Word Count- 17,269

Chapter One- Kicked Out

The time was nearer to 2am when Peter finally crawled through the window in his bedroom. He used the light on his bedside table, conveniently on like he'd planned several hours ago, to manoeuvre around his room, making quick work to slide the Spider-Man suit off his body. Peter had just finished pulling his pyjama top on when his bedroom door suddenly creaked open.

Unlike he would've several months ago, Peter didn't tense when he saw May. Her eyes were narrowed slightly and her jaw was set but there was something tired about her expression. She looked exhausted and Peter knew he was the cause of it.

"It's almost 2 in the morning, Peter." May didn't sound angry, instead adopting an emotionless, lethargic tone. She didn't give him the tongue lashing she normally would've a few months ago, before she'd discovered his vigilante alter-ego and thought his late night sneaking-out was to meet friends or a possible girlfriend.

After the events of what Peter dubbed the 'Homecoming fiasco' several things came out of it: one, Peter turned down being Avenger; two, he was instead invited by Mr Stark personally to hang out several times a week to work in his private lab; three, he was trained by the recently pardoned Rogue Avengers (who still didn't know his true identity thinking Mr Stark's intern was separate to the crime fighting spiderling). And finally, the worst outcome: May had found out.

Looking back on it, May's discovery of the truth was entirely his fault. He should've been more careful trying the suit on when she had stumbled into his room, finding her nephew dressed in a million dollar super suit.

After the initial shock had worn off, there had been a lot of yelling— all on May's side. She'd screamed bloody murder about Peter risking his life and 'what the hell are you doing fighting criminals you're 15 years old for crying out loud'. Peter had cried out the same thing he'd told Mr Stark before Germany, telling her that he had the power to stop the bad things — that made him responsible then if he didn't, right?

He'd hoped she would've understood. She hadn't.

"Really?" May raised an eyebrow, her face pulling into a frown now. "You have nothing to say?"

"I was just . . . out." Peter replied, lamely. To say things had been tense the last few months since May had found out was an understatement. Peter was lucky if they could even hold a conversation for more than 10 minutes before the arguing broke out.

"Figures," May scoffed, her face going pale. She paused for a second, trying to collect herself. "And are you injured?"

Peter thought about telling her about the bruising on his ribs from when some drunk had attacked him but decided against it; it would be gone by tomorrow. "No."

May nodded once, her expression stern. "You have school tomorrow, you know that right?"

"Yeah May, i'm just going to bed now."

"It's like you don't even care about your education!" She suddenly exclaimed, her voice rising and the anger she'd been trying so hard to smother bursting out.

Peter was used to her outburst now— he was lucky if they made it 2 days before she blew up about something: she yelled about Peter's future, college, education, hobbies, friends . . . in May's opinion, Spider-Man was hindering Peter's life more than helping it. She saw Spider-Man as the bad guy holding him back and ruining his chance of normality. Because that was all May wanted: normal.

Peter believed that all chance of being normal went out the window when that spider bit him.

"Of course i care May!" Peter challenged her. God, he was so tired; why couldn't she yell at him tomorrow?

"Well, that's funny considering you purposely stayed out late when you have school tomorrow!"

"I'll be fine, i've gone to school on much less sleep."

"Is that meant to make me feel better?" May's voice was hysterical now. "It's fine because you've done worse? This little . . . act you have going on should be over before midnight, Peter!"

"May, being Spider-Man is important-"

"And your education isn't?"

"It is but-"

"I can't do this anymore."

The words pierced through Peter like a white hot knife, digging deep into his heart and twisting around until he let out a strangled noise. There was defeat in May's eyes and Peter could feel a sickening feeling blossom in his stomach. "W-what?"

"I've tried for months to become okay with . . . this" she gestured to the suit still laying on the floor where Peter had wiggled out of it. Tears grew in her eyes and her voice wobbled slightly. "I've tried so hard, Peter! But i can't keep going through each day wondering if you're going to come home bleeding out or if you even come home at all! You keep saying Spider-Man is a hero and that you're doing good but all i see is a child out there risking his life and not even caring!"

"May—"

"No Peter! I'm done. I am. I can't take any more of this utter bullshit! Leave the heroism to the Avengers and the Avengers only."

"You know i can't do that," Peter whispered.

"The way i see it," May took one deep breath. "You have two options: either give up Spider-Man or find a new home. Because i'm done. I cannot take this anymore."

"May, please-" Tears rolled down Peter's cheeks, his voice cracking. The sickening feeling in his stomach had grown to the size of a crater now, chewing him up and growling. He kept pinching his skin, wishing that he would wake up in a cold sweat screaming for his Aunt and the May he knew from several months ago would come running in and give him a hug. She'd tell him it was just a nightmare and that she'd never send him away.

But he never woke up. The May before him wasn't the May from several months ago and she never would be again. His lies had broken apart their relationship and nothing he could do would salvage it.

"You know i can't give him up," the words came out like second nature. It was the only honest truth he'd told her in a long time. Peter couldn't give up Spider-Man the same way Bruce Banner couldn't give up the Hulk. They were two sides of one coin, forever intertwined. Giving up Spider-Man meant giving up a part of his soul. A part of Ben's legacy.

"Then get out," May's voice was deadly. "I'm serious, get out."

"May, no-"

"What would Ben think?" May suddenly yelled, tears spilling down her face and her eyes holding fury. "Huh? What would he say if he saw you out there."

"He'd be proud!" Peter screamed back, the tears rolling down his face in hot waves. "He's the reason i do this! He wanted me to help people!"

May sobbed into her hands, her whole body shaking. It made Peter's heart break but when he stepped forward to comfort her, his Aunt just shook her head violently and stepped back.

"I'm serious Peter, i'm done." The words were quiet but final. Peter knew this was it. There was a finality in the air: the choice he made now was going to determine his future. There was a heavy weight on his chest that made him struggle to breathe.

He tried to imagine a life without Spider-Man; a life where he grieved for his Uncle the normal way and still went to band and robotics, hanging out with Ned and MJ after school. He saw himself actually going to Homecoming with Liz and maybe even getting his first kiss. He imagined a life where he never met Tony Stark or the other Avengers, still watching their faces on TV with fanboy awe before calling Ned to talk about how cool Iron Man was. He tried to imagine a world where bad things happened and he didn't feel the overwhelming guilt that rose up in his chest, knowing there had been something he could've at least tried to do.

Peter tried to imagine a normal Peter Parker but he fell short.

That Peter Parker could never exist. For better or worse, that spider had bit him. He was forever changed and there wasn't anything either Peter or May could do about it.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, knowing it was too painful to voice his final choice. May's shoulders sagged and tears ran down her face again in defeat before she brokenly mumbled that he had 30 minutes to pack up and leave. "But it's late!" Peter cried.

"So?" May had no emotion left in her tone. "2am is fine for Spider-Man but not Peter Parker? I thought you just decided you were both." And with that, she turned on her heel and walked off. Seconds later, Peter heard the slam of her bedroom door.

The white hot knife twisted harder and Peter let out a sob. He grabbed a handful of his clothes, quickly shoving them into a backpack. He stuffed the suit in and several tubes of his web fluid, too. He packed a separate bag for all his school things, the weight of the books adding to the weight on his chest, his body starting to cave over.

Peter wasn't sure how he managed to grab all his belongings through the crazed sobs escaping his lips and causing his whole body to shake. It felt like he was being in split in two, his gut twisting and turning in a total sense of despair. He pinched his skin until his fingers went numb— this felt like a nightmare so why wasn't he waking up?

His room was almost bare by the time Peter hoisted several bags over his shoulder, feeling like the weight of the world was on his back. He knocked on May's door, chewing his lip and wringing his hands in a quick motion. He begged her to let him stay, telling her he'd try better. His super hearing picked up the faint sound of May's harsh breath whispering "liar" before he started crying into the door. His face felt stiff from the crying as he stuttered out a broken goodbye.

The second Peter exited their building, he felt a wave of grief roll over him. His heart was torn apart and his soul was exposed. It felt like when Ben had died and Peter had been consumed with a sense of pain, everything in his life linking back to that pain like a map. May hadn't been shot in front of him like his Uncle but she was dead just like him. And just like Uncle Ben, the death of their relationship was his fault. May had given him a choice and he had chosen not her.

Her words echoed through his head as he trudged down Queen's streets, the dark sky surrounding him in his misery whilst the street lamps illuminated his tear-stained face.

'I can't do this anymore'

'Get out'

'What would Ben think?'

In his heart, Peter knew Ben would've been proud. His Uncle would want him safe, yes, but he would also want him to accept a responsibility larger than the one he owed himself: the responsibility of others. Ben had said there was no greater power than helping those in need.

Peter debated what he was going to do when the time on his phone read that it was now 3am. The sound of sirens was still in the air and Peter listened carefully before turning down streets, turning around when he heard the sounds of people walking towards him. The air was cold and Peter shivered violently when a cold wind blasted him.

His phone was down to 4% when Peter finally made his decision. He phoned the only other adult in his life that he could count on.

"Mr Stark, i need you."

Chapter Two- Runs Away

Peter had been staying at the recently re-brought Avengers Tower for a week since Aunt May kicked him out. When Tony had picked him up the night Peter's life had turned upside down— again— the man hadn't asked many questions. He'd just taken one look at Peter's tear stained face and the bags on his back before telling the teenager that his room was still available for use.

Despite Peter getting closer to Tony (and the other Avengers but only as Spider-Man), he had yet to of stayed the night. There had been many instances that he'd fallen asleep on the elder man, halfway through a film with loud snores producing from his mouth. But he hadn't purposely stayed over.

So far, it had been going okay. Overlooking the heartbreaking events that led Peter to here, he didn't think that here was so bad. Tony had his own floor in the Tower, meaning Peter and himself were left alone for the majority of the week. Word had only come out that Peter had been staying over when Natasha had barged onto their floor yesterday evening without permission.

Meeting Black Widow when halfway through falling asleep on Tony's shoulder to Moana (dressed in his Hello Kitty PJs no less) wasn't his finest moment.

Peter had been glued to Tony's side since the 'Aunt May incident' — which was less of an incident and instead more of a heart-shattering, world-upturning, soul destroying event that gave him nightmares each night. He always saw May yelling the words "get out" over and over again, with Ben beside her, covered in blood, shaking his head in disappointment.

Sometimes the nightmare changed. Instead of May and Ben hating on him, he'd see nameless people's bodies litter the floor he walked on. He'd watch as cars collided, drugs got sold, weapons killed, children cried, fires grew . . . each time he would try and run to help but his legs were glued to the ground he stood on: on the blood of those he didn't save.

But each time he woke up screaming or crying, Tony would be there. He'd place a comforting hand on Peter's shoulder and he'd hold him until Peter calmed. Despite the terrifying nightmares that brought him to tears each night, Peter admitted his favourite time with Tony was in the early hours of the morning when the man would hold him close, helping Peter drift off to sleep by running a hand through his curls and softly speaking words in Italian.

'Dormi bene, sono qui. Non ti sto lasciando. Dormi, Peter. Andrà tutto bene. Sarò sempre qui.'

(Translation- Sleep well, I'm here. I'm not leaving you. Sleep, Peter. Everything will be fine. I will always be here.)

It was Tony's mantra each night and Peter kept it close to his heart, savouring each roll of Tony's tongue and the kindness of his voice.

They hadn't spoken about why Peter was currently crashing at the Avengers Facility. They hadn't discussed the bags of Peter's belongings, still packed, at the end of his bed or how long Peter was going to be there.

Peter had a plan. Ever since he'd wandered Queen's streets for an hour before he'd called Tony, he'd made a plan. All he needed was a few months (at most) to stay at the Tower in order to plant his feet. Next week he was going to look into jobs — maybe Mr Delmar's? Then it was going to be about saving, saving, saving. He'd file for emancipation when he had enough financial backing, then it was just a case of looking for apartments and trying to move on with his life.

All he needed was a roof over his head whilst he began to save. But if Tony wanted him gone then Peter was sure there would be shelters he could go to . . .

That was why they hadn't spoken yet; Peter was terrified that if Tony brought it up then it would result in him being kicked out. As much as he liked Tony and the Tower and didn't want to leave, he knew he couldn't put the man out like that. These few months he was asking for was more than enough.

But Peter's plan flew out the window that morning when he stumbled out of bed, his super hearing picking up an argument taking place in the kitchen. Peter was used to Tony waking up (or just simply being up) before him and he was used to the man making him breakfast. Sometimes he would be on the phone with Pepper, the sound of them arguing (with no heat) waking him up.

The person Tony was arguing with was definitely not Pepper.

"-and what exactly is your plan, Tony?" Steve half-yelled, his voice ten times louder to Peter as he listened out his door to their argument a few feet away.

"I don't exactly know Steve!" Tony sounded mad.

"He's a 15 years old child, he needs stability and normalcy. Are you really ready for that?"

Oh, Peter realised. They were talking about him.

"I know that! But what was i meant to do? Tell the kid that i wasn't going to house him? God, he phoned me at 3am Steve, practically crying still with 4 bags filled with his clothes as he walked around Queens!"

"Isn't there anyone else . . .?"

"No," Tony sighed, sounding worn out. "His Aunt was his last family."

"And she-"

"Kicked him out, yes. I phoned her last week— you know, actually being responsible for once— asking her why the hell was her nephew wandering the streets at 3am. She said that she couldn't do it anymore and Peter was given an ultimatum but he chosen something she couldn't stand by. So she sent him packing."

"What couldn't she do anymore?"

Tony paused for a second. "The kid's uncle died, things have been strained recently." It wasn't a lie nor was it the truth— it was the perfect little grey area that Peter had been familiar with since Spider-Man's birth.

"Shit," Steve spoke wearily.

"Language, Cap." Tony teased, his voice too forced to be cheerful.

"So your intern phoned you at 3am because his Aunt kicked him out and you've housed him for what— a week? Haven't you spoken to him about this?"

"No," Tony sighed, sounding weary. "Each time i've attempted to the kid goes all rigid and adverts the conversation."

"You're going to have to discuss his future arrangements at some point Tony. Sooner, rather than later."

Tears welled up in Peter's eyes as his plan just ripped itself up. His future arrangements— so Tony was going to kick him out soon. Peter hadn't thought it was possible but his heart just ripped up further into two. He'd known that staying at the Tower wasn't a permeant placement (as much as he'd wanted it to be) but he'd been hoping he could at least have some money to his name before he left.

Peter knew what happened to kids when their guardians didn't want them. And as much as foster care would provide a roof over his head, Peter knew that logically it would mean the end of Spider-Man.

He didn't even think before he grabbed his still packed bags, threw them over his shoulder and jumped out the window. As much as Peter didn't want to leave, he knew this option was far more favourable than the one where he had to say goodbye to Tony. He'd lost so many people already that Peter wasn't sure he could say goodbye to another.

As Peter swung away, he knew leaving before it got too emotional was the better way to go.

—————

Tony was so tired. Between Peter's nightmares and his own insomnia, he was sure he could count the numbers of hours he'd slept recently on two hands. Receiving that 3am phone call from Peter a week ago had brought a whole new wave of anxiety over him; seeing the kid so dejected and sad had broken his heart.

Of course, Tony wasn't dumb. He knew what a teary teenager with bags full of his things meant. He knew it wasn't good. But he'd phoned May anyway. Just as he'd suspected, she'd still been up long after Peter had passed out in his bed. Her voice had been scratchy and muffled, like she'd been trying to hold in sobs whilst Tony had yelled at her.

Because boy did he yell. The sight of Peter standing on some random sidewalk in Queens, shivering and trying not to cry was etched in his mind and Tony wondered how the woman he'd met a year ago was the same one who kicked him out. May from a year ago, whilst unbelievably lax in her parental methods, was head over heels full of love for her nephew and showed it with every teasing remark, kiss to his forehead and constant worrying.

May from last week, whose voice had wobbled as she'd whispered harsh things, was not that same woman. She'd broken down when she'd admitted that Peter and his Spider ways had become too much to handle— she'd said that she couldn't keep worrying over his safety or his lack of self-preservation.

"Oh and so kicking him out onto the harsh streets of Queens was a way to help keep him safe?" Tony had argued, his voice hard and unforgiving. May had just been silent for several minutes before declaring that Peter couldn't come back until Spider-Man was dead and buried. Tony had just scoffed and told her to go to hell.

They hadn't spoken since.

In all honesty, Tony should've known he wouldn't have been able to hide Peter's sudden living rearrangement from the Avengers but he'd been under the impression that he would've had more time. With them preferably finding out that his 'intern' was staying with him after he'd spoken to Peter about his feelings and what he wanted from the future.

Tony was well prepared and open for the kid to stay with him indefinitely. In fact, Peter moving in with him was the only plausible option that he was willing to consider. Unless Peter absolutely hated that idea . . . He just wanted Peter happy.

He'd such as much to Steve when the man had barged in on Tony preparing the kid's breakfast that morning.

"You're going to have to discuss his future arrangements at some point Tony. Sooner, rather than later."

"And what exactly do you mean by that Steve?" Tony narrowed his eyes at the chiseled man, daring him to reveal what he actually meant.

"I mean about where he'll be staying after."

"After what?" Tony played dumb as he watched Steve begin to stumble. Because there was no way that Steve was insinuating that Tony was going to make the kid leave, was he?

"He's not going to stay here forever," Steve took a different approach, trying to sound logical.

"Is that a team decision?" Tony narrowed his eyes further.

"This isn't exactly a place safe for a kid!"

"Last i checked, there is a team of enhanced soldiers, super spies and one genius billionaire living in this building. I think that can account for safety." Plus, the kid didn't exactly need protecting. Not physically, at least.

"Tony, are you really considering-"

"Taking him in? Yes— without a doubt. I know i'm 50 shades of messed up and the only father figures in my life were either cold or calculating but this kid came to me when his Aunt kicked him out. I care about Peter and i can't send him away like he means nothing to me. I might be the worst candidate for the job but i owe it to him to at least try."

Steve took a step back, his eyes wide as he listened intently to what Tony said. After what felt like ages, Cap eventually nodded. "If this is your decision, then the team and I support you Tony. And for the record, i don't think you're the worst candidate for the job— simply because of your willingness to try."

"Thanks Cap," Tony smiled softly when FRIDAY suddenly interrupted them, her robotic voice as frantic as Tony was sure she could get.

"Boss, Peter just left the building.

Tony spat out the coffee in his mouth, eyes wide. "What? When?"

"Just now Boss, his heart rate was alleviated slightly and he seemed to be in distress."

Tony sprinted off down to Peter's bedroom, only half aware that Steve was following him. The sight of Peter's room empty and his bags missing made his heart break again. The kid had run. Nausea filled Tony as he realised Peter must've heard some of his and Cap's talk.

"I didn't hear the elevator go. . ." Steve mumbled, looking just as worried as Tony felt. Tony ignored him, spotting the open window and knowing the kid had swung away.

"Never mind that. FRIDAY, can you track his location?"

"Affirmative Boss, Peter is heading towards Queens."

"He's going to see his friend," Tony realised, as if it was the most obvious thing. Of course Peter would run away and go see Ned. He wasn't sure if there was anything Peter didn't go to Ned for.

"Is this a call to Assemble?" Steve asked as Tony began to suit up, his armour attaching to his body like second nature.

"No, this is a job for Iron Man."

"I think you'll find it's more a job for Tony Stark," Steve looked at Tony with an intensity that made Tony feel nervous. "If this kid is as important to you as you let on, you need to be honest with him Tony. You can't be afraid to let him in."

The suit was perfectly fitted to his body when Tony nodded slowly, taking in Cap's words. "Is that an order, Cap?"

Steve just laughed lightly at his teasing, smirking as Tony prepared to take off. "Just go bring back the kid so the team and I can meet its newest member of our family."

Tony couldn't help but smile as he took off. He needed to bring Peter home.

—————

Peter had cried to Ned for a whole half hour after he'd climbed through his best friend's window. He'd left no room for secrecy as he recounted the months of tension with May, their argument and finally the conversation he'd over heard that morning. Ned had just held him, letting him get it all out.

"But Mr Stark never said that he was going to make you leave," Ned tried to argue, his own face a little wet with tears.

"They said 'future arrangements' Ned, that means they were talking about where to send me."

"Foster care might not be so bad," Ned whispered, his voice breaking. Peter let out another sob, soaking Ned's shirt sleeve. There was a light knock on Ned's bedroom door and his mum appeared in the doorway. Her eyes were soft as she stared at the sorry sight before her, the sadness for her son's friend outweighing the complete state of shock she was in.

"Uh Peter, honey, someone's here for you."

Peter didn't look up until a familiar voice called out. "Hey kid."

"Tony?" Peter looked up from Ned's shoulder to see the man he'd never wanted to say goodbye to standing before him. Next to him, he could hear Ned whisper out a shaky "omg Iron Man is in my room".

"Oh kid," Tony's eyebrows pulled down as he crossed the room, pulling Peter's still crying form into his arms.

"Ned, let's give them some space," Ned's mum called out. His friend was still mumbling about how cool it was that Iron Man was in his room when the door shut, leaving Peter and Tony alone.

It wasn't until Peter stopped sobbing that Tony began speaking, his head resting on Peter's messy mop of hair. "Why'd you leave kid?"

"I didn't want to say g-goodbye," Peter sobbed, his voice breaking but his tears beginning to dry. He let Tony hold him.

"Why are you saying goodbye?" When Peter didn't reply, Tony repeated his sentence, his voice harder.

"I heard you and Cap talking about my 'future arrangements'," Peter admitted. "And i couldn't bring myself to say goodbye to you."

Tony shut his eyes as he tried to calm himself. "No, you heard Cap ask me about your future arrangements. You missed me telling Cap that there were no arrangements. And never would be."

"What do you mean" Peter sat up, looking at Tony for the first time. Peter's eyes were red rimmed and bloodshot, making the dark bags under his eyes more prominent.

"Kid, i'm not going to send you away. I'm here for you from now till always, okay? i can't promise that it's gonna be easy or that i'm going to be what you need but i'm willing to try. I don't want you anywhere but with me. Alright? So don't go running off again— God, you gave me a scare this morning."

Peter's eyes were wide as he took in the words. "You aren't sending me away?"

"Are you a broken record?" Tony joked before sobering. He brushed some hair out of Peter's face. "No kid, you're staying with me."

Peter flung himself at Tony, smiling slightly as the man put one arm around his back and the other in his hair. For the first time in a week, Peter felt slightly more at ease with the world. A weight had been lifted off his shoulders and he had Tony to thank.

"Tony," Peter hummed against the man's neck. "I think you're gonna do great."

Chapter Three- Party

Peter found that with the spider bite, his metabolism was significantly increased, meaning food and drink he consumed was digested multiple times faster than average. So with such, it meant he couldn't get drunk.

He realised this an hour into the party he was currently attending, having downed 8 shots of pure vodka with all his friends stumbling around in a drunken haze whilst he felt no buzz at all.

Attending Flash's party had been a last minute decision on Peter's part but his blatant irritation of the boy and unwillingness to do anything uncharacteristically 'bad' had been outweighed by the 8 declined calls he'd made to his Aunt a few hours earlier. With each failed call and ignored text, Peter had felt his mood stumble further and further into despair.

Each time he closed his eyes, he saw May's tear stained face as she told him to leave. Normally Tony would be there to brush away his tears, holding him close and promising to be there until the end of time. But Tony hadn't been there that night. Some SI business upstate had taken him away last minute, meaning Peter had been alone with only declined calls and loneliness.

But after 40 minutes of trying not to cry, Peter had scrolled through snapchat only to see a number of stories showing a party at Flash's house. A quick message to Abe on his Decathlon team and Peter had been out the door, telling FRIDAY not to worry and that he'd be back soon.

"More shots!" Someone yelled and Peter watched as Abe grabbed an almost empty bottle of vodka, twisting the cap off with difficulty with a boisterous laugh. He started pouring alcohol into the little glasses provided, making a sad noise when the drink ran out.

"Oi Penis, no drinks for you?" Flash yelled over the music, his words hardly slurred as he seemed mostly sober. Peter guessed that when it was your house the party was hosted at, the idea of getting completely wasted wasn't as favourable.

"Uh— i've had enough already," Peter shrugged, trying to ignore the headache blooming as the music seemed to be blaring in his ears. There was no point wasting a drink someone else could have. He'd already drank enough to make one of his peers pass out and it had no effect on him at all.

"Are you too good for alcohol Peeeenis?" A guy Peter didn't know but Flash apparently did, for he slung his arm around the other teen's shoulder with a mocking grin, sauntered up to the pair. "Maybe something stronger?"

Peter frowned, wondering what the boy meant when he suddenly pulled out a small bag containing one pill. Immediately, his spider sense altered him to danger.

"Ah Penis won't want that," Flash rolled his eyes, giving his friend an exasperated expression.

"Is Penissss to scared?" The boy mocked, his eyes locked on Peter's, daring him.

A month ago, Peter would've said no without any hesitation. He wanted to say no now. But his phone felt like it weighed a tonne in his pocket, the declined calls flashing over his eyes with more mockery than the boy in front of him. He thought of May's tear stained face and the blood on his hands when Ben's eyes had stilled, his breath snatched away.

"Alright," Peter narrowed his eyes slightly as he accepted the dare. Both boys looked slightly startled at his agreement, with Flash's eyebrows quirking.

"They're $20 each," the random boy spoke slowly, his words slightly slurred and he swayed as he held onto Flash. "I only take cassssh."

Peter pulled out two tens from his coat pocket, ignoring the way Flash glared at him.

"You rob some old lady for that money Penis?"

A month ago, Peter had been poor. His Aunt had struggled to make ends meet and Peter was often left with a small packed lunch or a discounted sandwich at Delmar's (because the man loved his jokes) for lunch. However, living with a billionaire solved all those problems. Peter hated to take Tony's money but the man shoved bills at him with a frown and a reminder to get as much lunch as he needed.

"Got a job," Peter lied.

"Oh yeah the Stark Internship," Flash rolled his eyes.

"Are we going to swap?" Peter asked the boy who just shrugged and snatched the money before handing over the small bag.

"Have fun Peeeenis," the boy stumbled away to go talk to someone else, leaving Flash with Peter.

"You aren't going to do it, right?" Flash frowned at Peter, trying to appear nonchalant.

Peter stared at the pill in his hand, wondering if he should. He could throw it down the toilet and tell Tony that he brought several large sandwiches that day, the elder man never having to know that Peter had held a drug in his hand for several minutes.

But then May's words of 'get out' echoed through his mind and Peter wondered why he should care what Flash thinks when the boy had bullied him since the beginning of freshman year.

Peter didn't even think as he took the drug out of the packet and placed it in his mouth. It probably wouldn't even affect him since his metabolism accelerated everything anyway. He just wanted to show Flash that he wasn't a wimp.

Flash's eyes widened a fraction before he shrugged his shoulders in an overly exaggerated way. "Whatever Penis, don't say i didn't try to stop you."

Peter just rolled his eyes, walking over to where Abe was sloshing his drink around as Betty and Cindy laughed, watching him. He decided that if he'd gone out to party then he should at least try to enjoy himself.

Peter wasn't sure how much time had passed when he started to feel floozy. All he knew was that one minute he'd been dancing with a few members of his Decathlon team and the next minute he was stumbling around in a daze. The lights in Flash's house streaked and whenever Peter turned his head, everything seemed to be moving in slow motion like in a film. He lifted his hand up, laughing at how warped and blurred the colours of his hands became when he moved it around too fast.

The music from the party wasn't so blaring and loud now; Peter could feel the bass bouncing, like waves hitting him over and over again but the actual music seemed distant and echoing. Peter jumped up and down in time with the music, the feeling like he was floating drifting him up into the clouds. It felt like years until he was back on the ground again.

"Woaahhhhh Peter'ssssss fuccccckeeed upppp," Cindy drawled, her face doubling in Peter's vision and her words taking forever to make sense in his mind. He stumbled away from the crowd, the heat of the room increasing with each movement. It felt like a sauna in Flash's house and Peter's breathing hitched as he desired some fresh air.

The walk to Flash's front door seemed to stretch for miles, Peter's feet moving in time with the thumbing of the bass but never seeming to make any effort. He was sure he had grown old and was sporting a beard by the time the smack of fresh air hit his face.

The stuffy room and loud music and crowds of people blurred out behind him as Peter walked onto the street, his nose breathing in the cold night air like a thirsty man would chug some water. Walking in the street, Peter was left to his thoughts only. The sound of his heartbeat echoed through his mind, the thuds feeling like a stampede as they fastened in pace and got louder and louder with each step.

Peter shook his head, squinting his eyes when everything blurred. For one second, he wondered where the ground was.

'What would Ben think?' May was suddenly there, a few feet away from him, tears rolling down her face.

"May?" Peter whispered, his Aunt taking a step back when he took one forward.

'What would Ben think?' She repeated, her sobs getting louder now. The cries echoed around Peter's head like someone was screaming it through a bullhorn. Peter chased forward, his arms outstretched to catch his Aunt. If he caught her then everything would be okay.

May disappeared the second Peter's fingers reached where her arm had been. Peter was left standing on the side of the road with May nowhere in sight. Tears flowed down his face as the ground seemed to spin, the heavy fog over his head forcing him to lay down. He just needed to rest for a bit . . . He'd feel better once he rested.

The last thing Peter thought of before he closed his eyes was what Ben would actually think if he saw him like this. He didn't like the answer.

———————

"He's going to be okay Tony," a familiar voice roused Peter from his sleep. The bed underneath him was extremely comfortable yet Peter still felt slightly sore and groggy as new sounds pulled him from the safety of sleep.

"This has to be my fault," the voice of Tony blared through Peter's head like a siren. Tony . . . Tony was there.

"Don't blame yourself, Stark, kids do stupid things." Another male voice added. They all sounded familiar but Peter couldn't place them.

"Yeah but you have to admit this correlates perfectly with my past experiences," Tony sounded sad and Peter didn't like it. Why was Tony sad? "I'm obviously not a good role model for the kid."

"You aren't Howard Tony," a woman spoke up. "It's like Clint said: kids do stupid things."

The word Clint sounded alarms in Peter's mind. The only Clint he knew was Barton . . . surely that didn't mean? Peter groaned, his eyelids feeling heavy as he struggled to open them. The lights in the room were bright and Peter squinted for a second before he adjusted. He looked around the obvious medical room, eyeing the IV in his arm and the sound of his heartbeat beside him.

Just like Peter had dread, the Avengers were standing in his room at the foot of his bed. Captain America was frowning, his arms crossed, Black Widow was looking at him with a undetectable expression and Hawkeye was looking unamused. Tony stood closer to Peter's side, his eyes filled with worry but there was something . . . harsher in his expression that made Peter wonder if he was in trouble.

"Peter, you're awake," Tony stated the obvious. "How do you feel? Are you hurt?"

Peter laid there for a second, taking the words in. He couldn't feel any pain. His bones ached a little like he'd slept on them funny but there were no searing pains or odd bruises that he could feel.

"Uh no," he answered honestly. His eyes drifted back to the Avengers at the end of his bed, sending them a small smile. "Hi guys." After living with Tony for a month and Natasha having discovered Peter a week into his stay, Peter had grown close to the other Avengers in the few short weeks he'd been there. Movie night had very quickly become his favourite bonding activity.

"Hi you misfit," Clint spoke in a teasing way but there was no joke behind his tone. He almost seemed disapproving, which was weird because Peter had only ever known the guy to be a joker.

Natasha slapped Clint's arm, frowning at her friend before setting Peter with an unreadable expression. "Hello Peter. We should leave you two alone," she nodded to Tony in a stoic way. "To . . . . talk."

Peter watched with confusion as Natasha and Clint walked out the room whilst Steve hesitated. There was a frown of disappointment on his face and it looked like wanted to say something but one look from Tony and he knew there was no point. Eventually, Peter was left with Tony and a feeling that he was in a lot of trouble.

"Um— Tony, what's going on?" Peter squeaked.

"I don't know Pete, why don't you tell me? What was the last thing you remember?" Tony sat on the side of his bed, body angled to face Peter with a new blaze of anger in his eyes now that he knew the teen was okay.

Peter racked his brain. What was the last thing he remembered? He remembered going to school, talking about Stark Wars with Ned for the entirety of lunch. He remembered winning the mock practice in Decathlon, answering the final question and enjoying the frown on Flash's face when his team lost. He remembered Tony leaving that night for a meeting, giving him a hug and ruffling his hair with a look of fondness that was gone from his eyes now.

He remembered calling May over and over again, never leaving a voicemail but dialling her number multiple times. He remembered catching the subway to Flash's . . . he remembered not getting drunk and instead taking some pill. Oh. The pill.

Tony must've noticed the realisation dawn on Peter's face because his own face morphed into one of anger as he got up from Peter's bed and began to pace. "Do you understand the panic i went through Peter when you failed to answer all my calls? Do you even care how terrified i was when i asked Steve to go check on you and he calls me back to say that you weren't in your bed— like you should've been— and that FRIDAY says you left the Tower at quarter to 12? Do you get how scary it was to track your phone and find you out cold by some random street, freezing cold and unresponsive? Do you?"

Peter processed what Tony said. He remembered seeing a ghost of May, chasing her until he collapsed and then feeling too tired to move. He wondered how that must've looked to Tony. Probably pretty bad.

"I'm sorry," Peter mumbled because he was. He was so sorry that he'd scared Tony in such a cruel way for no reason. He'd just wanted to escape for a little while and he'd only ended up causing more problems.

"What are you sorry for, huh?" Tony's face was red as he paced, the lines on his face becoming more stressed as he worked himself up. "The fact that you went out or the fact you were caught?"

"I'm sorry i scared you," he cried, biting his lip. Tony's face softened at the words and he walked back over to Peter's bed, resuming his old seat.

"Kiddo, you wouldn't wake up when i reached you. Your heart rate had slowed down and you weren't moving. I really thought that you were . . ." Tony doesn't say the word but Peter feels his eyes well up with tears at the thought.

"I'm sorry," he says again, voice cracking.

"And the drugs," Tony turned his head, eyes staring at the wall to Peter's right rather than at him. "They found high levels of alcohol and drugs in your bloodstream Peter, do you want to explain that?"

Peter really wanted to. He wanted to say that he was pressured into it or he hadn't known what the pill was. But Tony had suffered enough, he didn't need Peter lying now too.

"I just— i can't get drunk," Peter admitted. "My metabolism is too fast to let the alcohol stay in my system."

"You see, there are so many things wrong with that sentence!" Tony finally looked at Peter, eyes still full of anger. "You're 15 years old— so far under the age limit for drinking that you shouldn't even have thought about getting drunk! And what, you couldn't get drunk so you decided to take drugs instead? I thought you were smarter than that Peter!"

Tears pricked his eyes. "I just wanted to escape!"

"Drugs aren't the way to escape Peter, neither is alcohol for that matter."

Peter nodded. "I know and i'm sorry— i really am. I won't do it again."

"Damn right you won't do it again!" Tony half-yelled. "Because if i so much as think you've even been in the same room as drugs, you can bet your ass that you would be grounded with Spider-Man taken away for several months!"

Peter frowned, a few tears spilling out his eyes. "Why are you getting so worked up about it? I made a mistake."

"You made a mistake," Tony scoffed. "Do you know how addictive these things get?" The look on Tony's face made Peter shrink back. "You get completely wiped out one night to avoid your problems and then before you know it, you start to crave that high every time you feel low again. You become dependent on the drugs and alcohol not just for a good time but to help get you through the day. It ruins your life Peter. I don't want that for you."

It took Peter a second to realise that Tony was speaking from experience, the words he'd overhead from earlier coming back to him.

"I think you're a good role model Tony."

"What?"

"I'm sorry i scared you," Peter mumbled, sniffling slightly. "I promise i won't do it again— ever. Not even when i'm legal. But it wasn't your fault, you're a good role model and i appreciate you being here to tell me off." It goes unsaid that there was an Aunt shaped hole in the room and in Peter's heart that Tony was currently filling.

Tony runs a hand over this face before sighing, putting his hand in Peter's hair and running his fingers through the kid's curls. "You're a good kid Pete. I get this was a mistake that i hope you never repeat. I just want you to be better than me."

Peter shook his head. "Impossible Tony, your influence is what makes me better."

Tony smiles slightly, ruffling Peter's hair softly. "Your gonna be the death of me, kiddo." Peter smiled up at his mentor/ father figure; he knew he wasn't off the hook and there would be serious punishments set in place but he couldn't help but feel glad that Tony didn't hate him for his stupidity.

"And now Cap is going to be the death of you," Tony smirked as he stood up from Peter's bed. "He's been itching to lecture you since he found your room empty."

Peter groaned, his head falling back onto his pillow. He prayed to every God that they grant him the wish of death as Steve walked into his room, frown on his face and ready to start his lecture.

No one answered.

Chapter Four- Arrested

Peter usually went to Delmar's before his after school patrol, the man having memorised Peter's order after months of turning up at 3:30 on the dot for a sandwich smushed down real flat. But Mr Delmar was on a much needed holiday with his wife and daughter— somewhere sunny in Europe if Peter remembered correctly. So, for the last week, he'd resorted to going to the nearest 7-Eleven for a premade sandwich and drink to take on patrols.

It wasn't as good and Peter was sure it would make Mr Delmar's day when he came back and Peter told him so. He clung to that thought as he grabbed the cheapest sandwich roll (cheese and ham, because why not) and began to queue up.

The lady in front of Peter was rather old, her hands shaking as she slowly brought the change out of her pocket. Peter didn't mind though as he patiently waited, his mind drifting as he stood there.

"Worthless brat," someone in Peter's earshot spoke out. The words made Peter frown and he tried to casually turn his head in the direction it came from. At the back of the store, near where the fridges were, a middle aged man was frowning at a girl no older than 10. His hair was black with specs of grey at the roots, his face red from anger. The young boy was cowering slightly, his small frame shaking as he bit his lip.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, verging close to tears. There was a spilled drink on the floor around them, the man's trouser leg soaked in the liquid. "It slipped . ."

"You always do this, you goddamn klutz. We'll have to pay for that now — do you like wasting my money? I spent enough on your waste of space sorry ass to warrant not paying for incidents like this too." The man spat the words at the trembling boy. Peter saw red.

He didn't even notice that the cashier was finished with the old lady, their calls of "next, please!" drowned out as Peter turned on his heel to the pair at the back of the store. As he got closer, he heard the young boy apologise again.

"Stop saying sorry you piece of shit— sorry doesn't fix anything!" The man raised his hand in a way that made the little boy cringe and sob, Peter reaching them just in time to wrap his palm around the man's wrist before more damage could be done.

"Hey you asshole," Peter seethed, his grip tightening on the man's wrist. "He said sorry, let it go."

"And who the fuck are you?" The man glared daggers at Peter. Being closer now, Peter could smell the waft of beer on the man's breath and see the slight bloodshot look in the guy's eyes. The little boy sobbed again; it wasn't exactly a good example to set for a kid.

Peter was about to open his mouth and gobbily retort "Spider-Man, duh!" when he realised that he wasn't the webbed vigilante right now. No, he was standing in a 7-Eleven with a sandwich in one hand, getting glared at by an obviously drunk and abusive man. The most notable fact was that he wasn't in the suit. He was Peter Parker. Puny Parker who was meant to shy from confrontation.

When Peter didn't reply, the man ripped his wrist out of Peter's grip, pushing him away. "That's what i thought. Scram kid, this doesn't involve you."

"Leave him alone," Peter replied, standing his ground. Screw Spider-Man, Peter Parker could be the hero too.

"Did you not hear me you fucking retard?" The man's eyes were wide with anger. "Beat it!"

Peter turned to the trembling kid. "Is he bothering you?"

"Don't talk to my son asshole!" The man spat, looking ready to pounce on Peter.

Peter kept his eyes on the kid; the young boy was full on sobbing now, tugging his arms around himself in comfort. The man followed Peter's eyes to his son, baring his teeth.

"Listen here you little shit," the man pointed his finger at Peter. The teen just smacked it away. "Go mind your own buisness."

"You shouldn't speak to your son the way you do."

"Oh so now you're telling me how to parent are you?" The man had a crazed look in his eyes. He turned back to the crying boy. "Well sometimes fucking brats need to be taught their lesson!" The main raised his hand again but before the boy could even flinch, Peter was ramming his body into the man's sending him slamming into the glass of the fridge behind them. There was the sound of a slight crack as the glass broke from the sudden weight.

The cashier let out a shriek as Peter slammed the man into the glass again.

"Leave him alone!" Peter was about to slam him into the glass for a third time before he remembered that he was just supposed to be a weak, young teen. Peter of pre-spider bite wouldn't of had any strength over this guy so Peter of post-spider bite had to pretend he didn't either.

The second his grip on the man's jumper slackened, the man's eyes widened and he pushed Peter back. The hit to his jaw was expected but Peter still saw stars as he fell to the ground. "I told you to mind your own buisness asshole!" The man sent a kick to Peter's ribs, making him groan.

"Maybe next time you'll learn when to get lost," the man spat.

Peter groaned as he pushed himself up on his feet. "Maybe next time you should learn how to be a decent human being and a good father."

The next punch sent him sprawling into the stack of food behind, a large crash sounding as tinned food and snacks fell off the shelf onto the floor. Peter thought he was hallucinating when two tired and old cops walked into the store, handcuffs in hand.

"Alright boys let's cool it," one cop said, handcuffing the swearing man as the young boy continued to sob. "Let's call CPS and get this kid cared for."

"Up you get son," the other cop said, waiting for Peter to pick himself up. The handcuffs were on him before he could even think clearly. Why was he being arrested too? "Just cause you got the shit kicked out you doesn't mean you weren't involved kid," the cop replied when Peter asked.

Peter wondered how far the justice system had failed for a middle aged man, obviously drunk, to have beaten up a teenage boy and the teen boy was still being arrested too.

The drive to the nearest police precinct wasn't enjoyable. As Spider-Man, Peter had helped out Police before but he'd never expected to sit in the back of their car as a criminal before. Even the Precinct was different to how he expected it, there were just a bunch of guys in ties walking around with files, no one paying much attention as a bloody Peter and drunk middle aged man were brought in. For some reason, Peter expected more Brooklyn Nine-Nine vibes.

They took Peter's details, letting him wipe away the blood on his chin as he answered their questions about his name, address and contact. He gave them Tony's number, feeling so grateful that he wouldn't be there to hear the man's reaction to realising that Peter was being held in a police precinct.

The waiting was the worst. The drunk man was processed at the same time of Peter, arriving in the little cell in the precinct only 5 minutes after Peter was put in there himself. They didn't speak and Peter was grateful for that. He hoped that the cops would realise this man was a drunk asshole and CPS would help out the little boy.

Tony arrived no later than 30 minutes after Peter had been locked in the tiny cell. His sunglasses were on and he was dressed in a fancy suit. Just like always, he looked professional and cool. But Peter could tell that despite his nonchalant expression, he was pissed.

The way that he stared at Peter just a second too long showed they would be having words in the car. Peter watched as Tony signed some forms, shaking hands with the cop who'd handcuffed him before the cell door was opened and Tony walked in.

He looked extremely mad once he took off his sunglasses, a heavy frown on his face and his cheeks tinged pink. Peter swallowed hard, wondering if Tony would have the decency to wait until they're in the car to yell at him.

"Hey you," Tony spoke loudly, his tone ready to go off at someone. Except, he wasn't looking at Peter; his eyes were set on the drunk man to the left of where Peter sat. "You ever touch my kid again and i'll make you pay for it— do you hear me? I'll kill you if you so much as look at him again."

Peter blinked, slightly confused. He'd thought Tony was mad at him . . .

"Mr Stark, please don't make any death threats in a police precinct," the cop who'd shaken Tony's hand spoke exasperatedly.

Tony just glared at the drunk man, whose mouth was hanging open slightly, before he slipped his sunglasses back on and nodded to Peter. "Get up, we're leaving."

Peter nodded quickly, stumbling to his feet as he followed Tony out the station. It wasn't until they were in the car, Tony whizzing through the traffic with his knuckles white on the steering wheel that Peter spoke up.

"Are you mad?"

"Why would i be mad kid?" Tony's tone and death grip on the wheel indicated that he did he have a reason to be mad at Peter.

"Uhh— because i was arrested?" Peter wasn't sure if Tony's question had been rhetorical but he decided to answer anyway.

"I just—" Tony sighed heavily, finally looking at Peter. All the traces of anger were gone, replaced by frustration and worry. "Why did you have to get involved?"

Peter frowned. "What was i supposed to do? Let that asshole hit his kid?"

"No, that's not what i meant—"

"I just wanted to do good for once," Peter mumbled.

"Peter," Tony looked at him again, with a small frown and confusion. "You do good everyday! Spider-Man helps so many people!"

"Sure, Spider-Man does," Peter nodded, slouching down in his seat. He felt kinda embarrassed now. "But Peter Parker doesn't. Peter Parker's a loser kid who can't even fend off bullies — let alone help some poor kid. I just wanted to be more like Spider-Man."

Tony didn't speak for a few seconds but when he did, he sounded exasperated. Like he couldn't believe they were having this conversation. "Peter you are Spider-Man! Spider-Man is you!"

"Spider-Man's fearless! He's a hero! And i'm just—"

"Spider-Man! Kid, Spider-Man wouldn't even be here if it weren't for your heart. It's your desire to help people and your need to do good that makes that webbed crawler what he is. You and Spider-Man are one. Peter, you're a hero with or without that mask."

"Really?"

"Yeah kid," Tony nodded, parking the car once they arrived at the Tower. He turned in his seat to look at Peter properly. "I'm proud of you Pete. Honestly, i am. You stuck up for that kid and it took guts. Obviously, i'm not happy that it became physical or that you were arrested— but, there are worse things to be arrested for i guess."

Peter smirked. "You'd know."

Tony feigned hurt, putting a hand over his heart like he couldn't believe the betrayal. "You know, i was going to let you off punishment free but just for that comment i think you'll find yourself grounded for a week!"

"Tony!" Peter whined. "I'm sorry," he pouted his lips, blinking his eyes quickly in a beat up puppy look. He knew it melted the other man's will on multiple occasions.

"Alright Bambi," Tony rolled his eyes. "Punishment lifted."

Peter smirked at his mentor. They'd been through so much together at this point that Peter wasn't even sure what he'd do without Tony there. He needed him through crying over May, calming him down after nightmares, venting about Flash and holding his hand when he was hurt.

As Tony got out the car, sending Peter a smirk and an eye roll, Peter wondered when the man went from Tony and to Dad.

Chapter Five- Media Storm

The parental permission slip in his bag seemed to weigh a tonne as Peter got out of Happy's car. His day had been going so well before his Decathlon teacher had dropped the bomb 5 minutes before the end of practice. Peter was pretty sure he'd aced the Spanish test in first period and his Biology teacher had said he loved Peter's essay idea, which was meant to be around 20% of their final grade.

Flash hadn't bothered him that much that day which put a Peter on a high just by that fact alone. And Ned and himself had talked about the Solo movie throughout of the entirety of lunch without one eye roll from MJ (that they saw).

All of that— all the happiness felt— came crashing down when Mr Harrington had decided to make a special announcement. He'd yelled out, with a large grin, that due to the Decathlon teams exceptional work, he'd managed to score special passes to Avengers Tower for a trip.

Naturally, his teammates had been excited. Abe had practically busted a lung when he yelled out in surprise, Ned had jumped up and down and even MJ had cracked a smile small. Flash had turned his smirk on Peter, mumbling something about "uncovering your lies Penis".

Peter felt like his life was over.

Sure, over the past few months since May kicked him out, Peter had been feeling the exact same thing. But this time, it really was over. He'd been getting better dealing with Aunt May's rebuttal— he hadn't even tried to call her in weeks! But he liked keeping his lives separate.

At school, he was the nerdy kid with limited friends who was bullied. At the Tower, he was Peter: Tony's intern (or son figure, because who was he kidding?) He hung out with the Avengers and he occasionally joined Tony to work with actual Stark Industries interns.

He didn't want the two worlds to collide. Flash would never let him live it down. Despite basically being taken in by Tony Stark, Peter still wanted a quiet life.

"Hey kid," Tony called out when Peter finally entered the lab, the one thousand tonne paper slowing him down. "What's up?"

Instead of answering, Peter just plopped his bag down on Tony's workstation (where the man had been fiddling with some Iron Man tech) and unzipped it. He handed the world ending paper over to Tony who read it quickly before laughing.

"You don't have to go if you don't want to," Tony shrugged. "I'm guessing you don't due to your pout."

"I'm not pouting!"

"Uh huh, sure kid." Tony turned back to his tech.

"You really aren't going to force me to go?" Peter raised his eyebrows. He'd been expecting Tony to sign the paper, force him to go and then embarrass him the entire time.

"Nah i'll call you in sick tomorrow morning."

Happiness bloomed in Peter's stomach and he threw his arms around the elder man who was still hunched over his work. His stomach was on the man's back and his arms circled Tony's shoulders. Peter placed his face in the crook of Tony's neck. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Tony laughed, patting one of Peter's arms. "But this doesn't give you an excuse to be Spider-Man all day! Use this as some time to relax. God know, you need it."

Peter yawned in agreement. He had been feeling rather exhausted lately. Between missing May, trying to force himself to not miss May, Spider-Man, school and just trying to be a normal teenager (because Tony said he needed more normalcy in his life), Peter had been worked to the bone.

"You know what will make me tired?" Peter said instead of giving into his instincts to sleep for 12 hours.

"And what, pray tell, would that be?" Tony continued fiddling with his tech as Peter leaned more into his body. At this point, the older man was far used to their physical encounters. Tony knew Peter liked physical contact to feel grounded and ease the anxiety he's amassed from loosing all his parental figures.

The day Peter doesn't draw comfort from Tony and invade his personal space is a day that Tony wishes never comes.

"That shawarma place down the street."

Tony let out a laugh. He'd told Peter one night, after the kid had woken up from a nightmare, about what the Avengers had done after the New York battle. Peter had laughed so hard at the idea of the Avengers causally eating shawarma after a major battle involving aliens that all thoughts of his nightmare had gone away. Tony had promised to take him soon.

"Yeah?" Tony put down the tech he was working on, leaning his head back onto Peter's shoulder. He still couldn't see the kids face but felt the slight rumble as Peter asked.

"Yes please."

Tony stood up, Peter taking a step back as the older man clapped his hands together. "Alright, go get your coat."

"Yay!" Peter cheered before running off to grab a jacket. They both knew that at the end of the night, Peter would be snuggled in both his and Tony's coats but Tony didn't mind one bit as he made sure to choose his warmest one.

—————————————————————

Peter woke up the next day feeling warm and fuzzy. His bed was a sauna, the heat trapped under the covers and making him feel so cozy. The clock on his wall read that it was 12:09 and Peter honestly couldn't remember a time he had slept in so late. It felt like heaven.

"FRIDAY, where's Tony?" Peter yawned. He rolled over in his bed, loving how rested and warm he felt.

"Boss is currently in a meeting. He has been since 7am this morning."

"Wow, that's long," Peter mumbled as his stomach rumbled. He was definitely hungry. With his increased metabolism, he needed to eat three times more than average. Peter didn't even bother to change out of his pyjama slouching pants and baggy t-shirt as he stumbled out of his room.

There wasn't anything in the fridge to eat. Well, there was— Tony was a billionaire so his kitchen was always well stocked. But nothing took Peter's fancy. He'd skipped breakfast and was now into lunch so the thought of scrambled eggs or pancakes didn't float with him. His stomach was screaming for proper, savoury food.

The idea popped into Peter's head almost as fast as his feet turned to the elevator. The staff canteen was always a good choice at the Tower. Peter had been once or twice with Tony, his mouth having opened in awe at the variety of continental foods catered for all appetites and cultures. There was no limit to his spending either with Tony giving him the official Stark Black Card which paid for anything he could want in the Tower, with no bill.

The smell of the food hit Peter before the elevator doors had even opened an inch. He squeezed out the tiny gap, quickly navigating his way down the corridor to the smell. As it was just hitting lunch time, all the food had been laid out perfectly and the kitchen was open for buisness.

Peter walked between the long lines of tables for employees to eat at, his mouth watering as he grabbed a plate to gather a mountain of food. He waved to a few employees that he knew (including one intern he'd worked with a few weeks ago). For some reason, people were staring at him for longer, whispering to each other.

"That's him!" He heard one person hiss as he slathered a pile of macaroni cheese onto his plate. Peter frowned; sure, it was kinda weird that there was a teenage boy dressed in slacks in the lunch hall of Avengers Tower but this was practically his home now. Peter saw it more weird that there were actual workers walking around the building he lived in.

"Peter??" Someone familiar called out as Peter decided to put some chilli onto his plate too. He turned around, eyes wide as they made contact with Ned. His best friend looked rather shocked to see him. As did the rest of the Decathlon team.

"Peter?" Mr Harrington frowned. "You called in sick this morning. How are you here?"

"Uh??" He could feel his face getting redder and redder. He was in his pjs in front of his Decathlon team and teacher!

"He's probably just hiding out," Betty shrugged. "Right Peter?"

"What do you mean?" Peter frowned.

Ned stepped forward, his movements all jittery and a nervous expression on his face. His voice is low as he speaks. "Dude, they know."

"Know what?"

"About Mr Stark . . . that you live with him!"

Panic settled in Peter's stomach, as his eyes darted around to all the SI employees currently watching him and his peers staring at him. How could they know? He didn't go on the trip because of it!

"H-how?"

Ned pulls out his phone, swiping onto Twitter. "I did text you like a million times!"

"I j-just woke up," Peter shook his head as his eyes became two times bigger. He was trending on Twitter. His actual name, Peter Parker, was trending number 2 on Twitter just under Tony Stark. Ned clicked on it as the app showed all the tweets people had been making towards him.

Kelsey @ironhmmwatchasayy

SO ppl be saying #PeterParker isn't Tony's bio child but like???? have you seen his face??? i'm not calling bullshit but wait yeh i am

SandraOhno @whereismylifegoing

how tf did we not know about #PeterParker all this time??????

Team Cap @ShmaptainSchmerica

those pictures of #PeterParker out w IronMan actually saved my life

"Ned. . ." Peter looked up from the phone, the feeling of his life being twisted upside down AGAIN coming back. "What pictures?"

"Someone took pictures of you and Mr Stark out at dinner last night. Every news station and social media platform have been showing them since 8am this morning. People are making assumptions that he's your biological dad and others are saying he's adopted you . . . it's crazy!"

Peter whipped out his own phone, which he hadn't been on since he'd woken up. He ignored the several thousand calls and texts from Ned before going to safari. He typed in his name, the wind being knocked out his lungs as several hundred news articles pop up.

They all say the same thing: Who Is Peter Parker? Tony Stark Has An Illegitimate Heir? Stark Son or Something More Sinister? The Truth About Peter Parker!

Peter clicks on google images, watching as the same few pictures pop up. There's pictures of Tony and Peter eating at the shawarma restaurant, the quality bad as the camera attempts to see into the small restaurant window. Peter is clearly laughing, his head tilted back and Tony is picking up a piece of food, a smile on his face.

The next few are of them walking out the restaurant. In one, Tony is holding the door open for Peter who is bundled up in both his and Tony's coat. The next one shows them walking to the car, Tony standing on Peter's left, laughing at something Peter said. There's another one with Tony's arm wrapped around Peter's shoulder and the teen is leaning his head into the embrace.

The final one shows them getting into one of Tony's Audis.

Peter scrolls through them until he feels like he can breathe again. There's nothing crazy about the pictures to ignite such social uproar but he guesses it's less about the content and the who. People want to know who he is. Who he is to Tony.

He clicks onto Buzzfeed, seeing similar articles on there. Fan accounts for Tony on Instagram (because of course Peter follows them) are posting pictures of his face with questions like '?????who is this kid???' and 'Does Tony have a son??'

Peter groans, putting his plate of food down. He doesn't feel hungry anymore.

No one from his Decathlon team say anything, the look of pain on his face enough for Flash to step the hell back for once. The world knows who he is, people have done digging on his life enough to know his name. Soon, they'll know his school. . . his friends. . . his background. They'll know he's an orphan and that his Aunt kicked him out.

Peter can see the news and tweets in his head now: Modern Day Annie? Peter Parker worming his way into Tony Stark's life by being such a unwanted orphan is such a mood. Maybe they'll make memes about how his life was ruined?

Before he can stop himself, Peter starts running towards the elevator. He'd woken up in such a good mood: warm, cozy, happy . . . in less than an hour his identity has been unveiled to the public and the Decathlon team saw him in his PJs.

"FRIDAY, take me to Tony's meeting."

"Boss' meeting ends in 45 minutes. Shall i suggest some tasks to complete whilst you wait for him?"

"No FRIDAY!" His voice breaks as he talks to the AI. "I need him now!" Peter wasn't even aware that he was crying.

"Very well, directing course to Boss' location." The elevator whirrs and Peter hardly waits for the doors to open as he runs down the corridor to the only conference room with the door shut. He pulls the door open with a panic, barely acknowledging the other 10 people in the room (all dressed in smart suits or dresses) sitting at a long, glass table, before Peter runs over to Tony.

The man barely looks in time before he has his arms full of a teenager. Peter throws his body onto Tony, his arms slung around the man's neck and his face sobbing into the crook of his neck. He practically sits on Tony's lap, body shaking from the crying.

"Peter? Kid, what's up?" Tony sounds panicked as he holds the crying teenager. They ignore the important business people all staring with mouths open as the once playboy who they all used to despise hugged a crying boy.

Pepper makes her way over, rubbing Peter's back. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"Peter please talk to me," Tony gets more and more heartbroken with each second.

"Th-they know about me!"

"Who knows about you? Kiddo, what is this about?!" Tony places his arms under Peter's legs as he lifts the teen up. He carries him out of the meeting and towards the empty conference room next door. Pepper follows in a panic. "Who knows what?"

Tony places Peter on the conference room table, the teen still clinging to him with his head pressed against the elder man's chest. "S-someone took pictures of us out last night. They know my name! People are writing articles about us!"

A look of panic flashes across Tony's face as he continues to brush a hand through Peter's hair. Pepper is immediately on her phone, swiping through social media posts and news articles. She had a bunch of missed calls from the PR department but due to the strict rules of no phones in meeting, they'd been ignorant to the current situation. She sends Tony a nod to show it's true.

"Oh Peter i'm so sorry!" Tony bows his head so his forehead is pressed to Peter's crown.

"W-why are you sorry?" Peter sobs.

"I shouldn't have taken you out kid."

"Tony this isn't your fault," Pepper places a hand on her fiancé's back. "This was bound to happen at some point."

"I just wanted to keep my two lives separate!" Peter moaned. "And now everyone knows who i am!"

"We need a press conference," Pepper whispers to Tony. The man nods at her, agreeing. They needed to control the rumours. "Have you got this handled?" Tony looks at Peter in his arms. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do for this kid.
"Yeah, you go handle PR."

Pepper nods, giving Peter a kiss to his crown before leaving.

"What's eating you up kiddo?" Tony whispers. "I'm sorry the world knows who you are now but there has to be another reason that it got you this upset."

Peter lifts his head up from Tony's chest. His eyes are red rimmed and his entire expression is broken. Tony swears his heart dies right then and there. "Everyones talking about me and i. . . i just wanted my two lives to be separate."

"What two lives?" Tony frowns. Spider-Man wasn't in this equation.

"You know," Peter bobs his head. "The Peter i am at the Tower is cool and friends with the Avengers. The Peter i am at school is a loser. People are going to find out about how lame Penis Parker is and they're gonna hate me. They'll find out about M-May and they'll make fun! They'll say how much of a charity case i am-"

"Hey!" Tony cuts over him. "That's enough. I don't want to hear anymore, you got that kid? Listen to me, okay? The press and the internet sucks. I've been dealing with this bullshit long enough to know that being in the limelight all the time really fucking sucks. I get that this is hard okay but i don't want to hear one more word about how much of a loser you are.

You aren't a loser Peter and despite your own stupid belief, there aren't different versions of you. The Peter Parker who goes to school is the same one at the Tower. He's cool and nerdy and loveable. Kid, i can't speak for everyone on the internet but i can tell you that you won't be hated.

And yeah, they might find out about May and some proper assholes might poke fun. People would makes jokes about my parents dying. But you have to keep your chin up," Tony puts a finger under Peter's chin and lifts it up so they make eye contact. "Words hurt, sure, but the true test of character is being able to ignore them."

"And kid," Tony sighs, his eyes looking straight into Peter's. "Don't call yourself a charity case—ever, you hear me? You're my kid first and foremost. I . . . love you Peter."

Peter sniffles, sensing how hard it must be for Tony to admit those facts. Suddenly, Peter wonders why he got so worked up. Sure, those pictures being released meant he would never be able to hide in the shadows anymore. There will always be people waiting and watching him now, their fingers on a keypad to either build him up or tear him down.

But Peter would happily take that— the rumours and paparrazi and people digging into his past— if it meant that he could have this. Tony standing before him, protecting Peter like he always did, admitting truths Peter had suspected but finally knew was confirmed.

Despite the chaos, Peter felt safe.

"I love you too."

Chapter Six- Adoption

The press conference had been a success. Peter had refused to attend, telling Tony and Pepper that he didn't feel comfortable being thrown into the spotlight like that. They had understood and without any argument, the press conference had been handled by Tony as he told the world that he currently had legal guardianship over an ex intern who he'd grown close to. News about May hadn't broken out, instead reports of Peter's parents and uncles dying circulating the web.

From what Peter could tell, the majority of people felt bad for him and even more people were just curious as to what he was like. It was so strange to have people questioning him and wanting to know more about him.

Since the reveal almost a week ago, Peter had been laying low. His school work was emailed to him and he spent long hours in the lab trying to clear his head. Being thrown into the spotlight definitely messed with his emotions. Peter had only just returned to school that day.

Peter brought his cap down further as he walked through the busy mall, avoiding eye contact and trying to remain invisible. His place had been plastered on magazines and social media for a week but no one was actively seeking him out. It made it easier to blend in. At the end of the day, he was still just a teenage boy so the fact that he was shopping around a mall didn't stand out.

He's been shopping for hours, having skipped after-school patrol to be here. Peter's fingers brushed over an expensive watch. Normally, when he shopped, he went to the thrift stores or cheaper areas but this time he went to the designer locations. After all, he was looking for a present for Tony (as a thank you for handling the press conference) and the man did have expensive taste.

The watch was silver with gold hands ticking around. It weighted a tonne. Peter put it down and sighed. This was pointless. Tony was a billionaire, if he liked something then he would've already brought it. Knowing Peter's luck, he'd get Tony a present which his guardian already owned.

Peter decided that now was probably a good time to get food. Since he'd ditched patrol, that meant ditching a sandwich at Mr Delmar's and his stomach was already starting to protest angrily.

The nearest cafe shop smelt good so Peter didn't think twice before entering. The layout was old with wooden tables and a glass display where the food was held. It was noisy in here, the coffee machine whirring and the buzz of chatter filling the small space. Peter walked over to the counter to read the drink options, his mind already set on a hot choclate.

He heard her before his spidey sense tingled faintly at the back of his neck. "Peter?"

It felt like time had stopped when he made eye contact with May, her expression nervous to match what Peter could only assume was a deer starring at headlights look of his own. May was wringing her hands the way she did when she was uncomfortable and she was biting her lip.

"Hi Peter," she said again, her voice soft and cautious.

"Umm— hi?" His voice was scratchy and Peter cleared his throat, feeling his cheeks go red.

"You look well," May nodded, a small but tight smile on her face.

"So do you," Peter replied. Because she did look well: her skin was glowing and her hair was cascading over her shoulders in a carefree way that Peter hadn't seen in months. May was dressed casually and she looked healthier in general. Less burdened.

"Can we talk?" May said suddenly. "I have a table over there already. I would just love to talk to you."

Peter wondered why it felt more like walking to his death as he followed her to her small, wooden table. It had been 6 months since he'd last seen May. 5 and a half months since he'd stopped trying to call her. He'd just started to feel like he'd gotten his footing when she was suddenly back again.

They sit opposite each other, May twisting her empty cup in her hands and Peter staring straight at her with fear. He really wished Tony was here. Even if just to put his hand on Peter's shoulder to ground him.

"How have you been?" May asks after a long time.

Apart from the fact that i was kicked out? Peter wants to say. "Um, good i guess."

"School okay?"

Peter shrugs. It was rather weird today but that was granted since everyone now knows that Tony Stark took him in. "Same as usual."

"That Flash kid still picking on you?"

"Flash is Flash."

"Ned and MJ doing alright?"

"What's this about?" Peter cuts her off, sick of her casualness. Every instinct he felt contradicted his feelings. A part of him wanted to cry and hug May, sobbing over how much he missed her. But another part of him wanted to stand up and walk out this cafe like nothing had happened.

He settled with sitting quietly as May explained.

"I've missed you Peter," May admits. "A lot. I was so caught up in my fear of losing you that i pushed you out. I kept having these nightmares of you dying over and over again that i thought if i sent you away that i would stop to worry about you as much. But it didn't work. It never could. I love you so much Peter." There were tears on her cheeks by the time she finished.

Peter realised there were tears on his cheeks too. "I called you?"

"I know," May placed a hand on her forehead, trying to hold in a sob. "And i wanted to answer— i really did. But i kept thinking that if i answered then i would lose you. Stupid, i know."

"May you kicked me out." Peter whispered. His eyes felt tight the way they did when you were close to tears.

May nodded. "I'm so sorry."

"I had to pack my things in bags and walk around Queens for an hour before i got the courage to call someone. I thought i'd go to a homeless shelter or foster home if Tony didn't want me."

"I knew he would've," May brushed away a tear. "He phoned me that night and told me he was gonna take you in."

"That doesn't change the fact that you didn't want me."

"I did want you Peter! I still do," May reaches out a hand to brush Peter's on the table. He doesn't pull away. "I was so consumed in fear to lose you like i lost Ben that i acted harshly. I never stopped loving you Peter— you're my kid. My son. My only family. I want you to come home, please. We can make this work, i know we can. I've been miserable without you."

"But what about?" He doesn't need to say the name before she shakes her head, taking in a deep breath.

"I was wrong. You do so much good being him and i know it means we can't guarantee your safety and i'm always going to worry but i would rather worry with you living with me than not knowing anything about you. Ben would be proud of you Peter. He'd be so proud." Her voice breaks and Peter finally releases his tears. May moved around the table to hold him as he sobs.

"I missed you s-so much Aunt May," he cries into her shoulder.

"Oh baby i missed you more," she kisses his forehead as Peter sobs. It feels like years before he calms down enough to properly see her face. May takes back her old seat, both hands adjoined with Peter's over the table.

"You want me to come back?" Peter sniffles, his throat sore and his face feeling hot and wet. He was sure he looked a mess.

May nods with a sad smile. "Yes, i really do. I also. . . if you would let me— i want to adopt you Peter."

Peter stares at her for a long time. After his parents died, he'd never been adopted by Ben or May. He never felt like he'd needed to; Peter had always known his Uncle and Aunt loved him enough that it didn't need to become legal.

He tried to imagine what being adopted by May would feel like. She'd become his mother. Aunt May would be his mum. Peter wondered why that didn't make him feel as giddy as it would've 6 months ago. Even 5 months ago he would've jumped at the chance.

"I uh—"

"You don't need to decide now," May flattens his hair with a teary expression. "Ben and i talked about it before . . . and i feel like i'm ready now. I love you Peter. I larb you."

"I larb you too, May."

They leave the cafe a little over two hours later, having finally caught up and talked over everything that entailed. For the first time in months, Peter realized May hadn't kicked him out because she no longer loved him but because the fear of losing him had eaten her up. They said goodbye at the subway, with May heading to work and Peter heading back to the Tower.

The first hug that they'd had in months helped calm some of Peter's pain but as he traveled the long way back to the Tower, there was only one person he wished he could hug instead.

"Hi FRI," Peter rubbed his eyes as he walked into the private elevator at the Tower. He was sure he looked a mess with bloodshot eyes and red cheeks. His hair was all ruffled and wild from when he'd run a hand through it a million times on the way home.

Home. The Tower had become his home in such a short space of time but that didn't make it any less true. Peter loved his home with the Avengers, all of them snuggling up several times a week for movie nights. He loved training with Steve and Natasha, getting his ass handed to him by the Black Widow while Tony cried out about suing if she 'hurt one hair on Peter's perfect head'.

He loved messing around with Clint, the two of them teaming up to tease Tony. They'd put salt in his coffee once and gagged when the billionaire had downed the cup without so much as a wince.

He loved having insult fights with Sam, the two of them thinking up funny quips to yell at each other at any given time. Sam would continuously roll his eyes and mumble "oh it's the little asshole" whenever Peter entered a room with Peter making fun of the Falcon being Captain America's sidekick.

But most of all, Peter loved how close he and Tony had gotten. The man had been by his side since day one, helping him through nightmares and getting over May. Throughout all his stupid stunts, Tony had been there.

It didn't feel right to act as if the last few months had never happened and just move back in with May.

"Where the hell have you been?" Tony's voice thundered just as the doors to the elevator opened to their living floor. Tony was standing in front of the elevator, arms crossed and looking angry as the other Avengers hovered behind him. They all looked concerned.

"Huh Peter?" Tony sounded so mad as he continued to berate the teenager, not looking at him closely enough to see the tears. "You've been gone for hours! The Spider-Man suit is logged out and you wouldn't answer your calls! I've been worried sick! We almost sent out a Team to find you!"

"I'm s-sorry," Peter mumbled, looking down.

"Peter, son are you okay?" Steve frowned at the teenager closing in on himself.

Tony shook himself out of his rage long enough to finally see Peter. He saw the dried tears and diverted eyes. He saw the obvious signs of distress. "Peter, buddy, what's wrong?" His voice went from angry to concerned in seconds.

Peter didn't even think twice before he lunged at Tony, arms wrapping around the man's chest and sobbing into where the Arc Reactor had once been.

"I don't want to leave," Peter admitted, his words slightly muffled but Tony heard it clearly. The man's arms were around Peter in seconds and he ran his fingers through Peter's hair.

"Why would you be leaving buddy?"

"I s-saw May today."

"You what?" There was a dangerous change in Tony's tone. "When? Where?"

"Just n-now. We ran into each other at a cafe. She said sorry for k-kicking me out. She wants me back."

Peter barely acknowledges as the rest of the Avengers filter out and Tony's grip becomes tighter. There's something heartbreaking about his tone as he whispers "You don't have to move back in if you don't want to."

Peter nods numbly into Tony's chest, still sobbing hard. "I know it's j-just that i don't know w-what i want. I want May, i really do, but i keep thinking about the past 6 months and how happy i've been lately."

"If i move out, will you forget me?"

Tony physically balked. "Kiddo, what? Are you kidding me right now? Petey no, if you moved out then you would still be my kid. I said the L word to you kiddo, i don't do that to everyone."

Peter smiled into Tony's chest. "I L word you too."

Tony took in a deep breath, the nexts words feeling like pure acid as he mumbled them out. "But if you want to move back in with May kiddo, then i won't kick up a fuss. As long as you're happy, i'm happy."

The words were partially a lie but he said them anyway. Yes, he did want Peter happy. But if Peter moving out meant he would be happy, then Tony wasn't happy. He didn't want Peter to leave. 6 months ago he'd been thrusted this newly homeless kid and in just a short space of time, he couldn't imagine ever letting him go.

Tony honestly couldn't remember what his life had been like before Peter invaded it. He couldn't see how one day a week lab sessions had been enough. Going back to seeing Peter only once a week felt like he was being deprived of his kid.

He wanted Peter to come home from school and throw his bag into the corner of Tony's lab, already yammering on about what he learnt that day or something funny Ned had said. He wanted the kid to fall asleep on his shoulder when watching a movie with the Avengers. He wanted to sit up in the early hours of the morning, his fingers in the kids hair as he mumbled a story to lull the kid to sleep after a nightmare.

He wanted Peter here. With him. In his home.

But if Peter wanted May. . . who was Tony to say no? It was all the kid had cried about for months.

"Y-you wouldn't stop me?" Peter froze in Tony's grip and the older man didn't know if he'd done something wrong.

"No kiddo," he shook his head. "If you want May, you should go with her."

"O-okay," Peter nodded, breaking out of Tony's grasp. He stared down at his feet. "If you think so."

"I want you happy Peter." Tony tried again. He desperately wanted Peter to stay; Tony begged Peter say he was happy here.

"Okay," Peter mumbled before saying he was going to bed.

Tony's heart broke as the kid walked off. He felt like he was losing his child.

——————————————

"And then he said that i should go with her," Peter spoke dejectedly at lunch, poking at his sandwich. Ned looked utterly shocked as he listened to his best friend recant the day before's events.

"Did he literally say that you should move back in with May?" Ned's eyes were wide as he stared right at Peter.

"Well, he said he wanted me happy and he wouldn't kick up a fuss."

"That doesn't sound like he was telling you to move out Peter!" Ned rebuked. "It sounds like he was trying to be supportive!"

"I don't want him to be supportive!" Peter shot back. "I want him to want me!"

"What makes you think he doesn't, loser?" MJ spoke up, her head still in a book.

"He said—"

"We know what he said," MJ placed her book down, giving Peter an unimpressed look. "But what has he actually done to warrant you thinking he doesn't want you. Except for some misinterpreted words?"

Peter paused for a second, thinking it through. Tony had picked up Peter's call at 3am and personally driven to his location to give him somewhere to sleep. He'd tracked Peter down when he'd run away. He'd been worried when Peter had snuck out to Flash's party. He'd bailed Peter out of jail and he'd admitted that he L worded him.

So why did Peter feel like Tony was trying to send him away?

Peter shook his head, trying to make sense of it all. "You think he wants me?"

"I don't think he's shown any indication that he doesn't," MJ picked her book up again without another glance to Peter.

"You're being overdramatic dude," Ned assured him. "Just as Mr Stark."

"I can't ask Tony 'hey do you want me to stay with you'?"

"Why not?"

"B-because what if he says no!"

"And what if he says YES?"

Peter shook his head again. "No, no i cant. Anyway, i've missed May. Yeah i missed her." It sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than anything. "She said she wanted to adopt me. I want that— i want to be someone's son again."

"Do you want to be May's son?" Ned asked with no heat.

"I just said—"

"No you said you want to be someone's son. Not specifically May's."

"May's May," Peter shrugged.

"That doesn't answer the question!"

In his heart of hearts, Peter knew the answer was no. May was his Aunt; she always would be. But he did want to be adopted— but the person he wanted to adopt him hasn't asked.

"Ask him," MJ speaks up again.

"What?"

"Just ask Tony Stark to adopt you. He won't say no."

"He might do!"

"He won't," Ned shakes his head. "Trust me."

Peter stews over their conversation all day, his head full of possibilities as Happy's call rolls up to the curb. Unlike all the other times Peter has gotten in the car, he stays silent and pensive. He lets the thoughts jumble in his head until he's shaken out of it by Happy.

"Kid? Kid? Peter what's wrong?"

Peter finally makes eye contact with Happy. He forces a smile on his face. "What do you mean? Nothing's wrong Happy!"

"Uh huh, you haven't spoken one word to me."

"Isn't that a good thing for you?"

"Sure it is. But that means something bad for you. What's eating you kid?"

Peter wonders if he should keep his mouth closed. "Happy, do you think Tony wants me?"

Happy frowns into the mirror where Peter's face is shown. "Of course he does, between you and me that man loves you so much he turns into a teddy bear."

Peter shakes his head. "I know Tony loves me but does he want me? I've learnt that loving someone doesn't mean you want them— May said she loves me but 6 months ago she didn't want me. Do you think Tony wants me?"

"Kid, it'll break his heart to see you go," Happy is still frowning. "Where is this coming from?"

It'll break his heart. Peter thought over those words as Happy parked the car, jumping out so quick he wasn't sure if Happy had even turned off the engine. Peter raced through the corridors, yelling a hello to Steve and Sam as they watched TV before making his way down to Tony's lab.

The music was blaring and the man seemed to be working intently on something. "TONY!" Peter yelled as the music died down and the man looked up.

"Oh uhh, hey Pete," Tony looked rather awkwardly at the kid.

"Okay," Peter took in a deep breathe. "Here's the thing: i missed May, sure— how could i not?— but i've grown so much in the last 6 months and i really think this has helped shaped me and changed me in so many different ways and i'm not saying it hasn't been hard but i wouldn't say it's been rewarding but i would say that things haven't been horrible and i really see here as home— but of course i see May's as home too i'm just so conflicted about everything and i—"

"Woah, woah!" Tony walks forward, placing his hands on Peter's shoulders. "Breathe Peter, breathe. Form actual sentences and not one big word jarble. What's up?"

"Tony do you want me?" Peter pushes out. "Because yesterday you said that you wouldn't make a fuss and that made me think that you didn't want me because you weren't willing to fight for me. But Ned and MJ said that was stupid at lunch and that you never actually said that. And in the car, Happy said it would break your heart if i left. So, do you want me?"

"Peter?" Tony looked alarmed at the kid. "What? Kid, you know i love you."

"But that doesn't necessarily mean you WANT me," he stressed. "May loves me but she didn't want me—"

"Of course i want you," Tony's voice was low and serious in a way Peter had only heard several times before. "I never want you to leave Peter; you're my kid and Happy's right, i would be upset to see you go. But your happiness rivals all of that kiddo. If you want to move in with May then i will support you. I'll just have to steal you each weekend."

"I wanna stay here," Peter admitted, tears welling up in his eyes. "I want to see May more— i do. But i'm scared things will never be the same between us and there will always be this unspoken fear that what happened will happen again. What if i get hurt on patrol and she freaks out again and i'm right back where i was 6 months ago?"

"Peter, you shouldn't let fear dictate your life."

"I'm happy here, Tony," Peter lets a few tears slip down his cheeks. "I like the way the Avengers look out for me and the way we have fun. I like knowing i have people in every corner to count on. I love being with you and feeling like i have a—" Peter paused, wondering if he should continue.

"Like you have a what Underoos?" Tony nudged.

"A Dad," Peter whispers, adverting his eyes.

It feels like years before Tony replies. "I like having a son too."

Peter looks up at Tony, feeling like everything was okay. Because it was. Tony was here and he loved him. He saw him as his son and he didn't want him to go. Whereas Peter feared what May would do forever and always now, wondering if she would ever be able to accept who he was, Peter knew that Tony saw him for who he was and loved him because of it.

"Tony, will you adopt me?"

The man blinked for a second before a large smile overcame his features. He pressed a light kiss to Peter's forehead. "I'd want nothing more Pete."

As they hugged, Peter holding onto Tony like a lifeline and Tony running his fingers through Peter's hair, Peter realised that he felt so extremely safe. There was something unspoken about Tony that promised he was there for Peter no matter what. Peter snuggled in closer to his Dad, relishing the thought.

Man, he loved his Dad.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18364664