Chapter Text
when peter woke up the next morning, he wasn’t under the blanket anymore and about to fall of the bed while steve lay on his back in the middle of the bed. tony to his left was looking at blueprints on a stark pad.
“hey,” the man whispered with a smile.
“g’morning,” peter said sheepishly as he lay his head on steve’s chest and cuddled back under the bed cover, looking at tony’s work.
“didn’t hear you come in last night,” tony said and peter looked up at him, cheeks flushed remembering the childish behaviour he’d portrayed in front of steve. “something happen?”
“I uh… heart hurt bad.”
tony’s eyes softened as he looked at the teenager to his right. “here’s what I’ve been wanting to tell you,” the billionaire sat up a little. “whatever reaction your grief produces, take it. you want to cry? good, cry. you feel like laughing about a funny memory you’ve had with may? then please laugh. you’re mad at the universe for taking her too early? punch a wall down. anything you need kid, okay? I think we’ve been projecting on you this idea that all you need to do right now is be sad but you can’t control whatever your brain produces and that’s fine. okay?”
peter nodded in response, heart hurting once again. tears filled up his eyes rather quickly and they spilled over before he even realized. they soaked steve’s shirt, who opened his eyes in response just when tony put his stark pad aside.
“s- sorry,” peter said shakenly. he was suddenly feeling homesick for his and may’s apartment. there was really no more thai dinners out with may, no more her telling him stories about his parents or uncle ben. there really was no more. the boy sat up as his chest started to feel very tight and he ran out of tony’s bedroom despite the two men’s calls for him.
peter ran down the stairs, towards the window front of tony’s floor at the stark tower and dropped down on his knees like a kid playing with legos, burying his face in his hands. he really had no where to go and while he was thankful for tony, he would’ve taken things how they had been back in a heart beat. something had changed and he didn’t know what but he suddenly felt wholly disconnected from the past few months, feeling memories of may at the hospital slip from his grasp much too quickly.
tony approached the sobbing figure, who looked so small and fragile on the floor like that, slowly, knowing that peter already knew he was there.
the billionaire sat down next to the boy, legs crossed as he looked out of the window as well. peter sniffled next to him, body shaking and breathing faint and panicked.
“hey kid, how’s your breathing? your heart?”
peter looked up and to his right at the man, face all crumpled. “I uh,” peter gasped, confirming tony’s suspicion for a panic attack.
“alright, come on,” tony said then as he stood up and reached his hand out for peter to grab.
he led the boy to the couch and sat down, asking peter to give him his legs and so peter sat down next to him, legs in tony’s lap who started rubbing them. “focus on my touch, okay? count to seven breathing in and to four breathing out.”
it took a while for peter to fall into this routine for he was still crying hard, but after a couple minutes his shuddering breathing was evening out and he realized that steve had sat down to his other side, dressed in day clothes. the teenager lay back against steve’s chest as his body stabled.
he started playing with steve’s large hand that the man had placed on his chest until he was ready to face the consequences of what had just happened.
“there you go,” tony said with a smile and steve patted peter’s chest, who lulled his head around in exhaustion.
“’m sorry,” the teenager mumbled.
“don’t apologize peter, you’re allowed to feel this way and we would never judge your reaction to strong emotions.” steve’s voice was deep and calm, bringing instant comfort to peter’s heart.
the teenager stayed by tony and steve’s side for most of the day, only excusing himself to call mj and ned at some points.
the kid was scared of being alone with his thoughts upon going to bed, and so he made sure to try and fall asleep when they watched a movie together later at night.
he succeeded and woke up the next day well rested and only a little down.
peter was sitting at breakfast with steve and tony when his phone dinged an email and tony handed it to him upon looking at the subject line. his sat scores were in.
disconnected from his grip on reality, peter wasn’t even nervous when he opened the email, but his mouth dropped open when he saw the scores.
“good?” tony asked, touching the boy’s arm.
“uh yes, very good,” peter said in confusion. “800 in math and 790 in language?” the boy’s eyes were big and mouth agape.
“wow, congratulations,” tony exclaimed and padded the boy’s shoulder.
“wow, peter. we should go out and celebrate, well done,” steve said because even he knew the sats. “what colleges are you applying to anyway?”
“mit, all the ivies and some safety schools in case I don’t get scholarships.”
“oh peter, you do know I’m responsible to pay for your education now, right? I could probably set up a few meetings for you, I’ve got some connections.”
“that would be really good, thank you,” peter said with a smile, then continued to eat.
the three of them spent the day on coney island enjoying themselves and celebrating peter’s scores. the boy had caught on that there were going to be ups and downs now, and he would learn how to deal with them.