Chapter Text
Peter wasn’t sure which rhythm he noticed first. It was either the muted, steady beeping of a monitor across the room, or the more intermittent snores, which were closer, but quieter, that finally cut through the haze. He blinked, his eyes feeling like that time when an angry little girl at the park had thrown sand in his face. He tried to bring a hand up to rub at them, but the motion hurt, and he groaned reflexively.
The snoring stuttered and stopped. “Pete?”
“Tony?” The name came out as a whisper that scratched at his throat. He thought he remembered screaming. Why would he be screaming? He tried opening his eyes again, and turned his head to the voice at his side. Turning hurt.
“FRIDAY, tell them he’s awake, please.” Tony was there, looking worried, but sounding relieved.
“Wha’ happened?”
“You’re… recovering. From doing a very stupid thing. You’re grounded until you’re thirty, just so you know.”
“You… five years?” His eyes narrowed as he took in Tony’s hair, which was streaked with gray. His face didn’t look much different. Maybe a little more lined. Softer, maybe. Definitely in need of a good night’s rest, and maybe a shower.
“Yeah, kiddo. You left us for a while. Along with a lot of other people.” Tony seemed to be a little choked up about that, and Peter’s eyes widened at the show of emotion.
Then more of his memory returned and he inhaled sharply. “Thanos? You… those stones? You’re okay?” His head and eyes were both getting clearer and he strained his head up to get a better look at his mentor.
“Gone, Pete. He’s gone. We did it. And from what they tell me, you saved my life when you tackled me as I snapped. But, maybe like electricity, most of the current or whatever powers the stones passed through me and hit you instead when you grabbed me. It’ll be a while before my arm is fully healed again, but Dr. Cho says it should be, thanks to you.”
His mentor had a new look in his eyes. No, not new. Peter had seen it in when Dr. Strange portaled them back from Titan, right before Tony pulled him into a hug right in the middle of the battle.
Tony reached across with his other hand to push Peter’s hair higher on his forehead, and it felt like it did when Aunt May touched his face. Peter’s eyes had drooped with the caress, but now they shot open. “May?”
“She was taking a break to grab a shower and sleep in a real bed, but I’m sure she’ll be here really soon, bud.”
“A break? How long have I been asleep?”
“About three days. We’re real glad to have you back.” Tony’s voice cracked again, just a little. “You looked a little rough when we brought you here, even after the Wakandans did some honestly remarkable stabilizing. The Compound was leveled, and we never really built it back up, so this was our next best bet.”
Tony glanced around again and narrowed his eyes again. “We’re at the Tower?”
“Yep. And Dr. Cho’s managed to improve her cradle technology while you were, uh, gone, which is good news for both of us. And for a few other people post-battle.”
“Everyone’s okay?”
“More or less. We’ll talk about it later, okay?” Tony’s ducked his head, and his eyes were hooded. That wasn’t the whole truth, but something told Peter he wasn’t up for dealing with it right now.
Peter put pressure on his hands experimentally and pushed himself up a little. Tony frowned, but quickly grabbed a spare pillow and shoved it behind him so he could sit up more. “Hang on, Spiderling. Let the bed do the work.”
Tony reached forward, wincing a little as his right arm bumped the bed, and reached for the controls, watching Peter’s face as he slowly sat the hospital bed up more.
Peter nodded when it felt about right, then sighed shakily. Even sitting himself up a little had been hard. He’d been healing for three days already? He wrinkled his nose at the IV in his hand. It must have been pretty bad. But Tony was okay, and that’s what mattered.
“My whole body feels stiff, and like it might be better to never move again,” Peter said, gritting his teeth as he shifted his legs into a more comfortable position.
Tony frowned. “I don’t know when you last had pain meds. We can call for more?”
“No! No, not yet. I don’t want to sleep. I think… I want to… eat?”
“Oh, of course, bud. I’ll check with Cho and see if that’s okay.” Then Tony leaned over and short circuited Peter’s brain by gripping the back of his head gently for stability and pressing a kiss to his forehead. His…mentor? walked out of the room to go find Peter’s doctor, leaving Peter wide-eyed and staring after him. What had happened in the last five years? He knew they had a good relationship, even affectionate, but Tony had never been quite that demonstrative before. Not that Peter was complaining. It was… nice. Really nice. He winced at the pain in his arm as he brought his hand up to touch the spot.
His thoughts were interrupted by a whirlwind of worry and love and exasperation, which was otherwise known as Aunt May.
“Oh my goodness, Peter, sweetheart! I’m so happy to see you awake; they swore you were healing, and were probably going to be fine, but I just… really needed to see those big brown eyes, honey!” Peter huffed in amusement and rolled his head a little (regretting it immediately) at his aunt’s dramatics.
“I’m fine, May. Or,” he backpedaled at her glare, “I will be.”
“Peter Benjamin Parker,” she said, her voice shifting from relieved to something less tender, “if you ever do anything like that again, you are going to be grounded until... well, until I don’t know when!”
“Um, which part?” Peter asked nervously, able to think of several things he was probably in trouble for.
“All of it! You left the bus without telling anyone, you went to space without even asking me, you fought aliens, and you threw yourself into more danger when you did… whatever it was you did that, admittedly, saved Tony.”
“So your issue with me going to space and fighting aliens was how I didn’t have permission for that?” He couldn’t resist teasing her just a little bit, even though she was understandably upset.
The glare she leveled at him wiped the smirk off his face, and he swerved to apologetic instead. “Yes, May. Sorry, May. I won’t. Promise.”
She just sighed and closed her eyes, reaching out to brush her fingers on his chin, then pick up his hand, which she squeezed gently. Her other hand quickly wiped a few stray tears from her eyes.
“Besides, Tony already said I’m grounded ‘til I’m thirty,” he complained lightly.
His aunt raised an amused eyebrow, the smile he'd been aiming for appearing on her face. “He did, did he?”
Other than looking tired and flustered, May didn’t seem to show the same signs of time passing that Tony had. “So… has it been five years for you, too?” Peter finally asked.
“No, honey. Oh thank heavens, no. I don't know if I could have handled that, with you gone. I dusted, I guess they’re calling it, too. But when I came back, I was in the hospital, but didn’t recognize anyone. My car was gone from the parking garage. Everything’s… different. I’ve already started reconnecting with people at FEAST, which is pivoting really rapidly right now to help people were were displaced. It’s a real mess.”
She paused, and rubbed and sat up straight, taking her glasses off and rubbing at one temple for a moment before she continued.
“When I finally made my way home, someone else was living there.”
Peter’s eyes widened. Where were they going to go?
“What about all our stuff?” he asked timidly, curious mostly about a few keepsakes from his parents, and pictures of growing up with Ben and May. Maybe his vintage Empire Strikes Back poster. He knew it was all just stuff, but it meant something to him.
“Tony said they got all of our personal belongings out, and it’s in storage, so that’s one blessing. I’m not exactly sure where we’re going to be living just yet, but we’ll figure it out, I promise.”
Peter breathed a small sigh of relief. Of course Tony did. One tiny part of his brain had just started thinking of what that might have been like for the man, not thinking that they’d ever actually exist again to use their stuff, when it was interrupted.
“I was kinda hoping you two would consider moving in here, actually,” the object of their discussion said from the doorway. He was holding a small smoothie in his good hand, and Peter’s eyes lit up at the sight. He made grabby motions with his hands, which were already hurting just a little less, as he processed what Tony had said.
His mentor chuckled and took several steps into the room, quickly handing the cup to Peter. He took a sip, and it tasted amazing. Then he finally realized what Tony had said.
“Live here? At the Tower?” Peter turned his bewildered face to May, who looked startled.
“Even just for now? While you figure some things out?” Tony’s tone was light, but his eyes seemed vulnerable. “But please, stay as long as you want. Really, you’d be doing me a favor. I… I’ve lived without Peter for so long. And I don’t want to miss any more time.” The great Tony Stark looked just a little bit desperate, and it wasn’t a look Peter had ever seen on his face before.
“I thought you were living at the lake house,” May said, not seeming to know what to do with her hands at this sudden decision. Peter was still reeling a little at the naked emotion on his mentor’s face, and the ramifications of what he’d just said.
“You’re welcome there, too, of course. We’ve been talking about moving back to the city anyway, since Morgan’s getting ready to start school.”
“Morgan?” Peter asked in confusion. May and Tony both gave him the same look, like that was something he should know about, but they weren’t quite up to a full explanation just yet. Tony gestured to his smoothie, and Peter obediently started drinking it again.
“We have a few things to discuss, buddy.” Tony said, his eyes full of withheld information. “But first…” He turned back to Peter’s aunt. “Will you, both of you, please stay? For now?”
May pursed her lips, probably trying to process everything. She glanced at Peter, and he shrugged, a bemused smile on his face. Live here in the Tower? With Tony and Pepper? He couldn’t think of anything he’d like more, and it would also eliminate the housing stress he’d seen on May’s face. It sounded like the world was a mess. If they could find a safe harbor here, it couldn’t be anything but a blessing. And the look he’d seen in Tony’s eyes when he brushed his hair back earlier was something he could definitely get used to.
“Okay,” May said simply, her shoulders dropping in acceptance of the decision.
“Wait, really?” Tony looked incredulous, but then a small grin crept across his face. “I thought it was going to be a lot harder than that. I thought I might literally have to cry, and guilt you into this. But you’re really… yes?” He was beaming now, relief visible in his posture.
Tony turned to Peter. “You’re sure you’re okay with that? Because I’m going to be so in-your-space, and helicopter-parenting, and probably drive you completely insane, because—” He reached out, interrupting himself to take Peter’s empty smoothie cup, and offered him a water bottle in exchange.
“Helicopter-parenting me ?” Peter asked, confusion and wonder warring with each other. Tony glanced at May as if for permission, and she smiled, and nodded minutely. He took the water back, then sat on the edge of Peter’s bed, and reached over, brushing the backs of his knuckles down the side of Peter’s face, carefully avoiding a sore area.
“Absolutely helicopter-parenting you. You’re my kid, Pete. I missed you so much, and I was so angry that I didn’t realize how much you meant to me until you were… until you were gone. I love you, kid, and I’m going to spend a lot of time and effort making sure you know that from now on.”
Peter felt a little light-headed. In his mind, it was only yesterday that he’d kinda-sorta-not-completely-accidentally followed Mr. Stark into space, and had been yelled at for tagging along. And now here he was with the same man, who was so very much Tony, and who, apparently, loved him like his own child. He tipped his head back further into the pillow, feeling like it was suddenly too much to keep his eyes open. Tony fussed over his pillow placement, and found the bed controls, slowly lowering it back down while May watched the billionaire in amusement.
Peter wanted to protest, but didn’t quite have the strength. His brain was still moving fast though, and he blinked his eyes open.
“Wait, is Pepper okay? Where is she? And who’s Morgan?”
“Pepper’s fine. She’s going to be so happy to hear that you’re awake, kiddo, and I’m sure she’ll be by soon. And I’m so excited for you to meet Morgan. Later, after you take a nap.”
“Okay,” Peter sighed, a yawn stretching things that didn’t want to move that much, and making him grimace in discomfort.
“Rest, Pete. They’re going to come give you some more pain meds in a few minutes, and we’ll talk more when you wake up.”
“Will you be here?”
“Always. You’re gonna get sick of me.”
“I’m willing to chance it.”