followed the tailor and nodded whenever it seemed appropriate as the man bustled about and presented him with some options. “I don’t like the flashy colours.” He said when the man stared at him clearly wanting some input. It was true, he didn’t want to stand out, he knew dark suits were what people tended to wear and some of the options Dec had chosen were far too flashy for his tastes. “Actually, keep that one, I like it.” He said quickly as the man went to put away a dark red suit, it was the closest colour to his Spiderman suit he could see, and he was sure his dad would want him to get at least one option that wasn’t black or such a dark blue it may as well have been. Actually perhaps this wasn’t so bad he thought to himself as they moved away from the jackets and trousers towards ties. He had simply shrugged when asked his opinion on shirts and let the man decide what worked.

 

It only took another ten minutes before he was ushered into a changing room and then onto a podium, so Dec could tailor the suit to fit him properly. He couldn’t help but wonder why he needed these though, he was going to the wedding of course but his dad was choosing the suit for that. What else could he possibly need a Tom Ford suit for?

Chapter 16

Summary:

The Stark wedding is finally here

Notes:

Hey, sorry for the long delay university has been very busy the last few weeks and I apologise for the shorter than usual chapter. Thanks for sticking with this story and so much for reviewing. I have had quite a few reviews about the spanking in this story and if you don't like it I'm sorry, I don't want to sound like I'm complaining but it's clear in the description it will contain corporal punishment. In the future I will signpost it is there clearly though so you can skip it if you wish. Thanks again for reading, I hope you enjoy!

-EmptyFridges

Peter was practically vibrating he was so excited, today was the day his parent were getting married! They had arrived at the hotel the wedding was being held at that morning, he shuddered to think how much his dad had paid for the wedding to stay secret from the press, but then again it was an extremely fancy hotel, he was terrified to do anything just in case he damaged something so they were probably used to high profile weddings. He was interrupted from his musings by his dad telling him to finish putting his tux on. Ugh he hated suits, his homecoming one had itched against his sensitive skin but he was more worried he’d look like a little kid playing dress up, he hadn’t worn it yet, they had just taken his measurements for his other suits and used them to tailor it, he hadn’t even seen the outfit until about an hour ago.

 

“Pete come on it’s only one day put the tux on we don’t have time for dramatics.” Tony told the boy bluntly, he hadn’t slept well and was extremely nervous he really didn’t want to waste time arguing about a suit with his son. He had never expected to get married and he was terrified, what if Pep changed her mind? What if he was late? What if…? He was interrupted from his panic by his son’s hesitant voice.

 

“Dad, I don’t know how…” He turned to look at the teen preparing to scold him for wasting time but swallowed his words when he saw the honest confusion clouding his face. He took a breath then stood up and grabbed his own tux which was identical to his son’s, “I’ll show you how, I’m sorry for snapping kid”, he told him softly ruffling his curls earning a laugh. He really hadn’t meant to snap he was just stressed.

 

Peter relaxed as his dad did, he had been understandably stressed and visibly nervous he was glad he could distract him, although admittedly he did need help with the tux, he didn’t know where to start. He had never been to anything that required him to wear a tux before, he had been put in one on Tuesday at the tailors, but he hadn’t been paying attention and he hadn’t worn the cufflinks or the tie or anything. He had put on the pants and shirt but didn’t know what to do from there.

 

“Tuck in the shirt Pete then we put on the suspenders, no one should see the suspenders but they’re better than a belt.” He helped his son attach them to the back of the trousers and straightened his shirt out before doing the same at the front. “And then the waistcoat, kid.”

 

Peter couldn’t help but grin as his dad helped him get ready, sure May had helped him get dressed for homecoming but having his dad help him was different, it was a typical father son thing in his eyes and it was something he would cherish.

 

Tony couldn’t help but smile fondly as he tied his son’s bowtie, the boy might be Spiderman and graceful in the air but it appeared bowties were his kryptonite. Just as he helped the kid with his cufflinks the door to the suite opened allowing Bruce, Happy and Rhodey into the room dressed in identical suits to their own. He glanced at his watch there was now less than an hour to go, he didn’t think he’d ever felt this nervous in his life, and he’d met a president at age ten. “Pete.” He said beckoning to his son as he took a box off the coffee table, “I want you to take this to your mom okay? They’re one floor up from us. Then go downstairs, you know where the wedding is yes?” He grinned when the boy nodded eagerly, clearly happy to help in any way he could.

 

Peter grabbed the box and made his way down the corridor then up the stairs to his mom’s room. He hadn’t seen the dress yet, May and Nat had, they both went to help mom choose it and said it was beautiful but he had yet to lay eyes on it himself. He stopped outside the correct door and tried to flatten his hair slightly and glanced over himself quickly before he knocked. Within moments May opened the door and he could see her hold back a gasp at the sight of him.

 

“My handsome little boy all grown up.”

 

Peter couldn’t help but blush at her words, he was fifteen, sixteen in a few months he was practically a man! “Come in come in.” Peter stepped into the room and froze as soon as he laid eyes on his mom who was sitting in the centre of the room while a hairstylist finished up her work. Wow. She looked amazing.

 

“You look amazing mom. I’ve got this,” he told her nodding towards the box in his arms, “it’s from dad,” he then added needlessly.  He was eager to see what was inside it to be honest, he really had no idea what it could be.

 

Pepper took the box from her son and placed it down before she turned back to have a good look at him, “May’s right, Pete you do look all grown up in that tux. How’s Tony? Nervous I imagine?” At the boy’s nod she laughed softly before turning back to see what the man had got her. Opening the box she couldn’t help but gasp at the beautiful necklace inside, it was silver with sapphires decorating it, it was beautiful and clearly well made without being gaudy. She turned over the note inside.

 

The sapphires were my mothers, I got this made for you

Something old, something new and something blue for our wedding day

Tony

p.s. Ask May for something borrowed

 

Pepper smiled and gestured for her son to help her put the necklace on, it really was beautiful, how Tony had known how long to make it so it didn’t cover any of her dress she really didn’t know, but then again they had known each other so long he maybe had an idea. Once the necklace was in place she turned to May, she was surprised how close they had become despite how different their lives were, but then again the woman had raised Peter and it was impossible not to fall in love with him so perhaps it made sense. She turned May and opened her mouth to ask what Tony meant but she was one step ahead of her.

 

“Ben gave me this on my wedding day, he said every Parker woman who wore this had a long successful marriage…I know you aren’t becoming a Parker but you’re Peter’s mom so…” May stopped as he voice cracked with emotion, she could so clearly remember Ben giving her this silver butterfly hair piece the day before their own wedding.

 

“I understand May, thank you. It means a lot to me.” Pepper assured her as she allowed the woman to place it in her hair, it really was beautiful. She once more looked at her son, “thank you Peter, there’s not long left now, go back to your dad, make sure he hasn’t worn a hole in the carpet yet.”

 

Peter nodded pressing a quick kiss to both his Aunt’s and Mom’s cheeks before he left the room and made his way down to the wedding venue itself.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Tony couldn’t help but fiddle with his cufflinks nervously as he stood at the front of the room his son and other groomsmen by his side. This was it. He, Tony Stark was about to get married, he expected most people in the room, himself included never thought they’d see the day. He couldn’t help but grin as he made eye contact with Rhodey, they looked good all of them dressed the same, he had been slightly worried it would look cheesy but the tuxes suited all of them so well, they looked great if he did say so himself. When the wedding march started he let out a breath and allowed himself to relax.

 

Pepper exhaled when the music started, she was CEO of one of the world’s largest companies, there was no need to be this nervous. She smiled softly as Phil took her arm in his own, she didn’t have any blood family of her own anymore and Peter was already up there with Tony so she had chosen Phil to give her away, they had a surprisingly strong friendship, sure the whole faking his death thing had been a difficult time but that was in the past now.

 

Peter looked at his dad as soon as the wedding march started playing, he wanted to see the moment his dad saw Pepper for the first time in her dress, it was rare that he saw the man at a loss for words and he felt that moment would be one of those times. Sure enough, the man’s jaw dropped when he laid eyes on his wife to be and Peter was sure he saw a tear or two.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Rhodey had attended quite a lot of weddings by this point in his life but he was positive the one he witnessed that day between his brother and new wife would never be topped. It had been a small ceremony sure but that was what they had wanted and to be honest it suited them, Tones may put on a front for the press and be a bit of a show off but some things should be kept quiet and be treasured, it had been perfect.

 

As soon as his parents had been declared man and wife Peter had cheered, he couldn’t help himself and earned soft smiles from the pair. He had never been to a wedding before and he didn’t think he would ever attend one as beautiful, he had been forced to wipe away tears at one point! Spiderman was not supposed to be reduced to tears by wedding vows! They had headed to the reception pretty quickly afterwards and he wasn’t too sure what he was supposed to do, he knew his Uncle would be saying a few words after they ate but would he be expected to dance or something?

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Rhodey tapped his glass to get everyone’s attention and smiled as he looked round the room. “Good evening, lady and gentleman I would like to thank all of you on behalf of the Bride and Groom for coming here today to share their special day. I think I am speaking for most of you here when I say I’m surprised this day ever came. Tony Stark getting married! Who’d have thought!?”

 

Peter laughed lightly along with the others around him at his dad’s expense earning a cuff on the back of his head where his dad’s arm was strung over his shoulder.

 

“I met Tony when he was fourteen on our first day at MIT, I remember thinking at the time what I had done to be saddled looking after a kid and to this day I wonder the same.” He said with a smirk, “we hit it off almost straight away and I quickly saw he was more than the tearaway he appeared to be in the press, he’s a loyal friend and caring man, it is thanks to him I can stand here in front of you all today…”

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Peter smiled as he watched his parents have their first dance, he didn’t think he had ever seen either of them look as happy as they did in that moment. But then again he had had that same thought multiple times that day. He had been thrilled although slightly embarrassed when his dad had pulled him in for some of their wedding photos, he said he wanted some of just the three of them so he could put them up in the penthouse. He had also got a few with his uncles and of course one with just himself and May, his mom assured her she would send a copy to the apartment as soon as they were printed. He was pulled from his thoughts quite literally by his mom who grabbed his arm and pulled him onto the dance floor.

 

Before he had realised what was happening Peter found himself dancing in front of everyone and immediately began to panic. “Mooom, I don’t know what I’m doing,” he whispered almost hysterically.

 

Pepper laughed softly at her son’s words, “it’s fine Peter, just let me lead you, more people will come up in a second and we won’t be the centre of attention.” She could feel the boy relax slightly although it was only marginally at her words. Just as she predicted they were almost immediately joined by Tony and May, as neither of them had surviving parents they had decided Peter and May would be their partners for those dances although judging by her son’s face her husband had neglected to tell the boy as much.

 

After what felt like hours to Peter Uncle Rhodey tapped him on the shoulder and cut in. He couldn’t get off that floor quick enough, dancing was not for him it seemed. He sat down on a random chair and took his phone from his pocket to begin scrolling through twitter, before he had even unlocked it though a hand reached over his head and plucked it from him.

 

“I don’t think so underoos,” came his dad’s voice from behind him, “you’re coming with me, I haven’t been round all the guests yet and you are coming with me not sulking in the corner.” The man said gesturing for him to follow giving him no option to refuse.

 

Peter grumbled under his breath as he followed his dad towards the closest table, he hadn’t been sulking he had literally just sat down for one second! He hated meeting people, it was always uncomfortable, he wasn’t as confident as his dad.

 

“Peter Tonyson, you are no longer a baby I see!” Peter flushed as he looked up at Thor, before he could reply his dad had already started though.

 

“What! No!” he said with mock seriousness, “of course he’s still a baby. My precious little boy.” He said as he pinched the teens cheek.

 

Peter batted his hand away with a scowl, “I’m nearly 16 dad!” He ignored the man’s theatrics at his words and greeted Thor and…oh my god…that was Loki! So cool! “Woah, Mr Loki. I’ve been wanting to meet you for ages. You’re so cool!”

 

Tony smiled as his son started to babble away to the slightly bewildered god. However as soon as the boy began to ask Loki to turn him into a snake he dragged him away, he might tolerate the god and believe Thor and his science bro when they said he had changed but that did not mean he would let that maniac perform magic on his son. “Cool your jets there Bambi, we do not ask gods to perform magic on us okay. Important new rule kid.” He ignored the kids eye roll as he continued on to the next table where it was mainly people from SI. Peter immediately launched himself into a conversation with some of the scientists in the robotics lab he had been doing a project with recently allowing him to accept congratulations and thank those around him for coming. They stayed there for fifteen minutes or so before he once again had to pull his son away, he wanted Peter to meet everyone there. Everyone at the wedding was important to himself and/or Pepper so as their son he wanted Peter to meet them all. Also it gave him the opportunity to show the boy off, he wanted everyone to know just how great his son was.

 

Peter was sure they had been at this for hours by now, He had to have spoken to everyone there by now! Sure it was really cool getting to meet Erik Selvig and he supposed Fury wasn’t quite so terrifying this time around but he had also met his mom’s assistants mom who had pinched his cheek and called him cute. He was not cute! Finally though his dad had let him sit down again, it was time to cut the cake so there was no need for him to do anything more for a while.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Rhodey grinned as he stood at the bar looking over the room, the happy couple were back on the dance floor as well as Nat and Bruce. Happy and Peter were sitting on the far side of the room with Thor and Loki so grabbing some beers he headed over.

 

“You got away from your dad I see Pete.”

 

“Finally! I swear he would have glued me to his side if he could Uncle Rhodey.” Laughing at the boys expense Rhodey simply ruffled his hair.

 

“You survived though kid, that’s whats important. Now what’s going on over here then boys?”

 

“Thor was going to show us how to play Asgardian Poker.”

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

When Tony walked over to the table his groomsmen and Asgardian guests had been at for the last several hours he was unsurprised to find almost all of them drunk, he was surprised however to see a huge pile of poker chips in front of his son, the boy couldn’t lie to save his life so how he was winning at poker was beyond him. “Asgardian poker is easy dad, it’s like maths, you hardly need to lie at all!” Well that was that mystery solved then. He placed a beer down in front of the boy, “only one and only because it’s a special day and your uncles are here to watch you okay?” He looked at said men, “okay only because I gave it to you and it’s a special day, they are in no state to be watching anyone.”

 

Peter nodded up at his dad with a grin, “only one, got it.” He popped the cap and took a swig and immediately tried not to grimace at the taste, he had drank beer before but he still wasn’t a huge fan. That was beside the point though, he had been complaining about being dragged around like a child, he was not about to act like one now.

 

Tony could see his son wasn’t a huge fan of the beer and couldn’t help but let out a breath of relief, he never wanted his son to turn out like he did after all. But he did feel it was important to allow his son to drink moderately when around family, as a child and teenager he had never witnessed drinking that was not to get drunk and therefore thought it was normal behaviour. He would not allow his son to think the same way, he nudged the boy and perched on the edge of his seat throwing an arm over his shoulder as he drank his own non-alcoholic beer, it had been a long day for all of them. The best day of his life of course, but still long and exhausting, he couldn’t wait to go home with his wife.

Chapter 17

Summary:

A dark day

The three weeks since the wedding had flown by, his parents had decided to forgo a honeymoon as both of them said they were too busy and Peter couldn’t help but be relieved. He saw his parents’ multiple times a week and he was sure he would find it difficult being away from them for a week or two. As selfish as it sounded a honeymoon would have been difficult for him to cope with, he texted his dad multiple times a day, he was sure the man wouldn’t want to be annoyed in such a way on his honeymoon…but then again he always said Peter could never annoy him, so maybe not. He wasn’t sure why he was so clingy, when he had voiced the question to his Aunt she had said it wasn’t anything to worry about it was just the way he was but he couldn’t help but be embarrassed by it at times.  

 

"Peter, do you want to come over? We still haven't finished the Millennium Falcon set I got for my birthday."

 

Startled from his thoughts by his best friends voice Peter shrugged and agreed, he was going back to Queens today so he didn’t really have any plans and he hadn't been to Ned's house in a while, as great as working in the labs and hanging out in the tower was sometimes he just wanted to hang out and do normal teen stuff with his friend. "I'll just text May, I'll have to be home for dinner though." Ned nodded excitedly at his words with a grin spreading from ear to ear, soon enough the school bus reached the closest stop to Ned's and both boy's jumped off eagerly discussing their predictions for the still untitled Star Wars film.

 

Peter had been going to Ned's house for years to hang out, it was larger than his own apartment not to mention in a much safer neighbourhood. Ned's mom hadn't even allowed Ned to visit Peter's until the year before, so naturally Ned's house had been like a second home to Peter…well until he met Tony now it was like his third home but still.

 

Peter sat down on the rug on Ned's floor in the same spot he had every other time he visited. He liked the familiarity of it, he and Ned always sat in the same spots when building Lego and he was sure at this point if that changed it would be too uncomfortable for them to concentrate.

 

In mere minutes the two boys settled into their usual rhythm and although sitting in silence were able to comfortably work together in a way only years of doing so would allow. After fifteen minutes or so Ned broke the silence between the two hesitantly asking "what's it like having your life change so dramatically all at once? You know you went from dumpster diving for old DVD players to spending time in Tony Starks lab and calling him dad."

 

Peter looked at his friend for a moment as he contemplated how to respond. He had never stopped to think about it really, he just went along with all the changes believing it easier to accept the changes in his life. "Well…" he started licking his lips nervously "it's hard to explain, it's bizarre. But my life has always been a bit like that, first my parents left me at my Aunt and Uncles so they could go on a trip and never returned. So that changed my life overnight you know, I went from a normal kid to an orphan overnight. Ben and May hadn’t wanted kids and suddenly there I was, they had no idea what to do, the first year or so was tough, we all had to get used to a life we never expected. They couldn’t afford to send me to therapy or anything and I don’t think it was a very relatable issue for them to discuss with their friends.”

 

Ned nodded as his friend spoke. Peter didn't often open up emotionally so the odd time that he did he tried not to interrupt lest his friend close himself up again.

 

"Then for a few years everything was fine until I got bitten by that Spider, that changed everything but I couldn't tell anyone so again I just rolled with it, there was nothing I could do, it’s not like there’s a secret club for people going through that?" Peter said with a sad laugh. "Then…well then Ben died and we grieved but then money became such a huge issue we couldn't dwell on his death, we had to make ends meet so we just continued on as always. So I suppose I'm maybe just used to huge life changes. None of them have been particularly enjoyable up until meeting dad and everything…it's almost as if I'm constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. The Parker luck will have to strike some time after all." Peter looked down and swallowed around a lump in his throat suddenly uncomfortable after baring his soul in such a way even if it was to his best friend.

 

Ned nodded, he had been beside Peter ever since they met and knew his life was difficult, he deserved some happiness, he could only hope Peter was wrong about the Parker luck. Sensing the sudden tension in the air Ned effortlessly changed the topic and smiled as Peter visibly relaxed.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Time seemed to fly by every time they hung out together Peter mused. He felt bad when he first became Spiderman he had neglected his friendship with Ned, looking back on that time he was ashamed of himself. Ned had always stood by him, when he had no friends in elementary school, when he was beaten up by Flash in middle school and when he lost Ben in high school. Once his dad became more involved in his life he had told Peter he had to allow himself to be a normal teenager as well as a superhero. He told him time and time again Peter Parker should always come before Spiderman, from then on he always made sure to make time for his best friend. His dad had told him how important it was not to isolate himself as he may wake up one day and find he had no one left, that he had driven them away. Just remembering that conversation made Peter shiver, Tony had looked almost haunted as he spoke to Peter that day in the lab, as if the man was speaking about himself rather than a hypothetical future Peter.

 

Peter's musings were interrupted by a knock at the door, he lifted his head to see who was there and was unsurprised to see Ned's little sister peering round it.

 

"Ugh, what do you want? I told you not to bother us unless it was time for dinner Jasmine." Ned sighed, his little sister always interrupted them, she was only seven but her crush on Peter was embarrassing and she stuck to him like glue whenever he was round. He had to bribe her with the promise of ice cream to get her to stay away.

 

Peter smiled sadly at the siblings in front of him, he often wondered what it would be like to have a brother or sister. He watched as they bickered, it happened almost every time he came over, it always made him laugh that Ned and his sister acted like five year olds as soon as they disagreed on something. Well he could excuse Jasmine she was a child but seeing Ned lose ten years to argue with his sister always made him laugh. His thoughts were interrupted by Ned suddenly shooting to his feet.

 

"Peter, it's already twenty past eight."

 

Peter paled slightly as he snatched his bag from the floor and pulled his trainers back on. Dinner was always at half past seven. Whether he was in Queens or the Tower dinner was at half seven on the dot, May and Tony had decided Peter needed a routine…even the thought made him roll his eyes, he wasn't five he didn't need a routine…but anyway dinner was at half past seven and if he was late he was grounded from patrol the next day. With a shouted goodbye to Ned and his family and a promise to Mrs Leeds to visit again soon he sprinted outside and ran out onto the street. The spider bite may not have given him super speed but it had improved his stamina and reflexes so sprinting back to his apartment without running into anyone was easy and he made the trip in less than ten minutes.

 

He felt a shiver run down his spine as he entered his building, his spidey sense was silent though so he simply shrugged it off and ran up the stairs to his apartment, once he reached the landing he gave the front door a push and frowned as it refused to move. If the door was locked clearly May wasn't home she never locked the door when waiting for Peter to get home, so where was she? Was she looking for him? Peter fished his phone out his pocket as he unlocked the door and let himself into the apartment to find it as he suspected, empty. He had no missed calls or texts from her which was weird, usually when he was late she would call and demand he come home. He looked up as he walked into the apartment proper and was shocked to see no sign of May, usually she would put her bag down next to the door when she came home from work but it wasn't there. Had she stayed on at work for some reason? Pressing the home button on his phone and refreshing his messages he frowned once more as he saw he had no messages or missed calls, that was strange if May wasn't going to be home on time she would definitely tell him. He shrugged, maybe her phone was dead. He had been planning on going out as Spiderman tonight but it seemed wrong to go out without seeing May first so he made his way to the kitchen and made himself a quick sandwich before throwing himself down in front of the TV to wait for his Aunt.

 

After an hour he checked his phone again and decided he should maybe give her a call. He dialled the familiar number and held his breath as it rang, waiting for her to pick up. He began to pace as the phone rang unable to sit still.

 

"Hello." Peter almost dropped the phone as it was picked up on what must have been the final ring. He took his phone from his ear and looked at the screen, he had definitely called May, so why was it not May that picked up?

 

"Hello" The voice repeated pulling Peter back into the room. "Is anyone there? Peter?"

 

"I'm Peter, who is this?"

 

"I'm Dr Woods from Flushing Hospital Medical Center."

 

Peter quickly ran the name through his mind, it wasn't the hospital May worked at so why did a doctor from there answer his Aunt's phone? "Sorry, why do you have my aunt's phone? Where is she?" Peter asked voice rising as he began to panic.

 

"This is your Aunt's phone? Do you know the details of her next of kin?"

 

Peter's heart sunk at her words, "I am, I'm her next of kin. Why? What's wrong?"

 

 

"There has been an incident, can you make your way to Flushing Hospital Medical Center sir?"

 

"Ummm yeah I'll be there in ten minutes." Peter replied as he hung up the phone. He knew it would take much longer to get there if he walked or even if he took a taxi so he pulled his suit on and practically leapt out the window with his clothes in a backpack. He didn't think he'd ever swung anywhere quite as fast as he was making his way to the hospital now.

 

In what was really no time at all but seemed to Peter like an age he arrived just around the corner and dropped into an alley to change out of view of those on street. Hopping on one foot as he pulled his trainer's back onto his feet he rushed out the alley his bag bouncing on his back as he sprinted through the doors of the emergency department easily dodging round people.

 

His shoes squeaked as he stopped suddenly in front of the desk making the receptionist look up from her computer screen irritably barely containing her sigh. Peter took an involuntary half step back as she spoke thrusting a form towards him "if you're not dying here's a form, fill it in. Bring it back. Wait in line."

 

"I was told there had been an incident, my Aunt's here." Peter said stumbling over his words in an effort to get them out as fast as possible lest she start berating him for wasting her time or something.

 

"Name?" the receptionist asked looking back towards her computer.

 

"May Parker."

 

"Fifth floor room 105." Peter takes off running as soon as she speaks, he's both eager to see his aunt and find out what the hell is going on and also get away from the irritated receptionist. He takes the stairs two at a time ignoring the grumbling of those around him and easily finds the room he's looking for. As he approaches a man exits the room with a clipboard in his hand looking tired.

 

 

"Excuse me, I'm looking for my Aunt, I was told she's in there. Can you tell me anything? I'm Peter."

 

"Peter, have you got anyone with you? Your uncle perhaps?”

 

Peter shook his head at the doctor’s question, “no it’s just me and May sir.”

 

The doctor took a breath to steady himself before he spoke to the teenager, “Your Aunt was involved in an accident, she was hit by a car on what we assume was her way home from work."

 

"Oh my god. Is she okay? Can I see her?"

 

Peter watched as the man's face tightened, and he could hardly contain a flinch as he put a hand on his shoulder. "Peter, you should maybe take a seat." He said as he propelled Peter in the direction of a small office across the corridor as the teen's feet seem unable to move.

 

Once he's seated Peter took a breath and looked at the doctor opposite him.

 

"Peter. I need you to understand. An ambulance was called immediately and your Aunt was taken here but her injuries are too serious, there's nothing we can do now but make her comfortable, I’m sorry."

 

Peter gasped at his words and clenched his hand into s first his nails digging into his palms in an attempt to ground himself. "Will she be okay though?" he asks sounding much younger than he is as he almost begs the doctor to lie to him, he already knows from the man's expression what his answer will be however.

 

Instead of answering immediately the doctor asked, "Peter. Is there anyone we can call? Does someone else live with you and your Aunt?”

 

"It's just me, I'm all she's got." He said shaking his head as he barely held back his tears.

 

"Peter she has hours at most. I'm sorry." He is almost glad the man didn't beat around the bush and Peter simply nodded numbly allowing the doctor to guide him into May's room.

 

"I want to be alone with her. To…to say goodbye."

 

 

"Of course, just press this button if you need anything."

Peter nodded mechanically barely registering his words. As soon as the door closed behind the doctor he burst into tears unable to hold them back at the sight of his aunt. She looked frail in the hospital bed with tubes all over her and the beeping of machines disrupting his senses. Her face was bruised, and he couldn’t help but stare at the bandages around her head. He gripped her hand in his just as she always did when he was sick. He heard his phone beep in his pocket but turned it off without looking at it, he didn’t want to speak to anyone right now, it was probably just Ned sending him a meme or something anyway. His sobs soon died down as he ran out of tears to cry climbed onto the bed next to May careful to avoid the wires and tubes, he held her tight as if doing so would prevent the inevitable but he knew that nothing could be done.

 

"I love you May. I don't know what to do. If I could take your place I would. I would May. I'm sorry. I should have been there…" Peter rambled quietly into her ear as he began to sob once more.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

About half an hour later Peter was drawn from the light doze he slipped into by a commotion outside the door of May's room. He stiffened and pulled May in tighter to his body unconsciously as the door was almost thrown open.

 

Tony stopped in his tracks as soon as he could see into the hospital room. Peter was lying on the bed next to his Aunt holding her close, he could barely see his son's face but his hitched breathing made it clear the boy was crying and probably had been for a while. He had come as quickly as he could once FRIDAY had alerted him that Peter had been in a hospital for more than half an hour. He had of course texted and then called the boy but when he didn’t receive a response he rushed over, he been gobsmacked when he arrived and found out it was May in trouble and not his son. Well trouble was too light a word really, she looked horrendous and her breathing was uneven even with the help of a machine. He had had to hack into the computer system to find out what room May was in as the staff refused to tell a non-family member where she was.

 

"Excuse me sir. You need to leave. Family only. I will call security if you don't leave sir. You can't be interrupting this boy."

 

Peter looked up as the doctor from before spoke and his eyes immediately fell on his dad standing in the doorway stubbornly ignoring the doctor demanding he leave.

 

"I'm his dad, I am family."

 

At Tony's words the doctor looked at the teen on the bed raising an eyebrow. "Peter, I don't care if this is Tony Stark if he is lying I can make him leave."

 

Peter smiled sadly at the doctor's words, the fact a man who had never met him would go against Iron Man so he could be with his Aunt in her final moments was admirable. "It's fine doctor, he is my dad. It’s okay he can stay. Thank you though."

 

With those words the doctor simply nodded and left after reminding Peter to ring if he needed anything.

 

As soon as his dad sat down on a chair next to the bed Peter practically leapt off the bed to hug him. He sniffled as his dad pulled him tight against his chest and rested his chin on the top of his head. It was a familiar gesture and Peter let himself relax into his embrace as he sobbed for what would soon be the loss of another family member.

 

After an hour or so Pepper arrived and moved a couch from the corner to next to May's bed allowing Peter to curl up between his parents but still hold his Aunt's hand. The three sat in complete silence comfortable to be in each other's presence. Peter was unsurprised when Pepper fell asleep she had flown back from Miami as soon as Tony had called with the news about May.

 

Peter was also exhausted it was now two am but he was afraid to fall asleep. He was thankful his mum and dad had arrived, he hadn't been in the right frame of mind to even think about calling them, for once he was glad Tony was such a helicopter parent who tracked almost his every move. Suddenly he felt the hand in his own twitch slightly and he looked up in amazement eyes wide.

 

May let out a few shuddering breaths as she whispered "I love you Peter, never forget. I love you." Peter stood up, his rapid movement unsettling Pepper and waking her, he knew that was it but he still felt his heartbreak when his Aunt didn't take another breath after that.

 

As soon as Peter stood Tony did alongside him and when his son let out a strangled sob he pulled him tight against his chest once more allowing the boy to seek comfort from him. He did not know how long he stood there but he didn't move until he felt Peter slump against it, he had cried himself to sleep. He moved carefully to place the boy down on the couch draping his own jacket over him and kissing his forehead so he could turn to face May once more.

 

"May, I'll live up to my promise, of course. It's strange you know…I thought you would hate me. I was sure you would. I put your nephew in danger in Berlin and allowed it to continue but you gave me a son. You gave me the greatest gift. I will do all I can for him. Thank you May."

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

The first few days after May's death were a blur to Peter. Uncle Rhodey and Bruce had offered to make all the funeral arrangements and he couldn't have been more relieved. He knew he was unable to make those decisions himself but he had been afraid his mom or dad would offer which would have taken one or both of them from Peter's side even if only for short amounts of time. He had hardly been left alone since Tony and Pepper had arrived at the hospital, he supposed they were worried he would wallow in his grief if left to his own thoughts for too long.

 

Then a week after May's passing was the funeral. It was even harder than Ben's had been, this time there was no May to accept the condolences of family friends so Peter stood at the entrance of the church with his dad thanking people for coming. Sure, Tony had offered to do it alone so Peter wouldn’t have to but he hadn't wanted to leave his dad’s side.  It was an irrational worry he knew that but still he wanted one or both of his parents with him at all times. Other's said it had been a lovely service but Peter couldn't appreciate that, he was the only Parker left now and still hadn't fully accepted it until the service. He knew intellectually he was but it wasn't until he watched as May's coffin was lowered into the ground that he finally accepted she would not be coming back.

 

Even a week after the funeral never felt hungry and only ate when he was told he couldn't leave the table until he had cleared his plate. It was as if life was moving in slow motion but also faster than it ever had. The first week he had cried all the time, every time he was reminded of May he would start sobbing but soon he ran out of tears. He tried to take each day at a time but it seemed reminders of his Aunt were everywhere, if he sat in front of the TV with Tony he couldn't remember what they watched all he could remember was the hundreds of times he sat with May and watched movies. When Pepper kissed his forehead when he walked into the kitchen for breakfast he would remember how May used to do the same when he left the apartment for school.

 

Tony was worried. Peter was obviously grieving but he really was not coping. He had hardly said a word since May's death and it had been two weeks. The boy picked at his food and hardly slept, the bags below his eyes which had finally faded had returned three times worse than before. Tony didn't know what to do, Nat had recommended he give the boy time, she said Peter would come to him, but he didn't seem to want to share his feelings. Tony had offered to tinker in the lab with him but Peter refused, he had asked if he wanted to patrol but he hadn't wanted to. He was lost. After his offer of training was turned down Tony knew he had to call in the big guns. Ned.

 

Ned was surprised when his phone rang. Who even phones someone in 2018? Texts did enough. It was even stranger that he didn't recognise the number but he muted the TV and picked up anyway, it could be important. "Hello?"

 

"Hello is this Ned, it's Tony?" Ned almost dropped his phone in shock as a familiar voice spoke down the phone. Like sure he had spoken to Tony before, even been to his penthouse, the memory of Pepper finding out Tony let Ned visit when Peter was grounded still brought a smile to the teens face, but even so speaking to Tony Stark himself was still surreal.

 

"Yes, how did you get my number? How's Peter? He hasn't called at all. I thought I should give him space but…" Ned trailed off nervously.

 

"I'm Tony Stark. Not good. Yeah let's maybe cut out the giving him space thing, he needs help but won't let me or Pepper. You were there after Ben died, do you know anything that might help?"

 

Ned thought back to Ben's death nearly two years before and shuddered. Peter had been a mess, hardly eating, hardly sleeping, and nearly killing himself patrolling all the time. "I don't really think he did get out of his funk until he met you Mr Stark…" Ned said eventually breaking the silence. "I don't really know what to tell you, have you thought about maybe getting him some help? After his parents died he did go to counselling funded by the school for a little while but once that was over he never went back, May and Ben couldn’t afford it and May certainly couldn’t after Ben’s death."

 

Tony nodded then hummed in agreement upon realising Ned couldn't see him. "That's a good idea, thanks Ned. I'll call someone. How about you come over tomorrow sometime? Peter needs company his own age, he isn't ready for school quite yet." After another five minutes or so he let Ned go and made his way to his son's room for a chat.

 

When Tony opened the door he didn't lay eyes on Peter immediately and if he hadn't already asked F.R.I.D.A.Y. where the boy was he wouldn't have thought he was in the room at all. "Peter?" He almost jumped out his skin when he got a mumbled response from above him. Looking up he saw some sort of hammock made of webbing, the same one he had seen Peter and Nat in months before in fact, inside the quasi-cocoon was his son. "Pete can you come down? We need to chat." Moving across to sit on the boys bed, he sat up against the headboard with his legs outstretched and was totally unsurprised when the boy dropped down and cuddled up next to him silently. He started to card his finger through the kid's hair absently in an effort to both soothe Peter and relax himself. "Peter, I think you maybe need some help." He felt the body next to him stiffen but continued to silently run his fingers through the boy's curls until he relaxed again. "Pete…the way you are coping isn't healthy. May wouldn't want this, you need to live your life."

 

Peter nodded sadly at his dad's words. Logically he knew May wouldn't like what he was doing but he couldn't bring himself to do anything. "It's like I'm stuck…nothing holds any enjoyment, it's like I'm here but I'm not…I'm scared dad."

 

Tony's heart broke at his son's confession. "Peter…you would tell me if you had bad thoughts wouldn't you?" He looked worriedly at his son, terror suddenly coursing through his body at the thought of losing his soon. When the boy didn't answer he repeated the question but only relaxed minutely when the boy nodded. He mentally noted to programme his AI to inform him should Peter try to hurt himself in any way.

 

"I don't want to see a therapist dad. It's weird. I'm a superhero. You don't go to one, Uncle Rhodey doesn't, mum doesn't. I don’t need to."

 

"Peter…listen superhero's need help too sometimes. Rhodey does go to a psychiatrist, he has done since he got injured, losing the use of his legs was traumatic, just as May's passing is for you. And Pep she went to a therapist for months after the Mandarin incident."

 

"You still don't go dad. Why should I?" Peter said stubbornly as he looked up at his dad.

 

Tony sighed, Pep was always telling him to lead by example when it came to Peter, he had started sleeping more in an attempt to encourage Peter to adopt a healthy sleep pattern, he had even started to wear goggles every time he entered the lab! He hadn't worn goggles in the lab since he was about fourteen. "Peter, if I see a therapist will you? I'll find us both a therapist first thing tomorrow but you have to promise me to give it a shot. Not everyone finds the right one straight away but that's okay. We can keep looking until we find the right person." When Peter murmured an agreement he placed a kiss on the boy's curls and pulled him in tighter. "Love you spiderbaby."

 

"Love you too dad."

 

Chapter 18

Summary:

Big changes take place in Peter's life

It had only been a week since Peter and Tony's conversation about therapy but Peter did already feel a little better, it had been decided he would go each day for the first week and he thought it was helping him, at least a bit anyway. It turned out they didn't need to 'shop around' for the right therapist because Emily was great, Peter felt immediately at ease around her and she had helped him immensely.

 

Tony was relieved and frankly shocked at the change in Peter since he started seeing Emily. The boy was no longer terrified to be left alone, sure he still needed reassurance he wasn't being left or forgotten but in the past few days a simple text seemed to be enough for him, it was a far cry from Peter's impression of a human limpet just the week before. Also, thankfully, Peter was talking again, he wasn't back to his usual excitable self but he was finally talking and aware of what was going on around him and that was enough for Tony. The man had just come in from a meeting and couldn't see Peter, his boy was usually on the couch when he came home watching the TV so it was slightly bizarre to come in to an empty lounge. "Fri where's Peter?"

 

"In his room boss"

 

Tony nodded to himself, he knew should have known that, Peter would have told him had he been planning on leaving the penthouse so he could only be in his own bedroom or the lab he supposed but he wasn’t supposed to go there alone so hopefully not. Slipping his shoes off and draping his jacket over the back of the couch he walked down the hall towards his son's bedroom. He knocked and waited for Peter's response but when none came on his second knock he walked in, he supposed he should have maybe called or something to make sure his son was decent but to be honest the teen was probably having a nap or something. He stopped in his tracks just inside the door and blinked at what he saw. Peter was lying on his stomach on his bed with his laptop in front of him surrounded by books and papers with his headphones on. He had to admit it wasn’t what he had been expecting, what was the kid even doing? He hadn’t been at school since before May’s death after all. "Peter" he called, he didn’t want to startle him by touching him if he didn’t have to, sometimes it made him attach himself to the roof which was quite frankly slightly creepy, when he got no reply from the boy who still hadn't noticed his entrance he tried again louder, sighing he walked over to the bed and lightly tapped the teen on the shoulder.

 

Peter jumped when he felt someone tap his shoulder, why didn't his spidey sense warn him? Rolling over he realised it was just his dad who never set off his spidey sense even when he was about to punish him. Which was totally uncool by the way, because his ass was often in danger when his dad punished him. He removed his headphones and dropped them down beside him bringing his legs up to his chest so Tony could perch on the end of the bed.

 

"Peter I knocked and called your name twice, you don't need your music that loud, it's bad for your ears."

 

Peter barely refrained from rolling his eyes at the incredibly dadlike comment, it would just end with a scolding. "Sorry, it helps me focus."

 

"What are you doing anyway, this doesn't look like internship work." Tony asked gesturing at the papers on the bed deciding just to leave the music thing alone for now.

 

"Oh…ummm. I asked Ned to take it yesterday, it's my school work. I want to catch up on everything I missed before I go back."

 

"There's no need to rush Pete, you can take as long as you want, you know that right?" Tony told the kid making sure to maintain eye contact so he knew he was serious. He didn’t want to force his son to go back to school it would only do more harm than good, you couldn’t calculate how long someone would grieve, it wouldn’t be fair to put him back too early.

 

"Yeah but…I want to go back dad. I need to get back into the swing of things. And I miss seeing my friend's every day. I spoke to Emily about it and I want to go back on Monday."

 

Tony nodded, he supposed the boy was right and Monday was still six days away so there wasn’t a huge rush to get things organised. "Okay, I'll set up a meeting with the Principal for Monday then."

 

"That's not really necessary dad." Peter started nervously, why would his dad need to see the principal?

 

"It wasn't a question Pete." Tony replied ruffling the sulking teen's hair as he left the room.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

“Do you not think it’s maybe a bit soon to ask him?”

 

“No I don’t think so Pep, it’s better to do it now than leave him thinking and worrying about us not mentioning anything about it.”

 

When Peter entered the kitchen the next day for breakfast he noticed his parents stopped speaking as soon as they noticed him, what was that about? If he had realised they were discussing him he probably would have hung around in the hallway a little longer.

 

“What don’t you want me worrying about?” He asked as he sat in his usual place and dug into his pancakes almost immediately.

 

“It’s nothing Pete forget about it. And you shouldn’t listen in to other people’s conversations it’s rude.” When he saw the boy open his mouth to argue the point he simply held up a hand, “no. If you needed to know right now we would tell you but you don’t so we won’t.”

 

Peter just sighed at his dad’s words, he knew there was little point arguing he didn’t think it was even possible to beat Tony Stark in an argument…well his mom could but she was the only exception. Grumbling to himself he finished up his breakfast before going back to his bedroom to get ready for his therapist appointment.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Tony couldn’t help but worry despite what he had said to Pepper earlier, was it too soon to ask Peter if he wanted to be adopted? Would it be an insult to May? Those questions had been running through his mind for the last few days, he just wanted his son to feel secure, he knew how Peter could worry at times and by adopting him he felt the boy would be less stressed. As it was he was Peter’s legal guardian and had been since May’s death three weeks before but adoption seemed like the next step. It didn’t make any difference in how he felt about Peter of course and he knew it wouldn’t for his wife either but he wanted Peter to have the option.

 

Pepper smiled as she walked into the penthouse to see her husband pacing the room nervously. “Sit down Tony, Peter will be up in a moment, he just wanted to stop by the intern labs for a second before we came home. I think we should ask him now before you wear a hole in the carpet.”

 

Tony nodded reluctantly and tried to push down the nerves bubbling up inside him, he couldn’t help but smile though when Pep told him Peter was stopping by the intern labs, the boy hadn’t been there at all since before May’s death and he was relieved the teen was attempting to get back into his routine, even if he was only going to be stopping by for a few minutes.

 

When Peter walked into the penthouse suite he noticed his parents sitting together on the couch and immediately tensed. The last time they had been sitting like that waiting for him was when they confronted him about his nightmares, was that what was about to happen? Were they fed up of him? Did they decide letting him live with them fulltime until he was at least eighteen was too much?

 

Tony looked at Peter the moment he walked into the room and could see his worry immediately. When the boy’s breathing began to speed up he almost jumped to his feet and made his way over to his son. He bent his knees slightly so he would be at eye level with Peter and placed his hands reassuringly on the boy’s shoulders. “Look at me Pete…that’s it…now I want you to breathe with me okay. There’s no need to worry just copy what I’m doing,” he told him taking exaggerated breaths as he did so. “That’s it good boy….are you okay now? Come and sit down we want to speak to you but it’s nothing to worry about okay.” At the boy’s shaky nod he offered a small smile and led his son to the couches while making a mental note to bring up the incident with Peter’s therapist as soon as possible.

 

Peter took several deep breaths once he had sat down and took few moments to centre himself before he looked up at his parents.

 

“Peter, myself and Pep have been talking and we were wondering if you would like to make this more official?”

 

Peter opened his mouth to say something then closed it again. Official? What did that mean? He lived here and he was supposed to live here what did official mean? His parents were his legal guardians, Tony had been for months now as a secondary guardian and Pepper had officially become the same on paper once they had got married. With May’s death he had just assumed they became his primary guardians, was that not the case? Would he have to leave while it became official? Would he go into foster care? He didn’t think he could cope with that? What if Tony and Pepper weren’t allowed to become his primary guardians?

 

Tony could see Peter was getting lost in his own mind and immediately moved to sit down next to him pulling him into his side as he did so. “Pete, Pete, calm down for me. Please Peter, take some deep breaths okay.”

 

Pepper perched on the edge of the coffee table so she was at eye level with her son and reached out to grip his hand in her own, when the teen looked up she started to speak. “What Tony was trying to ask Peter is would you like us to adopt you? It’s okay if you don’t want to it won’t change anything about our relationship, we are your parents regardless.”

 

Peter’s mouth dropped open at his mom’s words, well…he certainly hadn’t been expecting this. He didn’t even have to think about it. “Yes.” He burst out then realising how rushed it sounded he continued, “yes, I…I would like that.”

 

Tony smiled at his son’s words but still wanted to be sure Peter was agreeing for the right reasons. “Peter are you sure, I want you to be sure you are saying yes for you and not because that’s what you think we want. Of course we would be thrilled to become your adoptive parents but if you say no we won’t love you any less as Pep said you are still our son.” At Peter’s nod he grinned and pulled the boy in tight for a hug as he pressed a kiss to his forehead.

 

“When can we do it? Can we do it before I go back to school?”

 

“I’ll call our lawyers and get straight onto it, it will probably take a few days though to get everything sorted.” Pepper answered him before joining the two most important people in her life on the couch for a hug. “I think we should order in tonight.” She told them earning nods from her two boys.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Peter was amazed with how quickly his case had gone through, it was three days since his parents had asked if he wanted to be adopted and here he was already getting ready to head to the courthouse. Then again his dad had the best lawyers in New York on his payroll so he supposed it made sense that it had gone through so quickly, he was relieved though, after today he would officially be his parent’s son.

 

Tony walked into his son’s bedroom as the boy was just finishing tying his tie. “Good job Pete, I wasn’t sure you knew how.”

 

“May taught me…well Youtube taught both of us before Homecoming,” Peter told him a sad smile on his face. “Do you…do you think she’d mind dad?” He asked quietly studiously avoiding eye contact as he did so.

 

Tony walked up to his son and lifted his chin so the boy could see the honesty on his face. “May loved you more than anything Peter, she would be thrilled for you. If she minded she would not have asked me to be your secondary guardian Pete. And remember she’s always here, being adopted by Pep and I does not replace your Aunt May. She helped raise you to become the young man you are today. A bit of her is always with you in everything you do.”

 

Peter threw his arms around his dad at the man’s words “thanks dad.”

 

“Always, I’ll always be here for you Pete, anything that’s bothering you or anything you want to know and you can come to me, I promise you.” He gave the boy a squeeze and pressed a fond kiss to his head before leading him into the lounge where Pep was waiting for them both.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Peter couldn’t stop smiling when they walked out of the courthouse later that afternoon…well the backdoor of the courthouse, the press would have a field day if they saw Iron Man and his wife leaving court with a random child. “Can we go to Delmars?”

 

“Anything you want Pete, your Uncles and Nat and Bruce will be coming over later for dinner and a little celebration so don’t go crazy.”

 

Peter rolled his eyes at the man’s words, he was fifteen he didn’t need to be told not to go crazy!

 

“I saw that Peter Benjamin Parker Stark.” Tony told the boy without turning around smiling to himself as the teen’s name rolled off his tongue, he knew it was probably something he’d be saying frequently for the next few years at least.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Peter was roused on Monday by his alarm at half seven and dragged himself across the room to turn it off then sleepily make his way to his bathroom to get ready for the day. His dad had arranged for them to meet Principal Morita at 9am so he would be missing his first class or maybe even first two. To be honest he was thankful, he hadn't woken up early since May's death and just the thought of going from his usual ten o'clock wake up time to the half past six he would have to get up to make it to school at eight made him shiver.

 

He had a quick shower to wake himself up then threw on a pair of jeans and a random jumper before walking through to the kitchen where his parents were already having breakfast. He sat himself down in his usual seat and smiled softly as Pepper kissed him on the forehead as she placed a huge stack of pancakes in front of him. "Thanks mom." He murmured as he dug into his breakfast. Ten minutes later he stood up and carried his plate to the sink giving it a quick wash before leaving it to dry. Washing their own dishes after breakfast had become an unspoken rule months ago and he couldn’t say it bothered him. Although he was slightly baffled about why there wasn’t a dishwasher, the penthouse had nearly everything so why wasn’t there a dishwasher?

 

“When I lived in Malibu I put the wrong thing in the dishwasher and ruined the kitchen, it was decided I wasn’t allowed to use one again.” Tony told him making Peter who hadn’t realised he had spoken aloud jump.

 

“What he means is, he messed up and the dishwasher exploded so now there isn’t one as punishment.” Pepper corrected as she washed her own plate.

 

Peter laughed at his dad’s wounded expression then ran back to his room to brush his teeth, grab his school bag which he swung onto one shoulder and snatched up his shoes before dropping down onto the couch in the lounge.

 

"You really should untie your shoes you know, instead of slipping them on and off all the time."

 

Peter shrugged ignoring his dad's words as he pulled his converses onto his feet.

 

"Have you got everything? Lunch money? Books?" Peter nodded as he unlocked his phone and began texting Ned. "Where's your jacket? Peter are you even listening?"

 

"Huh." The teen looked up from his phone into the annoyed face of his dad. "Did you say something?"

 

"Jacket. Peter where's your jacket?"

 

"Pffft, I don't need a jacket dad it's summer."

 

"It's March. Go and get it."

 

Huffing slightly Peter walked away grumbling under his breath as we went to grab his jacket.

 

"And drop the attitude!" Tony shouted after the teen.

 

Ten minutes later Peter found himself in the backseat of one of Tony's less flashy cars wearing his jacket. He played on his phone as his parents chatted in the front seat about SI. He began to get a little nervous as they got closer to his school, he still didn't know why Tony wanted a meeting with Principal Morita after all. Soon enough they pulled up in front of his school and the small family headed towards the reception. Peter was sure nine o'clock had been chosen because no students would be in the hallways to gawk at Penis Parker going to the Principals office with Tony Stark and Pepper Potts, technically it was Stark but professionally she still went by Potts in the same way many celebrities did…huh was his mom classed as a celebrity? Peter had never really thought about it she was just the badass and slightly terrifying at times Pepper Potts and now his badass and slightly terrifying at times mom.

 

Pepper scoffed internally as the secretary's jaw dropped upon seeing Tony and seemed to lose the ability to talk. Thankfully the Principal himself walked out of his office at that very moment and ushered them in apologising about the stunned reception they received. The office they were led into was modest but Pepper was impressed. The small family sat down on the comfortable chairs they were gestured towards as Morita sat on the opposite side of his desk. The wall behind the principal had several awards displayed which the school had won as well as what appeared to be a photo of the man and his extended family. It reminded her of her own office in a way.

 

The group sat in silence for a moment before Morita broke it by offering his condolences to Peter who nodded shyly in thanks. "So, why was it you wanted to meet with me Mr and Mrs Stark?"

 

"Peter's life has changed drastically recently Principal Morita, what with his Uncle's death, his internship and more recently May's passing. We are concerned about how this may affect his schooling."

 

Peter's jaw dropped, he didn't expect anything like this. He thought they were just here to sign some papers to update his details or change his emergency contacts.

 

"Okay, that's understandable Miss Potts." He turned to his computer as he spoke and pulled up Peter's file. "Well I don't see any issues grade wise, there was an understandable drop just after his uncle’s death but it did pick up again and other than the incident in Washington with the Decathlon team and several write ups for using his phone in class his disciplinary record is fine."

 

At the man's words Tony's head whipped around to look at his son. "You've been using your phone in class?"

 

Peter blushed at the scrutiny he was suddenly under and mumbled "everyone does" back.

 

"I don't care about anyone else Peter, if I find out you're caught using your phone in class again I'll lock it during class time."

 

"Yes sir." Peter mumbled looking at his feet embarrassed at being scolded in front of his Principal.

 

"Sorry Principal Morita" Pepper said in order to get the attention off her blushing son.

 

"It's quite all right Miss Potts. We are able to email you a copy of Peter's file each week, several parents do this, it's a good way to keep an eye on how their kids are getting on. It’s easier to catch issues before they become problems after all."

 

"We'd like that, thank you, I think you already have our contact details." Tony reached into his pocket and took out a sheet of paper handing it to the man opposite him. "This is the details of Peter's new emergency contacts, they’re his uncles but I would recommend calling Happy first he’s nearly always in the city.”

 

Pepper picked up as soon as the Principal updated the details on his computer and put the papers into her son’s file. “Also we adopted Peter a few days ago so legally he is now Parker Stark but we do not want this to be advertised, I’m sure you can understand that?” At the man’s nod she continued, “with Tony’s celebrity and his own experiences with the media at a young age we do not want our son to be under the same pressure at this point in his life so we would appreciate it if you could keep these details to yourself.”

 

Ten minutes later the family left the office and Peter was sent to class with a ruffle of his hair and warning to behave and keep his phone in his bag from his dad.

 

Principal Morita watched from his window as arguably the most famous man in the world and his wife left his school and headed back towards their car deep in conversation. He had heard the rumour of Peter's internship, of course he had, it had been debated in the staff room after all but he never could have expected the boy to be so close to the superhero. He had been worried Peter may have to leave the school when he heard of May Parker's passing, he'd been anxious when his secretary told him Tony Stark wanted a meeting with him about the boy's future that it would be to pull the boy out of Midtown. As soon as the family walked into his office however all worries left him, he knew how much this school meant to Peter and it was obvious Tony and Pepper saw him as their own. He'd been shocked however when Mr Stark reprimanded the boy for using his phone in class. He'd never seen that coming, the man had in fact acted like any other parent worried about their child's future. He'd had his doubts but now he knew Peter was in good hands.

Chapter 19

Summary:

Peter has an attitude problem

"Peter, what do you think you're doing?"

 

Peter rolled his eyes when he heard his dad's voice, what a stupid question, it's obvious he's on the Xbox.

 

"Don't roll your eyes at me young man. Just because you aren't looking at me doesn't mean I don't see you do it."

 

"That makes no sense dad. Did you come in here for something or just to bother me?" Peter shot back not looking away from the screen.

 

Tony raised an eyebrow at his son's tone. "You know school work comes before anything else Pete, turn your game off."

 

"Whatever, I'll do it after this game."

 

"Fri, turn off the Xbox."

 

When the screen turned black mid game Peter threw his controller to the side dramatically and spun to look at his dad for the first time since he entered the room. "What did you do that for? I was in the middle of a level."

 

Tony didn’t bother dignifying his son’s question with a response, the boy knew full well why the Xbox had been turned off. "Do your homework. And you better fix that attitude if you don't want to become reacquainted with the corner of my office kid." He told the boy sharply, he didn’t understand why the boy was being so unreasonable homework first had always been a rule so why was Peter suddenly taking exception to it?

 

Sighing Peter grabbed his bag and took his books out so he could get started on his homework. Ugh his dad was so annoying, he hardly had any homework it wasn’t like it would take him long to do, what was the harm in using his Xbox before doing it?

 

Tony pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration as his son practically threw himself down at his desk and put his headphones on to ignore him. Peter had been acting like this for over a week and it was getting on his last nerve. The boy was on thin ice and making even the tiniest of things into an argument, he had tried talking to him to find out what was bothering him but he wasn't getting anywhere. He'd asked Rhodey but he'd just shrugged it off as teenage angst, Tony thought there had to be more to it though. Shaking his head he left the room quietly telling FRIDAY to alert him if Peter stopped doing his homework.

 

Pepper was in the lounge with her Starkpad in her lap when Tony walked in. "I heard raised voices" she said raising her eyebrow in question.

 

"He wouldn't turn off his game when he knows homework comes first, and he was disrespectful. Why is he acting like this Pep? Are we doing something wrong? Are we bad parents? I don’t know what’s causing it, I should maybe mention it to his therapist she might have an idea."

 

Pepper shrugged with a sad smile on her face, she had no idea what was wrong with their son but she knew if his behaviour didn't make a dramatic change soon the boy would end up in serious trouble, "Give him time to cool off. If his attitude improves see if he wants to go out as Spiderman or tinker in your lab, he's maybe just a little stressed or something he has that physics test next week?"

 

"Yeah, could be Pep, I'll ask him after dinner." Tony told her still trying to think of the cause of their son’s misbehaviour.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Tony looked at his watch for what had to be the fiftieth time, "I'm going to kill that kid. He promised me he would be home on time."

 

"Peter has just entered the building." FRIDAY announced mere seconds after Tony's grumbling. The man stood up running his hand through his hair as he did so offering a half-hearted smile to his wife who had just entered the room, he assumed to also meet Peter.

 

When the elevator doors opened Peter walked into the lounge paying zero attention to his surroundings due to his eyes being glued to his phone screen as he text Ned and MJ. He heard a sharp cough undoubtedly an effort to gain his attention but he ignored it and started heading towards his bedroom.

 

"Peter. Peter." The boy ignored his dad and made to continue towards his bedroom until his phone was quite literally snatched from his hands and he was forced to turn around by his mom.

 

"Hey! What was that for?" He snapped at her before he could stop himself.

 

Tony's jaw dropped at the blatant disrespect he had only heard Peter talk like that once or twice before but never towards Pepper and judging by her expression she hadn't either. She pulled herself together quickly though and quicker than either Tony or Peter thought possible she spun the boy around landed a hard smack to his ass and righted him again.

 

Peter felt himself blush as he looked up at his mom furiously. Why did she smack me? She'd never done that before. Dad sure, but mom! It hadn't hurt and already he couldn't feel anything but that was totally beside the point. He was practically an adult it was embarrassing for his mom to smack him like that.

 

"Sit down Peter, and if you want to argue we can easily move this conversation to your dad's office." Pepper told the boy firmly and watched as he nodded numbly shocked at what had just occurred. She herself was slightly shocked to be honest, it was just instinct, Peter had been acting like a brat and she knew Tony would have smacked him had he spoken to him like that so she had to, consistency was key. Also, she hadn’t deserved to be spoken to like that and she wanted her son to know that.

 

Tony sat down on the couch opposite the teen and immediately went into lecture mode. "Peter, it's forty minutes after your curfew and you've just walked in as if that means nothing. We let you go out as Spiderman despite your attitude before dinner and this is how you repay us? Not only that but you then ignore me when I try to get your attention and then mouth off at your mom. That is unacceptable. What do you have to say for yourself?"

 

"Sorry." The boy shrugged not sounding the slightest bit apologetic and refusing to look up from the floor.

 

"Do you want to try that again? With feeling this time."

 

Peter scoffed internally before he looked up at his dad, "You're overreacting, you knew I was fine. I know how many protocols are in my suit, whats the big deal?"

 

"What's the big deal? What's the big deal?" Tony spluttered gesturing his arms wildly. What was with this kid? He knew his son understood the rules, he had been perfectly on board when they were set so why the sudden u-turn?

 

Pepper placed a hand on her husband’s arm to calm him before speaking herself, making sure to maintain eye contact with her son and keep her voice level. "Peter, the big deal is we agreed a curfew of eleven o'clock and you broke it. You broke your word. It's a school night and you know the rules. The rules are in place to protect you and keep you healthy, you know this and you know they are non-negotiable. Also we allowed you to go out in spite of your behaviour earlier regarding your homework and you still had the audacity to not only come home late but be extremely disrespectful to myself and your dad when you did."

 

Peter sighed and toed his shoe sullenly into the rug. "Okay sorry." He said with slightly more meaning behind it. "I won't do it again. Happy?" He added slightly sarcastically. Why were they being so unreasonable? So what he came home a little late, he was Spiderman!

 

"No not happy, you do not take that tone with me young man. Is that clear?" Pepper snapped reaching the end of her patience with the boy, when she received a mumbled apology and a nod she continued. "You broke your curfew, you know the rules, and you are grounded for the next week. No Spiderman, no friends, no Xbox."

 

"Fine! Can I go now? I have school tomorrow." Peter bit out as he rose to his feet.

 

Tony nodded angrily trying his best not to raise his voice at the kid. "You may go, straight to bed though Pete, and you better have lost that attitude by the morning or you'll be going to school with a red backside,” he threatened. It was too late to argue more, he just hoped his son would wake up in a better mood to the one he was currently in, he didn’t particularly want to punish him first thing in the morning but he had said it now and he knew he would have to follow through if the teen’s behaviour persisted.

 

Peter nodded jerkily at his dad's words clenching his jaw as he stalked to his bedroom, as angry as he was at his parent's overprotectiveness and unreasonable response to a little lateness he didn't slam the door knowing Tony would definitely smack him if he did so. Pulling off his suit he immediately climbed into his bed, almost as soon as his head hit the pillow he realised how tired he was…huh maybe midnight was late to go to bed on a school night. Just as he was about to drop off to sleep he slapped his hand against his head. Abe from decathlon was having a party this weekend, everyone was going it would be social suicide to miss it and he was grounded…but then again what his parents didn't know wouldn't hurt them. The teen fell asleep with a slight smirk on his face.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Two days later Peter was eating his lunch with Ned when his best friend brought up Abe’s party.

 

"So my mom offered to drive me there tomorrow, it’s a little too far to walk, do you want a ride? We can pick you up at the tower." Ned asked not looking up from his lunch.

 

At Ned's words Peter swallowed nervously, if Mrs Leeds came to collect him she would be seen and someone would definitely tell Tony if they saw his son get into some random car, especially while grounded. "Nah it's cool I'll just come to yours, no point going out of your way."

 

"Peter the tower is literally on the way, why are you being weird?"

 

"Nah it's cool really, I'll come to you or you can pick me up at the gelato place around the corner from the tower?" He tried to negotiate without it sounding strange.

 

"Pete…why are you awkward? You know my family know about Tony there's no need to hide,” as he questioned his friend he looked up from his lunch and saw Peter’s ears turn a little red. He knew his best friend almost as well as he knew himself so he knew red ears mean Peter is either in trouble or likely to be in trouble. "Wait…your dad does know about Abe's party yeah?" He asked quietly suddenly worried about his friend’s response, Tony was extremely overprotective and would surely insist on taking Peter himself or the boy being picked up straight outside the tower.

 

"Well…technically…ummm…maybe not. I'm sorta grounded."

 

"Peter! What the hell? You knew Abe’s was this weekend, what did you do? How will you keep it from your dad?"               

 

"It's cool,” Peter tried to assure his friend, “he doesn't need to know, him and mom are at some charity fundraiser tomorrow anyway, they won't even know I'm gone. I’ll go out once they leave and be home before they come home, it’ll be fine."

 

"Dude there's an AI in your home whose like main job is to know where everyone is and what they're doing. One question and you’re bust."

 

At that Peter smirked and took a USB out of his pocket. "It's cool I got FRIDAY covered, it was impossible to hack into it but I made a sort of plaster which will just cover my room so if anyone asks where I am or what I'm doing Fri will just say I'm asleep." Honestly Peter was pretty proud of what he had achieved especially as he was only able to work on it when no one else was around, it had taken him ages, he had attempted to hack into the AI but he didn’t know enough about it and he was sure it would take him months to get anywhere near, in the time he had the plaster he had created would be enough…hopefully.

 

"What if they come home early and someone looks in your room?"

 

"Won't happen…well probably not, it's cool, they know even a little noise wakes me up so they won't check on me, mom is big on getting a good night's sleep. And they probably won’t come home early, it’s a huge gala they need to meet loads of people to talk about SI they will be out all evening."

 

"Fine, whatever,” Ned said after thinking about it, it wasn’t like he would be able to dissuade Peter and also…he really wanted to go to this party with him, they’d only been to one high school party before and Peter had left to chase the Vulture’s men so... “We'll pick you up at the gelato place at eight, but if your dad finds out I want him to know I did not help with this. I am not being murdered by Iron Man before I can legally drink, or ever for that matter."

 

Peter grinned in response, he knew Ned would be cool.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

"Peter, come here I want to talk to you."

 

Peter threw his phone down onto his bed and made his way towards the source of the shout. Walking into the lounge he saw his parents dressed to the nines, his dad's tie matched his mums dress and he couldn't help but smile at them. "You look great, both of you,” he told them honestly.

 

Tony grinned at his son in thanks, Peter's behaviour had improved since their argument the other day, he just hoped it would continue to do so, he did hate punishing the boy after all. "We will probably be back around two, so you better be in bed when we get home, okay Peter?" At his son's nod he continued "good boy. Now Bruce and Nat are out for date night so if you need anything send me a text or call Uncle Rhodey or Happy. And remember you're grounded so if I found out you leave this apartment to go to the labs or something you'll be in trouble, the same goes for inviting anyone over."

 

Peter's stomach flipped but he nodded anyway pushing away the guilt. After all he wouldn't need to break his grounding if his parents hadn't been ridiculously overprotective and grounded him in the first place. So really it was their fault he planned to do what he was. He waved as his parents left and as soon as the elevator closed made his way into his dad's office. Technically he wasn't breaking a rule by being in here, he had never been told he couldn't come in after all, he just never really did...apart from when he was in trouble obviously. He sat himself down in Tony's desk chair and turned on the computer, his USB in hand. As soon as it was up and running he pushed the USB into one of the ports and began typing furiously, he didn’t have long after all and he still needed to get ready.

 

Ten minutes later Peter sat back with a smile. Nailed it. "FRIDAY where is Peter?"

 

"Peter is asleep in bed."

 

The teen punched the air in celebration and sprinted back to his bedroom to shower and change. A half hour later he was ready, he thought about going out the window but the risk of his face being seen was too big and he could hardly take his suit as he had no way to hide it. So he took the private elevator down to the ground level praying no one would get in, anyone that had access to this elevator probably knew he was grounded after all, although with Nat and Bruce being out and his uncle’s not here it was unlikely anyone would use it, very few had clearance to. He left through the back entrance so he would be less likely to be seen, he didn't want anyone to report him to his parents after all.

 

Ned grinned as they pulled up in front of the gelato shop to pick up Peter, he was honestly shocked his friend had managed to get out unscathed, he sure as hell wouldn't directly disobey Tony Stark, Peter had balls that was for sure. Twenty minutes later they pulled up at Abe's which already seemed to be fairly busy and with a shout of thanks the teens jumped out the car and made their way inside.

 

God it was loud. The only other party Peter had been to was Flash's and he had a slight issue with the noise there, but he had found alcohol seemed to dull it so he made his way to the drinks table and promptly helped himself to a beer. Eyes searching the room he quickly found MJ and made his way over with a smile.

 

Peter was on his second beer when he heard a shout from across the room "Hey Pete, come join the beer pong tournament." With a shouted agreement he fought his way through the dancing teens where a table was set up, Cindy was standing next to it with a sheet of paper.

 

"Right you play three games then the final. You playing Peter?"

 

Peter agreed and stood to the side to watch the first game knowing he was up next against Ned. Twenty minutes later Peter beat Abe and got himself into the final, by this point he had drunk quite a few cups and the alcohol was beginning to hit him. Although it appeared that Spider DNA made it harder to get drunk…well he couldn’t be positive on that as he hadn’t had prior experience to compare it to but he was definitely amongst the more sober there despite drinking a fair amount.

 

"Ready to lose Penis?" He rolled his eyes at Flash's ridiculous taunts and took his place opposite his long-time bully smirking. He easily sunk the first ball in one of the other boy's drinks but was immediately forced to drink one himself, it seemed despite being fairly drunk Flash still had quite impressive hand eye coordination. But, that didn’t matter, his was better.

 

Within ten minutes Flash was drinking his last cup suitably cowed. Peter laughed as the others cheered him on and graciously accepted another beer from Abe.

 

"Chug, chug, chug."

 

Fuck it. Peter thought to himself as he fell to the peer pressure and began to chug his drink. By this point he was definitely drunk but couldn't care less. He was with his friends and having fun, he was being a normal teenager for a change and it felt great…actually shit maybe not he thought to himself as he felt his stomach begin to rebel.

 

Pushing people out of the way he was in the bathroom in seconds slamming the door behind him as he proceeded to empty his stomach. The first few times it was just beer but soon he was dry heaving and pushed himself away from the toilet to lean back against the door. God that was horrible, note to self chugging beer is a bad idea.

 

"Hey…Petrrrr….Petrrr….Spidr…man"

 

Peter dragged himself to his feet and pulled the door open in a panic his heart slowing slightly when he realised it was just an extremely drunk Ned. "Dude you okay?" Peter had to admit throwing up maybe helped him a little he was still drunk but not quite as hammered as before, although his mouth did taste awful.

 

"Tis dark Petrrr….bedtime."

 

Peter blinked slowly as he tried to interpret his friends’ words, he glanced at his watch and let out a muttered swear reaching his hand out to hold the door frame for support. "Okay…right." He grabbed Ned and threw his arm over his shoulder so he could support his weight and began to lead him out of the house. It was already twenty past one and his parents were due home at two…so if he took Ned home then went to the tower he could probably get there with five minutes to spare. With a shouted goodbye in the general direction of those still partying Peter grabbed his jacket and half dragged Ned outside. Usually as Spiderman he would have been able to carry his friend in a fireman's lift but Ned was drunk…pretty much a dead weight and he himself was drunk enough that he could drop Ned.

 

"You're a good friend Peter. You're the best. I'll come to your funeral."

 

"Thanks Ned, you're a great friend too.” Peter told him with a grin but then paused a the rest of his words hit him, “Wait!? What funeral?"

 

"When Irondad kills you hahahahahahaha."

 

"He won't kill me because he will never find out." Peter responded sighing as Ned's answer was just a hiccup. How reassuring.

 

When he dropped Ned off he watched him go into his house, there was no way he was going in, he didn't want to face Mrs Leeds after he took her son home almost passed out from alcohol.

 

So…twenty to one plenty of time he thought to himself as he stumbled back towards the tower. At least he couldn't get lost he thought to himself giggling slightly as he looked up at the massive building several blocks away.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Tony stepped out of the lift kissing his fiancée softly as he did so. "Thank you for such a great night my sweet lady."

 

"Tony…we are married you don't need to charm me into our own bed."

 

He simply grinned at her as he stole another kiss. "I don't need to, but I want to Pep,” he told her with a smile on his face and love clear in his eyes.

 

She laughed and pushed him away slightly as she looked around the room. Odd. It's exactly the same as it was when they left, Peter tended to leave things lying around in the way all teenagers do but the room was undisturbed. "I wonder what Peter's been up to? He must have stayed in his room, theres no way he's suddenly started cleaning up after himself."

 

"hmmm…yeah it's unlike him. Fri what's Peter up to?"

 

"Peter is asleep in bed."

 

"What's Peter been doing since we left?" Pepper asked curiously, if he had found a way to use his Xbox the kid would be in trouble in the morning.

 

"Peter is asleep in bed."

 

The two looked at each other in confusion, FRIDAY never had issues answering usually, was it a glitch? "Maybe we should check on him."

 

Tony nodded at her words but before he'd even taken two steps the elevator they just left opened behind them. Spinning on the spot his jaw dropped as his eyes landed on his son. His son who was supposed to be in bed. Asleep. And according to FRIDAY was. Also the kid was wearing a jacket and trainers so he had clearly been out somewhere, he wouldn’t bother with a jacket it he had just been nipping downstairs. Sure the boy would have been in trouble for leaving the penthouse but leaving the tower…his son was in major trouble.

 

Peter paled when the door opened and his parents were suddenly directly in front of him. He glanced down at his watch…"It's not two yet." He stated dumbly unable to stop himself or thing of a way to try and get out of the situation.

 

"Really! That's what you're going with Peter? Where have you been? What have you been doing? What part of grounded did you not understand? You were given explicit instructions before we left." Tony walked towards Peter his voice rising until he's yelling at the teen. How could the kid do this? They had trusted him when they left him home alone, sure had he been on his Xbox they would have been disappointed but for him to have left the safety of the tower without telling them was a whole other ballgame. Suddenly he stopped dead in his tracks in front of the teen. "Peter please tell me that is not alcohol I can smell on you…and is that…yeah sick." His voice dropped to a dangerous growl as he spoke disappointment lacing his words. Pinching his nose he let out a breath "no…I'm not dealing with this right now, you can't even stand upright."

 

At his dad's words Peter let go of the wall as if to illustrate he was totally fine but stumbled almost immediately. He looked at the floor unwilling to make eye contact with his undoubtedly furious parents.

 

"Peter. Bed now. We will deal with this in the morning." Tony bit out the anger clear in his words.

 

Peter nodded shakily and stumbled towards his room as quickly as he could still refusing to meet his parent's eyes.

 

When he heard Peter's door close Tony sagged as if he was a puppet whose strings had been cut. "It's my fault."

 

Pepper immediately grabbed her husband’s hand at his defeated tone. "No, not it isn't, this is on Peter. But we will get through this. Let's go to bed and deal with this with cool heads tomorrow nothing can be done now. Look at me Tony. This is not your fault. You’ve not been drunk in almost a year Tony and you’ve certainly never had more than one or two in front of Peter. This is not your fault."

 

Tony nodded at her words and quickly filled a glass of water to place next to his sons bed. He may be furious at the boy but he didn’t wish a killer hangover on him…after all the boy was going to be dealing with a sore backside anyway. For once Peter did not stir when he entered the room, had it been any other night he would have been relieved the boy definitely didn’t sleep enough but he knew the alcohol he drank was the most likely reason. Leaving the teen’s bin next to the bed in case he felt sick in the morning he ordered Fri to keep an eye on him before leaving the room for his own bed.

 

His sleep was nowhere near as deep as his sons.

Chapter 20

Summary:

Peter is punished for his actions the night before

Notes:

Hey, thanks for all the reviews just a little note to say this chapter contains spanking so if you don’t want to read that then just stop reading where it says the spanking scene starts. I was asked in a review a while ago why Peter bruised when Flash punched him but still Tony used a gauntlet to spank him. Admittedly that hadn’t crossed my mind at the time because I decided on the gauntlet idea in the first story of the series then the black eye became a plot point in this fic, but a spanking isn’t designed to leave bruises so one smack is a minor pain which super healing would fix immediately. Therefore by using the gauntlet it is slightly more painful and then due to the number of smacks the pain last longer. Being punched in the face however is a more painful injury so would take slightly longer to heal as it was intended to bruise and do damage. It’s not foolproof but that’s what I’m going with. Hope you enjoy, thanks again for reading.

-EmptyFridges

Peter woke up sharply when his door was practically slammed open and his dad walked in. Thankfully the man didn't turn the lights on he was sure that would be too much for his senses straight after waking up.

 

"I want you in the kitchen in fifteen minutes, get up and have a shower" his dad said in a flat voice careful not to let his emotions out. Peter sighed, this was it. He had ruined it, his dad now hated him and undoubtedly his mom as well. How could he do this? He dragged himself into a sitting position and immediately gulped down the water on his bedside table…where did that come from? To be fair other than his mouth being dryer than the Sahara and feeling tired he felt totally fine, thank god. Huh…maybe Spider DNA meant he couldn't get hangovers…that could be useful.

 

"I don't hear the shower, seven minutes Peter." Came his dad’s angry voice from the hallway.

 

Sighing Peter went into his ensuite for a quick shower, he smelt of stale alcohol and vomit, it was horrendous on his enhanced senses and he didn’t know how he hadn’t noticed it when he went to bed…well he knew full well why hadn’t actually. After a quick shower he pulled on a pair of jeans and a random science t-shirt before making his way to the kitchen. He stopped in the doorway of the lounge, he was afraid of what would await him, would he be kicked out straight away? Just as he was about to turn back to his bedroom he felt a hand grip his shoulder and steer him to his usual seat in the kitchen where a bowl of cereal sat waiting for him. "I want you to have three bowls" Peter looked up to protest but just a glance at his dads’ stony expression and he decided it wasn't worth it. He nodded sadly focussing on his cereal which tasted like chalk.

 

Tony watched as Peter ate his cereal without moving his eyes from the bowl, was he afraid? Upset? Embarrassed? The boy didn't look too bad and to be honest he was glad he didn't know if he had it in him to punish the boy if he was hungover and he didn't want to let it hang over them for another day. Letting Peter stew in the corner for twenty minutes was one thing but an entire day was excessive and he knew if he didn’t address it immediately his son would dwell on it and work himself up.

 

When Peter finally finished his third bowl he washed his bowl silently before chancing a look at his dad. As soon as they made eye contact his dad sighed "go to my office, nose in the corner, I'll be there soon." The man sounded tired, was he sick of Peter? He wouldn't blame him, Peter didn't deserve Tony or Pepper, he was a horrible son. He nodded once and made his way to the corner he was embarrassingly well acquainted with considering he was nearly sixteen.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Peter heard his parents enter the room about ten minutes later and begin moving the furniture around. “Take a seat Peter." At his dad’s words he turned around to see three seats in the middle of the room the two holding his parents facing the empty one which was obviously waiting for him.

 

Peter nodded and turned around carefully dropping into the seat opposite his parents. He kind of wished they had sat behind the huge desk, he felt uncomfortably close to his parents, like he was being examined, he was almost knee to knee with them. He placed his hands on his knees and looked down at them nervously biting his lip, when a hand came out and lightly grasped his chin he jumped in shock.

 

"I want you to look at us Peter, we deserve that much." Pepper said as she removed his lip from between his teeth carefully.

 

Peter nodded and maintained eye contact with his parents as he swallowed nervously. He was unsurprised when his dad started talking.

 

"Peter, what happened last night was unacceptable on so many levels, and they will all be addressed. But first of all we want to know why? Your behaviour has been deteriorating for weeks, we let it slide and let it slide. In the last week it seemed to be getting better but it's clear that was just in preparation for the stunt you pulled last night."

 

Peter shrugged unwilling to speak up. He was surprised when Pepper continued where Tony had left off. "Peter, tell us. Is something going on at school? Is that boy bullying you again? Is it us? Have we done something to hurt you? You need to tell us Peter. We will sit here for as long as we have to."

 

At that she fell silent and simply looked at her son as Tony did the same beside her. They had decided they would be able to wait the boy out, silences made Peter uncomfortable he would eventually speak. After six minutes passed she was less sure.

 

However at ten minutes of silence Peter began to shift nervously and she had to work to keep a smirk from appearing on her face. At twelve minutes he finally spoke, his voice hardly above a whisper.

 

"I don't know. I just wanted to be normal, I wanted to be like everyone else, go out to a party and have a good time with my friends. I can leave, I'll go pack." At those words he made to stand but two hands came down on his knees quickly stopping him from moving.

 

"What do you mean pack? Peter you can't just go to Ned's and hope we will forget about this and your punishment." Tony said incredulously, he was surprised when his son looked up at him confusion clear on his face.

 

"I'm a burden. I'm an awful son, you don't want me." Peter replied simply as if stating a fact and it made Tony flinch internally. Why did his son think that? He thought the boy understood when they adopted him that it was permanent, but maybe he hadn’t.

 

"Peter. Do not tell us what we do and don't want. You are our son Peter, we love you and nothing you do can change that. You are not a burden and yes you made poor decisions which we will be discussing but you cannot get rid of us that easily." Pepper said softly looking into his eyes to make sure he understood. It suddenly hit her as she spoke what the problem was and if the squeeze Tony just gave her fingers was any indication he did as well. Peter was testing the boundaries, it was mentioned in those parenting books Tony had bought almost a year ago, it was largely about toddlers but also in the few books they picked up about adopted children. He probably didn't even realise he was doing it. When Tony spoke next she knew without a doubt they were on the same wavelength.

 

"Okay, Peter. You are grounded for two weeks and I don't mean like before we all saw how that worked out." He saw Peter open his mouth angrily surely to protest, it was his Spring Break right now after all. He held up a finger to stop him "interrupt me and I will spank you young man as well as the spanking already coming your way." At the sullen nod he received from the kid he continued "for the next two weeks you are to be with one of us 24/7. You'll be by our sides all the time, no Spiderman, no phone, no computer, no Ned. If I'm in a board of directors meeting guess who will be sitting in the corner? If I need a leak guess who will be waiting outside? If I have a conference call for six hours you will be spending that six hours in the room. And don't even thing that will get you time to tinker in the lab's because if I'm doing anything remotely fun or cool you'll be with Pepper or vice versa. Understood?"

 

"Yes sir." Peter replied sullenly mortified his dad felt he couldn't trust him to be by himself. "I am sorry for letting you down, for making you lose trust in me." He told them truthfully as the enormity of his actions sunk in.

 

"Peter sometimes sorry isn't enough." When she saw her sons shoulders slump and bottom lip begin to tremble she continued "but if you show us just how a respectable young man should act for the next few weeks I'm sure you can earn it back." At his sad nod she beckoned him over and pulled him in tightly for a hug. "We love you Peter but this cannot happen again and we need to be sure you understand how serious what you did was." After a short time she let him go so he could sit back down again. When he did so Tony began to speak, using what she had dubbed his ‘angry dad’ voice months ago.

 

"Peter, last night you acted like a reckless child. Firstly, you lied to us, to our faces when you promised you would behave despite already having plans to deceive us. Secondly you broke your grounding which was in place after you already misbehaved. Then you messed with FRIDAY, what if there had been an emergency and we thought you were here? What if there was a fire and someone got hurt coming to save you because FRIDAY couldn't tell us you weren't there?" At these words Peter broke and let out a sob but Tony continued, he needed his son to understand. "Then you went out to a party, which we wouldn't have minded had you asked and not been grounded but you went to a party, a few beers would have been okay, sure we wouldn’t have been thrilled but we would have respected your decision, but you got drunk Peter. You got drunk and that is unacceptable. What if you let something slip about Spiderman? What if you tried to do a flip or something you usually can do in your sleep and messed up because you were drunk? We don't know how alcohol affects you and that is dangerous. You are fifteen. You are a child."

 

Peter was crying freely now, he felt awful, when his behaviour was laid out in front of him like that he felt like the worst person in the world.

 

"Not only were you drunk but you were drunk enough to throw up, what if you choked? And then you walked home. By yourself at two in the morning I know you dropped Ned off but after that you were alone. You could have been attacked or mugged, anything could have happened and not only would you be unable to defend yourself but we wouldn't be able to help because we thought you were in bed. Safe. You could hardly stand last night Peter and we will not allow this to happen again."

 

When Tony stopped talking Peter tried to pull himself together but was having great difficulty. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I was stupid. I didn't think. I'm the worst son."

 

"Peter you are not the worst son, I know for a fact Tony was much worse than you." Peppers comment elicited a wet laugh from her son and a half-hearted smack from her lover. "But grounding isn't enough, you are to write 'I will not disrespect my parents by breaking their rules which were put in place to keep me safe. I will not lie because it puts myself and others at risk and it will always be found out and result in more trouble.' 600 times. I want an essay with references on underage drinking and its dangers and you will be getting a spanking for putting yourself in danger."

 

Peter's jaw dropped, he had never received such a harsh punishment before…god he really had messed up. He knew better than to argue though both his parents looked furious and he knew any backchat would just earn him a swat.

 

"Peter go back to the corner you are to stand there for fifteen minutes and think about everything you did wrong yesterday.”

 

Peter nodded at his dad's words and silently made his way to the oh so familiar corner.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ- Spanking starts here-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Ugh surely that had to be fifteen minutes by now? Peter thought to himself as he tried not to fidget. He hated standing in the corner it was awful especially when he knew he was going to be spanked. If he moved too much his dad would reprimand him and sometimes add extra time, but he got restless easily. Fifteen minutes was ages! He was practically always on the move so being made to stand still and just stare at two walls was akin to torture. He had heard his mom leave a few minutes before so it had to be almost fifteen minutes by now.

 

Tony knew how much Peter hated standing in the corner but it was an extremely effective punishment. It forced the boy to stop and think about what he had done wrong without being distracted. It also worked at calming the teenager if he was angry which to be fair it did the same for himself as well as he usually sat behind his desk when Peter was in the corner and used the time to calm himself down if he was to punish his son further. He would never spank Peter in anger, after all, he was not Howard. He had only had to spank Peter twice before and both times he felt awful, he was sure he would feel the same this time no matter how deserved it was.

 

"Come here Peter."

 

At his dad's words Peter turned around and made his way over to stand in front of the man looking at his feet ashamed to be back in this position but his dad took his chin forcing eye contact.

 

"Peter you need to understand how dangerous your actions were, but we want you to know you are in this position for putting yourself and others in danger. Your other punishments cover the lying and the breaking of your grounding, you will only ever be given a full spanking for deliberately putting yourself or others in danger."

 

Peter nodded miserably at his dad's words as he tried and failed to keep his bottom lip from quivering. "I really am sorry dad. I won't ever do it again I promise,” he told him honestly.

 

"Thank you Peter, but an apology won't negate your punishment. You know the drill, get over my lap."

 

Peter sighed and followed his dad’s direction, an intake of breath the only display of discomfort as his dad bared his bum. *smack* he sucked in a breath as his dad's gauntlet covered hand came down hard on his ass. The last twice his dad's smacks grew steadily harder but this clearly wasn’t the case this time around as after ten smacks he was sure his ass was on fire.

 

"Peter, how did you get yourself in this position?"

 

"I was bad."

 

*smack*

 

"Peter, you were not bad, your choices and actions were but you are not bad. Now tell me what you did to end up over my lap."

 

"I put myself in danger and other people." Peter choked out as he desperately tried to hold back tears. He got hurt way worse than this on patrol but somehow getting his ass warmed always led to him bawling like a baby.

 

"How?" Tony asked as he continued peppering the boy's bum which was now a bright pink and slowly turning red. His heart tightened slightly as he began to hear soft sobs and hitched breathing from the boy over his lap.

 

"I got drunk….and I walked home alone….and I messed with FRIDAY."

 

"That's right Peter. You cannot do this. You put yourself and your identity in danger by getting drunk, you walked home alone on a Saturday night at two am even though you know how dangerous New York can be and you messed with FRIDAY which could easily put others in danger."

 

Tony lifted his leg slightly so he could smack the boy's sit spots, he needed his son to understand the seriousness of his actions. "You. Are. Never. To. Do. This. Again. Peter." He lectured as he brought his hand down hard with each word. "Do you understand me?"

 

As his dad finally stopped smacking him Peter fell limp over his lap sobbing his heart out, "Yes sir. I'll never do it again. Promise."

 

Tony's heart crumbled as he pulled the boys shorts and jeans back up and lifted him into a standing position. Peter's face was red and blotchy from crying and he couldn’t help but grimace as the boy wiped his running nose with the back of his hand.

 

"That's so gross underoos" he grumbled as he pulled the boy into his lap and gave him a hug. He ran his fingers through Peter's sweaty curls in an effort to soothe him as the teen sobbed into his chest soaking his shirt. He knew the sobs were more for emotional pain rather than physical pain from the spanking but he still felt terrible.

 

"I'm…..s-sorry for…b-being such a b-brat dad."

 

"Ssssh, Peter it's okay I forgive you, your mom forgives you. We love you." He continued murmuring reassurances into the boy's ear until the sobs died down and his breathing evened out, crying always seems to exhaust the boy.

 

Tony looked up as he heard the door open and his wife walk into the room. She ran a hand through his hair just as he had done for their son mere moments before. "Don't worry Tony, he's safe, we've got him, he's okay."

 

He nodded at her words and had to work to contain his own sobs. "I know Pep, I know. I just hate having to punish him."

 

"We do it because we love him. We would be doing a disservice to him and May's memory if we let him act as he pleased." She told him and he simply nodded at her words and smiled softly at her before giving her a chaste kiss still running his hands through their child's hair. It always amazed him how innocent and young Pete looked while asleep. He couldn't help but smile down at his naughty little spider he didn't know how he lived before Peter was in his life. The boy brought colour and excitement into his life, he gave him a reason to live and a reason to fight for a better future. Looking at the boy did make him feel a little bad about the extensive list of punishments they had given him but when he thought more about it it made sense. A grounding usually meant he lost the use of his phone, laptop, his internship time and the right to see his friends so obviously that had to continue. He was sure his son wouldn't realise but the demand he stick to his parents side was a hopeful way to make him realise just how important he was to them, he only hoped it wouldn't alienate Peter further. The lines and essay made perfect sense really, as it was the school holidays Peter had a little homework sure but he would finish that quickly so the other tasks gave him something productive to do rather than leave him just sitting in the corner of conference rooms twiddling his thumbs. If his son finished all his work before the two weeks were up he was sure he could make up some project for him to do…but not too fun a project the boy was still in trouble after all.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Peter awoke slowly and slightly disorientated, he wasn't in his bed or his parent's bed so where was he? He made to roll over and the slight discomfort in his ass brought it all flooding back, opening his eyes he realised he was in the lounge and he could see his father sitting at the other end of the couch with Peter's feet laying on his lap.

 

"Hey underoos" he said with a soft smile the anger and disappointment from earlier no longer marring his feature. "I was about to wake you, Pep made soup."

 

Peter nodded at his dad's words and stood up to follow his dad into the kitchen where we was gestured to take his usual seat. Holding back a grimace he sat carefully but couldn't help the soft hiss that escaped him at the action. His face turned tomato red but he was relieved to see neither of his parents were going to bring it up. He murmured a thanks as his mum placed a bowl of soup in front of him as well as several slices of bread and tucked in. He was starving. He supposed it made sense, he threw up the contents of his stomach last night and he had spent a good portion of the morning crying which always made him hungry. So he dug in with gusto practically inhaling his lunch.

 

Once they had all finished and the dishes washed courtesy of Peter Tony stood up and kissed Pepper on the cheek. "Thanks for lunch Pep, it was splendid as always, I'm going to the lab for a few hours, how does Thai sound for dinner?"

 

Pepper smiled at her fiancé's words, it seemed to be an unspoken tradition that they bought Thai for dinner if Peter had been spanked. "Sure thing, I have some emails to send. Movie night tonight?" she finished addressing both her boys that time.

 

Peter sighed softly at her words, emails meant mom's office and mom's office only had hardback wooden chairs, she claimed it helped people stay alert. Once his dad left the room Peter grabbed his school bag from the counter where it had been sitting since he came home yesterday and made to head to the lift.

 

"I think I'll use my StarkPad for my emails Pete, you can do your homework on the coffee table right?"

 

Peter grinned at her words nodding happily, sure sitting on the couch was slightly uncomfortable but nothing on those dreaded chairs in his mom's office.

Chapter 21

Summary:

Peter's grounding

Peter was woken up by his parent's alarm at 8am which honestly was much less annoying than his own, he should maybe ask dad if he could change it. Although the reason his was so annoying was so he would actually get out of bed, his had sounded like theirs when he first began staying at the tower. After their movie the night before he had made to go to bed but was quickly reminded he was to be with one or both of his parents 24/7 so was told to move the single mattress from one of the spare rooms into the master bedroom for the next two weeks. He was sure he would never be able to fall asleep and he'd be awake half the night but the soft tones of his parent's voices lulled him to sleep soon enough.

 

"Go have a shower Pete, you've to be in the kitchen in fifteen minutes and make sure to wear a shirt you'll be sitting in our meetings all day."

 

The boy didn’t seem too disgruntled about coming to their meetings but he was sure he would change his tune soon enough. The main meeting he had today was with the board of directors and it always dragged on for hours, it was extremely important leading to both himself and Pepper attending but he was positive it would be mind-numbingly boring. Meeting with the board was one of the worst aspects of owning a company, he was just glad he only had to few times a year, Pepper however met with them once or twice a month, he wouldn't even inflict such torture on Steve…well on second thought…

 

Peter tugged at the collar of his shirt nervously as he walked into the conference room behind his mom at bang on nine o'clock, it must be handy for them to never really have to travel to go to work, May always used to complain about New York rush hour. His dad's hand was gripping his shoulder and he was unsure whether it was to comfort him or stop him running, honestly if he didn't know he'd be in way waaay more trouble he probably would have chanced running, this was going to be sooo embarrassing. As soon as he walked in he felt the eyes of everyone already in the room on him and stood slightly closer to his dad uncomfortable with all the attention.

 

"This is my kid, he's staying for the meeting and has work to do. Any questions?" Tony blatantly ignored the few who open their mouths to speak "great." He grabbed a chair and wheeled it over to the table against the wall before steering his son into it. "I'd get started on those lines if I were you, believe me when I say it will be more interesting than this meeting,” he murmured in the boy’s ear. He knew those in the room would deduce he was in some kind of trouble due to having to sit facing the wall but he didn’t think they needed to know anything more.

 

Peter groaned quietly but nodded before his dad ruffled his hair affectionately as he walked to his own chair at the head of the table. The wall in front of him was bare as well as the desk, without his phone he supposed his only choice was to do some work…and obviously his dad told him to do his lines and he did not want to cross the man literally the day after receiving the worst punishment of his life. Opening his bag he took out a notepad and started writing.

 

An hour later Peter took a quick rest and stretched out his cramping hand. Ugh if someone had told him a year or two ago he would be sitting in a meeting with the SI Board of Directors he would have been thrilled. But they were sooooo boring. They weren't discussing anything fun or cool at all just market shares and stock values. For the first half hour or so he kept feeling people's eyes on him but no one interacted with him directly. He was drawn from his musings when he saw his watch light up, looking at the screen it read Those lines won't write themselves underoos, ugh. He didn't even know his watch could do that, it was a gift from his dad last Christmas. Suddenly he could feel his dad's eyes drilling into the back of his head so he picked up his pen and continued writing, he didn't want to be called out in front of the Board of Directors after all. That would be even more embarrassing than having to be there in the first place.

 

Finally. Finally. The meeting ended, it was almost one now. How on earth could one meeting take four hours? And they hadn't even discussed everything so were meeting again next week! Ugh he would rather be spanked again than have to suffer through another meeting like that…well…maybe not he reconsidered remembering how sore his ass had been the previous day. Luckily his dad didn't have another meeting for two hours so the two of them went upstairs for lunch, Peter was ninety percent sure his dad usually did all SI work in his office…he once said something about tainting the lounge with boringness…but he was currently lounging on the couch with his StarkPad allowing Peter to turn on the TV.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Two days later he went with his mom to the HR department where she had a meeting and dutifully sat himself down in the empty desk she had directed him towards. “Get a start on your calculus homework, I’ll just be in there now behave okay?” Peter nodded at his mom’s words, he was hardly going to misbehave was he? And what could he even do? It was the first time he hadn’t had to be in the same room as his parents though so maybe that was why she said it? Shrugging to himself he pulled his books from his bag and made a start.

 

Fifteen minutes later a young sounding voice interrupted his concentration, “hey, I haven’t seen you here before. Are you here with your mom? You’re older than people I usually see here.” Peter looked up to see a boy perhaps nine or ten years old staring at him.

 

“Ummmm, yeah I’ve never been down here before.” Peter told him. Was he allowed to speak to him? Usually he had to sit quietly and get on with whatever he was doing but it would be rude to ignore the boy and it wasn’t like he was annoying anyone, the meeting was going on in the next room.

 

“You’re in trouble. You’d be at home otherwise” The boy stated as he flopped himself down on the seat next to him.

 

Peter supposed his blush was answer enough. “Why are you here?” he asked in an effort to get away from the reason he himself was.

 

“Usually I go to my grans when I’m off school but she’s busy today so mom had to take me to work. It’s sooo boring, I have my homework but I’m stuck on that and even then once I’ve done that there’s nothing I can do, there’s no computer or anything I can use and I can’t use the WIFI without an employee ID.”

 

Peter nodded at the boy’s words, he supposed it must be boring, he was certainly bored but he was grounded so it made sense, it wasn’t really fair for this boy to be bored, he couldn’t help it that his gran couldn’t look after him and his mom had to go to work. “What’s your homework, maybe I can help? I’m Peter by the way.”

 

“Math, I’m Noah.”

 

With that Peter pushed his own book aside and settled down to spend the next while helping with fourth grade math. He could only hope his mom didn’t count that as skiving off.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

The following day when the family sat down for dinner Peter voiced the thoughts he had been stewing over since meeting Noah. “Dad, what happens when people take their kid’s to work?”

 

Tony put his fork down as he thought about his son’s question, he knew it had come from what happened the day before, usually he would have been annoyed the boy was skipping out on his work but he still had plenty of time to get it done and he was being helpful, Noah’s mom had thanked Pepper profusely for Peter’s help when she came into the tower that morning saying her son usually hated coming into work with her but for once he had not been bored to tears. “Well nothing really they just take them to their floor and give them something to do I suppose, why?”

 

“I don’t think it’s fair, it was hardly Noah’s fault he had to come here, could there be somewhere for kids to go? Surely there’s an empty space somewhere you could make a small room?”

 

Tony thought about his son’s words. “I suppose we could do something, you’re nearly finished your homework right?”

 

“Yeah, I just need to finish my calculus and write that essay for you and mom.”

 

“Great, once you’ve finished that the kid’s room can be your project. I’m leaving it entirely up to you, you can do what you want with it just let your mom have a final look over it to make sure it’s fine. Place any furniture orders with FRIDAY and I can make sure everything gets here as soon as your grounding is over.”

 

Peter grinned widely at his dad’s words. Wow. He hadn’t expected to be given the responsibility himself, he assumed his dad would throw some sofa’s in a room, maybe a TV and be done with it but no he had given him the opportunity. Awesome.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

By halfway through the second week of his punishment Peter's admiration for his parents had somehow grown, he had been forced to sit in meetings for the last seven days and god was it boring! How his mum and dad did that day in day out he had no idea…well to be fair some of the meetings were slightly interesting the one about the new Starkphone didn't put him to sleep and his dad did allow him to share some ideas in a meeting about internships so that was pretty cool. But he was sick of the looks people kept giving him, half of them were people who were annoyed some random kid was sitting in on important meetings…it's not like he had a choice in the matter jeez and he couldn’t have cared less about a lot of what they were discussing anyway, they kept throwing around the phrase ‘company secrets’, who was he going to tell? He didn’t know anyone that would even care about the exact thickness of the wiring connecting plug A to socket B inside the new StarkPad! The other half were one hundred times worse though, they were people who knew who he was and it had quickly been deduced that he was in trouble with his parents. So embarrassing!

 

Tony felt like a monster. He knew his son was having a boring break but the kid deserved it! He felt bad about it but obviously he couldn't back down on his punishment so he was forcing himself to see it through. But his son's unhappiness wasn't the worst thing. No the worst thing was it seemed somehow half the tower knew he was punishing the kid and they were all angry about it. Sure no one knew why Pete was being punished, he was sure if they did more people would be on his side but he couldn't do that to Peter, it was a family matter so he would just have to deal with being hated. The first day or two had been fine but then he had a meeting with all the heads of departments and took Peter along, that was his downfall. From then on he had seemingly become the most hated man in SI. People began being deliberately difficult and when he had gone to the canteen for lunch he was told there was no dessert left only for Peter who was behind him to be given a gigantic slice of cake. The cleaning crew had not emptied his main office bin once and his coffee kept mysteriously disappearing. The interns had somehow blocked him from their common room and he still had no clue how they had convinced FRIDAY to do it! Also, everyone was fawning over his son, sure it was great the boy had so many people in his corner but he was trying to teach him a lesson and everyone was undermining him! He was their boss! The second head of departments meeting he took Peter to Gregor gave the kid candy and promised him he could try his hand at creating a hover board as soon as he was off restriction. Then Julie his marketing head had ruffled the boy's hair and gave him pointers on the essay he was writing and told him Tony was an idiot with cruel and unusual punishments. With the looks he had been receiving every time he left the privacy of the penthouse you'd think he'd killed the kid's dog or something. The next few days couldn't pass quick enough.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Peter thought he would be thrilled when his grounding was over but he wasn't so sure he was. He was sitting on the couch in the lounge bored. His grounding had been lifted at five o’clock after his dad’s final meeting and after today he had three more days until he had to go back to school, with the furniture for the kid’s room arriving tomorrow morning he didn’t know what to do with his free evening. He had wanted to go down and see the other interns but it was getting towards the end of the college year so they were either doing work on projects in the lab or writing essays or dissertations, so he didn't want to disturb them. Ned was away visiting family, Bruce and Nat were away for the day god knows where, his mom was in her office doing some prep for an important meeting tomorrow and his dad was in the lab, he didn't want to interrupt them. He had spent two weeks with them he didn't want to annoy them after all, they were probably sick of him. When that last thought crossed his mind he stopped to consider his punishment…. maybe they wouldn't be too annoyed actually.

 

Sure the first week of his grounding was pretty terrible when he was doing his lines and that horrific essay but after deciding on the things for the kid’s room his dad started giving him projects to work on. He had looked into improving the amount of energy solar panels could provide by using modified arc reactor technology, that had been pretty cool especially as his dad had been so proud. Sure May had been proud of his accomplishments but when it was science related she often didn't understand just what he had achieved, but his dad did and his praise meant the world to him. Tony Stark praising him! Calling him smart and innovative, it was crazy! Also it was great to just be able to hang out with his parents, he had no idea how much work his dad put in every day, he may not be CEO anymore but as head of R&D he was still busy and the avengers stuff added to his workload. His mom as well, he knew she was working almost all the time she wasn't in the penthouse but the amount of responsibility she had was mindboggling. It was no wonder his dad hadn't wanted the position, if he was in his dad's shoes he wouldn't either.

 

Hanging out with his mom was fun too, he had spent an afternoon with the marketing team, it had been the first time he hadn't been forced to work quietly in the corner or outside and it had been brilliant. He had been thinking about asking if he could go down and join them occasionally, he had been given an open invite and he found it interesting. He had also got to go on a full tour of the building, sure he'd already been nearly everywhere but his mom was showing some investors around and he had discovered things he had no clue were even there. There had been a small museum on the history of SI which had been pretty cool and he planned to go back down and spend some time there now he was no longer grounded.

 

He had spent a lot of the time with both his parents and after the first couple of days he began to think they had maybe engineered it that way. Sure his parents had meetings together sometimes but not six in one week! He was sure there was something going on there, he'd even seen the head of HR open his mouth to say something on it before he was glared into submission by Pepper. It was the look she gave Peter or Tony when they were about to do something stupid and he couldn't help but be thankful it wasn't aimed in his direction, it was terrifying. He wouldn't admit it to his dad because he didn't want a repeat of this punishments, it was sooo embarrassing having to follow his parents around like a little child but he felt much more secure now, his parents had never complained or brushed him off or acted like he was an inconvenience despite the fact he was with one of them every hour of the day. So maybe going to see what his dad was up to in the lab wouldn't be annoying.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

"Dad, what are doing, can I come in?"

 

Tony looked up when he heard his son’s voice silencing his music with a wave of his hand. He couldn't stop the soft smile that spread across his face, he'd been worried Peter would keep his distance now his punishment was over, he wouldn't blame the kid after all but he was thrilled Peter had sought him out so soon, it hadn't even been four hours yet.

 

"I'm just tinkering. We can try out your solar panel idea if you want?"

 

Peter's face lit up at the suggestion and the teen scrambled over asking FRIDAY to bring up his designs as he did so. It was the first time he had been back in the lab in two weeks but it felt like no time had passed at all as he and his dad fell into an easy rhythm and comfortable silence. He loved working with his dad and he was sure there would never come a day when he would turn down an offer to work in the lab with him.

 

Tony had been worried when he had given Peter the grounding he had. He had been concerned the boy would see it as him needing a babysitter but his only intention was to make sure he felt secure and knew how important he was in their lives. By the looks of it that had worked.

 

“Can you help me tomorrow dad?” Peter asked after about twenty minutes of silence. “Just it will be boring on my own putting that room together and I don’t know how to build furniture really or paint or….”

 

Tony interrupted before his son could work himself up too much, “of course I will kid, I have no more meetings until you go back to school but you’re in charge remember. This is your idea so you just tell me what to do. This will all be yours one day, I want the first thing you do here to be something you are passionate about and this room is that.”

 

Peter blinked at his dad’s words. This would all be his? This as in SI? He had never really thought about it. “Umm what?”

 

“Who else would I give it to Pete, you’re my kid. Just as my dad left it to me I am leaving it to you.” At his son’s panicked expression he continued on, “there’s no need to worry you won’t be running it anytime soon kiddo, there’s no need to rush I plan on sticking around for quite a while.”

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Peter woke up at 8am the following morning just as he had everyday for the past two weeks but this time in his bedroom with a genuine sense of excitement. He showered quickly and ran through to the lounge hopping on one foot as he pulled his trainers on.

 

“Woah woah. Slow down underoos. You aren’t going anywhere until you’ve had breakfast.” Peter barely refrained from rolling his eyes at his dad’s words, it was one meal did it really matter? Sighing he dropped down in his usual chair and poured himself a bowl of cereal, typically as soon as he dug in he realised just how hungry he was, needless to say he avoided looking at his dad’s no doubt smug face as he finished off his third bowl.

 

Once he had finished Peter made his way down to the thirty fifth floor of the tower, it had once housed a cafeteria but for whatever reason it had been moved so his dad had given him the entire floor to do with as he wanted.  The floor was split into three moderately sized rooms with two washrooms, all that had been done so far was each room had been painted. He had thought about doing that himself but he had never tried before and didn’t want to make a mess of it so had asked his dad to hire people to do it for him. Other than that the whole project would be his own work…well with a little help from his dad, he might have super strength but moving sofas was still awkward work.  

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Pepper couldn’t help but smile when she came down to the thirty fifth floor after her final on Saturday. Her husband and son were sitting criss cross on the floor of one of the rooms as they assembled a foosball table. Looking around she couldn’t help but marvel at all they had achieved with just two day’s work. She had wanted to come down the day before but Peter had been adamant she wait until it was finished which it appeared to be…other than the foosball table of course. The room she was currently in appeared to just be for games, there was a ping pong table and pool as well as a huge stack of board games in one corner. Some of them were a bit rough around the edges where had they come from?

 

“Oh I mentioned the floor to the interns and they all donated some things they had at home.” Peter explained as he stood up to stand beside his mom, there was no point buying everything brand new and they said kid’s might be worried about ruining things if it’s all in perfect condition, that won’t be the case if they’re already well used. He grabbed his mom’s arm and lead her to the next room where he had set up computer’s, if kid’s were coming here to do homework then a computer was a must have, he had also managed to convince his dad to set up free Wi-Fi on the floor, he had put blocks on it of course just in case, he didn’t want to be accused of corrupting children who got into dodgy parts of the internet inside the tower.

 

The floor was tightly protected too of course, parents had to sign their children in at reception downstairs and would be given that day’s code for the floor and each child would be given a band they had to give back at the end of the day. FRIDAY would be constantly monitoring the floor but Peter wanted to ensure it was as secure as possible, kids were going to be here to relax and have fun while their parents worked, he wanted to make sure not only they enjoyed themselves but were also as safe as he could make them.

 

Pepper ruffled her son’s hair affectionally as he finished showing her his creation, when he had been given the project she knew he would put a lot of effort in but she hadn’t expected this. Her son truly cared about these children who were forced to come to the tower when their parents were working. Sure SI tried to accommodate parents as best they could but children still ended up having to come here and she supposed with the creation of this floor a lot of families would be able to save on childcare costs during school breaks and evenings. She didn’t think it really mattered to her son how many people used it though, he was proud of it and as long as at least one child had a good time here she knew that would be enough for him.

 

“You’ve done well Pete, have you decided on a name yet? Floor thirty five doesn’t sound too exciting.”

 

“The May and Benjamin Parker floor, MBP,” he answered with a soft smile, he had been thinking about ever since he started on it, he wanted to honour his aunt and uncle in some way and he knew they would love this. May had worked in the children’s ward at the hospital while Ben had been a police officer who deeply cared about those in his community, it was perfect.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

The evening before Peter was due to go back to school he was sitting on the couch watching TV in silence with his dad when the man broke the quiet. "Peter, I got an email from your school this morning. Is there something you should have told me about?"

 

Peter looked up at his dad with an eyebrow raised, he knew there wasn't an issue with his grades or it would have been brought up at the beginning of the holidays. "Um…no? I mean…I don't think so." He replied racking his brains for anything he had done or anything coming up at school.

 

Tony sighed at his son's words and put down his screwdriver to look at him. "You didn't tell me your decathlon team was in the state final."

 

Peter shrugged "oh that" he thought it was something important his dad was talking about "it's no big deal."

 

"Peter." Tony said slowly making sure he had his son's full attention "It is important, it's amazing, I'm proud of you son. Why didn't you mention it, the final is in two weeks?"

 

"I didn't know you'd want to come." Peter shrugged again.

 

Tony was brought up short at the boy’s answer. He racked his brains to try and think of a time he may have given Peter any kind of impression he didn’t want to go. He had called it Nerd Club before but that was clearly in a joking manner, did his son think he was mocking him? At Peter’s genuinely confused expression he began to speak, he had to find out what his son was thinking, "Peter, this is big, why wouldn't I want to come? Tell me what's going on in that head of your kiddo."

 

"Well we got through just before Spring Break, Abe's was sort of a celebration…" he stopped unsurely at that but continued when his dad just waved away the comment "right…so yeah it was a celebration but I didn't really think about it you're busy and mom's busy. May was usually working when I had competitions so it didn't really cross my mind that you could even come. Why would you want to come though? It's just a stupid competition, you'll know all the answers anyway"

 

Tony pinched the bridge of his nose when his son stopped speaking. "Fri can you stop the TV?  Stay there Pete we need to discuss this. Let me just get a coffee do you want anything?"

 

Peter shook his head unsurely, was he in trouble? What was the big deal?

 

Soon enough Peter was sat on the couch fidgeting nervously and Tony perched on the edge of the coffee table so he was at eyelevel with his son and their knees were almost touching. "Peter. This isn't just a stupid competition. I know decathlon means a lot to you so it means a lot to me too. You're my son and it doesn't matter if I know the answers already, I don't want to go for the knowledge, I want to go to cheer you on. I want to go and see other people see how smart you are. I know you realised by the middle of the first week your mom and I had organised to have more meetings together, we did that so we could spend time with you Pete, even though you were in trouble because you are our boy and we want to be there for you underoos. I know May had to work a lot to keep you guys afloat and I'm thrilled she did that for you but we are not in that position. Pep and I will happily take an afternoon or a day off, heck even a week if we need to to support you. We want to come to your meets, I want to be the dad cheering embarrassingly loud whenever his son answers correctly. Okay?"

 

Peter blushed and looked at his knees as he nodded. "Sorry, I'll get you tickets first thing tomorrow. I promise."

 

He grinned as his dad ruffled his hair affectionately, “good boy, it doesn’t matter what you decide to do Pete myself and Pep will always be there to support you okay?”

 

“Yeah, I get it dad. Sorry it just didn’t occur to me honest.”

 

"It’s fine Pete, I understand.” Tony assured the boy with a smile as he grabbed the tv remote. “Star Wars then Spiderling?"

 

“Always.”

Chapter 22

Summary:

The state Decathlon finals are here

"Monocrystalline silicon ingots can be produced using what?"

 

*Ding*

 

"The Nernst method" Flash almost shouted a smug smile dancing on his lips.

 

"Wrong. Anyone else." MJ responded sharply. She had to swallow a grin at Flash's put out expression when Peter immediately buzzed in.

 

"the floating zone crystal process."

 

"Correct."

 

The rapid-fire questions continued for another ten minutes until MJ had asked all the questions on her cards. "So practices Monday through Thursday next week then a day off before the competition Saturday, I better see all you losers here for every practice." Peter cringed slightly as almost the whole team turned to look at him in unison.

 

"Hey I haven't missed a practice in ages!" he defended himself. It was true as well, as soon as his mom found out he occasionally skipped practice to go on patrol she scolded him and forbid him from ever doing it again unless the world was quite literally ending in which case he wasn't allowed to be Spiderman anyway and was to head straight home. He had to sit through a twenty minute lecture from her on the importance of teamwork and the importance of commitment, he had almost been reduced to tears when she told him how disappointed she was in him and how she was disgusted he could let his team down like that. She had threatened to get Uncle Happy to escort him to practices and sit in on them to make sure he wouldn't ditch his team. Just the thought made him shudder he would never live down the embarrassment of having a babysitter…suffice to say he hadn't missed a single practice since that conversation.

 

Thankfully Mr Harrington clearing his throat took all the attention off himself. "So tickets how many does everyone want?"

 

Mr Harrington turned to each pupil noting down the number of tickets requested before turning to Peter, he always asked the boy out of politeness but had already written zero next to his name. Everyone knew his Aunt had passed away, it really was heart-breaking the kid had lost so much already but even before she died Peter never asked for tickets she was always working. So, when the teen asked for two tickets his jaw dropped, huh whoever the kids foster parents were had to be supportive which was a surprise he had heard horror stories about the New York CPS. He wasn’t actually certain Peter was being fostered, he had no idea who looked after him now it wasn’t his job to know but he was glad the teen had someone supportive in his corner after losing the last of his family.

 

Peter blushed when the whole room froze at his answer, he couldn't really blame them though, he had never asked for tickets, not once so he knew everyone would be curious. Eventually his teacher nodded dismissing them and Peter swung his bag onto his shoulder and struck up a conversation with Ned in an effort to avoid being questioned.

 

Unfortunately they hadn't even turned the corner in the corridor when Flash caught up with them, Peter flinched as the other boy's hand came down hard on his shoulder, it hadn’t actually hurt it was more in anticipation for the undoubtedly cruel words the other boy was about to spout. "So Penis, who are the tickets for? Who have you paid to pretend they care about you?"

 

"Shut up Flash, what's it to you?" Peter grumbled shrugging the boy's hand off his shoulder.

 

Flash shoved him hard into the wall ignoring Ned's shouted protests, "don't talk back to me Penis. What am I saying? You have no money, whose dick did you suck to convince them to go to decathlon for you?"

 

Peter made a disgusted face at the very idea, seriously what was Flash's problem? He kept his mouth shut and let Flash push him back into the wall and spit on the ground in front of him before he turned and left. "Can't hang about Penis, my dad will be here to take me to dinner. You know what that's like?" The boy put on a fake laugh "oh silly me, of course you don't."

 

Peter simply stood stock still against the wall he had been shoved into ignoring Ned's questions. "Look, Ned, its fine, just leave me alone, anyway I better go Happy gets annoyed if I'm late." He replied numbly, the boy’s words were not true but they did still hurt unfortunately.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

"You nervous Pete? You're picking at your food there."

 

"hmmm, oh yeah, a little," Peter replied hardly paying attention, the state final was tomorrow but it wasn't the competition he was worried about, not really. He zoned out as his parents and Uncle’s chatted over family dinner, all week Flash had been claiming Peter either didn't have anyone coming at all so his tickets should be given to someone who had a family or claiming he had had to resort to sexual favours to get anyone to come to the competition. He was just sick of it, the competition would be a relief because he wouldn't have to actually interact with Flash during it as he was only the alternate. But nervous? No, he didn't think he was nervous he knew he knew the material they had been practicing all week. Then again it maybe wasn't the questions or even the competition he was nervous about, he was slightly apprehensive about his parents being there or maybe them not being there? Sure if they didn't turn up Flash would never let him live it down but if they did what if he didn't win? Or got an easy question wrong? Or made a fool of himself? What if they decided he wasn't worth it?

 

Tony watched his son out of the corner of his eye as they ate dinner, Peter was hardly paying attention and wasn't participating in conversation which was unusual for the boy because he loved Friday Dinners with his uncles. When Peter mumbled a non-committal response to Pepper's question about nerves he knew with just one look the boy was getting lost in his own head again. "Hey, Peter….Peter." He reached out and tapped his son's hand to get his attention grinning slightly at the deer in the headlights look his boy sported. "Forget whatever you're thinking about underoos. You'll be fine tomorrow we're proud of you regardless of how you do. Me and Pep will be there to cheer you on don't worry, I promised we would be there and we will be, nothing will stop us coming to see you leave every other school in the dust."

 

Peter smiled at his dad's encouragement, "thanks dad."

 

"So Peter, what sort of things do they ask at these competitions, I'm gutted I can't come it's just bad timing, when you get through to nationals I promise I'll be there."

 

"It's fine Uncle Rhodey honestly, you don't need to."

 

"I want to though Pete, now tell me what do they ask?"

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Peter couldn't help the grin that spread across his face when he got another one of MJ's questions correct. "Don't know what you're smiling about Penis, you ready to be seen as the loser you are for wasting two tickets for no reason." Flash snarked when he saw Peter's expression.

 

"Piss of Flash, you're just sore he knew the answer and you didn't."

 

Peter grinned at MJ laughing lightly as she shrugged in response.

 

He just ignored Flash's words, his parents had promised they would come and as his dad said he had never once broken a promise to Peter so why would he start today? In fact both his parents were looking forward to coming, Gregor had brought it up during his internship hours telling him his dad had been going on about it for ages in a meeting the day before…sooo embarrassing. His parents had wished him luck before he left home and told him they would see him after the competition, his dad was worried about press so they planned to arrive as late as possible but promised multiple times they would be there in time to see him compete.

 

"Take a break, you've done enough practicing, don't overdo it" Mr Harrington called from his position behind the wheel. Peter grinned at his words relieved to stop for a little while and took his phone from his pocket. Four texts…huh who even texts in 2018?

 

Good luck kiddo, make sure to tell Tony he's a soccer mom for me – Uncle Rhodey

 

I'm sure you'll do great Peter, you're a science bro after all – Bruce

 

Good luck маленький паук, make me proud - Nat

 

Kid if you don't win you're walking home from school no matter what your dad says -  Uncle Happy

 

Peter stretched as he stepped off the coach his neck cracking as he did so, he may be Spiderman and able to quite literally bend over backwards but over three hours on a bus was uncomfortable for anyone. Sure they had got this far last year but he felt much more nervous this time around, it was probably because he had people there rooting for him, he knew his parents wouldn't care if they didn't win but he still felt like there was much more pressure on his shoulders. Also after the whole Washington incident last year it felt like the entire team were watching him like hawks to make sure he didn’t vanish.

 

The team followed Mr Harrington into the large building the final was being held in to check in before grabbing some chairs and setting themselves up in a quiet corner. Peter relaxed into the familiar rhythm of practice, he could feel the pressure on him ease as he focused solely on the questions MJ was throwing at them.

 

After about half an hour the room was considerably louder than it was when they came in as other teams began to arrive and practice themselves. They had been told there were three smaller halls the earlier rounds would be held in throughout the day and the final two teams would compete in the grand final that evening in the auditorium.

 

Another forty minutes passed before they were called up for the first round of competition. The team followed the official into a side room where they were to wait until they were announced. "Flash and I have to go find our seats, good luck." Mr Harrington said causing Flash to grimace and pink a little in embarrassment as his spot as alternate was clearly brought up. Peter was relieved however that their teacher’s close proximity would prevent Flash from running his mouth off, sure he usually shrugged off the things the boy spewed but he didn't want the hassle straight before competing.

 

Once their teacher left the room MJ turned to the team and declared "if any of you fuck this up you're dead to me and your body will never be found" in a bland tone as if discussing the weather. Peter heard their opponents at the other side of the room fall silent at MJ's words and grinned to himself. They looked perturbed and rather worried, MJ was a genius…although saying that he wasn't one hundred percent sure she was joking. Even if she was he didn't want to be the one to fuck up…mainly because Flash would be unbearable if he took his spot.

 

Five minutes later the same official from before told them to line up then enter and take their places when they heard their school being called.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

"Tony, you do know being Iron Man won't get you out of speeding tickets right?"

 

"Well duh, of course I do. Being Tony Stark will though Pep" the man replied rolling his eyes "plus I don't want to be late."

 

"We left just after Happy dropped Pete at the bus, we will get there before him at this rate, calm down."

 

"Sorry it's just the first time we're going to see our son do something like this, I don't want to let him down."

 

Pepper snorted at her husband’s words "you could never let that boy down, he looks at you like you hung the moon."

 

Tony hummed noncommittedly in response unsure how to answer but did slow down to just under the speed limit earning a smile from his wife.

 

An hour later they arrived in Albany two and a half hours before their son would even step onto a stage. Tony sighed to himself, logically he knew leaving so early and rushing to get here was ridiculous because now he had two and a bit hours to waste in Albany during which he had to try and remain inconspicuous. They didn't want to be followed and quizzed about why he was attending an academic decathlon after all. He wasn't ashamed of his son, he would show him off to every person he met if he could, Peter was amazing after all but he himself had lived his entire life in the spotlight and wanted to shield Peter from that. If he was asked he wouldn't lie of course but it was easier to just avoid the topic. Reaching over he opened the glove compartment and took out a hat and sunglasses earning himself an eye roll from his wife.

 

"Is there an avenger handbook somewhere that says a cap and sunglasses is a fool proof disguise?"

 

"It's not failed me yet. And it's so obvious people convince themselves Tony Stark would never just use a cap and glasses as a disguise. Anyway enough talk, coffee?"

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

"and welcome onto the stage…Midtown School of Science and Technology."

 

Peter swallowed nervously but looked out into the applauding crowd as they stepped onto the stage and took their places behind the table. Unfortunately the spotlights being used in the hall made it impossible to make out individual faces and he knew his parents would probably sit at the back to avoid being seen. "I can't see my parents either, you never can at these things, don't sweat it dude." He grinned softly at his friend's words, he hadn't even needed to say anything, one look at him and Ned knew exactly what he was thinking. Before he could mumble a thanks the audience were silenced and all attention fell on the question master.

 

"We all know the set up buzz in if you know the answer, one point for the correct answer and two for a steal" Both teams nodded, the opposition school had presumably also been practising nonstop and obviously won their area competition to get to the state final anyway.

 

Tony held his fiancée's hand in his own as he watched Peter and his teammates. Sure he had heard the boy practising before with FRIDAY and had offered to quiz him but always been turned down yet he was still amazed at how much the teens in front of him knew. No wonder Peter had to practice all the time this was intense. It did become clear to him fairly quickly though that Midtown were a far better team than Newburgh Free Academy as they quickly gained a lead over them. Each of these rounds leading up to the final would only take half an hour but by the ten minute mark it was clear Midtown were going to go through.

 

Peter grinned as the final buzzer went signalling the end of the round and their win. He laughed a little as he heard Ned's mom practically screaming with enthusiasm. "You may not be able to see her but she's sure as hell here Ned."

 

"Ugh so embarrassing." Ned groaned palming his face as they walked back into the side room from before "Tony would never do that to you, it's so uncool."

 

"Pffft yeah sure, he embarrasses me enough. Last week he thought I was ill and took my temperature in the middle of an Intern Meeting! An intern meeting! It was awful, everyone started putting their hands on my forehead and cooing."

 

Ned opened his mouth to reply before being shushed by Abe as another official walked in. "The second round starts in fifteen minutes you're in the same hall here are your phones I'll be back for them in ten."

 

Peter grinned as he grabbed his phone from the box ignoring the jealous looks of some of the other members of the team at his top of the range StarkPhone. To be honest, his old phone had been perfectly fine if a little battered but his dad had turned up one day with this new one and told him to product test it, which of course meant it was for him and that was a cover. It was pretty cool though, Karen was in it and it could connect to FRIDAY, the only downside was that his parents could hack into it easily and disable it whenever he was meant to be asleep or doing school work.

 

Tony blushed as his phone dinged rather loudly. Mumbling apologies as Pep hissed "if that had gone off during the competition I would have killed you, you could have put Peter off." Sliding his phone out his pocket he put it on silent before opening his messages.

 

We got through, second round starts soon in same hall and third if we get through –Spiderbaby

 

He was sure Pete would be mortified if he knew that was the name he was saved under in his phone but what the boy didn't know couldn't hurt him.

 

Well done, you did great, we are in the back row – IronDad

 

Peter grinned at his dad's message. Sure his parents promised to be there and he shouldn't have doubted them but actual confirmation felt great. He aimlessly scrolled through his twitter and Instagram for a few minutes to distract himself before their phones were once again confiscated so they could re-enter the hall. Game time.

 

Pepper relaxed as she sat herself down in one of the comfortable chairs in the large auditorium. Well comfortable was a stretch but it was much better than the hard wood ones they had been sitting on for hours during the other rounds of the competition. Tony had already text pretty much everyone that had ever met Peter to tell them his team was in the final but unfortunately they couldn't speak to Peter himself. There had been cases of cheating in the past so after the second round teams were isolated and their phones were kept locked away. It was to start in ten minutes and she couldn't help the bubble of excitement growing in her chest. Two years ago she would have laughed if someone told her the highlight of her month would be going to watch a high school Academic Decathlon competition but here she was.

 

Peter groaned as Flash strutted into the room. Dinner had been provided for the team and it hadn't been clearly marked it was Cream of and not just normal tomato soup, Cindy had eaten a bowl and became violently sick alarmingly quickly due to being lactose intolerant. So here was Flash.

 

"Couldn't do it without me I see?"

 

MJ kept looking at her nails as she drawled back "clearly we can as we got this far and if you fuck this up for us Flash you won't be anywhere near this team again."

 

That sure shut him up.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Tony bit his lip nervously, he never expected High School competitions to be this stressful and he wasn't even competing! The final was just half an hour of quick fire questions and at twenty minutes in the teams were very evenly matched. Midtown would have been several points ahead but this kid on the team who hadn't been on it for the previous rounds had buzzed in several times and given wrong answers leading to steals from the other team. Peter had got a lot of questions correct however and had even buzzed in before some of the questions had ended on some of the science ones.

 

Peter could feel the tension in the air there was only three minutes left and the teams were neck and neck, hopefully there would be several science questions or art and literature MJ was the queen of those, as long as it steered clear of music that was Cindy's best subject and it seemed many of the Emma Willard School team were strong on it.

 

"This ethnic group was a victim of genocide during WW1"

 

Abe buzzed in immediately "Armenians"

 

"This branch of philosophy considers the nature and beauty of expression"

 

MJ thought for a second before buzzing in she didn't want to cost them points like Flash had twice already. "Aesthetics." She grinned at the ding signalling a correct answer they were now two points ahead.

 

Tony grinned it looked like the team had it in the bag until they were suddenly hit with two music questions in a row. A minute to go and the teams were drawing once again he found his lip between his teeth as he tried to mentally egg on his son.

 

"This scientist is called the father of Modern pathology"

 

Peter buzzed in narrowly beating the opposition team member "Rudolph Virehow"

 

Ding

 

Tony did a small first pump to himself and immediately wondered how this had happened to him but couldn't find it in himself to regret it. He was thankful Bruce and Rhodey weren't here to see it though they were still teasing him about having a box of healthy snacks in the lab for Pete and for the whole taking the boys temperature in the middle of a meeting…well more for the latter offence, but in his defence he had looked peaky!

 

"In this rhythmic characteristic, emphasized notes fall on weak beats"

 

"Syncopation" a blonde girl from Emma Willard answered.

 

"This type of music lacks a fixed tonal center"

 

"Atonal music" the same girl said with a grin.

 

Peter tried not to let his mind go there but there was only going to be time for one more question, if they got it right it would be a draw and go to sudden death which they didn't want as the questions then revolved through categories rather than randomly which could risk them being stuck with music again.

 

"Hershey and Chase used these two laboratory tools to separate the virus from the bacteria in their experiment."

 

There was silence for several seconds and Peter could see a boy from the other team eyeing them up. Then it came to him Tony had mentioned it once in passing months ago so Peter went to press the button but was narrowly beaten by the opposition team. He was confused for a second the boy opposite him had looked lost when the question was read out, after a second he realised it was a time waster. He had buzzed in not knowing the answer and having glanced at their team thought none of them knew. He thought by passing they would win.

 

"Pass"

 

Peter could see his teammates slump next to him, he knew they thought they'd lost as none of them knew. He pressed his buzzer.

 

Tony held a breath waiting for Peter to answer. He had no idea if the boy knew he couldn't remember it being in any homework the boy had done or hearing FRIDAY quiz him about it while doing decathlon practice.

 

"A kitchen blender and centrifuge."

 

Half the room erupted at the ding. Peter's answer had put them one point ahead, Midtown were state champions. Peter grinned as his team hugged him practically screaming in his ear.

 

"How on earth did you know that?" He just shrugged in response too elated to bother explaining and he was sure if he did Flash would just be an asshole anyway.

 

They shook the hands of the other team offering commiserations and accepting their praise before sitting down once again for the awards ceremony. This happened at every competition and it was the worst, it took forever but the elation of winning would perhaps make it bearable Peter thought to himself. They gave out awards for the best in each category as well as overall most correct answers before giving the final trophy to the winning team. Unsurprisingly the girl from Emma Willard won the music one.

 

"The Art and Literature prize goes to Michelle Jones!"

 

The team erupted as their captain stood up to collect her trophy her usual disinterested façade slipping slightly. Once she took her seat again they continued with the awards.

 

"And the student with the highest overall score in the State of New York is…Peter Parker"

 

Tony cheered as soon as his son's name was read out snapping a quick photo of the boy whose jaw was practically on the floor.

 

Peter blushed as his team cheered and slapped him on the back and he was fairly sure he could hear his dad cheering from the back of the room somewhere. He shook the judge's hand as he took the trophy smiling for the camera while being one hundred percent certain his dad would get FRIDAY to hack into a system somewhere for a copy of it.

 

Once the team were awarded with their winner's trophy they had to stay for a little longer to pose for photographs, Peter and MJ also got some just the two of them with their awards both blushing slightly due to the friendly jibes from Ned. Finally they were able to leave the stage after another round of congratulations to go back into the side room and wait for their families.

 

They had barely set foot in the room Peter still grinning proud of his accomplishment when Flash started talking. "Don't know what you're smiling about Penis, and why did you even pose for photos who is gonna see them?"

 

Peter opened his mouth to retort when he heard an angry voice from the other side of the room and cringed.

 

Tony was furious. He must have heard that little shit wrong…he probably shouldn't call teenagers that but this one was definitely a little shit. "Sorry, what did you just say to him?" In any other situation he probably would have grinned at the awestruck yet terrified look on the boy's face but he was too angry to do anything but glare murderously.

 

"oh…ummm" Flash sputtered unable to form words.

 

"Please, leave it, its fine." Peter pleaded quietly blushing furiously once again.

 

"It most certainly is not fine! I can't believe that little…" A sharp cough from Pepper made him pause "punk said that to you."

 

"He's just jealous. Leave it. Please."

 

Tony opened his mouth furious but snapped it shut when Peter took a step forward and grabbed his arm lightly. "Please, dad leave it. I don't care what he says he's full of shit."

 

The whole room went silent as he spoke every student and parent in the room turning to look at the pair their eyes wide and jaws hanging at the use of the word dad. The quiet was broken after several uncomfortable seconds by Pepper "Peter, seriously? I just stopped Tony using that word."

 

Peter could hear Ned's muffled laughing somewhere to his right as his mom scolded him in the silent room with everyone's attention focussed on them. "Sorry mom." He mumbled looking at his feet ears burning.

 

Pepper pulled her son into a tight hug seeing how uncomfortable he was and whispered in his ear unwilling to embarrass him anymore than they had already "I'll let that one slide because it's true, but just this once baby." She could feel her son relax in her arms and hugged him tighter. "Well done." She pulled him away holding his shoulders to look into his eyes. "We're so proud, your dad has already text your uncles, Bruce, Gregor and Nat. I'm fairly sure he shed a tear."

 

Peter laughed at his mom's words turning to look at his dad who was just pulling away from Flash who looked terrified and mumbled a quick apology at Peter before rushing off to see his own parents who had just entered the room. Peter opened his mouth to say something but decided he probably didn't want to know what his dad had said to his long time bully. The man looked like he was going to say something else on the matter so he quickly jumped in to distract him. "Did you really cry dad? That's embarrassing. Iron Man. Crying."

 

"I wasn't crying! It was allergies!" Tony replied with fake outrage.

 

"Sure dad, whatever you say." The teen replied rolling his eyes.

 

Tony pulled the boy in for a hug holding him tight. Sure he was still furious about that little shit…ugh I can't believe I said punk, he thought to himself…Steve says punk and he's one hundred. What have I become? The elder man rested his chin on his son's head savouring the moment, he was angry yeah but his son was his priority. His son who he was immensely proud of…but who he would be speaking about that Flash kid with at some point in the next few days.

 

 

"You did so well Peter, you were amazing. How did you know that last one?"

 

"Oh you told me months ago, when you went on a tangent about Dum-E making you smoothies, you said the only time a blender should ever be in a lab was with a centrifuge Hershey and Chase."

 

Tony looked down at his son eyes wide. "And you remembered that?"

 

The teen looked up at his dad in confusion "well of course I did, you said it" he said simply.

 

Tony opened his mouth but closed it again quickly fairly sure he would cry if he tried to speak. He simply opened his arms and let his son fall back into them. He turned his head slightly to hear better as Pepper whispered in his ear "I told you he looks up to you as if you hung the moon."

Chapter 23

Summary:

Tony speaks to his son

Notes:

Hey thanks again for reading I'm glad you're enjoying my fic. I know Peter is fifteen in this and therefore should know everything Tony is saying and is perhaps too old for such a conversation but I did some googling and in New York there are rules on the minimum number of hours of sex ed a student should get but nothing on what exactly should be taught hence this chapter. Hope you enjoy.
- EmptyFridges

"Tony, I think you need to talk to Peter."

 

"Pep, I talk to our son all the time." Tony replied not even looking up at her from his phone he was currently emailing on.

 

"No Tony, I mean talk to Peter."

 

"Um…what. I just told you I talk to him all the time. You literally told us to stop talking four times this evening"

 

"Tony. I can't decide if you are being deliberately dim or are genuinely this obtuse. You need to talk to him and of course I told you to stop talking we were watching a movie, it ruins the atmosphere." She closed her book as she finished speaking placing it down on her bedside table and turning off her lamp.

 

Tony put his phone down, turned off his own lamp and lay on his back for several seconds running her words through his head trying to understand what she meant. Talk? She had emphasized talk. He had to talk to Peter…he had to talk to Peter?...Oh my god! He thought to himself as Peppers words hit him like a freight train, he had to talk to their son, their nearly sixteen year old son. He ignored Pepper's light chuckle at his groaning and rolled over to fall into a restless sleep.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

It had been three days and Tony still hadn't spoken to Peter, well he had but not about…that. It was frankly irritating. Tony knew he could talk he was good at talking in fact, he could talk to anyone about anything, he could make the media eat up anything he said, he could run circles around politicians with his words, he could smooch up to anyone at fundraising galas and charm almost anyone into bed. Well that last one he could do but now he had Pepper…and he was one hundred percent sure if he made a move on anyone she would castrate him, a year or two ago she would have just murdered him but she wouldn't let Peter lose another parent, so castration it was.

 

Pepper saw Tony shudder out of the corner of her eye, I wonder what he's thinking of? She asked herself. She knew Tony was nervous about speaking to their son but it had to be him that did it, it would be embarrassing enough for the teen having to get the talk from his mom would be far too mortifying for him. Also, if she was being honest with herself it was quite funny, Tony was Iron Man and the bravest person she had ever met but he was terrified about speaking to their son about this. She had seen him flicking through the parenting books they had bought so long ago looking for advice and caught him googling for help, and Tony only used google if the situation was dire. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen him so nervous about anything. Her husband-to-be was great with Peter, she loved watching them interact, Tony was brilliant at teaching him things whether it was in the lab, while in the suit or general life lessons, he had also done a great job with speaking to Peter about that boy Flash. Ugh even the thought of Flash brought a scowl to her face, Peter had after a lot of cajoling told them everything and although since the other boy's suspension months ago he hadn't physically attacked their son his words were still cutting. It was only Peter's tear stained face and puppy dog eyes that stopped them from going to his school and speaking to the principal about it and also stopped Tony from ensuring Flash would never be able to attend anything better than community college once he graduated.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

It had been a week since Pepper had told him to speak to their son and he knew he would have to soon. He had thought about just not speaking to him the boy was sixteen surely he knew most of it from school? Did they teach that kind of thing at school? The boy wasn’t an idiot surely he knew, but was he one hundred percent sure he knew? No, no he wasn’t. He had watched that John Oliver bit…and god did that strike fear into him. What if Midtown was just teaching abstinence as the only answer? He had been a teenager himself he knew abstinence was not realistic, but what if that was all Peter was taught? No, he had to speak to him, not doing so would be negligent he couldn’t just assume he knew. He had been researching how to go about it and what to say, his own teenage years and early adulthood were not something he wanted his son to take inspiration from after all. He had attempted to delay the inevitable but when Peter had come home the day before he had known it was probably getting to the point he had to speak to him. His son had smatterings of dark hairs on his face, he personally thought it was cute but knew the boy would want to shave it soon, it was rather patchy and he himself could remember the mocking he was victim to in MIT when he started to grow peach fuzz and his attempted beard that was frankly a patchy embarrassment.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

When the bell rang for the end of the school day Peter meandered his way outside to where Happy would be, deep in thought. He was nervous. His dad had been giving him strange looks all week and he had no idea why. The first day he had wracked his brain for anything he had done wrong recently but if he had misbehaved he was positive his dad would have brought it up immediately he tended to be swift in doling out punishments so he could comfort Peter and let him know he was forgiven afterwards.

 

"Kid are you going to get in or just stand there?"

 

Peter jumped at his uncle’s words which pulled him sharply from his thoughts.

 

"Yeah sorry, just thinking." He said blushing as he climbed into the back seat, he had been offered to sit in the passenger seat months ago but refused he liked it back here, he had space to do his homework and could eat snacks without Uncle Happy eyeballing him to make sure he didn't get anything on the seats.

 

Happy gave a sort of half nod in response "good day?"

 

"Hmmm…yeah it was fine"

 

Happy rolled it eyes, it was one of those days. Occasionally Peter would get lost in thought and just sit and brood silently in the back, he would usually message boss when this happened, sure Peter was his nephew, but this was definitely dad territory. "You sure you're okay Pete?" he asked raising his eyes to look in the mirror. He wasn't expecting an answer so was pleasantly surprised when the boy spoke.

 

"Uncle Happy…dad hasn't said anything to you recently has he? He's being really weird, am I in trouble?"

 

The driver couldn't stop the laugh from escaping him and had to bite his tongue to stop himself from doing so again at the teenager's outraged expression. The boy was right Tony had been acting strangely recently and he wouldn't have known the reason had he not spoken to Gregor a few days ago. They often went for coffee together on their lunch breaks and the other man had told him Tony had come to him asking for advice on talking to Peter. Gregor had two sons both in their twenties so it had made logical sense for Tony to ask him but it was still amusing, Iron Man having to go get help to speak about sex. Actually forget Iron Man, Tony Stark needing advice on talking about sex was mindboggling…then again what that man knew about sex was probably very inappropriate for a teenager and his son at that. Gregor said Tony's face had been redder than he had ever seen it…and that was saying something as the man had once caught Tony quite literally with his pants down about twenty years ago.

 

"I'm sure he will talk to you soon Pete, there's no need to worry you aren't in trouble." He got a hum in response, clearly the boy was still anxious. "How about we stop for ice cream?" Ice cream was important sure but he could also text boss and tell him Peter knew something was up, surely that would spur the man on to talk to the boy.

 

Peter wants to know why you are being weird, grow a pair and speak to the boy if you don't want to be a grandfather before you're fifty – The Happiest bodyguard around

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Peter's spidey-sense was tingling. Not in the DANGER DANGER way more of a slight prickle as if something he wouldn't like was coming but it wasn't something that would harm him. He occasionally got this response from his sixth sense when he was about to be lectured, but he hadn't done anything had he? He had been racking his brains for a week to understand his dad's strange behaviour but hadn't come up with anything. Sure he was late coming home today but he knew Happy would have sent his dad a text so that couldn't be it and that wouldn’t explain the past week.

 

Before Peter could dwell on it any longer the elevator reached the penthouse and the door opened allowing him to see his dad was sitting on the couch. Swallowing nervously he took a step into the room causing his dad to turn and give him an uneasy smile.

 

Tony really hoped the expression he just made at his son looked like an awkward smile rather than a grimace. God, he felt so unprepared. "Hey, Pete why don't you sit down? We need to talk." He said gesturing to the couch opposite and the snacks on the table, "help yourself."

 

Peter nodded slowly at his dad kicking his shoes off as he made his way to sit down. Well at least it was clear he wasn't in trouble, even the thought of his dad's office made him nervous as every time he made a poor decision it was where he ended up…and commonly the corner of it at that. "So what do you want to talk about?" he asked after several moments of silence.

 

"Well Pete, Pep and I have been talking and we've noticed…" he paused for a moment trying to find the words as he looked at the dark growth of hair on his son's upper lip. As soon as the boy noticed he blushed and took his hand up self-consciously.

 

"Oh….umm yeah, I don't…" Peter started feeling the blush on his face. Ugh this was awkward, he didn't know how to shave, Ben had promised to teach him but he hadn't needed to and then….well yeah. And he was sure May would have given him some pointers or found a video or something like they did at homecoming for his tie but…. "I don't know how. I know I can just watch a video, I was going to sometime. I know it's bad, even MJ commented on it! MJ!" he rushed out keeping his eyes on his hands as he spoke, too mortified to look at his dad.

 

Tony let out a breath, that he could deal with. "It's okay Pete, I understand don't be embarrassed, I'll help you once we've had a chat I can show you how to do it. Don't worry." He smiled softly as his son nodded a blush still staining his cheeks.

 

"Thanks dad. So, what did you want to talk about?"

 

"So…Pep and I have been talking and we realised you're getting older, you'll be sixteen soon. We should have spoken to you a while ago about this, we have known for a while especially after the whole drinking debacle that you are not a child any longer. So there's things you need to know, things to look out for."

 

Peter furrowed his brows at his dads words "if it's so important why isn't mom here?"

 

"She thought it would be too embarrassing for you if she was here for this conversation Pete."

 

What? Peter asked himself what kind of conversation could he be having that would be too….oh my god. No. No, he did not want the sex talk from his dad. Let him die. Let the world end.

 

Tony knew as soon as his son realised what he meant, the boy's blush returned worse than before and he refused to meet his eyes. He decided it was probably easier to just plough straight on and get on with it.

 

"So Peter, I know you probably know about my teenage years, heck my life up until Afghanistan happened?" He waited for a nod before continuing. "I do not want you acting like that. Is that clear? If I find you copying my behaviour from that time neither myself nor your mom will be happy." He had to stifle a chuckle at the wide eyed look from his son. "So firstly I'm not saying you have to be in a relationship to have sex but you have to respect what your partner is saying and what they want. I don't care how into it you are if she doesn't want to continue you don't okay? But the same goes for you too, if you don’t want to, you don’t have to, you should never feel pressured to act in situations like that" Pep had been adamant he started with that, she said it was something that was often glossed over and caused suffering for young people the world over, of course they both knew Peter was too nice to hurt anyone deliberately but he was also a teenage boy and also he didn’t want him to rush into something and regret it.

 

"Okay, so secondly, you need to be safe…"

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Finally. It was over, that had to be the longest half hour of Peter's life. Sure, he knew everything his dad had been saying was important but he never ever wanted a repeat of that conversation and he couldn't be more thankful his mom had opted out, he was sure he would have died on the spot had she been there. He was about to stand up and leave when his dad clapped his hand together causing him to look up at the man for the first time in about twenty minutes.

 

"C'mon then Pete time to get rid of that monstrosity on your face."

 

Peter rolled his eyes knowing his dad was only joking with him but got up to follow him regardless. To his surprise they went into the man's own ensuite rather than Peter's.

 

"I have a bigger mirror." Was Tony's answer to his son's unasked question. "Right I wasn't sure what you would prefer but every man should learn how to shave manually, you can use an electric razor later if you prefer but you get a closer shave with an actual blade." He glanced at his son's reflection unable to stop a grin from spreading across his face at the look his son was giving him. He never would have dreamed of someone looking up to him like Peter did and he would do anything to make sure it never stopped, he wanted to make his son proud.

 

Peter reached out and grabbed one of the razors on the shelf in front of them but his hand was immediately slapped away by his dad.

 

"That's pretty much the last step kiddo cool your jets. The best time to shave is straight after a shower, I don't know the reason it just us."

 

"What!? Tony Stark doesn't know something. Call the press!" Peter exclaimed holding his chest dramatically laughing at his dad's affronted expression.

 

"Yeah so if you just wash your face that will do for now." Tony continued as if he had not been interrupted. "Then shaving cream, this is the one I use it's expensive so it's good stuff, I know you have super healing so it probably wouldn’t make a difference but if you buy cheap it might irritate your skin."

 

Peter nodded at his dad's words soaking up all his advice as he copied his movements.

 

"Pete I know most the hair is on your top lip but just cover your whole jaw, we might as well get it all sorted"

 

"Ummm dad…why are you doing this?"

 

Tony turned to look at the boy quizzically "because I'm teaching you how to shave?"

 

"I know that, I mean why are you putting shaving cream all over your face? You don't need to shave?"

 

"Pete, it's easier to teach you by showing you, this is how Rhodey taught me, he shaved off his pretty impressive handlebar moustache to teach me so I'll do the same for you kiddo."

 

Peter turned wide eyed to look up at his dad. "Uncle Rhodey had a handlebar moustache? Do you have photos?"

 

"Sure thing underoos, right so back to the task at hand. You have to follow the grain okay, so shave from top to bottom so your skin doesn't get irritated. And don't press too hard it nips if you cut yourself. Watch me." Tony did a few strokes at the side of his face where he had only a short growth having shaved the day before. "Start up here okay Pete and remember no need to rush."

 

Peter stared at himself in the mirror as he shaved for the first time focussing on not cutting himself. He couldn't stop himself from grinning, sure he and Tony worked in the lab together all the time but this was one of the first times they had done some typical father son thing. Ned had told him all about his dad teaching him how to shave several months ago and he couldn't help but feel jealous. He looked up at Tony's mirror image once again and saw he was staring at Peter's reflection with fondness in his eyes, when their eyes met the older man ruffled his hair fondly before continuing with shaving.

 

Tony started to panic internally as he got close to his goatee but one look down at his boy who looked up to him like he hung the moon he knew he couldn't let the kid down. With one swift stroke he took a huge chunk of it off before rinsing the blade, as much as he wanted to do this for his son it was probably best to get the painful bit over with.

 

Peter couldn't help but stare as his dad shaved off his trademark hair, he didn't think he'd ever seen him clean shaven. He quickly got back to work taking off his own pitiful moustache and grinned as he finished up and was once again hairless.

 

"Rinse your face Pete, then I've got aftershave you can use."

 

"Umm…dad I've seen Home Alone."

 

Tony couldn't help but snort. "Kid it nips a little but it's fine, look" He slapped some on himself just as he did every day and grinned. He couldn't help but stare at his own reflection he was sure his lack of goatee would be commented on immediately, he wouldn't be surprised if it made magazines to be honest. He couldn't remember the last time he had been clean shaven, but he would live the rest of his life that way if that was what Peter wanted. Looking down at said boy he smiled "go on Pete, it's fine, you can't even feel it."

 

Peter looked up at his dad doubtfully but copied him hissing as it nipped his skin and gave the man a mock betrayed look.

 

"You'll get used to it underoos. You can just use moisturising cream if you prefer." Tony told the boy ruffling his hair before throwing his arm around the teen's shoulders and pulling him close.

 

"Thanks dad."

 

"No problem kid it's what I'm here for. How about we go show Pep?"

 

Chapter 24

Summary:

Tony's birthday

Peter was lost, he had no idea what to get his dad for his birthday. It was only two weeks away now and he had no idea where to start, what do you even get a man that could buy anything he wanted? He hadn’t got him anything last year, sure they had been kinda close at the time but it hadn’t really occurred to him to get the man anything. But this year he had to get something, he had no clue what though he had never bought a present for a dad before. His biological dad had died when he was young, he had barely been old enough to understand the significance of birthdays and even if there had been a gift with his name on it it was likely something his mom had bought and written ‘from Peter’ on. Then with Ben he had tended to make the man gifts with Aunt May, when he was younger it was often a drawing or something, money was tight so May would not buy something for him to give his uncle she said it wasn’t necessary, so they just made his gift. By the time he was ten he was fairly good with electronics and gifts for Ben was where his love for dumpster diving came from but he couldn’t get his dad something he picked up from a dumpster. Tony had the supplies to create any kind of gadget and owned any sort of technology that he could ever want or need so what would be the point?

 

He had asked his Uncles but they both said Tony would be happy no matter what he got him and he wasn’t really expected to get him a gift anyway. The thing was he wanted to get his dad a gift, he wanted to do something for him but he just had no idea what. Peter sighed out loud as he continued to dwell on what to get his dad. After several more minutes he was drawn from his contemplation by a sharp elbow to the ribs. “Owww dude what the hell?” he yelped as he turned to look at Ned.

 

“I’ve asked you three times if you want to come over later to help with the new millennium falcon model, what is with you today?”

 

“Oh yeah sorry, sure sounds good I’ll just text uncle Happy not to bother coming to pick me up.”

 

“So….what were you thinking about?”

 

“Oh…well…it’s just it’s dads birthday in two weeks and I have no idea what to get him, what do you get a billionaire?”

 

Ned just shrugged and Peter sighed again, this was useless.

 

“Hey losers, can’t help but hear you whining there.”

 

Peter rolled his eyes good naturedly at MJ’s interruption, he was sure she could have helped listening in but whatever, MJ was MJ after all. “Do you have any ideas oh wise one?” he asked the girl sarcastically.

 

“Well he isn’t just a billionaire, is he? He’s your dad, think about what to get a dad not what to get a billionaire. Sure, he could buy whatever he wanted but think of something he might like but won’t have thought of. Dad’s like any gift from their kids. Plus, he’s a first-time dad he has nothing to compare your gift to, you could buy a mug and he’d be thrilled.”

 

Peter nodded at her words deep in thought. She was right he supposed Tony was a first-time dad, what would someone buy a dad just after they became a parent? Something of their child, a baby book? Was that self-centred? Anyway, he was fairly sure May had got his dad something along those lines, a few weeks ago he had gone to the storage facility everything from the apartment in Queens had been moved to and found a small wrapped box with Tony’s name on it which he assumed was for the man’s birthday. He wasn’t positive it was something to do with him but May had loved sentimental gifts and embarrassing him so it was highly likely. Maybe he could get his dad something they could do together? Sure, they worked in the lab together and watched movies together but how about a gift they could use if they were to just hang out together? Peter filed that thought away as the bell rang for afternoon classes, maybe he was onto something.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

The next day when Peter left school he practically ran to his Uncle’s car. “Hey Uncle Happy, can we go to the toy store on the way home please? The one dad took me to when I was three?”

 

Happy simply blinked a few times as he digested what his nephew was asking, “you know they don’t sell Lego there or at least not the difficult ones that you like to build kiddo, you sure you want to go there?”

 

“Yep, definitely. I need to pick something up, it’s for Dad’s birthday.”

 

Happy just nodded resigned to spending the next hour or so in a children’s toy store. He had known Tony for years now, he supposed making bizarre requests was just part of being a Stark.

 

When they pulled up the store Peter ran inside and headed straight to the Avengers section but stopped when he couldn’t see what he was looking for. He could see plenty of Iron Man figures the same as the one his dad had bought him when he was a toddler and indeed he still had in his bedroom, but he couldn’t see what he was looking for exactly.

 

“Excuse me?” He said as a staff member passed him by, “I’m looking for a remote-control Iron Man, do you have those?” At the man’s nod he grinned but it quickly slid off his face when he was led towards robot Iron Man that you could make walk around but that was all, it was just the same as any other robot but had the appearance of his dads suit. “Ummm I was looking more for one that could fly? Do you have those?”

 

“No one has those kid, sorry, only these or we have a whole section of remote controlled cars and airplanes if you want one of those?”

 

“It’s okay, thanks for the help.” Peter sighed looked like that idea was out the window…or maybe not. Surely if he could manage to create a record player for Ben’s old music out of things from the trash he could make a remote-control flying Iron Man in the lab. He could totally do that. Going back over he grabbed three of the Iron Man robots he had been shown before heading towards the section with the cars and airplanes where he helped himself to three planes and three helicopters. He had never owned anything remote control himself and surely the best way to see how they worked would be to buy some try them out himself and take them apart. Sure, he could do that with only one of each but what if he destroyed one by accident or something? Better safe than sorry, plus he never really spent what he earned while interning so it wasn’t as if he was short on money. “Research” was all he told his Uncle when he was given a confused look earning himself an eye roll and the man muttering something about Stark men.

 

As soon as he was home he jumped out of the car and headed to the Intern engineering lab where he left his purchases before he ran upstairs to do his homework. His mom and dad were adamant homework always came first before lab time or Spiderman so he dropped himself down at the table and got started, the sooner he finished the sooner he could get started on his dad’s present.

 

Pepper blinked when she walked into the kitchen to see her son working diligently. Sure the boy knew he had to do his homework before he could go to the labs or go out as Spiderman but he tended to watch some TV when he first came in, seeing him working was a surprise, especially as she knew he had only been back ten minutes or so, she had received an update from FRIDAY as soon as he came home with Happy. “You feeling okay there Peter, how come you are doing your homework already?”

 

“I want to go to the labs I have a project.”

 

“Really, I didn’t know that what is it?” She hadn’t heard anything of a project, Peter usually told them what he was working on or when he had projects at his internship and she was sure he hadn’t mentioned anything recently. At this time of year they didn’t tend to give interns projects, college students tended to have exams and coursework, Peter would do soon as well so generally intern hours were cut down at this time, what could he be doing?

 

“Oh…um…it’s a personal project, just an idea”

 

“Right, do you need any help? I’m sure Tony could come and give you a hand.”

 

“No! No!....it’s fine mum, really I want to do it myself, don’t tell dad.” Peter practically pleaded, eyes wide.

 

That statement set off warning bells in her head immediately. They didn’t do secrets in this house…well not from each other.   

 

At his mom’s suddenly stern look Peter swallowed nervously. “It’s just a surprise for dad…that all it’s a birthday present…it’s perfectly safe…well I think it is. I’ll make sure I have someone check over my designs before I do anything, I have to do that anyway to use the labs so….please don’t tell dad.” Peter rambled desperately, he didn’t want the surprise to be ruined too soon after all.

 

“Has this got something to do with you and Happy taking well over an hour to get home from school?” At her sons nod she smiled. “Okay, I won’t tell Tony, but you have to get everything double checked, I will be getting FRIDAY to keep me updated.” She grinned at her sons nod and ruffled his hair fondly. “Good boy, I’m sure he’ll love whatever you make him.”

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Tony couldn’t help but notice his son had been working in the labs a lot recently and hadn’t been out as Spiderman as much as usual. Sure he had been out a few times but in the past ten days only three times, usually he would go out five times a week when he could, it was strange. He tried to ask him if there was a reason but he just got a shrug in response and Peter claiming he had a project. But he knew Peter hadn’t been assigned a project so what was he up to?

 

“What do you think he’s doing Pep?”

 

Pepper rolled her eyes at her husband’s question. He had asked the same thing five times in the past few days and it was getting annoying. “I don’t know Tony, leave him alone, he said it’s a surprise, I’m sure you’ll get to see it when he’s finished.”

“I could help him.”

 

“Leave it, I’m sure if he needed help he would ask, let him have his independence. You gave him this internship, so he could learn and earn his own money, let him. You can’t always be there to help him with every little thing.” Tony sighed at her words and slumped down on the couch, he supposed she was right, maybe he was being a little overbearing.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Rhodey blinked when he walked into the intern lab the day before Tony’s birthday, sure Peter was sometimes messy but he had never seen the kid’s area in that much of a mess. There were wires all over the place and several toy Iron Man figures in states of disarray, it was as if the boy had decided to play operation with them. A couple were missing their heads and one had no arms, the most disconcerting however was the one that appeared to have been cut down the middle and turned partially inside out as well as slightly melted, what on earth was that about?

 

“Ummm should I be worried kid?”

 

Peter jumped at his uncle’s voice, also the man didn’t quite sound like he was joking. “Oh…no sorry, it’s just for Dad’s present I had an idea but those figures weren’t good enough and the robot models were far too heavy” he pointed towards the pile of metal, plastic and wires that were once two Iron Man robots, “so I ended up making my own, I’m nearly finished now. I just need to finish up a little thing and then wrap it up.”

 

Rhodey just nodded at the kid’s words, he couldn’t see from where he was standing exactly what the kid was working on and he couldn’t really hazard a guess either. “What are you building? Do you want some help?”

 

“No!....no it’s okay Uncle Rhodey, I want to do it myself and I want Dad to be the first person to properly see it, it’s his present and I think he’ll really like it…or at least I hope he does…”

 

“Pete…you could give him that mangled melted Iron Man over there and he would keep it on his bedside table.”

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Tony grumbled when he was shaken awake the following morning. It was the weekend, he had no meetings why was he being woken up?

 

“Dad, daaaad, dad. Wake up. It’s your birthday, come on we made you breakfast.”

 

At the mention of food Tony’s eyes shot open and he pushed himself up in bed grinning when he saw his wife and son standing at the foot of the bed with his breakfast on a tray. It wasn’t that he had forgotten it was his birthday….he just hadn’t really expected anything, sure he got gifts from some of his friends and of course Pep, Rhodey and Happy but he hadn’t been expecting breakfast in bed. He pulled the tray towards himself with a grin pecking his wife on the cheek as he did so.

 

Peter swore his dad was taking ages to eat breakfast deliberately…or maybe he was just impatient. He just wanted to give him his present and at the rate he was going he wouldn’t be able to for hours. The second his dad put the final slice of bacon in his mouth Peter grabbed the tray from him and ran to take it back to the kitchen. His mom said he could give him his present once breakfast was finished and everything was put away so he was going to ensure that was done as quickly as possible.

 

Tony did consider scolding his son for being rude but Pepper rested a calming hand on his shoulder before he could speak. “Leave him, he’s just excited to give you your presents, he’s been working hard for weeks.”

 

Tony blinked as he registered his wife’s words, so that was the mysterious present Peter had been working on in the labs, he hadn’t been expecting a gift from the boy at all to be honest, but he didn’t think it would matter what it was he knew it would be the best present he had ever received. “Better not keep him waiting then.” He said as he climbed out of bed and grabbed his dressing gown before giving Pepper another kiss. “I’ve got to say breakfast in bed is a slightly different wake up call than you gave me last year for my birthday.” He murmured in her ear roguishly, grinning as he saw a blush spread across her cheeks.

 

Tony left his wife spluttering behind him and made his way to the lounge where there was a small pile of presents on the table waiting for him. “Do you want me to open yours first Pete?” he asked the teen who was perched nervously on the edge of the opposite sofa holding a medium sized box in his hands.

 

Peter suddenly felt nervous about his gift, he had been so excited just moments before, what if his dad hated it? “Ummm…no it’s okay open those first.”

 

Tony just nodded, he could see the boy was uncomfortable so reached for the closest gift and began to open them.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

It took ten minutes for Tony to open the gifts in front of him but to Peter it felt like just seconds. He reached beside him to where the gift from May was, he would leave his own until last, he was sure May’s would make the man cry so he wanted his to hopefully cheer him up again. “Ummm…I found this in the storage facility a few weeks ago I think May must have got this before…well….before….but it has your name on it.”

 

Tony reached out for the gift honestly surprised to have received anything from the now deceased woman, he never would have expected it. He smiled softly as Peter put his own gift down on the table and moved to sit beside him, he could feel Pep move in closer on his other side. Peeling back the paper he immediately realised he was holding a book….well not quite, a photo album.

 

Peter smiled sadly as he saw the album in his dad’s hands, it was so May. He was drawn from his musing when he heard his mom coo from his dad’s other side, looking at the book he couldn’t help but blush as he saw a photo of himself asleep on the couch wrapped up in a blanket lying on top of his dad.

 

Tony smiled as he looked through the album, there were plenty of photos from all sorts of occasions, there were a couple he was sure had to have come from FRIDAY as they were of himself and Peter in the lab, also there were some from his bachelor weekend and several of May herself with Pepper at the bachelorette weekend. He chuckled softly as he saw the numerous photos he himself had sent May from when Peter was turned into a three-year-old. The book was about half full and he smiled as he saw the note on the first blank page.

 

Tony

You are the best co-parent I could have asked for and the perfect Dad to our boy. I hope you treasure this album and fill it with more happy memories of this new family.

Love, May Parker

 

He had to wipe back tears at the note, it was short but it said all that was needed, he loved it, he had never thought he would be a man to use a photo album he had FRIDAY after all but this was amazing and he would always treasure it.

 

After several moments of silence and reflection Tony placed the book on the coffee table and reached out for the gift from his son.

 

Peter bit his lip nervously as he Dad began to open his present, he could only hope he didn’t hate it.

 

Tony pulled away the paper to reveal a plain box, “nothing is gonna jump out of this right?” he asked unsure whether or not he was joking.

 

“No. It’s fine, but you don’t have to like it, if you don’t like it it’s okay I get it. It’s maybe a bit lame.”

 

Tony opened the box before his son could fall deeper into his self-deprecating pit. Inside were to Iron Man figures slightly bigger than the one he had bought for Peter when he was a child and under those two…controllers? Oh my god! “Peter…this isn’t what I think it is is it? You made these yourself?” At the boys nod he grinned widely and pulled one of them out of the box as well as the remote. “Well show me how they work then kid, let’s go.”

 

Peter felt like his smile could split his face as he grabbed a control himself and the other figure. “So you just turn them on…they are powered by batteries right now, I was going to charge them up but then you’d have to wait to use them, if batteries die you can just replace them…I thought it was easier.” At his dad’s nod he continued. “The top bit of the controller is for land mode and this bit for flying, if you use it in land mode you can make him run and use the arms like this….then if you want him to fly you just use these and he lifts up see….and fly mode turns on the thrusters….they don’t do anything they just make a light come on in the hands and feet and look cool you can’t move the feet when you fly though or he loses balance, so magnets stick the legs together automatically when he flies….yeah and he makes that noise when you use thrusters because….well because that’s cool too…”

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

When Rhodey and Happy entered the penthouse three hours later they were met with the sight of Tony and Peter both still in their pyjamas on the couch racing Iron Man figures around the room under the bemused gaze of Pepper.

 

“Woah Peter….can I get one of these for my birthday…”

Chapter 25

Summary:

Peter goes looking for things he shouldn't

We are having guests for dinner, can you be home by six please? – IronDad

 

Well duh, Uncle Rhodey and Uncle Happy always come on Friday's, it's like the law - Spiderbaby

 

They aren’t guests, they don't count, be back by six – Irondad

 

Who's coming over? Tell me and I won't tell them you said that – Spiderbaby

 

Dad, are you ignoring me? Who is coming for dinner? – Spiderbaby

 

Dad, seriously who is coming? Please tell me - Spiderbaby

 

Tony grinned as he read his son's texts, He would never mute the boy obviously what if he actually needed him for something, but it was perhaps better to keep the teen wondering. Peter's timekeeping was horrendous though no matter how many times they reminded him when his curfew or dinner was, so by not telling him who was coming over hopefully he would be so eager to know he would be home on time for once.

 

The engineer ran his hand through his hair, SHIELD had been reinstated with Fury at the helm once again after a thorough screening and interview of every employee, that had been about two months ago and now the man was coming for dinner. Nick had been at their wedding of course and he had spoken to him briefly then but a wedding was no time for business so here they were. He had been expecting the call to be honest, he knew Fury wanted the Avengers back together and to be honest a part of him did as well but he had Peter to think about now. He didn't care what the other Avengers said to or about himself, but he didn't want his son getting mixed up in it all. Peter was just a boy no matter what the teen claimed, he didn't want to expose his son to the messed-up relationships of the Avengers. His own feelings for the Rogue Avengers as the press had dubbed them were mixed, he had begun seeing a therapist months ago just as he promised Peter he would and they had discussed the topic extensively. He could understand Roger's point of view but he would never forget what the man had done, he could forgive him he supposed but he had been so sure he was going to die in the bunker in Siberia and that haunted him. Well death didn't haunt him, he wasn't afraid of death it was everything he would have missed. If he had died he would never have experienced family life as he did now, he would never have understood what it was like to have someone rely on you and look up to you the way his son did, he wouldn't have understood unconditional love, he would have died as half the man he was now. And if he died Peter would be lost in the foster system by now, he knew how bad it could be, he had seen the statistics. His son would be unlikely to go to university or if he did he would have had to work to support himself throughout putting himself under so much pressure and that was without factoring in Spiderman, and that was something he would not forgive Rogers for.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

"shouldn't you be somewhere right now Pete?"

 

Peter swore quietly to himself as he looked at his watch, it had just hit six. His dad was going to kill him.

 

"I wouldn't let your dad hear you say that kid." The voice said again as Rhodey walked into the lab.

 

Peter grinned as he looked up from the computer in front of him signing off and shoving the papers he had been looking at into the desk drawer. "Sorry, Uncle Rhodey I'm trying to make improvements to the remote-control Iron Man.”

 

Rhodey chuckled as he looked down at his nephew ruffling the teen's hair affectionately, "it's fine, I saw you in here and thought I'd pick you up, I'll keep quiet about the language if you can make me a War Machine one soon but the lateness is on you."

 

"Thanks" Peter said grinning as he fell into step beside the man and immediately launched into telling him about all the work he had been doing. He liked these moments with his Uncle especially as the man had missed last week's dinner.

 

Tony sighed as he looked at his watch, he was glad he had told Peter six and not half past which was when their guests were coming. He really should nip this in the bud though, it was getting ridiculous, he would have to reinstate the 'sort out your fucking life Tony' protocol…well under a different name of course, Rhodey had developed it years ago and it was the worst. Somehow the man had got a hold of a recording of him singing…he was sure it was from in the shower which definitely broke some boundaries by the way, but whenever he was late for something whether it be a meal or a meeting the recording would blast over the speakers in the room he was in and not stop until he went to do whatever it was. It was embarrassing, it had gone off when he had a woman over once during his playboy days…mortifying. He was positive it would work for his son, especially if it went off while he was in the intern lab, the embarrassment alone would send the kid running home…then again maybe too embarrassing, that was the entire reason the protocol had been shut down after all, he could handle a lot of things but the embarrassment of that recording was excruciating. On that note maybe he'd give the kid one more chance.

 

Peter swallowed nervously as the elevator opened and he was met with the stern gaze of his dad. "Sorry?" He couldn't help but cringe under the glare he received, "I just got really into what I was doing."

 

"You didn't think to set an alarm? Or ask Fri to remind you?" Tony softened slightly as his son blushed embarrassed to have not thought of something so simple. "Last chance Pete. If you're late again without a good reason I'm setting up the singing protocol…I'm sure Rhodey has told you about it."

 

"What…." Peter started before his mouth fell open as he realised "you mean the 'sort your fu…" He stopped speaking as his Uncle's hand covered his mouth before he could finish.

 

"Yeah, that one Pete. Now go get changed…wear something nice." He grinned as the boy sprinted past unwilling to stand around in fear of further scolding. "Good save Rhodey, so what have you been up to, we missed you last week."

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Peter wouldn't say it out loud but he was intimidated. Mr "just call me Nick kid" Fury was terrifying, he knew it was childish but he had unconsciously moved closer to his dad when the man had walked in and had relaxed immensely when the man placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Sure he had met him briefly at his parents wedding but that was different there hadn’t been any real focus on himself but now he couldn’t help but shiver under the mans stare. The other guy though he seemed nice, his parents were being quite stiff with him however so he wasn't sure what the deal was there but he seemed cool…he was a secret agent so that alone was enough. They were all lounging on chairs in the lounge, they wouldn't be eating for another hour or so which did make him wonder why his dad wanted him to be here but it did seem like they were still waiting on more people so maybe he wanted him to meet them. He listened politely trying not to let his mind wander as his dad talked to Mr Fury about SHIELD and his mom….well his mom seemed to be scolding Coulson about something…Uncle Rhodey and Happy it is then.

 

Tony looked up as the elevator opened once again letting in their final guests. He placed his hand on his son's shoulder steering the boy around the couch as he did so quite literally pulling him from the conversation he was having with his Uncle.

 

Peter couldn't help but grin like an idiot when he realised who else was coming for dinner. "Thor! I didn't know you were coming. I've not seen you in ages….how's Loki? Is he here? How long are you staying? Can we train together again?"

 

Tony chuckled at his son's enthusiasm but tensed slightly at the final question. "Yeah, no training without someone else there to supervise, why you two thought electrically charged web grenades was a good idea to try out inside is beyond me. Hi Brucey bear, Nat sorry my son saw fit to ignore you, come sit down."

 

Peter blushed, it wasn't quite a telling off but still. "Sorry Bruce, sorry Nat, how are you? And those grenades were awesome, you were just being overprotective dad, if you hadn't gone all Iron Man on us that wall would not have ended up with a hole in it." Feeling his dad's hand tighten on his shoulder he frantically changed the subject. "I managed that move you showed me last month Nat, I should totally show you it's so badass." One more look at his dad and he backtracked immediately "well no not badass, cool. It's so cool and I'll show you later, because yeah…dinner."

 

Pepper swooped in and saved her son seeing as he husband didn't seem inclined to help him out of the hole he was digging himself into. "Pete go set the table would you? Use the nice plates."

 

"Yes mom." He murmured thankful for the reprieve but rolling his eyes internally, the nice plates were first of all horrible and he had no idea why they even had them, Peter had used them a grand total of twice before now and he was sure his dad had only used them a few times himself.

 

He set the table hardly paying attention when he heard what they were saying in the next room, he froze straining his ears to listen to the mumbling. Usually superhearing was a nightmare but when he wanted to eavesdrop…not so much.

 

"Tones, are you sure about this? Don't say it's okay because that's what they want to hear. Think about what he did to you, he left you there, Tones…you could have died in Siberia." Peter could hear his uncle's voice break at the end of his sentence and tensed. What on earth were they talking about? Siberia….Siberia….his dad had been in Siberia just after Berlin, he remembered the black eye he had sported and the stiff way he had moved for a while afterwards, he knew something had happened with Captain America but not what had happened exactly.

 

"Emotions were high Rhodey-Bear, I've forgiven him. It's about more than that, Clint and Scott have families, I couldn't bear being away from Pete for as long as they've been away from their kids."

 

"Tony…emotions being high is one thing but he left you in a broken suit…if Vision hadn't been able to get into the camera of the suit we would have had no idea where you were."

 

Peter tuned out as conversation was swiftly changed and a normal volume resumed. He would need to look into this, he knew there had been murmurings of the Rogues coming home but he wanted to know what happened between his dad and Captain America. He rolled his shoulders and schooled his expression as he re-entered the room being careful not to act strange while being deep in thought.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

"Pep, is anything wrong with Peter? He was quiet during dinner."

 

Pepper smiled at his question patting his leg soothingly as she replied "I'm sure he's fine, it was probably nerves and you know he still gets a little star struck over Thor."

 

"Yeah I suppose you're right. I'll maybe see if he wants to do something this weekend as a family, god knows it's going to be a busy month with getting them home."

 

"Honey…are you sure you're ready for this?" Pepper sighed as she received no response from the man next to her in bed, it was going to be a tough few months that was for sure.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

It had been weeks since Peter overheard his parents conversation, he knew it was wrong and that he would undoubtedly be in trouble if his parents found out but he had to know why his mom and uncles kept asking dad if he was ready to see Captain America again. The Rogues were due to arrive in four days and he was running out of time, he'd spent the last few weeks working on his hacking skills and even got his dad to give him tips which he did feel kinda bad about now because the man was giving him help to invade his own privacy…but still he wasn't sure he felt guilty enough to not do it.

 

He was slightly nervous, hacking into his dad's personal files was thought to be impossible and to be honest he was sure if the man hadn't spent several hours telling him the best way to keep data secure two days ago he wouldn't have a chance. Taking a deep breath he set to work, he knew he was looking for a video from the Iron Man suit his dad had worn in Siberia but that was all.

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Tony ran his hand down his face exhausted. There was only four days left until the Rogues returned but there was still so much work to do, it was made worse as he wanted nothing more than to be with his wife and son but the endless meetings kept pushing into family time. He couldn't wait for their vacation to be honest, both himself and Pepper had booked a week off from work just before Pete was due to return to school. He knew the teen had never been away before, other than to Berlin but Pep had made it extremely clear that did not count, he didn't know why though the kid had seen some of the sights…sure he wasn't supposed to have but he still did. He had yet to decide where they were going he had never been on a proper family vacation himself, Howard had always put his work before his family and most the vacations he himself had been on were during his playboy days…maybe he should ask someone with kids for advice on where to go. He knew Peter would be thrilled no matter where they went but he wanted it to be a trip they would all remember for the rest of their lives, it would be their first family holiday so he had to make it memorable. He had considered Disneyworld but it was far too public especially while their adoption of Peter was still not common knowledge, he hated growing up in the spotlight and he was desperate to shield his son from that kind of life. He would have to look into it when he had the time, he vaguely remembered reading years ago about a British Prince…William perhaps…the Royal family made a deal with the press so he would not be harassed by the paparazzi while he was at university. At the time he had wished he had been given such an option while at MIT but he was sure even if he had asked Howard to do something nothing would be done. "Stark men are made of Iron Anthony" would surely be his only response.

 

Just the thought of his dad made his lip curl in disgust, he didn't understand how a man could treat his son how he had treated him. He couldn't stand to see Peter even slightly upset, it broke his heart, he was sure being the one to cause his son unnecessary anguish would finish him. Whenever he punished the boy it was as if he was punishing himself just as much and it would break him if their relationship ever got to a point where Peter didn't like him anymore. Now he thought about it, Peter had been extremely well behaved lately, he didn't want to jinx it but perhaps too well-behaved…

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Peter sighed for what must have been the one hundredth time as he took a sip of his Gatorade. He had asked his dad if he could try coffee a few weeks ago but had been shut down, apparently, he was too young and it would make him overexcited. Him overexcited…whatever...he could be totally chill, last time Thor was over he only asked him six questions before saying hello and letting him inside. Anyway, he was at he assumed was the final wall before he could get access to the videos from the Iron Man suits but he had no idea what the password could be, he had managed to work out it was eight numbers separated into 2-2-4 but that was all. What would dad make his password? It was the final one, he had already managed to bypass the other ones but this one was impossible to skip so it had to be something no one would guess. Or maybe something so obvious no one would bother to try it? It was clearly a date but of what? He immediately typed in 29-05-1970 but was denied. Maybe mom's birthday? He grabbed his phone and googled when his dad's parents had been born but neither of those worked, he then tried when they died but still nothing.

 

Half an hour later and Peter was about ready to pull his hair out. He had tried everything, he would be so annoyed if he failed at the final hurdle, he had tried his Uncles birthdays, the day of the Battle of New York, his dad's graduation day, the day his parents got engaged, the date they got married…but nothing. He spun on his chair aimlessly and then it hit him, maybe the password had something to do with himself? He typed in his birthday and the day his adoption went through but got nothing, so he sat back and thought. What would be a big event in his dad's life? He had tried all his friend's birthdays and when he had met them but nothing worked…maybe…maybe it was that day his dad first came to Queens to recruit him.

 

Peter jumped out of chair whooping as he finally got into the server. He felt a twinge of guilt his dad's final password for very important files was the day he met Peter and he was still going to poke his nose in but he ruthlessly pushed said twinge aside…he needed to know why everyone was being so weird. Looking at his watch he knew he still had about two hours until his parents would be home from their meetings for dinner so he started to scroll through the videos immediately. It didn't take him long to find the Mark he was looking for he knew the date he was looking for after all and only one suit fit. When he opened the file for Mark XLVI he grinned. There were only five videos, which to be honest was slightly strange his dad had shown him some videos from Mark II months ago and there were over fifty of those, so only five was a little weird. Shrugging it off he opened the first one, sliding the bar along he could see it appeared to just be a test flight so moved to the second one. It was clear from the first three videos they were not what he needed but the fourth looked promising, it was the fight in Berlin, it was surreal watching himself fight, in fact just seeing the fight from his dad's point of view was weird. By the end of that video he still hadn't found whatever he was looking for as the last time Captain America had been in it the man was fleeing in a Quinjet with the man with the metal arm. He sighed to himself, maybe he misheard or there was another video somewhere, the one Vision had seen. He opened the final video anyway while scrolling through the texts he had ignored from Ned that afternoon due to being so engrossed in what he was doing.

 

"Stand down soldier"

 

Peter's head whipped up to stare at the screen at his dad's words, he had never heard him speak in such a way, he sounded weary. He didn't move as he watched everything from his dad's point of view, what was going on? When the CCTV video started playing he had to bite his lip to keep quiet, yet he still couldn't look away. He watched in horror hardly breathing as his dad fought Captain America, he felt numb. It was terrifying watching his dad being hit again and again, he choked back sobs as his dad fell to the ground and he watched Captain America leave him there on the ground with a broken suit.

 

After god knows how long of sitting staring blankly at a now black screen his phone beeped telling him his parents were due home in half an hour so Peter mechanically removed any traces of his hack from the system and took out his books so it looked like he had been doing homework, but he knew no matter how hard he tried he wouldn't be able to focus on anything other than the image of that shield coming down for a good while.

Chapter 26

Summary:

Peter finds himself in hot water

Tony's eyes flew open when his bedroom door opened, he hadn't quite been asleep but he had been just about there. His hand was hallway to his chest to activate his new nanobot armour before he realised it was just his son. It was the third night in a row and it was beginning to worry him. Since Peter began attending therapy his nightmares had fallen dramatically, where it was at one point every other night it had become once or twice a month until a few days ago. Peter was inconsolable, the last two nights he hadn't said anything at all simply cried himself to sleep in his arms, he had refused to let go of him even to go to his mom and neither himself or Pep knew what to do.

 

Peter stepped into his parent's room tears still running down his face, he smiled softly as his dad moved over slightly so he could slip in between them allowing him to curl up into the man's chest. He gripped his dad's shirt in his hand, he knew it was something children did for comfort but he couldn't help it, he rested his head next to the nanobot casing, he found the blue glow soothing.

 

"Pete, whats wrong, you know the nightmares won't stop until you speak about it."

 

The boy tensed trying to stifle his tears, he had kept quiet the last two nights but it was difficult. He was terrified of losing his dad, he had already lost four parental figures he couldn't bear to lose anymore. Every time he closed his eyes he saw his dad dying sometimes it was Captain America's shield coming down on his dad's chest but unlike in the video he had seen his dad died, other times it was both his parents taking the place of Howard and Maria Stark and being murdered by Captain America's friend. He couldn't concentrate on anything and combined with the guilt he felt for invading his dad's privacy he couldn't bear it. He couldn't stop another sob from leaving him as he tried to burrow impossibly further into his dad's chest. "m scared dad, I don't want you to go."

 

"Ssssh Petey-pie it's okay, I'm here, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. Daddy's here."

 

Tony felt his son relax in his arms as he ran his fingers through his hair soothingly, murmuring comforting words in the boy's ear always helped calm him down, it had worked when he was a toddler and he couldn't be more grateful it still worked now. Within minutes he knew Peter was asleep and he smiled softly as he looked down at the kid in his arms. He couldn't deny his son's words worried him, he had no idea what had sparked these recent nightmares. After May had died the boy had several nightmares about himself or Pep dying by they had stopped long ago. It could be the avengers coming back but why would that spark thoughts of them dying…unless…

 

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Peter was woken up by the smell of food, practically leaping out of bed as soon as he realised how hungry he was he made his way into the kitchen where his dad was standing at the stove making pancakes while his mom sat at the table StarkPad in hand.

 

Pepper smiled softly as he son walked in and took his usual seat opposite her. He looked pale he had done for a day or two actually but she had asked FRIDAY to scan him and he was perfectly healthy so what could possibly be wrong with him? "Do you want to talk about last night?" she murmured trying to catch the boy's eye but had to supress a sigh as he stubbornly shook his head…he truly was his father's son.

 

Tony shook his head as he heard his wife's question, having thought it over he was fairly certain he knew what the problem was but until he had time to go to the lab and find out for sure if Peter had been looking into things he shouldn't he was unwilling to make any comment to the boy.

 

"Have you finished your homework underoos?" At the boys nod he smiled, of course the boy had, he always had his homework finished these days, it was a requirement to be able to patrol so he tried to get it finished quickly. "How about you head down to the labs for a bit? You can have lunch with the other interns but be home for four yeah? Pep and I have meetings until then, we can keep the evening free for some family time before the rogues come back tomorrow." He saw Pep look at him eyebrow raised, neither of them had meetings today they had kept the whole day free for family time before the rogues came back but she kept quiet undoubtedly knowing there was a reason behind his actions. Luckily Peter missed the exchange between his parents and nodded before placing his dishes in the sink and leaving, phone in hand, probably texting the other interns Tony thought to himself.

 

"Want to tell me what that was all about?"

 

"Sssssh, superbaby has super hearing, wait until he leaves." Tony whispered flapping his arms at her comically.

 

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Peter had been gone about half an hour by the time Pepper returned to the lounge now fully dressed. "So what was that all about? He's distressed we should be spending time with our son not sending him away."

 

Tony rolled his eyes at her mothering tone. "Sure, but I think I know what the problem is, I'm fairly sure he knows about Siberia, I'm not certain it's just a gut feeling."

 

Pepper's jaw dropped at her husband’s words, "how? We told everyone not to mention it, the press has no idea and despite having FRIDAY wrapped around his little finger I doubt she told him."

 

Tony coughed nervously as he admitted he didn't know how Peter knew about it just that he somehow did and he sent the boy away so he could take time to find out how he found out. "The information isn't written down anywhere either physically or electronically and we haven't mentioned Siberia around him as far as I know. He started being weird several days ago."

 

The pair sat in silence for several minutes before Pepper spoke "well, he has been having nightmares for several days sure but he's been acting funny for longer than that, he has been weird since Nick and Phil came over for dinner. But we didn't mention Siberia in front of Peter then, sure it was brought up but he was in the kitchen at the time. Could he have overheard? We don't even know if he knows about Siberia anyway, we can't just accuse him."

 

Tony nodded at her words "I really am certain he knows though I just don't know how, maybe he overheard that conversation, can you remember what was said?"

 

"Well, it was mentioned you could have died but that doesn't explain why he is dreaming of losing both of us." Pepper mused casting her mind back to the whispered conversation "actually….Rhodey mentioned we wouldn't have found you if not for the video on your suit. But surely Peter couldn't get into that information, our son is a genius, but I don't know if he would be able to hack FRIDAY without help and Ned is far too terrified of hacking your tech after you took him aside about helping hack the Spiderman suit and messing with FRIDAY the last time."

 

Pepper startled as her husband leapt to his feet "that little shit, I helped him! I fucking helped hack my own suit, I don't know if I should congratulate him or wring his neck."

 

"I'm not sure you should call our son's friends little shits honey, no matter how angry at them you are." Pepper commented amusement clouding her words.

 

Tony laughed humourlessly "it's not Ned, it's Peter I helped him last week with coding I told him how to best protect important data. I can't believe this, I'll check FRIDAY's files." He ran his hand through his hair in frustration "how do I even deal with this if it's true? Hacking multi-million dollar suits and AI's is not in parenting manuals Pep."

 

It was Pepper's turn to laugh as she mulled over what he had hypothesized, as much as she didn't want to think the worst of her son, she knew it was likely true.

 

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Peter felt awful, he knew he wasn't ill and the only thing he could think of was guilt. He was tired from the nightmares sure but he knew his churning stomach was a result of his actions. He usually felt this way just before a punishment was coming.

 

"Hey Chloe," Peter started turning to his lab partner of the morning "I know I said I'd be here until four, but I need to go home, straight after lunch."

 

Chloe nodded looking Peter over with a critical eye, he didn't look sick or anything and she couldn't think of any other reason he would be going home early….but then again….She eyed the boy who quickly blushed under her gaze and began to shift foot to foot nervously. "you in trouble with the big boss junior?" she asked grinning as he somehow blushed even more. She laughed as Peter didn't grace her question with a response.

 

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Peter was pushing his lunch around his plate barely paying attention to the conversations around him as he tried to formulate what he was going to say to his dad. He was about to make his exit when he got a text, he was going to ignore it and just make his way upstairs when he felt a twinge from his Spidey-sense and his stomach rolled uneasily as he read it.

 

You better get your spider-butt up here fast kid, you have some explaining to do – IronDad

 

Dammit!

 

Peter couldn't help but wipe his sweating palms on his jeans as he stood in the elevator, he was sure he looked a mess, Gregor had joined him to climb two floors and ruffled his hair in some sort of strange friendly yet pitying way before he had got off. He took a deep breath as the elevator approached the penthouse, from the tone of his dad's text he was fairly sure he had discovered what he had done. Even if he hadn't though he was going to tell him, he couldn't carry around the guilt any longer, he felt terrible. After what seemed like an age yet paradoxically no time at all the doors opened and he stepped out into the lounge where, as he expected his parents were waiting for him.

 

Tony had to supress a sigh as he laid eyes on his son, Peter looked terrible. He was pale and with the way he kept wiping his hands they were no doubt sweaty from nerves. "Sit down Peter" he told the teen gesturing for the opposite couch, usually when the boy was in trouble he would sit quietly waiting for either himself or Pep to speak so he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when his son started talking.

 

Peter spoke to his hands clasped in his lap, he was to ashamed to look his parents in the eye as he spoke. "I've done something bad, I'm sure you know…I was about to come up and tell you though. Honest! Ask Chloe I told her as I ate lunch I was going to come home straight after so I could speak to you." Peter stopped speaking there trying to find the courage to continue.

 

"We believe you Peter don't worry. Now look up and tell us about what you think we know you did. You've disrespected your dad enough you should at least have the courtesy to look us in the eye." Pep told her son her tone turning from placating to stern as she did so.

 

Peter nodded jerkily and lifted his head to look at the two opposite him, he knew tears were pooling at the corner of his eyes but didn't bother wiping them away, he was positive he would end up crying regardless. "When Director Fury and Agent came over for dinner…"

 

Pepper couldn't help but roll her eyes fondly at her son's name for Phil, although to be fair when Peter said it the man didn't mind it was just Tony that bothered him.

 

"…yeah so when they came over and I went to the kitchen, I heard Uncle Rhodey ask about Captain Rogers, I heard him say he left you to die. So I tried to find out what he was talking about. I tried Google but didn't get anything so I thought I could try and see the video from your suit, the one Vision saw." He took a breath but soldiered on, he was sure if he stopped speaking he wouldn't be able to start again. "I hacked FRIDAY" he rushed out flinching slightly as his dad's glare impossibly became even more severe at the admission "I bypassed the first few walls to get in then just kept guessing dates. I can't believe you have the day we met protecting Iron Man videos by the way dad" his voice cracked there as his guilt came back full force, he really had betrayed his dad using his love for him against him. He pulled his knees up and resting his chin on them hugging his legs as he did so. "I knew what suit you had at the time so I just kept flicking through the videos until I found the one from Siberia." He stopped talking finally as tears ran down his face freely.

 

Tony sighed, audibly this time, "right Peter, we need to discuss this, I want you to go and find a corner in my office."

 

Peter nodded shakily but did as his dad told him wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his hoody as he went.

 

"Fri soundproof my office." Tony demanded, their son had eavesdropped on them before he didn't want it to happen again. He turned to look at his wife "I don't know what to do Pep, I can't spank him, he didn't put himself or anyone else in danger really, it seems wrong, he's fifteen I can't spank him every time he steps out of line."

 

Pepper nodded at his words, she had been thinking the same. "We can't let it go unpunished either though, we need to nip this in the bud, a lot of important things are discussed here, we cannot let him think eavesdropping is okay. We should probably also take into account that he came clean about what he did, he was on his way to tell us, we can't forget that."

 

Tony nodded, he agreed wholeheartedly with her, their son was terrified of what he had seen, his nightmares made that clear as day. He had read countless parenting books when his relationship with Peter had started to become more familial than that of a mentor and protégé but nowhere was a situation like this mentioned. "He's grounded, that goes without saying." He declared he knew Pepper was probably thinking the same but it was always best to make sure they were on the same wavelength especially concerning their son. "although what he did was wrong and disrespectful he didn't intend it to be, sure he stuck his nose in places he shouldn't but he didn't do it with malicious intent, so I think…"

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Peter sniffed softly once again wiping his tears with his sleeve. He did feel slightly better after admitting what he had done but he still felt awful, he knew his dad had soundproofed the room somehow and that made him feel even worse. Usually he could hear murmurings or something when people were in the next room, not actual conversations unless he actively tried to listen but dull murmuring was like background noise at this point, he was unaccustomed to complete silence and it unsettled him. He shifted slightly as his legs became sore from standing still for so long…why on earth were his parents taking so long? They never left him standing in the corner this long it had been almost half an hour already. What were they discussing? Were they blocking his access to FRIDAY? Were they checking if he had looked into anything else? Were they going to call SHIELD and tell them he knew about Siberia?

 

Tony's heart broke as he stepped into his office quietly. Usually Peter would have heard him enter due to his enhanced senses but that was clearly not the case this time, he doubted Peter could hear anything over his heart-wrenching sobs. His son's shoulders were shaking as the boy cried into his hands still standing in the corner. "Peter" when he got no reply he tried again but his son was clearly too worked up to pay attention. He took a few steps forward and gripped his son's shoulder so he could turn the boy and pull him into his chest. Peter's hand came up to grab his shirt and he couldn't help but smile softly at the gesture despite the damp feeling quickly spreading across his front. He ran his fingers through the boy's curls just as he did when he had a nightmare and stroked soothing circles on his back to soothe him. "ssssh Pete, no need to cry. I'm here, it's fine. Dad's here." It was another five minutes before his son calmed down enough to pull away.

 

Peter didn't want to pull away from his dad but he knew he had to eventually. He couldn't believe the older man would soothe him like that after he had broken his trust in such a way.

 

"Pete, I will always be here to calm you down. Always." Tony promised hiding a smile as his son jumped slightly, he clearly hadn't realised he had spoken his last thoughts aloud. "Let's sit down, we need to talk about this underoos." He led the boy to the two comfy chairs in the corner and once again hid a grin as he saw the boy relax slightly. He had learned early on that it was important to keep punishments separate from everything else to avoid confusing his son which was why whenever he punished the boy it was in this room and why whenever he spanked him it was in the chair behind his desk, clearly Peter had realised this too. Once the boy was sitting comfortably and met his eyes he began talking. "Peter, I want you to know how proud we both are that you came forward and told us what you did, but that does not negate the fact you did it, okay?" at his son's nod he continued "what you did was extremely disrespectful, you would be hurt if we looked through your personal things and that's exactly what you did to me. Even if I had never expressed you couldn't look at them the presence of so much security would have told you clearly enough. Also, you tricked me into helping you, I helped you because I wanted to teach you something new, something I thought you were interested in and you used me. That hurts Pete, that's what hurt the most in fact."

 

Peter started crying once again as his dad spoke, his words were cutting deep and he had never felt more shit in his life.

 

Tony knew his son was hurt by his words but he continued, Pepper was right they had to nip this in the bud. "Your eavesdropping was what started this Pete, I know you have enhanced senses but Rhodey whispered what he said that day and I know you must have strained to hear his words, your listening in was no accident. This cannot happen again. Important things are spoke about here, both here at home and in SI in general, things you don't need to know or don't need to worry about, you cannot just listen in to other people's conversations. I never thought that was something I would need to be telling you, you're fifteen now kid, you should know better. Even if you had just overheard what was said, you should have asked me or your mum about it, if we thought you should know we would have told you. Your meddling just resulted in you being in trouble and you have terrified yourself. We don't keep things from you to be mean, we do it to keep you safe, whether from harm or nightmares."

 

"I'm sorry dad, really I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to use you like that, I didn't think…"

 

"That's exactly it Pete, you didn't think, if you had spent even five minutes thinking how your actions would affect others you wouldn't be in this position now. The rogues are back tomorrow and this is not how I wanted to spend our last day before they returned."

 

Peter nodded sadly at his dad's words hiccupping softly.

 

"Now your punishment, you are grounded, that goes without saying. For the next five days you cannot leave the penthouse, also you are banned from your internship and all labs for two weeks, I know you earned your right to be there but you used what you learned there wrong, if any other intern had used what SI taught them to hack into someone's personal files they would be fired Pete, this is serious. Also you cannot use your laptop for anything other than school work while you're grounded and you can only do so if myself, Pepper, your Uncles, Bruce or Nat is there to see what you are doing. And finally to keep you busy I want an essay, 1500 words on why eavesdropping is wrong and the consequences."

 

Peter nodded sullenly at his punishment, he couldn't really argue with what his dad said especially when he had been so horrible. "Yes sir."

 

"Pete, I know what you saw scared you and that was why I never told you about it, but do you have any questions?" When the boy shook his head he sighed softly, he decided to just let it go but knew it would probably come back to bite him in the ass at some point. "Okay, if you're sure. But remember you can come to me anytime and talk to me about anything, if I can tell you the answer I will."

 

"I know dad, I'm sorry, really." Peter said imploringly his eyes impossibly wide as they looked up into his dads.

 

"Good boy, now I heard Pep say something about movie night, how about you run and get into some pyjamas and we can watch a film and get a takeaway."

 

"Thank dad, love you" the boy said falling into his dad for a quick hug before running out of the room to change.

 

Chapter 27

Summary:

The Rogue Avengers arrive home

Tony couldn't help but sigh as he lay in bed, he had managed to get a few hours of sleep but he knew he wouldn't be getting anymore tonight. He was nervous about the rogues coming back, he hadn't seen any of them since the fight in the airport and now they were staying in the tower for three weeks as upgrades were being done in the living quarters of the compound. It was true the entire team had at one point all lived in the tower but it was no longer possible, he wanted to keep Stark Industries separate from the Avengers but more than that he had a family now, a real family and despite Peter being a superhero he didn't want him exposed to the risk of living with the Avengers, he also had a huge workforce in Stark Industries and he felt it a disservice to put them and New York City as a whole in more danger than necessary.

 

He looked over at his wife next to him in bed a soft smile on his face as he did so. He would never know what he did to deserve such a loving family but he knew he would do anything to protect them. As if she could sense his stare Pep opened her eyes lazily and smiled up at him.

 

"You okay?" she murmured still half asleep, "why are you awake?"

 

"ssssh nothing Pep, just thinking, go back to sleep love. I love you."

 

He grinned softly as she closed her eyes once again and was asleep in seconds before he climbed out the bed careful not to jostle her. Grabbing clothes blindly from the wardrobe he made his way to the kitchen for coffee. Surprisingly a child coming into his life had made him cut down on his caffeine intake and improved his sleeping habits. He had honestly never felt better than he did now, he was physically in better shape than he'd been in years and he had been seeing a therapist weekly for months now, since he had agreed to go if Peter went. He was, for the first time in a long time, truly happy and that was why he was so worried about the arrival of the other Avengers in just a few hours. He was worried he himself wouldn't be able to cope but also he was worried about his son. He was worried the others would hurt him in some way…it was illogical sure but still he couldn't get the thought out of his head, also he didn't want to admit it but he was insecure. He was terrified when the others arrived Peter would see Captain America and change his mind about having him for a dad, he was worried he would lose his son to the Rogue Avengers, and that was what was keeping him up.

 

"Dad? Why are you here? Are you okay?" Tony nearly dropped his mug he was so surprised, he usually knew whenever someone else walked into the room but he had been too deep in his own head."I'm fine Pete, I just couldn't sleep. What are you doing up?" He sighed as his son just shrugged in response but put down his now empty cup and lifted his arm so Peter could curl up next to him. He smiled softly as he rested his chin on the teenager's head. He knew the boy would speak up soon with what was bothering him so he simply made himself comfortable and waited silently.

 

"Dad….do I have to like them? Because I don't think I can. Well maybe Falcon and Hawkeye are okay and that giant man but I don't have to like Captain America do I?"

 

Tony withheld a sigh and held his son tighter against him as if his hug could keep him safe from anything and everything that could possibly hurt him. "No. You don't have to like him. You don't even really have to see him, they are all staying two floors down on the spare one below Bruce and Nat. You'll have to see them at some point though, you can’t just hide away."

 

Peter nodded into his dad's chest unable to hide his relief as his whole body relaxed. At one time he had been a huge fan of Captain America but after seeing what he had done to his dad he couldn't stop the anger from bubbling up inside him each time the man was mentioned.

 

"Pete, you don't have to like any of them, but you have to be polite okay? They are my colleagues….friends even, just please don't do anything rash." He felt Peter nod once again into his chest, "how about we rest for a little longer? We can make breakfast for Pep in a little while."

 

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"Send a photo of that to my phone Fri" Pep ordered as she walked into the lounge to see her two boys curled up together on the sofa. She had been worried Tony had gone to the lab which could be almost impossible to get him out of again when he hadn't come back to bed but after checking Pete's room she knew they had to be together. They both took comfort and strength from each other and she was sure the two of them needed both of those in spades today. It was now half eight and the Rogues were due at ten, she had already contacted the tower security teams who said it was getting busy outside the tower as people and press arrived to get a glimpse of the returning heroes and had made sure rooms would be ready for everyone.

 

"Hey, it's time to get up"

 

 

Tony grumbled in response to his fiancée's statement pulling his son in closer while Peter peeled his eyes open. "Five m're minutes mom."

 

"I've made bacon rolls."

 

She grinned as both her boys shot to their feet almost tripping over each other to get to the kitchen first.

 

"Once you're finished you both need to get dressed…." She held her hand up before Tony could interject "no Tony, you can't meet the others in sweats, think about how that will look…no it doesn't have to be a three-piece suit, just wear a t-shirt and a jacket." She ignored his grumbling as she looked at their son "Pete, we'll be gone for an hour tops okay, Uncle Rhodey will come up straight after the press conference to see you while we get them settled. He knows you're grounded so undoubtedly has some sort of gift for you."

 

Peter grinned at her words, as much as being grounded sucked his Uncle often gave him a gift so he had something to do while he was on restriction. Obviously, he had to endure another lecture more often than not but for new Lego kits it was probably worth it…well actually he had really hurt his dad this time it probably wasn't, Uncle Rhodey had the disappointed stare mastered.

 

"It's fine Pete, don't look so worried, he won't tell you off too much." Tony assured the boy correctly guessing what he was feeling, he himself had been the recipient of Rhodey's disappointed looks and his lectures could reduce anyone to tears. "Go get dressed and remember you're already grounded so I want your best behaviour."

 

"Ugh yes dad." Peter replied rolling his eyes at his dad's words as he turned away then yelping as his dad smacked him.

 

"What was that for?" He demanded angrily turning to look up at the man.

 

"Really? You're really asking that? Watch the attitude Pete, just because you're nervous about our guests doesn't mean you can give us attitude young man."

 

Peter blushed as the anger left his body and he looked down at his toes. "Sorry dad. I'll be on my best behaviour." He replied as he gave him a quick hug before turning to head back to his room to change.

 

"Peter," he stopped and turned as his mom shouted his name "you need to tidy your bedroom before they get here, we've let it go so far but it's a pigsty in there."

 

Peter sighed and rolled his eyes once again as he mumbled to himself, "why does my room need to be tidy? Is anyone staying in my room? No. Will anyone see my room? No…"

 

"Do you want to come back here and repeat that Underoos?"

 

"No sorry dad. Won't happen again, I'm tidying now."

 

Tony rolled his eyes at his son's words not truly angry. "He's something else our son. What do you think the others will say when they meet him? Wait do they even know about him? You told them about Pete didn't you Pep?"

 

"What no? I thought you were telling them?"

 

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Peter sighed as he picked his dirty socks up from the floor, he didn't get why he had to clean his bedroom but he definitely didn't want a scolding from his parents when they returned…he had been in trouble the first time he met Uncle Rhodey and when Bruce and Nat first arrived at the tower, he didn't think his mom and dad would be impressed if he went three for three. Well he hadn't been in trouble first time he met Thor and Loki but then again he hadn't really been capable of speech he was so star struck by them. With that in mind he grabbed his muddy trainers and left them in the cupboard by the front door, he was sure his mom couldn't have seen those, last time he wore muddy trainers in the house she made him wash every pair of shoes he owned and then the carpets he tracked mud into…and the ceiling incident didn't bear thinking about.

 

Twenty minutes later his room was tidier than it had been in quite a while…huh maybe mom was onto something about it being a pigsty he thought to himself. Knowing he couldn't use anything connected to the internet without his parent's presence he grabbed a bag of chips from the kitchen before jumping over the back of the couch and making himself comfortable so he could watch the Rogue's arrival.

 

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Tony tightened his grip on Pepper's hand as he stood on the small stage that had been set up for the other's arrival. He zoned out as Secretary Ross droned on about the newly revised accords and all the hard work he had put into them…which was absolute bullshit, the man had kicked up a fuss at every tiny change put forward and if it wasn't for the UN outvoting the man he was sure his teammates would not have been coming home today. With a sideways glance at Bruce who he could see he had also zoned out as Ross continued to prattle on he smiled and looking to his other side he had to suppress a snort, at least Bruce tried to look like he cared, Thor (who had arrived literally seconds before they all came out to stand here) was yawning rather dramatically and waving at a small group of children in the crowd. He was jealous of Peter to be honest, the boy didn't need to be here, after all Spiderman wasn't an Avenger and the general public had no idea himself and Pepper had adopted him, so yeah the kid was probably having a great time not being here…actually Pete couldn't use the labs or internet or really anything so maybe not.

 

Finally, after what seemed like an age, Ross stopped talking and Tony stepped forward to say a few words of his own. He knew the car the others were arriving in was just minutes away and he couldn't really decide how he felt about it. Apprehensive? Excited? Nervous? Relieved? Taking a steadying breath, he moved to stand behind the podium.

 

"I would just like to thank you all for being here today. It has been difficult in the aftermath of what has been dubbed the Civil War…who came up with that by the way? The Walmart parking lot fight sounds sooo much better." He had learnt about that from Peter months ago and he absolutely loved it…Civil War was so intense and violent….which to be fair it kind of was but still…technicalities. "As everyone undoubtedly knows in the past months we have all worked hard to make changes on the accords and now today the Avengers are here to reunite as a team once again." He couldn't help but grin as the audience cheered at his words and everyone seemed to turn as one as a car turned the corner seconds later carrying 'Team Cap'. He felt Pepper hold his hand and turned to give her a quick kiss as he waited to see the others for the first time in what seemed like forever. So much had changed since he had last seen them after all. He was a different man now.

 

Pepper felt Tony's grip tighten for a second before he dropped her hand and took a step forward as the door opened and Steve stepped out. She wasn't sure how she felt about the man to be honest, she could understand his actions to a degree but she would never forget what he had done to her man. His actions could have killed Tony and by extension the life they now lived, her, Tony and Peter. She made sure her emotions didn't show on her face however, she was a professional after all, she dealt with people she didn't particularly like or agree with on an almost daily basis and she knew the importance of showing a united front today.

 

Tony felt his breath catch as Steve stepped out of the car but he stepped forward regardless and shook the man's hand, he looked the same as ever, T'Challa had mentioned a beard last time he spoke to the King but there was no sign of one now. A more genuine smile crossed his face as he saw Clint step out next, as much as they often argued he was still fun to have around and not to mention a fellow dad…although Clint didn't know that yet but still. He pulled the man in for a half hug before letting go so he could make his way to Nat, god forbid anyone that tried to keep the spy twins apart for much longer. He exchanged pleasantries with Scott, after all he didn't really know the man although from his file he knew he was an engineer of some kind and currently out of a job so he would probably look more into that later on. He gave Sam a brief hug before giving Wanda a familiar kiss on the cheek, he wasn't particularly comfortable with her and still had the occasional nightmares from the visions she gave him although now they included his son as well but he knew better than to appear anything other than friendly in front of the press. "Vision was doing some last minute work in your rooms, he's waiting for us upstairs" he assured her when he saw her eyes began to roam around looking for the android and let a small grin cross his face as she gave a heartfelt thanks. He could see the tension leave her body, he knew he would have been extremely distressed if he came home after months away and Pepper wasn't there to greet him.

 

Once hellos had been exchanged he moved back towards the podium to stand next to Steve knowing this was the photo that would probably be on the front pages tomorrow. Himself and Steve, standing together shoulder to shoulder….well sort of…god he hated being tiny sometimes. They stood for several more moments as the press took photos before Steve thanked everyone again for coming and supporting them with a promise nothing would divide the Avengers again…which to be honest was a bold statement to make but he supposed it was what the people wanted to hear and also one he himself hoped was true. With a final thanks and wave to the cameras the team, together for the first time in a long time made their way inside Stark Tower.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Peter turned off the TV when everyone walked inside, he wasn't particularly interested in hearing what the people on it had to say about the Avengers being together again after all. Also, they kept saying his dad and Rogers were like brothers, but he knew no one would treat their brother the way Rogers had his dad. Himself and Ned were brothers as were dad and Uncle Rhodey or Uncle Happy and dad, Loki and Thor too….well that was different but now they seemed like brothers, as far as he knew Loki hadn't tried to stab Thor for like a month and for them that was amazing.

 

Moments later he hears the elevator opening and backflips over the couch to face it having heard his Uncle's leg braces from two floors away.

 

"If your mom catches you doing that she'll be the one flipping Pete."

 

"She prefers it to when I jump onto the ceiling actually, so…."

 

"That's because that's fucking creepy kid and it took forever to get those footprints off the roof."

 

Peter waved away his Uncle's words supressing a shudder at the memory of his mom's face when she saw the dozens of footprints he had left on the ceiling, that was the primary reason for the shoes off at the door thing…speaking of which. "Your shoes are still on Uncle Rhodey, mom will definitely flip if she sees that." He raised the pitch of his voice in a poor imitation of the woman as he continued "I cannot believe you would wear dirty shoes in this house Rhodes! You know better!"

 

Rhodey snorted at his nephew. "Petewe both know you have a higher voice than your mom" he said laughing as the boy pouted adorably and crossed his arms making him look much younger than his fifteen years.

 

"Anyway, I've got a gift for you my favourite nephew."

 

Peter rolled his eyes "I'm your only nephew! Saying that won't make me say you're my favourite Uncle…although maybe if you don't give me the stare of disapproval you could be."

 

"Nice try kid. Tones already spoke to me, you're off the hook with me but don't do anything like that again. You hear me?" When he received a nod he opened his bag and threw a box at the teen.

 

Grinning at his uncle now he knew he wasn't be in any trouble with the man Peter took a look at the box in his hand and almost dropped it in surprise. "Oh my fucking god! No! Oh my Jesus and all that is holy." He didn't even blink when his Uncle cuffed his head for his language as he looked at the Lego Spiderman set in his hand like it was a precious treasure. "This is awesome! Can we do it now, yeah? This is so cool, how did I not know about this?"

 

Chapter 28

Summary:

Peter meets the Rogues

Steve didn't know what to say. Everything that had happened in the last few weeks was just too much, he never would have expected to be pardoned especially after what he had done to Tony. Just thinking about Siberia made him feel sick, he had spent the first month in Wakanda afraid every time the news came on that it would be reporting on him attacking Tony. He knew he was Captain America but the public seemed to take Tony Stark as one of their own, not Iron Man but Tony Stark himself. The reason for that had baffled him for years, he would look at Tony and not understand how the public were so behind him. When he first met the man he had read up a little on him but that was all, he had mainly read about the scandals he had been involved in and when he first met him he had been unimpressed with his attitude, what with hacking into shield moments after arriving on the ship. It wasn't until he was in hiding after the Civil War that he truly found out who Tony was, he found out about all the charities the man supported through the Maria Stark foundation and just how much of his own money he put into efforts to rebuild places the Avengers had destroyed. Curiously in recent months his donations to projects affecting under privileged kids and projects in Queens had grown dramatically, he didn't think people would have noticed if they hadn't been following it as closely as he was but it was still notable. After that the public's love for the man became clear, he knew that had Tony gone public with what had happened in Siberia he would have never been pardoned, in fact he would be lucky not to spend the rest of his life behind bars. But then again, Tony wasn't like that, the man wasn't vindictive, he also put so much effort into protecting those he considered friends and he supposed maybe on some level Tony still considered him one.

 

Also, the pardon Tony had managed to get for them was nothing short of amazing. He doubted he would ever be able to thank him enough. He had been worried about jail time or something similar but they had all just been put under house arrest unless the Avengers were called for a mission. They had to stay in either Stark Tower or the Avengers compound at all times, unfortunately this also applied to Clint and Scott despite having their own homes and families, but Ms Potts had been quick to inform the two men their families were free to visit and would in fact arrive in two days' time. Their rooms as well were amazing, clearly a lot of work had gone into them to make them all feel at home, he had been touched to find a desk full of art supplies in his room and all the clothes and other random items he had left at the compound had been placed in the wardrobe and on the shelves. Seeing Sam's and Wanda's expressions he knew he wasn't the only one to find such things.

 

Tony stood in the lounge area uncomfortably as the new arrivals looked around their new rooms, he wasn't too sure what to do with himself so settled for wandering around the lounge to see if they had forgotten something obvious. This floor had once been used for storing Avenger's gear and was simply a large open space, so he was honestly amazed with the changes to it. He hadn't actually been here himself, Pep and Rhodey had decided how it would look and got everyone's things moved in, all he had done was fund it. However the exclamations of surprise he had heard in a few rooms and whistle of appreciation from Clint told him they had probably done enough. And he still had no idea how to bring up Peter, he couldn't just stop them meeting his son, sure Peter was grounded and not allowed into the labs for a further week after that but they would surely still come across him and it wasn't fair to Peter to be made to hide in his own home. He was surprised Thor hadn't mentioned him yet to be honest, he usually asked about Peter as soon as he arrived but he supposed the arrival of the others had distracted him.

 

"Where did Rhodes disappear off to? I wanted to speak to him about….well…."

 

Tony winced ever so slightly as Sam re-entered the room, "he doesn't hold it against you, what happened was an accident."

 

"Still, I need to see him."

 

"He's um…..busy right now." Tony replied unsure exactly what to say on the matter. He could feel the questioning gazes of Sam, Clint and Steve burning into his skull but he ignored them and took a seat on one of the many couches gesturing for the others to follow suit. He couldn't help but notice they had subconsciously split in half and sat on opposite sides of the room with Thor and Bruce in the middle, just like Berlin. Shaking his head to get rid of the thought he looked up and made eye contact with each member of the team.

 

"Right, so I assume you already know the terms of your pardons?" at their nods he continued, "the compound is having work done right now so you'll be here for at least three weeks then you can decide whether you want to stay here or move upstate, we will need to go there to train however, there is a small gym here Nat and P-Spiderman tend to use but that's all." He saw Steve open his mouth probably to ask about Spiderman but Thor interrupted first.

 

"And where is the man of Spiders? He is usually to be found with you Stark. Unless he is…what do you say? In the ground?"

 

Nat couldn't suppress a snort at the god's words as Bruce tried to explain the boy was grounded and not dead as Thor had made it sound.

 

Ignoring the quizzical looks from those not in the know Tony continued on, the quicker he got through with this the quicker he could get home after all. "So yes. Bruce and Nat live one floor up, they stay here permanently, with Brucie-Bear working here it's easier for them. Then myself and Pep have the top floor. The one below here has the gym and pool but anything below that my employees use so be aware of that. FRIDAY is installed so if you need anything speak to her of course." Turning to look at Scott and Clint he continued "there's a games room your kids are free to use on the thirty fifth floor, my employees often take their kids there especially now it's the school holidays. There's wi-fi and plenty of games and things, it's totally safe FRIDAY vets everyone who even attempts to visit that floor."

 

Steve could see the others nodding out the corner of his eye slightly overwhelmed with all the information Tony had just heaped on them. "A games room? Was that always here?"

 

Tony laughed slightly "no it's only been here a few months my…someone suggested it to me, after he realised some of my employees didn’t have childcare available all the time he asked if he could create something for these kids and now we have the MBP floor.”

 

The group sat in silence for several moments deep in thought trying to process all the changes that had occurred in their absence. They had all noticed Tony seemed different than he had before but none of them could put a finger on how exactly, the man was definitely more relaxed but he also seemed somehow lighter and less stressed.

 

The silence was eventually broken by Clint and everyone's heads whipped around to look at the now blushing man. "Sorry, I'm starving guys."

 

At that announcement Pepper paled. "That's what we forgot. We didn't know exactly when you would arrive until last week so we didn't put anything in the kitchen, I meant to order something as soon as we heard but well…"

 

Tony looked at Pep and knew exactly what she wanted him to do, "we have plenty of food in the penthouse, you can all come up and eat with us."

 

"Why do we need to go up? Can't food be brought down? Surely the kitchen is bigger down here?" Clint questioned confused as the two lovers seemed to have a conversation using only their eyes.

 

"We can't, we have someone staying and so we are eating upstairs. Take it or leave it." Tony told them bluntly standing up and making his way to the elevator as he did so.

 

Deciding not to question the clearly uncomfortable man Steve nodded and followed him into the elevator.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

As soon as he stepped out of the elevator Steve knew something was different but couldn't pinpoint what it was straight away. He had been in the penthouse countless times, all of them had…well not Scott but the rest of them, so he knew the furniture was the same and the setup of the room didn't appear much different so what was it? His musings were interrupted by Clint…

 

"Rhodes! I thought you were doing some top secret business, disappearing on us like that. But no, you just came here to steal the best seats." Clint teased as he leapt over the back of the couch to sit down next to the other man frowning as he landed on a sweatshirt, was that the name of a school on the front of it?

 

"Take a seat, make yourself at home Barton, no problem." Tony muttered as he grabbed a bag of chips off the table and helped himself, Steve wasn't too sure whether or not he was joking to be honest. "And shoes off you animal." That had to be a joke especially coming from a man who had open bags of chips lying around his home, he had never seen Pepper or Rhodes eat chips as long as he'd known them, so they could only be his.

 

"You can't be serious? I've not even been anywhere to get dirty shoes."

 

"My house, my rules. Shoes off. We haven't got ours on." The man said gesturing to himself, Rhodey and Pepper who were indeed in either slippers or socks.

 

Steve slipped his shoes off leaving them where Pepper indicated, noticing that there seemed to be a lot of shoes there already. Sure, Tony was a billionaire but there was a lot of shoes and he didn't think Tony would be seen dead in some of those. A couple of pairs were practically falling apart in fact. Shrugging it off he made his way back to the lounge and sat down while the others left their own shoes with his. He relaxed on the couch letting his eyes wander round the room until they landed on Sam who seemed to be trying to tell him something using only his eyes. Raising an eyebrow, he followed Sam's line of vision and blinked unsure if he was seeing things. There was a photograph on the side table of a teenage boy looking uncomfortable, it looked a little like the school photos Clint had shown him of his own kids in fact. He kept looking around the room and saw even more photos of the same boy, some of the kid by himself and others of the boy with Tony, Pepper, Rhodey, Happy or another woman he had never seen before. The boy appeared to be the same age in all of them and judging by the look of his companions had to be quite recent, in one the boy appeared to be in a lab with Tony and Bruce, in another he was wearing a yellow trophy holding a trophy grinning madly. He couldn't tear his eyes off one of the photos of the boy and Tony, the man's arm was slung over the teens shoulders but the most noticeable thing besides the huge grins they were both sporting was Tony's clean-shaven face. He wasn't aware Tony had ever been clean-shaven as an adult, not as long as he'd known him anyway. The goatee was as much a symbol of Tony Stark as the Arc Reactor, it was bizarre to see him without. On the wall were three photos in a row and he had to pinch himself seeing those. Tony was in them with a child, not the boy from before but a toddler. The man looked at ease as he held the boy securely on his hip in the first then was sitting at the kitchen table feeding the child in the second. It was the third that truly blew his mind though, Tony was asleep on what looked like one of the couches in this very room with the child lying on his chest also dead to the world, it was cute, it was paternal almost. It looked fairly recent as well, it couldn't have been more than a year old in fact, so who were these children Tony appeared so at ease with? Turning to look at the man he opened his mouth to ask but was cut off.

 

Peter barrelled back into the lounge when he heard his dad's voice, he had just nipped away to go to the toilet and grab his phone so he could take some photos of his new Lego. "Dad! Dad! Did you see I'm a Lego? Uncle Rhodey got me it. Did you know I was a Lego? Why didn't you tell me? This is so cool…" he stopped abruptly when he felt eyes burning into him from all directions curling into himself unconsciously.

 

Tony winced as Peter came running into the room. Well at least he wouldn't have to find a way to bring up the subject now he thought as he pulled his shell-shocked son into his side. Ruffling the boy's hair affectionately he looked down at him, "I only found out last week, I didn't know it was released yet though, I asked for a set as soon as possible, it was going to be a surprise, I don't know how Uncle Rhodey beat me." Turning to his long-time friend he raised an eyebrow. "How did you get that before me Rhodey-Bear? I didn't know anyone could get things before I could."

 

The man simply shrugged, "I said I would give it directly to Spiderman and that he was a huge fan, they care more about Spiderman getting it than you, Spiderman has Instagram after all."

 

"Woah. Woah. No." Sam said standing up before Tony could retort causing everyone to go quiet and stare at him. "You're that little asshole from Berlin?" he asked Peter. "You? You caught Bucky's arm. You webbed us to the ground!"

 

"Language!" Everyone froze as Steve and Tony scolded Sam simultaneously.

 

"Don't go calling my kid an asshole, especially in his own home. Birdbrain!" Tony continued as he pushed Peter behind him and made his way over to a now uncomfortable looking Sam.

 

Peter winced as everyone began shouting over each other, Captain America was shouting at his dad for making a child fight for him, Falcon and Dad were shouting at each other, well dad was shouting and Falcon was backtracking and Hawkeye was trying to get information from Nat while moaning that he got stick for keeping his family quiet so why was Tony able to do it? Ant-Man and Scarlett Witch just looked super uncomfortable to be honest, and he couldn't blame them he would rather be anywhere but here. He looked at his Uncle desperately as the noise levels continued to rise with everyone trying to shout over each other.

 

"Stop! You are not shouting like this in our home." Pepper didn't need to shout to get her point across, but everyone still fell silent at her words. "Sit-down, you are all adults. Act like it." Peter had to supress a wince at her tone and she could see his dad doing the same, whenever she spoke in that tone someone was in trouble.

 

She stepped in front of the TV so everyone was able to see her, smiling softly as Tony stood next to her pulling their son between them so they could stand as a family. "This is Peter, he is our son and Spiderman. Any questions?"

 

Team Cap all exchanged nervous glances before Clint spoke up "how old are you Peter?"

 

Surprised to be questioned straight away Peter blinked "nearly 16." He couldn't see it but knew his dad was holding back a laugh and winced slightly when he realised what he said. Was there any way to sound more childish than saying you were nearly something?

 

"How did you become Spiderman? Can you talk to or control spiders?" Before Peter could answer Scott's question Sam cut in.

 

"Does that web come out of you?"

 

"What no! Ewwww. I got bitten by a radioactive Spider at Oscorp on a tour. And no I can't speak to spiders, why? Wait? Can you speak to ants, that's so cool, what do they talk about?"

 

Before Peter and Scott could start talking about the conversations had by ants Steve interjected.

 

"Why did you make your son fight in Germany Tony? What kind of parent does that? Just because you're Iron Man you can't force that on your child."

 

Rhodey closed his eyes briefly at the question as he waited for the explosion. He saw Scott and Clint do the same, they knew better than to insult someone else's parenting in front of them.

 

"Hey!"

 

Rhodey's eyes shot open, he had been expecting Tony to be the one to shout but it looked like Peter had this one.

 

Peter shrugged his dad's hand off his shoulder and took a step towards Captain America. "You don't get to talk to my dad like that. He didn't force me to do anything. He's great, I was already Spiderman before he even met me, I got my powers and wanted to help the little guy. I decided to do this and I decided to go to Germany. You can't just come in here and shout at him, when you know nothing! You only cared about your murderous freaky friend." Peter's voice cracked but he continued on regardless. "You fought your own team and left dad for dead, what kind of Captain are you? When you didn't get your way you threw a tantrum and you called me a child. I used to think Captain America was cool but it turns out you're just a horrible bastard, you don't deserve to be here. I wish you'd stayed frozen asshole."

 

At that Peter stormed out the room tears streaming down his face leaving everyone in a state of shock.

 

 

Tony ran his fingers through his hair, he knew Peter was upset but he hadn't realised just how bad it was, he had been so worried Peter would be scared of Rogers it didn't even occur to him the teen could be angry. He made to go after his son but Pepper reached out and grabbed his arm stopped him. "No, you stay here, this is an Avengers issue and it needs resolved, I will speak to our son." Tony nodded at her words and gave her a half-hearted smile before slumping down onto the couch behind him.

Chapter 29

Summary:

Peter faces the consequences of his behaviour and finds himself in even more trouble

Notes:

Hey everyone thanks again for all the support it really does mean the world to me. This is the final chapter that draws from the original version of this fic I had posted on fanfiction.net so from the chapter 30 onwards everything is new material, if they is anything in particular you want to see I’d love suggestions. Also this chapter does contain a few smacks for Peter but not a full spanking and also he does get his mouth washed out so if you don’t want to read just skip those bits or the chapter entirely.

-EmptyFridges

The lounge remained in complete silence for several minutes as everyone tried to digest what had just happened before Rhodey broke it with a snort. When everyone turned to stare at him…or in Tony's case glare he threw his hands up in mock surrender. "Sorry Tones, it's just when Peter met all of us but Thor for the first time he was in some kind of trouble. He's got a theme going on. He's as bad at first impression as you can be." That comment earned a chuckle from Bruce and Nat on the opposite side of the room.

 

"No Peter's better than me. I'm sorry Rogers I should have seen this coming" he said looking at the man before addressing the room as a whole, "I apologise for my son's behaviour he's a great kid, honestly. He's just upset, he's had a rough time recently. You shouldn't have had to see that."

 

Everyone nodded accepting the apology, none of them were really offended by the teen's words after all. Clint and Scott were sure their own kids would do the same in that situation as well, Steve had been out of line.

 

"I'm sorry too Tony, I shouldn't have accused you like that. It wasn't my place especially in front of your son." Steve said apologetically to the billionaire. "But how did he end up in Berlin?"

 

"He became Spiderman when he was fourteen and I discovered him through Youtube there was a video of him catching a car, he was clearly enhanced. I managed to find out who he was, I was shocked when I found out his age. I knew he was young, but I didn't know he was still a boy. I was always planning to make contact with him but even more so when I found his age, he was running around in a onesie for Pete's sake! He desperately needed an upgrade, it just so happened Berlin came up and I thought it would be safe. None of us were aiming to kill." He told them imploringly willing them to understand why he did what he did. He felt bad for taking his son to Berlin, in a way he had used the boy but it seemed like a good way for him to gain experience in a low risk situation.

 

"And his mother?" Sam asked after several moments of silence as Tony seemed to be getting lost in his head.

 

"I don't know I never met her."

 

Clint raised an eyebrow at that comment "Stark, you know how babies are made yeah? When a man and a woman….."

 

"What no. No. He's adopted. He was living with his Aunt when I found him, but she passed away a few months ago so…." He did some jazz hands to illustrate his point earning a laugh from Nat.

 

"Right…so you just took him in? Just like that?"

 

"Well yes." Tony replied non-plussed, it had been a no-brainer. "He was my son long before May died, he's the best kid I've ever met. Now If you could excuse me for a few minutes I'm going to have a quick word with my little Spider. Make yourselves at home, there's menus over there tell FRIDAY what you want we'll order in a bit." He told the others as he left the room, everything wasn't sorted but his family came first, they knew a little about Peter, enough not to assume he was a child soldier anyway and it seemed unlikely there would be further arguing for the moment.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Peter entered his room angrily wiping the tears from his eyes as he did so and threw himself on his bed face down in an attempt to stifle his crying in his pillows. He hadn't bothered closing his door knowing one of his parents would be in soon to scold him, but he couldn't find it in himself to feel bad about what he said though. Maybe saying it in front of so many people and the crying…ugh embarrassing…but he wasn't sorry for saying that to Captain America he had meant every word.

 

He heard his mom walking down the corridor and couldn't help but let out a breath, he hadn't wanted to face his dad immediately he was sure the man would be furious with him for embarrassing him in front of everyone.

 

Pepper was sure her heart broke a little when she entered her son's bedroom, Peter had rolled onto his back when she came in and he looked terrible. The boy's eyes were red rimmed and puffy and his nose was similarly red and running, he truly looked his age. "Hey Pete, do you want to talk about what just happened in there?" she asked as she perched on the edge of his bed and ran her fingers through his curls soothingly smiling as he lifted his head to rest on her lap.

 

"I was just angry mom, I'm sorry. How could he speak to dad like that after what he did? It's not fair. I can't help the way I feel, I shouldn't be in trouble for that." Peter's voice cracked part way through once again.

 

"Ssssh, Pete I know, I know. You have the right to be angry with him but you can't behave the way you did. You aren't in trouble for being angry with the man. We told you already you aren't obliged to like him but you are obliged to be polite to him Pete. He is staying here for the next three weeks at least, all of them are."

 

Peter nodded at her words still not looking thrilled. "I hate him mom."

 

Pepper sighed, "Pete, you don't hate him that's a strong word. Come on now."

 

"I'm not changing my mind, I don't care if dad spanks me, I hate him."

 

She knew there was no changing her son's mind, he was just as stubborn as Tony at times.

 

"Okay Pete you're not in trouble for your feelings but the language you used was deplorable and I know you know that, you've been in trouble for this before and you're in trouble for your blatant disrespect to everyone that had to witness your display right now. Do you understand me?"

 

Peter nodded mulishly.

 

"A verbal response please."

 

"Yes mom. I understand." He muttered refusing to meet her eyes.

 

"Good. Now I want you to go through to the bathroom and take a seat."

 

Peter paled at his mom's words as he knew what she meant instantly. "No mom! Please, I don't want my mouth washed out. I'm sorry."

 

Pepper raised a disbelieving eyebrow at her son. "Peter you know the consequences for bad language, I know your Uncles have been letting it slide but that stops now young man. No son of mine will be heard using such foul language. And don't argue with me, you're already in trouble do you want to make it worse for yourself?"

 

Peter shook his head angrily, this was all Rogers' fault, if he hadn't come back this wouldn't be happening.

 

"Go to the bathroom Peter."

 

Peter heeded his mom's words and dragged himself to the bathroom dreading what was to come. He had only had his mouth washed out the once before and the memory of it made him feel slightly sick. He swallowed nervously when his mom entered the room with a washcloth and bar of soap in hand. "Please mom," he tried once again "I won't swear ever again I promise."

 

Pepper whipped around from the sink to look at her son. "Peter, so help me god if you try to weasel your way out of your deserved punishment once more you will regret it." She couldn't help but let her anger seep into her words. She knew Peter didn't try to bargain with Tony and she was furious he thought it would work on her. She nodded as her son fell silent clearly chastised and finished covering the washcloth in suds.

 

Peter swallowed nervously as his mom stood in front of him.

 

"Open your mouth Peter. You are going to sit there for six minutes before you can spit okay?"

 

Peter did as she asked grimacing as she coated his entire mouth in suds, it had barely been two seconds and already he was willing for it to be over. He closed his mouth and drummed his fingers against his leg in an attempt to distract himself while his mom washed the offending washcloth.

 

Pepper had no clue how Tony could do it. She knew their son deserved punishment but she still felt horrendous for punishing him. She turned back to look at her son, his eyes were now closed and tears leaked down his cheeks as he bounced his leg in an effort to take his mind away from the soap in his mouth. She wiped away a tear and pressed a soft kiss to his head all her fury from before melting away. "Sssh, Pete only two minutes left to go."

 

To Peter it felt like a lifetime as the saliva in his mouth made the suds multiply again and again. He knew he was crying once again but couldn't find it within himself to care, it was just his mom here, he knew she would never laugh at him, the kiss she had pressed to his forehead told him that.

 

Pepper tapped the teens shoulder so he would open his eyes. "You can spit now Peter." She told the boy and it was frankly astonishing how quickly he moved to the sink and began to rinse his mouth out.

 

Once he had got rid of the horrible taste in his mouth…or as much of it as he could he was sure the taste would never fully go away Peter turned to look at his mom. "I'm sorry. I won't swear again I promise mom. It was rude and disrespectful."

 

Pepper blinked in astonishment, she had never been there when Peter had received a full spanking from Tony but the man had told her he was always quick to apologise afterwards, he always knew what he had done wrong. "Thank you, Peter. Now I want you to stand in that corner for ten minutes and think about the apology you are going to give when we go back through for dinner."

 

Peter blushed scarlet. The thought of going back in made him feel ill. Having to apologise like a little child sounded terrible, he was almost an adult after all. "Mom…"

 

Pepper didn't let the boy continue she knew exactly what he going to try and do. Gripping the boy's arm she spun him round and activated the gauntlet in her bracelet. She didn't wear it often but she had had a suspicion this morning that it may have been needed and here they were. Once it had activated she brought her hand down six times hard on her sons ass before spinning him back around and forcing him to meet her eyes. "Peter what did I just tell you not ten minutes ago?" When he didn't answer immediately she raised an eyebrow.

 

"Not to argue about my punishment."

 

"Exactly, now you've just added another day to your grounding, get your nose in that corner for fifteen minutes."

 

Peter nodded at his mom's words and quickly turned to stare at the wall. He had been spanked once or twice by his mom before for being rude but that was the first time she had done anything like that and he was embarrassed. He was mortified he had been so rude his mom had felt the need to do that and couldn't stop himself from sniffling quietly to himself.

 

Tony touched his wife’s arm lightly to get her attention as she watched their son. He had walked in just as Peter had tried to argue about his punishment and had activated his own gauntlet to discipline the boy but Pep had beaten him to the punch. He knew how much she hated punishing him, he did too but they would not let their son grow up without rules. Neither of them wanted him to become the Tony Stark of fifteen years ago.

 

"Peter come here."

 

Peter jumped when it wasn't his mom's voice that called him out of the corner after what felt like a lifetime. He turned around to see both his parents perched on the edge of his bed. "I'm sorry for being rude mom. I shouldn't have done that it was disrespectful." He smiled softly when he received a nod from his mom.

 

"Peter, dinner will be arriving soon and I expect you to apologise as soon as we go back through but first of all we need to talk about why you said what you did."

 

"Mom said I don't have to like him." Peter said immediately unable to stop himself.

 

 

"I know son. And that's your decision. But you don't need to protect me, I am an adult and you are a child. I don't need you to fight my battles, as flattered as I am. It's unnecessary Pete."

 

Peter nodded at his dad's words knowing full well he would never not stand up for his dad and he was fairly certain his dad knew the same. "Sorry sir."

 

Tony knew his son wasn't being entirely truthful with his apology there but honestly what could he do? The boy had lost four parental figures already it was understandable he would be protective of those he still had. He glanced at his watch quickly "right dinner is ten minutes away. Come on Pete, you've got an apology to give."

 

Peter sighed as he made his way back into the lounge behind his dad where the Avengers were gathered. He couldn't stop himself from fidgeting foot to foot, this was going to be sooo embarrassing, he couldn't remember the last time he felt like such a child.

 

Tony gripped his son's shoulder and manoeuvred the boy so he was in front of him. He could feel how tense he was so pulled him close so his back rested against his front. He knew Peter was embarrassed both by being made to apologise and for his actions, he knew his son knew what he had done was unacceptable the moment he had done it.

 

Peter couldn't help but relax as his dad rested his hands on his shoulders, he always felt protected and safe with his dad behind him no matter what. Taking a breath he made eye contact with Uncle Rhodey, he didn't want to look everyone in the eye and he knew looking at his uncle would make this easier. "I just wanted to say sorry for how I behaved before. You shouldn't have had to witness that, you came here for somewhere to stay and had to witness my misbehaviour and bad language. I was rude to you all and it was wrong of me." He gazed around the room as he finished, he briefly met everyone's eyes, so they could see the truth behind his words, he did however steadfastly avoid Captain America. He would not apologise to that man.

 

Tony smiled softly as Peter apologised without further prompting, he knew the boy was avoiding looking at Rogers but there was nothing he could do about that. He couldn't make Peter like him after all, hopefully it would sort itself out over time.

 

 

"It's fine Peter, water under the bridge." Clint spoke after several seconds of silence. Clearly these idiots hadn't spent much time around kids, he knew how important it was to accept apologies, children needed to know they were forgiven. He had been surprised when he first saw the boy and a few hours ago if anyone had told him Tony Stark was a dad he would have scoffed but the proof was right in front of him. The man seemed confident in his abilities in a parent, the boy had obviously been disciplined just now but he didn't seem overly upset over it and he wasn't trying to distance himself from his adopted parents. Also, the look in Tony's eyes when he talked about his son was the same look he had seen in Scott's eyes when he spoke of Cassie and the same look he was confident appeared in his own when he mentioned his own children. Fatherhood looked good on Tony Stark.

 

"Dinner has been delayed it will be another ten minutes sir."

 

Peter saw Rogers jump at the voice and couldn't stop himself from smirking ever so slightly at the man's discomfort, he did earn a sharp look from his uncle but it was definitely worth it.

 

"So it's the school holidays kid. What are your plans?" Scott asked looking at the teen.

 

Peter blushed unsure what to say "Ummmm…"

 

"He's grounded. So at the moment he has none." Tony said bluntly ignoring the incredulous looks thrown his way. Why did they keep staring at him like that whenever he did something even slightly parental?

 

"Tony if this is because of me I don't…." Steve started but Peter cut him off.

 

"Don't flatter yourself. I was already grounded. You're not that important." Peter bit out ignoring his dad's grip on his shoulders tightening and the looks he received from the others in the room. He saw Nat shake her head in slight amusement as she covered her mouth with her hand.

 

Tony groaned, the kid didn't even last ten minutes, he clearly was his son. Spinning the boy round he bent his knees slightly so he could meet his eyes. "Peter, do we need to go to my office for another discussion? We just spoke about being disrespectful."

 

Peter toed his foot into the ground moodily "no sir," he mumbled blushing slightly, he couldn't believe his dad would say that in front of everyone. And he added emphasis to the word discussion! "I was just telling the truth."

 

Tony ran his hand down his face as he tried to decide how to deal with this. Technically Peter was telling the truth he had been grounded for invading his privacy and the extra day was added for being disrespectful, it wasn't really anything to do with Steve, but he couldn't let the boy off. "You know perfectly well that tone is unacceptable, this is your last warning kid. If I catch you talking like that again we will be going straight to my office. Now apologise."

 

"Sorry." Peter snarked at Steve not sounded the slightest bit apologetic.

 

Tony pinched the bridge of his nose as Steve accepted the non-apology. Had the man always been such a pushover or was he just uncomfortable? He grabbed his son and spun him landing two hard smacks on his ass. "Nose in the corner."

 

Peter's jaw dropped as he turned to look at his dad. He couldn't believe his dad had done that in front of everyone! In front of Thor! When his dad raised an eyebrow he huffed and made his way to the corner his dad was pointing to. He was being so unfair, although he had to admit the man hadn’t activated his gauntlet so it was more to gain his attention that for a serious punishment.

 

Sam couldn't help but raise his eyebrows at the display in front of him. He didn't know how to react, he didn't have kids of his own, he had a few nieces but he hardly ever saw them. This was new territory. He turned to look at the boy, his ears were red, probably in embarrassment, he thought it unlikely the boy regretted his actions, he was not a fan of Steve. Understandable if what he had said was true, it made sense a boy would be upset at anyone who attacked his dad, especially as apparently Stark had almost died. To a boy that had lost so many parental figures it was probably terrifying.

 

Peter heard conversation pick up around him and mentally thanked Uncle Rhodey for that. After several moments of silence his uncle had started chatting in order to distract everyone and he was grateful for that. As soon as he had moved to the corner he felt a few eyes on him, not loads though…but then again Nat, Bruce and Uncle Rhodey had seen him in trouble before and Hawkeye and Antman were both parents so probably knew he wouldn't appreciate staring. He shifted from foot to foot slightly, he was angry his dad had sent him here in front of everyone and smacked him but he couldn't deny that he had deserved it. He had multiple warnings but was still blatantly disrespectful to Rogers, he knew his dad was probably embarrassed by his actions, it probably made him look like a terrible dad. And he wasn't! His dad was the best.

 

"Pizza's have arrived sir." FRIDAY spoke and Peter couldn't have been more thankful. His dad wouldn't leave him in the corner over dinner so he couldn't have long left.

 

"I'll go" Clint volunteered as he dragged Sam along with him to go down and retrieve their dinner. They tended not to allow deliveries all the way up here and with so many pizzas being ordered a tip was needed so they had to go down in person rather than just tell the pizzaboy to leave them in the elevator. Also, he wanted first dibs.

 

"Two of the meat feasts are the kids!" Tony yelled after the retreating pair, knowing exactly why Clint wanted to fetch the pizzas. The man had taken Tony's favourite Chinese order for a month after he had flushed him out the vents that one time. He still didn't regret that to be honest, Barton's face had been hilarious. Now for his son. He did feel slightly bad about smacking the boy in front of everyone but he had it coming and if Peter's behaviour didn't sort itself out soon then it would undoubtedly happen again. He would never give his son a full spanking in front of everyone but a warning smack or two was fine in his books.

 

"Peter come here."

 

Peter blushed at his dad's words as eyes turned to stare at him from all directions until a sharp look from his mom put a stop to it. Thank god for mom. He made his way to his dad and stood in between his knees before looking into the man's eyes. "I'm sorry." He said immediately before his dad could speak.

 

"Thank you, but it's not just me you need to apologise to is it? We discussed your attitude not even half an hour ago and yet here we are again. You're a good, polite boy Pete, this isn't you. Your behaviour today has been unacceptable, is this really the first impression you wanted to give? Your fifteen not five but your behaviour has said otherwise son. You keep telling me you want to be treated like an adult but letting anger take over your emotions isn't something adults do." He could feel Rhodey's judgemental look at that last comment but ignored him. Peter would be better than him.

 

Peter knew his lip was trembling at his dad's dressing down, the man was right he did keep complaining he was being treated like a child but here he was acting like one. He knew crying would make him seem like more of one but he couldn't help himself as he fell into his dad's outstretched arms. "M-sorry dad." He mumbled into his chest not caring that he was soaking the front of his shirt.

 

"Ssssh it's fine Petey." Tony assured the boy as he stood up still holding onto the teen. Had Peter not been so upset he probably would complain about being carried like a toddler but the boy remained quiet. He made his way out the room towards the bathroom just down the hall, he didn't want everyone to see his son cry or himself for that matter. Peter crying always made himself feel wretched after all.

 

Peter tightened his grip as his dad stood but refused to move his head from the man's chest as he carried him out the room. "S-sorry for acting like a baby dad. Didn't mean to be an embarrassment."

 

Tony's heart broke a little at the statement and he had to swallow the lump in his throat. Once they were in the bathroom he sat on the edge of the bath. "Sssh Peter. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Your disrespect was unacceptable, but you weren't acting like a five year old, that was wrong of me. I know you have a lot on your shoulders and you're rightfully angry and upset with Steve but I can't let you get away with being rude."

 

Peter nodded as his breathing calmed at his dad's words. "Sorry."

 

"And Peter you could never be an embarrassment, you are my son. I will always be proud of you no matter what. Yes your actions were wrong but you've been punished and it's been forgiven." Tony told the teen soothingly as he wiped his tears away with a washcloth. "Now, how about we make our way back in there, there's two pizzas with your name on them."

 

"Thanks dad." Peter mumbled still embarrassed about crying in front of everyone. "Will anyone…do you think…"

 

 

"No one will mention it Pete, don't worry. Now go and apologise to Steve, properly this time and we can eat."

 

"Yes sir."

 

Peter once again stood outside the lounge with his dad's hand on his shoulder nervously trying to come up with an apology. An apology he didn't particularly mean or want to give, the last time he had at least felt bad about behaving poorly in front of everyone and being rude, but he didn't feel bad about being rude to Rogers, the man deserved it. But he also didn't want to be in even more trouble with his dad, ugh. He sighed softly as his dad propelled him back into the lounge causing everyone to look up from the huge pile of pizza boxes on the table.

 

"I'm sorry Captain, for being rude to you, it was wrong of me and I apologise. Sorry for being sarcastic and rude when I apologised before as well." He briefly made eye contact with the man who nodded at him accepting his apology then turned to address the room as a whole. "I'm sorry for putting everyone in an uncomfortable situation again."

 

Tony let out a breath of relief when Peter gave his apology, he really didn't want to have to punish the boy fully especially not when it was the first night the whole team were back together. He took a seat next to Pepper on the couch and couldn't help but grin when Peter sat between them a giant pizza on his lap.

 

Peter had to pinch himself, there was no way this could actually be happening, he was sitting eating pizzas with the Avengers! Sure Rogers was here so that was a bit of a damper and he had already met most of them but still. God, he wished he was able to send Ned a snapchat but noooo being grounded meant grounded from Spiderman, fun and Ned apparently. It sucked.

 

Clint had been watching Peter since he came back in and the boy was putting away that pizza like nobody's business, it was pretty impressive but Tony claiming two of them were for the teen had to be a ploy to keep one for himself. "Hey kid." He called across the room causing said teenager to look up. "You sure both those pizzas are for you?"

 

"Uh….yeah. Who else would they be for?"

 

"Kid, you're tiny, no way are both of those yours. Those pizzas probably weigh more than you do. I've only got one and it's a medium no chance you can eat two extra larges." He scoffed.

 

Peter opened his mouth to tell the archer about his metabolism but was elbowed sharply in the ribs by his dad.

 

"Two pizzas is nothing for the kid Barton, Why do you care so much? You think you could eat more than him? Need I remind you of the last time we had an eating competition here?"

 

Clint scoffed, he had tried to forget about the time he tried to eat more hot dogs than Thor to be honest. "Easy. I can definitely eat more than him."

 

Peter smiled and leaned forward, "How sure? How about we bet on it?"

 

Pepper made a noise of discontent at her son's words but he simply turned to look at her puppy dog eyes on to the max. "C'mon mom please, this is like a business transaction, it's practice." She smiled at the boy, really she should say no but those eyes….and it seemed like a good bonding experience.

 

"Fine."

 

Peter cheered before he turned to look back at Hawkeye. "If I win you have to teach me how to shoot a bow and arrow." He stated crossing his fingers in the hope his dad wouldn't stop him, it would be soooo cool to be able to shoot a bow and arrow. Admittedly it wasn't a useful skill really but still.

 

"Sure kid," Clint shrugged. "But when I win I want to get a go of those webs."

 

 

Peter nodded, he didn't think the man would actually be able to use the webshooters, you needed super strength for them to work but it wasn't like he'd lose so why not?

 

"If you spew Katniss you're on your own." Tony told the man as he stood up and made his way to the kitchen with a huge stack of boxes. "And you can't teach the kid a thing till he's off restriction.

 

Clint nodded as he followed the man through to the kitchen.

 

"I'm with my nephew." Rhodey announced as Nat, Bruce, Thor and surprisingly Sam backed him up.

 

When Clint turned betrayed eyes to look at Sam the man simply threw his hands up. "Hey man, he's a teenage boy, he can easily eat more than you."

 

"Pfft sure."

 

Clint sat down at the table opposite Peter and took a slice looking the kid in the eye. He would definitely win this.

 

Ten minutes later he realised he maybe would not be winning this. He had gotten through the first eight slices easily but was starting to struggle slightly while the teenager looked perfectly fine and was still eating with the same gusto he had been the whole time.

 

Tony was actually quite impressed with Barton he hadn't expected the man to eat as much as he had what with being a totally normal human…on second thoughts maybe that meant it was kind of disgusting. The man had eventually had to admit defeat however and he couldn't help but grin at his son, sure he knew Peter was going to win but he was still sort of proud despite Pepper's disapproving looks. It was only eight o'clock though and although this spontaneous competition had taken up a fair amount of time he wasn't sure what to do for the rest of the evening. It was probably rude to just send everyone away after all.

 

"Okay kid. You may have beaten me at this but there's no way you'll beat me at Mario Kart." Clint told the still grinning teen. How the boy could still be cheerful after eating so much was honestly a mystery. He could see everyone had relaxed somewhat during the contest though and was sure more friendly competition was the way forward. It may not be a long lasting solution to the discord within the team but if it would help everyone relax somewhat it was worth a shot.

 

"I'm in" Sam shouted grabbing a remote from the basket as the team headed back towards the lounge.

 

Peter hung back and looked up at his parents who were the only two left in the room. "Ummm…am I…I mean…" He started, he wasn't usually allowed to use electronics while grounded and Hawkeye hadn't really given him an opportunity to refuse the offer.

 

"You can play Pete" Tony told the boy earning a beaming smile in response, he held up a hand before Peter could run into the lounge. "It's a one off though, and if you play I don't want a single complaint out of you when you have to go to bed otherwise you'll have an early bedtime for your entire grounding."

 

Peter nodded at his dad, he would have agreed to almost anything to be honest. He had the opportunity to play Mario with the Avengers! So cool. Like sure he played against his dad and Uncle Rhodey occasionally but they didn't really count.

 

"Hey! I totally count as an Avenger Pete!"

 

Peter blushed at his dad's words not realising he had said that last bit aloud, he couldn't help but grin cheekily at his mom as she laughed though. "Yeah but you're dad first then an Avenger second."

 

Tony wasn't sure whether to be touched or offended at his son's words so settled for ruffling the kid's hair as he pushed the boy into the lounge and took the final controller for himself.

 

Pepper took a seat on the couch next to Natasha and simply observed as the evening wore on. She took part in the odd conversation but was content to watch as the team became more relaxed around each other. The issues from the past would not be forgotten in a single night but tonight was a good starting point for them all. Even her husband looked relaxed as he sat on the couch between Clint and Peter playing his sixth game of Mario, she had been worried he still felt guilty over what had happened to the team…despite having literally nothing to feel guilty over at all but still. If she had just walked in now she would have thought she had gone back in time if not for the presence of their son, coming home to see the Avengers sprawled out in the lounge surrounded by snacks while trash talking each other had been an everyday thing and she was relieved it appeared to be making a comeback.

 

Steve didn't know how to feel, he had been bullied into one game of Mario Kart and promptly lost badly just as he always did so now sat on a barstool as he watched the others. Although everyone appeared to be relaxed the atmosphere wasn't quite what it had been before and there was nothing he could do about it. Himself and Tony would once trade jokes but with Peter's presence he felt he shouldn't, whenever he even looked at the billionaire he could feel the teen's glare burning into him. He knew logically he shouldn't be intimidated by a child and he supposed he wasn't, he was just ashamed and burdened with guilt over his actions. He had little to no experience with teenagers other than from when he himself was one so had no idea how to get into the kid's good graces, he supposed time was the only option.

 

Chapter 30

Summary:

Peter makes some new friends

Peter sighed for what must have been the hundredth time as he sat at his desk doing his English homework. He was sooooo bored of being grounded and he still had three days to go until he could leave the penthouse or use his laptop for anything other than school work. Both his parents were at work, well his mom was, his dad was in a meeting with secretary Ross and the other Avengers. The man had turned up and demanded they all meet…that was five hours ago and Peter was bored beyond belief. He had rebuilt his Lego Spiderman kit but doing it alone wasn’t nearly as fun as with Ned and he couldn’t use his Xbox so he didn’t really have anything to do other than his homework…who even cares about Macbeth anyway?

 

When he finished the paragraph he was writing he threw his pen down and stood up. It was three o’clock and that was definitely an acceptable time for a mid-afternoon snack. He made his way through to the kitchen asking FRIDAY to play his usual playlist as he did so. He hummed along to the music as he grabbed a knife and plate…the last time he made himself a snack he had just used the counter and it was safe to say his mom was not impressed. Like okay sure he got a bit of peanut butter on the counter that he didn’t wipe up and some jelly fell out of his sandwich onto the floor but it was fine…well fine until his mom came in and stood in it while in socks then put her hand on the counter to steady herself…okay it was not fine at all. That was not an experience he was particularly keen to go through again to be honest. He made his sandwich as he sang along softly to the music dancing as he did so…that was the good thing about being home alone he supposed, he was sure his dad would laugh at him if he did it in front of him but only FRIDAY was here right now.

 

He made two sandwiches and continued dancing round the kitchen while he ate them, it was halfway to his mouth when he heard a strange noise he had never heard in the penthouse before...was that giggling? He spun on the spot still holding his sandwich in his hand which he promptly dropped his mouth wide. Standing inside the elevator were…children? “Ummm hello?” He said unsurely tensing slightly, his spidey sense was silent though so surely he was fine, it was highly unlikely they were assassins. There were four of them just staring at him, two boys and two girls, what was he supposed to do? “Are you lost? The MBP floor is number thirty five…”

 

The older looking of the two girls speaks up after a few seconds of silence, “the lady in the ceiling took us here, our mommy’s are shouting at our daddy’s so we had to leave with the voice.”

 

Peter blinked at her words as he tried to process what was going on. He looked at the oldest of them, a boy around ten or eleven for help. “Iron Man told us to come up here when our moms started shouting. Where is here?”

 

Peter nodded dumbly, he supposed if his dad sent them here there must have been a reason. “This is my home….well Iron Man’s home, I live here too. I’m Peter by the way.” He added as an afterthought. “Come in…ummm sit down.” He continued unsurely, he wasn’t really sure how to interact with children.

 

“I’m Cooper Barton, that’s Lila and Nathanial my brother and sister and that girl there is Cassie Lang,” the eldest told him pointing lazily at each child as he introduced them.

 

At Cooper’s words Peter knew immediately why they had been sent up to the penthouse. They were clearly Hawkeye’s and Ant-man’s kids and by the sounds of it said superheroes were currently being shouted at for their actions in the whole ‘Civil War’ fiasco so the kids had been sent up here. Great.

 

“Ummm…okay well you can just turn on the TV ask FRIDAY and she can put anything on….”

 

“Do you have an Xbox?” Cooper interrupted before he could give any more options.

 

“Well…yeah…but I can’t use it right now so…I don’t have the controllers.”

 

“You’re grounded.” The older of the two girls Cassie piped up immediately causing the three eldest children to stare at him. “What did you do?”

 

“Well…ummm…I sort of…hacked into dads AI and shouted at Captain America and well…yeah…that’s it.” Peter rushed out blushing madly.

 

“Your dad’s AI….wait is this your home? Iron Man is your dad? So cool.” Cooper burst out suddenly interested in the older boy. Sure Hawkeye was cool he supposed but his dad wasn’t…Iron Man though…so cool. “And you shouted at Captain America? Super cool!”

 

Peter suddenly found himself surrounded by all four children asking him questions. What was he supposed to do? Apart from Noah weeks ago he had never interacted with a child like this…well Ned’s sister on occasion but this was new territory, there were four of them! His head began to hurt slightly from the incessant questions especially as their voices grew louder and louder. “Woah okay calm down. Yes Iron Man is my dad. Yes he’s pretty cool sometimes and yes I shouted at Captain America, that was super cool.”

 

He suddenly became quite uncomfortable under the worshipping gazes of the four kids around him…well three he supposed Nathanial probably didn’t really understand what was going on. The all stood in a slightly awkward silence for a few moments until the toddler reached forward and started to pull on his trouser leg. “Pway?” Before he could answer he heard Cooper let out a groan.

 

“Ugh no Nate…Peter doesn’t want to play with a little baby, he’s practically a grown up. We don’t want to play loser baby games.”

 

Peter could see the child’s bottom lip begin to tremble and without thinking lifted the toddler up easily and balanced him on his hip. “It’s okay Nate…don’t worry we can all play something together,” he directed the last bit towards the other three sending a slightly pleading glance Cooper’s way. He could see why the boy was complaining he had seen Ned do the same countless times but he was out of his depth and needed to find something to do to keep all of them occupied. “Any ideas?” He said silently praying he wasn’t going to end up in some children’s tea party.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Tony froze as he entered his penthouse ignoring the grumbling of Scott and Clint behind him as he prevented them from entering the room as he pinched himself to make sure what he was seeing was real. The five kids…well three kids, one toddler and one teen were laughing madly with their backs to the door having not seen the adults yet. Peter was wearing a blanket as a cape holding his Thor hammer above his head while Nathanial clung to his back dressed as Spiderman giggling madly, Cooper was wearing two Iron Man gauntlets and a mask while Lila was holding a plastic bow and arrow and Cassie was holding what appeared to be toy widow bites in her hands.

 

“Fri, get a photo of this.” Tony ordered grinning as the kids jumped and spun around to stare at the assembled adults. When they turned Tony could finally see what they were all looking at and had ‘defeated’, there was a what appeared to be a large teddy bear with a toy shield duct taped to its arm…a very familiar looking shield. He raised an eyebrow as he looked at his son for an explanation.

 

“Well we didn’t have any other enemies to use, we can’t fight the hulk and it’s not fair to fight Loki he’s a good guy now.” Peter explained with a shrug.

 

Tony decided to leave the fact Peter had called Steve a bad guy in a round about sort of way for now and entered the room properly. He couldn’t help but smile at the kid’s costumes, he supposed the others must have had theirs with them because he didn’t recognise anything but the hammer his son was still holding...well and the blanket, it had cost him a small fortune, probably best not to tell his son that though, he didn’t want him freaking out about it, it was nice seeing him act like a kid for a change. “As sad as I am to break this game up I’m afraid it’s time to go kiddos, your dad’s want to see you all,” he explained as he lazily waved behind him where the kid’s dads’ both stood. He felt slightly sorry for the two of them…not that they hadn’t deserved the brutal dressing downs from their wives…well in Scott’s case ex-wife but still, he was glad he sent the children upstairs, things turned nasty…fast.

 

Cooper nodded at Iron Man’s words not really registering what he was saying, he would agree with anything Iron Man said he was so cool, he had to be pretty cool to be Peter’s dad. Peter was cool, he would have loved an older brother but no he got stuck with a sister and a baby brother, they weren’t fun!  At that moment Iron Man’s words registered, “But I don’t want to go yet Peter said we could use the Iron Man robots….”

 

“Yeah, he said he would show me how to fly the little Iron Man so my Ant could chase him.” Cassie continued.

 

“It’s okay guys, the robots can wait till another day, you haven’t seen your dad’s in ages.”

 

Tony grinned at his son’s words. The boy was red as a tomato clearly embarrassed at having everyone’s attention focussed on him. “Pete is right kiddos, it’s time to go home, we all have another Avenger’s meeting tomorrow he can babysit you then.” He heard a sigh from behind him at his words and before he could ask Clint what his issue was the man’s son made it very clear.

 

“Hey! I don’t need a babysitter! I’m ten. I look after Nate all the time when mom’s busy.” The pre-teen didn’t bother explaining it was literally for like two seconds while his mom stirred the dinner or hung out laundry but that was beside the point. He was practically a teenager!

 

“Good one Stark” Clint mumbled under his breath as he stepped around the man to look at his son properly for the first time in over a year. He kneeled down slightly so he was at eye level with the boy, “hey kid, there’s no need to shout okay. That was rude.”

 

“Sorry Iron Man.” Cooper mumbled looking up at his hero eyes wide. How could he have been rude to Iron Man? What if he hated him now?

 

“It’s okay squirt, I’ve already forgotten about it, now why don’t you munchkins go with your dad’s and you can play with Peter again tomorrow okay?” At the kid’s nod he ruffled his hair like he did to his own son before helping Nathanial off his teens back and handing the toddler to his dad as the other two grabbed all their toys and the teddy Captain America and went over to their dads.

 

Peter nodded along to his dad’s words, sure he had fun with the kid’s, but he was now slightly embarrassed to have been caught in such a position, he was fifteen not five! “Seeya tomorrow” he called after them before making a hasty exit to his own bedroom.

 

Tony watched the boy go grinning to himself as he picked some stray cushions of the floor. He supposed he should have got Peter to do it it was his mess after all but the boy was clearly embarrassed, it was probably best just to leave it and it was only a few cushions after all. He could understand the boy’s embarrassment, to Peter being caught playing around like a child when he tried so hard to act older than his age was embarrassing but to him it was a step in the right direction, the teen wanted to be seen as an adult desperately and it had worried him. He had asked Peter’s therapist about it in fact months ago, it had concerned him that Peter felt the need to put up a front so often and her explanation had been eye opening. She explained that the behaviour probably started when his parents died and she believed he attempted to act older to be less of a bother to his aunt and uncle who he felt in some way had been forced to take him in. This had then only become worse once Ben died when he was left ‘man of the house’, with his at the time new powers added to this Peter forced himself to leave many juvenile behaviours and impulses behind. She had told himself and Pep that over time Peter may begin to pick up some of these behaviours he dropped in a subconscious attempt to reclaim his childhood and that if he did they should support them but not necessarily point them out…which to Tony didn’t make much sense but she was the expert. He supposed Peter letting down these walls even though it was more for the benefit of the children who had been foisted upon him…which he should apologise to his son for it had been a terrible thing to do without informing him…rather than his own benefit was a good sign. It showed the boy was comfortable in the tower, sure he knew Peter was but this cemented it even more, obviously taking Peter in after May’s death had been a no brainer but still it had been daunting and he had been worried he would somehow mess it up so to see the teen so at ease here was heart-warming as well as reassuring for himself.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

The following morning Peter was sat in the kitchen with his breakfast halfway through a huge stack of pancakes when his dad turned to face him, “you don’t mind looking after the Barton kids and Cassie do you Peter? I know I just shoved them on you yesterday but I didn’t want them to see their parents arguing and I didn’t have time to get them signed into the MBP. It’s okay if you don’t want to look after them today though, you can just hang about here and watch TV or something when we’re at our meeting, I can get them set up in the MBP no problem.”

 

Peter just shrugged as he continued eating his pancakes, “I don’t mind, we had fun. It was a little scary I don’t know anything about kids but it was fine really and I did tell them they could use the Iron Man robots today, I don’t want to let them down. I can call you if I need help though?”

 

“Of course, kiddo, just ask FRIDAY and she’ll contact me or Pep.”

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Peter didn’t actually know what time the kids were coming up to the penthouse, his mom was going to be with SI all day, the Rogue Avengers coming home was not going to be the cause of any loss of production within SI after all, and his dad had a meeting with the R&D department followed by a business lunch with a journalist about the Avengers and then a meeting about the accords. He had been lying on the couch for quite a while by now, he had watched six episodes of Brooklyn-99 and when his stomach began rumbling louder than the TV he made himself some sandwiches and heated up some soup before dropping back onto his usual spot in the couch. Before long he felt his eyes begin to close…a nap would probably be good before the kids came up now he thought about it.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Peter could hear high pitched giggling and had a sudden itch on his face. Still not opening his eyes he reached up to scratch under his nose causing even more giggles. Peeling an eye open he was faced with Cassie leaning over him almost nose to nose, before he could even realise what was going on her panicked and rolled to the side and off the sofa with a thud causing even more hilarity for the kids around him. “Uncool Cassie” he mumbled as he rolled onto his back to look up at her again, immediately paling when he saw the pen in her hand. Whipping his head around he made eye contact with Cooper who was holding Nate’s hand loosely, “please tell me she didn’t,” when he only received a nod from the other boy he groaned dramatically. 

 

“Sorry,” Cassie said blatantly insincerely as she continued laughing softly.

 

“You know if you give me a makeover it’s only fair I give you one kid.” Peter told her with a raised eyebrow. “Coop the Iron Man is over there if you want to have a practice and I put one of the ones from the shop in the corner if Nate wants to try it, the robot only goes forward and backwards he won’t have any difficulty.” When he received a nod from the preteen he turned to look at the two girls. “And you two…how about a makeover, I know you had something to do with this goatee as well Lila.”

Chapter 31

Summary:

Cooper gives Peter an idea

“Peter, where can I get one of these?” Cooper asked as he flew one of the Iron Man robots around the room, he was surprisingly good after only three days of using it…but then again, he was a pre-teen and played his Xbox often so using the controls wasn’t overly difficult.

 

“I can make you one if you want, well once I’m allowed back in the lab,” Peter offered as he flew his own around the course they had created around the room. They had attempted to make one the day before but Nate kept knocking over the obstacles and trying to catch the robots so they had been forced to wait until today. It was just Peter and Cooper in the penthouse, the girls were out with their mom’s shopping and Nate was spending time with his dad so it was just the two of them. As Peter thought about the other three kids he couldn’t help but wonder why Cooper was with him. “How come you're up here and not with Nate and your dad?” he asked turning to face the other boy as he landed his robot on the table.

 

Cooper landed his own robot next to it’s partner and shrugged, “I like hanging out with you, you’re fun and well…Nate doesn’t remember dad so I don’t want to intrude on them getting to know each other again. I feel bad about it. Lila has been taking up a lot of his time so with her away I thought it was a good time to come up here so they could you know….bond” he finished with air quotes around his last word.

 

Peter just nodded unsure what exactly to say to that, he wasn’t very good at comforting people. “You’ve spent time with him too though?”

 

“Well duh, I was a bit angry in the beginning because he just left, he said he had retired then just disappeared but there’s nothing to do about it now. He’s my dad I can’t stay angry, and we have been spending time together when the other two are in bed, that’s helped.” The younger boy said before he looked back at the robots on the table, “hey Peter, have you thought about maybe selling these? They are brilliant, I’d buy one and I think my friends would too.”

 

“Ummm no I hadn’t thought about it, do you think people would buy them?”

 

“Uh yeah, definitely.”

 

“Huh, maybe. I’ll think about it. Actual work on them would have to wait until my groundings over though.”

 

“You can’t have long left surely? It’s been aaaaages”

 

“Its not been too bad really with you and the others here to be honest, and my mom and dad are always home for the evening by dinner time so it’s fine. I’ve only got today of being stuck in here but then I’m grounded from the labs for another eight days.”

 

“That sucks.”

 

Peter just shrugged he couldn’t argue with that.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

“Earlier Cooper was saying he would buy one of the Iron Man robots, do you think people would?” Peter asked halfway through dinner with his parents that evening.

 

“I think so, well I mean they are brilliant Pete, were you thinking about selling them?”

 

Peter shrugged suddenly unsure about the idea. Was it even legal? Surely the Iron Man image was already owned by a company. “Maybe, I mean could I?”

 

“Legally yes you could but it’s a lot of work Pete, you know that right?” Pepper asked as she considered the idea.

 

“Well yeah, but I just think that as you and dad said one day SI will be mine so why shouldn’t I start now?”

 

“If you are serious about this Pete we can look into it, but this is your idea okay, this is on you. Think of it like a trial run, are you sure you can handle it?” Tony asked, he didn’t want this to end up being delegated to someone else, it was Peter’s design so he should see it from start to finish, it would be educational.

 

Peter steeled himself and nodded. Of course he could do it. “Do you have a book that could point me in the right direction?”

 

“Fri will send some to your Starkpad, you’ll get it back first thing tomorrow.”  

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

The following day Peter found himself on his way to the MBF with six Iron Man robots, he had managed to persuade his dad to allow him two hours in the lab that morning under strict supervision so he could make them for his market research, he hadn’t wanted to take the ones from the penthouse, after all, they meant a lot to him, there were only four and two of them were strictly for use by himself and his dad. He wasn’t sure it had been that great an exchange to be honest, he had been given the time to make them if he agreed to join all the Avengers that evening. Sure Clint was cool, he had only spoken to him a few times but Cooper’s admiration for the man was enough for him, the same went for Scott. Sam seemed okay, he had only spoken to him that first evening but the man had apologised to Uncle Rhodey as soon as he saw him so that made him rise up in his expectations. Also Wanda had been sent to stay with a Doctor Strange for a few weeks of her house arrest so she wasn’t around. No most the Avengers were fine…it was just Rogers. He hadn’t actually seen him since that first night and that was totally fine with him.

 

Peter arrived at the MBP and was immediately allowed access by FRIDAY, only himself, his parents and Happy were granted the privilege, the safety of the children here was a high priority. “Umm hi,” he started nervously as he walked into the room, there weren’t many children in the room he had just walked into, maybe fifteen. “I’ve come down with some robots and I was wondering if you could test them out for me.”

 

“Who are you? I’ve not seen you here before.” One of the older boys spoke up as he looked at him warily.

 

Before Peter could open his mouth to answer a familiar voice sounded from the corner. “That’s Peter Joe, remember the boy I was telling you about, the one who was good at math.”

 

Peter grinned as he laid eyes on Noah, “I hope I’m good at more than just math, do you want to test my robots out?” When the boy nodded he placed the box containing the robots and the controllers to the kids and started explaining how they worked.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Two hours later Tony walked into the MBP to find the largest room holding all the kids on the floor as they each tried out the toys. Two of the large whiteboards from the study room had been dragged in and were covered in writing, he would have gone to read them but the thought of crossing the room full of screaming and laughing kids seemed a little daunting. Also, this was the first time in years he had come into a room been noticed and then almost immediately ignored. He thought that showed exactly how good his son’s robots were. The toy Iron Men were more interesting than actual Iron Man.

 

“Hey dad. They seem to like them.” Peter told him happily as he made his way over.

 

“That’s quite an understatement Pete, I got you the forms to fill in for a patent, they’re in the kitchen.” Peter nodded at his dad’s words his grin not leaving his face. Maybe these toys were actually pretty good, he knew they were good but he still hadn’t been sure his dad hadn’t said he liked them because they were a gift from him. His Uncle had said the man would love anything from him after all, obviously this was not the case thought judging with how the kids were arguing over whose turn it was next.

 

Peter wandered over to the boards on the opposite side of the room and looked over the ideas. Was it possible to patent the mechanics of it? He wasn’t sure, a few people had written they would like different versions, of course Iron Man was the first one he made and would try to get off the ground but perhaps in the future he could design more. After all the Iron Man aspect was just the casing, the inside of the robot was the same, he could make Peter Pan or a fairy or a female superhero from a comic, he didn’t know any real ones that could fly. Obviously, he wanted it to be someone that flew because that was the most fun part of the robots, running them around was cool but the flying was the best part without a doubt.  Looking back over the board he saw someone had written they wanted it to shoot darts or something, he had considered the idea when he first made them but that made the robot more about fighting than anything else and he didn’t want that. Iron Man was about saving people and doing the right thing, Iron Man wasn’t a weapon so he wouldn’t allow his robot to be marketed as a toy for fighting.

 

After another half an hour it was clear nothing more was going to be written on the boards, so Peter snapped a photo and left the MBP leaving the robots behind as he told FRIDAY to make sure they didn’t leave the floor.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

“So Peter, I hear you were working on doing something with those robots you created.” Sam said as he sat down next to the teen that evening.

 

“Ummm yeah, Cooper gave me the idea actually,” he said as he nodded towards the other boy, “and dad got me the paperwork to fill out for the patent of them so if that goes through I guess I’ll see where to go from there.”

 

“That’s impressive kid. I don’t know many fifteen-year olds that would spend their summer doing business.”

 

“I don’t think of it as business really, it’s fun at the moment so it’s just exciting it doesn’t feel like work really, maybe it will at times, but I think I like the robots too much for that to happen.”

 

“What will you call them?” Clint asked from across the room.

 

Peter stopped as he thought it over, he hadn’t considered that at all, he supposed it made sense he couldn’t just call them Iron Man robots.”

 

“Super Iron Man?” The archer suggested.

 

“That’s too close to Superman and Iron Man is a hundred times better than that character.” Tony complained as he entered the room.

 

“The incredible Iron Man?”

 

“RoboIron Man?”

 

Peter grinned as names were tossed around between everyone, he began laughing as they became more and more ridiculous. “We aren’t calling him Tony Stank, that makes them sound like a knock off.” He told his uncle bluntly. “Come on though, surely someone knows a good name.”

 

The room was silent for several moments as everyone thought then a voice spoke up from the other side of the room, “ultimate Iron Man.”

 

Peter grimaced, it was actually really good he had to admit, if only it hadn’t been Rogers that suggested it. As soon as the man said it he knew it was the one, ugh so annoying. “That is pretty good, I’ll think about it,” he said after thinking it over, there was no use throwing it aside just because Rogers had suggested it, it was a good name. He ignored the smile the man sent his way though, just because he accepted his suggestion did not mean he accepted him.

 

Steve honestly didn’t think there was anything he could do to make Tony’s son like him. He understood perfectly why the boy hated him but it still hurt. He seemed like a great kid and the change in the billionaire was Stark…no pun intended. He was impressed with the boy, his robots were incredible, if he hadn’t been told the slight teenager before him had made them he would have assumed they were made by Tony himself. “Have you thought about making other heroes?”

 

“No offence Capsicle but what would be the point in a Captain America one? He would just be the same as a GI Joe if they were remote controlled,” Tony told him bluntly but not with harshness behind his words.

 

“Good thing I wasn’t thinking of a Captain America one then isn’t it?” the blond snarked back.

 

“I’ve already made a War Machine for Uncle Rhodey that isn’t a new idea, and I can make a Falcon it would work just the same but I suppose when you make him fly the wings would come out the pack.”

 

“I…I was actually thinking of Spiderman.” Steve said quietly.

 

Peter’s jaw fell when he registered the man’s words. “That’s…that’s actually not a terrible idea.” This time he did return the man’s smile. “He wouldn’t shoot webs though, or at least I don’t know how he could at the moment, I would have to improve the movement though, Iron Man isn’t very mobile…” He pouted when his dad elbowed him for that comment earning a laugh from the others. “Huh…I’ll think about that, thanks Steve. I won’t be able to do anything on that now, anything beyond Ultimate Iron Man is still a dream at the moment.”

 

“I’m sure it’ll work out kid, I’ve never seen anything like this as long as I’ve been alive.”

 

“Is that meant to mean it’s impressive. When you were a kid, building bricks were toys and you can hardly use a phone, I don’t mean to offend but that’s not a very positive endorsement man.” Peter told him and immediately thought it had perhaps been a bit harsh, it was true but maybe a little mean? The man had been quite helpful. Would he have to listen to another lecture from his dad about being polite to him?

 

Steve just laughed at the boy’s comment, “you’ve got me there I suppose.”

 

Tony breathed a sigh of relief as his son and Cap interacted. It may not be much but it was something, his son was no longer being openly hostile and that was impressive in itself. He just wanted the boy to have as many people in his corner as possible, he knew Cap would probably help his son regardless of the teen’s feelings for him but still despite what had happened between them, he still trusted Cap to keep people safe where he could and he only hoped that included his son.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Three days later Peter walked into the kitchen for breakfast to see his dad holding papers in his hand a grin on his face. “Didn’t you have a meeting this morning?” the teen asked smiling slightly as his dad waved away the comment.

 

“Not important. This came for you today, I thought I’d wait and see you open it.”

 

“Already? I didn’t know patents could go through that quickly.”

 

“They can when the name Stark is attached, as it’s your full name on the papers it possibly got fast-tracked through the system as they thought it was mine. Sometimes there’s bonuses to being a Stark,” the billionaire shrugged.

 

Peter wasn’t too sure what to say that but took the envelope from his dad’s hand and looked at it nervously. What if it was refused? What if there was already something like this on the market? What if someone saw it and just laughed? Seeing his dad’s impatient look he bit the bullet and opened the envelope.

 

Dear Mr P. Parker-Stark

We are pleased to inform you….

 

“They accepted it! I’ve got a patent dad! Me” Peter almost shouted as he leapt towards his dad and threw his arms around him.

 

“I knew you could do it kid, there was no doubt in my mind Underoos.” Tony told the boy truthfully as he pressed a kiss to the teen’s forehead. “I’m proud of you. Why don’t you go and show your mom while I order a frame for it, I want this to be the first thing people see when they come in here, how much of a genius my kid is.”

 

Peter blushed under the praise, “daaaaad, you don’t have to do that.”

 

“I don’t but I want to, now go show Pep and don’t forget to text your Uncles, if they have to wait until family dinner tonight to find out I don’t think they’ll be happy. And tell the Avengers they’ll want to know.” Peter rolled his eyes as his dad continued listing more people.

 

“Okay okay. I got it. Tell everyone I meet.” He said sarcastically as he made his way to the elevator and went down to his mom’s office.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Peter threw his pen down on his desk as he let out a groan. He was getting nowhere with designing the packaging for Ultimate Iron Man. He had read the books FRIDAY had sent to his StarkPad cover to cover and they all said to stand the best chance of getting his product picked up he needed to have it ready for sale which included packaging. He was a man of science not a man of art! He had considered asking MJ but a horrible as it sounded he wanted Ultimate Iron Man to be his project, he wanted to do something for himself from start to finish…well excluding the name, that was Rogers. He had looked at packaging for all sorts of toys and knew he wanted it in a box with a clear panel so people could see what they were buying but that was as far as he got.

 

“Still struggling Pete?”

 

Peter jumped at his dad’s voice he had been so far into his own head he hadn’t heard him come in. “Yeah, I just don’t know where to start. And I have to pitch Ultimate Iron Man in just days. I don’t know what to do. Have you done this before?”

 

Tony sighed at his son’s words, “to be honest kid no I’ve not, I just do the engineering and designing, the marketing team deal with the packaging. I know we said we wanted you to see this start to finish but me and Pep…we just meant you design it, you market test it and then you sell it, you don’t have to do it all.”

 

“I know that but I want to. I just don’t know how to start.”

 

“Start it simple Pete, list everything that goes on a box then tick off everything as you do it. Capiche?”

 

“Capiche” Peter agreed with a grin. He could do this.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

That evening Pepper came home to find her son stuck to the top corner of the room with a camera in one hand, the controller for his robot in the other and his feet keeping him in position.

 

“I’m not going to ask.”

 

“This isn’t the weirdest thing you’ve caught him doing.” Tony quipped from the other side of the room causing her to turn and look at him.

 

“I thought we said no Iron Man in the house dear?”

 

“Well…technically but you did…” at the sharp glare he suddenly found himself receiving Tony held his hands up in front of him, “I’m joking Pep, Pete needing some photos of real Iron man for the box of Ultimate Iron Man, I was outside next to mini-me.”

 

Pepper just nodded letting out a sigh of relief, she knew logically it was extremely unlikely they would go back to how they were a few years ago and she supposed their son was to thank for that.

Chapter 32

Summary:

Peter presents Ultimate Iron Man

Notes:

Hey, hope you enjoy the update I don’t actually know anything about selling to companies, so I just drew from what I’ve seen on The Apprentice and Dragons Den. I have university exams for the next month so there may not be an update but if I have time I’ll do one. I am trying to rewatch all the Marvel films before I see Endgame on the 25th though so realistically there’s not a high chance of an update. Hope you enjoy though and thanks again for all the reviews coming in.
-EmptyFridges

Peter couldn’t stop himself from sighing loudly as he messed up his tie for the third time. Maybe this was a bad idea, he couldn’t do this, if he couldn’t even get his tie right how was he supposed to sell Ultimate Iron Man? He had been taught before multiple times but he still couldn’t do it, it was ridiculous! He slumped down and sat on the edge of his bed throwing his tie aside, this was too much, why did he think he could do this? Why had he thought he was good enough to do this?

 

Tony knocked once before entering his son’s room, he had been expecting the boy half an hour ago for breakfast, what could he be doing? He knew he was awake and FRIDAY had told him the boy had showered. He sighed as he entered the room, Peter was sitting on the edge of his bed looking stressed. “Your tie again?”

 

“I can’t do this dad, how am I meant to sell Ultimate Iron Man if I can’t even tie a tie?” Peter whined as he curled further into himself.

 

“Hey none of that Underoos. You can do this, I know you can do this, your mom knows you can do this, it’s just nerves it’s perfectly normal to feel this way. Come here and I’ll tie that tie for you, there’s no need to get worked up over it Pete, I’m here, I’ll always be here for you.” The words flowed of his tongue easily the honesty in his words clear, Tony Stark of a few years ago would never have known he could be this compassionate, but he supposed Tony Stark of a few years ago didn’t know what he was missing.

 

Peter stood up smiling softly at his dad’s words as he wordlessly passed over the tie he had been struggling with. This was the first time he was wearing one of the suits his dad had bought for him before the wedding all those months ago, he couldn’t deny that it made him feel confident, grown up wearing such a nice suit, he supposed that was the idea behind it. Also, he wanted to be taken seriously, he didn’t want them to see him and think he was a child, he didn’t want people to look at his creation and think someone else had designed it and sent him in with it.

 

He was due to give a presentation in front of a team of buyers for various toy companies and chains, the meeting had been set up incredibly fast but he supposed it had been done through SI so that was probably why. SI had never entered the toy market so this would be huge news and it was for those in the know but luckily his dad had ensured NDA’s were signed so this new venture could not be spoken about in the press until after the presentation which did ease his stress levels slightly. He wouldn’t coast by on SI’s reputation though, his creation was good enough that it didn’t need supported by the name Stark or SI, he supposed they were just a helpful boost, he believed in his product even without those supports it would have got to where it was today, it perhaps just would have taken slightly longer.

 

“Breakfast then kiddo?”

 

Peter nodded at his dad’s words and walked into the kitchen smiling as he saw him mom and uncles waiting for him. He sat himself down in his usual seat and immediately relaxed as everyone began chatting, this was normal, normal was good.

 

Pepper smiled softly at her husband as she saw her son relax as he fell into conversation with his uncles. She knew why the boy was nervous and she supposed it would be ridiculous if he wasn’t. Peter had never done anything like this before and even she still got nervous when introducing something she was really passionate about. But she knew her son would do an amazing job today, anyone who turned away Ultimate Iron Man was a fool and that wasn’t her just saying that in her capacity as the creator’s mom.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

An hour later Peter found himself sitting in the back of a car trying not to tug at his tie. His parents had offered to come with him but as much as he had maybe wanted them there this was something he had to do alone. He wanted these people to see Peter Parker Stark not just Iron Man’s son, not that he was ashamed to be Iron Man’s son of course but this was something he could and would do himself, he knew his Aunt and Uncle were looking down supporting him and he would do this for them, his birth parents, his adoptive parents and himself.

 

“You nervous kid?”

 

“A little Uncle Happy but I can do this.”

 

“I know Peter, we all know you can do this. Blow them away.” The man told him as he pulled up in front of the office building he was due to give his presentation in. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come in kid?”

 

“I’m sure, people know who you are Uncle Happy I don’t want any rumours of nepotism surrounding Ultimate Iron Man. I’ll text you as soon as I am out.” Peter told his uncle firmly as he grabbed the briefcase his dad had given him for his display boards and his bag with several of his robots in it. He had been planning on just using his backpack but his dad had said it wouldn’t be the best impression and he was going to carry his display boards but that had also been deemed unacceptable so here he was.

 

Peter took a deep breath and squared his shoulders before he entered the building, he knew there would be lots of people selling their products today and he didn’t want to appear nervous or anxious despite the fact those emotions were at the forefront of his mind. He made his way towards the reception desk on the other side of the lobby looking briefly as he did so, he had never been in an office building other than Stark Tower and he supposed that maybe ruined all others for him but it was nice enough.

 

“Next.”

 

Peter walked up to the reception desk ignoring the eyes he could feel staring at him, he was clearly the youngest person in the vicinity but he was used to that, when he first started at SI he had received plenty of questioning gazes, not anymore, he had proved he belonged and he would do that here as well. “Hello, I’m Peter Parker with Stark Industries here for an eleven o’clock meeting.”

 

The woman behind the desk raised an eyebrow at his words but dutifully checked the computer and there was indeed a Mr P. Parker in the schedule. “Do you have ID?”

 

Peter nodded relieved she hadn’t outright laughed at him but looking at the man on her left he was relieved not to be speaking to him as he had been sniggering slightly when he first walked up. He took his wallet from his pocket and took out his SI badge, he didn’t need a badge in the tower…well technically he did, he was supposed to wear one but no one ever asked for it after the first month or so so it simply sat in his wallet just in case. He swallowed nervously as she shone a light on it to check it was legit despite the fact he knew perfectly well it was fine as his dad had given it to him. “This appears to be fine, here is a visitor badge make sure to return it when you leave Mr Parker, floor twenty-seven you need to make your way to, there is a waiting area there.” Peter nodded and smiled as he took the badge ignoring the shell-shocked looks of those around him.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Peter studiously ignored the man whose gaze had been drilling holes in the side of his head for the past twenty minutes. His presentation was supposed to start in ten minutes and it couldn’t come quick enough. “What is a child like you doing here?” The man asked rather rudely and Peter had to supress a sigh.

 

“I imagine the same as you, I am here to present my product.” The teen said evenly, he would not let this man put him off.

 

“You? A child? You have no chance, these people are looking for innovation not building blocks, you may as well go home. You can’t just turn up here you know? You need an appointment.”

 

“It’s a good think I’m not here with building blocks then isn’t it? And not that it’s any of your business but my presentation is at 11.” Peter shot back before he took his phone from his pocket and blatantly ignored the man’s further words. He was like Flash just bigger and he supposed much less likely to hit him, so he was easy to ignore. He didn’t care what this man thought, he was here representing himself and SI, he would not let anyone put him off.

 

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

“Mr Parker with Stark Industries.” Peter stood up when the secretary called him totally ignoring the once again gobsmacked looks of those around him, picking up his things he simply nodded and followed her into the next room.

 

Peter took a breath to calm himself as he walked into the room. The secretary that led him in gestured into the middle of the room where there was a long table for him to use. He put his bags down and quickly set up his displays, ignoring the curious looks coming from everyone but shrugged them off, they would forget his age soon enough. He made sure to keep his back straight and face calm, he wanted to be seen as a professional after all, there were only about ten people in the room, he could do this. His display boards had different photos of Ultimate Iron Man from different angles as well as an image of the robotics inside, he hadn’t been too sure what to put on the boards to be honest so he had just done what he had to do for school presentations, as few words as possible and plenty of photos. The ten people in the room were from major toy companies nationwide…no pressure. His eyes flicked over everyone making brief eye contact with each of them, they were all the people in charge of choosing new products they were going to sell in their stores. One was from Disney! Disney!...wait did that mean he could get free tickets to Disneyland if they took on his product? Ugh focus.

 

“Hello, I am Peter Parker here today on behalf of Stark Industries with my product Ultimate Iron Man,” he started as he took three of the robots out and handed them to random people so they could get a closer look. Before he could say anything more a hand shot up and a man immediately cut in.

 

“your product? There’s no way you made this kid? Why are you here? How old are you twelve?”

 

Peter kept calm, he had done practice runs of this for his parents and both had cut in with obnoxious questions like that so he knew what he was doing. His dad’s words running through his head, “Don’t let them intimidate you, they will want your product they need you just as much as you need them.”

 

“Yes sir this is my product, I have the patent here,” he said as he handed the man a copy of the patent with his name on it which the man hardly looked at before nodding reluctantly and handing it to the next person. He ignored the age question he hoped that would make him look more mature by not answering to the clear attempt to rile him up.

 

“This is Ultimate Iron Man,” he continued as if he had not been interrupted, “I have the design patented and the right to use Iron Man’s likeness.” The legalities were important, that was something his mom had drilled into him, it was important to start with those. “I was looking for a gift for my dad’s birthday and wanted to get him an Iron Man robot but I could not find what I was looking for anywhere, I was told there was nothing on the market that fit what I was looking for so I created it myself. I made an Iron Man which could be controlled both on land and in the air, there is nothing like this on the market.” As he said this he pressed a button his phone and placed it on the table so it projected a video of the robot in action. He smiled softly as he watched Cooper use the figure, although the kid’s face was obscured.

 

“When I gave the original robot to my dad he was thrilled and that was enough but then one of his colleagues’ children used it and asked where to find one, this led me to see if others were interested. I made more and let children in the SI children’s area try them out and they were enjoyed by both girls and boys of various ages who had little difficulty using them after a little practice.”

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

“They can be made with machines easily and this can be done by Stark Industries at a low cost, I plan to market these at $39.99 in your stores and look to develop more lines of these robots in the future.” Peter finished with a grin after over ten minutes of solid talking. He let out a breath he didn’t realise he had been holding, he thought it had gone down well, everyone seemed interested and after the initial interruption everyone let him speak. “Do you have any questions?”

 

“Can I try one?” Peter nodded at the woman’s words and gave her a remote, quickly explaining the controls as he did so. He answered questions from most people in the room before a man who had stayed silent the entire time spoke up.

 

“You want to market these at $39.99, why? You could sell these for much more.”

 

“I grew up in Queens sir and I would have loved one of these a child and $39.99 is not extortionate, my guardians may not have bought me one at the drop of a hat but for Christmas or my birthday it would be possible and the same goes for many families. I don’t want Ultimate Iron Man to be a sign of wealth, Iron Man himself does not discriminate on who he saves based on wealth and I refuse to do the same. The profit on these is still fairly large, I am not greedy, it does not need to be higher.” Peter smiled softly as he spoke, he was passionate about this, he wouldn’t let his toy be a symbol of wealth, he wouldn’t let it be the cause of bullying.

 

“That’s commendable young man.” The man who had asked the question told him before he picked the patent back up, “I couldn’t help but notice you had not been entirely honest or perhaps Stark Industries was not when this meeting was created, why was this? The name on this patent is a Mr Peter Parker Stark.” At the question every eye in the room was suddenly staring at the teen.

 

Peter swallowed nervously at this, he had expected this question he was surprised it wasn’t the first one asked to be honest. “As I said before, this is my patent that is true. My full name is Peter Benjamin Parker Stark. I did not want my name to be the reason any of you chose to stock Ultimate Iron Man. I believe it was the reason the patent was accepted so quickly myself and my dad believe the name Stark popped up and it was fast tracked through the system but that is the only help my name has given me so far. I do not want nepotism to get me anywhere and I did not want my name to be the sole reason people were interested in Ultimate Iron Man.”

 

“…so when you said you made this for your dad…” The man who had questioned whether it was truly his product at the beginning spoke up.

 

“I was telling the truth, I didn’t know what to get him for his birthday. What do you get a man that can buy anything?” Peter asked earning light laughs, “I created this and he was thrilled, the two originals are in our home but I reiterate this is my product, my dad does own one but he had no input in the creation other than being my model for the packaging.” He told them as he gestured to the photo on the box of the real Iron Man next to the Ultimate Iron Man. “I did not and do not want my name or connections to sway your opinion on this product,” he told them truthfully. “Do you have any more questions?”

 

“Should this product be taken up would you be looking to develop it further? Perhaps other heroes or even an upgrade of the Iron Man model?”

 

“In terms of other models yes if this version proves popular I will look into creating more as the design itself is also patented, my Uncle owns a War Machine version and with his permission this could be sold alongside Iron Man. There would be a similar case for Falcon or any other Avenger that can fly should they be willing to let me use their likeness. Due to the versatility of the robot itself should I get the rights I would be interested in creating a Peter Pan or fairy characters but perhaps with simpler controls, these work well for older children and teenagers but the younger children who used them struggled. So, if some are made with characters like this they may not be as impressive as Ultimate Iron Man in their movements and abilities but they would open the door to a new audience who one day may buy the original robot.” Peter answered promptly it had been something he had been thinking about for some time after all.

 

“And an upgrade on Iron Man?” the woman from Disney prompted.

 

Peter swallowed nervously at that, this could be a deal breaker for some he supposed. “I do not think there will be any upgrades on Iron Man unless there is a huge change in the real Iron Man. I have previously been asked about weapons as the real Iron Man suit does have weapons but it is a one off. Stark Industries no longer creates weapons in any form and I will not be breaking this tradition with Ultimate Iron Man.”

 

No one said anything in response to his words so Peter simply cleared his throat nervously and thanked everyone for their time before collecting up his things and shaking everyone’s hands once again on his way to the door.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

As soon as his son walked into the penthouse Tony stood up to greet him, “how did it go?”

 

“It went well…or at least I think it did, we just need to wait and see I suppose. The man representing Target noticed my name, I imagine it will end up in the press, especially if any of them end up stocking Ultimate Iron Man.”

 

“Do you mind? We did warn you it was likely and your name was going to come out eventually, I’m surprised you haven’t ended up in the press before now to be honest.”

 

Peter just shrugged, “I dunno, maybe. I guess there’s nothing we can do about it. But I can’t be like followed can I? Like you and mom? Is there laws about that? Will I have to move school? I don’t want to move school.”

 

Tony raised a hand to stop his panicking son, “You could be followed by the press yes, but it isn’t allowed, they can’t stalk a minor and no you don’t need to move school, I spoke to your principal months ago when I became your secondary contact and we spoke about measures being introduced should your name become known.”

 

Peter let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks dad.”

 

“Anytime underoos. I’m here for you, always.”

Chapter 33

Summary:

Peter is woken up by a call from Ned

Peter blinked blearily as he woke up, “Fri what time is it?” he grumbled groggily.

 

“7:37am Peter.”

 

The teenager groaned, why on earth was he awake at this during the summer? He didn’t have any plans for the day and his alarm wasn’t supposed to go off until half nine when he didn’t have school so it couldn’t have been that that woke him. He had tried to argue for later but his mom had shut that down pretty quickly, she had told him there was no chance she would allow him to pick up any of his dad’s poor sleeping habits and there was no arguing with Pepper Potts well Pepper Potts Stark so he was expected in the kitchen by ten o’clock at the latest each day. He was pulled from thinking more on it when his phone started ringing. He reached over and looked at the screen…huh three missed calls from Ned and one incoming from his best friend…that explained what woke him he supposed.

 

“Hello?” Peter grumbled into the phone still half asleep.

 

“Peter! Peter! Oh my god! Have you been online? You’re trending on twitter!” Ned practically shouted down the phone in one breath.

 

Peter blinked slowly as he broke apart what his friend was saying. “I’m trending? Like Spiderman?”

 

“No, no that’s it! You’re trending.”

 

“Ned, I don’t know what you’re talking about, was it really necessary to wake me up for this?”

 

“Duuuuude, yes! You. Are. Trending.” Ned repeated as if he was speaking to a child.

 

“Ned” Peter said slowly mimicking his best friend’s tone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Its half seven in the morning and I should still be asleep. Why are you even awake anyway?”

 

“We have family staying, my little cousin woke up at five. But that’s not the point you are trending on twitter! Just open the app!”

 

Peter rolled his eyes but did as his friend said and opened Twitter, he had thirty messages…huh weird. He opened that first and quickly scrolled down the list, just people from school…it was still strange, no one ever messaged him on Twitter apart from Ned, he was fairly difficult to find as his name wasn’t in his handle. He pushed it to the back of his mind as Ned’s voice came out his phone again telling him to look at worldwide trends. Grumbling under his breath Peter did so then immediately dropped his phone in shock. “Fucking hell.”

 

“Language!” FRIDAY said as she was now programmed to whenever anyone swore in the penthouse.

 

Peter ignored her as he picked his phone back up and looked at in disbelief. “Fri get my dad.”

 

“Boss is asleep Peter, is there a problem I can help you with? As per Mrs Stark’s request boss cannot be awoken unless there is an emergency.”

 

“This is an emergency Fri! Get dad!”

 

Less than five seconds later Peter’s door flew open and his dad stumbled into the room wearing Spiderman pyjama pants with an Iron Man gauntlet on his hand. “What’s wrong?” The man asked frantically his heart in his mouth as soon as he laid eyes on his son. “Are you hurt? Fri said there was an emergency!”

 

Peter just handed his dad his phone silently unsure what to say exactly.

 

Tony took the phone from his son and looked at the screen his heart still hammering in his chest. “Pete…what am I supposed to be looking at? This doesn’t seem like an emergency.”

 

“The trends dad…”

 

Tony looked back at the phone confused “yeah it’s me…Peter I don’t want to brag but I trend on twitter all the time this isn’t unusual.”

 

Peter rolled his eyes “no dad…the second trend, yeah you’re number one but look at the second.”

 

Tony looked back down and paled “Peter Stark.”

 

Peter just nodded numbly. Sure he had known people would find out who he was but he never expected to be trending on twitter.

 

“I’ll call Pep and we’ll discuss this and decide where to go from here, okay? This will all be fine Pete, we knew this day would come and it’s fine we’ll get through this, together.” Tony told the boy as he squeezed his shoulder comfortingly.  

 

Peter nodded smiling softly. “I know.”

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

An hour later Peter was sitting in the lounge with his mom, dad, uncles and SI’s press officer.

 

“We knew this would happen eventually but why today?” Pepper asked Tom the press officer.

 

“To be honest it’s a credit to your son really, it’s because of Ultimate Iron Man, someone looked into it and must have found the patent. It’s not surprising really, every store he pitched to picked it up and it’s been extremely popular.”

 

“It’s only been a week since they began stocking it though…” Peter breathed out shocked.

 

“Peter…” Tony started as he looked at his son, “do you realise just how successful Ultimate Iron Man is?”

 

“Well I’ve looked through the books but I was going to wait a month or so, let it get off its feet before I looked in depth.”

 

“Peter, it’s been a huge success, it’s flying off the shelves. SI is struggling to create them fast enough to meet demand.”

 

“Huh.” Peter said stunned at the news, sure he knew it was doing well he had a google alert turned on for it and it was receiving good reviews but he hadn’t realised it was doing that well.

 

“I can’t be sure but I think someone made the SI link then looked into it, perhaps to write an article about the company’s new venture but then they stumbled across Peter’s name and decided that was a bigger story.” Tom told them.  

 

“That makes sense, but where do we go from here?” Rhodey asked as he looked at his nephew worry clear in his eyes, he had witnessed the hounding Tony received and he would hate to see Peter suffer in such a way.

 

“Well a press release is needed at the very least, if we don’t address the issue it will just get worse but a conference would be preferable.”

 

“What do you think Pete?” Tony asked after several moments of silence as everyone thought over their options.

 

“I suppose a conference is probably for the best, we knew this would happen eventually and people at school and within SI know so it’s not like it’s been a total secret up to now.”

 

“Okay, if you’re sure that’s what we’ll do then.” Pepper stated looking at her son and smiling softly when he nodded at her. “We already have one organised with the Avengers tomorrow about them returning to the compound, should we just combine it? We have already vetted everyone coming so it seems sensible, Peter is our son which may be newsworthy, but he is not going to be paraded around and I think by combining the conferences we show this. If we call a conference purely to speak about him I worry it may give the press the impression they can act as they did when Tony was young.”

 

Tony nodded he wasn’t happy about letting the vultures at his son but as he had told the boy they were aware it was inevitable. “Tom, make an announcement that we will discuss the latest rumours surrounding my private life at tomorrows conference. And make clear any slanderous claims will be dealt with swiftly by our lawyers.”

 

When Tom finished writing Pepper stood and showed him out as she thanked him for his time. “I guess none of us will be leaving the tower today then, what with the chance of being hounded by the press so what do you suggest?” she asked speaking to the room at large.

 

“Monopoly?” Peter asked earning a groan from his uncle Happy and slightly terrifying smirks from the other three in the room.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

“Dad how can you be so bad at this? You own a FTSE500 company!” Peter asked an hour and a half into their game as his dad landed on another one of his hotels.

 

“I am good at this game! You’re just cheating spiderboy. I don’t know how you’re doing it but you definitely are! So is Pep, I never lost a game before I met her!”

 

Peter just scoffed at his dad’s words grinning as he added the money to his own steadily growing pile of cash, “that’s impossible, mom’s the banker, I’d have more chance stealing something from the White House than from her. And she would never cheat. Face it we’re just better than you.”  

 

Rhodey smiled as he watched his nephew and best friend interact, himself and Happy had been knocked out within forty-five minutes and he couldn’t say he was surprised. He had played plenty of times with Tony in the past and never beaten him, then when Pepper joined years later she had taken his crown, but now it appeared their son was going to beat the pair of them. It was slightly terrifying how ruthless he was being, he never would have suspected it, maybe he picked it up from May. As he watched though he couldn’t deny the similarities between Peter and his two adoptive parents, despite not being their biological son he was clearly the best of both of them.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Two hours later the elevator opened and Tony looked up to see the other Avengers arriving, both the Rogues and Nat and Bruce. Their relationships and overall team dynamic wasn’t the same as it was before the so called Civil War and he supposed it never would be but they were getting better. Sure, tension still existed especially between himself and Steve but it was getting easier, he supposed he had Peter to thank for that. Peter had quickly found friends in Sam, Scott and Clint largely due to video games and pranks and that in turn had helped heal his own relationships with the three men.

 

“Have you taken over the board yet Spiderboy?” Clint asked the teen as he leapt over the back of the sofa and made himself comfortable. At the questioning looks from the boy’s family he elaborated, “he convinced us to play a week ago he was a demon, had us all out within two hours. It was embarrassing and slightly terrifying to be honest, that sweet face hides a monster.”

 

“Hey!” Both Stark men said in unison over the name calling earning a soft laugh from everyone else.

 

“I can’t help it that you’re all terrible, I never once beat Aunt May or Uncle Ben, and we used to play all the time.” Peter complained as he took rent off his mom, who was the only one left by this point and realistically would be out on her next roll.

 

Tony couldn’t help but grin as he watched his son bankrupt his wife, he didn’t think he’d ever seen Pepper lose at anything. Ever. As he watched his son interact with his family and the Avengers he could only wonder if evenings like these would continue once Peter was known to the general public. As much as he knew it was inevitable Peter would eventually be exposed to the press he couldn’t help but worry, he knew Peter, he knew he was better than himself but he couldn’t help but worry about how the press would react to the boy and how Peter would react to them. Logically he knew it was highly unlikely Peter would turn out like him and go off the rails, after all Tony didn’t put pressure on his son in the way Howard had with him, also his son had a strong support network which he himself had not had at the same age. Still he couldn’t help but worry, tomorrow was going to change the lives of himself and his family and he couldn’t stop himself from thinking the worst.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

Peter was once again stood in front of his mirror trying to tie his tie.

 

“You don’t need to bother with that Pete, this is not a formal affair.” Tony told his son as he walked into the teen’s bedroom.

 

“I want to make a good impression though.” Peter explained as he turned to face the older man.

 

“You can make a good impression by being you Peter. You don’t need to dress up to make a good impression I hope you know that.” When Peter nodded Tony continued, “and as real as we are wanting to come across today all press conferences and the media in general is like a game, it’s a constant game with some marketing strategy thrown in.”

 

“I don’t know what you’re trying to tell me dad. Just tell me what to wear.”

 

Tony ran his hand through his hair as he tried to find the words he was looking for. “Okay, so we are trying to show the press we are a normal, happy family, which of course we are. We want people to know this is real, we are a real family who love each other, we want to stay as far away from the Stark family image portrayed by Howard as possible.”

 

“But we are a real family, why wouldn’t we be?”

 

Tony let out a breath and sat down on the bed gesturing for his son to sit next to him. “Peter you’re too young to really remember, but when I was younger I was reckless, I was always getting drunk, taking women home. I was a mess. And even though I haven’t been that man in a long time the media remembers. Some think you are a tactic to make me look good.”

 

“But you haven’t been like that in a long time. You’re Iron Man.” Peter interrupted still confused.

“Of course, but it tarnished my image. People remember and I will always be attached to that image as long as I live. The majority of my life in the media I’ve been the irresponsible rich playboy. People cannot connect this to the idea of Tony Stark a dad…they don’t believe it possible, so they think it must be fake. They think I took advantage and you are simply charity or a pity project.”

 

“So we need people to see you being dadlike? They need to see we are a real family and not strangers living together?”

 

“As sad as it is, yes Pete but you don’t need to worry about that, you just need to go out and be you. We will have the conference about the Avengers first and then after that you will come out with Pep and we will introduce you.”

 

Peter nodded still a little apprehensive, “so I can wear just normal clothes?”  

 

“Wear whatever you want Peter, heck wear your Iron Man pyjamas if you want.” Tony told the boy grinning as the kid’s ears turned red. He ruffled the boy’s hair before making his leave, the Avengers conference was due to start soon so he made his way down the common floor to meet the others, Peter and Pep wouldn’t be expected for another hour or so.

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

“You’ll be fine Peter, just relax, you’ll be with me and your dad the whole time and the Avengers will stay out there too.”

 

Peter nodded at his mom’s words as he tried to relax. It was still stressful though, sure he had done the Ultimate Iron Man presentation but he was still worried. For Ultimate Iron Man he was a nobody and it was essentially just about making money for the stockers he presented to, this was not so simple, he had heard those around him refer to the press as vultures on many occasions after all.

 

Peter let out a breath and listened in to what was happening on the other side of the screen he was stood behind with his mom. His dad was speaking.

 

“Early yesterday morning information came to light regarding my family, and we will be addressing this in a moment. But before we do I would just like to say any slanderous articles or comments regarding this matter will be dealt with swiftly and harshly by SI’s lawyers and this is a promise not a threat.” Tony was silent for a moment to allow his words to sink in. Everyone was waiting with baited breath for him to continue. “Pep come on in.”

 

Peter took a breath and smiled softly up at his mom as she placed a hand on his shoulder in comfort and stepped out from behind the screen. He had to supress a flinch at the sudden noise as the previously silent room seemed to go crazy, the camera flashes were practically blinding and he knew if they continued for too long his enhanced senses would begin to play up. He made his way across to his dad quickly and sat down in the empty chair next to him relaxing slightly as his mom sat on his other side.

 

Tony held up a hand after several moments, “that’s enough now, let me speak.” When the room once again fell silent he continued. “Thank you, now this here is Peter Benjamin Parker Stark and he is mine and Pepper’s son. Peter came to my attention nearly two years ago and we quickly became close, after a year or so I became his secondary guardian. After his Aunt May sadly passed away earlier this year Peter came to live with me and Pep. He had been our son for a long time already by this time and quite frankly we didn’t need to think twice, it was the only option.” He paused again for a few seconds to allow the reporters to jot down what he said, “we will now allow questions, one at a time and we may refuse to answer any we deem intrusive or unnecessary.” At this he turned and nodded towards one of the SI press aides who would point at reporters to ask questions.

 

“Peter.” At his name Peter looked towards the reporter who had spoken, “how did you become Tony’s intern at such a young age? As far as we are aware SI had never had such a young intern.”

 

“I was dumpster diving, I was fixing up broken electrical goods and selling them online for some extra money. Somehow dad found out about me and then turned up at my apartment. I just worked with him for a while in his own labs…well he didn’t actually pay me at the time so I suppose I didn’t work as such…” Peter mused.

 

Tony interrupted at that moment. “truthfully it hadn’t really occurred to me to pay the kid, he was…is a genius,” he told them fondly glancing at his son briefly “it was a bit like being in the lab with Brucey-bear but then when he told me he was looking for a job I hired him immediately and he became a proper SI intern, with backpay of course. I couldn’t let anyone else get a hold of his brain” he joked earning chuckles from the reporters.  

 

Another reporter was pointed to and spoke to Pepper, “Mrs Stark it is clear your husband met Peter before yourself, did it make you reconsider your relationship? Him picking up a child did it strain your relationship?”

 

Pepper squeezed her son’s hand under the table and calmly answered the question, “It was a no brainer, Peter is a delight, I don’t think anyone could meet him and not fall in love with him immediately.”

 

Peter blushed at her words ignoring his uncle’s snickering from his dad’s other side. “Peter was no strain on our relationship, if anything he made it stronger. He brings out a side of Tony I have never seen before, the Tony of ten years ago is unrecognisable in my husband of today.”

 

ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ-ʘ

 

After forty minutes or so Peter was getting bored, they had been asked plenty of questions regarding how they met and his own background, some of which they had not answered. Why would they ask about Ben’s murder? Who does that?

 

“Peter, you became known to the world as a result of Ultimate Iron Man can you tell us about that?”

 

Peter smiled softly, this he could answer without worry, “Ultimate Iron Man is a toy I designed, in the lead up to dad’s birthday I was stuck. What do you buy a billionaire? Uncle Rhodey said he would love anything I got him but I wanted it to be something memorable, I couldn’t find what I wanted though so I created it. I wanted something we could do together so I made a remote control Iron Man so we could race them and fly them together. Ultimate Iron Man came from an employees son who wanted to get one for himself and well….that’s it.” He finished slightly lamely blushing.

 

“You must be proud Mr Stark for what your son has achieved with this robot?”

 

“Of course I am, but I am always proud of my boy, it doesn’t matter what he does. I’m his dad and I’ll always be proud of him.” He ignored the coos he could hear from the audience and simply ruffled his son’s hair affectionately laughing as the boy elbowed him in the side.

 

“So Peter was living in Stark Tower when the Rogue Avengers came home, what was that like for you?” Another journalist asked the other Avengers.

 

Steve leaned forward immediately, “it was a surprise, certainly. We had no idea but the differences in Tony and Pepper were clear as is their love for their son.”

 

Clint interrupted before the man could continue “Tony is such a soccer dad.”

 

Tony blushed and hid his face as the others suddenly began to almost fight to be heard.

 

“The number of times we’ve found him asleep with Pete on the couch is startling.” Sam cut in.

 

“Yeah and Mr Irresponsible here has become the total opposite. You can’t swear in the tower without FRIDAY shouting at you, suddenly eating vegetables is no longer optional if you want to eat dinner in the penthouse.”

 

“That’s part of being an adult Barton.” Tony drawled as he put his arm over his son’s shoulder. “We have time for one more question,” he said pointing at a random journalist “you.”

 

“What’s it like having Tony Stark for a dad Peter?” The room fell silent as the boy swallowed nervously before answering.

 

“Well he’s sort of the same as any dad. He makes sure I’m up on time to go to school, he makes sure my homework is done before I use my Xbox, he won’t let me leave the table until I finish my dinner and he supports me in everything I do. But also we spend time in the lab together, and he’s shown me the Iron Man suits, I don’t think that’s something every dad can do. He’s exactly what I need, he’s there every time I need him, whether that’s for my decathlon competitions, getting my wisdom teeth removed or my aunt’s funeral. He’s just my dad and the best one I could have.”

 

Tony wiped his eyes at his son’s words and pressed a soft kiss to the boy’s head as he pulled the teen to his feet and nodded towards the exit. That was the shot that was front page on every paper the next morning.

Notes:

I would like to thank everyone that has been reading this fic and stuck with it. I have decided this was a good moment to end it but I will be adding to this series periodically with extra bits and pieces probably snapshots of Peter's life from where this leaves off. Thanks again,
-EmptyFridges

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 2 of Family is more than Blood