Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It had been three months since Peter had started living full time with the Avengers; When aunt May got sick it had been hard, Tony was already trying to keep the kid occupied, running errands and assisting him in the labs on the days he didn’t have to accompany his aunt to her various hospital appointments. But when May had to go into residential care there was no way he was going to let the Peter live alone, godforbid foster care neither he or May would hear of it (despite Peter insisting he could take care of himself). He’d been through enough and Tony knew how it felt to be alone all too well.

Three months in and Peter was finally starting to settle in. Sure, he still got starstruck now and then (he nearly fainted when Steve was fussing at Thor for leaving his hammer on the dinner table), but he was starting to slot into the team dynamic and for the first time he felt as though he had a full family; he tried to push these feelings down knowing this was all only temporary, just until his aunt got better and she would, but why not enjoy it while it was happening?

Most of the Avengers were gone, off doing their various tasks for that day, Bruce was in his lab, Tony in some meeting Peter was glad he hadn’t been dragged along to. It wasn’t often he had free time around the tower, which was mostly down to the fact that Tony didn’t trust him not to get into trouble. Usually Peter would’ve tried to do just that, but he’d woken up that morning feeling as though he hadn’t slept at all. He ached all over and he just couldn’t get warm enough. He shivered burying into the blankets.

“Hey, JARVIS?” He called out quietly.

“Good Morning Mr Parker, what can I help you with?”

“Can you turn the heat up a little, please?” His teeth chattered slightly.

“I would advise against that Mr Parker, the room is at twenty four degrees per your earlier request to increase the temperature of your room, despite it being eighty four point three degrees outside. Are you feeling quite alright?” Peter fought the urge to pout at that but just grumbled in response before dragging himself (and his comforter) into the bathroom with him. The AI, however, didn’t quite get the message and startled Peter into almost breaking his neck in the shower by suddenly asking;

“Should I perform a vitals scan Mr. Parker?” Peter squealed.

“JARVIS! We’ve talked about this- for one call me Peter and two- no sneak attacks! Especially when I’m on a non textured surface! Have you ever seen a spider try to climb out of bathtub?! Come on man.” Despite his powers Peter was still startlingly clumsy.

“My apologies. Peter. But would you like me to perform-”

“No.” Peter cut him off. “Thank you. I’m fine.”

“As you wish.”

Despite what he had told JARVIS, Peter felt anything but fine; but the last thing he needed was JARVIS running off and telling Tony he had a fever like her knew he would. Or worse yet Bruce.

Once he’d stepped out of the warm shower he was immediately struck with what he felt was a wall of ice surrounding him. He shivered in his oversized bathrobe imagining this is what Cap must’ve felt after all those years frozen in ice. He gritted his teeth and got dressed for the day, he had no time to get sick. This was his chance to finally explore the tower without Tony breathing down his neck and he wanted to see if he could get his hands on some parts for a.. Side project that Tony would no doubt disapprove of.

Lately it had seemed Tony disapproved of everything remotely fun. Peter knew he was stressed with some boring background Avengers stuff, the politics he always tried to drown out when he was forced to attend meetings with Tony, but he was still resentful for being treated like a little kid. He’d helped save the world- twice, now! He was sick of being wrapped up in cotton wool, and though it wasn’t exactly his intention to cause any mischief, he certainly wasn’t against bending the rules a little. So, it was the day he was gonna finally have a little fun and get his hands dirty. Or so he thought.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, he suddenly became light headed. He gripped the countertop in front of him and swayed. The room felt as though it was spinning. He closed his eyes and took a few, deep breaths and straightened up again. He was fine, just low blood sugar he assured himself, even though he’d felt off for several days. Then at that moment JARVIS chimed in again.

“Mr- Peter. Captain Rogers is attempting to contact you.”

“Let him through.”

Steve’s voice came through the invisible speakers above his head with a momentary crackle. “So, you are alive! Fancy joining us?” He teased in his usual cheery tone that was not built for sarcasm.

“Yeah, yeah I’m coming.” Peter let out a small chuckle but hoped Steve didn't hear the slight croak in his voice.

“Well, hurry up Sleepyhead before Thor devours all the pancakes-”

He heard Thor yell out with what he assumed was a mouthful of pancakes “THEY SHALL BE MINE!”

“Thor! Manners!”

“SORRY.”

Peter laughed as he heard Steve sigh and he assured him he’d be down in a few minutes. He didn’t feel hungry if anything he was nauseous, but he told himself food would make him feel better..he was wrong.  

Chapter Text

As soon as he entered the kitchen his stomach lurched violently, the smell of all the various breakfast foods strewn across the counters attacking his nose all at once. He swallowed hard and took a few more deep breaths willing himself to crab a single slice of toast and a glass of orange juice. Steve raised an eyebrow at this.

“What’s up kid, you’re passing up my famous pancakes for partially burnt bread?” He took on another borderline sarcastic tone that didn’t suit him, still smiling.

“Captain I do believe the proper term is toast- it’s actually quite delectable once you look past its plain exterior- you should try some my friend!” Thor said, still with his mouthful, quickly shoveling half a loaf onto his already mountainous pile of food. Despite how queasy he felt Peter managed to laugh along with Steve as he tried to explain ‘the joke’ to which Thor was either not grasping or just simply didn’t find funny before ending the conversation with an eye roll and “mortals” once Steve's back was turned.

Peter picked at his pitiful meal, listening to the ideal yet comedic conversation glad that his meal choice had been dropped by Steve.

“Young boy, you need more food than that if you’re to keep up with us” Thor frowned slightly before resuming his usual grin.

“You gettin’ sick or somethin’” Natasha chimed in sipping on her coffee. The three men jumped slightly as they hadn’t seen her come in, but at this point they’d all become accustomed to both her and the vision appearing seemingly from nowhere.

“N-no.” Peter scoffed, obviously unconvincingly as another two pairs of eyes also gazed upon him.

“You do look rather pale come to think of it, young one” A large hand slapped onto Peter’s back in a friendly gesture, though Thor wasn’t known for his ability to control his strength, which didn’t feel good on Peter’s already aching muscles.

“JARVIS run a vitals scan-” Steve started.

“NO! I-I mean no. Please, don’t- okay I’m I’m fine.”

“Very convincing” Nat muttered between another sip.

“Pete just-” Steve again started but Peter wasn’t having it.

“It’s my body and I said no. I get that you’re tryna help and you’re concerned and all but I’m not a baby and I don’t need JARVIS running off and telling Tony I needed a vitals- even though it would find nothing! You know he’d still- ugh just. Just quit it okay? I’m fine.” Peter snapped but quickly fell into an apologetic tone towards the end. It was obvious all three of the adults wanted to push the issue further but decided against it. It was the first time they’d seen the kid have any type of outburst that wasn’t down to pure excitement.

Steve silently conceded that he would mention it to Tony in private earlier, right before he was the kid turn green. Just as he opened his mouth Peter suddenly pushed his chair back and hurried across the kitchen.

“Kid are you-” With that Peter launched forward, almost folding double to grab the trash can, before violently vomiting.

“Crap, JARVIS can you-”

“Dr Banner has been notified and I have left a message for Mr Stark.”

“Thank you” Steve crouched down to Peter, who was now on his knees, shaking whilst still trying to keep his grip on the trashcan. Steve wrapped his arm around him to support him, holding the trash can with the other, “Easy, easy son, relax. I’ve got you don’t fight it.”

Peter cried out trying to rush out an apology but he couldn't catch a breath between each heave. The regurgitated orange juice was burning and stinging his throat, which felt as though it was being torn open. He retched loudly with each wave of vomit that came cascading out of him, both into the trashcan and down the front of his shirt. If anyone else had been close enough to hear them they would’ve thought the boy was being attacked. At some point Thor had brought a towel to wipe the child’s mouth whilst Natasha brought over a glass of water. Just as she reached the other side of the room she saw the mess.

“It’s okay buddy, you’re okay Bruce will be here real soon.” Steve shushed him gently.

Peter trembled still muttering apologies and Steve could’ve sworn he head ‘I want my dad’ amongst all the words and sick that was coming out of Peter’s mouth.

“I know, I know, it’s alright” He wiped Peter’s slick, sweat soaked hair out of his face as he suddenly bent forward again letting out what seemed an impossibly long and violent stream of vomit out. Steve couldn’t understand how a boy so small could have that much in his stomach. That was when he heard Natasha gasp.

“Oh god, is that blood..?”

Chapter Text

Tony had always had a rule against using his suit inside, especially in enclosed spaces. But he made an exception.

He burst through the medical bay doors, ripping both off of their hinges.

“WHERE-”

“It’s okay, it’s okay! He’s alright he’s just-” Natasha stepped in front of him, both hands raised.

“WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED?!”

“If you’d let me-”

“No! You let me through- BANNER!”

“Calm the fuck down, okay metal man?! The kids fine- Bruce said it’s just a torn oesophagus, he will be OKAY. We freaked out when he started puking blood.”

“Puking blood?! No one came to get me sooner?! That’s the last time I leave him alone for christ sakes-” Tony continued raging down the hallway, lead by Nat to the room where Peter was still expelling the contents of his stomach. His face immediately softened, “Christ, Petey.” he sighed as his slipped into his room.

“Stomach virus,” Bruce announced not looking from the screen he was hunched over. “Nothing that can’t be fixed. I’ve already administered some intravenous anti sickness medication-”

“Well it’s not--HRRGH-- w-workin’” Peter moaned pittifully before ducking his head back into the bowl, he wasn’t bringing up any actual vomit now, just mouthfuls of watery red bile.

Bruce briefly glanced up to give Peter a sympathetic smile. “Give it a minute, bud.”

Tony stood beside Peter to gently rub his back in an attempt to comfort the wailing boy. He had never seemed more like a child than he did right now. The fact that Peter, the boy who made Tony turn around every time he changed or leave the room to he could blow his nose was sprawled, half naked across the bed whilst simultaneously accepting comfort; this alone told Tony something was very wrong.

“E-e-e-everthing h-h-hurts,” he sniffed wetly leaning into Tony’s touch trying to swallow to discourage his stomach from heaving anymore. His insides burned as they spasmed, he couldn’t get any relief from the constant contractions of pain both in his chest and his abdomen. “M-m’sorry I m-made a mess-!” He sobbed harding his entire body wracking with the waves of pain.

“Shh, shh, shh hey. It’s okay Petey, it’s okay no ones mad about the mess. We’ll make hawk clean it up when he gets home it’s fine.” His attempt to make Pete laugh only resulted in the kid crying harder. Tony sighed and got into bed beside him pulling him close, whispering comforting things to him every so often. Eventually, after an hour or so, they both fell into an uneasy sleep, Tony thinking about the moments leading up to this and how it lead him to realise the true extent of how much he loved this kid.

During his meeting one of his agents had stepped in.

“Mr Stark?” All eyes fell on him. Not that it was unusual for grave matters of urgency to occur during a meeting that required his immediate summoning (not to brag), but the agents face didn’t have the usual scared expression.

“Yes?” He replied calmly.

“It’s Peter, he-”

“What’s that kid gotten into now?” He was immediately out of his seat his heart was already pounding. Something told him Peter hadn’t just broken something in the lab or snuck out his bedroom window.

“Bruce is with him now sir but he-“

Tony didn’t even think. He was already suited up, blasting his way through the window and up to the 70th floor, where Bruce’s lab and the medical bay was. He felt numb.

He knew fear. He knew it well, but this? This was something Tony had never felt before. His mind was entirely blank and it was as though some physical force was pulling him along, something inside of him. ‘Just please be okay..please..’

Tony shook a little from the adrenaline that recent memory caused, whilst sighing from how much he had overreacted. The boy laying next to him stirred a little, burrowing into Tony’s side. He smiled to himself knowing once the boy felt better he’d get a kick out of how scared everyone had been. ‘Always causing trouble’, Tony thought. ‘Just like his old man-‘

He stopped. He wasn’t startled by this realisation he just hadn’t thought it would happen so quickly. He actually loved this kid. For so long Tony has tried so hard to convince himself he was incapable of loving another person. Then Pepper changed all that. Of course this was different, in comparison to this romantic love felt so easy. He wasn’t responsible for Pepper’s actions the way he was Peter. To an extent yes he had to keep her safe, but not from herself. He didn’t have to help her make life decisions or teach her how to tie a tie or help pick what College to go to.

He didn’t have to for Peter. He wanted to. He wanted to be this kids dad, wanted it more than anything. As much as he hated seeing Peter in so much pain, the kid wanted him, needed him, was able to find comfort in him. He wondered what May would have to say about their developing relationship, what if she found it inappropriate or thought that he had some untoward intentions?

‘May. Shit.’

“JARVIS? Call May Parker.” Tony managed to break out of Peter’s sleepy deathgrip on his shirt and slip quietly into the hall without waking the feverish boy up.

Tony explained the entire sequence of events, to a relatively calm sounding May. He expected her to flip as much as he had, to demand he was out of his care as he was clearly incapable for being a guardian for the young boy.

“Oh yeah, that’s happened before.” She said somewhat nonchalantly.

“What?”

“Yeah, Pete’s a violent puker. He got sick after his first sip of wine at communion in church and I swear half the people thought he was possessed. One old lady fainted.” She chuckled at the memory before sighing. “How long did he go without saying this time?”

“Excuse me?” Tony was still getting over the fact that no one had thought to mention this to him, not specifically Peter’s brief exorcism, but that he got violently ill and by the sounds of it often.

“I mean how long has he been sick? Did he say?”

“No..” Tony prompted.

May sighed again. “Come on Mr Stark, surely you’ve noticed he’s not very good at expressing his needs?” He had, from the day he’d met Peter the kid hadn’t asked for anything that wasn’t technologically related. He recalled an incident first day Pete moved into the tower; he’d been too afraid to ask for the bathroom until Tony had to physically try and drag him there and it had been too late, in fact that had happened several times without the boy losing control. He’d gotten better in the past few months, now he realised he didn’t have to ask for permission for food, the restroom etc. He still wouldn’t directly admit to needing anything but it was still very much a work in progress.

Tony’s silent moment of contemplation had given May her answer. “Exactly. His first week of middle school he caught a bug, if he didn’t sound like an old man screaming swahili when he puked I wouldn’t have know. I just found him trying to clean it out of the carpet himself. Same with every scraped knee or wet bed every since I’ve known him. Which, you know has been his entire life so-“

“I get it. I need to keep a better eye on him.” Tony sighed.

Her tone softened. “He’s been through a lot Tony. He’s going through a lot. And he’s a frickin teenager- they’re not exactly forthcoming at the best of times” they both chuckled at that “and I don’t mean to say you’re not doing a good job, you know how grateful I am for everything you’re doing for him..” she sniffed and Tony heard movement on the other end of the telephone. A sad smile had crept onto his face before she coughed and continued. “So grateful, and you’re obviously doing an amazing job. Honestly? I’d expected something like this a lot sooner, Pete being how he is. Teenagers are difficult and complex, and he’s a difficult and complex teenager- like a Rubix cube!”

Tony laughed “Every time you figure out one side there's another one around the corner you’ve got another one to solve.”

“Yup-“ She was cut off by a deep raspy cough rumbling through her chest. Tony cringed.

“How are you doing, Ms Parker?”

With a smile on her face but some sadness in her voice “Nothing I can’t handle, Mr Stark. Take care of our boy won’t ya?”

“I will.” Tony didn’t know why but he had a tear running down his face. He went to hang up as the conversation felt as though it had concluded.

“Oh shoot- wait!”

“What? What is it?”

“Bring him his bear.”

“...huh?”

“It’s on his bed, he’s not gonna sleep well without it.”

Tony smiled. “Noted.”

Chapter Text

Meanwhile, Peter woke up shortly after Tony went to call his aunt unbeknownst to him. He ached all over but his stomach and back were agony. All that vomiting had strained his muscles, it wasn’t a feeling he was unused to, not that that made it easier. Peter realised that he was now alone but that wasn’t what had woken him. He felt a strong pressure in his lower abdomen due to, he realised, the several IV bags that had been draining into him while he slept.

“Good evening Mr Parker,” JARVIS spoke softer than usual. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m” Peter rasped out before attempting to clear his throat. It was futile his voice was near enough inaudible. “I’m okay...where’s Tony?”

“You do should know not to lie to me Mr Parker, especially considering the events that transpired this morning when you would not allow me to assist you.” Tony has instructed JARVIS not to tell Peter he was speaking to May, as he knew Peter would go through the same train of thought he had as well as feeling guilty for disturbing the sick woman. “As for Mr Stark, he will be joining you shortly.”

Peter shifted on his bed “How shortly?” He asked in a small voice.

“I am not certain.”

He shifted again. This wasn’t good. Peter was always desperate to pee when he first woke up, always. If not he was already wet, which to his surprise, he wasn’t yet. Though he did make note he had been changed out of his clothes since he lost consciousness, which he prayed had been done by some machine.

A strong urge hit him and he leant forward, stuffing a hand between his legs. He squirmed constantly until the wave passed him, crossing his legs tightly under the covers.

“Mr Parker do I need to alert Dr Banner that you are in need of medical assistance?”

“N-n-no!” Peter said as loud as he could. “Please, don’t!”

“Then may I perform a vitals scan on you to determine the nature of your discomfort?”

“God, JARVIS, I just- I gotta- ooh!” He moaned leaning forward as he felt a leak escape him. He blinked away tears of embarrassment and pain before trying again. He couldn’t even admit his need to a piece of AI software how on earth could he to a human who came to help him? Unless JARVIS told them for him. As he came to that conclusion JARVIS, seemingly once again to have read his mind (something Peter frequently questioned Tony about just to be met with no answer), chimed in.

“Your bladder capacity is at seventy-three percent, Peter. Shall I notify someone that you are in need of-“

“P-please don’t..j-just wait until Tony comes back okay..?” Peter sniffled still furiously squirming.

“Sir, I don’t believe you will be able to remain in control of your bodily functions until Mr Stark is available.”

Peter didn’t answer, he just did everything he could to hold it in. He felt as though he had been holding it for hours though it had only been five minutes since he woke up. He was in physical pain, he couldn’t remember the last time, of any, he had waited this long to go since waking up. Let alone with three IV bags of extra fluid needing to be filtered out of his system.

Not two minutes later his bladders resolve began to fail. Peter was just thankful that JARVIS didn’t give him a ‘involuntary urination’ countdown. He was leaking steadily despite all of his efforts. He looked around for another option, he couldn’t see anything he could use as an impromptu potty. Even if he did he had too many wires sticking out of him to be able to take care of it on his own.

Peter sobbed silently as his muscles weakened and eventually gave out, releasing his overfull bladder, flooding the sheets. The mattress protector offered no absorption so the puddle beneath him spread and seeped into his clothes, soaking the poor feverish boy from groin to knees.

To add to the boys torment, five minutes after he’d finished soiling himself, Tony walked in.

“Mr Stark, Mr Parker has-“ Before JARVIS could continue his statement Tony caught sight of Peter’s tear stained face and rushed forward.

“Kid?! What’s wrong?!”

“I-I-I’m s-so s-s-s-so-“ Peter’s horse voice ended in a squeak as his stuttering became unintelligible.

“Mr Parker has wet his bed sir.” JARVIS stated for him.

Tony breathed a sigh of relief, thanking whatever deities are out there that it wasn’t something more serious. The relief quickly faded once he realised the situation he was now in.

“Pete..Petey, c’mere’” he soothed. Peter’s sobs had somehow managed to escalate since JARVIS’s statement. Tony sat gingerly on the edge of the bed, knowing if his clothes got wet too the child would be mortified (he was thankful Peter didn’t seem to remember vomiting over him a few hours ago) and wrapped an arm around him; he shook him gently. “It’s just sheets. They can be washed. You’re sick and you crashed pretty hard, we had to pump you full of stuff and you were asleep it could happen to anyone. Hell, when I-“

“I w-wasn’t...I wasn’t...”

“Wasn’t what, bud?”

“I wasn’t asleep!” Peter cried out. “I woke up and I had to go so bad- so bad Mr Stark! B-but I tried to hold it b-but I couldn’t a-and I couldn’t get up and no-no one was here so I-I-I didn’t mean to I-l’m sorry please don’t hate me! Please don’t send me away!”

Chapter Text

“Peter. Don’t even go there.” Tony cupped his streaked face with both hands. “Never. Never gonna happen. I told you your first week here that some wet clothes are never gonna make me love you any less.”

Peter thought back to that mortifying experience on the final drive up to the tower and cringed.

***

It was the first day Tony had had off in a while. He was still dealing with the aftermath of one of the Avengers latest fights in a busy city and the clean up process had been a nightmare. It had been one thing after another for the past three months so he’d been really looking forward to this day. It was also extremely hot so he was even more glad to the excuse to wear something other than a suit.

Peter was excited. Up until that morning he hadn’t allowed himself to look forward to the move at all, only allowing himself to worry about his aunt, despite how much she was trying to reassure him. But now it all hit at once and he was bouncing off the walls.

Aunt May had left the previous evening to go to the facility she would be receiving her treatment in, so Peter had been alone that night. Both he and his Aunt were sad that she hadn’t been there to see him off, but in a way Peter was relieved. The night had been rough and he’d spent most of it crying, so the fact that May didn’t have to see that was good or he knew she would’ve called the entire thing off. He didn’t want her to know how scared he was, she didn’t need him being difficult on top of everything else. This morning however it was like all the bad feelings decided to give him the day off as he woke up bright and early already with a smile on his face.

‘This is it. I’m really going to live with Tony Stark.’ It was still so surreal, though he’d been mentored by the man for over year now. He grinned once more before hurrying to the bathroom to get ready.

Though Tony could’ve paid to have the entire kids housed packed up and shipped straight to the tower within the hour, he decided against it. He figured the kid would probably have a lot of mixed emotions right now, and as much as it made Tony uncomfortable to think about, maybe a bit of time alone bonding over something that wasn't strictly work related would do him some good. It was a good 4 hour drive from Peter’s small apartment back to Stark Tower (traffic forgiving), so Tony was praying they wouldn’t run out of things to talk about. Though with Peter he highly doubted that would be a problem.

Tony arrived just before noon in a large family car (probably his idea of being less conspicuous but it was still clearly too expensive to be in that area of town) dressed in a white -shirt and jeans. Peter ran out to greet him but stopped abruptly and looked tony up and down.

“What?” Tony questioned, concerned about what on earth was gonna come out of the child's mouth this time.

“You just look so..normal.”

“Well, gee thanks and a good morning to you to.” Tony said sarcastically but smiled nonetheless.

It didn’t take them a quarter of an hour to get the contents of Peter’s room into the back of the people carrier.

“Aaaaaand- that’s the last of it.” Pete grunted out after insisting on carrying one of the heaviest boxes by himself. “All set!”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

He paused looking perplexed before Tony jingled his pocket.

“OH! Keys!” Tony laughed as the boy quickly jumped over a wall and ran up to steps to the building to put his house keys under the mat for the landlord to find.

“Hold up kid, do you need to use the bathroom before we leave?” Tony ignored Peter’s blush and continued. “Go on, it’s a long drive up there.”

Peter didn’t argue, mostly because his bladder twinges at the mention of lack of bathroom opportunities, but also because he wanted this conversation to end as quickly as possible.

They set off soon after Peter chattering about his latest lego project him and Ned had been working on and Tony relaxed. He had half expected Peter to be in a much worse mood considering the circumstances, he was so relieved he actually found himself enjoying the idle conversation which through Tony’s promoting had quickly progressed onto a series of equations he’d been working on whilst looking a the structural integrity of his latest project. Peter was giving his thoughts on the problems when he was suddenly interrupted by his stomach loudly growling.

“Jesus,” Tony laughed. “Guess it’s time for lunch.”

Peter blushed but laughed along, he hadn’t realised how famished he was. He found himself drinking more of his water to silence his stomach temporarily.

“Forget to eat breakfast again?” Peter paused before nodding reddening slightly, yet again. “Oh Cap with have that kicked out of you in a week, he’s a stickler for it.”

“Tell me about it, they showed one of his PSA’s in homeroom last week.” Peter laughed and they both began quoting the ad with equally bad impressions of the Captain. His laughter made Peter realise that his bladder was starting to fill again.

“Are there any places to stop soon?” He tried to keep the sheepish tone out of his voice.

“Don’t worry kid we’ll get you some food soon.”

Peter settled in, listening to Tony talk for a while and avoiding drinking any more from his bottle. He got progressively more quiet as the minutes ticked by trying to focus all of his energy on his rapidly increasing desperation, the 8 oz of water he drank on an empty stomach making its way through is system. He shifted in his seat and took a deep breath through his nose. ‘Calm down Peter, we’re not even on the highway yet and Tony said we’ll stop soon you can hold it.’

“You alright, P?” Tony asked worriedly. He’d notice the child grow quieter and seen him stiffen and close his eyes. Now he was breathing heavy.

“Uh huh.” ‘why of all things to call me right now, Pee’ he thought grouchily before realising he should probably give some kind of explanation as to why he was acting strangely. He couldn't think quick enough but fortunately Tony gave him one.

“You tired?” Peter quickly nodded. “I bet you were up late, huh?” Another nod.

Tony turned the radio down and pressed a button on the console that laid Peter’s chair down slightly; which Peter was thankful for as it gave his squashed bladder some more room. “You can close your eyes for a bit, I’ll let you know when we’re coming up to a place.”

Peter was grateful for the out and even more so for the fact that he could now fully focus on controlling himself without trying to stay present in the conversation too. He did however have to make sure not to squirm too much and give his cover away. Little did he know Tony was totally clued in on the situation but thought it best to avoid it until it was absolutely necessary.

After so long of working closely with a teenager, who gets very involved in projects to the point he ignores both his surroundings and his own needs, Tony he’s become used to Peter’s potty dance. He’d never draw attention to it, both as not to embarrass the kid and because he’s never been good at approaching potentially sensitive subjects. Peter had always tried to impress Tony and never said if he needed anything. He’d never asked for breaks or water or even where pieces of equipment were (he’d usually wait until Tony also needed it so he’d see where it was kept or until the man questioned him as to why he’d stopped working). Up until this point Tony had never run into this problem with the boy, as he’d always had JARVIS or Karen to tell Tony beforehand and he’s never been in a place without readily available restrooms nearby.

Although, it did occur to Tony that perhaps this was an opportunity to help the kid break free of his habit of not voicing his needs.

Internally Peter was beginning to panic. He knew he wouldn’t be able to wait much longer and now he had to feign sleep and refrain from squirming it was near impossible to keep from leaking. With his eyes shut he couldn't see whether or not they were coming up to a place to stop and he could feel every tiny movement of the car. Lucky for him Tony was pulling into a fast food parking lot not even a minute later.

Tony shook him gently. “Up and at ‘em kid.”

Pretending, badly, to wake up from a deep sleep by dramatically yawning and stretching (which was a bad idea as it put more strain on his already overfilled bladder).

“Drive through or eat in?” This was Tony’s way of giving the boy a chance to voice his need and luckily Peter took it.

“Eat in!” He blushed. “Uh, please.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Tony put the car in park and got out, pretending not to see the young teen grab himself when he thought he was out of Tony’s line of sight. He was glad he wouldn’t have to press further to get the kid to chose the latter. Had Peter said drive through though he know he would have had to say something to avoid the kid peeing in his seat. He was grateful that awkward conversation didn't have to happen for both his sake and the child’s.

They walked inside, Peter walking slightly behind Tony so he had the opportunity to grab himself as he needed, and they were met with a small cue to the counter. Tony decided it was best not to push the kid anymore that day.

“What do you want? I’ll order you can go grab us a table.” Tony waited a second for an answer before turning around to see the boy struggling to get his wallet out of his pocket whilst still squirming. “What are you doing?”

“Ge-getting my money out?” Peter breathed out still struggling. Tony just sighed and shook his head in response.

“Go to the bathroom, we can worry about that later.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, that way he could avoid Peter arguing with him and the kid would be saved the embarrassment of his mentor seeing him dash to the bathroom (not that that was an uncommon occurrence). He sighed again whilst checking over the menu. He’d given the boy a perfect out to use the bathroom without having to say anything and he still found a way to make things difficult. Though at this point he didn’t expect any less.

It had been close. Peter managed to get his pants undone just in the nick of time, making it out with only a small damp patch on them. He cringed while washing his hands, both at the uncomfortable wetness in his underwear and the fact his attempts to be surreptitious about his potty emergency had clearly failed. Well at least he’s made it and he hadn’t had to make himself admit it out right. Still on his first day of living with the man and they hadn’t even made it home yet..he shook the thought from his head as his stomach growled again and Peter suddenly realised how good food smelled right now.

Tony was already sitting at a booth by the window with two meals in front of him. Apparently being famous gets you to the front of the line, which Peter had never been more grateful for.

“Better?” Peter blushed and Tony smirked. “I got you the kids meal with carrot sticks.”

Peter frowned indignantly for a second before recognising the mans tone then sat down. “Ha ha, very funny. I could’ve paid you know.”

Tony simply rolled his eyes in response as he wasn’t about to have that conversation again. Peter grumbled before tucking in to his burger and letting the recent memory of his near accident leave his mind.

They were back on the road again within the hour (Tony had suggested Peter use the restroom again before they left which he did) and this time Peter really was feeling tired. Full stomach combined with the steady motion of the car and the gentle breeze of the AC, soon had him yawning. Tony decided to give up trying to make conversation as once again the boy became quieter. He lowered the radio but gently hummed along letting the over excited teenager drift off without drawing attention to it.

They still had a good 2 and a half hours before they got to the tower, in which Tony was content to let the boy sleep. He hoped in vain that this would help avoid anymore incidents but knowing Peter he knew he had little chance of that happening.

However, Peter slept through the entire rest of the journey, even through an extra half an hour traffic jam. This worried the man slightly as they passed several rest stops before they'd arrived and he had been unsure as whether or not to wake the kid up. He decided against it ultimately as he couldn't see any outward signs of discomfort.

As he pulled into his underground garage he tapped Peter on the shoulder and to his surprise the boy immediately sat bolt upright, almost garroting himself with his seat belt.

“I’m up!” He blinked groggily. He looked around the dimly lit cement room then back at Tony. “Hi.”

“Hi.” Tony laughed. “You were out like a light there, kiddo.” He felt a strange urge to ruffle the kids hair but fought against it instead reaching over to undo the boys belt before his own the stepping out of the van.

Peter shook himself awake and went to step out of the car also but he was jolted by a familiar sense of urgency in his abdomen. He let out a small yelp before clamping his legs together tightly. He sat still for a moment in the car, begging the wave of desperation to pass long enough for him to stand up before Tony realised there was something wrong.

“You coming or am I carrying these boxes myself?” Tony had appeared next to his open door with two boxes stacked under one arm. Peter cringed but quickly stepped out. As soon as his feet hit the concrete he felt another intense wave travel up his legs and back down his spine making him bend in two.

“What’s the matter?” Tony put the boxes on the roof of the vehicle. “You gonna puke?”

Peter whined and shook his head before burying his hands in his crotch.

“Shit,” Tony muttered. “It’s okay come on we’ll get you to a bathroom there’s one a couple floors up.”

Tony was unsure where to touch him without jarring him so he just gently placed a hand on Peter’s back in an attempt to lead him but he didn’t budge.

“Mmm..” Peter whined again. This couldn’t be happening, he’d managed not to have one accident today it couldn’t be happening again. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes and struggled to blink them away. The pressure in his bladder was excruciating. “Can’t.”

“I know, but you have to move, kid. Come on, it’s not far.” Tony stated awkwardly. What the hell was he supposed to do now, he wished Steve had been the one to deal with this he had no idea how to comfort someone who clearly was not going to make it to the restroom. As many close calls he’s had with Peter it had never been this close.

While Tony was having an internal debate on how to deal with the situation Peter’s bladder was starting to lose it’s resolve for the second time that day. His underwear was quickly becoming saturated again and this time he felt some trail down his leg. He whimpered and tightened his grip before stumbling forward in the direction Tony was gently pulling him. Tears had started readily falling down his hot cheeks without his permission but he didn’t have the time or energy to deal with them. His only focus was getting to the restroom without fully disgracing himself in front of the man who had literally just taken him in.

“You can do it, Pete. Almost there.” That was a lie, they weren’t even ten steps away from the car, but he was trying his best to be some kind of comfort for the poor desperate teenager that was moments away from losing it.

“M-Mr Stark, Sir, I-I can’t, I’m so sorry it’s- it’s I can’t- ugh!” Another stream made its way down Peter’s leg, now visibly dampening his jeans.

“Breathe. It’s okay. It’s alright.” Tony had no idea what to say other than try and assure Peter that he wasn’t angry with him (as he was sure that would be the boys first thought when this was all over). The two of them remained in relative silence, other than Peter’s moans and hisses of pain. Part of Tony wanted to tell him just to let go but he knew that Peter would never let go deliberately nor did he feel that was an appropriate thing to say to a fragile 15 year old boy.

But it didn’t take long for the inevitable to happen. They hadn’t moved another five steps before the dam broke. Peter felt as his bladder gave way to the torrent of urine he’d been barely keeping at bay as it cascaded down his legs, audibly hissing as it splashed against the cement. Tony removed his hand from his back and looked away as though to give him some resemblance of privacy as he finished emptying his bladder all over the garage floor. After around 30 seconds the hissing stopped and the silence was broken by a heart shattering sob. Tony waited for a stream of ‘I’m sorry’s to come out of Peter’s mouth, but instead he stood their gawking at the mess he’d made, seemingly in shock.

His knees shook and Tony put his hand back on Peter’s shoulder to steady him.

“It’s alright. It’s alright come on.”

“I..I’m so..” Peter choked on his words and tears started falling freely down his face once again, which he furiously wiped away. Not only had he just wet himself like a baby now he was crying like one, right in front of Mr. Stark.

“Shh, I know, okay? I know. Don’t worry about it. Everyone has to go when they first wake up.”

“Y-yeah,” Peter sniffed still angrily rubbing his eyes. “And everyone else can hold it like an adult-”

“Nope. Shut it. Not going down that road of self deprecation. It was an accident, it’s over, it’s not your fault, it happens.” Tony listed off all of the usually phrases he thought would apply to this situation. “I’ll text happy to leave some clothes in the elevator. This won’t leave this room.” The Tony did something Peter had never expected in a million years. He held up his pinky.

“Really?” Peter chuckled slightly still sniffling.

“Oh, but of course. A pinky promise is the highest level of unbreakable word. I'm pretty sure it's still highly regarded as a legally binding contract in the court of law.” Tony said wiggling the digit ‘at least I got the kid to smile,’. Peter grasped Tony’s pinky with his and laughed again, maybe he hadn’t messed this up.

“Not another word about it okay?” Peter nodded. “Good- now let’s get these boxes moved.”
***
“B-but that was different- and you said you’d never- wait..” Tony’s words suddenly hit him like a freight train. “Did you just say you love me..?”

“Of course I do. Maybe I should’ve said it earlier but of course I do. I wouldn’t give you so many rules or make sure you eat and drink regularly and I certainly wouldn’t have gone and grabbed a bear for a 15 year old sick kid to sleep with if I didn’t love him. So, now that’s out of the way, let’s get you cleaned up, kid.” Tony quickly cleared his throat, despite his emotions at that moment he still didn’t find that overt expression of affection particularly comfortable.

Peter let himself smile, that was the first time he heard the man openly express his feelings, well any feelings really. That smile dropped when the realisation hit him that May must’ve told the man about his stuffed animal.

“If you tell anyone I swear to god-”

“I already updated a selfie with it to twitter-”

“NOT FUNNY!”

Chapter Text

Over the next few weeks Tony wouldn’t let Peter out of his sight and the boy was starting to feel the strain. The first three days while he was recovering had been rather nice and he’d relished in the attention he was getting. But once he’d started to feel better he was finding the man’s constant presence rather suffocating. Two weeks later and Peter was going insane. Everyone had noticed Peter’s decline in enthusiasm but Tony felt it was necessary to give the boy more boundaries despite his darkening mood. Bruce still hadn’t cleared him to continue his training, insisting his oesophagus needed time to fully repair itself. At that point he was feeling completely fine so he was becoming increasingly frustrated by following doctors orders.

It seemed everyone was against him as even Thor had prevented Peter from entering the gym early one morning.

“I’m sorry young one, I can’t allow you to enter in your current state.”

“I’m fine! Do I look sick to you?!” Peter pouted. He knew how childish he sounded but he didn’t care. After weeks of being forced to do nothing and being under constant surveillance, he’d built up so much pent up energy that he was just bursting to run some of it off. “You’ve seen kids my age attack each other with battle axes- but I can’t go on a freakin’ treadmill?!”

“What I did in my youth does not compare to your situation, young mortal. And mind your language before Steve hears you. I will not be held responsible.” Thor laughed before turning Peter in the other direction. “I’m sure you’ll be fit and ready for battle again soon.”

Peter didn’t answer and simply stormed off to his room, passing Tony in the hall.

“Where were yo-”

“Nowhere.” Peter grunted.

“Oh dear.” Tony suppressed a chuckle.

“What?!” Peter snapped staring sulkily at the man.

“Nothing, kiddo.” He ruffled his hair deliberately annoying the boy further, making his frown deepen. Peter huffed loudly and continued stomping down the hallway into his room and flopped dramatically on his bed (since he couldn’t slam his sliding door).

“Breakfast in twenty minutes sunshine!” Tony cheerily called down the hallways before making his way to the kitchen, smiling to himself. He poured himself a cup of coffee greeting Steve as he sat down. “Mornin’ Cap.”

“Good morning. What’re you smiling about?” Steve eyed him suspiciously. He always got an uneasy feeling when Tony had that mischievous look in his eye.

“Our little boy is turning into a grouchy teenager that’s all.” He grinned again. “I can feel a full blown temper tantrum coming on.”

“Don’t tease the boy,” Steve frowned slightly but kept his tone light. “I’d be ready to have a hissy fit if I had you breathing down my neck for a fortnight.”

“I know, I know I don’t blame him. It’s just a little entertaining to be on the other side of teenage angst.”

“Cut him some slack.” Steve rolled his eyes. He knew Tony too well to think he wouldn’t antagonise the boy a little.

“I’m not gonna do anything mean!” Tony said still smirking. “Scout’s honour. I’ll give him a little more space and see what he’ll do with it.”

Peter was still curled up on his bed sulking, scrolling absentmindedly through his phone. This was so unfair, even May hadn’t babied him this much and she still cut his pancakes into fun shapes. Though admittedly the chocolate chip Millennium Falcon had been pretty cool. He rolled over again sighing. He just wanted some time to do what he wanted. If he had to sit in the lab for 8 hours straight he should at least be able to do something fun. Since he’d gotten sick Tony wouldn’t even so much as let him touch his suit in case he got any ‘smart ideas’. Wasn’t that the whole point of a mentee? To have smart ideas?

He ignored the first two times he was called for breakfast. He knew he wasn’t going to get out of eating, but he wanted to be as difficult as possible. However, he felt a pang of guilt when Steve came to his door, instead of having JARVIS send him to the kitchen.

“Hey Buddy, you up?” Steve called softly through the door. His tone made Peter want to drop his attitude as he knew Steve wasn’t responsible to the choices Tony had been making for him. But the thought of being forced to sit through another meal, then straight into another day of being Tony’s shadow (not even the fun kind that gets to do stuff) helped keep his mood freshly soured.

“No.” He mumbled into his pillow. Steve sighed gently.

“Can I come in?”

Peter sat up hugging the pillow to his chest. “I guess.”

Steve came in and lent against the wall nearest the door. “What’s up?”

Peter just shrugged. He knew he was being a brat and he should just admit to Steve, as well as Tony, why he was in such a bad mood. But he was so frustrated, he didn’t want anyone to understand and at that moment he didn’t feel as though he deserved anyone being nice to him, he just wanted to be left alone. Was that so much to ask for?

Steve smiled sadly before sitting at the edge of the bed next to Peter. “I know it’s been a lot lately kid. But we’re not the enemy we’re just trying to help you.”

“There’s nothing wrong with me.” Peter snapped coldly. All the guilty feelings were quickly being washed away with new, hot anger towards Steve himself. He didn’t understand, he didn’t know what Peter was going through because he hadn’t told him. Why should he sit here and be patronised?

“I didn’t mean it like that.” Steve’s face softened and he looked sad. “I’m sorry. Just know that whatever it feels like, you’re not on your own here, okay? You can talk to us.”

Peter kept his mouth shut, not wanting to say anything he’d regret. As angry as he felt right now, he knew better than to lash out and hurt people. He nodded in reply.

“Come get something to eat.” Steve patted his arm and stood up, waiting for Peter to stand also before walking out. Another pang of guilt rang through the boy. The man was being so patient with him, he knew he didn’t deserve it. Steve was probably just being nice to him because he felt sorry for him anyways.

Everyone was deep in conversation by the time Peter had joined them. He sat down between Natasha and Bruce. Bruce quickly slided him a plate that already had strawberries on it.

“Figured I’d save you some before the human garbage disposal absorbed them all,” He gestured pointedly at Thor who had his mouthful as per usual. This managed to get a snort of laughter from Peter, which he noticed immediately made Steve smile.

“So what’re your plans today?”

Pete’s face fell a little and he shrugged. “I don’t know whatever Tony has in store for me today. What about you?”

“Just some research into antibodies, nothing interesting.”

“Can’t I come shadow you for once?”

Bruce smiled at that. “I don’t think you’d have much fun sitting in my lab all day Peter.”

“I don’t have much fun with Mr. Stark either,” He muttered picking at the food on his plate. Peter drifted out of the various conversations around him and sat quietly until he realised his name was being called.

“Peter? Peter. Peeeeter. Peter!” Tony was chorusing in various different tones. “Oh you’re back with us! How was your trip? I said, do you have any plans for tonight after work?”

Peter sighed. Great not only did he have to spend all day being bored he got to spend the little free time he did get being bored too!

“No, sir.”

Tony decided against pulling him up on the ‘sir’ business at that particular moment. “Well, there’s a theatre downtown that doing a rerun of the old planet of the apes movies if you wanted to go.”

“Really?!” That was the last thing Peter had been expecting (which showed clearly on his face much to Tony’s satisfaction). He immediately felt even worse about his recent behaviour, storming around the place like a typical ungrateful teenager. He knew his aunt would be deeply disappointed in him had she known.

“No I thought I’d-”
“Don’t ruin this with sarcasm.” Peter grinned.

“There is one condition.”

“Ugh. What is it?” His face fell instantly, he had a feeling he knew what was coming.

“We have a meeting this afternoon.”

“Uuuuuuuuugh- fine. But I’m not wearing a tie!” Even with that knowledge it didn’t dampen his mood and he found himself enjoying Tony’s company once again that day.

Despite how Tony reacted initially to Peter’s attitude that morning, he’d overheard the boy’s conversation with Bruce and he too felt a pang of guilt. He hadn’t intentionally meant to bore the boy he was just trying to be extra cautious to ensure he didn’t miss something important again. In hindsight he could see how his young apprentice had been bored out of his mind, when he was that age he would’ve acted out far before that and much worse than Peter had. With a shiver he realised how his own father must’ve found provoking him entertaining, with the amount of arguments and restrictions he had in his youth, and he was determined not to do the same with Peter. Finding the occasional tantrum endearing was one thing but deliberately causing them was another.

Tony hadn’t spent any quality time with the boy, despite two weeks worth of opportunities. They had spent their days in the lab in relative silence (which Tony now knew was down to the boy resenting him rather than him being intensely focused or still feeling unwell). Their dynamic had shifted since Tony had told Peter he loved him and this worried the man. Had he scared Peter? Was is inappropriate of him to have said that, both at the time and in general? He had tried not to dwell on it but now he had arranged to do a fun activity with the kid he couldn’t stop mulling it over.

Peter was much less anxious about the day than Tony. He was excited to spend some time outside of the tower and watching old movies was one of his favourite pastimes. He hadn’t felt weird about the man telling him he loved him (though he was anxious that Tony hadn’t meant it as the subject wasn’t mentioned again). He felt relieved that his feelings were reciprocated and that he hadn’t been the first one to say it; he’d almost slipped up several times. It had dawned on him after that he hadn’t said it back, he just hoped Tony knew.

Their work day was pretty productive, much more than it had been as Peter was actually contributing. The morning flew by quickly and before long they grabbed a quick lunch and head to their rooms to change in preparation for the meeting. Every time Pete grumbled Tony said;

“Just focus on the task at hand. One hour- two max, then me and you in the movie theatre. Gorging ourselves on all the candy Steve won’t keep in the house and watching a bunch of badly made up chimps take over the world.”

Chapter Text

But it wasn’t two hours, it was coming up to three hours when the meeting finally began. One of the representatives had been stuck in traffic or something- not that Peter cared. He was already tired of sitting down for so long and Tony kept chastising him for slumping in his seat.

“You could at least make it look like you want to be here,” he murmured in a hushed tone through the side of his mouth, deliberately not looking at the boy.

“Well I don’t.” Peter hissed back, getting more irritated by the lack of eye contact.

Tony decided against replying, he could feel anger rising in his chest and he knew better than to snap at the kid. Instead he chose to ignore him for a while, in hopes he could avoid exacerbating the situation.

Peter pouted, but sat up straight in his chair. A tall man, with a long dark trench coat ‘like those guys outta the matrix’ and an eye patch was the last man to silently stroll into the room and take a seat at the far corner of the room, as opposed to around the table with the rest of the men in suits. Peter found himself sitting a little straighter when the man’s eye scanned the room, resting on him for a moment. Though his gaze wasn’t threatening, it certainly felt intimidating.

Tony stood suddenly, making Peter jump a bit, and tapped a stack of papers on the table. “Fury! Well, thank you for gracing us with your presence!”

The man didn’t smile, or respond at all really, but Tony didn’t seem phased. He began addressing the room about what needed to be done in regards to rebuilding part of downtown and the clean up and refurb and something about recovery of alien tech and...and Peter zoned out.

Despite his attitude he had tried to focus and retain the information, but it was so boring! They kept using trade terms that Peter didn’t understand and he had very little regard to architecture beyond the point of ‘wow that building is pretty- I bet I could scale that easily’. And it was going on forever. He had nothing to occupy himself with. He’d been idly deconstructing a pen before putting it back together, but he stopped after a piece had been flicked off of the table and rolled under the man, who he now knew only as ‘Fury’s, seat. The whole room had briefly stopped and looked at him, at that feeling made Peter want to crawl in a hole and die. So, he’d resigned to keeping his hands in his lap and staring at various items on the table. He dared not glance at the clock.

Tony still hadn’t addressed the boy, not that Peter had expected him to in the middle on the meeting; but sitting with nothing but your thoughts had a way of wearing on you, and Peter was becoming increasingly anxious that Tony was angry with him. He started to bite his lip anxiously and he shifted in his seat. ‘Damn, not now..’

He looked up at the clock noting that the meeting itself had been going on for an hour now, but Tony was still talking. Nobody else in the room had presented their ideas yet. He shifted again, he didn’t have to go that bad, right? He’d had only just felt it, surely it was just his anxiety tricking him.

Over the next fifteen minutes later, Peter realised his brain was not in fact playing tricks on him and his bladder seemed to be filling more rapidly than usual. During that time Tony had finally sat down. Peter had barely noticed until he felt a tap on his arm jolting him.

“What’s up?” Tony whispered, looking pointedly at him over his glasses he wore to make him look more sophisticated. He’d felt Peter’s mood change from bored to anxious rather rapidly.

“Nothing, Mr. Stark, I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, Sir.” Tony cringed a little at Peter’s last reply but didn’t press further. He figured he’d been wrong and the kid was still mad at him for dragging him to the meeting, or that he was simply being formal for the sake of the company they were in. He pulled away from Peter, returning his focus to the vendor who currently had the floor and Peter’s heart sank.

Maybe he really was mad at him for being a brat. Usually he wouldn’t have dropped the subject so easily, maybe this was his punishment. Peter felt his cheeks getting red and his eyes getting hot. ‘Stop it, Peter, get a hold of yourself. Man up. You’re not a little kid, act your age,’ with that thought he took a deep breath and attempted to straighten up in his chair again. He felt his bladder twinge at the sudden movement, making him bend forward quickly. He felt eyes on him again, but didn’t look up. Instead he reached down, pretending to mess with his sock or something. When he finally looked up again, no one was looking at him. No one, accept the man in the corner.

Peter made eye contact with him, but looked away red in the face. Once again Peter tried to distract himself with the conversations around the room, but it wouldn’t work, his bladder kept coming to the forefront of his mind. It was getting increasingly difficult to ignore and it was getting uncomfortable; as was the man watching him. Every time he dared to look, his eyes would meet the man’s piercing stare. He didn’t understand why and that on top of his bladder screaming at him was only making the anxiety in his chest build and build. Whilst Fury was staring at him, Peter didn’t dare to squirm. He continuously tensed and untensed his thighs but that would only help for so long before he’d have to cross his legs.

He didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t sure about what could be socially appropriate in this setting. Should he raise his hand- ‘no, Peter, don’t be stupid, this isn’t school’. He was still worried about embarrassing Tony and he wasn’t sure if the man was still mad at him. Maybe he should just walk out, if anyone questioned him he’d just excuse himself to the restroom, surely he wouldn’t get in trouble for that..

Tony had felt the boy throwing himself around in the seat, but again chalked it up to him being restless. Almost four hours in one room would drive any kid insane, let alone one with Peter’s attention span. He was proud of him for sticking it out as long as he had. He happen to glance back at Nick Fury and was somewhat surprised to see him staring at his young ward. He then looked at Peter, only to see him bright red and practically shaking.

“Pete. What’s going on?” The boy nearly jumped out of his skin.

“Huh? N-n-nothin’ M-Mr. Stark. S-sorry,” Stammering and hyperventilating, shit that wasn’t good.

The government official who had been speaking noticed he’d lost Tony’s attention and paused clearing his throat, before his eyes fell on the boy beside him. “Uh, Mr Stark, Sir?”

Just as Tony opened his mouth, not knowing entirely what to say, Fury stood up from the corner of the room. “Gentlemen,” the entire room turned to look at him. “I’m afraid we’ve run out of time today, I need Mr. Stark to accompany me on some urgent business. So, we’re gonna have to reschedule this meeting for another time.” He gestured to door with one hand, leaving no room for argument. Some of the men looked as though they wanted to argue, but ultimately decided against it for obvious reasons. They all gathered their things quickly before filing out of the room looking disgruntled.

During all this Peter sat there shaking silently. What the men didn’t realise was Tony startling peter had set of a chain reaction in the child’s body. He put his head down on the desk, covering his face with his arms as his bladder betrayed him, steadily wetting himself.

“Pete? Pete, look at me. What’s the matter?” Tony gently shook the boy, who was now silently sobbing, still having no idea what had brought on the sudden panic attack. He looked up at Fury, who was still standing at the end of the table opposite the pair. Nick looked back at him silently for a moment, before gesturing once again, this time to beneath the table. Once Tony laid eyes on the small puddle beneath Peter’s chair he cursed himself. “Ah, shit Peter-”

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I can’t believe this is happening again, Mr Stark I- this wasn’t on purpose I swear, I just Oh my god-” Peter was back sitting upright pulling away from the man, having once again mistaken Tony’s tone for frustration towards him. He turned and attempted to get out of the chair, but the man’s arm kept him firmly in place.

“No, no Peter, Peter. We’re not doing this again, remember? I’m not mad, just sit down. Sit, there, breathe. Look at me! Breathe. It’s okay,” Tony pulled Peter’s chair so that the boy was facing him. “You’re okay, Pete, you’re not in trouble, I promise. You just gotta calm down for me bud, okay?”

Peter nodded sniffing wetly, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

“Good, that’s good. Everything’s fine, no one saw.” He look up at Nick for a second to see the man on his phone before exiting the room, silently. “What happened?”

“I’m s-so stupid!” Peter’s embarrassment quickly turned to anger. “I should’ve just asked b-but I couldn’t! I didn’t know when was the right time, and I thought you were mad and for fuck sake I’m too old to be pissing my pants cause I’m too afraid to ask!”

Tony sat back for a second, mostly out of shock from Peter’s cursing. “Okay, well A you’re not stupid, I wouldn’t have a stupid person as my apprentice. B, that’s called social anxiety kid and a lot of people suffer from it and that’s okay, we can work on it together. C, everyone has accidents, yeah, don’t look at me like that, I know it’s a line people tell their kids but it’s true. And D, watch. Your damn. Mouth. Got it? I might swear like a sailor but I don’t want to hear it from you. Besides, Steve would have a heart attack if he heard you drop an F-bomb. Now come on, the coast should be clear by now.”

Peter blinked a couple times, nodding to show he acknowledged what the man had said, before standing up to follow him out of the room. He hesitated, glancing back at the mess he’d made. “Shouldn’t I-”

“Don’t worry, come on, we still have time to get dinner before the first showing if we hurry.”

Peter blinked again, confused as to what the man was talking about. “Wha- oh! Wait, we’re still going?!”

“Well, yeah. Unless you don’t feel up to it?”

“N-no, no I do-” He cut himself off.

“If you want to go, we’re going, no punishing yourself today. I’m sure you feel bad enough already so, come on.”

After Peter cleaned, the two got in one of Tony’s cars and headed out. Tony himself was happy not to mention the incident, not wanting to embarrass the teen further. Though he knew he’d have to keep a better eye on the boy from now on. Ignoring the pangs of guilt in favour of cheering the boy up, Tony made a mental note to thank Fury later, and resigned himself to listening to the endless fact Pete was spouting about the Planet of the apes franchise.

“Oh, and Tony?” Tony zoned back into what he was saying. “Thank you. For earlier I mean.”

“You’re welcome, Kid. Don’t worry about it, just know for next time, you can get up and leave. No one's gonna stop you.”

“Yeah..I guess I shoulda figured that out though, huh?”

“Not necessarily. It was your first time in that kind of environment. It’s scary.”
“Yeah. So, what was with the pirate dude?”

Tony nearly spat coffee everywhere. “Did you just refer to Nick Fury as ‘the pirate dude’?!”

“Well, yeah but I didn’t- I didn’t mean it in an offensive way! I just- oh, you know what I mean!” Peter huffed before laughing too. “But seriously, what was up with him? He was just staring at me the whole time.”

“You don’t think your potty dance got his attention?” Tony smirked.

“Well, you didn’t notice.”

Tony’s smirk dropped. “He was just looking out for you kid. He’s been pretty vocal about his opinion on a teenager working with us.”

Peter pouted. “Oh, cause I’m a kid I’m not as good as everyone else?”

“Off your high-horse there, bud. He just doesn’t think it’s the right environment for a child and I agree.”

With that Peter scowled and muttered under his breath. “You weren’t saying that in Germany..”

“I’m sorry what was that?” Tony was bemused rather than angry. Though he didn’t want to push Peter’s buttons today.

“Nothing...I’m sorry.”

“Better. No more attitude sassy-pants.”

“Do not call me that.” Peter laughed.

The rest of their day went without incident. Peter’s enthusiasm was infectious, so even Tony ended up thoroughly enjoying the marathon. Throughout each film, Tony had his own director’s narration going on, Peter whispering fun facts in a hushed voice in his ear every time the boy remembered something interesting. Had anyone else talked through a movie the way Pete did, he would’ve ended up screaming at them (like he had so often done with Thor) but Peter’s excitement was so endearing the man found himself enjoying the movie even more with Peter’s added content. Naturally, Tony kept a very close eye on Peter’s liquid consumption for the rest of the evening, having to prompt the boy to go during the movies several times.

“But this is the best part!” Peter hissed, rocking in his seat.

“You’ve said that four times. How many times have you seen this movie?”

“That’s not the point!” He whined, getting up anyway.

“Bring me back some popcorn.”

“Getcha own dang popcorn!”

Chapter Text

School started up again the following week, so it took some time for everyone to settle into their new routines. Peter had been insistent on taking the bus, then walking to and from school everyday, which Tony had reluctantly agreed to. He wanted the boy to keep some semblance of normality, but he did have Happy follow the boys route everyday and keep his schedule open to if Peter ever changed his mind and wanted a ride. Peter had been happy to start school again, he’d missed seeing Ned and MJ everyday, now that he couldn’t have his friends over to his house.

Peter’s days followed a strict pattern for the most part; get up, go to school, come home, nap for a couple hours, eat dinner, work in the lab and then back to sleep to do it all over again. It was friday and Peter was in his last period of the day, Physics. He always found it boring since the material was no challenge for him, so he sat at the back of the class, yawning; both out of boredom and the fact that he hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before. He scribbled designs for a new kind of arc reactor in his notebook while staring at the clock with heavy lids.

He felt his phone buzz in his pocket, so he sneaked it out under the table. It was a text from Happy.

Happy: Change of plans. I’m picking you up, bring anything you need for homework this weekend.

Peter thought this was odd so quickly replied.

Peter: What’s going on?

Happy: You shouldn’t have your phone out in class.

Peter: You shouldn’t text me in class?

No response. Peter chuckled to himself until he got another text.

Mr. Stark: Don’t sass Happy.

He pouted a little but slid his phone back into his jeans and waited for the bell. He gathered a few textbooks from his locker before using the bathroom and heading outside. He got in the passenger side of Happy’s car.

“How was sch-”

“What’s going on? Where we going? Are those my bags?”

Happy sighed. “Tony wants you to join them on a recon mission in-”

“A mission?! Really?!”

“Yes.”

“Woah! Oh my god! Where?! What’s the mission-“

“Look, kid you’ll get briefed when we get there, okay? I don’t have much information either.” That was a lie, but Happy would give anything not to be bombarded with anymore questions. He knew what the kid was like whilst travelling. Besides if he told Peter everything he was pretty sure he’d explode before he even set foot in the compound.

“Oh, right, yeah yeah. So, where are we going?”

“To one of S.H.E.I.L.D’s bases, a couple hours away. You’ve been to the bathroom right?”

Peter blushed a little but indignantly said yes.

“Good, I don’t plan on stopping. We’re on a tight schedule, Tony did suggest taking a helicopter but I sai-“

“No way! A helicopter?! Can you fly one of those?!”

Happy gritted his teeth. He was trying his best not to snap, he didn’t wanna spoil the kids mood when he was this excited, but it’s hard not to get irritated when someone is cutting you off every ten seconds. He let Peter interrogate him for a few more minutes before saying. “Look, kid. It’s a long drive, isn’t it around the time you take a nap now anyways?”

Peters expression soured slightly and Happy was taken aback by his resemblance to Tony in that moment. “I’m not a little kid. I don’t need an afternoon nap.”

“I wasn’t saying it like that. Mr. Stark just mentioned you get pretty tired in the afternoons, that’s all. I know you have to get up early to take the bus.”

“I’ll be fine, I’m not tired I’m pumped!” His first actual mission as an avenger! Officially! There was no way he could even think about sleep now!

The drive for Peter was a long one, though not nearly as long as it was for Happy. They pulled up to a giant glass building- nothing like what Peter had been expecting.

“What exactly were you expecting?” Happy grumbled.

“Well, you know- for it to be more old looking! Like a hidden in plain sight kind of thing. No one expects the old military base to still be functioning. Oh! Or like it looks like a port-a-potty or a phone booth- then you put in a code and it beams us underground all like-“

“Sorry to disappoint there Underoos, but we ain’t the men in black.” Tony chuckled.

“Oh, hey Mr. Stark! No, no this place is awesome!” Peter whipped himself around, not having realised his mentor was there, beaming.

“I’m glad you like it,” Tony strolled casually, putting his arm over Peter’s shoulder, leading him inside. He pointed past what Peter assumed was a reception area, though no one sat behind the large white desk. “Speaking of port-a-potties, bathrooms just through there.”

Peter blushed lightly, quickly dashing to the restroom. He hadn’t noticed but his bouncing hadn’t been entirely down to his excitement. By the time he exited the restroom, the rest of the team had gathered in the lounge area.

“Hey guys!”

A chorus of greetings and pet names resounded amongst the group. Once all their bags had been taken, Tony led them into an adjacent room, not dissimilar to the one where Peter had joined for Tony’s meeting. Everyone took their respective seats which, much to Peter’s momentary distress, all seemed to be pre decided. Peter stood awkwardly for a second not knowing where to sit but Clint whistled and pulled out a seat between him and Natasha, beckoning Peter to join them. He breathed a sigh of relief settling ion waiting for Tony to debrief them.

Much to his surprise, Steve stood up. Tony and Fury were moving things around behind the monitor, what looked to be cases of armour and other machinery. Steve cleared his throat. Peter sat anxiously in his seat, ready to hear about this important mission-

“Before we start does anyone want anything? Coffee?” Steve asked with a smile.

Peter crumpled down in his seat a little disappointed, trying to keep the pout off of his face. Happy had said that they were on a tight schedule! This was meant to be a matter of grave importance! Wasn’t time meant to be of the essence or something like that? Then it occurred to him that maybe Happy had just said that to avoid Peter asking to stop.

“Thor? Nat? Kid?” Steve had made his way around the room asking for people’s beverage choices. “Kid?”

“What- who, um, sorry what was that?” The group snickered fondly.

“Want anything to drink? A snack or anything?”

“Oh, um, coffee sounds good.” He said hopefully.

“No it doesn’t.” Tony chimed in walking behind him. “The kid’ll have apple juice.” He said directly to Steve, slapping Peter on both shoulders before continuing down the room to search through what Peter could only assume was another case of tech.

“What? No! So I can come on a mission but I can’t drink coffee?!” Peter’s face was that of complete offence as he glanced round the room looking for some kind of back-up. The adults simply smiled at him or averted their gaze.

“Sorry, kiddo.” Steve chuckled. “Bruce, what about you?”

“I think I’ll have apple juice too. You know how caffeine gets me.” He winked at Peter who briefly smiled back before he resumed pouting.

“Okay with that out of the way we can get down to business.” With that the boy perked up again. Both Tony and Nick took their seats; Nick being opposite Peter, much the the child’s mortification. He avoided eye contact but once again he met his gaze when glancing up at the man, who offered him a small smile before turning his eye towards Steve. That somewhat calmed Peter a bit and he also looked back to the captain.

“Okay, so as stated in the previous brief, we’ve decided to go with plan c, simple and effective. Clint, Thor, Peter, I know neither of you were here for that but hopefully you’ll understand more as I explain your roles. It’s a pretty straight forward recon mission. A few of our guys were gathering intelligence out on Elanis on the orders of Captain Marvel, when they were ambushed. We believe that a small group of rouge Kree were taking them back to Hala, though we aren’t sure under whose authority. They were intercepted and our people were brought home but they left behind some drives with important information on them.”

“What kind of information?” Thor asked.

“A lot of important intel. But what we’re most concerned about are some Blueprints for some kind of device that can harvest-” Unbeknown to the youngest in the room Tony shot a look at Steve, warning him against giving the gory details in front of Peter. He cleared his throat before continuing.

“A weapon. A weapon that could be used to end a lot of innocent lives. Especially if the Kree get a hold of it.” Thor seemed satisfied with this answer.

“Wait...So who are the Kree? Are they like Russian terrorists or something?” Peter asked, bewildered. “No offence.” He added quickly when Natasha raised a brow at him.

Steve went to answer but Tony interjected. “You think we’re still at war with Russia?”

“No, I guess not it’s just, well, I don’t know, are we?” Everyone stifled their laughter causing Peter to resume pouting.
“Haven’t they taught you about the cold war yet, son?” Fury chuckled. Peter gave what can be only described as a junior version of one of Tony’s death glares, causing Fury to laugh again holding his hands up.

“Seriously, who are they? And where is Hal-Hala? And that other place? I’ve never heard of them?”

“Oh my god-”

“What?”

“Happy didn’t tell you-”

“What?!”

“Pete. This mission isn’t exactly in our neighborhood.”

“Wait, so, like overseas? Cause I still haven’t got my passport Mr. Strak. And Aunt May still isn’t happy about the last time I-”

“No peter. Think more about where he’s from.” Tony pointed his gaze towards Thor, who smiled in slight confusion. Peter’s jaw dropped.

“No..Wait a minute..”

“I was wondering why you-”

“WE’RE GOING TO SPACE?!”

Chapter Text

The next hour flew by for Peter. He was in such a state of shock and excitement that he could barely comprehend the rest of the brief. He hadn’t realised that they’d be leaving immediately either, which spurred another burst of energetic enthusiasm that he’s become infamous for at this point. He drove everyone crazy asking questions, double checking he had all of his things and that everyone had theirs (which came in handy actually because Thor hadn’t brought a toothbrush).

“Uh..Tony?” He quietly pulled the man aside. “Who uh, who packed my bag?”

“Happy. Why did he forget something?”

“N-no, uh, I mean..It doesn’t matter. Sorry I know you’re busy, I’ll just-” Tony grabbed the boy’s shoulder as he began to back away.

“Uh uh. Spill.” He adopted a warm, but firm tone, one Peter wasn’t used to having grown up without a dad.

“”It’s stupid..” Peter looked at his feet and shuffled.

“If you mentioned it, it’s important to you which makes it important to me. So, spit it out.” He tilted Peter’s chin so they made eye contact again. “You can tell me.”

“My...my bear’s not there.” Peter croaked, barely audible.

“That’s because he’s in mine. Our little secret remember.” Tony touched a finger to his nose and winked before carrying on with what he was doing. Peter had never been more grateful to Tony in his life. Okay, well maybe he had...but this was definitely up there.

The time came for them to load up into the jet and get strapped in for take off. For the first time since finding out their destination, Peter began to get nervous. Having sensed the teens sudden change in mood Thor gave the boy some words of comfort.

“Don’t worry Spiderling, you most likely won’t die!”

“Wow, Thor. Thanks.” Peter deadpanned. Thor gave a hearty laugh and slapped Peter on the back, nearly knocking him over.

Everyone took their seats and strapped in (Peter needing a bit of help from Steve and Clint with that last part).

“Okay, everyone ready?” Tony called. Unanimous murmuring ensued. “No last minute emergencies? No? Bladders emptied?”

He made eye contact with Peter with that last question who gave him a glare in response. “Okay! Ascent in Five. Four.”

‘I thought it was a countdowns were meant to be from 10?! Oh god oh god-’ Peter’s mind raced.

“Three. Two.”

‘I’m gonna die. I’m gonna die. Oh god I’m gonna-’

“One.”

“FUCK!” Peter screamed audibly as the engines sent them shooting through the air. The cabin was filled with the deafening roar, as the ship cut through the air. Peter had stopped screaming at this point, clenching his jaw impossibly tight, as well as squeezing his eyes shut and gripping his arm rest. Well, what he thought to be his arm rest. He couldn’t move as gravity forced his head back against the chair. All the muscles in his face felt as though they were being ripped from his skull, but it wasn’t necessarily painful, just incredibly uncomfortable. He felt as though he wanted to rip his face off just to get the feeling over with. Just as suddenly as it had began, he felt the ship jerk, like a stalling car, forwards and back. Everyone was slammed into their seat with the motion, when they abruptly went from being horizontal to upright again.

“Stabilisers engaged.” Tony muttered flipping a few switches on the ceiling above his head. He unbuckled himself and turned around in his seat. “And excuse me, Mr. Parker-Pottymouth.”

Peter, didn’t even respond. He felt a sickening wave of instant nausea as he sat forward, as though his stomach had just caught up with what happened. He groaned under his breath. As he looked around at the others, he was relieved to see that he wasn’t the only one looking worse for wear. Everyone accept Natasha and Thor, who both looked completely unphased, had the colour drained from their face.

“The sickness will pass in a couple minutes don’t worry.” Tony said reassuringly before turning his focus back to the dashboard.

“You okay, kiddo?” Clint asked rising from his own seat and moving to help Peter out of his own. He dared not open his mouth, not fully trusting his stomach to not betray him. He nodded very gently, moving his head made the vertigo worse.

“I got ya, you wanna let go of Steve’s arm there, buddy?” He chuckled lightly. Peter looked at his hand. Sure enough he had the Captain’s arm in a vice grip.

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry Captain Steve Sir!” He promptly released the man who smiled at him.

“Peter it’s fine, don’t worry.”

Peter felt guilt looking at the reddish bruises that were already appearing on the man’s wrist.

“Some grip you got there, son.” Steve pulled his sleeve down a little. Nat snorted.
“You sound like such an old man, Steve, Jesus.”

“Kid,” Tony called from the front of the ship. “When you grow your sea legs come up here.”

“I-I think I’m gonna sit for a minute longer, M-Mr. Stark.” Peter only heard a chuckle in reply.

After a few minutes he stood, somewhat wobbly, and made his way up to the front of the ship.

“What’s up Mr- Woah…” He stared out over the control panel, through the glass dome that made up the front of the cockpit. The blackness, filled with stars, planets, clouds of every colour that covered the entirety of his vision. He gazed as far into the distance as he could, seeing the blinking of stars that died thousands of years before he was born, and thriving new suns that would be burning thousands of years after he died. All he could do was stand there with his mouth agape for what felt like hours, but was really a few matters.

“Beautiful isn’t it?” Pete nodded.

“Wow, for someone who’d seen Star Wars as many times as you I would’ve thought you’d be a little more prepared for this moment.”

“Don’t ruin this for me,” Peter said calmly in a hushed tone. He sat down on the floor, contently admiring the view for the next hour. He was only disturbed again when he started to doze off and slumped against Tony’s leg.

“Alright, Mr. Skywalker. You’re way overdue a nap. Go lay down on your bunk for a while, we’ll come get you when dinners ready.”

“I’m okay, really,” he insisted badly attempting to stifle a yawn.

“Nope, come on. You can have an existential crisis later, space ain’t going anywhere.” He pulled the teen by his armpits to his feet. “Up we get.”

Peter stood shakily for a moment, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, making his body twist and sway. Tony held his arm out to steady him. “Easy.”

With that Peter dramatically yawned and stretched. “If I sleep now, I won’t sleep later.”

Tony hummed in response. He knew that he was right but he also didn’t want to have to deal with a grumpy teenager, in a confined space. “At least go explore the ship or something, stretch your legs.”

Peter got the hint and snooping around a little did sound fun. He set off back to the main part of the ship.

“Pete!”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t go touching anything you shouldn’t,”

“How am I meant to know what I should or shouldn’t touch?” He asked cheekily.

“Okay. Look down. What do you see?”

“Uh..the floor?”

“You can touch that and your own stuff.”

With that Peter stormed off huffily.

Chapter Text

Peter had thought the ship would be a lot more interesting to him that it was, but it was essentially just a smaller version of their home. Any of the rooms that even hinted at any intrigue were heavily ‘Peter-proofed’ with intricate passwords he had no hope of guessing. It didn’t even really look ‘spacey’. Sure, it was modern, but Peter had become so accustomed to touch screens everywhere and sliding doors he was desensitised. Had it not been for that breathtaking view Peter wouldn’t have known he was even in space. ‘Ugh, curse you Tony. You’re ruining my syfy experience.’

The lack of mischief had put Peter in such a sour mood, he found himself stomping back to the common area when Steve had summoned him for dinner over the tannoy. As he was nearing the entry way he could hear Bruce and Tony talking about him..

“I’m surprised he sat still for that long, honestly. I would’ve thought he’d had been bouncing off the walls.” Bruce chuckled.

“Yeah, that wasn’t the reaction I was expecting either.” Tony replied. “If I’d known that’s all it took to get him to sit quietly for a few hours I woulda taken him to space months ago.”

Peter scowled. He stormed into the room and sat himself the furthest away from the two men as he could, opposite Steve and Clint.

“Hey bud. Sorry it’s nothing fancy, we can’t exactly rustle up much in that kitchen.” Steve said cheerily.

“This is fine.” Pete said glumly in return, making it clear he wasn’t up for conversation. Clint and Steve exchanged confused glances. This grumpy teenager was the polar opposite to the wonderstruck little boy they’d seen less than two hours before.

“So, what did you get up to this afternoon?” Clint asked nonchalantly, trying to coax what was bugging the kid out of him.

“Nothing. Just staying out of the way.” Peter didn’t look up from his plate, which contents he was idly poking with his fork. The two men exchanged concerned glances again. Before they got the chance to question the boy further, Mjolnir came soaring past their heads as Thor entered the room. Peter jumped up shooting web fluid at the hammer, hit body reacting before his mind did. Obviously the webbing did nothing to slow the weapon. All it accomplished was mildly irking the god that wielded it.

“Ew, it’s sticky!” He picked at the substance that immediately stuck to him. He frowned at Peter, making the teen shrink down in his chair sheepishly.

“Sorry Thor..It startled me..”

“Well, that’s what you get for using it inside. I don’t know how many times we’ve had to tell you-” Steve nagged.

“Yes, yes, that’s all bloody well and good thank you Mother.” Thor rolled his eyes before slamming Mjolnir down on the table and collapsing into his seat. “Spiderling, I rather fear the answer, but where does this fluid of yours come from?”

Tony opened his mouth but Steve was quicker. “Tony don’t be inappropriate.”

“I don’t know, I can shoot it from my wrists sometimes..but not always. Most of the time I have to use synthetic stuff.”

“Only sometimes?” Natasha chimed in, once again having appeared, as though out of mid air at the table, making everyone but Clint jump slightly.

“Yeah..Like if I get scared or..yeah..” Peter didn’t like being the center of attention about this kind of stuff. It took him back to being poked and prodded by doctors after the bite. Luckily for him the adults in the room could sense the boys discomfort and the conversation quickly died down. They continued discussions that Peter didn’t care much to listen to he zoned out completely at one point, staring into his spaghetti (that he had yet to take a mouthful of) for a full minute before Bruce jostled him gently.

“Peter, are you alright?”

“Hm? Yeah.” He replied sharply. He was embarrassed to be caught spacing out like that which made him defensive.

“I told you to take a nap.” Tony said between mouthfuls of food.

Through gritted teeth Peter retorted “If you’d let me have coffee earlier instead of treating me like a child I wouldn’t be tired.”

Not sensing the bite in Peter’s tone, or not taking it particularly seriously Tony continued teasing the boy, all in jest but not realising how irked the teen was actually getting. “Oh yeah, and then we’d be dealing with you coming down off of a caffeine rush, as if you aren’t hyper enough.”

“Well, I’m sorry I’m such a fucking inconvenience- I didn’t ask you to take me in the first place!”

The room fell silent.

“Where the hell did that come from?!” Tony gawked.

‘Oh my god. Where did that come from?’ Peter thought to himself.

“I don’t- I didn’t, god Mr. Stark I-”

“Other room. Now.” Peter didn’t argue he just rushed out of the room. Tony lent his head on his hand, muttering. “What the fuck..what just happened?”

“Well, to say that escalated quickly would be an understatement.” Natasha commented. “Teen angst is a wonderful thing.”

“God, now I’ve got to go do the whole parenting thing, Jesus Christ. Am I angry or concerned?”

“Both,” Clint and Steve chorused. Steve was too busy being in absolute shock at Peter’s choice of language to contribute to the conversation.

“Great.” Still bewildered as to what in the hell just happened Tony decided he’d deal with his charge after dinner, to give them both some time to reflect and calm down. He knew from both experience with Peter and his own father, that nothing constructive ever came from going in all guns blazing.

Peter sat on one of the couches, having that existential crisis Tony had mentioned earlier. He was trying not to build himself up into hysteria but his brain kept replaying the moment Tony’s face had dropped over and over. His breathing picked up pace and he could feel himself slipping into a full blown panic attack. The usual culprits came up once again, all the thoughts about Tony rejecting him, kicking him out and hating him were raging once more, but this time the felt truly justified. He couldn’t figure out what had made him snap so easily and all he wanted right then was to see Aunt May, for her to give him a hug, tell him what an idiot he had been. To tell him what to do and that it would be okay. Then it dawned on him how far away he was from home and that was when he lost his fight against the tears. He curled into a ball on the chair and cried quietly to himself, the sobs wracking his body.

Tony walked in expecting to see a furious teen giving him the silent treatment, but instead he was met with a distraught little boy. He knew he shouldn’t be surprised by the curveballs Peter threw at him, but this one had really taken the cake. He’d seen almost every single emotion from the boy today. He resisted the urge to immediately comfort the boy, which was heartbreaking, but he knew despite his newfound paternal feelings, that he had to deal with the situation from a neutral standpoint to begin with. He agreed with Steve and Clint, he had to be balanced in his approach; let the boy know that his actions wouldn’t be tolerated, but find out what had caused him to explode like that in the first place.

“Peter…” Tony said apprehensively. He slid his way into the small space between Peter and the rest of the couch. “Sit up for me. Come on.”

He did the opposite, the boy curled into his side still hugging himself protectively. He was muttering apologies at a rapid rate at a barely audible level.

“Petey, come on. You need to sit up properly and calm down.” Tony set to work sitting the boy up and helping him come down from the panic attack. He rubbed his back gently whilst helping him slow his breathing down, repeating the numbers Bruce had told him. It worried him that Peter’s panic attacks appeared to be getting more frequent, maybe it was time to see someone...that could be dealt with later.

As the boy’s breathing slowed, he started to return to his senses. Both physically and mentally. He pulled himself away from Tony and sat up straight, wiping his face.

“I’m so sorry Tony...I don’t know why I said that. I don’t know what got me in such a bad mood- today’s been one of the best days of my life and I should be g-grateful for the opportunity...you finally trusted me to come on the mission with you and- and I act up like this. I’m just so sorry but I-I’ll go along with whatever you to d-do now. I just want you to know I’m sorry for being and ungrateful stupid brat-”

“Okay, okay enough Peter.” Tony was willing to let the boy say his piece before he said his, but he wasn’t gonna let the boy slip into his self deprecating patterns. That was a cycle they’d both been working too hard to break. He gently brushed the boys hair out of his face. “Enough name calling.”

Peter nodded. He was doing his best to be mature now, even though he knew that ship had sailed as soon as he cussed Tony out in front of their teammates. He was gonna take whatever punishment Tony was about to give him on the chin in the hopes he could restore the man’s faith in him.

“What do you think I should do now?”

Peter hadn’t been expecting that question. “Uh..well I..”

His eyes started to fill with tears again, but he furiously blinked them away. “I would..uhm..send me home...Sir.”

“And what would that achieve, Peter?” Tony stayed firm in his questioning, but broken look on the boys face was threatening to weaken his resolve completely.

“I-I’d learn my lesson.”

“What lesson would that be?”

“I-I don’t know, s-sir.” But Tony didn’t accept that answer, he waited for Peter to continue. “Not to yell at you..Or curse..Or act like a b-baby and embarrass you-”

“You didn’t embarrass me, Pete. As for the other things, don’t you know those already?”

“Y-yeah..”

“So, all sending you home would achieve would be damaging your already fragile self esteem, have you miss out on not only a life changing experience but a great learning opportunity and leave our team without one of our best assets? Right?”
Peter perked up at the last part, but remained downtrodden. “I don’t see it like that sir..”

“Well, I do. And I know you don’t, hence my first point.”

“Tony you can’t keep letting me get away with acting like a spoiled brat.” Peter sniffled.

“Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do. Besides, you’re not getting away with it, that’s why we’re having this conversation. I get emotional outbursts, I was a teen once too. But something’s telling me this isn’t just a hormonal mood swing. I chalk some of it up to the fact you’re exhausted, and you had a lot of excitement today- but that melt down felt more personal. Now I want you to be honest and tell my why you said what you did.”

“I-I don’t know..”

“Think. When did you start getting angry with me?”

“When you kicked me out of the control room..”

“Okay.” Tony frowned on the inside, but made a concerted effort to keep his face expressionless. “Keep going.”

“I just felt like I was annoying you, I know I got over excited earlier, it just felt like no one wanted me around...then- then I heard you and Bruce talking about me.” Peter’s tone changed at the end “When you were saying how you wished you would’ve figured out how to make me be quiet sooner. I know I can be annoying but I didn’t think I was being that bad I was just-”

“Honey no, no.” Tony suddenly wrapped his arms around Peter, much to the boys shock. Did Tony-motherfreaking-Stark just call him honey? Was this real life or had he hyperventilated to the point of hallucination? He resisted the urge to pinch his own arm. “I’m sorry it came across that way okay? But I didn’t mean for it to, I was only teasing. I should’ve realised you weren’t in the mood, especially at dinner. And what you overheard was not me being serious, me and Bruce were only joking-”

“I know, I know, I just. I just didn’t find it funny right then and there. I know I’m over sensitive when I’m tired. And my anxiety has been so bad..I don’t know why. This whole thing is so stupid- I’m sorry Mr. Stark.” The man was being so understanding, Peter felt fresh tears filling his eyes. “I’ll try to do better controlling it, I really will. I’ll tell you when- when it’s not a joke anymore or when- I’m just so tired Tony!”

“It’s alright, buddy. Come on, I know you’re tired, yeah? Just relax.” The man pulled him close. Much like he had when the boy was sick, he coaxed the boy into falling asleep against him. He sat there alone with the sleeping child in a comfortable silence. He felt rather accomplished, he’d managed to confront the situation but comfort Peter at the same time. Double Dad points to him. Maybe he was cut out for this parenting thing after all, cause god knows if any other kid swore at him like that he would’ve blown his stack. That is a habit he’d have to tackle quickly, lest Steve take to washing the kid’s mouth out with soap. Maybe he could sit down with the other man, maybe even the rest of the team and establish some definitive rules. After all Peter it seemed was finally starting to accept his role in both their professional and family dynamics. His recent minor behavioural problems might have been Peter’s way of testing boundaries, so why not give him some? That was something to consider.

Not long after Tony had drawn to that conclusion, Bruce stuck his head round the corner.

“Is it safe to come in now?” He asked in a hushed tone.

“Yeah, just keep quiet. I don’t want him waking up just yet.” The other man nodded, before relaying the information to the others and quietly entering the room.

“Oh, thank god,” Clint sighed grabbing the TV remote and throwing himself onto a couch. “Steve and Thor were driving me insane.” Natasha threw Clint's legs off of the couch and sat down in their place.

Tony could hear the two bickering though the now open door and chuckled. They sat quietly watching the TV when the last two men joined them. It looked as though they were about to continue their quarrel but everyone shushed them gesturing towards the sleeping ball of Peter.

“Aw,” Steve cooed before sitting on the floor next to Tony’s couch.

“Did you figure out what was ailing the Spiderling, Stark?” Thor ‘whispered’.

Tony simply shrugged. “He just needed a nap.”

Chapter Text

Peter only slept for an hour or so, but he woke up feeling immensely better. He was warm and cuddled against someone. That someone smelled nice so he burrowed in a little deeper, breathing in their cologne before he realised what he was doing. Who was he- oh, Mr. Stark! Why was he snuggling Mr- oh. The memories from that day came flooding back and so did the guilt for a moment until all of his brain was taken up by the pulsing sensation in his abdomen. He sat up abruptly.

“Hi there,” Tony smiled. “Nice nap?”

“Gotta pee.” Pete murmured still half asleep.

“Go on then,” Tony moved his arm to let the boy get up. Peter rose quickly stumbling towards the doorway and down towards the engine room. Tony could’ve sworn his eyes were still closed.

“Tony, he’s not-” Nat started.

“Right.” The man jumped up and ran after Peter before he ended up peeing on something expensive. The rest of the group laughed fondly at the sleepy teen.

“Uh uh, Petey, wrong way.”

“Mmm. Bathroom moved?” Peter opened his eyes more, fully taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. He crossed his legs and whined, rubbing his eyes furiously.

“That’s right buddy. Bathroom moved. Come on.” Recognising the urgent movements he ushered the boy in the right direction and into the restroom.

“Gotta go~”

“I know, I know just hold on two seconds.” Tony practically carried him the last five steps to the bathroom before shoving him inside. “Go, go.”

Peter listened this time, already pulling his pants down before Tony got a chance to shut the door. He laughed, shaking his head. Assuming Peter could handle it from there, he walked back into the living room.

“Remind me to never let him drink alcohol.” He laughed breathlessly.

After relieving himself and washing his hands, Peter managed to wake himself up fully, not having any conscious memory of what had just happened. He walked back into the living room, where the rest of the adults seemed to be stifling laughter.

“Hi,” he plonked himself back onto the couch next to Tony (though not quite as close as he once was).

“Hey, bud.” Steve’s face cracked into a large smile.

“What’s so funny?” He asked suspiciously, squinting his eyes around the room.

“Nothing. Just,” Bruce gestured vaguely to the television screen “this dumb movie.”

“Oh.” The boy breathed a sigh of relief, he’d thought he’d done something stupid. “Whatcha watching?”

“Some old western movie Steve picked out, you can put something on if you want.” With that Peter’s eyes lit up and Tony sighed, knowing what was about to come, as the boy practically flew to the DVD case.

They spent the rest of the evening watching an array of Superhero movies, all being subjected to Peter’s fact file on each one. No one minded, so long as they didn’t see a reappearance of the sullen, cranky teen from dinner. It got to around what would have been one in the morning when someone finally mentioned going to bed.

“Yeah, it’s pretty late, you should’ve been in bed hours ago.” Steve pointed at Peter, rising from his seat to shake Clint awake. The man sat up from his sprawled position on the couch and looked around dreamily before attempting to roll over and go back to sleep. “Come on, Clint, let’s get you in a bed, huh?”

The team snickered when Clint finally opened his eyes and stood up groggily. “Yeah, yeah.”

“But I’m not tired!” Peter pouted. He was having too much fun to want to sleep. Besides it felt like he’d only just woken up from his nap, despite having done so over five hours ago.

“Don’t start, we’ve got a long day tomorrow. You need your sleep, as we found out today.” Tony held his hand out to pull the boy up, which he accepted, blushing at the man’s statement. He just huffed in response but ultimately decided against arguing further.

Everyone took their respective turn in the bathroom before heading down stairs to the bunk room; one of the rooms Tony had blocked off with a code, so Peter had yet to enter it. The man tapped a sequence of numbers and letters into the keypad, quicker than the boy could memorise, opening the door to the room. It was a fairly large room that had nothing in the centre of it, bar from some cases (the same ones Tony and Fury had been fiddling with). The four walls lining the room, however, had 8 beds built into them, one stacked on top of another, like bunk beds. Each bottom bunk looked to be a double bed while the ones above were singles. Before Peter got a chance to take it in Clint and Thor were already pushing through the doorway desperately trying to get the the same pod.

“Move you son of a-“

“No! You got that one last time I want to be nearest the ventilation system!”

Ignoring the other two men, the rest of them each claimed a bunk. Natasha opting for a single bed’ whilst Steve, Bruce and Tony went for the larger option.

“Wait, we’re all sleeping in the same room?” Peter questioned somewhat apprehensively.

“Yeah, sport, this ships a little pushed for space. What’s wrong?” Steve responded.

“But...but Nat’s a girl.” Peter said in a hushed tone, but that didn’t stop the rest of the group hearing him. They all snickered, except Thor who had sulkily ‘burritoed’ himself in a blanket having lost the battle of the bed.

“Well, observed.” Steve laughed. “It’s not a big deal kiddo, it’s something you’ll get used to.”

Peter blushed, having realised how childish he sounded. “Wait, so this is like one big sleepover!”

“Yes, Peter. Just minus the party games and jelly and ice cream.” Tony deadpanned.

“Well I saw ice cream in the freezer-“

“If you touch my Hunka-Hulkin’-Burnin’-Fudge you’re dead.” Thor piped in.

“Huh, I thought it was Nat’s.” Peter quipped, cheekily, adopting an innocent tone. That remark was met with a quiet chorus of ‘ooo’s and snickers from the men on the team, but a glare from Natasha herself.

“Okay. Sleep before you get yourself in trouble kid, come on.” Tony said seriously, though inside he was rather proud of the boys quick thinking. He liked to think his witty sense of humour was rubbing off on him.

Peter sighed “fine,” before clambering into the single bunk above Tony’s. The room quickly fell silent as it’s occupants one by one drifted off to sleep. Clearly they’d all become accustomed to falling asleep quickly and in unfamiliar environments, but Peter was very much wide awake. He tossed and turned uncomfortably, unable to find a position where he didn’t feel exposed or claustrophobic. He couldn't figure out just what it was that was bugging him. Just as he was working his way up into a panic the bed beneath him creaked and the man he’d thought was asleep underneath him appeared at his bedside at almost eye level. Before Peter had a chance to apologise for his fidgeting, Tony reached a hand up from below Peter’s bunk and placed an object in front of the boy: his well loved stuffed bear.

Peter quickly seized it, burrowing it under the covers before mouthing “thank you,” hoping the man could see it in the darkness. Tony patted Peter’s arm twice in acknowledgement before disappearing back to his own bed. The boy sighed in contentment, finally feeling his body relax into a comfortable position as his mind slowed. He closed his eyes embracing the sleep he was adamant he didn’t need not half an hour earlier. Once the boys movements stilled, Tony also relaxed and allowed himself to sleep.

*************

A few hours later Peter was awoken by his bladder not-so-gently nudging him, startling him awake with a groan. He acclimated to his surroundings a lot quicker than he had previously that evening, but he was still a little disoriented being in the dark. He jumped down from his bunk, which his bladder protested greatly; the jolt from his feet hitting the floor caused a wave of desperation to grip his abdomen. Grabbing his crotch he shuffled to the door, spamming the panel without paying attention to the display. When the door didn’t immediately open Peter read the message that popped up with each smack off the button.

‘Access code required.’

‘What?’ He thought. ‘To get OUT of the room? How does that make any sense?’

He bounced on his feet, trying the button a few more times for good measure. Maybe Tony had done this to prevent him snooping around the ship after hours, but bathroom was down the hall surely he would have considered that? He knew about Peter’s toileting habits, Tony would’ve known better than to lock Peter in a room for 8 hours, day or night.

He started to feel panic wash over him. His bladder wasn’t being very patient, especially when Peter stood still. The muscles in his abdomen clenched and he was forced to grab himself once again to remain in control. Biting his lip he shuffled back okay to his bunk and gently shook Tony’s arm. As embarrassed as he was to have to do it, he’d much rather wake the man up while desperate than have him wake up to a puddle.

“M-Mr. Stark...Sir…” Peter shook him a few times but he didn’t budge. “Mr. Stark...Tony..”

The man groaned and attempted to roll over but Peter’s arm stopped him. Breathing in sharply through his nose he opened his eyes only to be met by the youngest Avenger, staring at him red faced and wild eyed. “Tony..please.”

“Kid? What’s wrong?”

“I need to go, sir.” Peter whispered desperately, refraining from holding his crotch as best he could in the man’s presence.

“Go? Why, what’s going on?” The man sat up fully pressing his eyes with his hands for a second before blinking hard. He watched as Peter twisted his body, unable to stand still for a second. ‘Ah’ he realised.

“N-no, sir I mean I need to-“

“It’s okay.” Tony cut him off, sparing the boy from admitting his need verbally for once. He realised what was wrong but he didn’t know why the boy had woken him up instead of going by himself. Maybe he’d had a nightmare or forgotten where the restroom was again. “Were you spooked by something? Did you want me to come with you?”

“No, no it’s not that, sir. T-the door won’t open.” Peter croaked. He was squirming violently at this point but it wasn’t enough to keep his bladder in check. He felt a spurt shoot out into his underwear and crossed his legs.

“What?” Confused, Tony immediately got out of his bed and went over to the door. “Shit, I must’ve forgot to take the lock off- hold on one second, Pete.”

“Yep. Holdin’ on.” The teen groaned through gritted teeth, squeezing his eyes shut. Holding was the only thing he could do and he was doing so with both hands at this point. Even if Tony magically placed a toilet in front of him at that very moment, he wasn’t sure he’d able to move. He heard the door slide open behind him, but he was too focused on getting through the crippling wave of desperation without having an accident.

Tony knew why Peter wasn’t already running down the hall to the sanctuary of the bathroom. So, he gently wrapped his arm around the boy’s shoulder. “Can’t move yet?”

Peter shook his head.

“Need help.”

Peter hesitated before shaking his head again.

“Are you saying no cause you’re embarrassed or-“

“No I need help just, just please don’t move me yet.” He said hurriedly, both due to the fact he was holding his breath with the effort to keep the flood at bay and the fact that he was mortified to admit he needed help to get to the toilet in time.

“Okay. Just tell me when.” Peter nodded in acknowledgement and stood deathly still for the next thirty seconds.

After half a minute had passed the teenager opened his eyes to look up at the man standing next to him, silently pleading him to hurry. Tony wasted no time leading the boy out of the room. They made it halfway down the hallway before the boy stopped.

“Mm, I can't, I can’t, I can’t!” Peter felt himself leak once again, this time feeling some gush down his leg. He crossed his legs again but Tony pulled him.

“Come on, almost there.”

“I can’t-“

“Yes you can. We’re almost there but you’re not gonna make it if you keep stopping so move.” Tony shoved him firmly but gently. He knew he was coming across harshly but he also knew that Peter wasn’t going to last much longer and time was running out. “Pull your pants out of the way now so you don’t have to struggle with them.”

Peter did as he was told, finally picking up speed again. As they neared the bathroom, Peter broke away from Tony sprinting the last few steps. Once inside he yanked his pants down fully, but removing his hands from his crotch was to be his undoing. Liquid started gushing from him immediately, before he had the chance to stem the flow or even aim. In a panic he threw himself down on the toilet and let his body relax. He was flooded with relief and a warm feeling. Warm feeling?

“Shit!” He cried. He hadn’t pulled his underwear down and was peeing full force through them. There was no use in trying to stop now, they were already soaked through; besides, he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop the stream at that point anyway. He sighed mentally cursing himself.

Once he’d finally finished peeing, he carefully removed his pants before taking off his underwear and depositing them in the sink. He pushed the humiliation he felt to the side in favour if dealing with the clean up in a timely fashion. He’d become a pro when it came to cleaning up mini-accidents like this as he’d had countless mishaps at school. Not so many full blown accidents but enough to where his underwear wasn’t salvageable. He wiped his legs off and rinsed his underwear in the sink before hiding them in the far corner of the cupboard beneath it, behind several bottles of cleaner. He’d just have to remember to recover them before anyone stumbled across them-

“Pete? You alright bud?”

Shit, he was taking too long. He quickly exited the bathroom his face burning. He was greeted by a concerned looking Tony.

“Hi.” He grinned sheepishly.

“Hi.” Tony said slowly. “Everything okay?”

“Yep. I-I-I made it. Sorry about that.” Peter smiled as normally as he could and luckily for him Tony mistook his nervousness for pure embarrassment.

“No, I’m sorry. If disabled the lock on the door now, I totally forgot, I’m so sorry.”

“Nah- it’s fine,” he started nonchalantly. “It’s not a big deal.”

“It’s not fine, but you did the right thing waking me up. Go on, get back to bed.” Tony patted his shoulder affectionately before turning to enter the bathroom himself.

“W-wait, wait!”

“What?” Tony turned to him with a combination of confusion and mild amusement on his face. Peter really didn’t want him to find his underwear.

“What’re you doing?”

“Uh, well this is a bathroom. I assumed you would have realised that considering you were just in there?” Tony’s expression changed and he looked suspiciously at the boy.

Peter realised he sounded like a total crazy person, plus he doubted that Tony would be looking for cleaning products at three in the morning. “Oh, yeah, right. Well- goodnight Mr. Stark!”

With that he took off running back down the hallways leaving Tony looking after him bewildered.

“Strange kid.” He muttered, before heading into the restroom to use the facilities himself, too tired to try and decipher Peter's behaviour.

Chapter Text

The rest of the night went without incident, bar Thor waking everyone up yelling “FOR ASGARD” in his sleep at around five am. Everyone managed to fall back to sleep other than Clint and Natasha.

“Can’t sleep either?” Natasha asked climbing down from her bunk, having given up on going back to sleep considering they were due to get up at six anyway.

“Nah, I was awake before Thor scared everyone shitless.” Clint replied, he was lazily whittling something with his pocket as he spoke. “Been up for a couple hours now.”

“You okay?” She sat down behind him. The two had always been close and she knew the distance between Clint and his family was probably bothering him.

“Yeah, something happened with the kid earlier I couldn’t go back to sleep after that.” He breathed a laugh smiling fondly.

“What did he do this time?”

Clint relayed what he’d witnessed earlier that evening, with Peter almost watering the bunk room floor.

“Poor kid.” Nat kept her tone light. “Don’t let him know you saw that he’ll be mortified.”

“I won’t, and you won’t let anyone know I told you.”

“I won’t.”

The two went on to have a conversation about the boy’s influence on Tony. How much the man had changed since having him around and how Peter had started to come out of his shell.

“I was pretty shocked at dinner though,” Nat said. “It’s not like him to lash out like that.”

“It’s the first time I’ve seen him snap. Guess he’s got a lot on his plate. Tony was telling me about how since he’s gone back to school he’s had more panic attacks.” Clint said seriously. Natasha nodded, not having witnessed one herself but hearing about them through Bruce. Tony had confided in the doctor, asking for advice on the best way to help calm the boy down. He gave Tony some breathing exercises to do with him, but ultimately he couldn’t give any in depth advice without talking to Peter himself. But Tony didn’t think Peter was ready to open up just yet, so Bruce hadn’t pushed the subject.

“Did you see Steve’s face?” Clint smirked.

“I thought he was gonna have an aneurysm.” They both laughed at that.

“Why am I having an aneurysm?” Steve said, sitting up.

“Cause Peter said fuck in your presence twice yesterday.” Clint laughed again.

Steve’s face looked stern. “I couldn’t believe it. It’s Tony’s fault- well all of yours to be frank. You shouldn’t use such language in front of an impressionable-“

“Yeah, yeah, save it for one of your PSA’s, Cap.”

“Well sorry that I’ve made a concerted effort to help shape the young minds of America-“

“Don’t make me laugh I don’t want to wake anyone else up!” Natasha spluttered.

The three took their extra time to get some training in, while the others slept in until the alarm blared. Thor groaned loudly.

“Turn that infernal racket off!” He bellowed.

Peter hadn’t actually been awoken by the alarm, but Thor’s scream startled him awake. He sat bolt upright smacking his head into the metal panelling that lined the pod.

“Aww.” He groaned, flopping back against the mattress gripping is head.

“Thor!” Bruce got up and walked over to the kid. “Move your hands, Peter. You alright?”

“Yeah. Yeah I’m fine.” Sitting up again rubbing his forehead.

“No blood. You’ll live.” Bruce smiled, offering his hand to help the boy jump down.

“I guess so.” Peter excepted the hand and leapt from his bunk. He stood for a moment longer still groaning before his bladder had him running down the hallway to take care of his morning duties.

“Sorry, child, I didn’t mean to frighten you!” Thor yelled after him. Bruce and Tony both stared at him disapprovingly. “What? I apologised!”

The team regrouped around the dining table once again, to eat a quick breakfast before engaging in some group training exercises. The whole time Peter was constantly asking questions about the mission to each of them. Ranging from “what do Kree look like?” to “what do we do if we get hungry during the mission?” They all tried to entertain him, but Tony was starting to worry that maybe the kid wasn’t ready for an actual mission yet. Let alone one so far from home. The worry must’ve shown on his face, because Steve came up to him and planted a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“We’ve got this, Tony. He’s got this. We won’t let anything bad happen to the kid.”

Tony nodded, but Steve’s words did nothing to calm the ball of nerves he could feel growing in his gut. He couldn’t remember a time where he’d been so nervous on a mission. He tried not to let this reflect in his actions though, knowing that if Peter saw his mentor nervous that the boy too would start to get scared.

After running through their plans and tactics a few more times, stopping patiently to answer every one of Peter’s questions (which had become much more sensible, if not still very innocent), the group piled into a pod on the side of the ship; all of them other than Nat. She was the one tasked with staying on the ship, ready to intervene should the plug need to be pulled on the operation at any moment.

Once they’d sat down, Tony piloted the ship and set the coordinates to land on a small desolate planet four hundred klicks away, where they’d anticipated the space pirates to be. Only when their shuttle pulled away from the main body of the ship did Peter feel the first pull of panic.

“Uhm..Mr. Stark?” He said sheepishly, his voice betraying him.

The change in tone worried Tony, so he tried not to let any of the exasperation from being asked a question for the fortieth time that morning, seep into his voice. “Yes, Peter”.

“Am I gonna get that sick feeling again when we land?”

Breathing a silent sigh of relief Tony answered, “No. We’re going in at a slower velocity and we should have a better manipulation of the altitude in this ship.”

Peter nodded and relaxed back into his seat. “Phew, good cause I did not like that.”

“Neither did Steve’s arm.” Clint smirked making the teen blush and shoot an apologetic smile at the superhuman sitting opposite him.

The landing went remarkably smoothly, feeling no worse than a commercial plane. The planet was practically barren, save for the few rocks and caverns that dotted the sandy horizon. Peter had hoped for something a little more mind blowing, like a massive alien city or an untouched jungle filled with unidentifiable glowing blue flora. It kind of felt as though he was visiting the grand canyon (not that he’d ever done so himself) until he turned his attention towards the sky. Somehow, though the landscape was cast in a warm yellow glow, the skies above them were pitch black. It was as though Peter could see directly into space, but he couldn’t see anything. No stars or planets, the sky was just entirely black. Tony, having seen him staring, explained:

“That up there is just one giant storm cloud, but not the kind we’re used to. It doesn’t make rain it radiates energy, in this case magnetic, which is probably why the Kree decided to do their handover here. Conventional trackers can’t pinpoint anything because the storm messes with their radar.”

Peter nodded showing that he understood. “So where does the light come from?”

“Look down.”

He stares at his feet, and kicked up some of the sandy turf he was standing on, only to realise that the substance beneath him was glowing. “Woah!”

“Yeah, woah.” Tony grinned back at him.

“It’s not like, radioactive or anything, right?”

“I don’t think we have to worry about you mutating anymore Spider-Dork.”

“Hey!”

They didn’t have much time to stand around and admire the scenery. Not five ministers later they were splitting up and assuming their respective positions. Peter was with Clint, their role being the eyes in the sky (“Like a sniper?!” “Yes, P, like a sniper.”).

“Remember, communication is down as the storm messes with our radios. So stick close to your group and meet back here if anything goes wrong, Nat has visuals so she’ll be able to pull you.” Steve called as they parted.

Tony gulped. That was the worst part of this. He understood why Peter had to be with Clint, he’d be the furthest from the action and he’d be able to watch how the rest of them worked. But the idea of the kid not being able to reach him, or vise versa, was making that gnawing in his gut get louder. “Kid you stick close to Hawk and listen to everything he tells you, understand?”

“I know, I will!” Peter said light heartedly. His mentor looked gravely serious. “I promise!”

Tony shot him one last look before taking off in the other direction. “Good luck kid.”

“You too Mr. Stark!”

“And be safe.” Tony added under his breath as he held Steve’s arm, flying both him and the super soldier into position.

The first part of task at hand was a stake out. It had sounded a lot cooler to Peter before he had to actually do it. Clint led him up the side of mountainous rock range, much to Peter’s surprise the man managed to scale it almost as easily as he had. When they reached the peak Peter could see a steep cliff face that looked out directly above where the other three men had positioned themselves. Out if instinct the kid stood up and waved wildly before Clint pulled him back.

“You tryna get yourself killed?” He barked.

“Sorry..” The boy blushed realising his mistake. Clint’s face softened.

“Just sit down, we’re meant to be incognito here kid.”

“So, how long until the bad guys show up?”

“Not sure exactly. Just know it’ll be at some point today.”

Peter frowned. “So it could be ten minutes and it could be like, ten hours?”

“Yup.” Clint popped the P, to which Peter sighed dramatically and flopped onto his stomach, resting his head in his hands. “It won’t be so bad, you’ve got me for company.”

Peter sighed again before laughing at Clints expression of mock horror. “Yeah, I guess. I’m just ready to get out there.”

“You’re staying put with me either way remember? We’re observing today.”

“I know I know, but-“

“No buts. You’re not ready to be in the thick of it yet.” Peter pouted but didn’t say anything.

The two chatted for the next hour, Hawkeye telling stories about all the exciting action he’d seen over the years. The teen ‘ooh’ed and ‘ahh’ed where appropriate. He was so engrossed in Clints stories that he didn’t feel as his bladder started to fill up. Unfortunately for him, Clint noticed his shift in movements before he did.

The older man felt slightly awkward having to approach the subject with a teenager, but his fatherly instincts fought against that. Tony had mentioned the boy had issues admitting when he needed to go and he wanted to avoid any mishaps where possible, not wanting to ruin the boy’s first experience out in the field.

“You can go over there, Pete. No one can see you.” He pointed to a small cave in the side of the cliff.

“Huh?” Peter was genuinely confused. Why did he have to go where no one could see him? Was the fight starting? Clint just continued to look at him pointedly before the realisation hit him. The boy blushed brightly before muttering. “Oh.”

Clint chuckled as the boy scuttled off towards the hidden area. When Peter reemerged the man deliberately chose not to draw any more attention to the matter, hoping to normalise the behaviour that the child would have to get used to. Not making a big deal of things would hopefully be the best way to show him that it was okay to speak up.

“Did I miss anything?”

“Nope, nothing yet.” The man replied surprising a laugh. The boy’s unwavering enthusiasm was truly remarkable.

Peter didn’t have to wait much longer though as twenty minutes later the hum of an aircraft could be heard in the air.

“Do you hear that?” Peter said quietly, gazing around for the source of the sound.

“Hear what?” Clint murmured distractedly, not taking the kid seriously as he couldn’t hear anything himself.

“That buzzing.” He peered round again. It was faint but he was sure he could hear something. It was then that Clint remembered the kid’s heightened senses, he crouched close to the cliff face and suddenly withdrew his bow and shot a single arrow down towards where the other three men had camouflage themselves; alerting them that they’d be joined shortly.

Peter crouched next to him and whispered, “how do they know they’ll land right here?”

“Tony managed to tap into their computer system and interfered with their navigation. He managed to pinpoint their coordinates and rerooted them to this location. Barton kept his bow drawn with an arrow held taught in his grasp.

“Are you..are you just gonna stay like that? I mean, we can’t even see anyone yet?” Clint shot the boy a look that made Peter back away holding his hands up. “Okay, hey you do you man.”

The buzzing in Peter’s ears got louder until he was sure Clint could hear it too. It was deafeningly loud for the teenager so much so he had to cover his ears. He figured it was something to do with the frequency since he hadn’t experienced this problem before, to his knowledge at least. Soon the pair saw a large ship cow hurtling towards them; it looked to be an amalgamation or different scrapped parts from other ships, mismatched windows and metals of every colour decorated its surface all of which looked damaged and rusty. It juddred as it made it’s descent puffing out clouds of thick black smoke. The craft landed, sending a plume of that weird glowing sand behind it. A group of seven scavengers dressed in rags filed out of it. Despite their clothing, the weapons they wielded were like nothing Peter had ever seen. One of them held a tomahawk the size of which made Mjolnir look like a babies rattle; it’s metal was so reflective that it too looked to be glowing like the sand beneath it. It’s hilt wasn’t wooden, but was made of sleek black metal and was covered in an array of different buttons and switches, which Peter assumed all had a different deadly function. The rest of them had what looked to be guns but they also were made of the same silvery material as the tomahawk and were equally advanced looking. The bandits had various other weapons strapped all over them whilst the one with the large battle axe held a case. The case they were looking for.

Peter looked towards where he’d just seen Tony, Steve and Bruce only to realise they were gone. The trio had hidden themselves into one of the intricate cave systems imbedded in the side of the cavern. The group of rogue Kree spread out and started to move across the bottom of the valley, scoping around aiming their weapons. Peter’s breathing picked up pace as the building suspense took hold of him.

“Easy kid. They know what they’re doing.” Clint soothed quietly, keeping his aim locked on the burly man at the back who held the briefcase.

As if on cue, Peter watched as the side of the mountain was suddenly blown apart, Tony blasting through the flying rubble allowing Steve and Hulk to come running through after him. The green giant ran straight past the aliens and started smashing their ship to pieces. Steve and Tony were already engaged in combat by the time Peter ripped his eyes away from the pure carnage Hulk was causing; this was the closest he’d ever been to Bruce in that state and it was insane to watch in person. Peter was watching Steve bounce his shield off of one of the enemies head, he realised something.

“Wait- Clint where’s Thor? Wasn’t he meant to be the one grabbing the drive?”

For the first time since the battle began Clint lowered his bow slightly, surveying the whole scene in front of him. The kid was right this wasn’t part of the plan. He shook the thought off in favour of focusing on his part of the task at hand. “I’m sure they’ve got it figure out.”

“But I can’t see him anywhere, surely he would’ve-“ He cut himself off. He felt that prickling sensation on the back of his neck again, like an icy chill going down his spine. “Somethings wrong.”

“What? What’s wrong?” Clint turned to look at him. He usually wouldn’t have broken from his position but something about the change in Peter’s tone got his attention.

“I don’t- I don’t know..” Peter looked off into the distance. Something in his gut was telling him he wasn’t alone. “I think..I think they’re here.”

“What do you mean?”

“The other Kree, I think they got here first. It’s a trap.”

Clint considered this for a moment. How could the kid possibly know that? Before he had a chance to respond Peter had already thrown himself off of the cliff and was swinging his way down into the cavern. “Kid!”

But he didn’t listen. He knew something had to have happened to Thor, and the theory he’d come up with was the only one that made sense. He ran out into the middle of the field desperately trying to grab Tony’s attention.

“Peter what do you think you’re-“ Tony yelled. He couldn’t believe the kid picked now to go against his orders.

“Where’s Thor?!”

“What-“ the man didn’t have a change to answer before he was struck into the wall of the cave by a blast from one of the high tech guns.

“Oo- sorry!”

“Peter, get out of here!” Steve called to him, struggling with one of the Kree.

Peter grunted in frustration before shooting web fluid into the Kree’s face. “You’re not listening! I-“

He felt a hand clap on his shoulder. He turned around expecting to see a familiar face, instead he was met with the smiling face of the giant tomahawk wielding alien, who appeared a lot larger than he did from the cliff.

“Uh..hi?”

The giant roared and lifted Peter up by his neck above his head. Peter tried to grab his hand and loosen his grip on him to no avail. Instead he used all of his strength to raise his leg and kick the brute in his face as hard as he could, then used his face to propel himself backwards, flipping in the air and landing spryly on his feet. The man roared again but Peter didn’t give him time to do much else. He shot his web fluid into his face too, simultaneously swinging around to kick the man in the stomach. By some stroke of luck Peter had managed to grab the case just as the man clutched his stomach.

The boy laughed, not believing he’d managed to actual grab it. His laughter was short lived however because the man recovered impossibly quickly; he yelled again, even louder this time out of pure rage and raised his axe above his head.

“Oh crap-“ Peter sprinted, case still in hand, dodging in between bodies and piles of rubble. He miss timed a few times and ended up slamming into things, only narrowly avoiding being decapitated by a metal door Hulk had hurtled through the air. He didn’t exactly know what to do now, he couldn’t do anything but run but where was he running to? As that thought ran though his he he felt a hand on his shoulder once again. Knowing better than to turn around he tried to pull forward, slinging a web at the dusty wall to his right, attempting to pull himself away from it’s grasp. This didn’t work and he felt his feet lift off of the ground. He struggled violently seeing the ground get further and further away...he hadn’t realised the man was this tall.

“Relax, kid.” He heard Tony’s voice and looked above him to see the ironclad man, lifting him into the air. Though Peter couldn’t see his face the man did not sound happy in the slightest.

“Oh! Uh- hey Mr. Stark!” He giggled nervously. The man gave him no reply and just continued rising from the ground eventually reconvening at the top of the cliff face with Clint, who looked about as mad as Tony sounded.

The man was now firing arrows wildly, rapidly hitting each target with accuracy Peter didn’t think was possible. “Woah, nice!” He said in awe.

Clint looked at him, still firing effortlessly. “What on earth do you think you’re doing, kid?!”

Tony let go of him abruptly instead of lowering him to the ground, making Peter fall directly on his butt. “Hey!”

“Don’t you hey me! Stay down! I’ll deal with you later!” Tony growled before immediately flying off. Peter just sat there, still clutching the case to his chest, pouting. He’d just gotten the very thing they were looking for! How can they be mad at him for that? It’s not like he’d gotten hurt. Well, not badly. Just a few scrapes.

“Are you seriou- Jesus kid, you alright?” Clint lowered his bow momentarily.

“Yeah, I’m fine. He didn’t really need to drop me like that though.” He groaned leaning to rub his tailbone.

“Your suit’s ripped, you hurt?”

Following Clint’s gaze Peter looked down at his left arm, only to see a large gash in the material. He vaguely remembered one of the bandits futuristic weapons grazing him as he swung past, the blaster having a curved blade that hooked over the wielder’s arm for close range attacks. But he’d been too preoccupied to notice any pain. He peeled back the fabric a little which revealed a deep cut spanning the length of his upper arm. It was deep enough that it had cut through the layer of fat under the surface of his skin, exposing the muscle underneath. He swallowed thickly, the sight of it making him feel queasy. What surprised him was the amount of blood; for a wound this big he’d expected there to be a lot more but he figured that maybe his suit had some kind of function to help stop the bleeding. He pulled his sleeve back covering the wound.

“Nah. Just a scrape.” He said shakily. Clint wanted the press the matter further but was forced to turn his attention back on the scene in front of him when a sudden wave of men clad in sleek, skin tight armour appeared seemingly from nowhere.

“Ah, shit.” Muttered Clint. Peter had be right, something had happened to Thor. The god was bound by golden chains that appeared to be burning hot and he seemed to be knocked out. He was being dragged by two of the large aliens following close behind the man who appeared to be the leader. By this point they had already managed to defeat the former group, their limp bodies laying around the wreckage of their ship. He couldn't hear what was being said, but he was pretty sure he knew. They were trying to bargain (or blackmail) them into giving them the drives in return for Thor’s life. Obviously a fight ensued, the group of at least fifty men (all with similar weapons to the ones the bandits had used) flooded the small area.

Clint grunted and Peter turned to see the man had ran out of arrows. “Stay put.”

“What?! No way!”

“Stay put, Peter, I mean it! You gotta keep that case out of their hands.”

“I know that- but they must’ve noticed enemy fire coming from up here by now, they’ll be coming up here to get it!” Sure enough he was right, the leader was huddled with three of his men and they were all looking up towards where the two men were hidden.

“Fuck. Fuck okay, get us down there as fast as possible and we’ll get back to the shuttle. Whatever you do, don’t engage with anyone, just run like hell. We’ll cover you so just go, okay?” Clint said seriously, grabbing Peter by the shoulders and not breaking eye contact. He nervously nodded. The two walked to the edge of the cliff only to see twenty of the Kree warriors scaling the side of three mountain. Reacting of pure instinct Peter wrapped his arms around Clint and dove off the ledge. As the fell he shot a web at the opposite wall which swung them straight into it: he twisted so that his body collided with the rock instead of Clint and he hissed in pain. He quickly recovered, continuing the pattern of swinging and dropping from either side (quicker now so that he wouldn’t get body slammed again) getting them to the valley floor in a matter of seconds.

This time around, Peter listened. For the most part. He tried to avoid combat but he had to doge quite a few hits as well as deal some out. He was nearing the clearing where they’d hidden their ship when he realised Clint was no longer running behind him; that momentary pause he took gazing back to find the man violently stabbing one of the Kree, was all it took for him to get blindsided by another. The woman tackled him, throwing him against the ground. She sat on his chest and knelt on his injured arm whilst trying to tear the case from his other. He cried out in pain the added pressure on his arm was excruciating, but he refused to lessen his grip. The female eventually grew frustrated trying to pry it from him, instead she withdrew a smaller version of the gun she had thrown in favour of trapping him, and aimed it as his forehead.

Peter froze expecting to have one of those ‘my life flashed before my eyes’ moments, but it didn’t come. What did happen however was a large metal disc flew through the air and struck the Kree in the side of the head, knocking her off of him.

“Thanks cap!” He yelled whilst scrambling to his feet shakily and taking off back in the other direction. He felt a slight wetness between his legs that he prayed was it was only sweat.

“Anytime kid!” The man called back cheerily as ever.

Finally Peter got back to the ship and out of the firing zone. He half expected to be greeted by another army of aliens but to his relief he wasn’t. Clint made it back not two minutes after he did.

“Don’t they need you out-“

“They’re fine Thor woke up, besides Hulk’ll obliterate them in no time.” Clint states simply.

Peter just nodded breathlessly, the adrenaline started leaving his body. He shook a little where he was standing so he leant against the side of the ship trying to appear as nonchalant as Clint. He still had the case clutched to his chest which the man had to gently coax from him.

“I should really wait and give it to Mr. Stark, sir. No offence..” He stares wide eyed at the man the adrenaline dump and well as the numbness he was starting to feel down his left side was affecting his judgement.

“Why? In case I’m a Russian spy?” Clint laughed. Peter tried to laugh too but it came out strangled and forced. Clint looked the boy up and down a few times but decided against saying anything. He figured that Peter was just worn out.

Not 10 minutes later the fight was finally over, all four men making their way back to the ship. Of course Tony made it there first.

“Peter! Are you alright?! Are you hurt anywhere?!” He landed right in front of him immediately moving his mask to reveal his face; which was painted with pure worry.

“Yeah, Mr. Stark, I’m fine. I-I got the drives.” He breathed shakily but sounded confident.

Thor also landed right behind the ship and the man had a large gash across his eyebrow. “Well done spiderling! It’s a good thing you acted when you did!”

“No, Thor it’s not a good thing.” Tony was still furious that Peter had gone against his orders in such a dangerous situation, but he was glad the boy had used his skills to stay alive- not that he would be much longer he was ready to murder him. He was busy patting Peter down the sides of his arms (Peter was careful not to flinch or wince when the man grazed the open cut) and tilted his head from side to side, having the boy look up and down.

“Mr. Stark, you’re making me dizzy.”

Tony let go of him, still eyeing him suspiciously. He seriously doubted there was any way the kid had gotten out of the ordeal unscathed. Captain and Bruce (who had now returned to his normal stature) came up behind the rest of the group.

“That was some good fight you put up there kid,” Steve smiled at him. “Good job on getting the case when you did.”

“Thank-“

“Can we not glorify what just happened, please?” Tony snapped. The rest of the men looked at him, sensing a volcano about to erupt.

“We should head back,” Bruce said, clearly trying to distract the duo. “Nat’s probably wondering what’s taking us so long…”

He trailed off. They piled into the shuttle but the argument didn’t stop there. In fact it had just begun.

Chapter Text

“That’s not the point Peter, and you know it.”

They arrived back on the main body of the ship. The other three men quickly exited the craft in a desperate attempt to escape the tension that had built within it over their short journey.

“But that is the point! You go on about how I need to be better than you, and think with my heart and my head and that’s what I did! If I hadn’t of grabbed the case when I did the Kree could have easily grabbed it and-“

“One rule! One rule, I’ve driven home to you from day one- and what is it, Pete, hm? Come on, you clearly have all the answers, what’s my one rule?” Tony yelled. This was the angriest Peter had ever seen the man be towards him and frankly it was starting to scare him. He wanted to stand his ground, he truly felt he had been a big part in this missions success despite it not going according to plan, but he also wanted this conversation to be over.

“Follow orders.”

“Ah, so you did listen! You just chose not to do so. Obviously like every other fifteen year old on the planet, you think you know everything! We had it under control, we were fully prepared for an ambush, we knew exactly what we were doing. Christ, we had back up plans! You had one job to do and you couldn’t even do that, you could’ve been killed-“

“But I wasn’t! I held my own out there!”

“Oh yeah right up until Steve stopped you from getting your head blown off right? Huh?” Peter kept his mouth shut. “That’s what I thought. You were out there to observe-“

“That’s what I did.” Peter gritted his teeth, the way Tony was patronising him was really working on his last nerve and he was struggling to hold back. It wasn’t his fault that the had no wireless contacts on that planet, how else was he meant to let them know. ‘Was Thor being held hostage part of your master plan too?’ Was what he wanted to say but he bit his tongue.

“Boy if you cut me off one more time you’re gonna live to regret it.” If Tony wasn’t angry before he was seething now. He knew Peter had a point, he had been impressed with his initiative and combat skills under pressure. But he’d known many men who’d acted similarly, not following orders and rushed ahead without thinking, and those men weren’t around to tell their story. He had to drive home how important listening to his elders was especially on the battlefield. He thought he had and that Peter was ready. Clearly he’d been mistaken. He kicked himself for not listening to the doubts he’d had earlier that day and letting Steve convince him otherwise.

Peter on the other hand was prepared to back down if it meant that his mentor would no longer be angry with him. Not only had the man’s anger began to scare him but his arm was aching even more than it had been on the ship. It felt heavy, like it had been turned to lead and he was struggling not to let it hang limply at his sides. His muscles were aching with the weight of it and the stinging in the wound itself was beginning to spread up his shoulder and down the side of his chest. He kept his mouth shut and looked down at his feet.

“I’m sorry, sir.”

“Damn right you’re sorry and you’re gonna be sorry for a while.” Tony lowered the bite in his tone but remained firm. He knew better than to be too harsh on Peter and he could hear himself start to sound like his father. “Give me your suit and go lay down for a while, I know you’re exhausted. We’ll discuss this more later.”

Usually he would have protested, but his desire to appease Tony combined with the pain in his arm he relented, going into the bathroom to take a quick shower. He felt a chill run through him as he undressed and stepped under the hot water. It felt nice to get the grime off of him and the heat was helping to relax his taut muscles. Hesitantly he ran his hand over the cut on his arm, which seemed as though it had grown wider since he last looked at it. He hissed, touching the skin sent a ripple of stinging pain to spread around his bicep. The whole area felt hot to the touch, even compared to the temperature of the shower. ‘Surely it can’t have gotten infected that quickly’ he thought ‘although I have no idea what that metal was made out of or what kind of bacteria might’ve been floating around…’

He pushed that thought to the back of his mind. He knew there was a basic first aid kit in his bag so he decided he would clean it out with antiseptic before he laid down. He staggered out of the shower, attributing his dizziness to the heat and steam. He got changed into some sweatpants and a hoodie, despite his raises temperature. He didn’t want to risk anyone else seeing his injured arm both because he didn’t want to cause a fuss or make anyone worry, and he didn’t want to give Tony anymore ammunition against him. He could only imagine what the man would say if he realised he’d actually gotten himself hurt.

“See?! I told you you couldn’t take care of yourself!” Or something to that effect.

He made his way slowly to the bunk room and collapsed onto his bunk; it was difficult to maneuver himself up there as his arm had refused to cooperate. It was getting to the point where his hand felt entirely numb and he couldn’t raise his arm away from his body. That was when he started to question his choice not to tell anyone and considered pulling Bruce to one side (though he knew it would eventually get back to Tony), but before he could make a decision his body chose for him; his vision blurred and he was forced into a deep sleep.

“Tony, you gotta calm down, you were way too harsh on the kid.” Steve stood leaning against the kitchen counter with his arms folded whilst Tony sat with his head in his hands at the table.

“You think I don’t know that?” The man replied coldly. “I was angry okay? He scared me half to death, if you hadn’t have acted when you did he would’ve-“

He cut himself off not wanting to think about what might have happened. That image of Peter being pinned to the ground with a gun to his head kept flashing up in his mind and he didn’t like the way it made his heart race.

“I know. I understand, I really do, T. I don’t blame you for being upset it’s the first time you’ve seen him in a situation as serious as that. But you’ve got to remember this is gonna be his job someday. He needs this experience.”

“He wasn’t meant to be get this kind of experience yet. He was meant to watch and learn-“

“But the fact is he went with his instincts and stopped the Kree getting the drives. You and I both know we could’ve handled it if they had and the kid overestimated the severity of the situation, but he even still brave. And that was his first experience on a real battlefield”

“I know. I’m proud of him. But that doesn’t mean-“

“Look Tony you’re talking yourself in circles here. We’ve all done it at some point- and no you’re right he shouldn’t be yet he doesn’t have enough experience to be going against orders and making rash decisions. But nothing bad happened. We were there, we worked as a team, he listened to Clint-“

“The second time.”

“Yes. The second time.” Steve growled, he was getting frustrated at the mans stubbornness. “I was there to save him, same way you’re there to save me and Nat’s there to save you-“

“I get it-“

“That’s what a team does-“

“I get it! Okay, I was too harsh on the kid, he did good and he wasn’t hurt so I shouldn’t have gotten as mad as I did.”

“Right. And he still needs to be disciplined.”

“Definitely-“

“Yes. But you can praise him too, you know. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. Not everything has to be so black and white Tony.” With that Steve turned away from him, making it known that he had no more to say on the matter. Tony sat for a while and contemplated the man’s words. He fond that he agreed wholeheartedly with him, much to his annoyance. He sighed and relented to himself that he would have a much more productive conversation with Peter later.

“You’re right.” He huffed to the super soldier, who was busying himself washing dishes.

“I know.” He smiled in a sing song voice making Tony huff once again.

“I’ll talk to him when he gets up, I know he’s exhausted. I wanted to talk to you about setting some boundaries with him too.”

“Oh, uh, well okay. Do you think I’m the best candidate for that?” He dried his hands and looked round at the other man.

“Your advice is always helpful. I’m gonna talk to Clint too, since he has the most experience with the whole parenting thing. I might mention it to the others and see if they are any concerns.”

“I’d be happy to help, you know how much we all care about him.” Something in the way Steve spoke let on that he was hinting at something else.

“What?” Tony eyed him suspiciously.

“Hm?” He hummed innocently. “Oh, nothing...IronDad.”

“Shut it.”

The team once again settled in the makeshift living room, instead of going their separate ways and going in and out of the bunk room, as no to wake up Peter. But after a couple hours when the teen still hadn’t emerged Tony started to get antsy.

“I’ll just go check on him-“

“Tony, he’s fine. He’s not a baby, let him rest. Christ, I’m surprised you haven’t installed a baby monitor in his bunk yet.” Nat laughed. Tony shot her a look before sitting back down. He didn’t think he was being unreasonable given the morning they'd just had. “He’s probably still mad at you for yelling at him anyway, let him have his space.”

“I suppose.” He leaned back in his chair and turned his attention back to the TV. He still had a niggling feeling that something was wrong but he didn’t want to risk upsetting Peter anymore that day. Bruce could see that his friend was stressed.

“I was gonna go grab my book anyway, I’ll just check in and see if he’s up.” He smiled casually and Tony nodded back at him gratefully. Both Nat and Clint rolled their eyes.

When Bruce entered the bunk room he was met with the back of Peter’s poking out of a bundle of blankets. The boy appeared to still be asleep. Wanting to make sure he walked up to his bunk and peeked over to look at his face. Sure enough Peter was still fast asleep, breathing evenly. A thin sheen of sweat covered his face, but Bruce put that down to the fact that Peter had bundled himself up in two blankets and the comforter he had stolen from his mentors bed bellow. He attempted to peel back one of the many layers he’d cocooned himself in but Peter pried them back, grumbling in his sleep. Chuckling Bruce decided to leave the boy alone and returned back to the common room.

“He’s alive.” Bruce announced sitting back down. “Still sleeping.”

Tony seemed satisfied with this answer as he didn’t press the man for anymore information. It got to be around six thirty, when Clint had almost finished preparing dinner, when Tony decided that Peter had had more than enough sleep (as well as enough time to hopefully forgiven Tony for yelling at him). Both he and Thor entered the bunk room, Thor wanting to retrieve the bag of funyuns he’d been hiding.

“Up and at em’ sunshine. Let’s go.” Tony patted the side of Peter’s bunk. He received zero response, in fact the boy didn’t react at all. “Come on Pete, it’s dinner time.”

This time he shook the boy gently. Still nothing. He shook him again. Then again. Just as he was starting to freak out the boy groaned and murmured something Tony couldn’t hear.

“What was that kiddo?”

“Not yet, Auntie May.” He moaned again, pulling away from Tony and nestled back into the blankets.

“I know my luscious hair may have fooled you Pete, but I’m not your aunt.” Tony chuckled. He expected Peter to snap out of his sleepy haze and be embarrassed by his blunder, but Peter immediately went back to sleep. “P, come on. Up, you can't be tired anymore.”

This time Tony manually rolled him onto his back and once again received no resistance. Peter’s head lolled lazily to one side his eyes half opening. This freaked Tony out so he shook him hard again. “Peter, come on open your eyes.”

He did, but not fully. His eyelashes fluttered and his eyes darted around the room but didn’t focus on anything.

“Hmm?” He grunted.

“Buddy, you alright?” Tony’s blood was pounding in his ears, something was wrong. He'd seen Peter half asleep many times before, but this was different. His eyes stared right through him and there was no recognition in them.

“Good evening, child!” Thor called over, not realising the moment of panic his friend was having.

“Thor go get Bruce.” Tony said quickly, having placed his hand on Peter’s forehead only to feel that he was burning up.

“Why, is something wrong?” Thor peered over Tony’s shoulder at Peter, whose skin was flushed a sickly grey colour.

“Just go.” With that Thor hurried out of the room yelling for Dr. Banner as he ran down the hallway. “What’s wrong with you kid, huh? Petey, can you open your eyes for me?”

Tony stripped the blankets off of him and lifted the boy off of his bunk and down onto his own, effortlessly. He noticed that the boy was soaking wet, but he couldn’t tell if it was from sweat or something else, but the smell of ammonia that burnt his nostrils gave him an idea. At that point the didn’t care. He was debating taking off the boy’s hoodie when Bruce rushed into the room.

“What happened?” He immediately crouched down next to the boy and moving his head in a similar way to he had that morning.

“I don’t know, he wouldn’t wake up,” Tony went into auto pilot, relaxing somewhat having Bruce there meaning he didn't have to be the only responsible adult handling the situation, but still trying his best not to panic. He went over to Bruce’s bunk and retrieved a case full of basic medical equipment he had shoved under his bed.

“He's clearly running a fever and he’s unresponsive. He didn’t display any signs of concussion earlier, not that that would particularly explain his elevated temperature.” Bruce speculated whilst checking Peter’s pulse. Tony placed his case open next to him and he reached in for a stethoscope to check the boy’s breathing. “Thank you.”

“Do you think it’s an infection?”

“I couldn’t tell you. I’ll have to run some blood work- Peter, can you open your eyes for me?” Luckily for them the ship had all the amenities needed to conduct a thorough investigation. “You said he didn’t get hurt?”

“Not that I know of but god knows he wouldn’t tell me if he did- Pete come on, wake up.” The two men helped prop Peter up as Bruce rolled up his sleeve to to administer a shot.

“This should help bring down his fever-“ Bruce looked a Peter’s arm in shock. All of his veins stood out against his skin and a purplish bruise looked as though it had spread down his arm, trailing from above his forearm and fading towards his wrist. Even from the small amount of bicep that was exposed Bruce could see a thick crust of congealed blood sticking the fabric of his hoodie to his arm. “Tony help me get his jumper off, but be gentle, it looks like it’s stuck to him.”

Tony obliged, the two working together to hold to limp teen up as they peeled his hoodie off of his sweaty body. For the first time since Tony entered the room Peter fully opened his eyes, though they were still glazed over and hazy looking.

“T-Tony..?” He murmured. He sounded like he was drunk, his speech slurred as though he had little control over his facial movements or that he was on the brink of drifting back into unconsciousness. “What- what’re you doin?”

“It’s okay bud, you’re just a little warm we need to get you cooled down okay?” Tony was nowhere near prepared for another medical emergency with the child so soon, and to his dismay he was panicking even more than the first time. He hadn’t even thought that possible but he could feel his hands shaking as he held the kid still.

“No, no wait!” Peter had started to come to his senses and realised that the men were about to expose his wound. He knew that it would be better just to accept the help but part of him was still afraid of getting in trouble. “Please don’t!”

“Pete, it’s okay, I just wanna take a look-“ Bruce tried to sooth but Peter yanked his arm back and started thrashing trying to get out of Tony’s grip.

“Get off of me I said no!” But Tony held him firm.

“Don’t make Bruce have to use a sedative on you too. Now sit still and calm yourself down.” He said sternly. “What happened to your arm, Peter.?”

“I don’t..I don’t want to.” He cried in one last ditch attempt to avoid revealing his injury to the two. He sniffed but stilled, finally allowing Bruce to gently remove the clothing, being careful not to rip it away from the tender skin underneath; he revealed the cut but it was far worse than when Peter had last seen it only a few hours before. There was still very little blood but now instead of the clean looking hole Peter remembered, the skin was bright red and angry looking, with festering splits in the swollen skin. The bruising on his forearm was nothing compared to the black marks that wrapped around his arm and crept up his shoulder. The most concerning part of all was the thick, green sludge that was now oozing out of the gaping lesion.

“Jesus Christ.” Tony covered his mouth and turned away. He’d seen plenty of gore but seeing that kind of injury on a child he considered to be his own at this point, was too shocking for him to handle. He didn’t feel like he was going to throw up, but he felt truly nauseated.

“Peter, did this happen today?” Bruce asked gravely. The boy nodded. “Okay, can you feel when I do this?”

Bruce pinched the back of Peter’s hand. He shook his head, looking scared. “Right, that’s okay, you’re okay I just need to know how far it’s spread.”

“How far what’s spread?” Tony asked trying and failing to keep the panic out of his voice.

“I can’t tell you for sure but it looks like some kind of neurotoxin. A regular infection could never take hold so quickly. It’s spread rapidly, but not so rapidly that I’m worried for your life Peter. You’re going to be alright, don’t panic. But we need to get him down to the medi-bay so I can try and identify what this is. We have a good amount of Kree chemical weapons on file from the intel Captain Marvel has gathered, so hopefully I should be able to find out what one it is.”

“Okay..” Peter said shakily.

“Can you stand?” Again Peter shook his head. He didn’t even want to attempt it, scared whatever toxin was overtaking his arm would spread if he moved too much.

“I’ve got him.” Tony said scooping him up without giving room for protest. The two men took quick strides down the hallway and Tony took the opportunity to question the boy’s actions.

“Why Pete, why didn’t you say something?”

“Cause I knew you’d be mad at me.” He said with his head down, mainly out of shame but also because it took a lot of energy to keep him head elevated and the motion of the man’s steps was making him feel dizzy. His speech was still slurred and he hated the sensation of not being in control of his own tongue.

“I’m sorry, Petey. I’m not mad anymore I promise. We can talk about all that later.” Much to Peter’s utter shock the man pressed a light kiss to his forehead. “I promise I’ll never be mad when you’re hurt or sick. No matter how upset I am about something else I promise you can always come to me about anything, buddy. Okay?”

Peter’s chest felt a warmth blossom in it, and not in the bad way he was experiencing earlier. He gripped the man a little tighter before whispering, “Okay.”

Tony’s has surprised himself with that action but he certainly didn’t regret it. He often struggled to show signs of physical affection, but he knew that was the best way to show Peter he wasn’t upset with him. It was much quicker than spending the next three hours reassuring the boy, but of course that wasn’t the only reason he had done it.

They reached the medical area of the ship which was filled with equally advanced tech as their one at the tower. Tony set Peter down on the bench in an upright position, going to help the boy swing his legs round. However, Peter tried to do that himself and ended up almost smacking his head on the floor. Tony caught him by the shoulders, making Peter wince at the tenderness in the joint on his left side.

“Let’s not add a concussion onto our list of problems right now, huh?”

Peter gave him a sheepish grin that faded quickly as another stab of pain shot through his arm. Bruce wasted no time in injecting him with an anaesthetic before going to work on cleaning the wound, both swabbing and taking blood samples.

“Remember Peter, due to your metabolic rate the numbing won’t last long, you can tell me to stop when it starts to where off I don’t want to hurt you.”

Peter nodded. Bruce input the samples he took into a machine in one corner of the room. “Tony keep an eye on that for me and tell me what comes up.”

The other man did so, somewhat hesitantly. He wanted to stand by Peter so the boy could squeeze his hand when the pain got to him. Peter could sense his apprehension so he gave the man a brave smile that didn’t suit his pale face. He wanted to show Tony hat he wasn't a baby. Even if he did act like a stupid kid and put himself in harms way he could at least handle to consequences without fuss.

The machine Bruce had inserted the tubes into whirred loudly as lines of writing Peter couldn’t make out started popping up on the screen. Tony began listing off components of Peter’s blood and their levels; he couldn’t understand what that meant either all the numbers making his head spin even more.

“Definitely some kind of an infection…okay we can work with that.” Bruce said confidently. Whereas he seemed relieved Tony still looked majorly concerned. Peter guessed his numbers weren’t very good but by this point he was starting to become drowsy again and his vision was blurring. He made the mistake of looking down at his arm when Bruce began stitching it and his stomach lurched.

“Mmm- Tony.”

The man was back at his side at an instant. He picked up the boy’s other arm by his wrist and held his hand in both of his. “It’s okay, don’t look at that look at me.”

He gazed up at the man and clenched his jaw tight. He didn’t want to seem weak or make Tony worry even more (if that was possible at this point). He took a deep breath through his nose and closed his eyes.

“That’s it Pete, out through your mouth.” He gently squeezed his hand.

“Don’t want to throw up.” He said teeth still clenched.

“I know buddy, just keep breathing.”

“I can give you something for the nausea after I’m done here.” Bruce said. “This wound is too deep for me to just suture. I’m gonna give you some dissolvable internal stitches, then pack the wound, then give you stitches on the outside that’ll have to come out in a couple days. The inside needs to heal before the outside does or you could end up with an abscess. Given the severity of the infection I don’t want to take any chances, okay bud?”

Peter nodded his head slightly in acknowledgement, not really taking the information in. Even the slight head movement was enough to make him want to pass out. His head was throbbing. He squeezed Tony’s hand and the man gently squeezed back.

“It’s okay.” He whispered to him, planting yet another kiss on the boy’s wet curls. “You’re okay.”

“I’m sorry I was so stupid.”

“Shh. You weren’t stupid Petey, you did a really brave thing. I’m sorry I got so mad earlier I was just scared, we both know what you did was wrong but your heart was in the right place and I’m proud of you.” The man stroked his hair as he spoke.

Peter opened his eyes to look up at the man, for a moment the pain melted away and he relished in the praise he was receiving. But then he the sharp sting of the needle Bruce was using on him brought him back down to earth.

“Ah fu-“ he caught himself “dge cakes!”

“Fudge cakes? That’s a new one. You’re making me hungry.”

“Don’t make me laugh, Tony!”

Bruce was halfway through finishing up Peter’s stitches when Steve came into the room.

“I’m sorry but we waited so long we got worried-“

“It’s okay, he’s alright.” Tony soothed, finally starting to relax himself. Bruce has put the boy on a drip full of strong antibiotics that already had the boy looking brighter. “He got sliced by one of the bayonets. Turns out they were covered in a venom that causes accelerated necrosis, but Peter’s metabolism worked quicker than it did.”

“Jeez, sport. That’s a nasty gash you got there.” Steve looked visibly relieved and managed his signature smile for the boy, who looked a lot better than Thor had previously described.

“Yeah, it’s gonna make a cool scar!” All three adults rolled their eyes at him but smiled nonetheless. Steve then left the room to inform the others that the ‘Spiderling’ was not in fact ‘inches from death’.

“And you are done, Mr. Spider-Man.” Bruce said sitting back to marvel at his work. It had taken quite a bit of patience to convince the severed flesh to join back together.

Instinctively Peter twisted his arm to get a good look but both Bruce and Tony grabbed him.

“Hey, hey, you wanna undo all the doc’s hard work?!” Tony cried.

“Oops. Sorry.”

“Sit still just a minute longer, I’ve still got to put a bandage over top.” Bruce moved to do so.

Peter tried to sit still but he’d started to perk up and feel almost better (other than the headache and general pain on his left side). He was even managing to flex his fingers. He’d also been sitting there for over two hours with an IV draining into his system.

“You gotta pee?” Tony asked already knowing the answer.

Peter blushed but nodded shyly. It was the first time any colour had shown on his face since Tony found him in bed, so Tony welcomed it. Not to mention the fact he found it kinda cute when Peter got embarrassed like that; not that’d he’d ever tell him that should he want to face the wrath of an indignant teenager.

“Just a minute, Pete, I promise I’ll make this quick.” Bruce smiles sympathetically. Peter gave a small smile back before continuing to squirm. When Bruce had finished (finally) the boy tried to immediately sit up by himself but was knocked back by another wave of dizziness. Tony caught him and pulled him upright again.

“You gotta slow down pal, you’re still fighting that nasty infection. You’re gonna feel crappy for a while.” He helped Peter to his feet, again agonisingly slow. Peter pushed his knees together and bounced a little, hoping that it would come off as him trying to steady himself. “I got you, come on.”

“My legs work fine Mr. Stark, it’s my arm that hurts.”

With that Tony held his hands up, letting the boy sway for moment. “Okay, be as cheeky as you want, I won’t be mopping up the puddle.”

Tony smiled triumphantly when Peter was forced to immediately grab hold of the man to steady himself. He ignored the dirty look he got off of the teen, instead just waltzing him to the bathroom. He wordlessly helped the boy loosen his pants, knowing it would be difficult to do quickly with one hand, and waited outside the bathroom while Peter took care of business.

“Uh..Tony?” He heard a quiet voice. ‘Oh god tell me he didn’t have an accident inside the bathroom, I’m way over my emotional quota for today’.

“Uh, yeah?”

“Can you grab me some clothes, please? I wanna shower again. I feel disgusting.”

‘Oh thank god.’ “Sure bud, do you think you can do it without getting your arm wet or should I grab a bag too?”

“Uhhh-“

“I’ll grab a bag.”

He grabbed Peter’s pyjamas, figuring it was almost time for the teen to be going to bed anyway, and a plastic bag designed for waterproofing casts and headed back to the bathroom. He helped Peter get his shirt off and cover his bandage before exiting the room after he assured him that he could ‘take it from here, thank you.’ He waited outside of the bathroom until he was done, Peter only calling for help when he needed it to put his shirt back on.

“Feel better?”

“Uh huh, I’m starving though.” Peter said dramatically.

Tony laughed, he wasn’t used to the kid being so forward about- well anything. He guessed he'd learned his lesson about not speaking up, at least for now, or was too tired to remember one of his key personality traits. “You kind of made me miss dinner too. Come on, I’m sure they saved us some.”

“With Thor around? I don’t think that dude has even heard of leftovers.”

Chapter Text

The rest of the evening went without incident; Peter had perked up considerably, though he was still a lot more quiet and withdrawn than usual. He was content to sit quietly and watch a movie with the rest of the group without discussing the cinematography or any major plot holes. Instead he just learnt against Tony and watched the movie, zoning in and out of the conversations around the room. He felt the older man stroke his hair every so often which encouraged his eyes to droop. He was determined to stay awake though and kept sitting forward to shake himself out of it.

“You can rest, Pete it’s okay.” Tony opened his arms up once again so that the boy could lay on his chest. It was the first time the man had offered snuggles like that when he wasn’t either hyperventilating or otherwise incapacitated. Not that he was one hundred percent at that moment, but still he was way more coherent than on the other occasions Tony had let him cuddle up to him. It was too tempting to resist, he’d missed the physical affection he’d grown so accustomed to receiving from his aunt growing up and he always felt so comforted in the man’s presence.

“Fine, but I’m not sleepin’” he relented somewhat huffily, Steve noticing the boy had the exact same expression and tone that Tony had at the dinner table earlier that day. He got some satisfaction knowing that Tony was going to have to deal with a mini mirror image of himself. Despite his protests the boy slumped against him and Tony wasted no time pulling him closer to his chest and rubbing his back, carefully placing his arm as to where he was putting no pressure on it.

“There we go, all comfy?” He hummed. Peter nodded and sighed against him.

“You need anything?” He whispered this time. Peter shook his head and burrowed in closer, showing his lack of desire to be moved for any reason. Tony chuckled and continued to rub the boy’s back rhythmically.

The rest of the room struggled not to coo out loud at the scene. It was odd to see Tony so relaxed and openly affectionate. They were all used to the man putting up his usual cool, sarcastic front with all of them, only usually experiencing tender moments with the man on an individual basis. He shot them a look when he caught them staring but it was hard to take the man seriously when he was coddling a fifteen year old.

Peter kept trying to fight against sleep but he kept feeling his eyes close. He struggled against it for as long as he could before giving in and letting them shut. When he did so Tony gently jostled him and chortled, “thought we weren’t sleeping, huh?”

There was no bite to his voice but Peter still scowled, not opening his eyes to give the man a glare. “M’not m’just restin’ my eyes.”

All the adults in the room chuckled lightly. “Wow, I’ve never heard that one before.” Clint quipped.

Peter lazily opened one eye to stare at the man, resisting the urge to poke his tongue out at him. He dramatically sighed “hmph” at him instead only inciting another round of laughter amongst them.

“Shh, now grumpy. Ignore owlman and get some sleep.” Tony soothed, still unable to keep the smile out of his own voice. Peter relaxed against him breathing in the faint scent of his cologne.

“His painkillers should be wearing off round about now,” Bruce said. “I should give him another dose before we head to bed.”

Tony simply nodded. He intended to wake Peter up before then to use the bathroom anyway, if the boy didn’t wake up of his own accord to do so. One by one the group started to retire to their bunks, each of them wishing each other goodnight before disappearing. Tony was also starting to struggle with staying awake but he didn’t want to move in fear of disturbing the boy wrapped around him. Only when his own bladder screamed for release after four hours did he finally decide to try and pry Peter off of him.

“Sorry, Buddy, I’ll be right back.” He whispered as he tried to stand as gently as he could. However the boy just whined and clung tighter around his waist. “Come on you little spider-monkey.”

He had to use some force to break the teens grip on him but he tried to be as gentle with his arm as possible. Peter curled into the now empty space Tony had left behind, pouting in his sleep. It took the man a lot of self restraint not to snap a picture right then and there but he knew that there would be hell to pay if Peter ever found out. After using the bathroom he finally decided it was time he got Peter up and into an actual bed.

“Hey, there.” He patted Peter’s shoulder gently. “Wake up, bud, let’s get you to bed, hm?”

Thankfully the teen was a lot easier to rouse than he had been before having his arm treated. That being said, he wasn’t exactly happy about being woken up. He frowned up at Tony as soon as his eyes opened.

“Sorry, honey. But you can’t sleep on the couch.”

“Mmm, why not?” He whined grumpily whilst rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. ‘God this kid’s so adorable, what’s wrong with me, when did I grow ovaries?’ Tony thought.

“Cause you can’t, besides we gotta get some more medicine in you.” Tony did feel guilty about waking him up, after all he was pretty sure Bruce would’ve been able to give the big his injections without waking him. But he didn’t feel comfortable doing such a thing when the boy wasn’t conscious, something about it didn’t feel right. He also knew better than to let Peter go to bed without a potty break first.

Bruce had been hanging around in the doorway yawning, ready to administer Peter’s medication before heading off to bed himself. “This should get you through till morning.”

Peter braved the injections without fuss and went to follow Bruce back to the bunk room, wanting nothing more than to flop onto his bunk and go back to sleep. But Tony stopped him.

“Pete, don’t you think you’re forgetting something?” He asked gently. He still felt rather awkward asking a fifteen year old if he needed to use the restroom but he was growing accustomed to it. It was just a learning curve for him, he wasn’t used to interacting with kids all that much and he wasn’t sure what was normal behaviour and what was a Peter thing.

“Hm?”

“Don’t you think you should use the bathroom before you go back to sleep? It’s been a while.”

Peter blushed, feeling ashamed the man felt the need to ask that question. He knew that Tony was right but it didn’t stop it from hurting his pride. “No. I don’t need to go.”

“Come on, Pete. Don’t fight me on this we’re both exhausted. Just go try.” The man was too tired, emotionally and physically, to chase the boy into admitting his need. He waited outside as he stomped into the bathroom and walked him back to the bunk room. He was still a little unsteady on his feet but nowhere near as bad as he had been a few hours before. When they entered the room and Peter readied himself to climb up to his bunk Tony stopped him again.

“Ugh, what now, let me sleep.” He knew he sounded like a bratty teenager but he didn’t care.

“We’re swapping bunks tonight. I don’t want you hurting your arm climbing in and out. No arguments.” Tony said flippantly, leaving no room for Peter to protest. The man had already swung himself up onto the top bunk. Peter felt guilty that the man had given up his bed to him but he supposed it made sense. He crawled into the double bed (which sheets had been replaced) when in the darkness he saw Tony drop his arm down and swing something in his face.

“Aren’t you forgetting Mr. Bear-Bear?” He teased but not meanly.

Peter snatched the toy from his hand before anyone had the chance to see it (not that any of the sleeping figures would have). He hissed back at the man “Don’t call her that!”

After a moment Peter heard the man quietly say, “Her?” Peter could hear the smirk on his voice.

“Ugh! Goodnight Tony!” Peter turned dramatically on his side facing the wall of his pod, despite the fact that the man couldn’t see him do it.

“Sweet dreams, Kiddo.” The man laughed.

The next morning everyone awoke before six am; everyone other than Thor and Peter. Thor only crawled out of his pit when he smelled bacon, but Peter was having a harder time waking up that morning. When he’d had a good night’s sleep, he tended to wake up bright and early and bursting with energy, eager to start the day. But the sudden infection had knocked it out of him. He didn’t wake up until Natasha came in to call him for breakfast.

“Hey Peter! You alive in here?” She leant around the door frame slapping the metal wall as she spoke. He groaned in response the loud sharp noise hurting his sensitive ears and startling him awake.

“Don’t want breakfast.” He groaned again and covered his face with a pillow.

“You know Steve will pitch a fit if you don’t eat.”

“Ugh, I’ll be down in a minute tell him. I need some time to wake up.” He spoke into the pillow.

“Okay. Just be quick, if you’re not don’t come crying to me when Steve rips the blankets off of you.” She cackled and walked back out to the dining area. Peter had intended to get up, he really had, but somehow he ended up falling asleep again.

He woke up not fifteen minutes later, feeling as though he’d only blinked. He glanced at the time on his phone which verified he’d actually nodded off for a quarter of an hour.

“Crap!” He jumped up.

“Language!” Steve said from the doorway making Peter jump out of his skin.

“Sorry! Sorry, Mr. Rogers, sir I’m getting up!”

“We’ve talked about this Pete, my name is Steve,” he kept his tone light “and breakfast was half an hour ago.”

“I know, I know. I didn’t mean to fall back asleep.” Peter bounced in place, his bladder making itself known. He hoped Steve wouldn’t grill him for too much longer because he wasn’t the only one protesting Peter’s extra time in bed.

“Hurry up and get ready- we can’t keep Bruce back from eating the froot loops forever.” Steve winked at him and turned away to walk back down the hall. Peter waited a minute before he ran to the bathroom, not wanting anyone to realise how desperate he was. This proved to be a mistake, cutting the time before his bladder forcefully emptied.

Despite the god’s somewhat rugged appearance, Thor adhered to strict Norse customs which included an intense grooming regime. It wasn’t uncommon for the man to spend upwards of three hours in the bathroom trimming and preening his facial hair as well as deep conditioning, then braiding his golden locks. Unfortunately for Peter, the man’s beauty schedule happened to coincide with a day in which the entire team were on a ship with only one bathroom.

The kid barrelled down the hallway skidding to a halt outside the bathroom door. His heart stopped when he saw the occupied sign on the doors touch pad display. He hadn’t accounted for this happening, having assumed everyone was still eating. He crossed his legs and grabbed himself. He knew he had to knock but he was dreading it. He’d never been comfortable having to rush someone in the bathroom, even his Aunt, despite the times she had reassured him that it was okay. Not only did it embarrass him but he always felt so rude kicking someone else out of the restroom all because his tiny bladder refused to wait any longer.

He gritted his teeth and prepared himself. He took a deep breath and wrapped his knuckles against the door.

“Yes?” Oh, crap it was Thor.

“Uh,” Peter couldn’t find the words. He stood there squirming incessantly.

“Young Peter, is that you?”

He didn’t answer, his voice getting stuck in his throat in a ball he struggled to swallow.He opened his mouth and shut it again. He could hear Thor verbally shrug to himself and continue whatever he was doing. He felt ridiculous, he couldn’t understand why he was finding it so difficult, did he want to wet himself? He had to man up or he was gonna end up peeing his pants for no good reason- again. No, he couldn’t let that happen, he knew he was being irrational. 'Just ask.' He held himself with one hand and went to raise his other arm to knock again, only to be met with a wave of pain coursing through the limb. He’d accidentally twisted his injured arm in a way the stitches clearly didn’t find agreeable and he felt them pull away from each other. Acting on reflex he grabbed the top of his arm with the hand he’d been using to keep his bladder in check. That was a big mistake.

He felt a rush of urine immediately shoot out of him, soaking his underwear. Peter bent in half grabbing his crotch with both hands this time. He summoned all of his strength to his abdomen in hopes of stemming the flow and avoid disaster. He cursed under his breath and knocked again, louder this time.

Thor seemed mildly annoyed at being disturbed again so soon. “Yes? Who is it?”

“Peter.” The boy groaned out. “How long are you gonna be?”

Thor didn’t answer, causing Peter to panic. He hoped he hadn’t offended the god but he was struggling to contain himself. He was trying to figure out how he’d hide his wet clothes and clean the puddle in the hall without anyone catching him, when the door opened. He was greeted by Thor in nothing but a towel...and a pink shower cap. He took a mental picture to remind himself of the hilarity later, but he was too desperate to even breath at this point let alone laugh.

“Go ahead and use the facilities, little one.” Thor wasted no time forcing the desperate teen into the bathroom and shutting the door for him. He wasn’t particularly phased by the sight of the boy having shared his childhood with Loki; he had witnessed his brother in this particular situation many times. He just hoped the shy boy wouldn’t be too embarrassed about his condition later. He waited patiently outside the door whilst the boy relieved himself. Steve came barrelling into the corridor, hellbent on dragging Peter out of bed.

“The boy has risen my friend, he’s just using the toilet!” He bellowed cheerfully. He always found it amusing when Steve showed any signs of being irritated, as his furrowed brows didn’t seem to suit his constantly smiling face.

“Ah, okay fair enough.” Steve said relaxing visibly.

Inside the bathroom Peter wasn't relaxing at all, despite having relieved himself. Once again he’d managed to avoid releasing the entire contents of his bladder onto himself but had wet his underwear through thoroughly. He cringed at the sensation of wet fabric clinging to his skin but he was still thankful it hadn't soaked through onto his pants. Well, at least nobody would notice the stain on his dark pants if they weren't looking for it, which he hoped no one would be. He repeated the routine he had done only two days prior, rinsing his underwear then stashing them under the sink.

“Shit.” He cursed under his breath. He’d forgotten to get rid of the other pair he had hidden there. There was no way he could waltz out past Thor holding with them in his hands, surely the man would ask questions, if not at the very least tell Tony. He’d just have to remember to stuff them in his bag at some point, maybe when the rest of the team fell asleep that night. He had to remember.

He exited the bathroom with his head held down quickly apologising for interrupting the pink-cap clad man.

“No harm done child!” Thor smiled, clapped his large hand on Peter’s shoulder and reentered the bathroom.

“Peter! Food, now! Cap’s gonna have a bitch fit in a minute!” Tony yelled from the kitchen. Peter then heard Tony say ‘ow’ which he assumed came from something Steve had thrown at him. Peter snickered then called back:
“Coming! I’m gonna get dressed first!” He ran back to their room to change into some everyday clothes when he realised he’d ran out of underwear. Obviously Happy hadn’t accounted for the idea of the teen wetting himself three times on such a short trip. Peter sighed as he had another unpleasant decision to make. Obviously he had no choice but to go commando as he had no idea what Tony had done with the clothes he spoiled during his fever-nap but the pant options he had available weren’t very appealing for someone in his current predicament; Sweatpants would be comfortable but it would be very obvious to anyone who happened to glance below Peter’s waist would be very quickly clued into the situation, or jeans, which would hide his shame but be very, very uncomfortable. It didn’t take Peter long to chose the latter, he’d rather put up with a day of discomfort than the likelihood of a mortifying conversation with one or more of the adults he was cohabiting with.

“PETER!” Steve bellowed.

“I’m coming! Jeez, can a guy put some pants on?!”

Finally Peter entered the kitchen, throwing himself down in a seat with an empty bowl. The rest of the group had finished their food and were sitting drinking coffee.

“Good afternoon.” Tony muttered taking a sip of his coffee. He received a scowl from the younger male that made him splutter. “Hey, I wasn’t the one rushing you!”

“You were conspiring against me! You do realise most teenagers sleep in past twelve on weekends, right? I hardly think making it down for breakfast at eight-thirty on a Sunday is as bad as you’re making it out to be.” Peter grumbled going to pour himself some cereal but all that came out was colourful dust. He shot an equally disgruntled look at Bruce who held his hands up and shrugged. The man had a seemingly insatiable sweet tooth which he had once insisted was down to the endorphins sugar released in him, aiding his ability to control the Hulk. Peter just thought the man used it as an excuse to hoard candy.

“Breakfast is served at seven-forty five. I warned you that we couldn’t keep him away from the froot loops forever.” Steve said smugly. Peter just sighed and pouted as he got up to stick some pop tarts in the toaster.

“Is that the healthiest choice-”

“Steve,” Natasha cut him off laughing. “You wanted him to eat, he’s eating, lay off a little.”

Peter pulled a chair and sat on it backwards, mimicking Steve from one of the PSA videos he’d seen in detention. “So, you missed breakfast. What choices lead you to this life of delinquency-”

“Okay, okay.” The resounding laughter that filled the room finally making the man back down as he joined in. “You’ve been practising that, huh?”

“Yep!” Peter grinned with a mouthful of pop tart.

“Gross, Pete, close your mouth.” Tony laughed.

“Oops, sorry!” Said again around his partially chewed breakfast pastry.

After breakfast Peter spent the rest of the morning in the control room with Tony and Natasha, once again entertaining himself by staring out into space. Occasionally he’d ask questions about astrology or astrophysics related to their current location, such as “What’s that constellation over there?” and “Hey, Mr. Stark? Do you know what the relative population of that sand on the desert planet we went to? I wanna include it in my Boltzman equation thesis.” With the look he received from Tony at that last question, he tacked on:

“Hypothetically of course, I’ll just say I found a sample of it on file in your lab or something.”

Tony sighed in response pinching the bridge of his nose. “What did we say about talking about space stuff outside of home, Peter?”

“...Not to.”

“Speaking of which didn’t you bring some homework with you?”

Peter threw his head back and sighed. “Ugh, I’m in space for the first time ever don’t I get to enjoy it?!”

“You can enjoy it while doing your homework.” Tony stated simply not even looking at the boy as he continued fiddling with an older model of his telepresence headset.

“Come on, Tony, can’t I just do it Monday morning? It’ll take me like half an hour to get through, it’s only four assignments!”

Tony didn’t doubt the boys ability but still he’d rather not have Peter deal with the stress that early morning essay writing would bring him. “If it won’t take you long, you won’t miss out on anything then will you?”

Peter pouted but got up to go and retrieve his school things, shifting awkwardly when his jeans rubbed him the wrong way. Tony eyed him.

“You okay?”
Peter nodded adamantly feeling a blush rise in his cheeks.

“You gotta go to the bathroom? Thor should be out by now-”

“I don’t need to.” Peter snapped. He was embarrassed that the man would ask him outright in front of Natasha. “I don’t need you to ask me that, I’m not a five year old.”

Tony bit his tongue against making any comments about past experiences where he had to do just that and watched as the teen stormed out of the room, angrily.

“Nice.” Nat chided, stretching the N.

Tony sighed. He never knew what was the right thing to say or when to say it. He wasn’t exactly a complicated teenager himself he was consistently a douche. Not that he had many interactions with his father in those days, but the ones he did didn’t give him anything that could use to model his parenting with Peter.

“You baby him too much.” Natasha could see the cogs turning in the man’s head, she had a knack for that. “You’re always either too strict or too soft, there’s no in between.”

“Yeah, Steve said a similar thing. I just don’t know what’s normal behaviour for a kid his age and what’s not.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“What? Of course it does.” He shook his head flippantly.

“There ain’t no cookie cutter kids in real life, Tony. Pete’s an individual. He’s too smart for his years and because of that he craves independence. While on the other hand he’s an anxious fifteen year old, in a world that’s scary for him, so he also needs constant reassurance.”

“How can I give him both? Like you said, I either push him too far, expecting him to do things he can’t handle or I underestimate him or I get overprotective, I don’t know what I’m doing.” This conversation had hit Tony hard and suddenly, it was as though all of the inadequacies he’d felt since becoming Peter’s guardian all piled on top of him at once.

“No dad knows what they’re doing Tony, some just do a better job at pretending they do, like Clint.” That got a slight smile out of the man. “It comes with time, practise and patience just like anything else. You two are too similar sometimes, so you’re gonna butt heads. It happens. You gotta encourage him to do things while at the same time letting him no that whatever happens you’re still gonna be there to help and support him.”

“Why are you making so much sense?”
She shrugged, her face as expressionless as always. “I’ve watched Clint over the years, heard his side and the kids. So,as a neutral third party, obviously I could see the bigger picture. He grew along with them.”

“It all sounds so simple when you say it,” Tony sighed grumpily.

“I mean that coupled with being an orphan, I just know what I would’ve wanted growing up.”

The man nodded sullenly. “I suppose being a parent you give your kids everything you didn’t have.”

“Yeah. You know, nature vs nurture and all that junk.”

“Thank you, Nat. I mean it.” He smiled gratefully at her having found her pep talk much more encouraging and productive than the one he’d had with Steve. “I needed that.”

“You’re doing great job Tony, think about how far Peter’s come in what, five months? Before he was too scared to even look at any of us and now he’s sitting at breakfast poking fun at Steve like the rest of us.” The two of them laughed.

“That is true.” He didn’t often think about that, but even he had to admit the stark change in Peter was impressive. “I’m glad he’s comfortable enough with me now to argue, as much as he pisses me off.”

“The feeling is mutual at times, old man!” Peter called from the living room. He’d heard some of the conversation, not all but enough.

“Glad to hear it!” Tony grinned.

“Same here!”

“Likewise!”

“Right back at ya!”

“I concur-”

“Oh my god you’re both so annoying!” Nat yelled breaking up the two’s ridiculous back and forth that had all three of them laughing. “Damn sometimes it’s better when you’re fighting, at least the you give each other the silent treatment and I can get some peace!”

Chapter Text

Peter sat on the living room floor with three textbooks open out in front of him, scanning over each one quickly and somehow managing to absorb all the necessary information. He found himself immersed in his last essay, history, that was only meant to be 800 words long but Peter was already pushing the 1700 mark. As he was writing his mini autobiography on Nikola Tesla, one of his favourite historical figures, he barely noticed Dr. Banner enter the room.

“Whatcha working on?”

“History homework.” Peter replied, swinging his feet in the air, lying on his front.

“Anything interesting?” Bruce said rhetorically eyeing the stack of notebook paper the boy had accumulated. “How’s your arm feeling, Peter?”

“It feels fine, doesn’t hurt unless I move the wrong way.” He pauses his writing momentarily to look up at the man. “Thanks again for patching me up earlier, I know I should’ve told you sooner.”

“It’s alright, if Tony had been that mad at me I probably would’ve been less than forthcoming myself.” He said kindly. “I would like to take another look at you today though, see how well the antibiotics are helping.”

“I feel so much better already.”

“I’m glad bud.” Bruce stood up to leave the room again, ruffling the boy’s affectionately hair as he went past.

They waited until after lunch to check Peter’s arm as Bruce was worried about giving him anymore medicine on an empty stomach.

“Let’s take a look at this arm then.” Bruce said as he gently unwrapped Peter’s bandaged arm. He’d considered calling Tony in to join them but he found that Peter was more likely to admit that he was in pain when the other man wasn’t there. He peeled back the gauze covering the wound happy to find that very little puss was still weeping from it and the surrounding bruising had already faded to a purplish red. “Looks like the antibiotics are working well.”

Peter gave him a weak smile in response. He’d never had a strong stomach when it came to gory stuff. He wasn’t the worst about it but the sight of certain things did leave his knees a little weak. He knew he had to get used to it if he wanted to pursue a career in this line of work. Bruce was cleaning the area with a stinging solution when he hummed, sounding perplexed.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing, nothing Pete. Just some of these stitches are pulling really tight…” the man trailed off, clearly considering his observations inside his head but Peter started to worry.

“Well, isn’t that what they’re supposed to do? I mean, like, they’re meant to hold my skin together so..?”

“You’re right, but if they pull to tight they can end up imbedding in the skin.” He muttered turning his head different ways as he began to pull at each stitch with a pair of tweezers. Peter tried his best not to flinch. “Let me know if I’m hurting you.”

“Yeah.” Replied a tight lipped Peter.

“Hmm,” Bruce furrowed his brows. “It looks like all of them are starting to grow into your arm- you haven’t noticed any swelling?”

“Uh uh.” The teen shook his head.

“I know you have accelerated healing but this is excessive.” He gave a light laugh. “I’m gonna have to take these stitches out and reopen the wound again.”

“What like cut me?” Peter gave him a wide eyed look.

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing unfixable. I’ll numb you up again. The skin has already fused together that’s all, I hadn’t planned to take out the packing material for at least three days, but if you’re healing this quick they’ve got to come out now before you get a secondary infection when your body starts rejecting the foreign material.”

“Are you gonna do it now..”

“I was planning to, is that okay? It’s gonna take me a minuet to get set up and sterilise everything if you need to take a break?” Bruce gave the boy and out in case this was his way of saying he needed to use the restroom.

“Is it okay if I go and get Tony..?”

“Of course, buddy. Go ahead just tell him to wash his hands.”

Peter nodded as he scurried off to the control room to retrieve his human comfort blanket. He was ashamed of himself for being so needy but the man was such a calming force for him, he couldn’t help but become addicted to his presence in times of stress.

“Uh, Mr. Stark?” He called quietly from the doorway. Both Steve (having replaced Natasha) and Tony turning their chairs around to look at him.

“Hey there, underoos. All patched up already?”

“Uh, no actually, Dr. Banner wants to take the stitches out. I-I-I was just wondering if you’d come and sit in with me…” He trailed off. Tony immediately stood up and turned to Steve.

“You okay manning the controls?”

“I’m sure I’ll manage.” He smiled.

“Good, come on then Pete.” He didn’t question Peter about the doctors reasoning, he trusted Bruce wholeheartedly and he could see that his ward was becoming agitated. He was just happy that Peter had called on him rather than trying to brave it alone.

“W-wait!” Peter cries suddenly and halting to a stop.

“What’s wrong?”

“Bruce said to make sure you wash your hands.”

“Seriously?” He sighed. “Hold on. Do you need to pee before I go in?”

Peter shook his head.

“Okay go on ahead I’ll join you guys in a moment.”

Peter wanted to wait for the man to accompany him, but didn’t want to seem even more childish than he already felt. Tony could sense the boys hesitation.

“Or you can wait for me. Either is perfectly fine.” He gave the boy a smile before heading into the bathroom, not wanting to dwell on it and pressure him even more. Tony offering his reassurance to the boy was enough to put him at ease and he elected to head back to the medibay on his own.

When Tony entered the room Bruce was already working on rubbing iodine around the area and Peter was laying back on the examination table. On the surface he looked calm but Tony’s paternal instincts told him the boy was far from it. He sat in the chair on Peter’s good side and offered his hand once again which he immediately latched onto. Bruce injected some numbing to the area; some in Peter terms meant a metric ton for most people as his body usually metabolised the medicine before Bruce could get anything done.

He got to work snipping and picking the blue plastic thread from Peter’s skin. He and Tony helped to distract Peter with idle conversation, him answering the boys questions on radiation and Tony answering what his favourite food was. When it came time for Bruce to reopen the wound, it wasn’t Peter who was nervous.

“How deep are you gonna go?”

“Not very, I’m just aiming to retrieve the gauze.”

Tony was surprised at his own reaction, but he guessed it was due the fact that Bruce was going to be deliberately causing more injury to his kid. The logical side of him knew that there was no reason for that to bother him; Bruce was conducting a safe procedure in a sterilised environment, with years of experience under his belt as well as years of gaining Tony’s trust. He was the only doctor he had allowed to tend to Peter since he met the boy over a year ago, but something about this situation was making him uneasy.

Peter looked up at Tony, sensing the man’s shift in mood. He smiled reassuringly. “Hey, I’m okay, really. I can’t feel a thing.”

“I know, tough stuff.” He’d managed to regain composure of himself outwardly, not wanting to upset Peter again.

“Ready?” Bruce glanced at them both. After receiving a nod from Peter he made the initial incision, having to deepen it several times. It was a slow process as Peter was what he called ‘a bleeder’ meaning he had to stop every few seconds to mop up the blood. He finally managed to cut through the thickened skin and into the cavity he’d filled with silver-impregnated packing strips but that wasn’t all he found. He looked visibly taken aback as he continued to stare at Peter’s arm.

“What’s wrong?” Tony’s serious tone rang through the room which made Peter turn to look up at the doctor.

“Tony can you come here for a second.” Bruce said very quietly. He soon gathered himself realising that he should probably reassure his patient, who’s heart rate, he could see on the monitor, had picked up speed. “Nothing to worry about, Pete I just need help mopping the blood as I work.”

Tony knew that Bruce was lying to the boy because of the little twitch he’d developed in the corner of his mouth. He rushed to the other side of the table and he knew immediately what had the other man so stunned.

Inside Peter’s cut he saw the gauze, but he could also see why Bruce didn’t just immediately pull it out; it’s path was blocked by thousands of thin, white strings spanning the length of the gap in every direction. He and Bruce exchanged glances.

“What the fuck?” Tony muttered making Peter jerk his arm away from the two men. They tried to grab him both to keep him from hurting himself but also from seeing what had them so freaked out.

“Hey, what are you doing?! What’s the big deal?! Let go I wanna look!”

“Sit still now before you hurt yourself!” Tony barked. “Or I’ll have Bruce put you under!”

The child relented though he was still straining to see what the two men looked so perplexed about.

“I’ve never seen something like this in all my life…” Bruce murmured putting his glasses on the end of his nose and leaning in close to peer into the cut.

“Is it something to do with the Kree’s weapon or..?”

“I don’t think so, what does that look like to you?”

Tony was both in awe and horrified. “...Spider-webs.”

“Exactly, it’s like his body is literally stitching itself back to-“

“WHAT DID HE JUST SAY?!”

**************

After about an hour of the three of them gawking, examining, panicking and marvelling, they finally came to the conclusion that Peter’s body had been much more greatly affected by the bite than anyone had first realised. It was a situation that had to be handled with great care; they didn’t know exactly what they were dealing with and Bruce was adamant he didn’t want to interrupt Peter’s natural healing process. He suggested leaving the wound open after removing the gauze.

“What so you can study him?” Tony said feeling heat rise to his face. He regretted accusing his friend of such a thing as soon as the words left his mouth seeing Bruce’s face fall.

“Of course not.” The doctor replied quietly. “I don’t want to cause any more harm than I just did. I’m not doing this in the name of science, Tony.” He was clearly offended by what his friend as said but he knew it was only because he was fretting over the boy. He understood Tony’s angst though he couldn’t help but feel a little hurt.

Peter on the other hand had recovered from the initial sock and he himself thought that this was the coolest thing he’d ever seen. “I wanna study it! I didn’t even know I could do that!”

“Peter, we have to keep quiet about this.” Tony turned to him looking deadly serious. “We need some time to monitor you before anyone else finds out. You don’t want to end up being taken back to the compound do you?”

Peter shook his head gravely, thinking back to when he’d first been bitten. He’d been immediately whisked off to some secret government base to be tested repeatedly, spending three months being continuously examined and made to perform feats of strength as well as his other powers whilst a fleet of doctors recorded their observations; they often used scare tactics To force him into producing web fluid for their studies, as well as other things. He didn’t remember much of it, being heavily drugged at the time to keep him placid, but he did know that he didn’t want to end up there again.

“Right, so Bruce is gonna have to do a little more research into whatever going on. Don’t go spouting about it to anyone, understand?” Though Tony was well respected and high up within the agency, he still had superiors who would know doubt like to investigate Peter’s regenerative abilities, especially now they seemed to be getting more rapid each time. He took a moment to think about how quickly Peter had recovered from his esophageal tear a few months prior and it seemed to him that the teens body was healing even quicker than it had then. He hadn’t meant to threaten the boy with the prospect of him getting taken away but he had to be honest and outline the severity of the situation.

“I-I won’t Mr. Stark.”

“It’s gonna be fine, Peter.” Bruce chimed in softly. “We won’t let anything bad happen to you. This isn’t a bad thing either, I just want to understand it more so I can care for you better in the future. There’s no use me treating you the same as everyone else if it’s only gonna interrupt your natural healing process.”

The studies the scientists had done on Peter and The information they’d gathered on his mutation, had done a great job at aiding Bruce in helping him understand his body chemistry up until this point; he of course hadn’t agreed with their methods of how they’d obtained the data but it had been helpful nonetheless. He didn’t want the boy to have to go through anything else like that for him to be able to tend to him in the future.

“You think this is something we’ll be able to handle in house, doc?” Tony asked, finally seeming to relax.

“Sure, I don’t see why not. There’s no sign that this is anything other than healthy for him, I’ve already taken some tissue samples that I can examine better at my lab. I mean it when I say that this isn’t something to be scared of.”

“Good, after all the time I’ve invested I’d hate for the kid to just croak on me.”

“Wow. Thanks, much love to you too Tony.” Peter rolled his eyes causing the other men to laugh.

“I’m gonna leave you alone now, okay? I’m just gonna put some steri-strips over the top to keep you from walking around with a hole in your arm. Keep taking the antibiotics as a precaution.”

Once Peter was finally able to leave, he noted how Tony had elected to stay behind and discuss the matter with Bruce in more depth without him. He wasn’t too bothered by this, the whole thing was getting too weird. He knew his body worked a little different now but he never realised it was that different. Though he supposed he should’ve considered the possibility that his powers weren’t restricted to just his super strength and an ability to scale up walls. He decided to let Tony and Bruce deal with the hard stuff, determining cause and effect and calculating the rates of stuff and blah, blah, blah...He was gonna focus on how cool he thought it was- he was like a really slow wolverine! Or at least Wolverine before the Hugh Jackman version got injected with adamantium, though that was hardly considered canon anymore after the whole Wade Wilson fiasco-

As he was making his internal comparisons about comic book superheroes he heard a loud bang followed by a series of people yelling “THOR!”

“WELL IT WAS A BLOODY ACCIDENT! DO YOU THINK I’D WASTE AN ENTIRE BOTTLE OF GRAPE GLORY DELIBERATELY?!”

Peter walked in to see Natasha trying to grab a spinning, fizzing bottle of soda that was still sending sticky purple fluid cascading around the room, getting herself even more soaked in the process. Peter and Clint bust out laughing, the former quickly jumping out of the way when the spritz from the impromptu sugar sprinkler almost hit him. He jumped up onto the wall and perched there at an angle to avoid the spreading puddle.

“You idiot.” Natasha yelled standing up fully with soda dripping from her hair.

“Well as I said I didn’t intend to do that!”

“Most people would apologise you big blond bastar-“ she cut herself off glancing at Peter. “Dummy.”

“I’ll get a mop.” Peter said helpfully still laughing. Instead of dropping back into the ground he crawled along the ball and dropped onto the floor in the hallway. He thought he’d seen a kind of janitors supply cupboard during his explorations on his first day on board.

“I’ll grab some bleach, I’m pretty sure there’s some in the bathroom.” Clint followed suit.

“And I’ll go change my shirt.” Nat hissed through gritted teeth glaring at Thor. The god just stood there pouting with his arms crossed.

Clint opened the cabinet under the bathroom sink and grabbed the yellow and blue bottle. He then grabbed what he thought were cleaning rags before he realised they were wet.

“Oh, ew!” He dropped them on the floor wiping his hand on his jeans. Were they underwear? Gross. He prayed that the liquid on his hands was only water as he tossed the damp fabric into the trashcan at the far end of the room, pinching them with only two fingers on an attempt to avoid anymore contact. By the size of them he realised that they must’ve been Peter’s and he wondered why the hell the kid had left his soaking undergarments laying around. Though to be fair, the boy had taken several steps to hide them from view. Having kids of his own he was used to the kind of weird behaviours and logic that came with them, so he knew that Peter thought he had good reason to have to keep whatever was going on a secret. He wanted to completely forget what he’d just seen and go about his day, considering even putting the garments back where he’d found them; however he knew that wasn’t the right thing to do, either someone else would find them or Peter would manage to avoid confrontation all together, which he supposed he’d wanted in the first place.

Clint tried not to wonder about the reasoning behind the boy’s actions too much, but whatever it was he came to the conclusion it was something he’d have to mention to the kids mentor. He really didn’t want to involve himself in such personal matters but he had to be a responsible adult. He also didn’t want the boy to have to deal with whatever the problem was on his own. He wouldn’t want that for his own kids so he felt he owed it to both Peter and Tony to speak up.

He took the bag of trash with him, tying it closed and shoving it into the main bin outside the kitchen so someone else would discover the teens discarded clothes.

Peter was none the wiser, already mopping the floor with vigour when Clint returned. Steve also came in not a moment later.

“What on God’s green earth happened in here?!”

“Thunder thighs over here is a clumsy fuck.” Clint shrugged.

“Language in front of the minor, please.” Steve stressed once again. “Gimme that here kid, I’ll do it.”

“It’s okay Mr- Steve.” He caught himself.

“If you want you can get those stains up there on those cabinets for me.”

Peter wastes no time showing off his skills, hanging upside down from the ceiling scrubbing furiously.

“So we’re letting the wounded kid do acrobatics now? Why isn’t Thor doing it himself?” Nat said scowling.

“Ah, yeah I’d forgotten about that.” Steve too frowned looking up at the child suspended in midair.

“What? No I’m fine, now honest! You can ask Dr. Banner!”

“Where even is Bruce?” It occurred to Nat that she hadn’t seen him since lunch.

“Oh he’s in the med office talking to Mr. Stark about my-“ he cut himself off when he heard Tony’s warning resound in his head.

“About what?” Clint eyed him. Maybe Tony already knew about Peter’s little secret. Perhaps he didn’t need to tell him at all, though he doubted the boy would admit to that in front of everyone else.

“Oh nothing. But yeah, I even got the stitches out, see?” He showed off his arm.

“Nice scar, Spiderling!” Thor smiles wildly at him. “Your first battle scar!”

“Dope right?” Peter grinned back at him.

“Not dope, now down you come kiddo. I don’t want Tony on my back when you bust your head open. You’ve had enough injuries this weekend come on.” Steve held out his arm for the pouting boy to use for support, but Peter made a point of doing a backflip down instead.

The rest of the day flew by quickly, much to Peter’s disappointment. There was no place on earth that he could happily sit and marvel at for hours on end. He found that the constant darkness outside the ship combined with the warm ‘natural’ lighting was so deeply calming to him. Coming back down to earth (both physically and metaphorically) meant going back to school and days pent up in the lab. He’d experienced freedom on the mission that he hadn’t tasted in months, freedom he had so desperately craved. He wished that they could stay up there for just a little longer.

He’d completed his homework and then some which Tony sat and read over with him. He corrected a few minor grammatical errors here and there and criticized Peters ‘chicken scratch’; “maybe you should reconsider a career as a general practitioner.” He more so wanted to show Pete that he had an interest in what he was doing in school. His questions hadn’t ever been more than “Did you have a good day” or “Learn anything interesting?”, neither ever lead to a great deal of conversation before the subject shifted to their latest projects. Both of them had thoroughly enjoyed the bonding time and though Tony knew Peter never needed any actual help with his homework,he silently vowed that he would make a habit out of sitting down with the boy.

It was only when Nat had announced to start getting ready for their descent. Everyone moved quickly to ensure all the appropriate furniture had been strapped down and secured and all lose items stored safely away. Tony made sure to pull Peter to one side and encourage him to do himself a favour before he got settled in his seat.

“Go to the bathroom first, landing longer than taking off, trust me. And you can give me that look all you want Petey, but you know I’m right, so go on.”

He did so grumpily before taking his seat next to Natasha this time, nestled between her and the wall. He was opposite Clint, Bruce and Thor respectively whilst Steve and Tony sat at the front controls. Thor looked grumpy too.

“I don’t see why I have to seated back here.” Thor snarked, focussing on Steve.

“You know damn well why Thor, don’t even try it.” Tony replied. “I’m not gonna talk about this again, you know what happened last time.”

“What happened last time?” Peter addressed the room though it seemed everyone was intent on ignoring his question. Clint was the one to give in and gave Peter a half assed answer.

“You don’t wanna know kid.”

“But I do, that’s why I asked.”

“You look nervous enough already I ain’t gonna tell you any horror stories.”

“Oh, Bird-Man, you really do drone on- you make it sound as though some of us died! We were barely maimed!”

“Tell that to my femur, discount Zeus!”

“I beg your pardon?! Don’t use such foul language in front of the Spiderling!” He clearly had a misunderstanding about what body part Clint was referring to.

“What?! That doesn’t even make-”

“Girls, girls, you’re both pretty. Now can you stop screaming in my ears.” Bruce remained visibly calm, though Peter noted that his skin had turned just the slightest hint green. The other two men silenced immediately.
“Wait, are we gonna be lading back at the base or like, in the ocean and stuff?” Peter bit his lip. He knew the ship was more of a jet than a conventional space shuttle but he knew that it would be difficult to control exactly where it would land, based on wind interference alone.

“You mean you haven’t got your parachute?” Tony called back.

Peter laughed sarcastically but he was still obviously very tense. He felt the woman sitting next to him pat his arm comfortingly “Don’t worry, it’s not as bad as when we take off. Just be prepared for your ears to pop.”

Never having been one for physical interaction, the gesture of Nat’s movements made Peter feel both honoured and soothed. She was the least likely one of the avengers to offer any kind of skin to skin contact that wasn’t purely based on survival. There had been times where she made small actions to initiate some forms of affection, which made the handfuls of high fives and hugs even more meaningful.

What the assassin told him to prepare for was right. As soon as he felt the shift dip he could feel a pressure start to build in his ears. He could hear Tony say something about adjusting the cabin pressure as much as possible but Peter was too busy doing his breathing techniques to pay much mind.

He kept his eyes firmly on the ground this time and he didn’t struggle to help his head up, he let gravity move him as it pleased. That method did help to alleviate the face ripping sensation. Tony was right when he said that it took longer to descent than it did to take off and Peter was secretly glad the man had made him pee first. The dropping gave him an almost indescribable pulling sensation in this stomach, which he found was only comparable to one of those theme park rides that takes you up high and lets you free fall for about thirty seconds before catching you; only this was lasting minutes and it didn’t feel as though anyone had any control over the craft and the sensation is his belly was making him feel like he wanted to pee, so he was very glad his bladder was empty. He kept telling himself not to panic even though his body was trying to tell him about the impending crash it thought was coming. He made the mistake of lifting his head for a moment, only to have it forced back down by the pressure in the soaring vessel.

For a second he thought he passed out because when he blinked the sky outside went from black to a misty blue and the roaring seemed to get twenty times louder. He found he was able to lift his head up now though, rather than it being forced down it was being pushed back against his chair. That was when he noticed that Clint was still slumped in his chair with his neck not supporting his head at all. He tried to yell, ‘Mr. Barton, are you okay?!’ but either no sound came out of his mouth or it was swallowed by the deafening reverberation. It felt as though it went on for an hour, but in reality they were circling to land on the base within about five minutes, the ship acting as a commercial fighter jet once it entered the appropriate level in earth’s atmosphere. As soon as he was able Peter managed to tell out:

“Uh, guys?! I think Clint’s fainted!”

All the adults (other than Tony who was piloting, obviously) turned to look at the man who was still leaning limply against his headrest.

“It’s okay, we’re landing in just a second!” Steve called back. No one looked majorly concerned other than Peter, who had never seen Clint so much as wince before. True to his word though, Steve has been right about when they were landing as Peter felt the ship immediately start shuddering as the plummeted full force towards the ground. If his body wasn’t freaking out before it was now. He tried to keep breathing and he squeezed his eyes shut, much like he had done during their ascent though he made sure not to swear. The ship nose dived, before suddenly pulling up once more until they were horizontal. Peter felt bile rise in his throat which he viscously swallowed as the ships wheels deployed underneath and started catching the ground, making the whole ship judder.

“Ugh, Tony.” He heard Steve mutter disgustedly and he had a feeling Tony had been showing off his flying skills. When the craft finally came to a halt every person jolted with it in unison (of course except Nat, but Peter wasn’t even convinced she was human by this point). Where as the others snapped back in their chairs Clint remained leaning forward, the motion having made his mouth open and he was just hanging there drooling. Steve was the first one to get unbuckled, he trusted his ability to be able to stand on a moving aircraft, and he went straight over to Clint.

“Clint buddy, you alright there?” He sounded perfectly calm and he gave a light slap to the side of his face a few times. His eyes fluttered open. “We lost you for a minute there.”

“Mm, I’m fine.” Clint sat himself up looking hazed. “We home now?”

“Yep.” Steve helped him out of his buckles before turning to do the same for Peter.

“Is it- is it normal for people to just- just-“

“Pass out?” Steve offered, to which Peter nodded. “Yeah it happens, we didn’t want to mention it in case it freaked you out.”

“Well, a warning would’ve been nice! I thought Clint was dead!”

Everyone else laughed at that other than Clint who looked somewhat embarrassed about fainting in front of his teammates.

“Pete you don’t have to yell we’re right I front of you.” Steve laughed, still working on Peter’s buckles. It seemed Tony had placed a few more straps on Peter’s chair, which he smiled at. The man was really overprotective with the kid.

“I’m not yelling!” Peter ‘said’.

“Have your ears gone?” Tony walked out from his area of the cockpit and walked down the steps towards him.

“Huh?!” Everyone laughed again.

“Come on, Underoos, lets go.” Tony smiled after Steve had finally managed to free him. “We gotta get you fed and to bed, school tomorrow.”

“Ugh! Don’t remind me!”

“Stop yelling!” Tony laughed again.

They ate a quick dinner before retiring to their respective bedrooms, Peter obviously doing so before everyone else as he almost fell asleep into his plate twice. Tony ushered him to bed and came in just as he was crawling into it. Peter notes that the man never usually came into his room to say goodnight to him and it gave him that fuzzy feeling in his chest again.

“All tired out?” Tony asked casually from the doorway.

“Mhm. Thank you for an amazing weekend, Mr.Stark.” He yawned as he laid down.

Tony sighed lightly and sat down on the edge of Peter’s bed. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. You did good for your first time Kid. But you know you don’t have to call me Mr. Stark anymore. We’ve talked about this.”

“Force of habit, m’not used to saying your first name ‘specially round everyone else. Don wanna slip up at school.” Peter’s speech began to slur and his eyes closed. Tony found that Peter was a lot more honest and open with him when he was half asleep, but he felt a some guilt in taking advantage of the boy’s sleepy state.

“Well I don’t wanna hear it anymore okay? Not from you.”

“Mmkay, sorry Tony.”

“Get some rest bub, I’ll take you to school in the morning yeah?”

“Mm yeah that’d be cool..” he trailed off before finishing the thought.

“Sleep tight, Underoos.” Tony whispered, once again affectionately brushing the boy’s hair away from his face and planting a kiss on his forehead before he could stop himself. This kid was turning him all mushy and he wasn’t sure if he liked it, but he couldn’t help it. Every time he saw him he felt the overwhelming urge to hug him and punch anyone who so dared as looked at him the wrong way. He quietly exited the room and turned the light off.

“Shit, wait.” He hissed under his breath and dashed down the hallway to his own room. He retrieved the worn out bear from his bag once again before slipping back into Peter’s room and tucking it under his arm. Peter sighed softly and snuggled it close. Tony had to leave the room to stop himself from audibly cooing.

This boy was gonna be the death of him.

Chapter Text

The next day Tony kept the promise he’d made to the sleepy teen. He made sure to clear his early morning schedule (much to his PA’s annoyance as he’d be the one having to deal with all the angry press and businessmen) in favour of spending more time with him. Of course the two spent hours together in the lab and such, but it was the little moments, like when they went to the movies together and sat down to go through Peter’s schoolwork, that he found he enjoyed even more. He loved finding out about Peter’s other interests and he loved even more that Peter had a lot of things in common with himself at that age. They both had a deep appreciation for history, geography and philosophy, and enjoyed finding out about other cultures. He thought that maybe he should take the boy along next time he had to make an overseas business trip. What impressed him most those was Peter’s creative talents, one he himself had never possessed. Of course he knew the teen had a brilliant mind, only another top tier innovator would be able to keep up with the likes of the Tony Stark, but his imagination was insane.

When he read over some of the work Peter had done for creative writing class he’d been amazed at the quality of his writing. The boy also talked like a typical teenager, so he was shocked to see how advanced his vocabulary really was; The piece Tony had read was set in some kind of medieval fantasy world that Peter had filled with a plethora of unique creature and scenery. Though it wasn’t his type of thing, Tony had found himself sucked into the world the boy had created. He felt guilty for not knowing about his child’s hidden talents sooner.

As he walked down the hallway towards the kitchen early that morning he saw Peter come out of his room looking disheveled.

“Mornin’ Pete.” He didn’t receive a response just a half lidded nod. Tony could tell by the boys movements that he’d had yet to relieve his bladder that morning, watching as Peter did a little jig when he started walking down the corridor. “What’s wrong with the toilet in your room, bud?”

Peter opened his eyes fully. “Oh yeah, we’re not on the ship!”

With that he scurried off back into his room leaving Tony there suppressing his laughter. The rest of the morning went by smoothly and soon Tony was in his car for the school run.

“You know I could have you enrolled in a school nearer by, it’s such a long way for you to travel everyday.”

“I like my school, though.” Peter frowned. “I don’t mind the journey either, I’ve got it down to a science.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah! Like, so, I get the same bus everyday, way earlier than I need to so I can make it down town with enough time to stop in at Delmar’s-

“You mean you haven’t been eating Steve’s lovingly homemade nutritious lunches?!” Tony said in mock horror.

“If you tell him I swear to god.” Peter warned.

“He’ll be heartbroken.”

“Well Ned loves them, besides the sandwiches aren’t for me I was getting to that part. I’d usually grab one to give to Ned’s mom on her way to work when I go and meet Ned.”

“You mean you go to the other side of town to meet him then all the back way up to school?”

“Yup, he never really liked walking into school alone it’s...easier for both of us to go in together.” Peter said quietly towards the end. ‘Easier to brace the name calling when there’s two of you.’

Tony chose not to push Peter on whatever it was he’d left unsaid, not wanting to spoil his good mood before school. “Wait so if Ned gets your lunch what do you eat?”

“Uh...well.” Peter chuckled nervously and gave his guardian a sheepish smile. “I haven’t been eating lunch for for past few weeks, just while I’ve been studying for tests and stuff cause we can’t eat in the library-”

“You know that doesn’t check out right? I know you spend your breaks with Ned and how could he eat two lunches in the library if you can’t eat in there?” Tony said in a nonensence tone.

“Okay, okay.” He hadn’t expected Tony to poke holes in his story so quickly, although he should’ve known better. You could cut yourself on the sharpness of Tony’s wit. “Ned’s dad got laid off of work, so they’ve been struggling a little bit...I know how it feels to go hungry, so I wanted to help out and there’s no way in hell they’d accept any money or anything from me so-”

“What’s his name?” Tony cut Peter off. He felt himself well up inside at how kind and selfless his boy was being.

“Who Ned? Well his name’s Edward but after twilight came out he-”

“His dad, Petey. What’s his dads name?”

“Oh! Uh, Marvin Leeds. How come?” He watched as Tony pulled out his phone and started scrolling through it. “Mr. Star- Tony! You can’t use your phone while you’re driving!”

“Cruise control kiddo.” He muttered still tapping on the screen.

“Well, you’re being a fantastic role model. I hope you know that Auntie May would have an absolute field day if she sa-”

“Ted’s father is no longer unemployed.”

“His names N- wait what?!”

“Don’t worry, they won’t find out it came from me. He’s a contact builder so I got him a kushty little job at a firm I have shares in right here in Queens, so Ted won’t have to move schools either.” Tony shrugged nonchalantly; he understood peoples aversions to receiving handouts, even when they came from a friend. Humans were sensitive creatures with an awful sense of pride and he didn’t want Peter to have to deal with the repercussions from Ned’s families bruised ego. Also from what he’d seen of the boy he was very nice and both him and his family had treated Peter as one of their own for many years. What’s the point of being a man in his position if you can’t help your friends?

Peter just gawked at him for a moment, not even addressing the man’s refusal to say Ned’s name correctly. “You’re so awesome, Tony.”

“I thought I was a terrible role model?”

When Tony pulled up outside the school Peter sank down in his seat to avoid being stared at by the rest of the student body. It was well known that he had an internship at Stark Industries at this point, but everyone had doubted he ever even got to see the man in person, which Peter was fine with. He wasn’t one for being the centre of attention, even when the audience was positive so the idea of a bunch of students gawking at him in the car with Tony Stark himself made him want to crawl out of his skin.

“Embarrassed to be seen with me?” Tony smirked.

“Trust me, round here it should be you who’s embarrassed to be seen with me.” Peter retorted, grabbing his bag and jumping out when he saw the coast was clear. He spotted Ned waving at him from the otherside of the schoolyard. “I gotta go, I’ll see you tonight!”

Something about the way Peter had said the first part of his statement made Tony feel uneasy but he smiled and called after him. “Have a good day, Kiddo.”

“You too, Mr- uh, Johnson, Sir!” Really kid? That’s the best name you could come up with?

Tony watched the two boys head into the school chattering excitedly, but he still couldn’t get that troubled feeling to go away. Surely Peter wasn’t having trouble at school, he loved it? He talked about it constantly and was always excited to head in. Tony managed to brush the feeling off, hoping that it wasn’t one of those fatherly instinct moments, he assumed it was just normal teenage self esteem issues. Peter was one of the fairly nerdy kids, but not a social outcast, he was in clubs and Tony knew he had a few good friends. No, he assured himself, his boy was fine.

The next few days flew by as everyone returned to their normal schedule, Tony running from meeting to meeting, Steve and Thor doing workshops around the states, Clint returning home to his wife and kids to make up for the weekend he’d missed, Bruce worked on Peter’s lab work and Nat...Did whatever Nat does? In any case it was Thursday before all the Avengers had assembled back under one roof. Tony had unfortunately not been able to take Peter to school for the rest of that week, he had too many engagements that he’s put off for too long as it was. Even Tony Stark could only get away with so much.

Peter understood and even though he enjoyed the quality time with Tony, he was a little relieved. He enjoyed his routine and the solic he found in the early hours of the morning and on his journey home. It was one of the only times he felt he could truly be alone and think to himself, it was often when he had his best ideas. Of course at the same time he still greatly appreciated how the man was trying to alter his schedule around him, it made him really happy to know that Tony wanted to spend time with him that badly.

Tony had listened to the advice Nat gave him that day on the ship, he was willing to give Peter more freedom so long as the boy remained close enough for him to protect him and support him when he needed it; So when Peter had asked to hang out at Ned’s house after school he had let him, so long as Peter called him or Happy when he needed picking up. It got to around seven o’clock that evening before Tony started getting antsy. He still hadn’t got around to setting up clear rules for Peter and he wasn’t sure what time was appropriate to want a fifteen year old home. He was safe with his friends family he was sure of that, but the fact that Peter hadn’t called or texted at all since around three P.M. was bringing back that discomfort in his gut. He didn’t want to interrupt the kids evening if they were having fun, but he decided he had to check in before he exploded.

The call rang three times before Peter picked up, each one making Tony’s anxiety build. “Hey, Mr. Stark! Sorry it’s so late I lost track of time I was just about to- what? Oh, Ned says hi.”

“Hi Ned.” Tony said happily, all of the anxiety he’d brought upon himself melting away as soon as he heard Peter’s voice. “What you guys up to?”

“We were just playing some old games Ned found on this console that’s like older than me called an Atari.”

“You never fail to make me feel old, Bub.”

“Sorry.” He laughed. “And I’m sorry I lost track of time, I’m so used to living around the corner from here, did you want me to come home?”
“No you’re good, just remember to check in next time. I’ll come and get you around ten, that sound okay?”

“Ten?! I mean yeah cool that’s cool.”

‘Ah, so clearly ten was too late.’

“Or nine.” He corrected. “You’ve got school in the morning and I don’t want to force you on Ted’s parents for too long.”

“It’s Ned Tony!” He heard the boy mentioned gasp at Peter’s using his first name.

“Oh yeah, Ted. I’ll see you in a couple hours buddy.”

************************************

The next day passed just like the last, Peter asking again to go to Ned’s after school.

Underoos: Hey Tony! Is it okay if I head to Ned’s house again?

Tony: Sure. Just remember we’ve got plans to test out the new functions on your suit tomorrow. I don’t want you getting too tired.

Underoos: I know that’s why Ned’s mom said she’ll drop me back for 6 :)

Tony: Okay tell her I said thank you and you behave okay?

Underoos: I’m always good 0:) I’ll see you before dinner!

Tony: See you later kiddo, be safe.

It got to around four when Clint came down to Tony’s lab, something the latter man found highly unusual.

“Hey, Tony. You got a minute?”

“Sure. Everything alright?” Tony put down whatever piece of tech he was working on to give the man his full attention, something equally as unusual.

“Yeah, I just gotta ask you about somethin’. Or, well, tell you I guess. It might be a bit of a sensitive topic though.”

“Barton if you’ve contracted some kind of venereal disease I really think you ought to see Bruce.”

“It’s about your kid, Tony.”

Tony stopped joking and stared at Clint seriously. “What about my kid?”

Clint sighed and sat on a table opposite Tony’s current working space. “On our last day on the ship I found something, now I don’t know if you know about it already or if it’s my place but-”

“Cut the crap, get to the point.”

The archer sighed again, he knew Tony was going to be difficult about this and he was dreading it. “I found a couple pairs of his underwear hidden under the sink in the bathroom. They were wet so I think he’d washed them out intending on come back for them later.”

“Did you ask him about it?”

“No I thought it best to have you deal with it-”

“So you waited a fucking week? Really Barton, are you that stupid? Something could be seriously wrong with him- You know he got hurt right? You were there, maybe he was hurt worse than we thought did you ever consider that?”

“If I had spoken to him he would’ve clamped down on me you know that and I wasn’t sure what I was even asking him about anyway. How was I supposed to know you weren’t already clued in-”

“You should’ve just asked me Clint, I’m one text away there’s no excuse for that. I’m not saying you should’ve ran through the ship waving them round like some fucking beads at Mardi Gras but you could’ve just asked-”

“Okay, I understand where you’re coming from.”

“Do you? Cause if it was one of your kids you can be damn sure I wouldn’t wait almost a week before telling their dad about a possible medical issue-”

“Who said anything about a medical issue?”

“I just fucking did.” Tony stood up suddenly and stormed to the elevator, Clint firmly at his heels.

“Tony I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about- really!” Clint called after the man that had already started heading towards Bruce’s lab.

“Nothing to worry about? Really, Barton, give me your expert medical opinion on the matter. Unless you’ve got a doctorate hiding somewhere out a sock in it. You should’ve told me as soon as you found them-“

“I know, I know. But look, I’ve been through it with both of my boys too it’s not as uncommon as you think-“

“Clint your boys are three and seven. Do you really think that their issues apply here? Peter is fifteen. This shouldn’t be happening to him at this age.”

“Well whatever’s happening- we don’t even know exactly what it is yet, we’re both just jumping to conclusions. But either way whatever it is is not his fault.” Clint growled that last part mistaking Tony’s concern for criticism. Tony had always had obvious Daddy Issues and he wasn’t sure as to how far they were going to bleed into Peter’s life.

He stopped in his tracks and stood directly in front of the man, almost chest to chest. He looked at him with fury in his eyes. “Don’t you dare even suggest for one second that I am blaming my son, Barton.”

Both men were taken aback, by Tony’s sudden intense aggression but also the fact that the man had openly admitted to how he considered Peter to be his own child.

“I’m not.” Tony took a deep breath before continuing, desperately trying to move the conversation away from his sudden admission. “I’m not angry at you I’m sorry. God knows I’m not angry with Pete either I’m mad at myself for not catching on to it. Do you think this has been causing his mood swings?”

Clint thought that Tony was taking his speculation a bit too far. “T, it’s two pairs of underwear-“

“Yes, Barton, you just told me that.”

“It’s not as though he’s constantly wetting himself. Let’s at least let the kid have a chance to explain himself, who knows. Have you considered the fact that he’s a teenage boy and well-“

“Yes, thank you, I have. I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t have caused a big yellow stain on his mattress though would it?”

With that Clint shrugged, not exactly knowing anything about that part; he just assumed that there were other incidents he didn’t know about and that what he’d found was only the latest development in a series of events. The two parted and Tony knocked on the door to Bruce’s office.

“Come in.” Greeted the man’s soft friendly voice.

“Come on Bruce surely this is nowhere near normal for a kid his age.” Tony said, watching the man’s expression after he’d finished relaying the story to him. “I know he’s wet the bed at least once too, JARVIS caught him trying to break into the laundry room in the middle of the night but I decided to save him the embarrassment.”

“Well, everybody’s bodies develop at different rates and it’s not uncommon for pubescent boys to have the occasional accident..but no. Not really. Not if it’s without just cause”

“What would be just cause in your book?”

“Well if he’d been waiting a long time or was frightened or whatever. Bedwetting would be especially understandable, given his deep sleep patterns and his fast metabolism. His body probably produces too much urine whilst he’s asleep but his body doesn’t wake him up to go. Nocturnal enuresis is exceptionally common in teenage boys. It’s only an issue if it’s happening spontaneously, without him feeling any urge to go or if he experiences pain whilst passing urine”

“You think he could be incontinent?” Tony was scared at the possibility of that happening. He knew Peter would be absolutely mortified, maybe he was scared too and that’s why he didn’t mention anything to him. What if Peter still thought he was going to be angry or belittle him or send him away? The thought of that made his chest ache.

“I don’t know Tony, but I seriously doubt it. We just spent a whole weekend with him we would’ve noticed if he was losing control to that extent. You’re extrapolating. You know, anxiety can be a big factor, increases urination combined with a fear of people knowing you need to use the restroom could be behind it. It could be an issue if him not being able to fully void either causing him to leak in his underwear even if he makes it to the restroom on time. It's obvious Peter’s bladders on the small side but I can’t tell you anymore than you can tell me without examining him and asking him. So it’s best not to jump to conclusions, okay? This could still just be a couple isolated incidents.”

“I know there’s like endless other reasons I’m just.” He pauses to take a deep breath and get a handle on himself. “I just don’t want him to end up with long term issues. I wanna know if this is something I should be really worried about.”

“Okay, well, that’s what we’re gonna do alright? But if you go and ask him while you’re all over upset about it he’s gonna take it the wrong way and hold back information on us.”

“I know. I know.” He sighed. “This is just gonna be awkward and I’m not emotionally prepared for this.”

*************

“They aren’t mine.”

“Are you suggesting that one of us did this?” Tony said, trying to keep any kind of accusation out of his tone. He was trying as gently as possible to coax information out of the boy but Peter had completely shut down as soon as Tony and Bruce entered the room.

“Guess so cause they’re not mine.” Peter deadpanned but there was a fierce bite to his voice. His face was completely blank and his voice had no emotion to it. He wasn’t even looking at the men he was staring at the space between them.

“Look Pete please don’t get hostile with me we’re just trying to help. Tell me what happened.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Well we have to have this conversation whether you want to or not-“

“Says who?” He whipped his head round suddenly to snap at Tony, his eyes blazing. Tony would never admit it in a million years, but he felt a slightly intimidated at the look the boy gave him. He’d never seen Peter so furious- upset yes. Angry even? Yes. But Peter’s eyes were full of pure rage the likes he had only seen when Bruce was about to transform. He stood his ground though everything in him wanted to back down and forget the whole thing.

“Says me. And Dr. Banner. We’re worried about you.”

“Well don’t worry, cause I’m not a baby and I don’t need anything some doctor is gonna try and force on me, anyway.” With this he stood up from his sitting position on his bed. His accent New Yorker accent starting to come out.

Tony caught on to the last part of what Peter had said. “So this has happened before? And aunt May took you to see a doctor?”

“Tony I swear to god, shut up you literally have no idea what you’re talking about.” He growled.

“Did the doctor suggest you go on medication?” Bruce asked, both he and Tony had agreed that they would remain completely calm and neutral, despite whatever reaction they were getting out of him.

“Oh my fu- you’re both acting as if I constantly just piss myself or something! It happened a couple times because Thor was hogging the bathroom and you” he pointed at Tony staring him right in the eyes. “Forgot to take the lock off of the fucking door! It wasn’t my fault!”

“So you’re not having problems the rest of the time?”

“I just told you- now get out of my room!”

“Pete-“

“I’m serious I’m done talking about this, you’re not even listening me!”

“Peter, don’t interrupt me.”

“Why not?! You’re the ones who bust in here and started asking me questions like you knew what the hell you were talking about when you don’t. Yeah, I had a couple accidents, that weren’t my fault. Tony you know how anxious I get- I thought you understood why I can’t always..” his eyes started filling with tears at this point.

“Petey, I do understand when you can’t speak up and you’re right it’s not your fault. I didn’t know that’s what had happened-“

“No you didn’t know, you just assumed! And don’t even go there saying you understand because you don’t understand shit!” He cried and sat back down on his bed. He wished he’d asked to sleepover at Ned’s. “Just go away. I'm not going incontinent so you don't have to worry about me burdening you with that too- I know I'm too much to handle anyways, so just don't bother yourselves next time.”

“Pete-“

“Go away!”

“Peter don’t-“

“I mean it get the fuck out of my room!” At that moment Peter was startled by the harshness of his own voice and immediately regretted what he said, expecting Tony to leave or start screaming back at him.

Instead Tony crouched down in front of him and spoke in a calm low voice, one so authoritative that Peter had no choice but to listen to him. “I won’t tolerate you speaking to me like that, do you understand? I know you’re upset and your fight or flight is kicking in, but now is your chance to calm yourself down and prove that you can have an adult conversation with me. Okay?”

“Please, just go away.”

“Fine. But you know I’m gonna have to talk to May about this instead.”

Peter wanted to scream at him not to but the continued to stare angrily at the floor.

“So you’re okay with me to go ahead and do that? Okay.” He knew it was a low blow but he didn’t know what else to say to get the boy to give in and start talking. He didn’t want to walk away and have to have this fight all over again to get back to square one.

"Stop, Tony please! Okay..okay. It was only at night. And only until I was like, I don’t know 11, when it started to taper off..mostly.

Tony made sure not to show any reaction on his face so the boy didn’t feel the need to stop talking to protect himself.

“I’ve always just had a small bladder, I guess. You know that already. It’s nothing else I swear. I just can’t always hold it long enough especially when I get to scared to say anything cause I know people get mad cause I-I have to go a lot. Auntie May took me to the doctor when I was little about it cause of the bedwetting and I kept getting bladder infections at school and stuff where I wouldn’t ask the teacher to go, but then Ned came to my school and I was asked to be his buddy and he helped me break the habit. Most of the time at least. You-you we’re making it sound like it happens all the time and I know it happens t-too much for someone my age but it’s not, it’s not like that. I-I just..” once again he trailed off, now blinking away tears.

Tony saw that as a sign to finally break away from his neutral approach and he sat down to comfort the boy. He wrapped his arm around him. “Underoos, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, you’re right I shouldn’t have assumed it was something bigger going on. I was just worried that you were trying to hide it because it was an ongoing thing-“

“Exactly, y-you always go overboard and think you know everything.” Peter sniffed wetly, he was still angry at Tony clearly but he didn’t reject the comfort he was giving him. “You’re like a hypochondriac when it comes to me or something, why couldn’t you have just asked me instead of turning this into some kind of intervention? You always tell me I gotta- I gotta speak up and stuff but you don’t even do it!”

“You’re right. Everyone tried to tell me I was overthinking it-“

Peter jerked away from him and stared up at him wide eyed. “What do you mean everyone?”

“I mean Bruce, buddy. And Clint. He’s the one who found them. He even suggested that it was just a part of you becoming a man nothing to do with-”

Peter groaned and covered his face again wishing someone would just shoot him now. “Oh m god, please stop talking or I'm gonna throw myself out of the goddamn window. I’m never leaving my room again. I shouldn’t have gone on the mission-“

“Stop. Uh uh, you’re slipping again.” Tony grabbed his wrists and gently pried them from his face. “He didn’t wanna make a big thing out of it either he told me in complete confidence, I promise. He’s not one to gossip and he thought it was just a couple isolated incidents, like you said.”

“Ugh.” Peter wiped his nose on his sleeve. “Why does everything have to be so goddamn dramatic around here? Can’t people just stay out of my business?”

“Nope, cause you can’t be trusted.” Tony tried to lighten the mood but clearly Peter wasn’t up for that.

“Clearly.” He muttered miserably. “It would be great if y’all could just ignore me once in a while.”

“I feel like I do that too much as it is, Peter. That’s why we’re in this situation in the first place, I want you to feel comfortable enough to come and tell me when something like this happens.”

“What So you can run and tell Bruce that I need an emergency examination cause I just can’t stop pissing everywhere? Or so you can go and tell Auntie May what a baby I am? I can handle it on my own I don’t need someone to wipe my ass for me Tony, I’m fifteen for christ’s sake.” Peter snapped again, now he was starting to feel hot fresh rage rising up in his chest.

“No. I’m sorry. I wasn’t suggesting any of that Peter, I was just scared okay? I thought something was wrong, because you never tell me when it is.” Upon hearing his mentor admit to being scared, something he’d never heard before, startled Peter into calming down somewhat. Enough to listen to the man’s point of view.

“I know...I’ve been trying to get better at it, I really have…” He hung his head looking disappointed, had the man really not noticed his efforts?

“Pete, the progress you’ve made over these past few months have been amazing. Don’t doubt for a second that I can’t see how hard you’ve been trying, we just gotta get on the same page. I know I need to be be better at communicating too, but this is all new for me. It’s my first time at this whole parenting schtick and I’m so paranoid about doing the wrong thing. That’s why I go to Bruce or Clint or- well anyone really, I just want to do what’s best for you because I love you. That’s all and I want you to be happy here. I don’t want you to feel like you have to hide stuff from me anymore.”

“I love you too, Tony.” Peter said quietly. He finally understood where the man was coming from, he hadn’t realised how much Tony agonised about doing the wrong thing. It was the same fear he lived with. It put his mind at ease too, to find out why the man so often ‘gossiped’ about him. “I guess we are on the same page then.”

“Good. In that case come here.” Tony held his little finger up.

“Ugh, really? This again?” Peter groaned but managed a smile.

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

“If I say yes does that mean I won’t have to pinky swear?”

“Boy, sit down and gimme your finger.” Another groan. “Bruce here can be an eye witness too.”

The man had taken such a back stance during that argument that Peter had almost forgot he was in the room too. “I don’t take part in legal disputes Tony, we’ve discussed this.”

Bruce’s comment managed to make Peter crack a smile again and grasp Tony’s hand with his.

“Now we gotta promise each other to tell each other things, no more secrets or running to other people first. If something’s wrong we talk and we’ll make the decision together whether or not we involve anybody else, it out got it?”

“Got it.”

“Pinky swear?”

“Pinky swear.” Peter giggled.

“Sir, I told you that this contract is legally binding, I don’t believe this is a laughing matter.”

“You’re such a dork Tony.”

“I know you are but what am I?”

“Okay, enough, can you two please get out of my room now?” Peter said but he was still laughing.

“Fine.” Tony droned out dramatically. “Gosh, you’re so uncool, Tony. I wish I we could be more like Batman and Robin at least their cool- gosh! You’re always like- caring about me and stuff- like ugh, whatever-“

“Get out!”

Chapter Text

“You gotta get a handle on this, Petey.” Tony said softly, he didn’t want to make the boy feel any worse about the situation he was just thankful peter had avoided disgracing himself in front of the entire class, because he was convinced the boy would never go to school again if that had been the case.

“I know.” Peter snapped. He stared out of the window. The last thing he wanted was a lecture he just wanted to go home, lock himself in his room and forget the shame for a while.

“You gotta start speaking up sooner bud-”

“That’s easy for you to say you’re not the one dealing with all this social anxiety stuff are you?!” He raised his voice a little, whipping his head round to look at the man in the driver’s seat. He felt angry tears burn in his eyes, did the man really think that he wasn’t trying? It had been hard enough to make up an excuse at the very last minute.

“Hey, hey. Don’t talk to me like that alright? Not the enemy here.” Tony said sternly. He gripped the steering wheel a little tighter trying not to let his emotions get the best of him; whenever Peter yelled at him his initial reaction was to get aggressive back, the Howard Stark coming out in him. He hated that side of himself and he knew that nothing good would ever come by fighting fire with fire. Besides, he knew Peter wasn’t truly angry with him, he was mad at himself. He just lashed out at those closest to him because that’s what teenagers do and he definitely didn’t want to hurt Peter anymore after the day he’d just had.

Peter wiped his eyes furiously with his sleeve refusing to let any tears fall. He’d embarrassed himself enough for one day he didn’t want to add crying again to his list. “M’sorry…”

“It’s okay. Now can you tell me what happened?”

*****************

Peter sat at the back of the class in his fifth period. English language. Their teacher, Mr. Brunswick was notorious around school for being a very strict, no nonsense, kind of man. He was the kind of teacher other teachers would threaten misbehaving kids with.

“Anymore back chat and I’ll have you go and sit in with Mr. Brunswick’s class!” He recalled his math teacher screaming one time.

From Peter’s experience though, the man was actually very nice. He was pretty easy going so long as his class behaved well and he often organised trips and allow them to do interesting group activities. He had a strict no bathroom rule; well not quite. He wasn’t an unreasonable man, there had been several occasions where he’d made exceptions for students who were obviously desperate. Often if they had finished all of their work and generally behaved well he would allow particular students to go, if they asked at the right time. The man had taken a shine to him in Peter’s freshman year, when he’d entered the school short story competition to get a five hundred dollar voucher to use on any part of the school they wanted. Much to his surprise, Peter had won. And much to those close to him surprise- he didn’t use the money to fund the science department. He chose instead to donate the money to refurbishing the school’s library. He received quite a few bruises from that decision, a group of older boy’s who had tried to pressure him into funding new uniforms for the basketball team weren’t too happy about him not taking their expert advice.

Since then, Mr. Brunswick had always been especially kind to Peter. Not to the point where he would show any signs of favouritism or bias, but his school reports were always glowing, even compared to Ned who had achieved the same English grade as him still had a long list of improvements to work on whilst Peter had only gotten one: “believe in yourself Peter, you are far more capable than you give yourself credit for.”

The day had been a long one for the boy. Since having that long winded discussion about admitting his needs and the new house rules had been put into effect, things were feeling pretty tense at home. Not unbearably so, but the the point where Peter was preferring to spend his free time alone in his room rather than shadow Tony in his lab, which for him was alarmingly out of character. Plus, just to make matters worse, they had mock ups for finals that week, every single day and since Peter was doing several more electives than the other students, he’d been double booked for almost every test. To avoid him possibly cheating or giving answers to the other students, the teen had been placed in isolation having to be walked to and from each test hall accompanied by an adult. He’d even had to use the teachers private bathrooms to avoid contact with other students. This didn’t stop him from hearing flashes comments about:

“Stark’s golden boy getting special attention yet again,” “I bet they wipe his ass for him too since he’s too important to do it himself.” Not that those comments particularly got to him anymore, he just didn’t like to hear his father’s name in that smug little shit’s mouth. There he goes again calling Tony his dad, perhaps he should just embrace it.

Mr. Brunswick’s class was the only one Peter had gotten to spend with the other students as his entire year would be taking the exam at the exact same time. He had never been so relieved to see Ned’s smiling face at the back of that classroom.

Since they had an upcoming test, Brunswick had them all use the period for study, Peter himself electing to greater familiarise himself with a book of poetry containing every possible poem that was included on the states curriculum. He knew that they would pick from that list of fifty poems, so he wanted to at least have seen the text before entering the exam hall. He liked to be prepared. It was a welcome change from the stuffy halls filled with sweaty teenagers and the tiny back office he was placed in the rest of the time. They only thing wrong was that Brunswick’s study periods were a no talking zone, so he couldn’t even catch up with Ned about that days antics. The settled for exchanging a smile with the boy, even being able to sneak the odd whisper in here and there, and that was good enough for Peter.

They had only been in the class for about twenty five minutes when Peter felt the familiar gnawing sensation in his lower abdomen. He glanced at the clock. Surely he’d be okay for another hour? No, maybe that was a little excessive. He’d never been one to ask Mr. Brunswick for permission to use the restroom, other than that time he got a massive nosebleed in the middle of the man’s dramatic reading of Macbeth. It had scared the rest of his classmates shitless and Ned applauded him on his noses comedic timing. He was always careful to visit the restroom beforehand, to avoid the situation all together. The man liked him though right? He’d let him go to the bathroom wouldn’t he?

He started to doubt himself when he saw the man outright refuse another boy permission to leave class. One cool thing about class though, was that he allowed the children to listen to music whilst they studied, so long as they continued to sit silently. If he caught anyone abusing that luxury he was quick to take it away from everyone. Even during test week, he and fellow teachers had no worried about the students possibly cheating as the school’s WiFi only allowed them to access certain websites; even if you were only to use your personal data, you still wouldn’t be able to go on Instagram or even YouTube whilst on the school premises. What Peter could do though was send emails. He’d been granted special access due to the fact that he often had to have work sent home to him when Tony needed a special hand in the lab. Luckily for him Tony had convinced the school to give Ned that special access too as Peter would often communicate to teachers through him.

He knew it was risky but he was starting to panic a little. His bladder had already filled up considerably on the last ten minutes, no doubt due to his stress but he also remembered he’d gone longer without a bathroom break than he would on a usual school day- his schedule being off kilter because of the teacher strict anti cheating policies.

P3t3rP: Hey Ned

TheNedatron2000: Hey Peter!

He smiled at his friends never ending enthusiasm. He always made Peter feel like the coolest person on earth even when everyone around him was hellbent of putting him down, Ned always acted like he was so lucky to have Peter as a friend. Man Ned was the best and he made a mental note to send him a sappy text later, but right now he needed a distraction from his need to pee.

P3t3rP: Watchu working on?

TheNedatron2000: Trying to analyse the Maya Angelou poem in chapter 4, wbu?

P3t3rP: Going over the state curriculums anthology

TheNedatron2000: again? Dude you know that this is a practice test and our real one isn’t until the end of the year right XD

P3t3rP: I know lol I just like being prepared

TheNedatateon2000: your always prepared for everything that’s why I love you

P3t3rP: *you’re

Peter received a real life look for that one.

TheNedatron2000: really bro? You finna be that guy?

P3t3rP: XD

Peter shifted in his seat trying to find a comfortable position, every time he found one his bladder made protest again and he was forced to readjust. He felt a familiar bubble of panic start to rise in his chest again but he swallowed it down. He was trying to convince himself that he would ask at exactly the halfway point through the period, that way the man couldn’t use the old excuses of “class only just begun” or “it’s almost the end of the lesson, you can wait.” He felt that would be the most appropriate time and when the man was liable to be the most reasonable. He just had to build up the courage to do so first, each minuet that passed nearing closer to his deadline made the panic grow more.

TheNedanator2000: you ok?

He turned to see Ned looking at him in concern. He gave him a sheepish smile before replying.

P3t3rP: yh im good

TheNedanator2000: you don’t look good

It was then Peter made the gesture of being struck in the heart with a mock expression of horror on his face. ‘Rude’ he mouthed.

TheNedanator2000: u no what I mean

P3t3rP: phone down Mr. B’s coming.

Both boys promptly slipped their phones back into their pockets. The man was indeed making his way around the desks lining the room, peering over the shoulder of each student to check on their progress. He stopped a couple time to answer questions or offer his words of wisdom, but every step closer the man took Peter felt himself get more and more anxious. He knew now would be his best opportunity to ask to use the restroom but he still had five minutes before the halfway mark. Now that he’d fixated on that number the idea of asking before it was enough to make his nervousness spike tenfold, which was not helping his need for the restroom in the slightest. He crossed his legs by the ankles and leant forward on his desk, raising his butt slightly off of his chair. For some reason the temporary suspension helped as the wave surpassed.

Ned could feel Ned’s eyes boring into him, trying to make Peter turn around and look at him. He refused to. He didn’t want to see that knowing look that made him feel like a small child getting caught doing something they shouldn’t, he got enough of that at home. His teacher turned around and made eye contact with Peter, the man starting towards his desk. Peter jolted, slamming himself back into his seat, the sudden movement making the tiniest bit of urine seep out. He whimpered, earning a look from his teacher but also from several of the other pupils surrounding his desk. He quickly tried to cover it with a cough, though it was only somewhat convincing.

Mr. Brunswick gave Peter a small smile, looking at thick stack of notes the boy had accumulated. “Feeling good about the test, Peter?”

He nodded but the man mistook his growing desperation for nervousness. “Hey, you’ve got this. Look at all this preparation you’ve done, I bet you know your way round that anthology better than anyone in this room, including myself. Remember what I wrote in your report last year?”

Again the boy nodded, a blush having risen to his cheeks from all the praise. He glanced up for a second only to see Flash making a face like a bulldog chewing a wasp.

“Good, keep it in mind. And keep up the good work.” He patted Peter’s desk as he turned back around to look over another students progress. Peter barely had time to gather his bearings when he felt his phone vibrate against his leg.

TheNedanator2000: P just walk out I’ll tell him you’re sick or something

The offer was tempting but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. The idea of walking out in front of the entire class with the chance of one of his favourite teachers stopping him anyway was less than appealing. What if he yelled at him to go sit back down, or blocked his exit? Then everyone in the class would laugh at him and he’s still need to go just as bad as when he started. Even worse images creeped into his head of him wetting himself in front of everybody while the man ridiculed him. His chest started heaving and he felt like he really was going to be sick.

TheNedanator2000: Please Pete I’ll go ask him for you just let me do something

When Peter still didn’t move Ned scooted his chair back, intent on asking the teacher for him, causing an ear piercing squeal to echo around the room. Everyone groaned at the sound including Peter, though he was groaning for other reasons. He bent forward almost double in his seat clutching his lower abdomen, he wanted to hold lower but there was no way he’d even consider doing such a thing in this close proximity to his peers.

The squeak had turned Mr. Brunswick’s attention back in the boy’s direction and his eyes instantly landed on Peter.

“Mr. Parker? Are you alright?”

Ned opened his mouth to speak for him but Peter beat him to it. “No sir, I think I’m gonna throw up can I p-please go to the restroom.”

Without a moment's hesitation the man replied. “Yes, yes of course.”

He then paused for a moment before turning to Ned. “Edward, can I trust you to go with him?”

“Yes sir, of course sir, I’ll grab your stuff Pete.” His best friend scrambled to his feet attempting to grab both his own and Peter’s stuff all at once. But Peter didn’t stick around to help, as soon as he got permission he was making a beeline for the door. With the help of their teacher to pick up both of their things, Ned ran keeping close behind him, weaving in between the other students desks.

But of course, even with relief in sight another obstacle had to arise, in the form of none other than Eugene Thompson. Flash stuck his foot out just as the boy came running by him tripping him over despite his reflexes. He had to use all of his energy to keep his bladder in check he couldn’t afford to waste it keeping himself upright. He didn’t even look back at his bully, he just scrambled up and continued to bolt for the door. He could feel everyone in the rooms eyes on him, but he didn’t have time to concern himself with that, not when he was thirty seconds away from watering the floor.

Ned on the other hand dropped everything he was holding, sending books and papers scattering across the floor. He lunged at the other boy, shoving him with both hands hard, forcing him off of his chair. “Asshole!”

“Mr. Leeds that is quite enough! Get out of my sight right now and go and tend to Mr. Parker!” It had been a while since he’d heard Mr. Brunswick yell and it had never been directed towards him. The red hot anger he had felt in that moment was quickly replaced with downright fear. He rushed out several apologies (none towards Flash of course, who was trying desperately to hide that Ned had split his pants when he pushed him) and raced after Peter, who by now was long gone. Damn that boy could move fast even with a bursting bladder.

As soon as Flash made him fall, Peter felt his bladders resolve unwinding. Each step he took sent another gush of urine into his boxers and this time he could feel it dripping down his inner thigh. ‘No please, I’m almost there!’

Fortunately for him the bathroom wasn’t far from where his classroom was located, but unfortunately by the time Peter had shut himself securely in the stall he no longer needed to use it. He tried in vain to rip his clothes off and at least finish in the toilet, but it wasn’t worth it. The damage was done. He crouched slightly as his body gave in, feeling rivlets of urine running down the back of his legs, a few dripping onto the floor. His jeans soaked up most of it, so there wasn’t exactly a puddle he would have to worry about a poor janitor cleaning up later, well no different than they had to usually in the boy’s bathroom.

Peter went numb. Rather than the panic attack he was expecting he was met with a cold, emptiness in his chest that came with the realisation that he’d have to text happy. Usually he would have asked Ned to grab his gym clothes from his locker, and he would’ve just gone to the school nurse and lied about having thrown up himself, as he’d done several times before. However, Peter had taken his gym stuff home earlier that week to be washed. He sat down on the toilet he didn’t use and held his head in his hands.

Ned came bursting through the door. “P?! You alright?!”

“Yeah.” He replied quietly. Clearly he was not alright.

“Dude, did you actually throw up? I thought you just had to piss but you went pale as fuck! Oh and dude I wiped Flash out for tripping you and he ripped his fucking pants!”

“Ned…”

“And Mr. Brunswick screamed at me- I thought I was gonna piss my pants too and-“

“Ned..” He said a little louder, his voice breaking.

His friend stopped jabbering abruptly as he could hear the shift in Peter’s usually voice and he felt a stab of guilt for his last statement. “You didn’t make it did you?”

Peter just sniffled.

“It’s okay dude, no one saw you right?”

“I don’t think so,” Peter said miserably. “I’m gonna have to text Happy.”

“Oh shit, that’s no fun, uh...I mean I would offer you my gym clothes but they’d drown you.” Ned chuckled. He knew what agent Hogan’s temperament was like, though he’d only met him twice. He didn’t seem like the kind of guy you’d want to admit peeing your pants to, so his heart went out to Peter. Trying to find a way out of the situation he suggested “I could go to lost and found for you? They might have something down there.”

“I doubt anyone lost a pair of underwear, Ned.” Peter managed a shaky laugh. “Even if they did I’m not sure I’d want them.”

Ned laughed too. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. What do you need me to do, P?”

“I’ll-I’ll text Happy. See what he wants to do, he might want you to run out and grab my stuff for me I’m not sure if he’ll be allowed in the building..”

“Uh. Okay that’s fine- I’ll have to go back to class and tell someone where we went though, do you know how long it’ll take him to get here?”

“He’s outside.” Peter wasn’t stupid. He knew that Tony often sent Happy to babysit him (mostly to make sure that Peter didn’t sneak out to go on his own little unauthorised crime fighting spree again) but for once he was grateful. At least he wouldn’t have to have someone ring home, god forbid Tony got a call come through from the school nurse and it be for this.

“Oh, okay. Let me run back and get your stuff okay? I’ll tell Mr. B you’re in here up-chuckin’” Ned said in his usual cheery tone before quietly exiting the bathroom.

Taking a deep breath Peter took his phone of out his pocket with shaky hands and texted his mentors bodyguard.

Peter: Mr. Hogan, are you free?

His reply was instant. The man wasn’t used to Peter texting him so there was a slight panic that went through him, his training telling him to ready himself for some kind of emergency.

Happy: Of course, what do you need Kid?

Peter: Could you bring me the spare clothes I know Tony has you keep in the trunk?

Before he answered he took a second to ponder how the boy knew what he had in his car. He just hoped if the boy had been snooping that he hadn’t swiped the old prototype of his spider suit he kept in there for emergencies.

Happy: Can do. What’s wrong?

Peter: Thank you.

Happy: Don’t ignore me kid, what happened?

Peter didn’t answer. Happy sighed, this kid was as stubborn as a mule sometimes and he didn’t remember signing up to deal with a teenage version of Tony. He got out of his car and grabbed the bag of clothes from the trunk, when he spotted Peter’s friend outside the school anxiously looking around. Ned’s eyes fell on him and he waved excitedly, Happy offering a small hand gesture of acknowledgement in return. He met the boy halfway, holding the bag out of his reach when Ned instinctively went to grab it.

“Uh uh, where’s Peter?”

“Uhh, well, he said I should just come and grab the bag for him Mr. Hogan you see-“

“I’ll deliver it to him myself thanks. Just show me where he is.” He deadpanned letting Ned know instantly that he wasn’t going to back down. Ned cringed knowing he wasn’t going to be able to spare his friend from anyone else finding out about his accident. He’d grown very protective over the years towards him, almost acting as a big brother at times.

“Are you- are you even allowed in the school? Would it not be easier for you to just-“

“I can get in anywhere. It won’t be a problem.” The man gestured for Ned to lead the way which reluctantly he did.

Getting past school security was a piece of cake, Happy just flashing his Stark ID and S.H.E.I.L.D badge. Ned ‘woah’ed when he saw it, giving Happy a little stab of satisfaction. Ned lead Happy to the bathroom that Peter was huddled inside of, still trying his best to deter him and coerce him into giving the bag to him instead.

“I don’t think you should go into the student bathroom sir, I can give them to him.” Ned made one last attempt to help Peter avoid and embarrassing situation but once again he was met with complete resistance.

“Kid, get outta my way. If you wanna make yourself useful go and get his stuff.”

Ned sighed and turned away to do just that, remembering he’d left most of it in the classroom after he body slammed Flash, hoping that Happy would at least be sympathetic to his friend.

Happy pushed open the restroom door with a loud squeak alerting Peter that someone had come in. He hoped it wasn’t another student, or even worse, Happy.

“Peter?”

‘Ah, fuck.’

“Yeah.” He called alerting the man to his presence.

“What’s wrong?” He wasn’t too fond of the fact that he was yet again meeting Peter inside a schools bathroom and he locked the main entrance to it to avoid having run ins either anymore students. He didn’t really feel like yelling at another kid to find somewhere else to piss.

“I need a change of clothes.”

“Well, duh. That’s why I’m here. But why, what happened?” He didn’t really want to know the answer and he would’ve much preferred a ‘no questions asked’ kind of handover. But he’d have to answer to his boss when he brought Peter home early anyway so it would be easier on all of them if he could just get it out of the kid now.

“Nothing.”

“What, just felt like an outfit change?” The boy’s lack of response and flat tone started to worry him a little. He’d assumed the kid had just wet himself but the coldness in Peter’s voice made him start to wonder if maybe he was sick or hurt.

“Can I just have my clothes please?”

“Open the door kid.”

“No.”

“Yes. Now.” Happy raised his voice a little.

“No, Happy! Just give me my damn clothes!”

Happy didn’t dignify the boy’s outburst with a response he just pulled the door open, easily picking the simple lock with the side of his car key. He pushed open the door which Peter immediately kicked back at him, but not before the man saw his tear stained face and wet pants. His tone softened slightly, but he sighed in relief. At least he wouldn’t have to tell his boss that harm had come to the boy whilst he was under his watch.

“Ah, kid. What happened?” This time he passed the bag of clothes through the door as he spoke.

“Can we not have this conversation? It’s not like you actually give a shit anyway so just save us both the awkwardness, okay?” Peter snapped again, surprising Happy with just how much the boy sounded like his father figure.

“Alright, fair enough. When your friend gets back with your stuff I’ll drive you home. I already signed you out at the front desk.”

Peter sighed, feeling a bit guilty for being so rude to the man but he was not in the mood. “Okay, thank you, sir.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Peter paused apprehensively before biting the bullet. “Speaking of not mentioning things...you’re gonna tell Tony aren’t you?”

“Yup.” He said simply and Peter felt his heart sink.

“Awesome.” He sighed sarcastically. He couldn’t wait for this day to be over. Happy didn’t bother apologising knowing it wouldn’t bring the boy any solace, since they both knew it had to be done. He could tell the boy didn’t want words of comfort, which was good for him because he was the last person in the world anyone should come to for that. He was relieved when the boy came out and followed him wordlessly, having no interest in conversation.

“Hey, P. Don’t worry about it okay? Here’s your stuff.” Ned handed it to him with a hug. While doing so he whispered in his friends ear, “I’m sorry I tried to get him to stay in the car, but he like, really didn’t get the hint.”

“It’s okay.” Peter whispered back, feeling something for the first time since his accident when Ned wrapped his arms around him. He’s always sworn that his friend’s hugs were magic.

“You guys are bad at whispering,” Happy chimed in, in a mock whisper. “Now let’s go.”

“See you tomorrow!” Ned called and Peter gave him a wave.

The boy was silent for most of the drive home and much to Happy’s dismay, the journey didn’t feel right without the boy’s chatter filling the car. As much as he told himself he hated it, he couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable in the silence.

“So, Tony said it was test week, huh?” He asked awkwardly, trying to make conversation on his own accord for the first time.

“Yeah.”

“How’s it goin’?” He took a moment to marvel at the kids talent for making easy conversation a skill he’d never managed to possess himself.

“Fine, I guess.” The boy shrugged.

‘Well, guess it’s gonna be a quiet drive then’ Happy accepted internally.

As soon as they pulled into Happy’s spot in the parking garage and halted to a stop, Peter was out of the car.

“Thanks for your help, Mr. Hogan.” He said not even looking at the man. He gathered his things, including the bag of spoiled clothes and immediately headed upstairs. Happy didn’t even bother to call after him. He just left a message with his boss saying to call him as soon as possible.

Peter ran straight to his room managing to avoid any of his housemates by some miracle. He asked Jarvis to set his room sign to ‘Do not disturb’ knowing most of the adults would respect that, before hopping into the shower to wash away a multitude of sins. He toweled off quickly, feeling tears starting to well in his eyes as the days events started to hit him. Changing into more comfortable clothes and crawling into bed, he let finally himself cry.

Tony checked his phone after the conference call he was on ended to see a message from Happy. He felt that now familiar sense of panic knowing it must be about his child. He knew it couldn’t have been an emergency situation. He’d instructed JARVIS to allow any calls from the man to come through at any time, no matter what he was doing; the same way he had told Happy to call him if anything was ever seriously wrong with Peter, so the fact that the man had neglected to ring him out his at ease a bit. Not by much but a bit.

He hit the call button, Happy answering before the first ring.

“Boss.”

“Talk to me.”

“He had me bring him home, he should be up at the tower by now.”

“What? Why, what happened?” Was he sick? Was he hurt- maybe not badly because Happy would’ve called but if it was enough for Peter, with his near perfect attendance, to want to leave school halfway through the day it was still very concerning.

“I didn’t get the details but,” he paused for a second, feeling awkward about what he had to say. “I had to bring him his spare clothes from my car, Sir. Which he somehow know about by the way.”

“Ah.” Tony said simply. Part of his anxiety was completely alleviated knowing that Peter was safe and unhurt, but the rest of him was now preparing for the mammoth task of addressing the issue with the teen. He had to right? After the talk he’d had with him when he and Bruce confronted him about the underwear situation where he and Peter agreed to talk about these kinds of things, he knew he was obligated to keep up his end of the bargain. Now that he understood Peter’s issues weren’t purely medical, but weren’t purely down to his own stubbornness either, he felt it was easier for him to talk to the kid about. Peter felt that the man could finally see his side of things and Tony was assured that it wasn’t something he was doing wrong. With the air cleared (about the wetting issue at least) Peter had managed to avoid any problems since then, so Tony was interested in finding out what had caused him to have an accident.

“Okay, thanks Happy. I’ll address him snooping around in your car too.” The other man merely grunted in response to that and Tony smiled before hanging up; Peter was trouble when he was given the opportunity his bodyguard should’ve known better than not to secure his car around him.

Tony knew Peter. By this point he knew it was better to sit back and let the kid work through his own emotions for a while before he went in and muddied the water. He did however at least want to check that Peter had gone to his own room and wasn’t sneaking into anything she shouldn’t be, now he was unsupervised. Forever an opportunist, just like his old man.

He made his way up to the common floor, where all their bedrooms and communal areas were located. Seeing the ‘Do not disturb’ sign on his door was zero deterrent to the man, though he did knock before opening the door having not waited for a response, so that was something. He opened the door to see Peter, well the suspiciously human shaped lump under the comforter he assumed was Peter, curled up on one corner of his bed. He sighed fondly and went over to tuck the boy in a little more. He smoothed his curls away from his forehead.

“What am I gonna do with you, bud.”

Peter slept for a few hours, making sure once he woke up that he didn’t leave his room until the usual time people expected him to be home. The last thing he needed was anyone asking more questions, he still had to face Tony, who he knew would’ve been filled in on the situation by now.

He strolled out into the living room at around five, usually arriving home at around four thirty. He was greeted warmly by Thor and Steve.

“Good evening young Peter!”

“Hey, sport. How was school, I didn’t see you come in?”

“Hey guys, it was good. I actually got to go into a normal class today.” He laughed nervously, trying to keep his face from letting anyone in on the fact that there was something he was hiding.

He hung out with them until dinner, which they ordered in(a rarity in their household) . Everyone else eventually joined them in the dining room, Tony of course coming in last. Peter avoided eye contact but after his talk with the man he knew he shouldn’t have.

Tony could see the conflicted look on his face even as he turned away from him, so being the adult in the situation he decided to nip it in the bud. He came up behind Peter and hugged him round his shoulders, kissing the top of his head. He then leant down and whispered to him.

“Don’t worry about it right now, we’ll go for a drive later yeah? Just you and me.”

He could feel Peter's shoulders drop, physically relaxing knowing the man wasn’t angry at him but he didn’t exactly look happy about it. They all ate in relative peace, other than Clint’s minor squabble with Steve over fortune cookies. Clint had been taking extra measures to make Peter feel comfortable around him again, to assure him that he didn’t view him any differently. After they’d finished their meal Tony stood and announced their departure.

“Me and Underoos are gonna head to the store, does anyone want anything?”

“Ice cream!” Bruce blurted out seemingly involuntarily before looking embarrassed about his sudden outburst.

“Bruce no, remember your blood sugar.” Nat raised her eyebrow at him causing the other man to pout.

“I’ll see if they’ve got any of that sugar free halo-top stuff,” he laughed. “Thor? Funyuns or Doritos?”

“YES!”

“I was gonna help Steve with the dishes.” Peter said trying to put the man off.

“It’s okay, little guy I can handle it.” Steve smiled.

Ugh, now Peter had no way out, Tony had him backed into a corner. He couldn’t make a fuss about not wanting to go in front of the others without then raising a bunch of questions.

“Okay, let’s go.” Tony said holding his arm out for Peter to duck under it. Once again he leant down to whisper to him, “remember what I said before sweetheart, I’m never gonna be angry at you for this kind of thing.”

*************

After he’d explained the whole story to the man, who had sat silently the entire time taking in everything he had to say, he turned to face him. Tony’s face was completely expressionless, which wasn’t uncommon, but there was something about the man’s atmosphere that Peter couldn’t quite read. He waited a minute for Tony to say something but he didn’t.

“W-what is it?” Was the man angry with him after all? It was his fault for not speaking up sooner, but he’d assured him that he understood Peter’s anxiety when it came to that.

“Who’s this Flash?” Tony spoke quietly, leaning his elbow against the window rubbing his chin as though he was in deep thought.

“U-uh, uh, no one.” Shit, he’d forgotten to skip that part when relaying the story. Tony had no idea about the bullying he experienced in school on a daily basis. Peter had been so careful not to mention anything about it up until this point. He’d been in such a rush to tell Tony about his terrible day he completely neglected to sensor himself.

“Uh huh.” Tony nodded slowly, clearly not believing him. Peter couldn’t help but notice the man’s whitened knuckles where he was gripping the steering wheel.

‘Oh god I’ve really messed up..’ Peter thought back to the heart to heart he’d had with the man, where he promised to be more open and tell Tony about the things that were bothering him. An uncomfortable silence filled the car, one Peter was too scared to break until they got to the store.

When they exited their vehicle Peter finally built up the courage to ask the man, “Are you mad at me..?”

Tony sucked a deep breath through his nose and waited just a little too long to answer. “No, I’m not mad.”

“Liar.” Peter reacted instinctively but regretted it straight away with the look that Tony gave him.

“Excuse me?” He questioned, his eyes blazing. The boy had the audacity to call him a liar when he’d specifically asked on numerous occasions if anything was happening at school?

“Dad I’m sorry I didn’t mean-“ What did he just say? Both topped in their tracks and stood there staring at one another.

“You just said-“

“No I didn’t.”

“Yes you did.” Tony kept his face expressionless but his heart was beating so loud he was surprised everyone in a three mile radius couldn’t hear it.

“No I didn’t.”

“But, you kinda did.”

“Well I take it back!”

“You can’t take it back.” Tony let himself grin. Peter blushed and spluttered wildly. He continued calmly. “Besides, I don’t want you to.”

“Wai- What? Seriously?” The man nodded. “Shut up- no sorry I mean, no this isn’t. No. Not happening today.”

Peter started walking ahead of the man into the store. Tony laughed wildly and staggered after him. He wasn’t laughing because it was funny it was purely out of pure shock. Sure, it went unspoken to everyone around them that Peter and Tony has more than a mentor/mentee relationship, but he never expected himself to ever hear that word directed to him- especially not from Peter.

“Nope, nope, nope.” Peter changed still walking away from the man, he refused to turn around and face him. He couldn’t believe he just said that, it just slipped out. It came out so easily and so natural that it had barely registered.

Tony caught up to him in a few quick strides and wrapped his arm around him, still grinning the entire time. “Come on, son.”

“Shut up!”

Chapter Text

That night Peter couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t believe he’d actually called Tony dad. The man’s reaction had surprised him completely, he was sure that his blunder would’ve made him uncomfortable and awkward around him, but it seemed to have to complete opposite effect. Up until that point, even though Peter knew Tony cared for him greatly, he had assumed that he only thought of him as a nephew at most. Peter had struggled for a long time to push the idea of Tony ever being anything more than a close family friend for a long time and now it seemed that he was right to consider the man to be something more. He was still mortified and felt childish and clingy for his mistake, but he couldn’t help but feel hope bloom in his chest when we thought about how Tony had smiled at him after he said it. Maybe he was reading too much into it. The older male just probably felt bad for him and didn’t want to embarrass him anymore that day. Besides he was only joking with him afterwards right? Though the ‘I love you’s we’re becoming more frequent and easier to say each time…

He tossed and turned for hours mulling his thoughts over before he finally gave up and got out of bed. He decided if he wasn’t going to be getting any sleep he might as well do something productive with his time. With that in mind he headed down to the lab; he wasn’t usually allowed to go down there alone so he hoped that JARVIS wasn’t set to wake Tony up if he did, but now was the perfect opportunity for him to work on something he’d-

“Can’t sleep either?” Peter nearly had a heart attack when he heard Tony’s voice from the far corner of the room. He hadn’t noticed him leant over one of the benches shrouded in darkness.

“Jesus, Tony!” He clutched his chest. “Keep that up and I’m gonna need one of those too!” He pointed towards Tony’s arc reactor.

“Sorry bubs didn’t mean to spook ya. Wanna come check out what I’m working on?”

“Sure.” Peter sat down next his mentor, who started explaining the intricacies of what he was currently configuring. “Wouldn’t it be better to place the conductor here to avoid triggering the main breaker?”

“Good eye.” Tony said proudly. “I was planning on moving the RCCB and swapping the cadmium copper for a expanded ACSR.”

Peter hummed considering the man’s idea. Now that Tony had gotten him to wind down a little he supposed it was best to broach the subject whilst he was distracted.

“So, you wanna talk about earlier?”

“Not particularly.” Peter said dryly, still focusing on what Tony’s hands were doing.

“Do you think we should anyway?”

“Probably.”

“Okay.” Tony our down what he was fiddling with and shifted his stool to face Peter. When the boy didn’t follow suit he leant over and manually twisted his stool around, encouraging Peter to look at him. “Tell me what you’re feeling.”

“I don’t know…” Peter wasn’t sure what to say or what the man wanted to hear.

“It’s okay.” Was all Tony thought to say. He still wasn’t very good when it came to being anything other than straightforward in these kinds of situations; he was still adjusting to dealing with the sensitivity of teenagers emotions, so he tried to tread lightly when it came to offering words of encouragement or comfort as not to set Peter off on the ‘I’m not a baby’ train.

“Embarrassed I guess? I didn’t mean for it to slip out the way it did..”

“Do you regret saying it?” Tony felt a lump in his throat as he asked the question. He would never want to push Peter into something he wasn’t ready for and God forbid he ever take advantage of the boy while he was vulnerable, but he had to know the answer.

“I don’t...I don’t think so.” Peter answered, ending in a whisper. “I know how that sounds and I’m sorry, you’ve just treated me like no one else ever has and I know I’ve probably miss read the situation so bad- you were just being nice to me and I-“

“No Peter. I’ve been thinking about it too.” Tony cut him off. “Trust me, I’ve been fighting against calling you my son in my head for weeks now, it’s not just you.”

“What?” He stared at him in complete shock. “You’re serious?”

“Ever since you got that stomach virus and I broke one of the twentieth story windows to get to you.”

“Oh.” Was all he said. His head was spinning, so he hadn’t been going crazy. “What..what now?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well like, what do we do now? It’s supposed to be important to define a relationship-“

“P, I don’t think dating advice you’ve heard off of The Bachelor really applies here.” Tony chuckled. “We can take this at whatever pace you need.”

“This is really weird.” Peter started to feel uncomfortable from the heaviness of the conversations and needed to know it wasn’t just him.

“Yeah, no shit. I hadn’t actually ever planned on wanting to adopt a fifteen year old, let alone one with superpowers and an attitude problem.”

“Okay rude.” Peter scowled causing Tony to crack a smile.

“But you’re right, this is really weird. Then again when has anything ever been normal in this house?”

“Fair point. You realise this all feels like some crazy dream though right? Like I had posters of you on the wall growing up and now you’re sitting here telling me you wanna be my..well you know.”

“And you just went and made it weirder. You better not have had any posters of cap or imma get real mad.”

“No, I did have quite a few of the black panther though, have you seen the tech he uses-“

“Okay, okay.” Tony said sarcastically. “I get it you’re a nerd.”

“You know, maybe I do regret calling you the D word.”

“You called me a douche? Or a dick- what’re we talking here? You been talking smack Spider-Boy, cause I can throw down-“

“I swear to god you’re so embarrassing- stop talking like that!” Peter laughed and held his head in his hands.

“Maybe I am cut out to be a dad if I’ve already got that part down.” Both of them chuckled.

“Can this stop being so awkward now?” Peter begged. The whole topic of conversation was making him cringe he wished he could just snap his fingers and skip over the whole thing, go straight to them both acting normal again (preferably with the added bonus of Peter having an established father figure).

“Please.” Tony cackled. “Whatever happens, I’ll love you no matter what. And you can call me whatever you’re most comfortable with, accept Mr. Stark...Or Mr. Johnson.”

“I was on the spot okay?!”

Tony didn’t respond to that he just laughed. “But seriously, let’s not try and force anything. I’m happy as long as you’re happy.”

“Okay Mr. Johnson.” Peter grinned at him.

********************

The two stayed up in the lab until the early hours of the morning when Steve came down in the elevator.

“Good thing JARVIS exists or I would’ve been calling the FBI about a missing child.” He scolded. “It’s a school day Tony why have you had him up all night?”

“Oops,” Tony whispered sarcastically through the side of his mouth to Peter, causing him to giggle. “We just got lost in what we were doing Cap.”

“What happened to being responsible and setting up some rules around here? Pete you’re gonna be exhausted today, he’s got exams coming up for Christ sakes!”

“Okay, okay, take a chill pill there Stevie, it won’t happen again we just lost track of time.”

“Yeah, Mr. Rogers- I’m okay really, I’m not even all that tired.” Peter tried to help soothe the man’s concern but it didn’t seem to work.

“No but you will be. Tony we’ll have a talk about this later, now come on you two at least get something to eat. You can at least give your body some energy that way.”

Tony made a face to Peter as soon as Steve’s back was turned and the teen spluttered whilst trying to contain his laughter. “Quit it Stark, I am not in the mood.”

The pair followed Steve in silence as to not anger him further. They joined the others for breakfast and Peter tried to stifle his yawns the entire time because Steve would shoot daggers at at Tony every time one slipped out.

“Would now be a bad time to ask for a cup of coffee?” Peter laughed nervously. Steve let out a noise of frustration before turning to pop off at Tony again.

“On that note how about I drive you to school again, Pete? We can stop off at Starbucks on the way.”

“Cool, I’ll grab my bag!” Peter said excitedly, rushing off to get his bags hoping to avoid Steve chastising them both again. They both hurried into the car snickering about the other man’s mothering.

“He is right though little legs I shouldn’t have let you pull an all nighter with me on a school night.” Tong said seriously as he paused to let Peter catch up, his strides being significantly longer than his charges. He earned a dirty look for the choice of nickname.

“What’s all this about giving me rules?” Peter eyed him suspiciously. Given the promise they had made each other regarding discussing things before involving other people he knew he had ammunition if the man tried to avoid his question.

“I asked Steve to help me set up some ground rules for you. Just basic stuff like appropriate curfews and such.” Tony replied honestly.

“What does Steve know, he hasn’t even got kids. You coulda just asked Auntie May.”

“Give Cap his due, Pete, he’s good with kids. I did talk to her and she said it was up to me to evaluate the situation.”

“Hmph.” Peter huffed grumpily, he didn’t appreciate being compared to the middle schoolers the super soldier would do his stupid talks with.

“Lighten up buddy, I’ll still let you be a teenager.” He bashed Peter with his shoulder playfully getting a smile out of him. “You realise as soon as you smile I win, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever old man.” Peter brushed him off getting into the car. Tony hoped in the drivers side and pulled out of the garage. True to his word he pulled off the highway into the Starbucks drive-thru.

“What do you want?”

“Uhm, a mocha- no wait! A caramel macchiato, please.”

Tony made a disgusted face. “I thought you wanted coffee not a cup of corn syrup.”

Peter pouted at him.

“Fine, but you’re getting a medium. No sugar rushes in my car.”

Peter considered blackmailing him into ordering him a venti by saying he’d tell Steve about his bad influences, but didn’t want to push his luck. Tony ordered himself something Peter found equally abhorrent and the two were soon back on the highway.

“You know we left super early right? Like, even by my standards.” Peter commented when he noticed the clock on the dash.

“I know but we were trying to escape the wrath of mamabear Rogers, remember? Besides, we still need to talk about something.”

“I thought we got it all out last night?” Peter groaned, he already said he didn’t expect him to call him dad again anytime soon so what more did Tony want from him?

“Not that. Do you remember what we were talking about when you let the D-bomb slip?”

Peter fell quiet and his breakfast wanted to make a reappearance. “Oh.”

“It’s okay. I don’t want to make you anxious, alright? I just wanna know that everything’s okay. Don’t panic about giving me an answer right away either we’ve got all the time in the world, Petey.”

“It’s-It’s just that, ugh, I don’t know-” Tony reached over and put a hand on Peter’s shoulder.

“Relax buddy, take some deep breaths for me.” He mirrored his own breathing to match what he wanted Peter to do. “Everything’s okay, you don’t need to get worked up about this. It’s just me and you.”

Tony’s words did help and Peter managed to catch the panic attack before it happened. “Good job P, you’re doing so good.”

“I’m okay.” He breathed quietly. “I just don’t want you to take it the wrong way or think that it’s more than it is.”

“Okay. I’ll try my best not to overreact this time.” He could understand Peter’s hesitation, he had shown a tendency to blow things out of proportion.

“Flash is just this kid at school who’s always given me and Ned a hard time. Most people would call it bullying, and yeah I guess it is. But I promise-” He held up his little finger. “Pinky promise that it doesn’t get to me like it used to. Me and Ned are both pretty, like, numb to it now, especially since the bite and when I got my internship with you I found an outlet to vent all of the bad stuff into, and now it doesn’t really phase me.”

“Define ‘it’ for me.” Tony was trying his best to remain calm but the word bullying was sending a tingling sensation down his spine that made him want to punch the next teenager he saw.

“You know, the usual stuff. Just general name calling and stuff like that.”

“Has he ever hit you? Or is he the kind to get someone else to do his dirty work for him?”

“No, no! Tony look, he’s not all that bad. Like yeah he’s a total ass, but he’s just an entitled rich kid who has to buy other people’s affections. I don’t think he’s ever had a real friend in his life, which just makes me feel bad for him honestly. His parents are always off doing things without him so he doesn’t even get attention at home and well...To be honest I think he’s just jealous of me and Ned’s friendship and our families. Like yeah, we never had much but having people to come home to who love you every night is priceless. He can’t buy that. And we’re the nerdy kids, we’re easy targets and we’re both too nice to do anything back.”

“Which is why he’s a piece of shit-”

“No, Tony he’s not. He’s just a kid too and he’s not as lucky as I am. Besides, me and Ned both agreed that we’d prefer he’d take his anger out on us, cause we have each other and we can handle it, than have him pick on some other lonely kid. If it makes him feel better and it’s sparing other people, I don’t really care.” He shrugged simply.

Tony sat in silence for a few minutes letting the teens rant sink in. He’d truly underestimated Peter’s emotional maturity and he’d never felt prouder in his life. How someone would want to pick on this pure, sweet kid was beyond him, but for that kid to then empathise with his bully that much? Tony would never have been so understanding, not at Peter’s age or even now.

“Well, that’s a very grown up way to look at it. But just because you understand it doesn’t mean you should have to put up with it, does your Aunt know?”

“Not the details, but I’m sure she has an inkling. Not much gets passed that lady.” Peter smiled fondly.

“I’ve noticed. What about the school?”

“A couple of the teachers...but nothing much was done, they’re all pretty scared to mess with Flash cause of his money I think, his parents fund nearly all of the school’s electives-”

“I could buy that school with the change in my pocket, it’s me they ought to worry about.” Tony snapped before he could catch himself. He’d always had a hatred for people who abused their power like that, he’d seen his father use his social standing to his advantage for many years so it struck a nerve with him.

“Okay, dad. I think it’s you who needs to take a few deep breaths now.” Peter soothed, knowing using that title would get the man’s attention, but also because it felt right and came out as naturally as it had done the first time. It worked and Tony regained his composure.

“You’re right. I’m sorry, I promised not to go off didn’t I?” Tony swallowed thickly but managed a smile.

“Yeah, ya kinda did.” Peter grinned at him. “I mean it when I say that I’m okay. I would tell you if it was too bad, I promise. And don’t go doing that tappy thing on your phone like you did for Ned’s dad okay? Cause that would make you just as bad as him.”

“Okay, Underoos I trust you. And I promise you that I won’t. Thank you for being so upfront with me, you did so well telling me all that, I know it was difficult for you.” He really wanted to ensure he praised Peter for overcoming something that had initially caused him anxiety, in hopes that it would encourage him to do so again, like Natasha had said. He noticed the boy was still a little jittery, though. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, caffeine buzz.” Peter laughed.

“What did I say about that?” Tony said in mock anger.

“Nothing! You said no sugar rush, this it totally different!”

“Lord, give me strength.” Tony threw his head back dramatically before switching on the radio. “We still have a lot of time to kill before I’ve got to get you to school, you wanna just drive around for a bit?”

“Sure, I’m just not listening to this crap cause it’ll put me to sleep.” He lent forward to hook his phone up to the speakers.

“So long as you don’t play any Justin Bieber or whatever you kids listen to these days.” Tony waved his hand haphazardly.

“You sound like Steve, don’t be so old.” Peter deadpanned. Tony was pleasantly surprised by the boy’s taste in music. It was a pretty eclectic mix and he found that he knew more songs than he thought he would and the ones he didn’t know he still enjoyed. They drove around aimlessly for about half an hour before Tony started to head in the vague direction of Peter’s school. He noticed a change in the boys body language as he did so and he assumed that he was starting to get anxious.

“Caffeine still hyping you up?” He asked hoping that Peter would take it as an opportunity to talk it through with the man. He didn’t get the response he was expecting.

“Uh, kinda, I just have to pee a little.” Peter gave Tony a shy smile but avoided eye contact.

“Okay, there’ll be a McDonald’s coming up soon I’m sure.” He answered cooly and gave Peter a smile, not wanting to draw attention to or ignore the fact that he’d openly admitted he needed something without Tony having to force it out of him. He didn’t want to say it, but it wasn’t exactly an opportune time for the teens bladder to pipe up. They’d already passed a load of retail stores and restaurants (though he doubted most of them would be open at this time of day) and they were currently slowing down for traffic on the interstate.

Though Tony didn’t say anything Peter could sense his stress over the issue at hand. “Don’t worry, it’s not that bad. I can hold it.”

However, he was unsure for how long and he found himself thankful that Tony had only gotten him a medium sized drink. He’d only drank around two thirds of it but the caffeine was already taking effect on his small bladder. He was secretly anxious too, hoping to avoid any kind of situation in the mans car.

“Well, how about you text Ted and we’ll swing by and pick him up too?” Tony suggested. Yes it would extend their journey but timewise it would probably make little difference. Ned lived in a rather residential part of town so they weren’t likely to catch any early morning traffic. Also with the added benefit that Peter would be able to use Ned’s bathroom made the latter option seem much more pleasant.

“He’ll faint!” Peter laughed and did so, knowing what Tony was hinting to. He just hoped he could make it till then. He squirmed in his seat a little more noticeably this time and crossed his ankles. “So, what boring adult stuff have you gotta do today?”

“Same old, same old.” Tony started, clearly knowing Peter wanted a distraction. “I’m gonna have some free time in the afternoon though, I was thinking of making some minor alterations to your suit.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” Tony continued to tell him about what he planned to do it it, asking what Peter would prioritize and what he wanted done. Peter tried to engage in the conversation but his mind just kept reminding him of the growing ache in his lower abdomen. It wasn’t until he hissed in pain and crossed his legs fully that Tony started to get really concerned.

“How you holding up, kid?” Obviously already knowing the answer.

“I’m fine I just- I really gotta go to the bathroom.” Peter cringed and tried to twist himself back into a normal position but his bladder wouldn’t allow it. He wished he could be doing anything other than sitting down, the cramped position combined with the seat belt digging into his tummy was making everything ten times worse. He felt his face heat up in a blush from him squirming so openly in front of the older man but Tony already knew he had to go so what was the point in trying to stay still? All that would do is make him pee himself quicker.

“I know, bubby. We’re almost there, see? Ted’s street is just off to the right up there.” Tony pointed forward. He was starting to question the boys ability to wait that long as he appeared to have gone from a four to a ten in the space of about ten minutes. He found himself praying that the kid wasn’t gonna have a repeat of yesterday’s events especially since he’d die of shame if it happened in his car.

Peter bounced in his seat yelling as soon as he saw Ned’s house peak into view. “There! It’s that one!”

“Petey, I know.” Tony laughed. “Calm yourself before you explode-”

“I am going to explode!” Peter hopped out of the car before Tony had a chance to fully stop the car.

“Hey, careful!” He yelled after him, but the desperate lad paid him no mind, instead running straight up the steps of Ned’s house and rapidly spamming the doorbell, hopping foot to foot. It was his mom who answered.

“Hey, Pete.”

“H-hi Donna, can I-”

“Go on.” She smiled and pulled him over the threshold and pushed him towards the bathroom door. It was a familiar scene, nine times out of ten Peter forgot to use the toilet before leaving the house or was desperate from his walk from the bus station, so she’d become more than accustomed to Peter’s potty dancing over the years.

Ned walked down the stairs just in time to see Peter dash into the bathroom. “Hi Peter!”

“Gotta pee!” Was the only response he got before his friend slammed the door and bolted it. Ned didn’t blink an eye as he too was more than used to Peter’s bathroom habits. He looked out the open door to see Mr. Stark sitting in the car parked at the edge of the driveway. Tony Stark was in his driveway. Tony looked up at him and waved his hand showing Ned that he wanted him to approach the car. Ned swallowed nervously and said goodbye to his mom before walking towards the car.

Tony rolled the window down. “Hop in, Ted, wanna have a word with you.”

‘Oh god, what did I do? Is this because of what happened yesterday? Does he think it was my fault or did that Happy dude say I was rude to him? Shit, shit, shit,’ Ned panicked inwardly as he got in the back of the vehicle.

The man took off his sunglasses as he turned to look at the teen. “Don’t look so nervous, you should know I don’t bite by now.”

“Uh, yeah.” Ned laughed nervously not knowing what else to say.

“I just wanted to thank you for taking care of Peter yesterday.”

“Oh! You, thank me?” Ned said in awe as though he was experiencing some kind of existential crisis. Tony continued on, being used to people being starstruck around him.

“I’m really glad he’s got such a good friend looking out for him when I can’t be there. He told me all about what you did for him.”

“It was really no trouble Mr. Stark sir, he’d do the same thing for me in a heartbeat. I’m always happy to help him out, it’s just what we do.” Ned offered him a weak smile, still clearly taking in the fact that one of his heroes was thanking him.

“Yeah, he said how it comes to you guys naturally at this point. I’m grateful you two have each other I know high school isn’t the greatest place.”

“Tell me about it-“

“Sorry bout that!” Peter said cheerily as he jumped in passenger seat. “Hey Ned! What were you two talking about?”

“Oh we were just gossiping and listing off all the thing we don’t like about you.” Tony said dryly.

“Must’ve been a pretty short conversation then cause I’m perfect.” Peter flicked his imaginary hair over his shoulder sassily.

“Someone feels better.” The older man laughed. “Ted, make a note to remind me- never let Peter drink coffee without a bathroom readily available.”

“I learnt that the hard way years ago Mr. Stark-“

“Ned!” Peter made a zipping motion over his mouth staring at his friend in the rear view mirror. Both Ned and Tony laughed when Peter started pouting dramatically. “You might as well tell him what happened at the lake.”

“Can I?”

“What happened at the lake?”

“IT WAS SARCASM!” Peter yelled again pulling his hood up over his head and pulling the drawstrings as tight as humanly possible.

“It’s not very good sarcasm if you have to announce it, P.” Ned teased and Tony ‘yeaaah’ed annoyingly in agreement.

“That’s it- I’m getting the bus.” Peter made a show of going to grab the door handle dramatically.

“Put your seatbelt on.” Tony laughed as he turned on the engine. The short drive was filled with chatter from all three of them, Tony was glad that he had finally gotten Ned to speak more confidently in front of him. He even almost slipped up and called him by his real name a couple times. He enjoyed feeling like a normal guy for once, just dropping his kid and his friend off at school on a Friday morning. When they pulled up to the school he instinctively reached out to tussle Peter’s curly hair as he was hopping out.

“You need a haircut, hippie.”

“Excuse you, I’m working on my mullet! Soon as I slick this puppy back ,it’s business in the front and a party in the back.”

“Take that Billy Ray bullshit outta my car.” Tony laughed. “Have a good day boys.”

“You too, thank you so much for the ride Mr. Stark!”

“No problem, Ted.”

“Dad.” Peter whined, his brain not even registering what he’d said. Man he was slipping into it way quicker than he thought he would. “Will you quit calling him that, you know his name isn’t Ted.”

“Whatever you say, Underoos.” He winked at Ned and gave him a look like Peter was crazy.

“Bye, Tony.”

“See you later guys.” Tony laughed as he pulled away.

“Later, Mr. Stark!” Ned called after the man before turning to look at his friend. Peter couldn’t read his face, he looked as though he was trying to figure something out.

“What? Why’re you staring at me like that?”

“Do you not realise what you just said?”

“What’re you talking about?” Peter was genuinely perplexed.

“You just called Tony dad.” Ned stated simply, no tone of shock evident in his voice.

“What, no I didn’t-“

“Pete. How long have we know each other? You still think you can hide stuff from me?” Ned raised his eyebrow.

“Well, it would be nice every now and then.” Peter sighed. He wasn’t exactly upset that Ned found out he just hadn’t planned on telling him so soon. He knew his friend would be nothing but supportive as long as he was happy. He would’ve just liked to have a little time to figure things out for himself Bedford he started letting other people in on his and Tony’s relationship.

“It’s no big deal dude, I totally called this ages ago.” Ned said nonchalantly and shrugged. “I just didn’t expect you to be at that point so soon.”

“Well trust me, it’s a new development. Can we change the subject now?”

“Sure, IronBoy.” Ned grinned, ducking out of the way before the punch Peter threw landed on his arm. “You gotta be quicker than- ow!”

Ned was cut off by a half full can of soda hitting him in the side of his head. “Hey lard ass! You got me a week of detention ‘cause of you fighting for your boyfriend Pukey-Parker over there!”

Peter sighed and wiped down the side of Ned’s backpack with his sleeve. He supposed ‘Pukey-Parker’ was a vast improvement on ‘Peter-Pissy-Pants’, a nickname he’d only just gotta rid of. He pulled Ned in the opposite direction muttering to him how it wasn’t worth it but Ned just couldn’t resist saying something back.

“Eat shit, Eugene!”

“What did you just say, Leeds?” Fuck, now he was coming over. Peter stood in front of Ned hoping to defuse the situation before it got physical. The scrawny, entitled teenager came almost chest to chest with Peter and stared him in the face. “Move it Parker.”

“Flash, just back off okay? Ned’s sorry he didn’t mean to get you in trouble-“

“Like hell I’m sorry!” The larger boy pulled Peter back by his bag and took his place, squaring up to Flash. By this point a small crowd had gathered around them.“When are you gonna stop being such a fucking bully?!”

Flash started to say something else but Peter had had enough. He ripped Ned away from the other boy using his super strength. He whispered into his ear. “Ned, come on man, we’re better than this-“

“No Pete, I’m sick of him walking around like he owns the place-“

“I don’t care. Let’s go.” Peter dropped his voice into a low growl. He knew that Flash was all talk and he already had two of his goons ‘holding him back’, so he was no real threat. He was just concerned about his friend getting himself into trouble, especially on his behalf. He dragged Ned in the opposite direction.

“Why won’t you let me just hit him man-“

“Because it’s stupid Ned! You only succeeded in making yourself look like an idiot!” Peter snapped angrily. “How many times dude- we’ve been over this so many times. We fight back like that and he wins and we’re as bad as he is. But you know what? You wanna be a tough guy and start throwing hands go ahead, see where it gets you, but don’t you dare do it because of me because I don’t need that shit on my conscience!”

Ned stated at him for a moment. “Are you done?”

“Are you?! Don’t talk down to me right now Ned cause I swear to god-“

“I’m not trying to, P. You’re right, you’re always right about this, I’m sorry I should’ve listened to you.” Ned wrapped an arm around his shoulder, seeing his shorter friend getting himself all worked up worked to calm his own anger. “I just can’t always help it, after yesterday-“

“I know.” Peter said quietly. “I know. I don’t blame you. I’m just sick of the constant fighting. You gotta just learn to ignore him.”

“I’m trying, man, trust me I am. I’m just not having him start up with the name calling again I still remember last year-“

“Can we please not bring that up? Let’s just calm down and move on- you didn’t study for the Stats exam today did y-“

“SHIT!”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Peter laughed “Come on, I can help you get started before I have to go back to segregation.”

****************

The rest of the school day passed quickly for Peter, he was mostly preoccupied with the four tests he had that day, so he didn’t have much time to think about anything else. It was only in his second to last period that he really started to feel the effects his sleep deprivation was having on him. The teacher he had figured their students deserved a ‘break’ after their long week of mock tests and decided to ‘treat’ them by playing one of the most boring documentaries Peter had ever seen. With his passion for film he usually managed to find something t captivate his interest in any piece of media, no matter how uninteresting he found the subject; he’d usually focus his attention to the camera work, or framing but he couldn’t find one redeeming thing about this movie. It was so boring Peter couldn't even occupy himself drawing up blueprints for possible projects, he was convinced the endless droning of the narrators voice was melting his brain.

He didn’t even realise the first time he dozed off, he just closed his eyes for a second when he felt a piece of paper hit him in the face. He blinked his eyes open rapidly, which fell on the perpetrator; MJ. He scowled at her and she shrugged at him before giving him a ‘dude, what the hell’ look. He turned away from her miffed that she had startled him and tried to refocus in on the documentary, which had somehow gotten even more soul-crushingly uninteresting. It got to the point where he seriously considered giving himself a nosebleed just as an excuse to get out of class. Finally the class was over and Peter found that he struggled to drag himself out of his seat. He felt body felt so heavy and witch the added weight of his school bag he knew he was visibly slower than usual.

On his way to his last class, MJ caught up with him in the hallway. “Hey, what’s up with you? You look half dead.”

“As complimentary as always.” Peter muttered snarkily. He still wasn’t best pleased with her after receiving a textbook torpedo at his face. He continued walking, not even stopping to look at her.

She stopped in her tracks and grabbed his arm forcing him to do the same. She turned him to face her. “For real Pete, you look like shit. I heard about you almost puking in Mr. B’s class yesterday-“

“Oh great so everyone’s already heard about that.”

“Dude, shut up, no one actually cares. Should you really be here today?” Her face visibly softened, for the first time showing real concern and Peter couldn’t help but notice how pretty her big brown eyes were when she looked at him like that.

“Okay, now you’re zoning out on me. Come on let’s get you home-“ she proceeded to start dragging him in the direction of the nurses office.

“No, no, MJ I’m okay really! I’m just tired, besides it’s just one more class I’ll be fine.”

She eyed him up and down a few times before shrugging and looping her arm through his and continuing down the hallway with him, the linking she’d initiated making Peter’s stomach flip. He was glad she hadn’t grabbed his hand because he could feel his palms getting all sweaty. “Okay, wonderboy, whatever you say.”

Peter and his two best friends had the same last period, social studies, one of the only classes they all had together. They took their seats at their usual spot at the back of the class. Ned was fretting to them about how he thought he’d completely flunked his Statistics test when Peter’s heart sank. He could see Marissa Wilkinson sashaying her way to his desk. He put his head down and covered it with his hands.

Marissa was a girl Peter had known since kindergarten, she was one of those typical snooty kids that desperately wanted to be popular. Up until recently, she wouldn’t have given Peter the time of day. In fact, he even recalled a few times where she had made fun of his hand me down clothes or joined in with Flash’s teasing. But ever since it came out that he’d gotten the Stark internship she suddenly wanted to know him. More than just know him apparently, she was slowly starting to become obsessed with him.

“Hey Peter!” The way her whiney voice stretched out every syllable of his name was like nails on a chalkboard and he had to resist the urge to cover his ears.

“Hey Marissa.” He said flatly. It wasn’t like him to ever be rude to anyone, let alone a girl. But he’d been trying to throw her off gently for months but she wasn’t taking the hint. He even tried to be friendly with her but she got touchy a little too quickly for his liking and it made him very uncomfortable.

“Oh, silly, you know I said you can call me Sissi!” She threw her head back, deliberately flipping around her curled auburn hair, cackling that high pitched squeaky laugh of hers. She playfully slapped his arm, unknowingly grazing his new and sensitive scar making him flinch slightly.

“Yeah, well I call you a pain in the ass. Buzz off ‘Sissi’.” MJ mocked, mistaking Peter’s flinch for him feeling anxious at the girl's presence, which wasn’t one hundred percent inaccurate.

“Excuse me-” Marissa started, but she was cut off by their teacher asking everyone to take their seats. She just huffed and turned away, stomping off down to the front of the class and MJ gave her a sarcastic wave. Peter had offered her a small apologetic smile but it wasn’t well received.

He shot a look at MJ to show he didn’t approve. She shrugged. “What? That girl is a creep.”

“That doesn’t justify you being mean to her.” Peter frowned.

“Well, sorry Mr. Sensitive. No wonder she wants to marry you.” She grinned, seeing the rise she got out of him.

“She does not-”
“Mr. Parker!” He heard his name being called from the front of the class. “Am I allowed to begin my lesson or should I politely wait until you have finished your conversation?

“Sorry Mrs. Davies…” He sank down in his seat hearing snickers around the class, blushing brightly. He stole one last glance at MJ and childishly poked his tongue out at her, before he got out his textbook as instructed to follow along with the reading.

He made it until about twenty minutes in before he started to doze off again, but Ned dealt a swift kick to the back of his chair, jolting him awake again. He could hear his two friends giggling but he was in no mood to turn around and look at them. He leant his head on his hand and tried to catch up with where his teacher was in the chapter. He didn’t even feel himself drop off again.

He was awoken abruptly by a loud smack on the desk in front of him, nearly making him fall off of his chair. He opened his eyes and was met by a red faced and furious looking Mrs. Davies.

“Was it not enough for you to interrupt my class but you also have the audacity to fall asleep during my lesson?!” She screamed at him, making him pull back into his seat in a desperate attempt to avoid her gaze. He wasn’t used to being shouted at by teachers as he was always considered to be a model student, so having the entire class direct their attention to him whilst he had a woman screeching in his face was bringing him close to having a panic attack.

“I-I I’m-” He tired to apologise but his mouth wouldn’t cooperate, his brain too busy trying to remember how to breathe.

“Quiet! See me after class and if I catch you sleeping again you’ll be going straight to the Principal's office, understand?!”

He nodded his mouth gaping like a fish trying to give her a verbal response.

“I’m sorry?!”

“Y-Yes, Mrs. Davies-”

“Good.” She stood up and stormed back to her own desk leaving Peter stunned and visibly shaken. Both Ned and MJ gave him looks of sympathy not that he gave them any attention. He sat silently for the rest of the class, deliberately ignoring all of his friends attempts to get him to look at them. When the bell rang and his teacher dismissed the other students, he stayed in his seat and still ignored the duo when they tried to talk to him. Mrs. Davies ushered them out of the class. They left reluctantly, exchanging guilty glaces with each other as though they were both silently paying for Peter not to get scolded again.

Mrs. Davies took a seat from a neighbouring desk and sat opposite him. She was visibly calmer but she still had an air of anger around her. “What is the meaning of all this Mr. Parker? I must say this is highly out of character, I can usually count on you to be one of the best behaved students in this class.”

“I’m really sorry, Ma’am. I didn’t mean to fall asleep, I wasn’t trying to be rude.” He said, keeping his eyes fixed on his desk.

“You realise I’m going to have to give you detention for this?” She said. She was trying to remain firm but it was difficult looking at the forlorn boy sitting in front of her. He nodden sullenly in answer to her question, clearly disappointed as he had only a couple other minor discrepancies on his otherwise pristine record. “Or I can make a call home to see why you’re so-”

“No, Ma’am please don’t!” He shocked himself and her both at his interruption but he really didn’t want her to tell Tony he had fallen asleep in class. He was sure the man felt guilty enough already, nevermind was Steve would do with this kind of ammunition. He didn’t want Tony to think he didn’t have the stamina to stay p and work with him in the lab either. “I’m sorry, but please Mrs. Davies, can I just have the detention..”

“Very well. But there’s a note in your file that says I am obligated to notify your legal guardian if you are going to be late for any reason anyway. So if they ask, I will be informing them as to why you chose to have detention with me Mr. Parker. Have Mr. Stark sign this form, please.” She stated, ending the conversation by handing him the slip of paper.

“Yes, Ma’am. Sorry again.” Peter found himself blinking furiously as he left the room. He was both embarrassed and angry at himself that he’d essentially given himself a detention he could’ve avoided, considering the school had to contact Tony anyway. He just hoped he wouldn’t get in any trouble when he got home. He was so exhausted, now emotionally s well as physically, so he didn’t feel like stopping when he saw his friends waiting for him outside the classroom.

“P, wait up!” Ned called as the two had to scurry to catch up with him. “What happened? Did you get in trouble?”

“What do you think?” Peter grumbled. “You saw her in there.”

“We’re sorry dude, we tried to wake you up but you weren’t budging.” Ned said sadly, he could tell Peter was angry at them for not having done something to save him and he felt extremely guilty.

“Yeah, Ned even pulled out the gum I stuck in your hair-”

“Oh ew!” Peter reached up and felt the wet spot in the back of his head. He huffed angrily and walked quicker ahead of them both.

“Pete wait!”

“I gotta catch my bus.” He really was not in the mood. “I’ll see you guys on monday.”

“Wait, are you sure you’re gonna be okay going home alone? What if you like pass out or something-” MJ said.

“‘Thanks, but I’m sure I’ll manage. Not like you’d be of much help anyway.” He regretted being so short with them but he didn’t know how else to get them to leave you alone. “See you later.”

“Text me when you get home!” Ned called after him worriedly but Peter didn’t respond. They finally stopped chasing him and allowed him to walk alone to the bus station. When he got there he decided he was too tired to take his usual route home, where he’d hop off and get on a different bus, and decided to take the bus that went all the way around to his destination. It added another forty five minutes or so to his journey but after the day he’d had he didn’t care. Anything to save him from walking and exerting even more energy he didn’t have. He took a seat near the window and put in his earphones, finally winding down with a podcast and closed his eyes. He should’ve know that was a big mistake.

He only woke up when the bus driver shook him. “End of the line Kid.”

“Huh?” He said drearily looking around him. “Shit!”

“You alright there?” The man looked concerned.

“My dad’s gonna kill me!” Sure enough he had sixteen missed calls from the man, as well as four from Happy and other various texts and calls from his family.

“Better get going then Kid, be careful!” The driver called after him as he ran off the bus, shaking his head. He’d seen it too many times.

Peter was panicking. Tony really was going to kill him. He knew better than to ever go anywhere without telling the man first and now he was an hour late home and he hadn’t answered his phone the entire time. That plus the phone call home he must’ve gotten from his teacher, Tony was probably searching half the city for him now. He also desperately had to pee after waking up from his nap but he didn’t want to risk upsetting the man any further. Just at that moment he locked his eyes on a familiar blond man standing next to a car just outside the station.

“It’s okay I see him, yeah, yeah. Alright, got it. I’ll call you back in a second.” He was on the phone, clearly with a distraught Tony. He was already walking towards Peter who had crossed his legs where he stood. “Kid, what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Peter opened his mouth but once again nothing telligible came out. “I-I uh-h Well I-”

“Go to the restroom Peter.” Steve sighed. “But if you’re not back here in two minutes I’m coming in after you, capiche?”

Peter nodded furiously and ran back into the station to avoid completely disgracing himself in front of the man. By the time he returned Steve was already back on the phone. “Yes I know- well, I wasn’t going to let him have an accident Tony- No he wasn’t faking it- I can see him now he’s not trying to run away. I don’t know maybe you should calm down a little fir- Don’t yell at me Stark! I’m trying to help here! Okay. Okay- I said okay!”

Steve paused covering the mic on his phone to give Peter some warning. He smiled at him sympathetically. “He’s adamant he want to talk to you, sport.”

“Uh. O-okay.” Peter shook hesitantly. If he was shouting at Steve like that he could only imagine the kind of greeting he was about to receive. He got into the car where Steve had held the door open for him when the man passed him the phone. He gulped and spoke in a quiet voice. “Hello?”

“PETER BENJAMIN PARKER!” Oh, crap, full name.

Chapter Text

Peter didn’t actually get a chance to respond for the next seven minutes. While Tony was busy arguing with himself it gave him time to get over the anxiety and fear of punishment, and accept his fate whilst also calming down completely. He sat patiently and waited for Tony to pause to take a breath.

“Are you gonna actually let me answer you now or-“ he said calmly but he was cut off by another wave of Tony’s screaming. He sighed and put the phone in his lap, it wasn’t like he had any trouble hearing what the man was saying.

Steve smiled awkwardly at Peter. “Yeah, he’s been going a little nuts. He was so worried when Happy called him to say you got a different bus than usual and you didn’t get off at your stop.”

“I didn’t mean to, I was too into my music..” Peter felt guilty lying to Steve but he was still trying to avoid him berating Tony for their late night.

“You fell asleep didn’t you?” Clearly Peter wasn’t as good at lying as he thought.

“No?” He said but it came out more as a question which only caused Steve’s smile to widen.

“Peter?! I’m talking to you!” He heard Tony’s voice crackle through the speaker.

“Yes, Tony I’m listening. But you haven’t even given me a chance to explain yet.” Peter sighed when he picked the phone back up.

“Save it! We’ll talk about this when you get home!”

“You’re literally the one who has been yelling for ten min-” Tony cut off the call.

Back home Tony was absolutely seething. He’d almost made himself vomit with all the worry since he got the call from Happy; his mind filling with a thousand scenarios, all of them being full of the most awful things imaginable. Everyone had told him he was overreacting and everything would be fine, but he refused to believe he was being anything other than reasonable. Anything could happen in an hour especially to a boy like Peter, who had countless enemies he didn’t know by name, just for being associated with Tony Stark let alone Iron Man. Even if the people who were after him didn't know he was Spiderman, having Tony Stark's apprentice was a huge asset if they were trying to get to him. The worry had dissipated the second he heard his son’s voice on the other end of the phone but it was immediately replace with red hot anger.

Steve spent the short drive with Peter getting the boy’s side of the story. He understood both points of view completely and tried his best to remain a neutral party, but he did promise Peter he’d vouch for him if Tony continued to refuse to listen.

“He always goes over the top!” Peter threw his arms in the air in frustration.

“I know it seems like it kid but it comes from a good place I can promise you that.”

“I get that, but come on Mr- Steve. Even you’ve gotta admit this is way overboard for a fifteen year old who’s a little late home.”

“An hour isn’t a little late in this business, Pete. We were all worried, just be grateful he didn’t send a whole fleet of suits out like he wanted to.” Steve tried to get a laugh out of him with the last comment but no such luck, Peter remained stone faced and he couldn’t help but notice the bags under his eyes. “You’re both tired, everything’s worse when you haven’t had a good night’s rest.”

Peter bit back the urge to make a sarcastic comment comparing the mans words to one of his PSA videos they played in school. “I know Tony’s got some kind of tracker on me and he has Happy stalking me all the time, surely you guys knew where I was.”

“Well, yeah..” Steve was careful not to let on how much he knew about how Tony kept tabs on him, should Peter try and remove the tracking device. “But nobody knew why or where you were going. So when you didn’t answer we assumed the worst. For all we knew someone could have had you at gunpoint or something.”

“Hit the nail on the head there Steve- assumed.” Peter snapped and folded his arms, looking like the poster boy for teenage angst. Steve thought it best to leave him alone for the rest of the journey, not wanting to rile him up anymore. It wasn’t long before they were pulling up to the tower, Tony standing there to meet them in the driveway.

Steve was the first to get out. “Tony, lets not go-”

“Out of my way Rogers.” Tony stormed past him and opened Peter’s door letting him get out.

“Come here.” Tony said to the teen but Peter walked right past him.

“Nope.” He popped the P.

“Excuse me? Here. Now.”

“I’m not a dog, Tony.” There was a bite to how Peter said his name. “And I’m not gonna stand there while you scream at me in public, thank you very much.”

“Fine, you wanna do this somewhere else? Then come on.” Without warning Tony suited up and grabbed Peter, sending them both skyward. Steve just sighed, so much for helping to calm the situation. Why did Tony have to make everything into a soapbox drama?

Tony finally let Peter go when they got to a balcony on one of the upper floors.

“Are you insane?!” Peter yelled as he stumbled and fell on his butt. He refused the hand Tony held out to help him up. “What happened to no more overreacting?!”

“Oh no, no, no. Don’t even go there.” Tony breathed a laugh with no humour behind it. “That does not apply to this situation. Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been, I get a call from your teacher saying you fell asleep in class then Happy calls me and says he lost sight on you when you didn’t get off at the right stop-”

“It was an accident! You’re making it sound like I did it on purpose!”

“I’m not saying that I’m saying don’t you dare accuse me of overreacting when I thought someone had fucking kidnapped you!” With that Peter closed his mouth abruptly and stared at his feet. Tony took a deep breath trying to stop himself from speaking so harshly to the fragile child he knew was behind all that anger Peter was putting up as a front.

“I’m sorry. I just fell asleep and my phone was on silent, okay? I didn’t mean to scare anyone. I get why you were worried I know there’s a lot of people out there who wanna hurt me. But I can handle myself-”

“I know you think you can Pete, but you’re too young and naive, you trust people too easy. Why do you think-”

“You have Happy babysit me. Yeah, I get it. You don’t trust me because I’m a stupid kid. But hey your best little agent couldn’t even keep up with a fucking bus so maybe you shouldn’t trust people so easy either!” Peter laughed maniacally, having gone past being angry by that point. He didn’t ask for any of this. He didn’t ask to be bitten by some radioactive spider or for him to be the only one to survive it. He didn’t ask for Tony to suddenly start caring about him. “I know I’m a very important investment for you, you’ve put a lot of time and money into this little project ain’t ya?!”

“Stop it.” Tony couldn’t believe was he was hearing. He hadn't expected the argument to escalate so quickly but he should've know better given the boys fragile self esteem. But after everything that had happened between the two in the past few weeks how could the boy still think that of him? What did he have to do to prove to Peter that he cared about him? “You’re gonna regret all of this later so just stop now.”

Peter just laughed again. “No, fuck that. I ain’t gonna stand here while you call me names, I ain’t gotta take this shit from you I get enough of bullies at school! If I’m so much trouble how about you go and find another kid who’s easier for you to control, huh Tony? I’m sure Ted would jump at the opportunity- hell,anyone would, so go ahead, take your pick of all the broken kids in New York! I'm obviously too naive to seize this amazing opportunity that you've so graciously bestowed, oh humble Lord Stark!” He spat.

“I didn’t pick you Peter-”

“Oh no that’s right, I was forced on you wasn’t I? Well Bruce has plenty of my DNA in that lab of his so you can go ahead and clone me if you want, just make sure to take out the piece of his brain that controls his free will so he’s perfectly pliable for you-”

“Peter that is enough!” Tony refused to listen to anymore of it and he realised he’d pushed the boy too far. All of Peter’s insecurities were coming out at once and he had to put a stop to it before he had a full on break down. Seeing how much Peter was now overreacting to a small comment, that he didn't intend to come across that way, showed him how truly unreasonable he had been. “Come inside, we can-”

“I’m don’t wanna anywhere with you.” Peter had angry tears running down his face. If Tony wanted to hurt him by calling him stupid and naive he’d see just how the man liked it. He wiped his face furiously and considered jumping the balcony to scale the side of the building. He knew that wouldn’t work, Tony would suit up and grab him before he could get anywhere. He knew he was being childish, but what did Tony expect? If he was going to treat him like a small child maybe he should act like one, so the man could see the difference.

“So, what do you want to do?” The man himself was at a loss of what to do. He didn’t know what he could say to calm Peter down at this point, everything he thought to say was being taken the wrong way and he felt helpless. He wished he had stayed by the car and had this conversation with Steve present, he’d always been better with the emotional side of things.

“I wanna go back to before I ever got the stupid internship.” Peter covered his mouth knowing he’d gone way too far. He hoped fruitlessly that somehow the man hadn’t heard him but he saw the mans eye twinge. He didn't mean that, he didn't, he was just being hurtful but he never meant to dig quite that deep.

Tony showed little reaction on his face but he couldn’t ignore the stab in his chest when he heard those words come out of the boys mouth. He tried to tell himself that this was all Peter just lashing out in anger, something he’d done to his own father many times, but he couldn’t help the voice in the back of his mind telling him that he’s somehow ruined the relationship with Peter before it had even started. What was he going to do if Peter came to the sudden realisation that he didn't want Tony as his dad, what was he going to do then?

“Tony I’m sorry I-”

“The best I can do is give you some space for a while, kiddo, I haven’t figured out time travel yet. I’ll let you know when I do.” Tony suited up and took off again, not giving Peter a chance to reply. He didn’t want the teen to see how wet his eyes had just become, it wasn’t the right time of year to blame it on allergies. He knew he wasn't helping the situation by running away, but he couldn't handle the thought of the new dreams he had for the future crumbling. It had been so long since he'd felt so driven and hopeful, he didn't want to think about that being taken away so easily. He did the only thing he knew to work when he wanted to stop thinking. He went up to his private bar and plucked an expensive bottle of cognac off of the shelf, falling back to his old coping mechanisms. He sat there in silence trying to figure out how everything went so wrong so quickly. How had he gone from being Peter's best friend, his dad, that morning to the boy wishing he'd never known him in less than a day? He couldn't wrap his head around it and all the thoughts going around his head were starting to suffocate him. Maybe he really wasn't cut out for this after all. Clearly he wasn't giving Peter what he needed, he shouldn't have let himself dream that he could.

It wasn’t long before he heard the sliding doors open behind him and he sighed. Peter had been right, no one in that house could leave well enough alone.

“Day drinking already Stark?”

“Piss off Barton, I’m not in the mood.” Tony remained staring ahead even when Clint sat on the barstool beside him, making it clear he wasn’t open to conversation.

“Steve told me what happened.”

“Of course he did, good old Cap’ even in this digital age he still manages to spread gossip quicker than twitter.” Tony said sarcastically, not putting up a fight when Clint moved his glass away from him. He was used to the other members of the team disallowing his self destructive habits.
“Don’t have a crisis, Tony. Every dad goes through it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about-”

“Save it okay? I’m not here to pass judgement. I’m just here to reassure you.” Clint kept his tone friendly, despite the emotion brick wall the man beside him had put up. He was used to Tony shutting down at times like this, finding solace in his liquor cabinet rather than his friends, but he really did know what it was like to have that first big argument with your child. “I remember the first time Lila told me she hated me.”

“Yeah?” Tony allowed himself to show interest in what Clint had to say.

“Oh yeah, one of the worst days of my life.” Clint smiled. “Kids don’t have any idea how much that shit hurts. It felt like the end of the world. How could this perfect little human I helped raise for the past twelve years not love me anymore? I didn’t recognise the bratty little demon screaming at me because I wouldn’t let her see a movie with her friends.”

He got a chuckle out of Tony. He was glad that he wasn't the only one who had felt like his world was crumbling around him after a simple argument. He felt so weak and pathetic, all the things his father had told him he was- wow, okay so it's his daddy issues coming back to bite him again? That's what all this was? Great. “I know he didn’t mean it.”

“No, but it still fucking sucks. It allowed to hurt you Tony as much as you hate to admit it you’re human too.”

“Clearly. I nearly started crying over a fifteen year old throwing a tantrum after he was the one who scared me half to death.”

Clint was surprised to hear Tony voice his emotions so openly, but he made sure not to let his face show that. He was happy that his friend was letting him in for once. “Oh a lot of tears come with fatherhood, Tony, I’ll tell you that now. I’m sure the kids a wreck right now too.”

“I know I should go and talk to him I just want to give him a chance to calm down. I went in too hot when Steve found him and I’m guessing he didn’t have the best day either from what his teacher said.”

“If it were me, I’d let him come to you. But you know him best Tony, so if you think you should go and talk to him first you go ahead. Just no more of this stuff,” he shook the bottle of alcohol pointedly. “That’s gonna get you nowhere.”

“Old habits die hard.” Tony sighed and patted Clint’s shoulder as he stood up.
"Just remember Tony, if you feel like you're the worst dad in the worls, that probably means you're doing something right."
"Uh, okay." Tony shrugged, but accepted the conflicting advice his friend bestowed to him.
The two men exited the room and started to make their way down to the common floor but they were met with a sobbing teenager inside the elevator.

“I’ll get the next one.” Clint smiled, giving him an 'I told you so' look, and slapped Tony’s back encouragingly.

“Tony I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean all those things I said, I really didn’t! I don't regret the internship, meeting you has been the best thing that ever happened to me I just got upset when you called me dumb and I was mad and I shouldn't have- I don’t know where all that came from it was my fault for falling asleep on the bus and I’m- I'm just so scared of messing everything up and losing you I just-”

“Shh, come here, you’re alright.” Tony wrapped him in a hug as he got in the elevator with him. He was shocked that Peter had come to him so quickly, having accounted for at least a few hours of brooding. He had to admit to himself that the relief he felt when Peter accepted the hug was almost enough to make him start tearing up again. Everything the boy said mirrored his own fears and that was so unbelievably comforting. He felt ridiculous for letting himself get so upset at the boys words in the first place. Now he was accepting his role as a father maybe it was time to go back to therapy for all the Howard Stark stains left on his mind. “We both just got a little too upset huh?”

“I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry, I was so mean.” Peter continued crying into the man’s chest. “Why are you hugging me you should hate me-”

“You know I could never hate you, Shirley Temple.” He ran his hair through Peters curls and used the other hand to rub the boys back. “Come on. Take a few deep breaths for me, bubs. You’re okay.”

After a minute Peter managed to calm himself down and broke away from the man, wiping his nose on his sleeve. “I think I got snot on you.”

“Probably, but it’s not the worst bodily fluid I’ve had on me.” Tony smiled.

“Why does everything have to be such a big deal all the time?” Peter asked sadly, meeting Tony’s eye for the first time.

“Cause we’re both a couple drama queens.” Tony wrapped his arm around his shoulders and led him out of the elevator.

“You’re the drama queen.” Peter sniffed determined not to crack a smile.

“And you’re stubborn.”

“And you’re overprotective.”

“And you’re both too similar.” Steve said cheerily from the living room.

“Stay outta this Steve.” The two said in unison. Peter couldn’t help but laugh then.

“You wanna go get a nap now, Pete?” Tony asked.

“I don’t think I could sleep now if I wanted to.”

“Fair enough, wanna watch some TV? It’s usually around now that Steve watches his Golden Girls reruns.” Tony joked.

“I love the Golden Girls!” Peter said seriously causing Tony to roll his eyes.

“Of course you do.”

They ended up sitting on the couch watching a few episodes before Peter gave in and dozed off, leaning against his mentor. Tony took the opportunity to talk to Steve about seriously creating some rules. Steve was suggesting a few when he realised the man had stopped replying to him.

“Do you not think it’s a good- oh.” His eyes fell on the two that were now both sleeping soundly, Tony’s head fell back against the couch with his mouth was hanging open. Steve had to stop himself from audibly cooing at them as he got up to start on dinner.

The others flocked to the living room at around the same time and Steve had to shush each of them to stop them from waking the pair up. What he couldn’t do was stop Nat from snapping a picture on her phone (“Good blackmail material.” She shrugged).

“So the small one wasn’t childsnatched after all?” was Thor’s way of asking Steve about the earlier incident, which the others listened eagerly for a reply.

“No, he was just exhausted after he and Tony stayed up all night and he fell asleep on the bus ride home. Made it all the way to the last stop too that’s where I picked him up.”

“He clearly needed some sleep.” Bruce quipped looking over at the two nestled on the sofa.

“Well Tony can’t say I didn’t warn him.” Steve grumbled. “Maybe he’s the one who needs some rules.”

The rest of the adults dropped the subject, not wanting to get Steve started on his rant again. When it came time for dinner it was Thor tasked with waking the duo on the couch who decided to do so by hurtling a pillow in their direction and yelling.

“WAKEY WAKEY!”

The pillow landed Tony square in the face which in turn caused it to fall on Peter’s head, who grabbed it and sent it flying across the room, sticking it to the window with a web.

“Thor you ass!” Tony yelled in frustration clutching his face.

“Why would you do that?!” Peter groaned before shoving a hand between his legs and running to the nearest bathroom.

“There you’ve made the kid pee his pants now Thor, good job!”

“Tony, shut up! I did not!”

Dinner went smoothly despite everyone clearly wanted to ask questions about what had happened earlier that day. Steve and Clint had clearly warned them about prying. It was when everyone parted ways having cleared up after dinner when Steve called after Peter.

“Hey, sport. You got a minute?”

Peter saw both Tony and Steve sitting at the breakfast bar and his heart sank.

“Aw, come on guys, I’ve had enough emotion for one day.” He rubbed his eye tiredly. “Can’t this just wait til tomorrow? Whatever I did I can apologise then-”

“Sit down Mr. Know-It-All, this isn’t the spanish inquisition.” Tony laughed. “We’ve just got a couple things we need to set straight.”

Peter sighed but took a seat across from the two men, yawning. “You co-parenting now, Tony?”

“Hilarious, now enough lip.” That hurt Tony’s pride a little bit. He was perfectly capable of doing this by himself so what was the harm in asking for a little help every now and then? Besides it was nice not to have to be the authoritative one, he was letting Steve play 'bad cop'. Well, as bad as Steve could possibly be, which was about as bad as a grumpy librarian.

“It’s nothing major, Pal. Remember how we said about setting up a few ground rules?” Steve said gently, hoping to wear down Peter’s defences. Peter nodded so he continued. “Well me and Tony thought after today it might be the best time to establish them.”

Steve looked at Tony, passing the metaphorical baton to him. “The biggest one stems from the conversation we had the other night and what happened this afternoon. Communication. I’m not expecting you to call me twenty times a day or anything like that but I want you to text someone every time you go somewhere, whether that be getting on or off the bus etcetera-”

“But Happy follows me around anyway?”

Tony held one finger up to quiet him. “Let me finish. I was going to say if you agree to stick with that rule I won’t have Happy keep tabs on you twenty four seven.”

“So he won’t drive around after me anymore?” Peter asked suspiciously. He highly doubted that his dad would ever let him go anywhere on his own completely.

“Nope.” Tony said seriously. “So long as we have a mutual trust thing going on here. Obviously I’ll have him keep close by so if you did need anything he’d get there quicker than I could, but I won't have him follow the bus or park outside wherever you're at.”

Peter nodded. “That sounds fair.”

“Good.” Tony smiled, that had gone easier than he had previously thought. He’d expected a rehash of the argument they had had earlier so he was glad it had gone down smoothly with the boy. “Steve you wanna say your one?”

“Okay. Secondly, no cursing.” Steve said very seriously giving Peter a look that made him want to squirm in his seat or hide behind Tony. “I don’t like it. We all have to get better at it, yes I’m looking at you Anthony-”

“Stop that.” Tony growled through gritted teeth. He hated it when anyone used his full name, especially Steve, it reminded him of being berated by his father. Steve knew that which ticked him off even more.

“Uh huh, I agree with that one.” Peter blushed guilty, thinking about all the times he’d cursed in the past few hours alone. His Aunt would have fainted.

“Okay, good. Also curfew on school nights is eight thirty and you’re to be in bed by ten at the latest. We’ll discuss weekend stuff when it comes to it.”

The rest of the rules consisted of general listening to your elders type things, but Steve stressed particular ones such as the no cursing rule and having to finish everything on his plate.

“Every meal I prepare is specifically calculated and portioned, so given your metabolism it’s important you’re getting the right nutrition. I'm not having any of this meal skipping business either.”

They sat around for about an hour discussing everything when Tony decided that Peter had to go to bed before he passed out right there in the kitchen.

“Okay Spider-Boy, off to bed with you.”

“Spider-Man, Iron Douche.” Peter yawned as he stretched.

“Language.” Steve warned.

“Sorry Mr. Steve.” Peters eyes had already started closing and he was two steps away from walking into the wall before said ‘Mr. Steve’ put his arm out to stop him.

“Might wanna open your eyes there, sport.” Steve chuckled.

“I got him.” Tony stood up and steered Peter in the direction of his bedroom. He managed to get him through his doorway before he started to collapse, only having to drag him the short distance to his bed. “When did you get so heavy?”

“Blame Steve’s pacifically calculated portions.” Peter murmured into the man’s shoulder, making not attempt to try and lessen his weight or support himself in anyway.

“Specifically.”

“Exactly.” Peter giggled as Tony dropped him on his bed.

“Goodnight goofball.” Tony laughed looking at the sprawled mess he now called his son. What was his life? When and how did this happen?

“Night, dad. M’sorry for being an asshole.”

“I’m sorry for being an asshole too buddy, sweet dreams.” He waited to see if Peter would move to tuck himself under the covers. He did no such thing, Tony couldn’t tell if he was asleep or was being too lazy to move that was until he saw the drool already coming out of the teens mouth. He sighed and went back over to tuck the boy in.

**************************

That night Peter slept like a rock. He didn’t wake up until around three thirty, which was very unusual as he tended to wake up way before then in need of the bathroom. This caused a more inconvenient issue. Peter woke up with a stretch having not moved from the position Tony had so carefully placed him in. At first he felt content, enjoying not waking up and having to immediately dash to the bathroom but as that thought crossed his mind he became aware that his lower half felt extremely warm. He whipped back the covers to see that his worst fears were realised; there was a large stain spanning the entirety of his crotch and the sheets beneath him, soaking him down to the knees.

“Shit!” He leapt from his bed and started to gather up the sheets, hoping to catch them before the stain began to set in. He cursed himself for crashing so hard and not going to the bathroom before falling asleep. He knew better than to do that under any circumstances. He knew where the laundry room was as he’d had to make a few midnight trips down there in the past. Up until this point he’d managed to avoid JARVIS informing anyone about him leaving his room so late at night as he bargained with him; if he let JARVIS perform a vitals scan to show he wasn’t in need of any medical attention and if he didn’t take any detours on his way to and from the laundry room the AI wouldn’t alert Tony to his little problem. Just as he was beginning down the hallway he heard that familiar eloquent voice chime above him.

“Mr. Parker, I do believe per your recent agreement with Master Tony that you should inform him of your accident.”

“Thanks for the advice, JARVIS but I really don’t want to right now. Besides I don’t want to wake him up.”

“Master Tony is currently awake, Sir. Would you like me to-”

“No, thank you. I’m perfectly fine. Scan me if you don’t believe me.” Peter snapped irritably. As handy as the AI system was at times he could still be a real pain in the neck when it came to his newfound father’s spying.

“I already have, Sir. Per your previous instruction and all appears to be normal-”

“Cool, so we have nothing to worry about then.”

“Sir, if I may-”

“You may not. JARVIS mute.” Peter cut him off and continued to make his way down three floors bellow him to the laundry area. He really wasn't interested in having another argument with the stupid super computer. Had he listened to what the AI had to say he would’ve known that JARVIS had been trying to warn him that he wasn’t the only one roaming the halls so late at night.

“Good evening, young one!” He heard a booming voice call before he saw the long blond hair turn the corner, coming straight towards him.

‘Oh fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!’ Peter’s heart jumped in his throat. He didn’t have any chance to react, not even having time to hold his sodden sheets behind his back before he and the man were face to face. All he could do was stare at the floor and wish it would suddenly open up and swallow him whole.

“What are you doing up so- Ah.” Thor cut himself off. Even he wasn’t so clueless as to what Peter would be doing that late at night with a pile of laundry no less. He saw as the boys shoulders started to shake and it looked as though he was holding his breath, trying to will himself (or Thor for that matter) out of existence. Though at first he simply stood there awkwardly, but the look on Peter's face sent him back in time to his childhood and all of he and Loki's late night escapades. Thor found his big brother instincts kicking in and he crouched down a little, forcing Peter to look at him. “Oh, Spiderling it’s alright! Nothing one of those spinning water cycles can’t fix! Don’t look so downtrodden little one, come on.”

Thor put his hand on Peters shoulder, somewhat gentle even by normal people standards. Peter couldn’t bring himself to acknowledge the man and stayed frozen to the ground. Thor frowned, he’d never seen the boy look so scared in all his life. Peter was usually such a happy child and Thor enjoyed having someone around who shared his enthusiasm for life and all the wonderful things in it, it broke the gods heart to see his face looking so crestfallen.

“Peter, let me help you lad. You’ve got nothing to be ashamed of, honestly, it happens to everyone at some point or another.” Again Thor’s words of comfort were met with no response and he did the only other thing he knew to do. He wrapped Peter in a tight hug, with no regard to the wet sheets now squeezed between them both, and practically lifted the teen off of the ground.

“Thor no! I’m gonna get you w-wet!” Peter cried out, clearly trying his hardest not to cry.

“Ah urine is nothing compared to the bodily fluids I’ve been covered in, Spiderling, trust me. I believe the worst one was Firedragon vomit...anyway! Come along, let’s go and get you cleaned up, shall we?”

“Thor you don’t have to do this, I can do it by myself you can just pretend you never saw anything-”

“I’m not going to leave a child alone when they’re so obviously under distress, Peter.” Thor frowned, seeming to have taken some offence to the conversation. “It’s truly no trouble. Or would you rather I fetch Stark. Perhaps he would-”

“No, no! Please don’t, I mean, I’ve bothered him enough for one day, don’t you think?” Peter said miserably, once again hanging his head in shame.

“Not at all, young one. I happen to know that nothing you have ever done or could ever do would be of any burden to Anthony.” Thor said seriously before resuming his usual all-teeth bearing grin. “Now allow me to swap these soiled sheets out for fresh ones whilst you go and take a shower. I’ll come up to your chamber with the new ones then I’ll collect your nightclothes to be seen to also, sound good?”

“You really don’t have to-”

“Hush now, I shan’t leave any room for argument. Now go on.”

“Thank you Thor...Really I mean it.”

“Anytime, Youngling.” Thor winked before turning away to complete his side of the clean up plan. Peter rushed off too, desperately trying to avoid run-ins with anyone else and quickly did what Thor had told him to do. The god saved him the embarrassment of having to face him a second time by collecting his wet garments that he left outside his bathroom and replacing them with fresh ones, silently. He even changed his sheets and comforter for him and he felt his eyes welling up at the man’s kindness. He was still awfully tired but he didn’t dare go back to sleep, in fear he wouldn’t wake up in time again. He decided to get some extra work done in preparation for next semester's school curriculum instead. It was around five o’clock when he heard a sharp knock at his door which startled him.

“Hey, Underoos, wake up I got- oh, you’re awake.” Tony blinked in surprise. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I just kinda messed up my sleeping pattern by falling asleep so early.” He chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. That wasn’t completely untrue, he didn’t feel tired at all by this point, having drank one of the secret energy drinks he kept hidden away from Steve under his bed. He wasn’t sure how much the man was buying into that statement though, so he was quick to refocus him on whatever he had bust in for originally. “Did you say you wanted to show me something?”

“Come with me!” Luckily he’d thrown Tony off of his scent as the man started to ramble about some break through he’d had whilst redesigning the canisters that held Peter’s synthetic web fluid. Something to do with using a metal that would help to keep the fluid partially dissolved, rather than solidifying in the can, which meant it would have a much larger firing range before it solidified in the air. Peter was immediately drawn in as any alterations to his suit meant he’d get to test, test and retest the modifications. He loved anytime he got to wear the suit especially when he was allowed to fully stretch his wings and test his limits, even if it was in a controlled environment. They spent the rest of the early hours of the morning testing out how well the new formula held up, having Peter perform all kinds of different swings, slings and Spidey-things (“Say something that lame again and you can take that suit off”). It wasn’t until they heard Steve bellowing over the tannoy that they broke their concentration.

“STARK DID YOU NOT LEARN ANYTHING FROM WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY?! WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT KEEPING PETER UP ALL HOURS OF THE DAMN NIGHT-”

“Woah, hey, hold your horses there Cap, I woke him up at five he got plenty of sleep!”

“Oh.” Steve said quietly, clearly regretting having flown into a rage quite so quickly.

“And did you just say the D word Mr. Rodgers?!” Tony gasped in mock horror making the boy beside him fall into a fit of giggles. “How dare you use such foul language in front of our impressionable youth!”

“Hey!” Peter protested through his laughter.

“Alright, I get it. Get your butts up here for breakfast.”

“And now the B word?! Who are you and what have you done with Stevie?!” Tony cried dramatically and Peter couldn’t contain his hysterics when Steve hung up the line in a huff. They made their way upstairs, Peter electing to stay in his suit (more like Tony couldn’t convince him to take it off).

“Hey, troublemaker.” Nat greeted him with a smirk. “Look at you in your fancy new suit.”

“It’s shiny huh?” Peter grinned proudly, doing a little spin to show it off.

“Very shiny.” She smiled fondly at him as she sipped her coffee. “Just be careful around Bruce he can be a little magpie at times.”

“I don’t know what that means but okay.” He shrugged making the rest of the room chuckle. They all found it hard not to make the boy centre of attention but he really did manage to light up the room with his personality as soon as he walked in. It was nice for them to see him back to his usual bubbly self, especially for Thor.

“You gonna join us for training after breakfast?” Steve asked. “You’re all suited and ready to go by the looks of things.”

Peter looked at Tony to answer for him, not sure of what the man’s plans were. He shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”

“Cool! So I get to train wearing the suit?!” Peter bounced excitedly.

“Kid, why don’t I just have Bruce graft your skin inside the suit?” Tony rolled his eyes, though the boys excitement was infectious.

“What like a Big Daddy?” Peter laughed before noticing the room had gone quiet at that comment when all the adults gave him a mixture of confused and weird looks. “It’s from a game? Bioshock?”

“Whatever you say there Pete.” Tony clapped him on his shoulders.

“What? No, don’t say it like that!”

“Yeah, Peter. Whatever you say.” Nat teased, smirking again.

“Oh my god- Stop it!” Peter blushed furiously but was laughing at the same time. “You guys suck.”

“Watch it.” Steve warned though he was smiling also.

“Wait is Bioshock the one with those creepy little girls with big needles?” Thor asked through a mouthful of muffin.

“Yeah, that’s the one! See?!” Peter cried. Tony noticed that Peter couldn’t quite meet the gods eye and he was curious as to why.

“What kind of games have you been playing?” Bruce asked, looking rather disturbed.

“I mean it’s rated mature but there’s no cussing or swearing or anything…” Peter sweatdropped nervously deliberately avoiding Steve’s gaze. “Anyway- ahem, what kind of training are you guys gonna do?”

“Some basic combat stuff, nothing too technical. So you should be able to keep up, shortstack.” Nat bumped him with her shoulder.

“Okay- rude. I’m average height for my age.” Peter deadpanned, obviously very unimpressed at the term of endearment.

“Tony, you told me he was fifteen?” Bruce said. Peter hadn't expected Bruce of all people to join in the teasing.

“Wow! You know I don’t have to stand for this-”

“I thought you were standing.” Steve said, trying his best not to laugh, he'd clearly impressed himself with his quick thinking.

“Ooh, good one Rogers.” Nat commended him.

“Tony.” Peter whined and leant against the elder man.

“Okay, enough bullying my kid now, let him eat his breakfast.” Tony chuckled.

“Fine, we’ll get you after class then dweeb.” Nat said in a caricature of a high school bully, hitting one hand with the opposite fist ‘threateningly’. Peter poked his tongue out at her childishly which caused another wave of laughter around the room.

They ate their breakfast in relative peace before they all headed down to the gym. All chattering amongst themselves, Tony caught Thor give Peter a look once again that for some reason made the boy blush and turn away. He was starting to grow concerned as Peter had never showed signs of being uncomfortable around he man before.

“P, what’s going on?”

“Hm?” The child said distractedly as he stretched.

“What’s up between you and Thor?”

“Oh, uh, nothing. Nothing’s up.” Tony furrowed his brows at the way Peter’s expression changed.

“Uh uh, look at me. You’re a terrible liar, now spit it out.”

“He just...he helped me out with something. It’s nothing bad- look can we talk about this later?” Peter begged, his face glowing a bright pink. As much as Tony wanted to press further he relented. He was satisfied for now knowing it wasn’t something bad like Peter and the other man had had some kind of argument when he wasn’t there.

“Okay. Later it is.”

Peter breathed a visible sigh of relief and resumed his usual excited nature. He was itching to spar with someone but much to his disappointment a dummy was placed in front of him.

“Aw, come on! What the hell is-“

“Language!”

“...heck is this?!” Peter cried indignantly. “I thought you said I was gonna train with you guys today?!”

“You are just not with us.” Natasha said as she strolled past him nonchalantly.

Peter stood there with his mouth open looking from adult to adult hoping someone would fight his corner. “Bruce- Thor, come on!”

“Sorry bud, we just don’t want you to get hurt.” Bruce shrugged but gave him a kind smile.

“Well I’m all for it! But Captain Rogers threw his shield at my head last time I suggested it so-“

“What happened to resolving things with our words Steve?” Peter quipped sassily, looking at Steve with his hands on his hips.

“Save it. You’re observing and practising. You’re not ready to run with the big dogs yet, sport.” Steve laughed. He wasn’t about to let Peter get a rise out of him, even if he was a little mirror image of Tony.

“Well you guys weren’t saying that when we were back fighting the Kree!”

“Yes we did.” All the adults other than Thor chimed in.

“That’s exactly what we were saying.” Tony continued. “And Peter stop sharing space memes on Facebook.”

“Why?! Besides I’m not sharing I’m just tagging Ne- Hey I don’t have you on Facebook?”

“No but you have one of my associates who I asked to keep an eye on things.”

“You hired someone other than Happy to stalk me?! What the hell?!”

“You accept friend requests from people you don’t know and I’m the one in the wrong here? Have you never been taught internet safety at school? You should’ve known better.”

Peter let out a noise of frustration, letting Tony know the issue wasn’t over. “Anyway! You all have to admit I held my own out there!”

Thor went to say something but he was cut off by Natasha. “You survived on pure luck and instinct, that can only get you so far. You need the training too.”

Peter folded his arms over his chest. “Well you weren’t even there so-“

“Watch it.” Tony said and came up behind him to punch the boy’s shoulders. “Nobody is saying you can’t fight Pete you’re just not ready to spar with any of us. Your reflexes are impeccable but you lack foresight- you need to guess what strike someone’s gonna give next and act preemptively, not just reactively.”

“Well how am I ever gonna be able to learn if you guys won’t teach me? I can’t learn how to react premptivey-“ Tony sent daggers around the room to make sure no one called him out on his pronunciation-“on a doll.”

“That’s not just any doll, Pete. You think I’d put you up against some boring old mannequin?” Tony moves away from him to fiddle with the white severed torso, which at the flip of a button transformed; different panels sliding and twisting until there was a full sized robot, that towered over Peter by a solid two feet, standing to attention in front of him.

“Woah…” Peter said in awe as he gazed up and down at the droid.

“Yeah, woah. So have fun kid.” Tony grinned and slapped the robots chest twice before he went back over to where the others were warming up.

“Tony is that thing really safe?” Steve asked him in a low whisper.

“Of course it’s safe, I’d never put him in any danger-“

“WOOA- ow!” In the background behind the man’s head Steve saw Peter fly across the room and slam into the wall, before he slid down it and landed to the floor with a thud. Peter stuck his arm up in a thumbs up a moment later. “I’m okay!”

“I just programmed it to rough him up a little.” Tony shrugged, having completely ignored the scene behind him.

“Tony.” Steve growled warningly. He could see this going very badly very quick and he wanted to avoid the boy having to take a trip to the hospital wing. Of course he trusted Tony to know the boy’s limits but he couldn’t help but worry when he saw Peter get picked up by one of his legs and swung around into a support beam.

“You’re doing great kiddo!” Tony called. He turned back to Steve gesturing to Peter with a thumb over his shoulder. “The kid’s a natural.”

Steve made another angry noise before he began to spar with the man, knowing if Tony wasn’t going to listen to him he could still vent his frustration that way. It wasn’t until they heard Peter yelp and fall silent that anyone (other than Steve ) truly got concerned. Whilst the boy had suspended himself from a beam the robot had cut his webbing and he fell a good distance without managing to stop himself. He hit the floor hard making everyone else in the room cringe in empathy.

“You alright, Kid?” Bruce called over to him when he didn’t get up right away. Peter only laid still for a second but it was a second too long for the elders in the room and they all took a step towards him just as he sprang up.

“Whoo- yeah I’m good! Did you see tha-” He was cut off as the droid made yet another swing at him, making him have to duck back quickly to avoid a hard hit to the face. Tony was the only one who remained completely unphased, not even looking in Peter’s direction as he spoke.

“Stay on your toes, Underoos.” He wasn’t the least bit concerned. He trusted his own machinery and Peter’s abilities fully. He knew both of their limits so he was completely comfortable. The droids programming was foolproof having been trained to avoid giving the boy any serious injury and to keep in tune with the boys vital signs at all times; tracking his heart rate, blood oxygen levels and so forth. He knew the boy was in no real danger.

“Tony I really think you should take it down a notch.” Steve stressed once again. “That was a hard hit.”

“His suit is shock absorbing Mama Bear, does he look hurt to you? He’s gonna have to learn if he’s ever gonna keep up with the likes of you.” Tony still kept his eyes on Steve the entire time not stealing a glance towards his young charge (who was currently kicking and spinning around the mammoth machine). Tony took advantage of Steve’s preoccupied state and got a solid punch to his ribs, semi-winding the super soldier before he had a chance to react. “Come on Rogers, I thought you could ‘do this all day.’” He mocked.

Steve was already delivering a kick in return. “Well excuse me if I don’t trust your robots after the whole Ultron situation.”

“Ooh, low blow.”

At the other side of the room Peter was starting to get a little tired. Every time he gained some kind of leverage the machine immediately gained it back. He was pinned down under one of its arms once again when he yelled out in frustration, “Aw come on, this guy just won’t quit will he?!”

“You’re taking it way too personally there, munchkin.” Nat snorted. Peter looked in her direction and became distracted at how well he saw Bruce fighting. He knew the man was required to train with the rest of them, should he ever find himself needing to fight when he couldn’t let Hulk take over for whatever reason, should it be unsafe for him or others, but he was impressed at just how good the man was. That moment of distraction cost him dearly though as he completely forgot to brace himself or make any attempt to doge out of the way when the droid delivered a punch straight to his abdomen. Even with the shock absorbency his suit had it wasn’t enough to stop him feeling the full force of it, in both his bladder and his lungs, as it forced all the air out of him.

“Mm, ow, okay, time out.” He croaked out quietly as he curled in on himself clutching his stomach. Maybe it was time to take a rest break and visit the bathroom. He’d never been winded quite that badly before and he wasn’t enjoying the burning sensation he felt in the bottom of his lungs as he gasped to get his breath back. Much to his horror the giant white, plastic thing didn’t stop moving towards him.

“Training Wheels, pause.” Tony said calmly as he held a hand up to Steve to make him pause their fight. He strolled past the now frozen droid and offered Peter a hand to help him up, which he took gratefully.

“Wait? Training wheels?” Peter wheezed. He looked up at Tony and steadied himself with his hands on his knees, trying to take deep even breaths.

“Thought it was appropriate.” Tony smirked and shrugged. He couldn’t see Peter’s expression under his mask but he was sure the teen was giving him a death stare. He patted his back gently. “You catching your breath now?”

“Not really.” Peter huffed out honestly. The pressure in his lower stomach wasn’t helping and he was starting to feel light headed, little black dots were appearing in the corners of his vision. The sensation was too similar to a severe panic attack he’d had before where he’d actually passed out, with that memory in his head he was finding it increasingly difficult to calm himself down. “I think I ought to sit out for a minute.”

“Okay, that’s okay come on.” Tony started to lead him to a nearby bench and he started to worry that he’d maybe programmed the droid to push him too far. He shot a worried look over to Bruce who was still currently fighting against Thor alongside Natasha. He managed to catch the man’s eye for a moment, which turned out to be a big mistake.

“Peter are you-” Before the doctor was able to finish his question Thor’s fist made connection with his nose, with a sickening crack. The stumbled back for a second in shock before his eyes started to turn.

“Banner I’m so sorry old friend!” Thor apologised quickly, seeing the mans breathing start to pick up speed. They’d all seen that look many times before but it still managed to strike fear in them, especially as they were in a confined space. It had been ages since Bruce had last turned accidentally but the small man was obviously struggling to keep himself in check, the sudden shock combined with the pain from his now broken nose having obviously tipped him over the edge.

“Bruce, baby look at me, it’s okay.” Nat rushed in front of him and grabbed him by his shoulders. She spoke calmly but the panic in her face was obvious. Bruce didn’t look at her, his eyes staying transfixed on Thor. “Look at me, look at me. It’s okay.”

Even with Nat now grabbing his face Bruce didn’t react. He put a hand up to his face, which was starting to tinge green, and pulled it away again now covered in blood. As soon as he saw the blood he saw red. Nat knew better than to stay that close to him and promptly backed away.

“Thor, move.” She said quietly but with heavy warning. The god either didn’t listen or was too shocked to react as he stayed standing directly in front of the man as he transformed, growing impossibly huge impossibly quick.

“Woah.” Peter said under his breath, seeing the man transform this close was both exhilarating and terrifying.

“Shit- JARVIS engage tantrum protocol!”

“Right away, Sir.” The AI’s voice boomed just as Hulk roared in Thor’s face, blood still dripping from his face.

“Now, Bruce, my old friend let’s just talk-” The god was cut off as he was violently thrown against the wall, being sent through several support beams on his way, including the one Peter and Tony were currently standing under. There was a deafening creak as the structure started to cave in, sending dust and rubble cascading onto the gym floor. The large brick pillar started to lean closer in on them. Without thinking Peter pushed Tony away from him, making him fall and slide across the smooth vinyl surface and tried to skid out of the way himself, as the beam fully collapsed on top of him.

At first he thought he’d moved out of the way in time, just having fell in the process. It wasn’t until he scrabbled to get up that he realised he couldn’t move his arm. It was pinned between the ground and a mountain of brick, steel and plaster.

“Peter, you idiot!” Tony bellowed as he ran back over to crouch next to the now trapped boy. “Are you okay?! Are you hurt?!”

“No, I’m fine, really it doesn’t hurt I just can’t pull myself ou- ow!” Peter twisted his arm the wrong way in an attempt to free himself, putting pressure on his shoulder joint that threatened to dislocate.

“Stop! Fucking stop! Just say still, hold on.” Tony tried to calm himself but it was difficult when Hulk was still having a field day throwing Thor around the room, further smashing the walls and equipment to pieces. He peered around, his suits were starting to fill the room to help try and coral Hulk to a safer area, a bunker Tony had built specifically for when Hulk made an appearance and needed somewhere to have a meltdown. Unfortunately, it was proving to be much more difficult as the green giant had a target he was locked on this time. He considered reawakening Training Wheels to help lift the pillar off of Peter, but he doubted even the bot would be strong enough to do so.

Peter was still writhing around and tugging at the trapped limb. He knew had he been at a different angle he would have no issue lifting the stone off of him he just couldn’t get the right leverage behind him. Tony was growing more than impatient with his efforts.

“Will you stop it?!”

“Well you’re not exactly helping!” Peter snapped. He was too uncomfortable to take any of the man’s anger directed towards him. He was lucky the metal fibre his suit was made out of was taking the pressure enough to avoid the debre cutting into his flesh, but the pressure was still excruciating.

“You’re gonna lose your damn arm!”

“Well, I’m losing control of my bladder so can you just fucking help me?!”

Tony sat back on his heels and sighed. “For christ’s sake Peter just go-”

“Don’t be disgusting!” Peter growled. He didn’t understand why the man would tell him to deliberately ruin the suit they had just spent several hours on upgrading.

“There’s a filtration system, I would’ve thought you’d have figure that out by now!”

Peter stopped fidgeting. “What?”

“Do you think I’d send you in the field without one? We don’t exactly have the chance to run off in the middle of combat and you can’t have any distractions when you’re fighting the enemy-”

“Does your suit have one?” Peter was struggling to wrap his head around it, though he did pick up on the man’s comment about him already using it, which he resented; yeah, he had a small bladder, but he’d always managed to get the suit off in time! Well, mostly-

Tony sighed at him again. “Yes, Peter-”

“So you’ve peed your pants in the Iron Man suit?” Peter snickered.

“You know why I didn’t give your suit a mouth hole? I thought it would encourage you to keep it shut every now and then!” The man looked really angry now but Peter couldn’t help but notice how Tony’s cheeks looked a little pinker than usual after he’d asked that question.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry!” Peter said still trying not to laugh.

“You know you’re not one to be making fun of-”

“I said I’m sorry! Now can you just do something so I don’t have to test this thing out?!”

“For that comment, I don’t think I will.” Tony said sorely, sitting back and folding his arms. “I want to make sure that feature works anyway-”

“Dad, please!” Peter begged and crossed his legs for added effect. “I really gotta go!”

“Okay, fine. But only because I don’t want you throwing another bitch fit.” Tony sighed before peering around again. He could still see suits flying around as Hulk did his best King Kong impression with one arm and was slinging Thor around with the other. Natasha was still standing strong in the centre of all the chaos, trying to soothe Hulk long enough for Bruce to regain control. “Where the hell is, Rogers?”

“You called?” The supersoldier appeared behind them breathlessly.

“Babysit Underoos for a minute, I think we’re gonna need to pull out the big guns for this one.” Tony said as he stood up.

Steve nodded in agreement and crouched beside Peter in Tony’s place.

“I don’t need babysitting, thank you very much!” Peter yelled at him angrily as he took off, jumping in time for one of the suits to take him wherever he was going.

“How you holding up?” Steve smiled sympathetically. Peter didn’t need to know that he overheard his conversation about his bladder situation.

“I’m fine, my arm’s just starting to go numb.” It wasn’t a complete lie, he really couldn’t feel his fingers anymore. He didn’t want to admit that he also really had to pee. He was struggling not to squirm too much, he hoped the ones he couldn’t suppress would be chalked up to loss of circulation.

“Tony will be back with Veronica soon kid, don’t worry.” Steve was right, not five minutes later Tony bust through what was left of the wall leading out into the hallway in the Hulkbuster suit. Peter was irritated that from his current position he couldn’t see the rest of the action unfold, he could only hear it. He heard the Hulk scream in rage as he was dragged into a massive reinforced metal cage which Natasha bravely joined him in, still muttering words of comfort the entire time. After what felt like forever Tony finally made his way back over to where Peter laid trapped.

“Oh thank god, get this stupid thing off me!”

“Hold your horses, do you want to end up with compartment syndrome? Or toxic shock? The blood supply in your arm might’ve been cut off for too long for me too-”

“I don’t care! Chop it off- turn me into the winter soldier! I don’t give a fuck just get me out!” Peter screamed, both because his bladder was hurting and he was starting to get a flare of extreme claustrophobia, having lost control of his breathing again when Tony left him. He finally understood how people could chew off their own limbs because if he could reach he would’ve tried it.

Steve opened his mouth to comment on the swearing (and Peter’s flippency about Bucky’s prosthetic limb) but Tony stopped him. “Let him have that one. Peter you need to calm down, elevating your heart rate isn’t going to help anything.”

“I’m trying damn it!”

“Alright, it’s alright. We’re gonna get you out everything’s okay.” Tony kept muttering words of comfort, though they mostly fell on deaf ears, as he started to slowly lift the crushing weight off of him.

Thor had since come over to help too and was hurtling piles of rubble off of the top of the main culprit, a massive steel bar, trying to speed the process along. Steve’s job was to keep Peter as still as possible. After a couple minutes he was finally free and he managed to slip Steve’s grasp long enough to rip his arm from the gap just a bit too early, making all the adults cringe as he almost degloved his entire arm. Even his suit ripped under the strain. He jumped up despite the extreme dizziness and started to rush towards the destroyed exit.
He only made it about five steps before he stopped, his whole body tensing and his knees locking together. Both Steve and Thor ran to him expecting him to pass out but he put his arm up before they touched him, warning them not to do so.

“Pete are you-” Peter held one finger up to silence him.

After about a minute his shoulders relaxed, his head fell towards the ground and he sighed.

“Did you just-” Tony smirked.

“Shut up, Tony.” Peter snapped and whipped around throwing his mask at the man. “At least we know your stupid filtration system works!”

Peter stormed off not listening when the men called him back.

“Kiddo, I’m sorry!” Tony yelled but he was still laughing. “We still gotta check you over!”

His laughter however earned him the bird, but at least Peter was able to do it with the arm he had trapped.

Chapter Text

When Tony found Peter after his micro-tantrum, he was hauled up in a corner of the lab fiddling with the canisters they’d been working on that morning, with a blanket draped over him and a giant bowl of M&M’s.

“What was wrong with what we did earlier?” Tony questioned, speaking softly so he didn’t startle Peter as he sat down beside him.

“Viscosity was off, the bot cut through it too easy.” Peter said shortly through a mouthful of candy.

“Fair enough. Can I have some?” He pointed towards the bowl. This was his way of testing whether or not the boy was holding a grudge with him.

“No.” He hissed and pulled the bowl towards him protectively. So that answered that question.

“Aw, come on. Please?” Peter just grunted at him. “Pretty please with a suit upgrade on top?”

“Fine, but don’t take the blue ones! They’re my favourite.” Peter relented and watched in horror as Tony deliberately took a handful full of blue candies. “You’re a monster.”

“But you love me. Besides they all taste the same.” Tony shoulder bumped him. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you earlier, bubby.”

“Well, you did.” Peter pouted though his cheeks pinkened at the nickname. “I do that enough myself, I don’t need you doing it for me.”

“Hey, don’t be like that.” Tony wrapped his arm around him. “Don’t get down on yourself, it wasn’t your fault you got trapped, you wouldn’t have had to use the suit if that didn’t happen.”

“Was too my fault- it was my fault Bruce got distracted. Is he okay?” Peter asked guiltily.

“Peter, none of this was your fault so quit that now. And yeah, Bruce is fine. Pretty worn out so we may not see him for the rest of the day but he’s fine.”

“Does it hurt?” Peter looked up at Tony for the first time since he came in the room.

“I don’t know kiddo, I can never get a straight answer out of him. He’s pretty sensitive about it.”

Peter nodded understandingly still looking incredibly guilty. He imagined it was excruciating to have all your bones and muscles grow and shrink like that, so the idea that it had happened because he wasn’t able to fight a simple robot made him deeply upset. If he was the cause of that much chaos at home, how would he ever be able to help people out in the real world?
Tony seemed to read his mind once again and continued to console him. “Peter it’s alright, it wasn’t your fault. And nothing bad happened, it was just an accident. Thor was the one who should’ve paid more attention as well as Bruce. It’s a big part of training not to let yourself get distracted, because things like this can happen.”

Peter simply nodded again and sighed. The look on his face was breaking Tony’s heart. “Come on, what can I do to cheer you up, hm?”

“Well you did promise a suit upgrade in return for my M&M’s…” Peter smiled innocently.

“You brat! What do you want?” Tony rolled his eyes but chuckled nonetheless.

“Well remember what I said about some proton-”

“No energy weapons. Not gonna happen.”

Peter pouted but decided not to push his luck. “Fine what about jets so I can like-”

“You don’t need to be able to fly, you’ve got the whole swinging and scaling walls thing going on. Besides that’s me and Thor’s schtick.”

The two went back and forth for a while before they landed on something they could both agree on. The whole interaction having put Peter in a considerably better mood, they started sketching up ideas together and prototyping aspects of their designs. It got rather competitive, having opposing ideas on how to tackle a particular issue. They still laughed and joked the entire time, Tony was glad that he’d got the boy to stop sulking at last. Though he still had a niggling thought at the back of his head that wouldn’t go away.

“Pete, can I ask you something without putting you in a bad mood?”

“Uhm, depends what it’s about I guess?” Peter laughed nervously but remained suspicious. He didn’t want to be in a bad mood again, not when he’d just started to feel better about the embarrassment he’d endured earlier.

“Okay, well if you don’t wanna talk about it just say so and I’ll move on, okay?”

“Okay, but spit it out cause you’re making me nervous.” Peter chuckled again.

“What did Thor help you with?” Tony regretted asking immediately as he watched Peter’s face fall.

“Uh, well..”

“It’s okay, we don’t have to talk about it.” Tony tried to back track, feeling guilty about having spoiled the teens mood yet again. He wished he had waited or worded it a different way or something-

“No, it’s alright. It’s just uh…embarrassing. And I don’t want you to get mad.” Peter shifted uncomfortably in his chair, his face going a familiar bright red.

Tony wondered what could make the boy act such a way, and why would it make him angry? “I won’t get mad, just tell me the truth.”

“I peed my bed last night.” Peter grimaced hearing himself admit it outloud made him want to rip off his own ears.

“Oh.” Was all Tony said at first, before it caught up to him that he had to give Peter some kind of response. He’d never expected to hear Peter admit to something like that so quickly, which he supposed was a good thing. He found himself feeling a bit awkward to be having this conversation with a teenager. It was one thing comforting the boy after he’d had an accident, after being desperate for a time and not making it to the bathroom but it felt different hearing Peter’s admission to wetting the bed. Of course he didn’t blame him at all, it was just strange for him to find the right words. Especially considering it was now an historic event, had Peter come to him immediately after his fatherly instincts would’ve probably kicked in long before he had to consciously think of the right thing to say. As that thought crossed his mind he realised he still hadn’t given the red faced boy any kind of tangible reaction and his fatherly instincts did just that. “Did you have a bad dream or anything?”

Somehow this question only seemed to make Peter feel more ashamed, as though he didn’t have a legitimate reason to be having an accident. He shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. “No I think I just slept really deep or something..”

“Yeah, you did crash pretty hard last night. Why didn’t you come and get me, bud?”

“That’s what I thought you’d be mad about.” Peter gave him a sheepish look. “I was gonna just clean up by myself, but Thor caught me as I was sneaking off to the laundry room…”

Tony nodded understanding what the boy had meant about the man helping him. He knew better than anyone that Thor was a big softie so he had no doubt the god was nothing but kind to him. What surprised him was Thor’s ability to have kept the matter private, which he appreciated and made a mental note to thank him later. “I’m not mad Petey, I promise. You don’t have to deal with it by yourself you can come and tell me. I’d rather know when it happens anyway.”

“It doesn’t happen often.” Peter said quickly, blush deepening. “It’s not a big deal, I won’t do it again anyway.”

“I wasn’t insinuating that you planned on making a habit of it, Pete. I’m just saying I’d like to know when it does. I know it can be an indicator of other things.”

“What do you mean?” Peter started to put his guard up, he wasn’t sure where this conversation was headed and he didn’t much care to find out. He felt himself physically pull away from the mad as he sank further into his chair.

“I know it can be a sign you’re stressed, or like you said about last night, over tired. I just wanna make sure I’m not pushing you too far that’s all buddy.” Tony could sense the boys hesitation so he tried to reassure him. “It’s not a problem when it does happen. I won’t make a big deal of it, I just don’t want you having to go through anything alone anymore.”

“It’s just some sheets Tony.” Peter shrugged. He didn’t like the idea of the man thinking he was that pathetic to need help after an accident. Yeah, he wanted comfort sometimes, but he didn’t need it. He was old enough to take care of it himself and he resented the idea that Tony thought otherwise. Though he thought back to how he acted last night when Thor found him and he cringed. The god must’ve thought him such a baby.

“Fair enough. Just letting you know it doesn’t have to be a big thing, that’s all.” He dropped the subject and was quick to move on to another topic of conversation, lest he dampen the teens mood even more. He’d tried to broach the subject the best way he could he felt pretty disheartened by the fact that he’d once again managed to say the wrong thing.

The mood in the room grew less tense at time went on, the two of them slipping back into work mode and competing with each other. Their focus wasn’t broken for the next few hours until they were called for lunch, much to Peter’s grievance.

“Come on, you know the rules. No skipping meals.”

“But I’m not hungry! You can’t force me to eat when I’m not even hungry.” Peter whined.

“You’ve never heard of a GI tube?”

“Hilarious- I’m serious.” Peter said dryly.

“It’s not my fault you ate half your body weight in M&M’s, P.” Tony laughed.

“Well, you didn’t tell me not to!”

Tony gave him a blank stare. “Really? That’s your argument?”

Peter huffed in response and folded his arms. He continued to pout through the entire meal.

“Come on, Peter. You have to eat something decent.” Steve encouraged, not letting the glare he was getting from the teenager phase him.

“I’m fifteen, I’m old enough to decide when I’m hungry or not.”

The adults in the room weren’t sure why Peter was suddenly putting up such a fight about meal times, considering the structure of their days hadn’t changed since he moved in. He was well used to their routine at that point, so Tony saw this as a sign of teenage rebellion as opposed to about the act of eating itself. “What’s wrong Pete, want me to make airplane sounds when I spoon feed you?”

“Want me to make train noises when I punch you in the face?” Peter scowled. He wasn’t in the mood to be made fun of.

“Oo, feisty.” Nat chuckled making Peter send daggers her.

“Does someone need a nap?” Tony asked innocently, knowing full well he was teasing the boy more.

Peter made an effort to ignore him and continued trying to finish his meal, lest Steve ban him from going back down to the lab. But both Tony and Nat were really starting to work on his last nerve. He could usually take the teasing, but he was coming off of a sugar crash and a nap was starting to sound good right about now (not that he was about to admit that). After he’d finished eating he got up to clean his plate and go to his room.

“Hey, I thought we were working?” Tony called after him frowning a little. Maybe he’d gone too far with his joking.

“Oh, yeah. I was just gonna grab some homework I gotta do..” Peter trailed off. It was a pretty lame excuse but at least it sounded better than ‘leave me alone for a while’.

“You can do it in your room if you’ve had enough of the lab for today, Pete, it’s okay.” Tony assured him. The man could tell when the boy was lying and it was clear that his mood was dropping as much as his energy was.

“You sure? I can come down in a bit?” Peter felt a pang of guilt. He didn’t want Tony to think that he didn’t want to spend time with him, even if he didn’t at that moment.

“You can do your own thing for a while it’s okay.” He said with a smile.

Peter nodded and headed off to his room where he promptly passed out on his bed.

He woke up about an hour and a half later in a much better mood than he had been upon leaving the kitchen, but when left his room he couldn’t find anyone. He made his way around the common floor and even down to the lab but he didn’t see a single soul.

“Hey, JARVIS?”

“Yes, Master Peter.”

“Just Peter- where is everyone?”

“They’ve been called into a meeting with Mr. Fury.”

“Oh.” Peter frowned a little. He figured after going on an official mission that he was part of the team now so he felt a little disappointed that he hadn’t been invited.

“It’s regarding an issue with breaking protocol, Peter. Master Tony asked me to make sure you do not have any doubts about your standing with in the group. They’re in a meeting as they did something to break the rules, you did not so you have no need to attend.”

“Oh, okay. Thanks JARVIS.” That made him feel a lot better, though he couldn’t help but wonder what the adults had done to get pulled into a meeting. “Is Bruce in there?”

“No, Dr. Banner is still resting.”

“Is he okay?” It had been hours now, Peter was starting to worry something might be wrong with the man.

“All of his vital signs appear normal.”

“Hm, okay..” Peter didn’t sound fully convinced but he knew that the AI was incapable of lying. Though Tony had programmed it to be smart enough to bend the truth a little. “Can you leave a message with Tony for me?”

Peter was scrolling through his phone as he spoke. He had three missed calls and two texts from MJ. She wasn’t the type of person to double text let alone call.

“Yes, what would you like it to say?”

He bit his lip before answering. He wasn’t sure whether he should leave without permission but the rule had been to notify anyone before he went anywhere and that’s what he was doing. It wasn’t his fault that nobody was there for him to ask.

“Uh, can you just tell him one of my friends need me. I’ll be back before dinner and he can call me home if he’s mad that I left without asking?”

“Very well Master Peter. Can you tell me the location where you are headed in case Master Tony asks?”

“Yeah, tell him I’m meeting MJ at a coffee shop down park avenue.”

Peter left soon after that, making sure not to forget his phone charger lest Tony explode if he didn’t answer his phone. He also waved to Happy as he saw him leave just as he did, knowing the man wouldn’t be far behind him. For once he was glad he had the man following him, maybe he’d be able to stop Tony from freaking out once he got Peter’s message.

Once he got to their meeting place he was surprised when the taller girl ran up to hug him. He was stunned for a moment before he reciprocated, not liking the blood rushing in his ears. “Oh, uh, hi.”

“Hey dick for brains.” Okay, there was the MJ Peter knew. So she hadn’t been replaced by a nicer clone.

“Hey, are you alright? It’s not like you to text like that- or you know, contact me outside school ever.” He shrugged and chuckled nervously.

“Yeah, my dad was just being an asshole and I was scared you still hated me.” She said nonchalantly, kicking her feet up on the small table in front of the armchair she’d collapsed into. Peter sighed and moved her boots back onto the floor, trying to ignore the disgruntled look from the store worker.

“When did I hate you?” Peter asked, genuinely confused.

“Well, when you stormed off after Mrs. Bitchtits gave you detention and then Ned called me freaking out that you’d ran away.”

“Oh, that. I didn’t run away and I wasn’t mad at you guys-“ Tony really had called everyone looking for him, god he was so embarrassing. Peter had texted with Ned that night to let him know he hadn’t been kidnapped or anything, but clearly his friend hadn’t passed on the message.

“Peter I don’t get you.” MJ cut him off as she leaned forward to study him.

“What do you mean?” He shifted nervously.

“You’re really hard to read. Which is odd, considering you’re a terrible liar.” She sat back and crossed her legs. She didn’t give Peter anything other than that comment to go off of as she continued onto something else. “So, how’s your aunt?”

Peter was taken off guard by the question, he figured MJ did that on purpose to throw him off so he’d answer truthfully. “She has good days and bad days. I usually go and see her on weekends but she’s recovering from surgery and I don’t wanna risk giving her any germs.”

His friend nodded, seeming satisfied with his answer but offering no sympathy, which Peter actually preferred. He hated all the pity looks he was given, especially from his teachers, whenever his home situation was brought up.

“Anyway, what happened with your dad?”

“Oh he’s a controlling, manipulative, piece of shit.” She said simply, her tone of voice not changing at all. “Guess that’s where I get it from.”

“You’re not like that.” Peter frowned. He didn’t know much about MJ’s home life, same way she didn’t know much about his. She wasn’t very forthcoming about personal aspects of herself, which at times made it difficult to be friends with her. He sometimes felt like he didn’t know her at all despite spending nearly everyday with her.

“You’re sweet.” She smiled making his stomach do that fluttery thing again. “But I am, it’s not necessarily a bad thing, it can get you pretty far in life if you’re willing to use it.”

Peter went to make a comment about how not all Slytherin’s were bad but for once he bit his tongue, not wanting to sound lame.

“You were going to make a Star Wars reference weren’t you?”

“Harry Potter actually-“

“Dork.” That smile again, ugh MJ stop you’re killing him.

“Anyway, don’t say stuff like that. You’re not a bad person, MJ.”

“How would you know that?” She laughed challengingly.

Peter thought for a moment before answering. “Because I just do.”

“Oh, you’re psychic or something now?”

“No. Because a bad person wouldn’t have called Flash out for being a prick to me, or stopped Marissa getting all touchy feely-“

“Or thrown gum in your hair?”

He laughed. “Okay, you got me there you’re a bit of an asshole. But I’m serious. I wouldn’t be friends with someone who wasn’t nice, look at Ned.”

“He’s a walking, talking teddy bear.”

“Literally. Maybe I needed someone a little bit evil to help balance it out-“

“Oh so we exist for you now? A little egotistical aren’t we there Parker?” She smirked seeing his face go pink.

“No, no. Don’t even start you’re worse than my-“ he caught himself just as he was about to say Dad. “Mentor.”

“Not using his name now?” She quirked her eyebrow suspiciously. When Peter didn’t answer and looked away from her she decided to drop the subject but she made sure to store that little bit of information in the back of her mind. “I’m surprised he let you leave the tower. We usually never see you outside school these days.”

“Yeah, he doesn’t exactly know yet I don’t think.” Peter laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck.

“You did not sneak out just to come see little old me?” She grinned, somewhat flirtatiously and Peter struggled to breathe for a second with the pounding in his chest. There was no way he’d ever admit to himself that he liked the girl sitting in front of him, he knew she was way out of his league so he was trying to save himself the heartbreak.

“I didn’t sneak out! I left a message.” He offered, but he was starting to think maybe this was all a bad idea. He should have waited to get expressed permission before he left, but surely JARVIS wouldn’t have let him leave the building if Tony wouldn’t be okay with it?

“Don’t freak out, wonder boy, Tony can afford to lose you for a couple hours. Come on.” She stood up and grabbed his hand, pulling him out of his seat and out of the shop with her.

“Where are we going?” He asked as he stumbled along the sidewalk beside her. He hated how his brain never seemed to function at full capacity when MJ was around.

“Well, since I’ve got you alone for once we might as well do something fun.” She laughed. Peter wasn’t exactly sure what her idea of ‘fun’ was but he didn’t much care. He was too focused on how much he like the shape of her ears. Her ears? What was wrong with him, who thinks about liking someone’s ears?

Apparently MJ’s kind of fun meant a lot of walking around, window shopping and loitering, as well as her taking a lot of good photo opportunities. She even asked Peter to model for some of them to which he so graciously obliged.

“More like this? Or like this?” He asked pulling a range of ridiculous expressions to get the girl to laugh.

“Ugh, you’re such a dork!” She tried to contain herself to her usual stoic manner but it was impossible when Peter was standing in the middle of the street making a fool of himself by doing an impression of a gorilla.

“No look! If you get the right angle we can recreate a budget version of King Kong!” He said, taking the signature pose.

“More like Godzilla.” MJ snorted but she crouched anyway ready to take the snap. “Move your foot back.”

They walked all around downtown eventually finding themselves at a park. MJ linked her arm through his the same way she’d done that day at school and Peter couldn’t help but feel the butterflies start up again.

“See what fun you can have when you do normal teenage stuff, Parker?” She smiled at him.

“I guess I should make more of a habit of it, huh?”

They wandered around MJ still snapping photos every now and then, getting a particular candid photo of Peter that she was enamoured with. Apparently everything about the lighting and the angles were perfect. The only thing that would have made it better was if Peter wasn’t moving around so much. She pointed not looking up from her cameras display. “The bathrooms are over there, dweeb.”

He blushed profusely having been called out on his squirming. He hesitated feeling that prickling sensation on the back of his neck again, he didn’t want to leave MJ sitting alone especially after potentially being spotted with him.

“Go, Pete. I’m not walking around with you if you pee yourself.” She snorted.

He nodded and pulled out his phone.

Peter: Mr. Hogan can you keep and eye on her while I run to the bathroom, please?

Happy: You got it kid.

He breathed a sigh of relief, both because he wouldn’t have to worry about MJ’s safety and because he realised he didn’t have any missed calls or texts. Either it was a long meeting or his dad had finally allowed him some freedom. He hurriedly used the gross park bathrooms refusing to touch any door handles, electing to do so only with his feet (a skill you develop quickly when you grow up with a small bladder in Queens). He was met with MJ bent over double laughing at his display of acrobatics.

“Shut up! Those bathrooms are nasty, alright?!” But he couldn’t help but join in her laughter. She linked arms with him once again and they continued down the path.

“Not to alarm you or anything baby Stark, but you realise that cars been following us all day?” She pointed directly to Happy’s unmarked vehicle.

Peter sighed. “Yeah, he’s not very surreptitious. You think he’d be a little more covert about it.”

“Oh, So we're not gonna be body snatched then? Cool.” She shrugged.

“How are you so cool about that? I flipped my stack at Mr. Stark when I found out he had his bodyguard stalking me.” Peter muttered grumpily.

“Aww, it’s okay he just wanted to make sure nothing happened to his wittle Petwr.” She teased pinching his cheek for added effect making the teen scowl more. “Besides I feel privileged to be hanging out with such a celebrity.”

“You are so annoying.” Peter huffed trying his best not to crack a smile.

“Yet you’re friends with me anyway.” She skipped happily for dramatic affect. It got to around five thirty when Peter was about to suggest they start making their way back when his phone starting ringing. He sighed as soon as he saw his dad’s icon picture light up his screen

“Gimme one second, Hey Mr. Stark.”

“What happened to being home for dinner?” The man didn’t even greet him he went straight for an accusing tone.

“It’s not even six yet?”

“Well I know you’re more than half an hour away so that makes you late.” Peter could hear a bite to Tony’s voice, clearly leaving a message was not an appropriate way to notify the man of his departure.

“Okay okay, I’m leaving now, I’ll get Happy to drive me.” He sighed looking shyly at MJ who no doubt could hear the man chastising him on the other end of the phone.

“Damn right you are, what happened with your friend? Are they okay? Are you getting into any trouble-“

“I’ll see you in a minute.” Peter stressed, begging the man to stop talking so embarrassingly loud. MJ wasn’t helping matters either as she was pointing and miming the words ‘ha ha you’re in trouble’ repeatedly. He poked is tongue out at her and unfortunately Tony misinterpreted the lip smacking noise as Peter sassing him.

“Are you making faces at me young man?!”

“Wha- I- no!” Peter’s panicked face made MJ howl with laughter. “No I swear I’m- no sir- yes I. No, yeah okay. I’ll see you in a minute. You too. Bye.”

He turned to his friend who was now red faced with tears streaming out of her eyes from laughing so hard. “Aw, did I get you in trouble?”

“You really are an asshat.” He huffed and started stomping away from her.

MJ grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “Noo, come on Petey, I didn’t mean to get IronDad on your case.”

“You know what your problem is? You’re cute so no one ever told you to shut up.” He grumbled

“You think I’m cute, Parker?” She smirked and batted her eyelashes at him enjoying the shade of pink he was turning.

“Ugh, shut up and get in the car.” He growled opening the door for her.

“Such a gentleman.” She playfully batted at his chest and flicked her hair at him, purposely hitting him in the face.

Peter ignored her and hopped in the other side of the car. “Hey Mr. Hogan, can you drop my friend off first?”

“Sure but who is she?”

“No one.” Peter said quickly. God forbid Happy rum and tell Tony that he was out with a girl, he’d never hear the end of it. “Can you not tell Mr. Stark that I was hanging out either a girl? If he asks can you say I was with Ned or something?”

For once Happy seemed to take pity on him. He could understand the boy not wanting Tony asking questions, especially considering the teen clearly had a crush on the girl he was with. “Okay, but I’m not gonna say Ned, it’d be too easy for him to check.”

“Thanks Happy.” Peter said gratefully. He was surprised the man had agreed to keep anything from Tony let alone something that would help him out.

“What’s so bad about him knowing you were with me?” MJ piped up. She wasn’t genuinely offended but it was fun for her to make Peter think that she was. She was more so curious whether or not Peter had told Mr. Stark about her, and whether or not he’d told him good or bad things.

“Nothing, i-it’s just, he can be a little- I don’t know, uh-“

“Overprotective.” Happy finished for him.

“Right, overprotective. Like he’s worried about security stuff a lot, I mean you know that already since I can’t have friends over-“

“So why would hanging with Ned be different to me?” She raised one eyebrow at him, almost daring him to try and get himself out of that one without bringing up race or misogyny. She knew the real reason, he didn't want Mr. Stark to assume they were dating or something, but oh how she enjoyed making the curly haired boy squirm. It was just too easy and he was too adorable.

“Uh, well. He- he’s met Ned! Yeah, he’s met him so he’s already like, made sure he’s safe for me to be around and stuff.” Peter seemed proud of himself for thinking so quickly but his face fell again when MJ leaned in real close and whispered in his ear, making a tingle go down his spine.

“Well, do you think I’m safe for you to be around Peter? Or am I too dangerous?”

His mouth gaped like a fish and he felt his face get incredibly hot. He stuttered for a few seconds as his brain buffered trying to think of an appropriate response. Luckily for him MJ laughed and pulled away from him before he had to give an actual answer.

“I’m kidding, I know I’m a bad influence.” She went to hop out of the car as it slowed to a stop. “Thanks for the ride secret agent dude, I’ll see you Monday Pete.”

She shut the door before he could say goodbye and Happy pulled away just as she waved from the unlocked door of her apartment building. He waved to her just long enough to see her duck out of view before he faced the front of the car and sighed. He was glad to finally be able to get a hold of himself, his head clearing and his heart starting to slow down.

“So, who’s the girl?” Happy asked as he made eye contact with Peter in the rear view mirror. Though his face didn’t show it Peter could swear he heard amusement in the man’s voice.

“Just a friend from school.” He shrugged, trying his best to look casual though the quavering in his voice betrayed him.

“Just a friend huh? Don’t worry kid, I ain’t gonna go airing your laundry to Tony. So long as you promise me something.” Happy saw the perfect blackmail opportunity.

“Anything, just please don’t tell him.” Peter begged. He wasn’t sure what he was signing up for but he didn’t care. Anything to stop his Dad from jumping to conclusions about his love life- not that he had one, just that...nevermind.

“No more snooping in my car, got it? I find out you’ve been touching any of my stuff again I’ll go straight to Tony and tell him I saw you kiss that girl-“

“But I didn’t!”

“Oh didn’t you? Who do you think he’ll believe?”

Peter gave the man a dirty look, this was a nasty game he was playing. He knew better than to argue as he was sure Happy would’ve taken some kind of videographic evidence to back up his claim. He sighed and threw himself back in his seat. “Fine. Deal.”

When they got back to the tower Peter ran upstairs as fast as he could (and as fast as the elevator would allow) and made it just in time for when dinner was being served. He felt accomplished since he had technically kept the promise he’d made but Tony looked less than thrilled.

“Have fun?” He asked, though it didn’t seem like a genuine question.

“Uh, yeah, it was fine. Sorry I was almost late I didn’t expect to be out that long…” he trailed off when he felt all eye on him.

“Uh huh.” Tony clucked his tongue. Steve however was all smiles.

“It’s good that you went out to cheer your friend up Peter, and thank you for leaving a message and not just running off. You didn’t eat yet did you?”

“Uh no, we just got coffee earlier.” He took a seat at the opposite end of the table from Tony and dug in.

“Are they okay now? Your friend?” Steve asked, Tony did seem interested in the answer to that question though.

“Yeah, it was nothing big. They just had an argument with their dad.” Peter was very careful to use gender neutral pronouns to avoid both lying or cluing in any of the adults in on who he was really seeing.

Peter didn’t notice but Tony frowned slightly. Did Peter really mean that he’d asked his friend to meet him because they’d had an argument? Was the kid just covering up the fact that he was still angry with Tony about the suit situation? He didn’t voice these questions however, and he elected to remain silent as the rest of the room continued their conversations. He kept his mouth shut for once as he didn’t want a repeat of their past argument over Tony being too overbearing, he didn’t want to hear Peter call him controlling ever again. He’d learnt his lesson and Steve was right; Peter had done the right thing in both confiding in his friends and letting Tony know where he was, he even made it home before dinner (though Tony had had to remind him). He relented that he didn’t have any reason to be upset, other than the fact Peter was starting to seem less like a little boy and more like a young man. He didn’t like it.

He knew he was being selfish which only added to the guilt. Of course he wanted Peter to have friends and enjoy what he had left of his childhood, but he’d wanted the boy to spend time with him, especially at weekends since he was always so busy during the week and Peter was at school all day. He knew he couldn’t keep the boy isolated just out of jealousy however, and he realised that he had up until this point. No wonder the boy lashed out sometimes he was probably stir crazy from being cooped up in the tower all the time, only leaving Tony’s (or at the very least JARVIS’) sight for school. Maybe he should let Peter have more time to do normal teenage things, he wasn’t just an apprentice anymore. He had to be mindful of all of Peter’s needs, not just his physical and academic ones but his emotional and social as well. He sighed audibly as he got lost in his thoughts, raising a teenager was a lot more difficult than he’d ever imagined even with one as well natured as Peter.

“You alright, Tony?” Thor asked gently, seeing the man stare off into space.

“Yeah. What are we talking about?” Tony was back in the room and managed to join in the current conversation (“who’s a better actor, Hugh Jackman or Ryan Reynolds?”). He was good at hiding his emotions after years of self neglect and he was able to snap himself back into his usual persona easily. But he kept his inner monologue going, wanting to make sure he gave Peter as normal a teenage experience as he could, thinking about how he could do so. He wanted to give Peter something he’d never had; a good childhood.

Chapter Text

“Please dad?”

“I don’t know Pete, lemme think about it.” Tony had honestly thought he’d never have to face this kind of issue with his son. Peter was never the kind of kid who wanted to go to parties let alone one as big as this. But every time Peter called him dad it tugged at his heartstrings and made him want to give into whatever he wanted- which he was pretty sure the boy knew at this point.

“Everyone’s gonna be there though! And if I don’t go there’s no one to stop Ned from making a fool of himself!”

“Since when did you care about what everyone else was doing? You’ve always been happy to do your own thing.” Tony furrowed his brows. It was true, despite the money Peter now had access to he’d never asked for the newest trend in clothes or the best phone, he even denied them when Tony offered. He’d never seen the boy cave into peer pressure either, May had told him about the times where neighbourhood kids had tried to pressure him into smoking; he just came home and told her what happened, proclaiming himself that he wouldn’t be hanging out with them anymore. It was a trait he’d always admired as he didn’t develop it himself until his late twenties. He was hoping this wasn’t the start of a new phase.

“I don’t care, I just thought I should give it a chance, you know? How can I say I don’t like parties when I’ve never really been to one?” The kid made a fair point. It was just one party after all. “Don’t you trust me?”

“Don’t play that card.” Tony eyed the pouting boy in the rearview mirror. “You know I trust you or I wouldn’t be having this conversation, I would’ve straight up said no. It’s the other kids I don’t trust.”

“I get that, teenagers are pretty dumb. But it’s not like I’ll be myself. I’ve got Ned and MJ said she might come too.”

“MJ is a girl?” Tony raised his eyebrow.

“Yeah, why?” Peter asked defensively and raised his own eyebrow at the question.

“No reason, you just never mentioned that before.” Tony shrugged. He didn’t want to draw too much attention to it, knowing full well people of the opposite gender could have platonic relationships and it wasn’t an issue. But he couldn’t help but hear Peter’s voice raise in pitch and his face go red when Tony asked that question. “So this is a whole school kind of thing?”

“Uh huh. One of the seniors is holding it at his house and invited everybody.”

Tony didn’t like the sound of his fifteen year old going to a party with a bunch of seniors, who no doubt would be drinking. However, he knew he had to give Peter a chance to make the right decisions and that he couldn’t baby him forever. He meant what he said, he did trust his son. He wanted to show Peter that. Maybe this was a good opportunity to show some of that ‘mutual trust’ they’d been talking about. “Okay. You can go-“

“Really?!”

“Yes, but I’m dropping you off and picking you up! And no drinking.”

“Duh. I wouldn’t touch the stuff anyway- you really mean it?!”

“Yes, give me Ned’s moms phone number too.”

“Why?”

“Just in case.”

“Dad, I know you could click one button on your phone and find that out.” Peter deadpanned, but read the number out anyway.

“Thank you, next Friday you said?”

“Uh huh cause it’s the last day of the semester.”

“Okay I’ll make sure I’m free that night in case you need me.”

Peter grinned and hugged the man round the back of his seat before hopping out of the car. “You’re the best, Dad!”

“Hell yeah I am.” Tony muttered to himself as he dialed the number Peter had just given him.

He was met with a cheery woman’s voice on the other end of the line. “Hello?”

“Hi there, is this Mrs. Leeds?”

“Yes, speaking.”

“Hi Mrs. Leeds it’s Tony Stark. I was just calling to ask if you’d heard about this party next week?”

He heard her gasp at the other end of the phone but she quickly tried to regain her composure. “Uh, yeah, yeah Ned told me about it. I wasn’t sure about letting him go though, until he said Pete was gonna try and convince you.”

“Yeah, he managed to.” Tony chuckled. “He can be pretty persuasive.”

“Oh, I’m sure he can be. I’ve seen him give May those puppy dog eyes.” She laughed.

“They’re killer. So, I was planning to take them there and back is that okay with you?”

“Oh no, Mr. Stark I couldn’t have you make both trips.” He could hear her earrings jingle as she shook her head feverishly.

“It’s no trouble, Ma’am.”

“No, they’re both our boys we can share the responsibility, I’ll pick them up- lord knows how late it’s gonna be anyway. Then Peter can stay here and you don’t have to worry about waiting up for him.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes sir, I love having him over here.”

“Then it’s a plan, I’ll see you on Friday Mrs. Leeds. Thanks again.”

“Thank you too, see ya!”

The next week went by without incident. Peter got his grades back from his mock tests and of course he got full marks on every single one. He had to stop Steve from literally pinning his report card to the fridge. As Friday rolled around he started to get less excited about the party and more anxious. He had been sure that Tony would say no and it would’ve given him an out to stay home but he was glad that Tony was giving him a little bit of freedom. He tried to confide in Ned about his nerves but every time he mentioned it his friend just tried to hype him up.

“Peter it’s gonna be the biggest night of the year for us we can finally make people see how cool we are!”

“If you run around talking like that cool is the last thing anyone will think we are.” Peter rolled his eyes. He was looking forward to the experience to but something in the back of his mind kept telling him not to go.

After school that day Tony picked Peter up to save time on his usual journey home and the boy was noticeably quiet. Tony turned the radio off to show Peter he was giving him his full attention.

“What’s up Underoos? I expected you to be bouncing off the walls today.”

“Nothing’s up.” Peter shrugged. He didn’t want to admit to Tony that he was anxious in fear the man wouldn’t let him go, though at that point he wasn’t sure he hated the idea.

“Uh uh, come on. I know you better than that. You getting nervous about the party?”

Peter sighed. He should’ve known better than to think he could hide anything from his dad for any period of time. “A little. I still wanna go, I just. I don’t know it’s stupid.”

“Keep talking bud, it’s not stupid.” Tony encouraged.

“It’s just, I’m not really sure what to expect. I mean yeah, I’ve seen movies about high school parties and stuff but..I don’t know.” He trailed off not liking the way his stomach was churning.

“You know what? It’s okay to be nervous. It might seem like a small thing for most people but it’s an unfamiliar environment for you.” The man wasn’t sure how best to prepare him for the night ahead, so he just tried to reassure him. “Like you said last week, you don’t know if you’ll like it if you don’t try it. And hey, if you get there and you hate it? You can call me and I’ll be there in a heartbeat. There’s no pressure here Pete it’s meant to be fun. It’ll be good for you to let your hair down a little.”

“You’re right. I’m overthinking it. It’ll be fun.” Peter allowed himself a small smile and Tony felt proud of his own pep talk. “But Dad?”

“What is it, P?”

“What am I supposed to wear?” Peter grimaced, embarrassed by his own question.

“Jeans, a T-Shirt and a button down. If you get there and everyone’s wearing shirts you button it up, if not you’re still smart but casual.” He answered immediately. Many years of attending various events he knew the dress code for almost any situation.

“Oh. Okay thanks.” Peter hadn’t expected an answer that easily but he visibly relaxed. Maybe tonight wasn’t going to be a disaster after all.

They head out to pick Ned up at around seven that evening, after Peter had a meltdown about his hair not sitting right (then having Tony fix it for him) and Steve had a sit down talk with Peter about the importance of saying no to drugs. The teen was in a considerably better mood than he had been a few hours earlier, showing that excitement that Tony had expected. He waited patiently in the car while Peter ran in to collect Ned (and use the bathroom, all his bouncing wasn’t just down to excitement). He too was starting to feel a bit nervous but he made sure not let any of that rub off on the two teenagers he had in the back of the car.

“Hey Mr. Stark!” Ned greeted him happy as he climbed in the backseat.

“S’up Ted.” Tony said as he gave a wave to Ned’s mom who was standing in the doorway of their house.

“Ma said thanks for picking me up- and I do too, obviously!” Though Ned was getting better he was still pretty tongue tied around the famous man.

“It’s no trouble, just make sure you boys call one of us if you need picking up okay? No walking home or getting in strangers cars.”

“We won’t.” The teenagers chorused. They filled the car with excited chatter through the entirety of the car ride.

“Nah, I think he’d definitely be a Slytherin.”

“No way! There is no way- a Ravenclaw maybe but no way is he a Slytherin! What do you think dad?”

“I have honestly no idea what you’re talking about Peter.”

“What?!” The boy cried incredulously. “You’ve never read Harry Potter?!”

“Or seen a single movie.” Tony said flatly, trying to keep his face blank but he was struggling not to laugh at the kids reaction.

“Muggle!” Ned hissed.

“I’m so disappointed Tony, I thought you were cool.” Peter folded his arms.

“I’m so sorry!” Tony laughed. “Well go ahead, you two sort me, right now.”

“Ooo, you’re a tricky one.” Ned ribbed his chin. “I mean the obvious answer would be Ravenclaw-“

“Like me!”

“You are not, Hufflepuff.” Ned sneered.

“I am too!”

“Oh please, you almost pissed your pants when we joined that gardening club!”

“You were in a gardening club?” Tony raised an eyebrow.

“Shut up Ned!”

“But I could also see you as a Gryffindor. Or a Slytherin.”

“Aren’t Slytherin the bad guys?” Tony asked, deliberately to get a rise out of them.

“Ugh! Dad it’s not that simple! That’s like saying there’s only the dark and light side of the force!”

“Well isn’t there?” It was fun for the man to tigger Peter’s inner nerd. He often avoided such conversations around the man but when he was with Ned it was so easy to tempt him into letting his Dorky side out. The teens came to the conclusion that Tony was a Gryffindor but could’ve totally been placed in either of the other two houses. They continued that conversation until they pulled up outside the mansion that the party was being held at, sure enough they could already hear the music and screaming from down the street.

Peter swallowed nervously, but smiled confidently anyway as not to worry his dad or Ned. ‘This is gonna be fun.’ He told himself. ‘No pressure.’

“Alright boys well I’ll see you two tomorrow, have fun and be safe.”

“See you later Mr. Stark! Thanks for the ride!” Ned called as he clambered out of the car.

Peter day for just a moment longer taking deep breaths. “Bye dad!”

“Wait Pete,” Tony said just as Peter was grabbing the door handle. “Try and have fun okay. I’m just a text away.”

Peter nodded and quickly hugged Tony through the gap in the front seats before jumping out to join Ned. Tony sat and watched the boys walk into the house and silently prayed for everything to go according to plan. He’d hate for Peter’s first real teenage experience to go down any less than smoothly.

Unfortunately, it did. Though not at first. Initially both he and Ned managed to mingle quite well if not just a bit awkwardly, making conversation with a lot of their peers and of course avoiding Flash and his band of idiots. They even built up the courage to dance with a couple of college girls, even if they were doing it out of charity they were nice to them all the same. It was after they’d found somewhere to sit and they’d had several cups of soda when Peter’s bladder decided to pipe up. Ned was busy talking to some kid in the grade above them when Peter tried to tell him where he was going.

“I’m gonna go find a bathroom.” He said into Ned’s ear as he stood.

“Huh?” Ned yelled, clearly not being about to hear him over the music.

“I gotta go to the bathroom.” Peter said louder, he didn’t exactly want to announce it in front of everybody in the vicinity.

“What about homeroom?”

“Oh for Christ’s sake- I have to pee!”

“There’s a bathroom just down the hall there, little man.” A couple seniors were standing behind him and one of the larger, but friendlier looking ones pointed him in the right direction. They all were chuckling but not meanly, purely amused at the interaction between the freshman and his hard of hearing friend. Peter blushed brightly but thanked him before hurrying off in that direction. When he got to what he assumed was the restroom there was a massive line.

He joined the back of it at first, but after about ten minutes of the line barely moving he decided he’d be better off finding another one. He considered asking someone if there were any other available bathrooms but he assumed if the people there knew of one they would’ve left the line too. He found himself wandering the quieter areas of the house, hoping that he wasn’t overstepping any boundaries by doing so, he just really had to pee. Finally after around twenty minutes since he left Ned he found one with only a couple people in line for it.

The line moved quickly and he was finally able to relieve himself without incident (minus one or two leaks when he heard the toilet flushing). He exited the bathroom and started to make his way back to Ned when he felt someone grab his shoulder.

“Hey, youuu.” He heard a high pitched voice drone.

“Hi, Sissi.” He turned around and sure enough there she was with enough makeup on to have covered the whole cast of cats. She seemed a little tipsy, her ankles turning over on her large platform heels and Peter held his arm out to steady her. “Woah, careful there. You okay?”

“Yeah.” She slurred her eyes not really focusing on him and she was swaying slightly. “My friends ditched me around an hour ago.”

“That’s not right, you’ve been standing by yourself?” Peter asked concernedly. As much as Marissa could be a pain he didn’t think it was okay for anyone to leave an intoxicated teenage girl on her own at a party.

“Nah I’ve been walking around and making new friends.” She giggled and suddenly grabbed his upper arm, squeezing it. “Wow, Parker. I always remembered you being a skinny little thing, when did you start filling out?”

It was true he’d always been a ‘beanpole’ ever since he could remember. Since the bite he’d remained on the lithe side but he had definitely broadened quite a bit, especially in his chest and shoulders, his biceps were pretty prominent now too. He didn’t, however, appreciate Marissa commenting on that or grabbing at him. He gently tried to pull her hand off of him, whilst still holding her upright, but she used that as an excuse to feign a loss of valence and fell clumsily on his chest.

“Marissa I think we should get you some water or something-“ he started, still trying his best to be kind to the pushy drunken girl.

“Hmm, I’m not thirsty for that.” She giggled again and run her hand up his chest resting it at his neck, her acrylic nails digging into the sensitive skin. “We could have some fun tonight you know Peter, some of these bedrooms still aren’t taken.”

“Sissi, no. You’ve had a little too much to drink.” He said more forcefully this time, pulling her hand away from his neck. “Come on, you can come and sit with me and Ned for a while. I’ll grab you some water and something to eat while you sober up.”

“Come on Peter, don’t be such a pussy. I know you like me too I’m not stupid.” She was still falling into him and now she had started to raise her voice causing a few of the people around them to look over at the scene. She slapped his chest in frustration and tripped over one of her bow legged feet, her full weight pushing Peter up against a wall. “Don’t you think I’m pretty?”

“Yes, yeah you’re very pretty. That doesn’t mean I’m gonna take advantage of you when you’re drunk, so can you please let go of me?” He was trying not to panic but he didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t push her off of him, the poor girl would probably hurt herself let alone the fact she’d be distraught at the rejection and no doubt mortified later when she was sober. But he was getting really uncomfortable with all of her groping and she wasn’t taking no for an answer. He didn't feel threatened by her behaviour, just incredibly embarrassed for the both of them. “Please, Sissi you’re gonna remember this later and get so upset, just let me get you some water or something-“

“Everything okay here, little man?” He heard a voice next to him. It was the same senior who had pointed him to the bathroom earlier and he was accompanied by a girl he assumed to be his girlfriend. Apparently they’d been standing there the entire time and witnessed Marissa start bombarding Peter as soon as he came out of the toilet.

“Uh yeah, my friend just needs to lie down for a little while I think.” He laughed nervously. He was still trying his best not to humiliate the girl while she was in such a state.

“Only if you’re planning on joining me.” Marissa giggled burying her face in his chest, smearing her makeup on his shirt.

“I’ve got it, Jay. Hey, hon, why don’t we go fix your lipstick. You’re starting to bleed a little.” The girl who was standing with the guy, Peter now only knew as Jay, left her boyfriends side and wrapped her arm around the shorter girl, gently pulling her off of him and leading her into one of the bedrooms off to the side of the hall they were standing in.

“Oh my god, really? Oh no.” Marissa covered her mouth in embarrassment. “Do you think Peter saw?”

“I don’t think Peter noticed, sweetie, boys don’t notice that kind of thing.” The blonde girl comforted.

“Peter I’ll be right back okay?! Don’t go anywhere I just gotta- jus gotta fix my makeup!” Sissi called to him as the nice older girl managed to steer her into the other room.

“Okay, Mars- I hope you feel better soon!” He felt bad for her he truly did, he just hoped she didn’t remember too much later. “Thanks for saving me.”

“No problem, kid.” Jay smiled at him. “I was hoping to run into you anyway. You’re friends with that Hawaiian kid right? At least I think he’s Hawaiian-“

“Ned? Yeah, why what’s happened?” Peter didn’t mean to cut him off but he didn’t like where the older teens line of questioning was heading.

“Well, you might wanna get him some water too, he’s looking a little worse for wear.” Jay shrugged not sensing Peter’s obvious concern.

“What?” Peter asked seriously following the larger boy, who helped pave his way through the crowds, to get to Ned. “Oh god.”

He looked over to see his friend in no better condition than he’d just seen Marissa. He was leaning against a wall with one hand, talking loudly at two girls who were trying their best not to laugh at him. He was swaying and Peter didn’t like the lopsided look he had to his face.

“Ned, what are you doing?!” Peter hissed, rushing up to his inebriated friend. He'd been gone for half an hour, how did Ned manage this level of intoxication in such a short amount of time?

“Peter!” Ned cheered loudly clearly not picking up on the seriousness of his friends tone. “Ladies this is who I was talking about- he’s like best friends with Tony Stark and he’s my best friend so like, I’m basically an avenger-“

“Ned let’s go!” Peter attempted to pull him away but his friend remained solid. “I’m so sorry about this girls-“

“No it’s fine, don’t be silly!” One of them said sweetly. “Ned was just keeping us company, weren’t you sweetie?”

“Yeah, we remember our first beer too. Have fun with, well all that.” The other laughed while gesturing to the drunken mess that was Ned. They gave Peter a wave before going off to find something else to do.

“Ned man, what the hell are you doing?! We weren’t supposed to be drinking!” Peter grabbed Ned by the shoulders forcing him to make eye contact with him. Jesus Christ, how were they going to get out of this one? They’re parents were never going to trust them again.

“Whaa?” Ned blinked slowly clearly confused. “M’not! I didn’ Pete it’s just punch, look!”

Ned thrust the red solo cup he was holding into Peter’s face accidentally spilling it on his shoulder.

“Oops sorry-“

“Ned that’s not just kool-aid you idiot! This is a party not a school dance who the hell told you this had no alcohol in it?!”

“That dude over there.” A shaky arm pointed in the direction of a group of what looked to be college frat boys laughing. And who would’ve guess that none other than Eugene Thompson was standing in the centre of them, giving Peter a sarcastic wave.

“Ugh, come on. You need some fresh air.” Peter grunted, dragging Ned outside.

“Are you mad at me?” Ned cried suddenly tearful.

“No, big guy. I’m not mad. Let’s just get you home, huh?” He patted Ned’s back when the other boy suddenly stopped. “You okay?”

Ned didn’t answer instead he opened his mouth and projectile vomited all over the ground in front of them.

“Oh, Ned.” Peter sighed sympathetically and started rubbing his friends back. He was just glad he’d got him outside before he decided to evacuate the contents of his stomach, avoiding not only a huge mess but the embarrassment of it happening in front of everyone at the party. “You’re okay, man. Just let it out.”

“God, Peter I’m so sorry-“ he tried to apologise between gags but just ended up making himself choke.

“Dude, don’t apologise it’s not your fault. It’s Flash’s fault. It’s okay, just try and breathe.” He sat Ned on a nearby bench. He was furious at the bully for doing this to his best friend and ruining their first real party experience. He couldn't understand why someone would be so cruel. “You okay to just chill here for like two minutes while I grab you some water and some paper towels?”

Ned nodded sullenly and rested his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

“Okay, don’t go anywhere I’ll be right back.” Peter was back out within a minute and luckily for him Ned hadn’t attempted to go anywhere on his own.

“I’m sorry P, I really didn’t know.”

“Shh, it’s okay. Really, it is. I know you wouldn’t do this on purpose.” Peter said gently as he wiped the barf away from his mouth. He didn’t trust Ned to sit upright and do it himself without falling over or puking again.

“Do you think that girl with the nose ring liked me?” Ned asked dreamily. Clearly his puking his guts up hadn’t put a damper on his mood.

“Oh for sure, she called you sweetie remember?” Peter said cheerily. Who was he to crush a drunk teenage boys dreams? He sighed knowing he had no other option but to call Tony. There was no way he’d be able to deal with Ned alone for the rest of the night and there was no way in hell he was going to call Donna. Ned would be grounded until he went to college. He took a deep breath and called the man.

Tony’s heart leapt into his mouth the second he felt his phone vibrate; the panic that had become second nature to him now making his heart pound. “Petey? What’s wrong are you okay?”

“Hey dad, yeah I’m fine. I’m okay it’s just uhh..”

“What is it, what’s the matter?” Tony tried to keep the panic out of his voice but it was difficult when the boy wouldn’t just spit it out already.

“It’s Ned he uh, I think we need to take him home.”

“Is he alright?” Tony was already up and grabbing his keys ignoring the questioning look the other adults in the room were giving him.

“Yeah he’s just, he’s just really drunk. We can’t take him home though, Dad his mom will kill him-“

“Who the fuck are you talking to Parker? We all know you’re a pathetic orphan, who d’you think you’re calling dad?!” Tony could hear another voice he didn’t recognise call out in the background. Whoever the voice belonged to that person also sounded very drunk, and Tony didn't like the idea of Peter being alone and surrounded by drunk abusive idiots.

Peter showed little reaction in his voice, just giving a small sigh before he said “Hold on a second.”

It was obvious that Peter slid the phone back in his pocket but Tony could still hear as the other boy approached.

“Flash, I’m not in the mood man. Just go somewhere else before-“

“Before What Parker? You gonna get your daddy on me?” The voice sneered and Tony could tell by the sound of footsteps that the other person was approaching rapidly.

“I’m warning you, I don’t have time for this right now.”

“Oh I’m so scared! Scared of little Pissy Parker and his fat fuck friend-“ the voice was cut off by a deafening smack and all Tony could hear was Ned cheering.

“Woo! It’s about time! Kick him in the dick while he’s out Pete!”

“Ned shut up!” Peter snapped before picking the phone back up and speaking calmly once again. “Sorry about that. Can you come and pick us up?”

Tony was both amused and shocked by what he just heard but he decided now wasn’t the best time to address it. “Sure thing Underoos, I’ll be there in about twenty minutes. Can you hold down the fort until then?”

“Yup. Thanks, Dad.”

“I’ll see you soon.”

True to his word Tony pulled up in front of the house not twenty minutes later. And what he saw was his son trying to support the full weight of his friend who at this point was almost a foot taller and at least double his size. He quickly got out of the car to help him.

“Ned will you- Ugh, stop it! Move your le-Ned!” Peter grunted. Ned didn’t have a care in the world he just stood there giggling.

“Hey boys, fun night?” Tony asked sarcastically as he helped Peter by grabbing the intoxicated teen on his other side so they could both support his weight.

“Hey, Mr. Stark! A girl called me sweetie, it was awesome!” Ned slurred out happily.

“That’s great bud, did you get her number?” Tony laughed looking over at Peter’s face. He looked less than impressed.

“Oh noooo! Wait, wait we have to go back!”

“We can find her on Facebook or something later, dude, just get in the car!” It was clear that Peter had had enough of babysitting Ned by that point. They managed to pour Ned into the back of the car and get him strapped in.

“Do you have a plastic bag or something? He’s been puking.” Peter grimaced.

“No I’m fine now honestly! I think I got all the bad stuff up-“ Ned was cut off by a burp.

“I’ll run back in and grab one.” Peter rolled his eyes before heading back off into the house.

“Good idea.” Tony said. “So did you have fun at least, Ted?”

“I did Mr. Stark I feel bad that Peter had to take care of me though.”

“Ah, that’s what friends do. There’ll come a time for you to return the favour.” Tony said kindly. He’d been where Ned was countless times before he knew that guilty feeling all too well. Plus he didn't want to make the innocent teenager feel any worse than he would undoubtedly feel tomorrow. It wasn't his place to be chastising the kid for his poor decision making.

“Did you hear Peter knock Flash out?! That was so awesome he was like whoopaw and Flash’s jaw was all like kachow!” Ned gave Tony a small dramatic reenactment; Peter opened the door just as Ned was doing so.

“Edward! Sit still and hold this, do not puke on the floor, I swear on Christmas!” Peter barked as he looked at Ned’s seat belt. Tony struggled not to laugh at how Peter chose to avoid cursing. “Did you unplug yourself?! Oh my god, that is it, I am never leaving you alone at a party again- hell I'm never going to a party with you again!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry I’ll be good!” Ned gave Peter a cheesy smile completely disarming him.

“Boy, you test me everyday.” Peter shook his head and tried not to laugh. “You’re gonna feel so rotten in the morning.”

“That’s a tomorrow Ned problem!”

Peter climbed in the front seat after he made Ned swear not to touch his seat belt or he’d web his hands behind his back. He sighed dramatically as he strapped himself in. “Well, that was fun.”

“What happened to the Flash kid?” Tony asked, he was mildly concerned people may have seen his son assaulting the boy but it wasn’t as though he couldn’t make it all go away with a snap of his fingers.

“He was still passed out before you got here so I carried him to one of the empty rooms and put him on his side. I left a bowl and a bottle of water too, everyone just assumed he was drunk.” Peter was red in the face and it was clear that he felt pretty guilty about what he’d done.

“Good boy, Pete. You did the right thing.” Tony tried to console him.

“No I didn’t. I hit him, oh my god I hit him.” He leant forwards and put his head in his hands.

“Yeah ya did! I think you broke his nose!” Ned said excitedly from the back.

“Not helping!” Peter snapped. “Why did I do that?”

“Because he was being an asshole.” Both Tony and Ned said simultaneously, albeit in different tones.

“Yeah well, he’s been an asshole for years and I never hit him then!”

“P, it’s okay he was picking on your new dad that’s why you got so mad.”

“Thanks for the pearl of wisdom Mr. Kool-aid guy back there.” Peter slouched in his seat.

“Let’s not worry about that right now huh? Let’s focus on what we’re gonna do with Mr. Kool-aid guy.”

“We can’t take him home, Dad. His mom will kill him.” Peter said seriously, his eyes going wide.

“I’m too pretty to die!”

“Ned. Take a nap. Can’t we take him to the tower? I’ll take care of him I swear-“

“Pete, you know you taking care of him isn’t the issue it’s a security thing.” Tony cut him off. He was trying to think of the best thing to do, what would be the most responsible but also what would be the most moral. He knew he should just take Ned home and let his mom deal with him but Ned didn’t deserve to receive consequences of something he hadn’t done intentionally. Maybe if he spoke to his mom and explained it wasn’t the boy’s fault...though he could imagine that he’d still be upset with Peter had the same thing happened. He took a second to glance back at Ned, who was currently amusing himself with the button that controlled his window. “Right, okay. We’ll take him home with us. I hope you understand how much paperwork I’m gonna have to fill out for this?”

“We appreciate it very much,” Peter turned his neck to talk to their other passenger. “Ain’t that right Ned?”

“Peter? You know you’re like, my best friend right? I love you so much.” Ned let himself slump forward so he could link his arms around the headrest of Peter’s chair to hug him. “Like so much and I’m so glad you got yourself a dad who’s this awesome.”

“I love you too buddy. Now can you let go cause you’re kinda strangling me.” Peter choked out patting
the not-so-gentle giants arm.

Ned was slowly becoming more drowsy and ended up nodding off for a while so Tony had a chance to talk to Peter about what happened with Flash.

“I could hear him coming up to you Pete. I don’t think you were unjustified in what you did to him.”

“Yeah, he was getting up in my face, so what? I couldn’t walk away because of Ned but I know he wouldn’t have actually done anything. Even if he wanted to he wouldn’t have been able to physically hurt me, I have way too much combat training on him. I let my anger get the best of me- Ned’s right it’s cause of what he was saying about you. I hate losing control like that, Tony, I hate it.” Peter moves his hands around exasperatedly as he spoke.

Tony thought for a moment before answering. “No I don’t necessarily condone you hitting people, let alone civilians who you know couldn’t fight back. But you didn’t beat the crap out of this guy, you knocked him out and you left it there. You didn’t lose it completely and kept on hitting him, hell you even made sure he was in a safe spot before you left, that’s more than I would’ve done. The fact that you feel so guilty about it shows that you’re not a monster Peter.”

“I just hate the idea of using my powers in the wrong way, you know? Like I could’ve really hurt him-“

“But you didn’t Peter. You did enough to send him a message and get him away from you when you felt threatened, this hardly constitutes a developing god complex.” Tony chuckled but stopped when he saw Peter’s face fall. “I’m not disregarding how you feel bud I understand, I just don’t want you worrying yourself sick over one little scrap.”

“It’s not that.” Peter bit his lip and for a second Tony was worried he was gonna throw up.

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing..” Peter turned to face the window. “I’m just a little warm.”

Tony didn’t press the issue. He just turned the AC on figuring Peter was just tired and emotionally exhausted after the failed evening. “You lemme know if you need anything bub, you can catch some shut eye too if you need to.”

Peter took the opportunity to close his eyes but he still didn’t look very comfortable. Though it was fairly late at night by this point they were still hitting traffic, probably due to other people being out on the town too. Ned woke up and started chatting with Tony about nonsense again, which the man went along with though he had to keep reminding him to lower his voice so he didn’t wake Peter up. The boy to the right of him was looking increasingly uncomfortable.

“He ain’t sleepin’.” Ned giggled.

“Oh? And how can you tell?” Tony quirked his eyebrow, not believing the drunk boy knew what he was talking about.

“‘Cause he’s doin’ the twitchy eye thingy.”

“Ned, shut up.” Peter grumbled.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Peter hissed. “Why are we stopped?”

“Red light, now tell me.”

“Do you want my puke bag?”

“No I’m fine.”

“Then what’s-“

“I have to pee okay?! Now can we drop it?!”

The car felt silent for a moment before Ned gave out a little giggle.

“Shut up, Ned!” Peter’s face was slowly turning a deep crimson.

“Why didn’t you tell me Pete?” Tony asked gently, not wanting to upset him anymore.

“Because I didn't want to set off pukey back there by stopping and starting the car. Besides, I didn’t think it was gonna take this long to get home.” Peter snapped.

“It shouldn’t have but there’s a lot of traffic-“

“How was I supposed to know that?!” The teen yelled, the building desperation in his bladder making his patience wear thin.

“Hey, cool it. I get it you’re uncomfortable but yelling at me isn’t gonna help anything.”

“M’sorry.” Peter looked down ashamedly and tensed his thighs together. "I'm just tense after everything tonight."
"I know bubba, it's okay."

“You sure you don’t want my puke bag? I’m sure it could-“

“Ned!” Both Tony and Peter said at the same time (though Tony replaced the N with his preferred T).

“We passed a gas station a while back I’ll find a way to turn around.” He noticed how Peter wrinkled his nose. “It’s better than no bathroom at all.”

“I don’t know Mr. Stark. Peter can be rather particular-“ Ned chimed in, in a singsong voice.

“Ned! Say one more word and I’m webbing your mouth shut I swear to god!”

The other boy finally seemed to take the hint as they were able to maintain a tense silence in the car for around ten minutes, save for Peter’s various grunts and groans. He was doing okay suppressing his wiggles until Tony suddenly swerved the car to avoid hitting a dead animal in the road.

“Mmph, I hate you.” Peter groaned through gritted teeth. He wasn’t sure who he was cursing, Tony or the deceased rabbit, but he definitely loathed them both in that moment.

“Sorry, bubby.” Tony cringed. “Do you want me to just pull-”

“Don’t even say it.” Peter said sharply making Tony regretting having opened his mouth at all. After what felt like an eternity for everyone in the car, they finally pulled into a little desolate gas station, which both fortunately and unfortunately for Peter had a sign saying no key was needed for entry. He wouldn’t have to waste precious time running inside to get the key and possibly have to buy something, but that probably meant the bathrooms were in a less than pristine condition. He started to regret not taking Tony up on his earlier offer to go on the side of the road.

As he was hopping out to run to the restroom Ned cried out, “Wait!”

“What? What’s the matter?” Peter stopped halfway getting out of the car and was bobbing in the awkward position he was in to look back at him.

“I gotta pee too.” Ned said sheepishly tapping two of his fingers together in his lap.

“I’ll get him, you go Pete.” Tony said as he prepared to get out of the car himself.

“No, no it’s fine, I’ve got him.” The desperate teen said quickly, knowing full well Ned would be absolutely devastated in the morning when he realised one of his childhood heroes had to help him go to the bathroom after he’d gotten accidentally drunk on fruit punch. He helped drag Ned out of the back of the car and picked him up when his legs gave way and he laid on his lack laughing hysterically. “Ned please, I don’t have time for this, I’m gonna pee my pants.”

“N-no, shh shh shh, no you’re not I’ve gotchu.” Ned said as he started staggering forward, falling back into protector mode automatically after hearing the desperation his his friends voice. Though he was in no state to be helping anyone else.

“Oh wow, thanks. Whatever would I do without you.” Peter said dryly, half carrying his much larger companion to the restroom. It wasn’t too disgusting but there was only one stall next to the wall of urinals. “Ned are you okay to stand cause I really can’t wait-”

“I’m good, I’m good, I promise. Go on.” Ned nodded, knowing full well Peter wouldn’t use one of the troughs in fear of someone else walking in. Peter didn’t wait to be told twice, rushing inside the stall and bolting it shut. After he’d relieved himself and gone to was his hands he was surprised to see that Ned was still going.

“Jesus.” He laughed and shook his head embarrassedly.

“Hey, shut up I had alotta punch okay?” Ned slurred grumpily.

“Yeah I know, half of it ended up on my shoes- Ned!” He glanced at his feet only to see that Ned was dangerously close to watering his own sneakers, where he had started to tip backwards. He rushed over to push him into a more upright position. “You’re such a messy drunk, good god. I’ve changed my mind I don’t wanna go to college together.”

He couldn’t help but laugh at his friends perplexed expression. He clearly didn’t understand why Peter had pushed him. He finally finished emptying his bladder and went to stumble back out into the parking lot.

“Boy your mama is a nurse, I know you know better than to not wash your damn hands. This place is probably crawling with MRSA.” Peter chastised him in disgust. After getting him appropriately situated he managed to lead him back to the car where Tony was on the phone with Ned’s dad.

“Oh yeah they’re both fine, Pete just had a bit of a panic attack and Ned called me to come and get them. Yeah he’s alright now thank you sir, your son was a really big help. He’s a sweet kid.” Tony paused and gave both the boys a wink. “Yeah I think Pete would like it if he spent the night, as long as that’s alright with you both? Of course. Great, great, so I’ll drop him home at around lunchtime tomorrow? That way I can show him around my lab a little. Awesome. And a very good evening to you too, sir.”

Tony hung up with a sigh and gave the boys a thumbs up. “Saved him.”

“Thank god. If you had got Donna it would’ve been a different story.” Peter laughed knowingly.

“Oh I don’t doubt it.” Tony grinned. “Let’s get Tinkerbell home and to bed.”

“To Neverland, Peter!” Ned cackled wildly as though it was the funniest thing in the world. The two in the front couldn’t help but laugh as Ned pointed them in the direction of ‘the second star to the right’.

Chapter Text

It was quite an effort but eventually they managed to drag the drunk giggling Ned up to the commonfloor. Between the two of them they managed to avoid any members of staff seeing him, with JARVIS’ (or “the sky guy” as Ned had renamed him) help; guiding them as though they were blind folded through a maze. It would’ve been a lot easier if Ned wasn’t stopping every two minutes to gawk at something.

“Woah what’s that?!”

“That’s a water cooler, Ned.” Peter sighed. It’s not like they’d passed four of them already.

“Woah!”

Somehow they got him to the living room before he fully passed out, and much to Peter’s relief, none of the other Avengers were in the immediate vicinity to see it happen. They did however, walk in not long after Peter had managed to pry Ned’s shoes off and cover him with a blanket, him and Tony turning him on his side with a bowl beneath him should the boy get sick again in the night.

“Tony! You’ve adopted another one?!” Thor cried when his eyes fell on the unconscious child nestled on the sofa. "What powers does this one possess?"

“No Thor, I can assure you that this one is a temporary guest. And for the love of god please don’t wake him up.” Tony sighed rubbing his temples.

“Oh my god, is that child drunk?!” Steve cried. “Peter what on earth-“

“Save it cap, they’ve been through enough tonight okay? Peter didn’t touch a drop and Ted was tricked into it by a bunch of bullies.”

“You alright, sport?” Steve looked at Peter who was positively grey at this point.

“Yeah. Just been a long night.” He laughed tiredly.

“Looks like you still had fun though youngling.” Thor winked. The other adults in the room gave him a quizzical look. Nothing about the scene in front of them looked remotely fun. “Well look at his shirt!”

Peter looked down and wrapped his overshirt around himself quickly to cover what Thor was referring to. He'd forgotten about the make up stain Marissa had left on him after their sloppy encounter, and he'd rather avoid having to answer questions on the matter. The last thing he wanted was anyone thinking he had somehow enjoyed or even actively took part in any of that mess.

“What? What’s on your shirt?” Tony leant over and pulled at one of Peter’s arms that were clutched to his chest protectively. He’d been so preoccupied with carrying Ned he hadn’t noticed anything unusual about his sons outfit. Peter refused to move.

“Nothing!” He cried indignantly. He stayed strong until Tony’s hand brushed over a sensitive spot on his ribs causing him to laugh involuntarily. “H-hey!”

Tony’s face took on a devilish smile and he deliberately dig his fingers into Peter’s side again. “What was that Petey? I didn’t hear you.”

“Ah! S-sthap sthap it!” He tried his best to keep his arms locked but his laughter was weakening him. “No! N-not fair!”

“What’s not fair? I’m not doing anything.” Tony grinned. He’d never noticed the boy was ticklish and this was definitely new information he could use to his advantage.

“No-ho-ho!” The boy was thrashing around and attempting to throw himself onto the floor to evade Tony’s tickling. But every time he managed to slide his way off Tony held him firm against the seat.

“Why are you doing a Santa impression?” Tony was laughing himself at how red Peter was going.

“Uncle! Uncle! T stop- I’m gonna pee my p-ah-ah-ants!” Peter cried as a last resort. The man had grabbed both of his wrists in the hand he wasn’t using to torture him, so he’d given up hope trying to conceal the make up stain.

“Come on Tony I don’t feel like scrubbing the couch tonight.” Steve grinned at the paternal display, he never thought he’d see the day where Tony Stark was using tickling as an interrogation technique. He made a mental note to bring it up at their next briefing.

Finally Tony relented and he lifted both the boys arms above his head immediately spotting the streaks of orange and chartreuse. “Oo, what’s this?”

“Get off!” Peter huffed still recovering from his laughing fit.

“Did somebody get some attention from a lady?” Steve smirked.

“Not that I wanted it.” Peter grumbled and covered the marks again. “She was very drunk, I wouldn’t have done anything even if I did like her back.”

“A noble stance indeed my young friend, did you make sure the young girl was alright?” Thor clapped him on the shoulder.

“Uh huh, this nice senior couple saved me and the girl got her put to bed- I didn’t have time to do much else before I had to go and deal with this lump.” Peter laughed and gave Ned a light kick, the boy not even stirring.

“Well I bet the ladies were just throwing themselves at you huh, stud?” Tony laughed. “Must’ve been the impeccable outfit I picked out for you.”

“Leave me alone, dangit!” Peter blushed but laughed all the same.

“Do you want me to help move him to a bed or..?” Steve offered, gesturing towards the lump under the blanket.

“Nah, leave him. I don’t wanna risk waking him up, not that that’s likely at this point. Seriously what was in that punch?” Tony laughed.

“I have no clue. Poison apparently.” Peter said dryly.

“Well whatever it is I want some.” Tony chuckled, earning disapproving looks from both Steve and Thor. “Well, we ought to leave you boys to get some sleep, you wanna go to your room buddy? I can watch over drinks here?”

“No it’s fine, I got him. Besides he snores like a wild boar I don’t want you suffocating him when you can’t sleep.”

“Okay, goodnight underoos.” Tony made his way behind the sofa and kissed Peter on the top of his head, which made him blush especially as it was in front of the other two men. Tony has no such issue with it, he was getting much more comfortable showing physical affection to the boy, no matter who the audience was. He felt that Peter needed that extra bit of reassurance after the night he had. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out like we’d hoped.”

“It’s no big deal, it wasn’t so bad at the start.” Peter smiled. “Nunight.”

They all said their good nights and left Peter to keep a watchful eye over his inebriated friend. He slept fitfully that night, waking up every time Ned so much as twitched in his sleep. He was paranoid if he fell asleep that he would choke on his own vomit, even though Ned hadn’t thrown up since they left the party. Just as he managed to fall into a semi-decent sleep Ned turned and threw his legs over Peter, inadvertently kicking his friend in the bladder. Peter woke up with a start.

“Mmf, Ned move.” He groaned as he doubled over clutching himself. But Ned was a dead weight and dead asleep, he wasn’t budging quick enough for Peter’s screaming bladder. “Ned come on!”

Peter pushed him again and the other boy tilted precariously on the edge on the couch threatening to fall off, which would lead to him smacking his head on the glass coffee table beside him. Luckily for him Peter pulled him back towards the back of the sofa, which also rolled Ned’s legs further into his lower tummy. He shimmied his way out from underneath them barely keeping control of himself as he ran to the bathroom. He took a short moment to think about all the trouble his bladder had caused that evening. He was glad he’d had the foresight to take off his belt before he got settled on the couch as it saved him from disaster. His relief was short lived though. Whilst he was washing his hands he got a sudden wave of that prickly feeling in his neck just before he heard a crash from the adjacent room.

“Ned?!” He called, rushing out of the restroom without even drying his hands. He spotted his friend of the floor in a ball clutching his head and groaning. “Shit- you okay?!”

Ned didn’t give a response, at least not one Peter could understand. This worried him even more, was it still the punch talking or had the boy concussed himself?

“Hey hey, move your hands let me see.” Ned obliged sluggishly, falling forward and leaning on Peter. He checked the spot underneath his hair that he’d been clutching and he couldn’t see any blood, though a nice sized bump was already forming. “Jesus, Ned, are you alright?”

“Think, m’gonna puke.”

“Ah, okay, it’s alright. Can you stand?” Ned nodded. Peter wasn’t sure whether he should try and get him to the bathroom or if he was better off letting Ned use the bowl. He opted with the former, bargaining with himself that he’d take the bowl with them in case Ned didn’t make it.

He pulled Ned along and the boy was considerably easier to manage than he had been earlier that evening, which he surmised was a good thing. He still wasn’t sober by any means but it was less like herding a newborn deer and more like corralling a sleepy toddler. Ned was about two feet away from the toilet when he collapsed onto his knees and started throwing up for the second time that night. He didn’t make all of it in the bowl at first and Peter cringed realising he was going to have to clean his friends puke once again. He couldn’t find it in him to be angry, all he felt was sympathy for him, but that didn’t mean he still wasn’t just a little grossed out.

“It’s alright Ned, don’t fight it.” He hummed and started subbing small circles on Ned’s back. He was still trying to mutter apologies in between mouthfuls of bile but Peter did his best to console him. “Sh, don’t say sorry Ned none of this is your fault okay? I’m gonna get Flash back for this don’t you worry.”

Peter’s early feelings of guilt towards hitting the boy had long since dissipated. He felt as though he should’ve let go of five years of repressed anger and beaten the living shit out of him. The logical side of his brain told him that he’d regret it for the rest of his life if he ever really hurt someone, let alone a kid his own age, but as he was sitting on the bathroom floor covered in his best friend’s vomit as he was being violently ill in the toilet his emotional side was quickly taking over.

“Pete, I’m so sorry. I was so dumb, I should’ve known better. You shouldn’t have to take care of me like this-” Ned started to break down in sobs, still gagging and hiccuping.

“Stop it Ned, come on it’s okay. You weren’t dumb, you’re not dumb and hey- this is no different than the time I threw up on you on the field trip to the MoMA, remember?” Peter shuddered at the memory. That was the day he found out that milkshakes, hotdogs and anxiety attacks do not mix, as did everybody else on the bus.

“Yeah, that was pretty gross-” Ned managed a strangled laugh before he was cut off by another wave of nausea. Not a minute later there was a rapid knocking on the bathroom door.

“Pete? You both in there?” It was Tony and he sounded worried. Shit. “Open the door.”

“No, dad it’s okay, we’re fine-”

“Peter. Open the door right now. JARVIS told me Ned hit his head.”

“No! Dad please don’t, he’s never gonna forgive himself if you see him like this! He’s alright he’s just getting sick again.” Peter begged. As dramatic as it sounded Ned would honestly be heartbroken if Tony saw him in his current state and Peter knew he wouldn’t be able to face the man ever again. He wanted to spare what little dignity he had left, hoping Ned wouldn’t remember any of this in the morning.

On the other side of the door Tony sighed. Peter had basic medical training and he’d had JARVIS run scans for any signs of serious head injury, all of which came back negative. He knew that Ned wasn’t in any immediate danger but he didn’t want Peter having to deal with it by himself. He was a kid it wasn’t his responsibility. It was at that point he considered calling Ned’s mother but the boy himself interrupted his thought.

“Mr. Stark I’m so so sorry, if you wanna send me home that’s fine I’m just so-” Another wave of vomit. “-sorry. Let my mom deal with me it’s all my fault anywa-”

“Hey, no, kid it’s alright. Don’t worry about it. I’m not gonna kick you out unless you wanna go home.”

“Mom’s gonna- HHHRRGH- kill me.” He moaned bitterly, seemingly to no one as he was still zoning in and out of lucidity.

“Dad, please don’t send him home. I can manage I promise.”

“Hmm, okay.” Tony said hesitantly. “Do you need anything?”

“Uhm, can you get a glass of water? And a new shirt for him, he’s kinda puked everywhere- no, Ned don’t cry it’s okay!”

“You got it.” Tony hurried off to grab what Peter had asked for whilst wishing he’s had a friend like that when he was his age. Whenever he came home that drunk his father would demand that he be left to deal with things himself and ordered no one to help him. He spent many nights covered in his own waste, sprawled wherever he’d managed to crawl to before passing out, then having to clean everything himself the next morning, especially after the real Jarvis died. It wasn’t until he got older and he could pay people to be his friend that he got any kind of care, which unfortunately only fueled his addictions. He tried to shake away the childhood trauma before he returned back to the bathroom, pushing it deep down where he hoped it wouldn’t resurface until the next time he had to deal with a crisis. So, you know, a very healthy coping strategy. “You wanna open the door so I can give these to you?”

“Nice try, Dad. Leave ‘em by the door I’ll grab them in a sec. Thank you.” Peter chuckled, speaking very softly.

“Okay, I’ll be in the living room okay? Yell if you need me.” Tony sat 'patiently' for half an hour before he got concerned about the lack of noise coming from the bathroom. Just as he was about to get up he heard the woosh of the sliding door and Peter appeared supporting Ned with one arm over his shoulder. Tony had no idea how he’d done it, but somehow Peter had managed to shower and change Ned’s clothes with no assistance. He, however, was still covered in what seemed to be several body fluids, a few of which were his own.

Peter looked the picture of calmness, being so relieved that Ned’s episode of sickness was finally over. Though he was anxious a majority of the time he had always had a knack for staying calm in serious situations. Peter smiled and spoke in the same quiet, gentle tone Tony had heard him using in the bathroom. “Hey, can you help me get him comfy again?”

Tony stood up quickly and much like they had done before the two nestled Ned in on the sofa, looking a lot less sickly than he had been hours before. Peter sighed and looked gratefully up at Tony. “Thank you for being so cool about all of this, Dad.”

“Pete, it’s honestly no problem. I’m so proud of you for coming to me and being so mature about the whole thing. Anyone would be lucky to have you as their friend. I’d hug you but frankly you stink.”

Peter laughed softly. “Yeah, he got me pretty good. I made the mistake of leaning in between him and the toilet to grab something. I used his shirt to clean the bathroom though so it should be all good in there-”

“You didn’t have to do that bubba I would’ve-”

“I know. But he’s my friend it’s my job to take care of him.”

“It’s not but it’s amazing that you think that way, Kiddo. Now please, go shower and change your clothes before you have to clean up my puke too.” Tony wrinkled his nose causing Peter to giggle.

“Okay- can you make sure he’s-”

“I’ve got him, go.”

Peter did as he was told, mulling over the nights events as he stepped under the hot water. All in all he didn’t find himself to be as miserable as he thought he would be. Yes, the night had been far less than ideal especially for poor Ned, but he has happy that he’d been given an opportunity to show Tony how grown up he could be when he had to. He couldn’t help but feel pride beam in his chest when Tony told him how lucky someone would be to call him their friend. He agreed, Ned was lucky but also very much not at fault in this entire thing. He pushed down the anger he felt towards Flash and his goons, he wasn’t about to let him keep winning by spoiling Peter’s now calm mood and he had to admit to himself- the party before the punch hadn’t been half bad. All he wanted to do was snuggle on the sofa and sleep. So that’s exactly what he did.

“Mm, move over, I’ve earned that hug now.” Peter yawned as he plopped down on the sofa next to his dad. Under normal circumstances he would’ve been far too embarrassed to ask the man for a cuddle like that but he was past the point of caring and these were not normal circumstances. He’d spent the last three hours being kicked, cried on and puked over. He deserved some damn snuggles.

“Come here you.” Tony chuckled lifting his arm up for the boy to curl up next to him. “You gonna let yourself get some sleep now, Underoos?”

“Mhm.” Peter hummed, his eyes already closed. “Your turn to babysit.”

“Okay, you go night night I’ll babysit.” Tony chuckled, expecting at least a whine of protest from Peter for the babyish term but the boy was out like a light.

Peter managed to get a few hours of decent sleep in. In that time people had already started getting up and ready for the day, filing in and out of the living room to the kitchen and connecting hallways. Only the adults who hadn’t seen their unexpected entry last night questioned the chaos on the couches.

“Uh, who is that? And also, why is that?” Nat asked, looking at Ned as though he was some kind of alien.

“Peter’s friend, he got tricked into drinking by some bullies at that party last night. Ended up getting super drunk and Peter called me to pick them up. Mom would’ve grounded him for life if I took him home.” Tony yawned absentmindedly as he scrolled through his twitter feed.

“High school kids are such jerks.” Was all she said as she exited the room to get herself and Tony a cup of coffee.

“Yup.” Tony agreed simply. He was too tired to make much conversation. He gratefully accepted the coffee though.

Bruce had much the same reaction though he went through all the usual medical questions that Tony was used to hearing from the man by that point. Once Bruce was satisfied that he wasn’t needed urgently he left the room to grab some pedialyte for when the boy woke up.

Tony was content to let the boys sleep in for as long as possible after their rough night, so he only woke peter up when he felt the boy start squirming against him. When he looked down Peter’s face was scrunched up and he was biting his lip. He took a moment to monitor him to see whether or not he was having a nightmare or if it was something else. His suspicions were confirmed, however, when one of Peter’s hands disappeared under the blanket.

“Pete, hey, Pete.” He shook the boy gently but he didn’t stir. He shook him a bit harder and Peter still didn’t move a muscle. Now he understood how the teenager could wet the bed when he was over tired, the boy was sleeping like a rock. “Kiddo, come on you’ve got somewhere you need to be.”

He had to forcefully sit Peter up for the boy to even open his eyes. “Mm, good mornin’.”

“Good morning.” Tony chuckled, waiting for Peter to notice the urgency his bladder which he did almost immediately.

“Oo, I think I gotta pee.” Peter moaned, his eyes still half lidded as he dug both hands into his crotch.

“Yeah, I think so too buddy. Why don’t you do take care of that?” Tony laughed. He helped keep Peter steady by pushing on his back as he stood up before watching as the boy hobbled to the bathroom. He passed by Thor who greeted him warmly.

“Hello there, youngling!”

“Hi Thor, I gotta pee.” Peter said sleepily hopping from foot to foot.

“Well best you go and do so then, little one.” Thor smiled fondly and stepped aside to let the dancing teen go past. “And how is our befuddled guest doing this morning?”

“He’s still sleeping so keep your big mouth shut.” Tony snapped. He really didn’t want Ned to be woken up by a big blond god looming over him. That would be bad enough without the hangover he undoubtedly had. Besides, Thor was well known for his rude awakenings.

Peter returned not five minutes later fully dressed and hair brushed out, giving him what could only be described as a cloud of brown fluff. Bruce took one look at him and almost spat tea all over the dining table.

“Look at what that stupid hair gel you used did to me.” Peter scowled. Tony tried his best not to laugh but it was hard to take him seriously when he looked like an overgrown cherub; the plume of soft curls making his face rounder than usual, making his cheeks look chubby and dare he say it, very pinchable.

“Well did you use conditioner in the shower last night?”

“I was scrubbing barf off of my scalp do you really think I was focused on doing an intense hair care routine?!”

“I hardly think five minutes of letting conditioner soak into your hair counts as an intense routine but hey, if you like the weird Al look you do you.” Tony held his hands up defensively making Peter want to cross his arms and stomp his feet but he refrained from doing so. Just as he was about to say something snarky back Ned started to stir.

“Mm, ow.” Ned groaned and covered his eyes before he even opened them. “Mom the sun is too loud. Turn it off.”

“Boy, I ain’t yo mama.” Peter laughed evilly as he sat cross legged on the floor next to the sofa.

“Huh? Oh, it’s you.” Ned managed to open his eyes a little which was when Peter jumped back.

“Ah! Oh god, ew what happened to your eye?” Ned had dark red dots surrounding the whites of his eyes, though they were pretty small they were very noticeable up close.

“What?” Ned said groggily. He blinked a couple time and learnt on Peter’s shoulder to sit himself up which his friend didn’t object to. “God my head, what happened last night?”

In an instant Bruce appeared next to the couch holding a glass of pedialyte and a couple tabs of Tylenol. “Here, Ned. And don’t worry about the spots in your eyes, you just burst some blood vessels.”

Ned accepted the two before it dawned on him who was handing the medicine to him. “Thanks I- Oh my god! You’re- and- holy-“

Ned started looking around the room in shock finally realising his surrounding and Peter covered his mouth before he had a chance to curse. “No swearing, Steve doesn’t like it.”

“Did you just call Captain America STEVE?!”

The man in question took the opportunity to pop his head into the room as though he thought someone was calling him, taking on his signature trademark smile. “Am I being summoned?”

“Oh my god, I’m still asleep. I’m gonna pass out oh my god.”

“Please don’t.” Peter cringed. “I’ve had enough all of that.”

“All what? What happened? Why am I at your place I’m not allowed at your place?”

“Uhh...well..” Peter looked desperately to Tony who offered no such excuses for him, prompting Peter to tell his friend the truth. “Well, you got sick last night, I think you ate something bad at the party and I didn’t want your mom to get mad at you so I begged dad to let you stay over-“

“You know my mom wouldn’t get mad at me if I got food poisoning, P. Tell me the truth.” Ned said seriously, though his face fell and he looked ashamed already, having connected the dots in his head. “Did I drink?”

“Not on purpose!” Peter rushed to Ned’s former self’s defence. “It wasn’t your fault you got tricked into it!”

“Oh my god, oh my god.” Ned put his head in his hands and looked as though he was going to start crying again, having realised that Tony Stark had seen him make a fool of himself. “How much did I drink I can’t remember anything?!”

“I don’t know, you did it when I went to the bathroom…” Peter said guilty, placing an arm around Ned in an attempt to comfort him. “You didn’t do anything embarrassing, I swear.”

“Liar, you’re just trying to make me feel better.” Ned said miserably, but he still leaned into Peter’s hug.

“Yeah, true. But hey, it’s not a big deal. No one saw you just me and dad-“

“You did not use just and your dad in the same sentence- Mr. Stark I am so sorry you had to see me like that-“

“Kid, don’t worry about it. I mean it, don’t beat yourself up. I’ve been and seen people a lot worse. You just threw up a couple times and got insanely giggly. Count yourself lucky you weren’t a maudlin drunk.” Tony placed his hand on Ned’s shoulder. “I don’t want you beating yourself up over this Ned. It happens to the best of us, I’d know I’m one of them.”

“I guess but it’s so- hey, you said my name right!” The shock of Tony actually addressing him appropriately snapping him out of his self loathing.

“I knew your name the whole time I’ve been waiting for you to correct me.” Tony shrugged making Peter sigh and roll his eyes. Ned just ‘oh’ed in response. “How are you feeling anyway?”

“Uhm, kinda gross. Feels like my head is full of cotton balls.” He admitted.

“Yup, that’ll fade don’t worry we should probably get some food in ya too. Come get something to eat you two.”

The idea of eating made Ned’s stomach turn initially but as soon as he smelled the bacon cooking on the stove his stomach changed its mind. Peter was less enthusiastic.

“After what I saw last night I don’t wanna see food for at least a week.” He grimaced causing Steve to give him a look and point at him, tea towel still in hand.

“You don’t eat you don’t get to train or go down to the lab, it’s as simple as that.”

Ned was busy chatting with everybody, whilst badly covering up how starstruck he was. He was still in disbelief that he was actually getting to meet these people let alone have breakfast with them like any other family. It was so surreal- his best friend was living in this modern tower with superheroes. He forgot that Peter was Spider-Man most of the time but seeing how well he fit really brought it home for him. He’d never seen Peter so comfortable around a group of people that large, even his own family. It was when Ned asked about where Hawkeye was that Peter joined in the conversation- having been arguing with Steve about his lack of appetite.

“Oh he goes home to his wife and kids on the weekends-“

“Pete!” Tony gave him a look as did the rest of the people at the table, other than Thor who was taking the opportunity to steal a sausage off of Bruce’s plate. He didn’t manage to however, as Nat stabbed his hand with a fork, not breaking eye contact with Peter.

“What? It’s just Ned.” He struggled through a mouthful of Cheerios.

“I didn’t hear anything please don’t shoot me.” Ned begged freezing in shock. He didn’t want to be exposed to any classified information that could potentially get him killed.

The adults in the room chuckled at the boy’s fear and Steve reassured him that no one was going to be shot. “But Pete we’ve been through this, security is-“

“I know I know, I’m sorry. Just give Ned some Kool-Aid he won’t remember a thing- ow!” Ned punched his arm.

“Dude! Too soon!”

“Tony he hit me!” Peter pointed childishly at his friend while pouting.

“You deserved it.” His dad didn’t look up from his phone and continued to slurp his coffee.

Peter gaped his mouth open in horror. “Rude!”

“You’re rude.” Ned pouted. He was still rather sore on the subject and he didn’t appreciate Peter making light of it so soon.

Peter could sense this, he didn’t mean to go too far. So he did was he always did when he made Ned mad at him; he batted those big brown eyes and pouted. “Sorry Ned.”

“Ugh you’re such a brat.” Ned sighed but grinned. It was impossible to stay mad at Peter for too long. “You’ve at least gotta fill me in on what happened last night, I literally don't remember getting out of the car.”

“Well, we did pretty good for like the first hour. We were dancing and everything- a couple college girls took pity on us I think but they were hot so- I mean pretty, they were pretty nice.” He backtracked seeing the look Steve was giving him. “And uh, I had to go to the bathroom and I was gone a while cause you know who stopped me and tried to kiss me cause she was super drunk-“

“Oh god, again? Does she not take a hint?” Ned sighed and rolled his eyes, inadvertently gaining everyone else in the rooms interest.

“No dude, I mean she was really drunk. It wasn’t her fault she could barely walk straight, all her friends left her too it wasn’t right. She could’ve got hurt or something.” Peter said seriously. As much as he knew Ned hated Marissa he wanted to drive home that she wasn’t to be held accountable for her actions, same way he shouldn’t be. He made a mental note to text her to make sure she'd gotten home safe.

“Yeah, that ain’t right.” Ned nodded.

“So who’s the girl?” Steve asked.

“N-no one-“

“This girl who’s been obsessed with him all year and won’t leave him alone.”

“Ned shut up!” Peter hissed and shoved him with his shoulder, making Ned turn to him and shrug in confusion.

“Who, MJ?” Tony seized the opportunity to get more information out of Ned about this mystery girl his son had been spending time with. He still found it fishy how Peter had never mentioned that she was of the opposite sex and got defensive as soon as Tony drew attention to that fact.

“No, no, no, no!” Peter said a little too quickly. “You don’t know her.”

“Her names Marissa-“ another smack to Ned’s arm.

“Dude! Shut up!”

“Who’s MJ?” Nat asked, also noticing the blush in Peter’s cheeks as soon as that name was mentioned.

“No one!”

“His girlfriend.” Tony deadpanned making Ned snicker and Peter’s face get even redder.

“No she is not!” Peter cried indignantly.

“Then why are you so pink?” Thor smirked.

“I’m not!” He was red up to the ears now. It was Steve and Bruce who came to his rescue.

“Alright, enough teasing the boy.” Steve chuckled.

“Yeah, his night was bad enough without you load of bullies.” Bruce’s tone was equally light but still serious and he gave Peter a wink.

“Oo, speaking of bullies, tell Ned what you did to Flash Gordon, Pete.” Tony said, finally taking a visible interest in the conversation as he looked up to watch Ned’s reaction.

“What? What happened with Flash?” Ned turned to his friend who looked as though he was about to leap over the table and punch his father.

“Can we not do this here.” Peter said through gritted teeth, looking straight past Ned directly into Tony’s eyes. He looked from Tony to Steve and back again to show the man why he didn’t want to share the story in front of the entire group, knowing Steve would go ape shit if he found out that Peter had hit someone. He'd then go double ape shit if he found out that someone had been bullying Peter for the past five years.

“Why, what happened, sport? Who’s Flash?” Steve has caught the look Peter was giving him and it only seemed to spark his interest more.

“No one.” Tony, Peter and Ned said at the same time. It only made Steve more suspicious but he took the hint and backed off.

They were able to finish their meal in relative peace, though Ned was still asking all kinds of questions to various members of the team. They all did their best to indulge him and make him feel welcome, all being used to answering similar questions after their years in the public eye. After they’d eaten Tony took Ned for a proper tour around the tower (one he’d actually remember and wasn’t full of water coolers). Tony only showed him very select parts of the lab that had displays of his old suits, as not to endanger both his secrets and the boy’s safety should anyone find out what he’d potentially seen. Peter loved being able to show Ned his room and some of the smaller projects he’d been working on. He wasn’t trying to show off or brag about what he had, he was genuinely happy to be able to share it with his best friend after so many months of keeping everything a secret.

Ned felt the same way, he was over the moon that his friend finally had what he felt he deserved. The only thing that sparked jealousy in him was the size of Peter’s bed, something he’d never be able to possess if he valued having a floor in his own room.

“So, since Ned’s been here once does that mean he’ll be able to hang out with me now?” Peter looked to Tony with those big doe eyes that made him give in to anything he wanted.

“I don’t know buddy, it’s something I gotta talk to some people about before I can make a decision okay?” Peter nodded sadly making Tony’s heart melt. “But you know I’d love for him to come over again okay? So don’t think it’s that.”

That made Peter perk up a little and Tony had been telling the complete truth. He saw a different side of Peter that day when he’d been hanging out with his friend, somehow he seemed less but more mature at the same time. He’d always viewed Peter as a child though he often acted like an adult, but that day he looked and acted like such an average teenager that Tony was convinced someone had swapped his son out for another boy. He seemed so much more extroverted and goofy, much like he used to be when Tony was first getting to know him before Peter let on what an anxious wreck he really was most of the time. The whole experience reinforced that feeling like a normal dad thing that he enjoyed so much and he was glad he got to interact with Peter on that level, seeing his boy be a real teenager and not a mini adult for once. He’d enjoyed spending time with Ned too, finding the boys company a lot more enjoyable when he wasn’t intoxicated. He found him to be really witty, he almost managed to keep up with him especially when it came to lightly roasting Peter (though he wasn’t sure that his son valued that part of their quality time quite as much).

It got to be around twelve o’clock when Tony decided they had to take Ned home, much to the two boys disappointment.

“I know I know, but Ned’s parents probably think we kidnapped him already after last night.” Tony chuckled.

“Oh god I forgot about those.” Ned buried his face in his hands.

“You forgot you had parents?” Peter laughed. “I mean same but mine are like dead so-“

“Peter, Jesus.” Tony chastised him giving him a look of deep disapproval. Now he understood why his dark humour made other people uncomfortable, that level of morbidness did not suit Peter's sweet face.

“I meant that I have to face them, genius. You know my mom's gonna know what happened in a heartbeat.”

“You’re not even hungover anymore though-“

“My eyes, P, look at my eyes!” Ned turned around pointing at the affected orbs, opening his eyes unnaturally wide to prove his point.

“Blech! Gross Ned!” Peter turned away biting back a gag. He’d always had a thing about eyes.

Tony looked back at Ned for a second, who was sitting in the seat behind him, before taking off his sunglasses and handing them back to the boy.

“Uh, why are you giving me these, Sir?”

“Put em on.” Tony said simply. Ned did so but still looked very confused. “There. Now your mama won’t beat your ass.”

“No, Mr. Stark I can’t take these! I’ve already taken your shirt-“

“Keep them. They suit you better anyway.” Tony shrugged, his authoritative voice leaving no room for argument. “If your parents ask you to take them off make a big thing out of them being mine or me having touched them or something. You know, something you nerdy kids do about collectables.”

“Dude, I’m never taking these off anyway. Thank you so much Mr. Stark.” Ned was staring at his reflection in the window as though he'd found the holy grail.

“Don’t mention it kid.”

After they dropped Ned off and Peter clambered in the passenger seat, he got a text almost immediately after they started driving home.

Ned: Mom called me out straight away lol you still gotta fill me in on what happened with Flash. Thank you for taking care of me I’m sorry about ruining the party for you. But it was awesome to get to hang at your house and your dad is honestly the best :)

Peter smiled at his phone before he turned to his dad, still smiling. He was so overwhelmed with gratitude and love for he man that he didn’t know how to express it all. Fortunately for him Tony managed to ruin that feeling very quickly.

“So, about this MJ girl. You gotta a crush on her or-“

“UGH!”

Chapter Text

The week Peter had off from school was a godsend. He spent the entire time relaxing, which for him meant spending as much time as possible in the gym, the lab and out with Ned and MJ. It was his literal heaven. He even got to take Aunt May out for lunch for the first time in months as she was finally well enough to do so. He hadn’t realised how badly he needed to recharge his batteries.

Since he’d always found academics ridiculously easy, he never stopped to consider how draining school actually was for him, especially since he got the internship. But a week spent away from the constant crippling anxiety, that had become second nature to him now, it made him take a step back to look at the bigger picture. Since both the bite and the internship, Peter’s life had become non-stop action. Literally and figuratively. When he wasn’t doing something physical he was having to use his brain, if he wasn’t having to use having to his brain he was doing something emotionally taxing. The constant stimulation and the go-go-go of his day to day life was so unbelievably exhausting he was shocked that he hadn’t noticed it before. Between school, home life, superpowers, lab work and just being a teenager- he was surprised he hadn’t had a mental break down. In fact the idea of going back to school after having such a great time off was making him feel like he was close to having one. Every time he thought about walking through the school gates he felt a deep sense of dread loom over him. It had been weeks since his last bad panic attack and he was desperately trying to stave off another one.

He’d managed to keep the feeling at bay for most of that week, but as the days went on it became harder and harder to ignore. When he had distraction he found it easier to do but anytime he wasn’t in conversation or being stimulated by some other external source that was when the thoughts starting to creep back in and over take him. The Saturday before he was meant to start back he couldn’t fight off the feeling any longer. He and Tony were working in the lab and during a lull of conversation all the thoughts he’d tried to push to the back off his head resurfaced at the forefront of his mind. He felt that familiar sickly feeling take over him, making his lungs start to contract involuntarily and he struggled to control his hands when the minor convulsions started. He was more frustrated than anything, why did this have to happen now? Everything was fine, he wasn’t in any danger. He knew he was being illogical but that didn’t do anything to stop the emotional side of his brain from taking over, at the most least opportune time possible.

When it started he wasn’t sure what to do. Usually he’d lock himself away in his room for a while but he was in the middle of calibrating something in the lab and he couldn’t just walk away. Besides, Tony would definitely know something was wrong if he just up and left. He considered lying and saying he had to go to the bathroom or that he had to grab something or he felt sick but every time he went to open his mouth with some excuse his voice betrayed him. All he could do was swallow thickly and try to do his breathing exercises. He’d been lucky up until this point, managing to regain control of his anxiety before it built up to that point of no return, but when the realisation hit him that he only had two days until he went back to school it all hit him at once and there was no stopping it; two days until he had to go back to the crowded hallways, two days until he had to go back to completing asinine tasks that were beneath him, doing schoolwork that he could’ve completed back in fourth grade that was so mind numbing he had to stop himself from falling asleep half the time. But worst of all two days until he had to go back to the constant teasing from his peers, most of which came from Flash. He had to face Flash after he knocked him out. Oh god what had he done? He couldn’t do this.

“Hey Pete what do you think about-“ Tony swivelled in his chair to show Peter a small device he’d been working on, looking at the object in his hand as he did so. When he looked up he saw his son had gone pale white and was visibly shaking, his chest going up and down much quicker than it should’ve been and his jaw was clenched so tightly he was surprised he hadn’t broken his teeth. He was out of his chair and by Peter’s side within a split second. “Bubba what’s wrong?”

“I-I. I can’t.” Peter shook with each syllable and he was staring off into space. If he hadn’t have verbally responded to Tony’s question the man would have assumed Peter didn’t know he was there.

“Can’t what? Petey look at me, you can’t what?” Tony cupped Peter’s cheek with one hand trying to gently turn the boy to look at him. Bruce has given him a brief run down on grounding techniques and he knew that gently touching the boy’s face would hopefully help bring him back down from wherever his head was at, to the present moment. It had always worked before but this time Peter didn’t even blink. Instead his eyes filled with tears as he answered Tony once again.

“I can’t. I can’t do this.” He finally seemed to break his trance and his eyes snapped to meet Tony’s as tears started running down his face. His chest started falling up and down even more rapidly and rather than being tense his body seemed to give up supporting his weight at all and he fell limply forward. The corners of his vision were starting to blacken as he was hyperventilating to the point of oxygen deprivation.

“Peter. Peter look at me. You’ve got to breathe, buddy. You’re okay, everything’s okay. You’re safe.” Tony was on the verge of having a panic attack himself. He didn’t understand, everything had been completely fine. They’d been having a good day and all of a sudden Peter had just snapped, he didn’t know what had caused it. That was more scary to him than the panic attack itself, had he missed something? How could he help calm him down and comfort him if he didn’t know the source of the problem in the first place? What changed in the boy’s head so suddenly to go from being completely fine, laughing and joking to being on the verge of passing out? “I’m right here, baby, you’re okay. It’s just you and me, you’re safe, Petey. I’m not gonna let anything bad happen to you.”

Tony fought the urge to wrap Peter in a bear hug, which was his immediate reaction. He wanted to show him that he was safe and make him feel protected but he also knew that crowding him would probably only worsen his symptoms.

“I can’t go back- please don’t make me go back!” Peter cried. The harder it got to breathe the less he could think or make sense of his surroundings. Everything in him was telling him to run, but he didn’t know where. All he knew was he had to get away and that he wasn’t safe. He felt as though something was clawing in his chest trying to get out- at that point all of his critical thinking went out the window. He tried to rip himself away from Tony and run away but he made it two steps before he started to fall. Luckily for him the man never actually let go of his wrists and he narrowly avoided busting his head open on one of the metal countertops. He did however manage to slide himself onto the floor, still trying to crawl away from the man who was trying to help him.

Tony had no choice but to wrap his arms around Peter then, even as the boy tried to throw him off. He’d never seen Peter panic this bad in the year he’d known him, it was as though the boy didn’t know where he was or even who Tony was. He was about to ask JARVIS to send for Bruce when Peter finally stopped struggling against him and collapsed, sobbing hysterically. He had no idea what was going on, it had all happened so suddenly and he was at a loss for what to do. Surely this wasn’t just a simple panic attack, it had to be something much worse. He’d seen plenty of soldiers with PTSD and other such ailments but he’d never seen someone turn so quickly with no discernible cause. “Peter what are you talking about? I’m not making you go anywhere- what’s wrong?”

“I can’t go back Dad please don’t make me.” Peter curled in on himself, hugging his knees to his chest. He stopped struggling to get away from him but it was still as though he was terrified of the man behind him. “I’m sorry, I’m trying to- I’m trying- I can’t breathe make it stop, please make it stop I want it to go away-“

“Hey, hey, hey. Shh, Petey it’s okay. You’re alright, sweetheart I’m right here. Stop fighting it just let it happen. It’s gonna pass I promise you, I’m not going anywhere.” Tony found himself with tears in his own eyes as he gently rocked back and forth. What in the actual fuck just happened?

It took around half an hour for Peter’s breathing to finally even out, by that time both of them were exhausted. Even though the hyperventilating has passed Peter was still shaking from all the adrenaline his body had pumped into his system. Tony didn’t stop hugging him the whole time and just sat there, brushing his curls out of his face and whispering words of comfort.

“I’m. I’m so- I’m so sorry I don’t- I don’t know where that came f-from.” At this point Peter was too emotionally worn out to cry but he wanted to. He was so embarrassed that he’d let that happen in front of Tony and he’d clearly traumatised the man. “They don’t- they’re not usually so bad. I-I can usually make ‘em st-stop. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t apologise, you didn’t do anything wrong. But please, please tell me what you were talking about. Let me help, I don’t know what to do.” Tony croaked and he looked as though he was on the verge of tears himself. Peter had never seen Tony admit to something with such raw emotion. In fairness he’d never seen Tony express any emotion other than happiness or anger and frankly, seeing his dad so upset was scary to him. He was meant to be the one in control Peter had just pushed him to the brink of crying.

“No, no please don’t get upset. I’m sorry I-I didn’t mean to.” Now Peter could feel fresh tears starting to well up in his eyes, Tony looked so hopeless in that moment. How was Peter meant to help fix what he had just caused when he couldn’t even keep his own emotions in check. “It just kept building up and building up. I thought I was okay and then it was just like bam all once-“

“What’s going through your head Pete? What do you mean you don’t wanna go back?” Tony took a deep breath and regained some of his composure. It was unfair of him to let his emotions get the best of him when Peter so clearly needed him to be strong and support him. He continued to rhythmically rub the boy’s back, prompting him to stay present and aware of his surroundings in the hopes that he wouldn’t start to descend into another attack.

It took Peter a minute to find the word, but eventually he managed to struggle out the single syllable. His lower lip trembled. “School.”

“Oh, sweetie. Is that what this is all about? Come here, why didn’t you tell me, eh?” Tony pulled him into another tight hug. He made sure to keep his voice soft and unaccussing, not wanting to belittle or blame Peter for what he was feeling. He didn’t expect a response for his questions having already known the answers. “You don’t have to go back if you don’t want to you know.”

“Of course I do.” Peter pulled out of the hug to look at his father and wipe his nose.

“No you don’t. We both know you could sit all of your college entry exams right now with no problem. If you say the word I can have you pulled out of school like that.”

Much to Tony’s surprise Peter smiled and shook his head. Trust his dad to think he could solve everything using his Tony Stark status. “It’s not that simple.”

“But it is Pete-“

“No it’s not. It’s not school it’s just. Ugh, I don’t know- it’s me. I’ve just been- god I don’t know.” He started to lose control of his breathing again and he lent forward to put his head in his hands.

“Hey hey, no P, stay with me. You’re doing good, it’s okay. We’re just talking. You’re doing so good, buddy, keep going.”

Peter managed to confide in Tony about the recent issues he’d been having in regards to controlling his anxiety. How it had escalated rapidly over the past week and he felt as though he was losing all control and how he didn’t feel like he could tell anyone without sounding insane. He knew how illogical he was being but no matter how much he told himself he was being stupid he couldn’t stop fretting over how much he didn’t want to go back.

Tony sat and listened patiently, asking questions here and there to make sure he understood the full severity of what Peter was trying to tell him and that he wasn’t taking anything the wrong way. Peter admitted to having struggled for the past few months in general with managing his anxiety, but he’d been putting off doing anything to really handle the situation, instead ignoring it in hopes it would fix itself. Well, didn’t that sound familiar.

Once Peter was finished explaining, he felt a lot better. That was until Tony suggested going to talk to Bruce. “Why? I just told you everything why am I still-“

“Hey, it’s not like that. You’re not in trouble at all I promise. You’re never gonna get in trouble for something out of your control, remember? I just know how you feel about seeing any doctors other than Bruce, but I think now may be the time to get someone else involved.”

As much as Peter was reluctant to admit it, he knew the man was right. He clearly wasn’t able to deal with it on his own anymore, he just really didn’t want to go down the medication route. But he knew he had tried all of the coping skills he’d learned from both Bruce and the school councillor, as well as various sources online, and none of them seemed to be working. They talked a little more about it and Tony agreed to talk to Bruce for him, to save him having to go over the whole thing again.

“You really scared me bud. Please just tell me what’s going on before it gets to this point next time, okay?” Tony pulled Peter in for another hug, mostly to comfort himself. He hated knowing he couldn’t do much to help. His instincts as a father were making him want to go out and fight whoever was hurting his son, but how was he meant to do that when the demons were in his own head? He felt so guilty for not having realised how much Peter had gone down hill in such a small space of time, he’d truly thought everything was fine.

“I know, I’m sorry it’s just- it’s always when things are going good, you know? I don’t wanna ruin them cause I’m being stupid-“

“Enough. Not going down that road with you again. Lemme talk to Bruce for you okay? We’ll see what we can do for you.”

Tony wasted no time going up and having a conversation with the doctor, using security footage of the boy’s episode to help demonstrate what he was explaining. Bruce was clearly just as concerned as Tony as he immediately started suggesting things that he thought could possibly help. They discussed a few different options and came to the conclusion that Peter ought to start on medication as well as go to a therapist to help learn some better coping techniques and strategies, in hopes that the combination of the two would benefit him the most. Peter was less than thrilled by this decision but he was willing to try anything at this point.

“Peter just remember this is nothing to be ashamed of okay? Mental health is just as important as physical health, especially in our line of work.” Bruce gave Peter a kind smile and continued to give him a general motivational speech that didn’t do much to make him feel any better. Though he appreciated it all the same. Tony set up an appointment with his own counsellor the very next day.

***********

The next few weeks went better for Peter than he had expected. The talking therapies and the medication had helped reduce his anxiety from being a constant issue to an occasional nuisance. He still struggled with certain things, such as excusing himself to the restroom or asking for help with things, but that base level of nerves that he had grown accustomed to had fallen dramatically. He found everything was a lot easier when he wasn’t in a constant state of panic and with the help of his councillor, he was starting to identify his triggers and find ways of working around them or managing the anxiety they caused. He still struggled with the fact that the logical side of his brain seemed to have matured a lot quicker than his emotions had, but he was coming to terms with that with the help of his therapist, who helped him realise that it wasn’t his fault, that it was just the way his body and mind worked. Everyone had noticed the change in him and things seemed to be looking up, especially in contrast to the pure unbridled terror he’d had in the days before his return to school.

Much to his surprise, Flash had actually left him alone, for the most part. If it wasn’t for the dirty looks and graffiti left on his locker, Peter would have forgotten about him all together. Though he couldn’t help but feel a severe pang of guilt every time he saw the boy’s black eyes and crooked nose. The punch seemed to have finally knocked some sense into him though, as Flash didn’t dare bring up or tease Ned about his accidental intoxication, not even once.

Even Marissa had finally stopped pestering him constantly. Those two things alone managed to make Peter’s days seem to go by much easier, leaving him with more energy and just generally brighter. Everyone had noticed the change in him. It was almost as though Peter had returned to his normal happy go lucky self that he’d been before his life became so utterly complicated. Tony couldn’t be any prouder with how quickly Peter had improved and he made sure to remind him every day.

The weather was starting to warm up a lot which posed an issue when you had a tendency to dehydrate yourself to avoid using the bathroom at school. That was one hurdle Peter had yet to overcome but hey, one step at a time right? Combined with the fact that his new medication made him incredibly thirsty a majority of the time, Peter resigned himself to the fact that it was going to be a long torturous summer. He had made it part of his routine to go to the convenience store everyday after school and chug a few bottles of whatever liquid took his fancy, to avoid passing out from dehydration (which actually happened once and he had to beg Ned not to call his dad, the other boy made him swear it wouldn’t happen again). On a particularly sweltering Wednesday Peter was making his way down the alley next to his usual store when a sudden wave of anxiety washed over him.

At first he brushed it off, using his new skills in CBT to rationalise his thinking. But when he felt the hairs on the back of his neck start to tingle and he saw two shadows appear on the ground in front of him, he stopped walking. His combat training kicked in before he had a time to react, as soon as he felt a hand on his shoulder he pivoted on his heel wrapping his own arm around the assailants and twisting it naturally until it’s owner fell to their knees before him. He then struck them in the face with his knee and used their chest as a springboard to launch himself at the other attacker. He punched them in the face and partially scaled the wall to the left of him to give him more momentum as he kicked them to the ground as well. Just as the other masked figure went to stand up and Peter readied himself to deliver another hit he heard two loud bangs, all of this happening within the space of about fifteen seconds.

The two people suddenly fell motionless to the floor and before Peter had a second to process what had just happened he heard a familiar gruff voice call from behind him.

“Get in the car kid!” He turned to see Happy at the other end of the alleyway with his gun still drawn.

“You- you just- what the fuck?! You just killed-“

“No I didn’t I shot them. Now get in the car.”

Peter was in utter shock. “No way I’m not going anywhere with you, you psycho!”

“What? They just tried to kill you but I’m the- you know what nevermind, Peter we don’t have time for this just get in the fucking car now!”

He didn’t move a muscle. He’d just witnessed Happy shoot two people and now the man actually expected him to get into a car with him? While he still had his gun out no less? His mind was racing and he had no idea what was going on. He’d assumed he’d just been the almost victim of a run of the mill mugging, which wasn’t an uncommon occurrence in the area he’d grown up on. It wasn’t until Happy came forward and lifted on of the unconscious bodies arms that he realised this wasn’t any sort of unfortunate coincidence. The agent pulled their sleeve down to reveal a tattoo of a symbol that Peter didn’t recognise.

“See? Now come on.” Happy grabbed the frozen boy’s arm and dragged him to the car, stuffing him in the passenger seat before speeding off.

“Should- shouldn’t we call an ambulance or something? They were- there was a lotta blood..” Peter spoke in a quiet voice staring straight ahead of him.

“Are you serious? Kid they were trying to kill you and you’re worried about them?” Happy said in disbelief. He shook his head. “They’ll be fine. We need to ask them some questions anyway.”

“Happy what’s going on..?” Peter asked in the same quiet voice that was starting to crack, the gravity of the situation starting to set in. “Who were those people?”

“The less you know the safer you are. Don’t ask questions just listen to what you’re told, got it? I’m gonna hand you over to Tony.”

“You’re speeding.” Was all Peter could think to say. His mind was going a mile a minute trying to absorb all of the little information he could gather about what was going on. He could feel the familiar spasms in his chest that meant a panic attack was brewing and he was trying desperately not to let that happen in front of the man he’d just witnessed possibly kill too people.

The man didn’t dignify Peter’s observation with a response and continued to make a fifteen minute journey in under five, weaving dangerously in and out of both normal and oncoming traffic. As soon as they pulled up outside the tower Peter was met by both Tony and Nat who were piling bags into a run down ford galaxy that he’d never seen before. He stumbled out of the car shakily, his dad rushing over to him.

“Pete, are you alright? Look at me, you okay, you hurt?” The man said hurriedly, checking Peter all over before hugging him for a split second then pushing him towards the beaten up car.

“N-no, I’m fine. What’s going on?” He asked wide eyed as he clambered into the backseat. Everything was moving far too quickly for him, as though he was stuck in slow motion whilst everyone else was going at high speed.

“I’ll explain on the way but we’ve got to get going. Put your seatbelt on.” Tony called back to him, buckling himself up in the driver’s seat. Natasha joined him getting into the passenger seat, not saying a word. The pulled out of the driveway not two seconds later with Tony driving no less erratically than Happy, leaving Peter in the back with a million questions and a moderate case of whiplash.

Chapter Text

They drove in silence for the next twenty minutes before Peter built up the courage to ask again about what on earth was going on.

“Tony?” He said in a quiet voice.

“Hm?” The man said distractedly, as though he’d forgotten Peter was in the car all together. He hadn’t taken his eyes off of the road other than to check his son was still there in the rear view mirror every so often, but he didn’t break his concentration to look at the boy when he addressed him.

“What’s happening?”

Tony took a sharp inhale through his nose. “A group of people found out who you are, Pete. Who you are to me and who you are in the Avengers. I pissed off their boss a few years ago when I wouldn’t help make them a mass murdering machine so they were planning on using you as a bargaining chip to get to me.”

“O-oh.” Peter blinked slowly, letting the story sink in. He was feeling rather lightheaded as it was so it took a moment for him to continue asking questions. “So what’re we gonna do now?”

“We aren’t going to do anything.” Tony stressed the first word, breaking eye contact with the road to meet Peter’s gaze using the mirror. “We’re taking you to a safe house to lie low for a couple days while Cap and his little cyborg buddy take care of it for us.”

Once again Peter couldn’t think of anything to say other than “What about school?”

“I just told you that a group of people are trying to kill you and you’re first thought is about school? You didn’t even wanna go a couple a weeks ago but that’s what’s important right now?!” Tony snapped making Peter flinch at the sudden harshness in his voice.

“Tony, cool it.” Nat said seriously, speaking for the first time since she’d gotten in the car.

The silence broke out once again, even tenser than it had been before. Peter couldn’t help but start to panic once again as his emotions towards their current predicament starting to flood into him all at once. The numbness he’d been experiencing due to shock had begun to fade letting all the fear and anxiety start flowing into him freely. He tried his best to calm himself, distracting himself by playing stupid games on his phone but it soon became obvious to the two adults in the front of the car that he was losing the battle. When his breathing started becoming shaky Tony spoke once again, in a much calmer voice.

“P, it’s okay. Everything’s gonna be okay, I’m sorry for snapping at you.”

“It’s alright.” Peter swallowed quickly. He was starting to feel not only the panic washing over him but the effects of having drunk nothing but a singular bottle of water all day.

“It’s not bud, I shouldn’t be taking this out on you. It’s not your fault we’re in this mess, I should’ve done more to keep you safe.” Tony said guiltily.

“Tony it’s not your fault either. Blaming yourself isn’t gonna do anything now anyway, so nip that shit in the bud. Both of you.” Nat said flatly. Tony knew she was right and couldn’t help but crack a smile at how blunt his friend was, especially at a time like that. Though it didn’t surprise him, the first time he’d had a near fatal injury around her, her response had been “suck it up buttercup” as she was helping him of course. Her words didn’t do much to curb his guilt but he knew from the start that something like this was inevitable and he had prepared for it in advance. Someone was bound to find out about Peter sooner or later. He was just glad that Happy had caught up with him when he did. He looked back in the rear view mirror once again to see his son looked visibly pale and sweaty, more so than if he was just falling victim to an anxiety attack.

“Underoos you okay?”

“Yeah.” Peter croaked unconvincingly causing Natasha to turn around in her seat.

“You gonna hurl?” She asked bluntly though concern was evident in her voice too as she shoved a plastic back under his nose. “If so do it in here.”

He allowed himself to chuckle a bit at that as he pushed her hand away. “I’m not but thanks anyway.”

“Then what’s wrong? You’re grey.”

“I’m just a little hot.” He shrugged, not lying completely. He just wasn’t in the mood to be fussed at should he admit to barely drinking all day, not on top of everything else. Luckily for him Tony suggested something that would solve both of his problems.

“Well according to my intel we should be out of the woods enough soon for us to stop somewhere. Do you need to use the bathroom?” He made a point of looking back at Peter when he asked that last question, knowing his son was unlikely to admit to needing to go in front of Natasha. He’d always been particularly shy around the redhead and he couldn’t say he blamed him, she was rather intimidating.

“No I’m good.” Peter answered truthfully much to both his and Tony’s dismay. He hadn’t been to the bathroom since lunch and he usually would’ve wet himself twice by now had he gone that long without a bathroom break any other time. But he was genuine in his answer which was slightly concerning to him, though he found it to be very convenient considering their current situation. He would not have liked to have a full bladder whilst they were on the run.

“Okay, well, just lemme know if you do.” Tony dropped the subject, assuming the teen had used to bathroom before he left school though he had to admit he was still surprised he didn’t need to go, given the fact he knew how the kid was when he was anxious. “There’s some water and snacks in one of the bags back there in case you get hungry.”

With that Peter wasted no time reaching into the trunk to retrieve a case of water bottles, offering one to each of his chaperones before downing almost a whole one without taking a breath. He sighed dramatically, wiping his mouth and screwing the cap back on before noticing the amused/worried looks he was receiving from the front of the car. He blushed and chuckled sheepishly.

“Thirsty?” Nat laughed.

“Okay, note to self. Let the kid know where the snacks are as soon as we get in the car.” Tony shook his head.

By the time they stopped at a gas station that water had worked its way into Peter’s system and it wanted out again. He got out of the car quickly to use the facilities, Tony following closely behind. Of course, the door was locked and Peter had to wait for Nat to run inside and get the key. He hopped from foot to foot the urge intensifying quicker than he thought possible. He gave Tony a filthy look when he chuckled at him.

“It’s not my fault you chugged your water.” He held his hands up defensively.

Nat returned with the key which Peter snatched eagerly, uttering a quick but grateful thank you before sprinting inside. His relief was short lived however, as soon as he went to empty his bladder he immediately knew something was wrong. Not only did he barely have to go at all despite his urgency, it hurt. Like, really hurt. He felt as though he was peeing gasoline, which made him hiss under his breath in pain.

“You alright?” Tony called, having entered the bathroom to use it himself. The noise Peter made had him worried that maybe Nat hadn’t been quick enough retrieving the key.

“Yeah.” Peter called back, not sounding very convinced himself. Even though he’d finished going he still felt as though he needed to pee. He waited for a minute but nothing came out and the feeling didn’t dissipate either. He figured he was just dehydrated and his bladder wasn’t happy about the concentration of his urine. Hoping the feeling would subside soon he exited the stall to wash his hands. Tony was standing leaning against the wall eying him suspiciously.

“You alright, bubs?” Peter nodded, but he was flushed and looked upset. “Did you get sick?”

“No, I’m fine.” Peter flashed him a smile that disappeared too quickly for Tony to believe it was genuine. Luckily for him the man chalked it up to the stressful day they were having.

“I know this afternoon has been a complete clusterfuck.” Wow, Dad great pep talk about a literal life or death situation. “Come on, before we lose head way.”

Once they were back on the road Peter became hyper aware of the pain in his lower stomach, now that it had the added pressure from him being bent at the waist. He shifted uncomfortably and sighed. He was hesitant to drink anymore water, not wanting to have to stop again any time soon, but he knew he should try and flush his system out if he wanted to avoid peeing three drops of battery acid the next time went.

“How long till we get to wherever?”

“Bout six hours.”

“Seriously?!”

“No Peter. In fact it was an hour in the other direction I just figured you’d enjoy the scenic route.” Tony said sarcastically. He was tired and stressed and he wasn’t in the mood to play ‘Are we there yet?’ with a fifteen year old. The teenager in question three himself back in his seat and crossed his arms. “Play on your phone or something.”

“Do you want me to throw up?” Peter sneered, looking grumpily out of the window.

“Don’t really see how that’s relevant to what I just said but you do you, pal.”

“You’ve never had that?” Nat turned to the other man. “When you’re reading or on your phone or something?”

“I have no idea what you two are talking about.”

“No, because Mr. RichKid road in smooth ass cars his whole life.” Peter quipped snarkily, Tony’s comments combined with the sting in his bladder worsening his already bad mood.

“Alright, put a sock in it.” Tony said warningly. He didn’t understand why Peter was in such a snarky mood with him specifically. Though he knew the boy was probably freaked out by the whole being hunted and kidnapped for political gain thing, he’d half expected Peter to be excited like he usually was whenever he was put in a dangerous situation, especially for the first time. He was stressed up to the eyeballs himself, having been in a state of panic ever since Happy told him the MV members had found Peter. He really wasn’t in the mood for said child to start having an attitude with him.

The awkward silence resumed and Peter found himself deeply regretting making his dad mad at him. He now had zero distraction from the uncomfortable ache in his belly that was only getting worse as time went on. He tried to occupy himself by looking out of the window but it didn’t work nearly as well as it had when they were out in space, he had no interest in staring at the endless stretch of trees they were currently driving past.

The pain was bearable for a while, but without warning his bladder started to contract, telling him he had to get to a bathroom now. He didn’t even feel like his bladder was full this time but his body was screaming at him that he was about to wet his pants. He crossed his legs tightly and bit back the urge to whine, willing his muscles to clench tight despite their protests. The burning sensation came back full force as his bladder fought against him and tried to forcefully release what little contents it had into his underwear. When the wave passed after a few seconds, he wasn’t so sure that his bladder was empty anymore. Now it felt as though it had filled completely and he was bursting. He knew that wasn’t possible, but maybe the pain had distracted him too much for him to notice his bladder filling? Maybe he did really need to go now? It sure felt like he did.

“Uhm..Tony?” He felt his face blush crimson, but he had no other choice. Either he spoke up or he risked wetting himself in the back of the car without warning.

“What’s up?” Tony peered back at him, noticing the boy’s clenched legs. Surely he didn’t have to go that badly, they’d only stopped twenty minutes ago.

“Uh, n-nothing.” The look Tony gave him made Peter back up automatically. He regretted saying anything instantly. There was no way he could voice his need with a lady in the car, especially not when his dad was in such a bad mood.

“Do you need me to stop?” Tony sighed gently, realising he had scared the boy off with his skepticism. Peter had downed that water fast after all he shouldn’t have been so quick to judge, he knew better than to do that when his son was involved.

“N-no, m’fine.” The boy mumbled, starting to gnaw nervously on his thumb. “Sorry.”

Tony sighed again but didn’t reply. He hated when Peter dropped back into his old ways, apologising for everything despite having done nothing wrong. It reminded him of the days where Peter was too scared to ask for anything, a habit they’d only just recently broken. Not to mention Peter going sarcastic and moody to quiet and apologetic in the space of minutes was giving him emotional whiplash. He slipped out his phone and tapped a couple buttons, letting the guys back home know they were taking a minor detour, so they didn’t think they’d been hijacked. They changed course slightly, allowing Tony to circle back and pull in to a small diner they’d just passed.

“Come on kid.” He got out of the car expecting Peter to jump out the second he put the car in park. But he didn’t, he stayed sitting, not moving an inch. Tony walked back around and opened Peter’s door for him but he still didn’t budge. “You okay-“

“Gimme a minute.” Peter hissed as he leant forward. His whole body stiffened and he was holding his breath. Tony waited, understanding that Peter needed a minute to regain his composure before he could walk, lest his bladder betray him. Once he’d managed to gain back enough control Peter was out of the car and inside the restaurant before Tony had a chance to blink.

“Can you wait up?!” Had the boy forgotten he had a hit out on him? Clearly he was too desperate to care, maybe Tony ought to monitor Peter’s fluid intake more closely for the remainder of the journey.

Unbeknownst to Tony, intake restrictions were the very cause of Peter’s problem. The boy cursed himself for not having drank another bottle of water when he got back in the car, the burning sensation was excruciating.

An angry looking waiter caught Peter as he made a beeline for the restroom. “Hey kid bathrooms for paying customers-“

“I’m sorry- I’m really sorry, it’s an emergency!” Peter darted around the burly man who tried to block his path and continued running.

Tony came in just in time to see the altercation and sighed in frustration. Great, now their location was going to be spread all over twitter once the patrons of the diner realised Tony Stark was with the teenager that almost wiped out their waiter. Time to use his charm. “Sorry about that sir, he’s with me. Kids, you know- once they gotta go, they gotta go and all that.”

“Oh my god you’re-“

“Yep.” He sighed again before forcefully giving his signature smile.

Inside the bathroom Peter was also having an awful time. Once again emptying his bladder gave him no relief and all he wanted to do was cry. He stayed in there for upwards of five minutes before Tony managed to get away from the small crowd that had formed around him (he managed to persuade them not to post anything about them being their in exchange for a few photos and autographs). “Peter what are you doing?”

“What do you think I’m doing- I’m using the bathroom!” Peter snapped, the pain in his tummy making him even more volatile than he had been.

“I thought you had to pee?” Tony snapped back.

“Well I’m sorry I didn’t realise I had a fucking time limit!” Peter yelled, both out of anger and a contraction hit him as he spoke. He bent in half again as another drop of burning urine was forced out of him.

“Don’t swear at me Parker I am not in the mood!” Tony yelled back in a low tone that drove a shiver down Peter’s spine. “Hurry up, or would you rather we have a run in with the people who are trying to catch you? Do you realise how much danger you put yourself in running through a restaurant full of people like that-”

“Shut up.” Peter grumbled as he flushed the toilet and shuffled out of the stall to wash his hands. He sniffled quietly, now on the verge of crying. The frustration from his bladder paining him and Tony now using his last name in place of his usual terms of address, pushing his already fragile emotions to the brink. He knew the man was right and he’d been stupid to act so rashly but was Tony not aware that he had been seconds off wetting himself? Could he not cut him just a little slack?

“Excuse me? What did you just say?” Tony looked furiously at him. Did he hear correctly or had he just entered the fucking twilight zone where Peter suddenly thought it was okay to talk to him like that?

“Nothing.”

“No come on, you wanna play the big man? You go ahead- go out there and take care of yourself if you’re so tough! Why am I wasting my time trying to protect someone who’s so clearly got everything figured out-“

“Alright! I’m sorry okay!” Peter stormed past him and Tony didn’t see him wipe the tears off of his face. “Just leave it, I’m sorry.”

The man didn’t say another word (though he really really wanted to he knew better than to make a scene- unlike some people), both of them trailing back to the car and climbing back in silently. Nat knew better than to ask what had happened and switched on the radio as soon as they were back on the road to avoid their evident argument from continuing. That and the silence, that was so heavy you could cut it with a knife, was driving her insane.

Eventually Tony was able to calm himself down enough to engage her in conversation, though he was still furious with the stroppy teenager in the backseat. What was with the attitude on him today? He hadn’t done anything to deserve that, he understood that the boy was stressed as well but clearly he wasn’t grasping the gravity of the situation they were in if he was willing to go running through a room of people, causing a massive seen only to haul himself up in a vulnerable area ALONE for five minutes. He had no patience for his rudeness, he wasn’t about to let Peter jeopardise all of them just because he wanted to play the part of bratty teenager, though he was well suited to the role. He decided to make a concerted effort to ignore Peter for the rest of the journey, or at least until he decided to stop being, in his eyes, a little asshole.

They got out onto a main highway, back on course for the safehouse they were going to. This was the most dangerous part of their journey due to the fact they were left completely open and it was a major road, meaning lots of cars which in turn meant lots of possible enemies lurking in said cars. Conversation was a flowing freely between the two adults by that point, Peter still sitting silently in the back. As much as it pained Tony to pretend he didn’t see the boy furiously wiping tears off of his face, he knew he was in too bad a mood to be of any comfort to him in that moment. If he tried and was met with resistance he’d undoubtedly make the situation much worse.

Peter didn’t care that Tony wasn’t talking to him as he had no interest in talking to the man anyway. As ashamed of his own actions as he was he was still furious at the way the man had yelled at him for taking too long in the bathroom. Had Tony stopped for a minute to check if he was okay before assuming Peter was just trying to avoid the car journey, maybe he would have told his dad what was really going on. He doubted that he would have, but he wasn’t even given the chance. He was content to stare out of the window and try and drown out the screaming from his bladder. It wasn’t long until it was begging for release again but there was no way he was about to ask his dad to stop after all of that.

He desperately wanted to down another bottle of water, anything to get the incessant burn to go away, but he couldn’t. He didn’t want to risk losing control of himself when his bladder was actually full. He groaned and curled into a ball in his seat, ignoring the look Tony gave him as he did so.

“There’s a blanket in the back of you wanted to lay down for a while, Pete.” Natasha said to him kindly, turning around in her seat to look at him. She’d never seen the boy look so uncomfortable and she had a niggling fear that she was about to see him vomit, something she never wanted to witness again in her life. The last time had been far to emotionally scarring and it left her on edge.

“I’m okay, thank you though.” He said, his voice audibly tight. She smiled at him and turned back around to face the front of the car, but not before she saw him grimace in pain. She shot a pointed look at Tony, telling him he had to address the issue before she did.

“Pete, what’s wrong?” Tony said, his tone just bearing on the harsh side.

“Nothing.” Peter said quickly with the same bite in his voice that he’d had in the diner.

“I get it, you’re mad at me. But can we stop with the amateur dramatics and tell me what’s wrong? I know you don’t have to pee again so what is it?”

“You think I’m doing this to try and get your attention?” Peter’s voice dropped to just barely above a whisper and he sounded pissed. “Don’t talk to me.”

“Okay, have it your way.” Tony shrugged ignoring the look he received off of his female friend. He wasn’t about to show Peter that he was bothered by what he’d said, if the kid wanted to show out he’d let him. It would only come back to bite him on the ass later and he was not about to pander to him if he was gonna keep up with the attitude. He went back to his earlier assumption that Peter was simply rebelling against having to spend a further five boring hours in the car.

Peter was stunned by what the man had just accused him of and he was fighting the urge to kick the back of his seat. How dare he even suggest that Peter was pretending to be in pain for attention? When had he ever done anything for attention like that? It was usually the last thing he wanted- he’d always gone out of his way to hide his problems and Tony was gonna turn round and say that to him? Fuck Tony. And another thing- how exactly did he know that Peter didn’t need to pee again? Since when was he attached to his nervous system? Maybe if the man asked him nicely instead of acting like a know-it-all prick he would’ve been able to tell him that he was in physical pain. In fact he hoped he did piss on his seats maybe that would show him.

The other person currently in the car with the two furious, stubborn Stark boys was Nat and she had absolutely no idea what she was meant to do. Clearly they were both being too childish to actually do anything constructive or even have a productive conversation but she didn’t want to overstep any boundaries by calling either one of them out on it. That being said she could tell that Peter wasn’t doing anything to get anyone’s attention, he was clearly making an effort not to draw focus to whatever was going on with him and frankly she found the child’s change in demeanor extremely worrying. Had he been hurt during the fight before Happy could get to him and they just hadn’t noticed? He had a tendency to hide such important things from them and Tony knew this, so why wasn’t the man backing down already? She sat in awkward silence for the next few minutes trying to find the right words to say to help resolve the situation but Peter broke the quiet for her.

“Tony pull over.”

“Why?” The asked calmly, with no urgency in his voice whatsoever. He didn’t even take his eyes off of the road.

“Please.” Peter begged, his voice breaking.

“That’s not a reason. Besides, have you cared to look out of the window? On your right you’ll see the bollards lining the road-“

“Tony don’t be a dick.” Nat snapped, not liking the teasing tone she was hearing. Did he not hear the way Peter’s voice cracked or was he just too caught up in his own anger to notice? She turned around to look at Peter whose face was scarlet at this point and had very clearly been crying. He was bent over double clutching his stomach in wincing in pain. “Stop the car.”

Finally Tony looked in the back of the car and saw what had Natasha sounding so deadly serious. “Fuck.”

“Dad, please it hurts I can’t hold it.” Peter whimpered miserably, all embarrassment going out the window. All he could focus on was the waves of pain coursing through him and the screaming ache of his bladder. He dug both hands in his crotch and groaned, now that he’d voiced his need properly he didn’t waste his energy trying to remain discreet. His entire lower stomach was pounding.

“Hold on.” Despite the metal fencing Tony pulled over and stuck his hazard lights on, jumping out of the car and running to Peter’s door to help him get out. “What’s wrong what hurts?!”

“Don’t touch me!” Peter practically screamed and pulled away from him running straight into the woods, unzipping his pants as he went. Not that there was any point, he’d already steadily started leaking as soon as he got out of the car.

“Peter! Fuck- Nat can you-“

“I got it, go.” Nat assured him, cocking her gun to show that she had them covered.

Tony ran into the woods straight after him, panicking when he lost sight of the boy.

“Peter! Peter don’t do this it’s not safe you could get hurt-“

“You’re the only one who’s hurt me you insensitive prick!” Tony breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that infuriated cry beside him. “Still doing this for attention am I?!”

Tony turned to Peter seeing the boy gesture to his pants that were now wet down to the knee on one side. “Peter I’m-“

“Save it, actually fucking save it Tony, I don’t wanna hear shit from you.” Despite how angry Peter sounded his body was still shaking as sobs wrecked through him. Tony couldn’t believe how much his lapse in judgement had backfired. What was wrong with him? How the fuck hadn’t he noticed that Peter was being serious? Or had he noticed and he was too busy trying to prove a point? Whatever the reasoning behind it, he had royally fucked up.

“Peter. Listen to me-“

“Why? You didn’t listen to me.” Peter snapped taking a step back when Tony moved towards him.

“I know. I know. I should’ve listened. I’m sorry.” Tony held his hands up calmly, showing Peter that he was backing down. “I was a complete idiot-“

“Try liar. What happened to never getting mad at me for saying I needed something or never stopping me from going to the bathroom?”

“Pete, you went half an hour ago I seriously didn’t think you needed to again, I thought you were sick of being in the car.” Tony had to defend himself against that last one. He hadn’t intentionally barred the child from going, he genuinely thought he didn’t need to. He knew he should’ve known better than to think that but what else was he supposed to think? Well clearly you were meant to believe your son, Anthony, he’s got the wet jeans to prove it.

“I’m sick of being around you!” Peter lashed out angrily and Tony couldn’t find it in him to dish out anger back. He’d be angry too if he was in Peter’s position. “You’ve been mad at me all day I didn’t even do anything wrong! Yeah, so what I yelled at you cause you were yelling at me for going to the fucking bathroom!”

“I don’t blame you. You have every right to be mad, but P what’s going on? You said it hurt-“

“Like you care. If you cared you would’ve given me a chance to tell you back at the Diner, you’re just mad I proved you wrong. If you think I’m gonna tell you now you really are an idiot.” With that Peter ended the conversation and turned to walk back to the car, leaving Tony to follow silently behind him. When they got back the vehicle Nat was sitting in the driver's seat and Tony didn’t question it. He just got into the passengers seat whilst Peter retrieved his bag from the back of the car and proceeded to change into clean clothes, standing out of view of passing cars.

“I called Steve, said we’re gonna stop at a motel for the night. He didn’t question it he’s just set us on route for a guarded one but we’ve still gotta take shifts to watch out for anything.” Nat told the man quietly.

“Yeah.” Was all Tony said.

They say for another moment before Nat could no longer contain herself. “So, Dad huh?”

“After what I just did I think my Dad card may have been revoked.”

Chapter Text

Against his better judgement Tony elected to leave Peter alone for the remainder of their now short journey. It was obvious that he was still in a lot of pain but Tony couldn’t bring himself to ask him about it again so soon in fear of making the boy even more upset, if that was even possible at this point. When they pulled into the parking lot of the dingy motel Nat was the one who jumped out of the car to get them a room leaving the two males in the car alone.

“Pete?”

“Yeah?”

‘Well he answered you, Tony, that’s a start’.

“I don’t expect you to forgive me, so don’t feel like you have to. I know you probably weren’t planning on doing that anytime soon-”

“Correct.”

“But I know you. I know what you’re like. You’re always too quick to forgive especially with me because you’re scared something bad will happen if you don’t. But you’re allowed to be upset with me okay? I fucked up, I didn’t listen to you and I’m sorry.”

Peter sat silently for a second, considering what he wanted to say. Everything in him wanted to say ‘apology accepted’ and forget about the whole thing so he could start pouring his heart out to his dad, tell him what was wrong so the man could help him feel better. But he knew he couldn’t do that and he was still angry. Tony was right, Peter had every reason to be upset, he hadn’t done anything wrong. Maybe it was time Peter realised that he was allowed to show other people they had hurt him and maybe it was time for Tony to realise he didn’t have to try and one up everyone all the time; that and to stop being so stubborn. He was the adult, it was time he started acting like it, especially if he wanted to be a dad. But Peter didn’t like being angry for too long and he knew that Tony hadn’t meant to hurt his feelings. It’s not the man’s fault he’s so sensitive.

“Okay.” Peter said simply, deliberately keeping his tone neutral.

“Okay?” Tony repeated apprehensively. He wasn’t exactly sure to what part Peter was agreeing to and god forbid he start jumping to conclusions for a second time that day.

“Okay. I accept your apology and I do forgive you- But, don’t think I’m just gonna forget about this, even though I wanna I just can’t. You realise you just undid a bunch of hard work we both put in right?”

“I know.” Tony nodded guiltily. Months of finally getting Peter comfortable enough to admit to needing the bathroom without worrying only to make all the boys fears on the matter realised, in front of Nat no less.

“I’m not gonna hold a grudge, ‘cause right now you’re doing the whole self deprecation thing you always yell at me about and frankly it doesn’t suit you, dad.” Peter smiled for the first time in hours which in turn made Tony feel a lot better than any words the boy could say. “You’re lucky I’m such a nice person. Just remember, you’re still a dick though, okay?”

“Okay. Now watch your mouth.” Tony chuckled, still in shock at how quickly the boy was recovering. “Now we’ve gotten that part out of the way can you tell me what hurts?”

Peter hesitated. Both for the reason he’d just given Tony about the progress they’d made together reverting and the fact that he knew his pain was self induced, and he didn’t want another argument so soon. On the other hand he was still in enough pain to make him want to scream, his bladder having convinced itself it was full again already. “I just...well..”

“P, it’s okay. I’m not gonna be mad. Did you..do something to yourself?”

Peter wasn’t really sure what the man meant by that question but they way he had asked him made him feel as though it was something that was meant to be embarrassing to them both. “No I- well kinda. Uhm, I didn’t go when we stopped.”

The lie came to him quickly, that way he didn’t have to completely tell the truth about why his bladder was hurting but he could at least explain to the man what part of his body was ailing him; which in turn made him more hopeful that Tony would be able to suggest something that would ease the pain, or at the very least be more understanding.

“What? Why not?” Tony’s brows furrowed. That would’ve meant Peter had been holding it for over an hour and given the boys usual thirty to forty-five minute maximum holding capacity that sounded more than unhealthy. Especially given the fact he’d had the opportunity to but for some reason didn’t go.

“Uhh.” Shit, Peter hadn’t thought that far ahead. Think of something quick or he’s gonna call you out Peter , you know you’re a terrible liar why didn’t you just tell the truth- “They were dirty.”

Tony nodded making Peter breathe a silent sigh of relief that he hadn’t been caught out. Tony was used to Peter being fussy when it came to the cleanliness of certain public spaces, especially bathrooms. He had never been too bad but there had been a few occasions where Peter had outright refused to step foot inside the cubicle. He’d also experienced a couple times where Peter’s social anxiety had gotten the best of him and he’d experienced paraurises so bad that they had to leave and find another place for the boy to go before they had to go all the way home with a distraught, sopping wet teenager on their hands. So the excuse came to no surprise to Tony, in fact it made him feel even more guilty about having rushed Peter out of the restroom. It explained his attitude too; he couldn’t imagine if he had a full bladder that he was physically unable to release mere inches away from a perfectly functional toilet he wouldn’t be in the best mood either, let alone the idea of his Father coming in to yell at him halfway through the ordeal. “Pete I’m so sorry. No wonder you didn’t tell me.”

Peter felt a stab of guilt in his own chest. Yes, Tony should feel bad about how he’d entered the bathroom but he saw as the man connected the dots in his head about how Peter must’ve been bursting the entire time when that simply wasn’t the case. Not that the truth was any better really, he had still felt as though he was nursing a full bladder for the duration of their journey, in fact he still felt as though he was now. Oh well, at least Peter was getting sympathy out of him and not more criticism.

Before they could continue their conversation Nat came out of the motel’s office to beckon them towards their room. Peter helped grab the bags despite feeling as though he was about to wet himself once again.

“Pete, go on, we’ve got them.” Tony shook his head when he saw Peter bobbing up and down out of the corner of his eye. He wasn’t about to allow his son to embarrass or hurt himself again so soon, especially now he was aware enough to prevent it. Peter rushed ahead of them, making sure he was still in their line of sight and slammed himself inside the bathroom, locking the door.

“He’s talking to you?” Nat laughed. “You’re lucky.”

“Tell me about it.” Tony sighed. “He’s still pissed though.”

“Can’t say I blame him-“

“Don’t start, I know okay? You don’t have to make me feel any worse.”

“I’m not your mother or Steve, I know I don’t need to tell you what you did wrong.” She shrugged, though she still didn’t seem particularly impressed with him.

They took their bags into the small room that had two double beds and a busted TV. It was a stereotypical shady motel room, with aged wallpaper, stained carpets and curtains that looked as though they’d come straight out of the nineteen forties. The contrasting yellowed, floral patterns that were on every item of furniture were enough to give Tony a headache and the room was thick with the scent of cigarettes and dust.

“Steve couldn’t have found something a little less Bates Motel?” Tony sighed and threw himself down on one of the beds.

“Sorry, ‘Mr. RichKid’.” Nat laughed, referencing the name Peter had spat at Tony in anger.

“You’re hilarious.” Tony said dryly. “What did you wanna do about the sleeping situation?”

“I don’t care, but I’m assuming the teenage boy isn’t going to want to share a bed with me.”

“Yeah, I’ll let him decide.” Speaking of Peter he ought to have been out of the bathroom by now, though Tony didn’t dare knock and rush him again. He was concerned that he’d done some damage to himself from holding it too long. But knowing how quick Peter’s body recovered from trauma he didn’t allow himself to worry too much. Of course the boy could just be taking his time to avoid having to face him again or have at least a small moment of solitude. “But if I’m bunking with you, you better not take all the blankets again.”

Unfortunately that wasn’t the case, Peter was once again hunched over the toilet trying to force his bladder to empty itself, but nothing was coming out. He tried his best not to make any noise as not to alert the adults to what was happening through the very thin walls, but he couldn’t help but let a few strangled groans out here and there. He was embarrassed enough about what Nat had witnessed earlier, despite knowing that she was on his side about the whole matter. It was still mortifying knowing that Black Widow had practically seen him, a full grown teenager, piss himself. He had to push the thought out of his head before he made himself throw up.

Tony only managed to leave Peter alone for another ten minutes before he had to knock on the door. The quiet coming from the bathroom made him worry that the kid had escaped out of the window or something else equally dramatic. He wouldn’t put it past him. Mostly he just wanted to know that he was okay after all, the day had been as he’d so eloquently put it ‘a clusterfuck’. He ignore the warning look that Natasha gave him and rapped on the door three times. “P, you alright?”

“Yeah.” Came a quiet voice.

“You sure? You still hurtin’?” He knew better than to comment on the amount of time Peter was taking lest he cause another explosive argument. He also didn’t want to be too invasive considering they were in the company of a third party.

“No, I’m fine.”

“Okay..” Tony wasn’t convinced but he was still cautious about upsetting the boy. He backed away from the door and continued setting up the telecommunication system they had to make contact with Steve and their other team members, along with Nat.

“Tony give him some space.” Nat said gently, though sharing his concerns.

“He said his bladder hurt earlier, I’m just worried.”

“I know, but he’s not gonna wanna talk to you about it right now. Let’s be honest he’s not gonna say anything while I’m in the room anyway, even if he wasn’t mad at you. Just wait until I go out to get us some dinner.”

Tony nodded in agreement. It was already gone seven o’clock by the time they arrived, though to him it felt much later. It wasn’t long after they set up their compact computers that Peter silently slipped out of the bathroom looking no more comfortable than when he went in, and sat cross legged on the floor by one of the beds. Nat brushed past him to ruffle his hair as she picked up the car keys.

“Sup, curly. Any requests for dinner?”

“I don’t care, m’not all that hungry.” Peter said quietly, already back to playing on his phone.

“Ugh, and people say women can never decide what they want to eat, Tony wasn’t any help either. Well I’ll hunt us down something edibles. I’ll see you two in a minute.” She laughed as she left the door, locking it behind her. The uncomfortable silence that plagued the car filled the room once again as Peter deliberately avoided eye contact with the man standing feet away from him.

“You sure you’re alright, P?” Tony asked quietly, in as gentle a voice as he could muster. “I know you don’t wanna talk to me about it but-“

“You’re right. I don’t. I already told you I’m fine so quit asking me.” Peter snapped, that same harsh voice Tony had heard earlier.

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry.” Tony held his hands up sighing, backing down immediately. He couldn’t afford to have Peter angry at him again so soon not after he’d already pushed his luck having the kid half forgive him in the car. He knew something was wrong, he wanted to drag it out of him but Peter wasn’t gonna let that happen so easily. If he couldn’t get Peter to open up about what was going on he could at least try and comfort him in some way, it was clear that they were both desperate for a distraction. “Wanna see if we can get this old thing to work?”

Peter looked up to see Tony gesturing the the old TV. He wanted to snap saying no, and continue to sulk like the grumpy teenager he was but his kind nature got the best of him. Being mean to Tony wasn’t going to stop his tummy from hurting and he didn’t want to be rude on purpose, especially since the man had finally dropped the subject and was trying to make up. Besides he couldn’t use his phone forever, the battery was already on twenty percent. He forced himself to stand despite the protest he revived from his lower belly. “You think it’s even got any insides left?”

They made there way over and started pulling apart the boxy television, happy to find out that it still had most of its parts. They fiddled around with it and after a few minutes they managed to get the screen to flickers. As they were tuning it between channels Peter froze and crossed his legs, his face twisting into a grimace.

“Are you-“

“I’ll be right back.”

Tony sighed gently as Peter ran back into the bathroom and barricaded himself inside. Even if Peter had hurt his bladder from waiting too long, surely this was excessive? Peter’s accelerated healing should’ve repaired the minor damage fifteen extra minutes would have done by that point, so what else was the teenager hiding? A million possibilities were runny through his head, each one more unpleasant than the last but what could he do? There was no way Peter was in any mood to talk to him about it. He didn’t feel as though he had any other choice but to wait until the boy came to him, but knowing Peter that could be ages. If ever.

Nat came back before Peter exited the bathroom, with two bags full of junk food which she deposited over one of the beds. “Couldn’t find a decent food joint so a candy feast we shall have.”

“Steve would faint if he saw all this.” Tony laughed but grabbed a bag of chips anyway.

“Eh, well, it’s not like we have access to any of his organic shit right now.” She laughed but her expression changed when she noticed Peter wasn’t in the room. She mouthed to Tony, “is he still in there?”

The man nodded and shrugged his shoulders, trying to convey with his eyes that he’d tried to talk to him but had gotten shut down once again. Nat mirrored his concerned expression but made sure to resume her usual cocky smile when Peter finally came out.

“Hi.” He said casually though he still blushed when the two adults turned to look at him.

“Hey, pick your poison.” Nat gestures to the smorgasbord of trash calories she had laid out.

“Jesus, this stuff is poison.” Peter grinned as he enthusiastically picked the candy with the highest amount of sugar and artificial colouring. He made sure to grab two bottles of water though, which he started drinking quickly, between mouthfuls of blue gummies. “We got the TV to work.”

“I see that. Anything good on?”

“I can only get the news, some weird Scandinavian clock making show and the horror channel.” Tony said.

“Well I guess we know what we’re watching.” Nat smirked and winked at Peter.

“Clocks it is.” Tony said flatly.

“Oh come on!” Both Nat and Peter cried indignantly.

“I don’t wanna hear it! You want him to sleep tonight don’t you?” Tony had be warned very early on by May to not let Peter watch any kind of horror film, no matter how much the kid tried to coerce him into letting him. He never strayed from that rule frightened to find out what the consequences would be and he definitely didn’t want to find out that night.

“Uhm, I’m sitting right here.” Peter scowled. “Come on, it’s a local b-movie network how bad could they be?”

“I said no, that’s the end of it. Now hush, they’re showing you how to carve the cogs out of- what kind of wood is that- hey!” Tony was cut off by a gummy worm hitting him in the side of the head. He turned to look at the pouting teenager who now had his arms crossed and was scowling at him. He bent down and picked up the piece of candy off of the floor and popped it in his mouth. “Jokes on you, you wasted a blue one.”

“Ew! That’s how you get diseases Tony, gross!” Peter fake gagged.

Tony stuck by his decision not to let them watch the horror channel so they had to find other ways to entertain themselves for the rest of the evening. Now that the two men of the group weren’t in a verbal Mexican stand-off it was much easier to make conversation and Nat used the quality time to get to know Peter a little better. He had always been pretty shy around her in particular so it was a good opportunity for her to show him that she wasn’t so scary. They talked about a lot of things, Peter opening up and asking lots of questions about her earlier years and training which in turn prompted her to ask about his childhood.

“So, no siblings or cousins huh?”

“Nope, just me and Auntie May. My grandparents died before I was born and my parents died when I was two so I never had a very big family.” He shrugged nonchalantly. He appreciated that Natasha didn’t give him the same pitiful look that most people gave him when he mentioned the fact that he was an orphan, it had always made him uncomfortable when people tried to give him sympathy. He’d never known anything different so it was odd when people expected him to grieve for something he had never had.

“Did she never marry?”

“Oh yeah, my uncle Ben. He died when I was six though.”

Tony looked up at Peter with a confused look on his face. “You never told me that?”

“I thought you knew.” Peter shrugged again. He knew Tony had done thorough back checks on his entire life, so he’d assumed that piece of information would’ve cropped up somewhere. “He died of cancer when I was in first grade.”

“What about your parents?” Nat asked, Tony shot a look at her that Peter didn’t quite catch. It seemed that the man wasn’t quite as comfortable with the casual conversation as they were.

“Car crash.” Peter said simply and Natasha nodded understandingly.

“Can we move on from this conversation?” Tony’s voice was tight. Peter clearly didn’t understand that he’d touched a nerve with that last piece of information and went to question why Tony looked so uncomfortable. He wasn’t upset talking about it so why was he making it weird?

Nat saw the boy’s confusion and cut him off quickly. “So, what about pets?”

“I always wanted a dog but the apartments we moved into never allowed them. I had a hamster though, until he ran away.” The two adults snickered assuming Peter was joking. “What?”

“What do you mean he ran away?” Tony chuckled.

“Well I came home from school one day and he wasn’t in his cage.” Peter said seriously making the older pair stop laughing. “Aunt May said he got into the vents or something.”

“Pete do you really believe-“ Nat started but covered her mouth when Tony shot her another look. “Nevermind.”

“What? What?” Was he missing something? What was so funny?

“When did this happen?” Tony asked, managing somehow to suppress a smile.

“Like four years ago, why?”

“Ah.” Tony said understanding why May had felt the need to lie to the child. Both Tony and Nat turned away from the boy, who was still adamantly trying to figure out what was so entertaining. Neither had the heart to tell him where his hamster had really gone.

They continued chatting for most of the night, Peter still running off to the restroom every half an hour or so. Every time he did Nat made a point of pestering Tony, trying to get him to confront the boy about his obvious issue. But the man refused each time she pressured him. He still believed the best course of action was to let Peter come to him.

Peter’s condition was slowly, painfully slowly, improving though he was still in constant pain. The burning sensation was still there but the painful bladder contractions were getting less and less frequent as the night went on. He was still experiencing that sudden and intense urgency any time his bladder got a drop of urine in it, that made him have to make a mad dash for the toilet to avoid leaking (which he wasn’t able to completely avoid). He kept necking bottle after bottle of water in hopes that the problem would go away as soon as he properly hydrated himself.

It got to around ten o’clock when Peter’s started struggling to keep his eyes open.

“Come on, bubs. You ought to get some sleep.” Tony said gently shoving Peter with his shoulder, jolting him awake.

“Uh uh, m’not tired.” Peter shook himself and opened his eyes wide. He couldn’t risk going to sleep, especially not in the same room and possibly the same bed as the two adults. Not with his bladder in the state that it was, there was now way he’d stay dry the whole night. “Please? Can I stay up a little longer tonight? It’s not like I’m going to school.”

Peter gave Tony his signature puppy dog look which he couldn’t help but cave in to. After the emotional rollercoaster the two had been through that day alone Tony couldn’t help himself. “No not the face, come on. Ugh, fine. One more hour- and if you’re a grumpy little shit tomorrow I’m putting you in the trunk.”

Somehow one hour turned into four, Tony falling asleep halfway through. Peter forced himself to stay awake by guzzling soda which he hadn’t realised was only irritating his sore bladder more. Only when he fell asleep sitting up and head butted a wall he finally gave in to his exhaustion. Tony had fallen asleep sitting in front of the bathroom door so Peter had to gently kick him awake to get past.

“Move it old man, come on, get in bed already.” He snickered at the mans startled expression to his rude awakening.

“Petey why’re you still up?” Tony inhaled sharply through his nose as he blinked himself awake.

“I’m tryna go to bed but you’re in the way.” Peter chortled and held his arm out to help Tony up. “I call dibs on the left side.”

“Alright, go get ready.” Tony yawned. He planned on staying up for a while now after his accidental nap. He hadn’t realised how tired he was but he guessed all the stress of the day had taken it out of him. He sat on the bed furthest from the window, Nat lounged out on the other.

“You’re both a couple of lightweights. It’s like you’ve never been on the run before.” She chuckled, flipping absentmindedly through the static channels on the TV as though more would magically appear.

“You didn’t let him watch the horror channel did you?” He asked warningly.

“Calm down Papa Stark, we just learned the Swedish name for speedometer.”

He sighed and ignored the comment. “Well what was it?”

“Hastighetsmätare.” She smirked at how Tony’s face twitched when she called him Papa.

“Wait till the kids asleep before you grill me please.” He rolled his eyes.

The kid in question then called him from the bathroom. “Uh- Tony?”

Oh boy, was Peter finally going to admit what was going on with his constant bathroom trips? Of course he wasn’t. “What is it bud?”

“Who packed my stuff?”

“I did, why?” Oh fuck, he hadn't forgotten to pack that god forsaken bear had he?

“Well you forgot to pack pyjamas.” Peter said irritably. Whoops.

“Oh, uh. Well just sleep in your underwear-”

“I’M NOT DOING THAT THERE’S A LADY IN THE ROOM!”

Chapter Text

It took a lot of coaxing, and Nat promising to keep her eyes shut, for Peter to finally exit the restroom and jump into bed. He felt exposed wearing nothing but his underwear and a T-shirt and he didn’t much appreciate the two adults laughing at him. By this point it was one in the morning, way past his bedtime, after a very long arduous day-with no naps! So Peter was very, very tired and very, very irritable.

“Can I open my eyes now?” Natasha giggled. “I’m on look out I can’t do this all night-”

“Yes you can open your eyes- and stop laughing!” Peter snapped burrowing completely under the covers so only a tuft of his hair was exposed.

“Yes sir.” Nat said seriously before her and Tony started snickering again. An arm popped out from under the bundle of blankets and snatched a pillow, dragging it on top of what could only be assumed to be Peter’s head.

“Good. Night.”

“Night grumps.” Tony pulled back the sheets and kissed Peter’s cheek to annoy him even more, laughing maniacally when Peter attacked him with said pillow. In the pillow fight that then ensued Peter failed no notice when the quilt fell off of him, inadvertently exposing his Star Wars underwear to the entire room.

“Hey Darth, you might wanna-” Nat gestured to his bare legs. Peter looked down and shrieked before yanking the entire blanket back to cover himself, face flushing scarlett.

“Hey! I was using that!” Tony laughed trying to pull back some of the sheet to cover himself.

“You’ve lost blanket privileges!” Peter screeched desperately trying to keep the blanket to himself alone. The tug of war ended when Peter fell off of the bed completely, so all the adults could see was two feet sticking in the air. The room fell silent for a second before Nat and Tony broke down in hysterics. Peter scrambled to his feet and used one of the offending pillows to cover his partially bare lower half, his face beet red. “I hate both of you!”

He stormed off into the bathroom to pee for the millionth time that day as the two guffawing baboons he was currently cohabiting with continued to howl with laughter. He used the toilet (with great difficulty) and waited for the laughter to die down.

“P, come out, we’re sorry.” Nat called, though she still had tears streaming down her face. Perhaps it was just because she was overtired but she swore she’d never seen something so funny and well timed in her entire life.

“No! I’m sleeping in the tub!”

“Underoos, nooo.” Tony wheezed out. He was trying to get ahold of himself, he really was. But it was too funny how Peter always managed to make a fool out of himself when he was being deliberately bratty. He knew he had to stop though, he felt rotten laughing at the boys expense, even if the whole fight had been ridiculous. He breathed out one last laugh before continuing. “Get your butt out here, we gotta get some sleep.”

The door creaked open revealing a scowling, bright red boy. He was clearly exhausted and Tony felt his heart melt at the sight of the overgrown pouty toddler. “Aww, did we make you mad?”

“Not talkin’ to you.” Peter huffed and stomped back over to his side of the bed, laying down facing away from the pair.

“Bubby, we’re sorry.” Tony threw himself back on the bed, laying down too. He rolled so he could turn his face towards the back of Peter’s head. “I love you.”

“Hmph.” Was the reply.

“I looove you.” Tony drew out. “Come on don’t leave me hanging.”

“Mmve you mm.” Peter growled into the pillow.

“What was that I couldn’t-”

“I LOVE YOU TOO-GOODNIGHT ANTHONY!”

After about twenty minutes of tossing and turning (and one last potty break) Peter’s body finally succumbed to exhaustion, like it should have done hours ago; all of the caffeine and sugar finally dumping out of his body and letting him fall into a deep sleep.

“Aaand he’s out. Thank god.” Tony sighed in relief once Peter’s breathing evened out and the boy cuddled a little closer to him.

“Poor kid.” Natasha smiled fondly, watching as Tony started to pet Peter’s curls. “You’re not getting out of this, T.”

“What?”

“How long you been Daddy for, hm?” She smirked knowing she had him backed into a corner and he sighed knowing the same.

“Officially? Only about a month or so.”

“You kept that underwraps, huh?”

“Bullshit, I know everyone knows it.” Tony said bitterly. It wasn’t that he was ashamed or uncomfortable with his team mates knowing, he just hated the idea of him not being able to keep things he wanted private a secret, something he’d been good at all his life. He’d always prided himself on being mysterious, those closest to him not knowing any intimate details but Peter brought out his paternal side too obviously.

“So?”

“So, if our higher ups find out he could get taken away.” He said seriously. It was a deep fear of his and had been ever since the agreement had been made to have Peter come and live with him. He was only allowed to do so if he was enlisted to be an official Avenger and was trained accordingly, despite the fact Tony didn’t think that he was anywhere near ready. That’s why Tony had been prolonging the training process so much, not allowing Peter to join them on missions or take part in other drill exercises. He wasn’t just trying to protect Peter from harm in that moment, he was trying to prolong the inevitable. Slowing down his progress meant it would be longer before he was officially enrolled in the Avenger programme. That and the fear of the situation they were currently in- not only the fact that it put him in physical danger, it also meant that he wasn’t been careful enough in concealing Peter’s identity and the nature of their relationship. If members of MV were able to dig up dirt on them both that meant S.H.I.E.L.D would be able to as well. He had been on edge ever since that meeting where Nick Fury had helped him and Peter after the boys accident, knowing for sure that the agent knew what was going on between the two. He had seen the knowing look he gave him, almost warning him to be more surreptitious in how he treated Peter out in public.

Ever since he and Peter mutually accepted their new dynamic, Tony had been considering coming clean to his bosses about the entire thing. But he knew doing so could risk Peter being excommunicated or taken out of his care, or worst of all both. Yes, if they found out from an external source there was a much higher risk of that happening, but the possibility of never being able to see his son again made Tony want to vomit. He couldn’t let that happen. He wasn’t sure about the best way to go around things, but the predicament the were currently in was forcing him to make a decision that he wasn’t ready for. He just wanted Peter to be a kid, his kid. He couldn’t let them take him away.

“We wouldn’t tell anyone, Tony.”

“I know that.” He snapped. “I don’t think Pete’s ready for everyone to know yet.”

“You don’t have to hide things in your own home, that’s all I’m saying. And it’s his home now too, he deserves to feel comfortable.”

“He deserves more than I can give him. So much more.” Tony said sadly. He should never have allowed himself to get so close, he knew he’d never be able to keep the boy safe. He didn’t know the first thing about being a dad, he’d proved it that day alone. Peter needed someone who was stable and could support all of his needs, especially emotional. He felt the inadequate feeling overtake him once again, the same way it had done the night Clint stopped him from drinking himself to sleep but luckily for him Natasha was there to stop him from spiralling.

“Stark, shut the fuck up. You’re a great dad.” Ah, as comforting and emotionally involved as ever.

Her bluntness did the trick though. It was enough to make Tony realise he couldn’t afford to break down now, not while his boy wasn’t safe. He looked down at the tangle of limbs and curls nestled beside him. There was no way he was going to let anything bad happen to that adorable mess.

“Get some sleep Ton, I’ll keep guard for a while.”

The man didn’t argue, laying back down and closing his eyes. “Wake me up in two hours to take over.”

Nat nodded, but she did not such thing. She waited another four hours before waking him, knowing she could sleep in the car. While she was keeping look out she couldn’t help but notice Peter shifting uncomfortably every now and then. She resisted the urge to go and wake him as he always seemed to settle after a few minutes. She shrugged her instincts off assuming that Peter was just a rough sleeper.

The boy himself woke up at around four, sitting bolt upright as the familiar sting in his lower stomach jolted him awake. Nat didn’t get a chance to ask him if he was okay before he bolted into the bathroom. This time he was able to feel some relief, as his bladder had actually allowed itself to fill fully before waking him up, as opposed to making him go with only a drop or two of urine inside him. It still burned when he went but his stomach didn’t feel so achy and distended afterwards, so it was a considerable improvement. The moment of relief he felt dissipated quickly when he realised his boxers were damp.

Not wet. Damp. Meaning the moisture he felt wasn’t remnants of a small accident or leak on his was to the bathroom. “Fuck.”

“You okay?” Nat called quietly having heard Peter curse under his breath.

‘Double fuck.’ “Y-yeah.” He washed his hands and slipped back out of the bathroom avoiding meeting Nat’s eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I’m fine.” He climbed back into bed and grimaced as he felt a wet spot brush against his leg. Oh god. He’d just wet the bed with Tony Stark in it.

“Then why did you just yell ‘fuck’?” Nat wouldn’t let it go, not after seeing the boy in discomfort since the incident in the car. She didn’t agree with Tony in letting the child come to them about what was going on. She didn’t know Peter nearly as well as Tony did but she knew him enough to know he wasn’t going to be forthcoming with them, especially about something physical. She wasn’t afraid to have an awkward conversation with him if it meant getting the truth. She’d never been one for social formalities, let alone when someone’s health was involved. “Does it hurt when you piss?”

She couldn’t see his face that clearly in the darkness but she knew he was turning red. He nodded slowly so she continued. “Is it an ache like a bruise or does it feel like you can’t go?”

“It like...burns.” He whispered.

“Okay. Sounds like you’ve got yourself a UTI. You didn’t drink much yesterday did you?” He shook his head. “We’ll fix that tomorrow. Here. Take one of these.”

She threw him a bottle of painkillers which he caught gratefully. He took one before laying down in his now uncomfortably wet bed. He was embarrassed about having been called out but he was too tired and in too much pain for his embarrassment to take the forefront of his brain. “Thanks, Nat.”

“Don’t mention it, kid. Get some more sleep.”

After shifting around to avoid laying on the cold, wet patch on his sheets, Peter allowed himself to drift off again; ignoring the burning sensation that was starting to spread around his skin from the wet underwear clinging to it. He felt guilty about the poor motel cleaner who was going to have to clean up after him, but he supposed they had seen worse things in their time, especially considering the state the sheets had been in when they arrived. Still, he still felt bad about some poor unexpecting, likely underpaid, worker having to clean his urine specifically. He prayed silently that Tony wouldn’t accidentally roll onto his side of the bed or see what had happened, he'd never live that down. He hoped the man wouldn’t be mad but his confidence was knocked after the incident in the car. Even though Nat now knew he was having bladder problems he didn’t think he’d survive if she found out he’d just wet the bed at fifteen years old- with his father in it no less. He somehow managed to drift off even with all the anxiety running through his head.

A couple hours after Peter fell back to sleep Nat shook Tony awake. “Hey, I need you up and at ‘em, I gotta go grab us some things.”

“Mm, everything okay?” The man sat up, stretching.

“Yeah, just gotta stock up for the safehouse. It’d be better if we don’t have to stop on the way.” If the three of them stopped whilst on the road it would leave them more vulnerable to an ambush, so Nat was right in her thinking.

“Alright, lemme wake up first.” Tony stood and walked into the bathroom, finding that his back ached from sleeping on the cheap mattress. Jesus, he really was a spoiled Mr. RichKid. One night and his back hurt already? He was getting soft. “Why’d you let me sleep so long?”

“Looked like you needed it. Besides you two were too adorable, all snuggled and-”

“Alright.” Tony rolled his eyes and cut her off during her sarcastic rant. “It’s too early for all that.”

“Awe, is poor little Tony tired?”

“Bite me, Romanova-” He saw her eyes blaze when he used her birth name as opposed to her anglicised alias.

“No bite me, Anthony.”

The man held his hands up to call truce and took her place by the window, watching as she pulled away in the car. Peter woke up soon after she left and of course he ran straight into the bathroom.

“Morning bud.” Tony called.

“Don’t talk to me while I’m peein’ you’re gonna make it go back in!” Peter whined sleepily causing Tony to chuckle. He couldn’t resist teasing Peter when he was tired, it was just too damn easy.

“Sorry, bubby.”

“Mmm!” He heard a foot stomp with that one. After about five minutes Peter popped his head out of the bathroom door. “Are there any towels?”

“You wanna shower here?” Tony wrinkled his nose. He’d seen the mould lining the tiles inside the tub.

“Well, I wouldn’t have to if somebody didn’t make me pee my pants yesterday.” Peter deadpanned. The pain in his bladder had died down since Nat’s pain meds kicked in but now it was Peter’s skin that was now kicking up a fuss, having not enjoyed laying in wet underwear all night. Now he was more than a little irritable.

“Point taken, lemme find ‘em.” Tony was not about to rehash the argument from yesterday, not after Peter was starting to act normal with him again. He handed the boy the towels wordlessly, and sat back on his perch by the window, listening as the hot water turned on. Or perhaps not so hot water.

“JESUS MOTHER MARY JOSEPH!”

“You alright in there bud?” Tony said failing to keep the smirk out of his voice, watching as Peter ran out in nothing but a towel to grab his clothes.

“Shut up!” Peter growled as he slammed the door shut again behind him, accidentally busting one of the hinges due to his super-strength. “UGH FOR CHRIST SAKES!”

“It’s okay! Calm down! Get changed I’ll fix it.” Usually Tony would’ve responded to Peter’s outbursts with a matching level of anger but he could tell that today was not one of the days to do so. His son was tried and understandably grumpy, the mistakes he’d made the day prior made him realise that he shouldn’t react to it when it wasn’t the boy’s fault. It was time to step back and let Peter deal with his emotions, he needed to stay calm and in turn that would help the mood swing pass quicker. They were all on edge there was no point fighting amongst themselves, especially when he was his sons main support system.

“I wanna go home.” Peter muttered miserably.

The sadness in the boy’s voice broke Tony’s heart. “Soon, bubba I promise. Just a couple days, Steve will get this sorted.”

“But you’re Iron Man, couldn’t you just go in and blast them all and call it a day?”

“It’s not as simple as that Pete, there’s a lot of background politics in this okay?” Tony said softly. There was a long drawn out history between this foreign faction and S.H.I.E.L.D, there had to be a lot of diplomacy in how they went around things in the public eye. Of course behind the scenes Captain and the rest of the team were still infiltrating their bases and hunting down bad guys, whilst simultaneously destroying evidence and files they had on Peter’s existence; but public relations had to remain friendly and any violent reactions covert, the company they were currently dealing with were big. Very big. So, Tony couldn’t go blasting through buildings, even though he wanted to.

“Well I don’t understand it.” Peter said bitterly. “I guess I’m just too young and naive.”

“Hey, come out here.” Tony said gently, not liking the change of tone in the boy. “I know it’s a lot, I know it’s scary. You shouldn’t have to be dealing with my mistakes.”

“Yes I should I’m part of the team but you’re not letting me, I don’t even know what’s going on.”

“You’re my son and a child first, Peter. And no one should have to deal with my mess.” He didn’t like how he was being called out for stunting the boy’s growth where his career was concerned. He had good reason to do that. “That’s the end of it.”

“Fine.” Peter snapped, though it certainly didn’t sound fine. Tony often struggled to remember the fact that Peter was a hormonal teenager, but times like this where the boy’s mood changed three times in the matter of minutes he was firmly reminded. Oh, the fragility of youth.

Peter was more frustrated than ever, why couldn’t his dad just take the time to explain to him what was going on? He was old enough to understand but the man wouldn’t let him. He hated being in the dark about something especially when it was about him. He made a point of ignoring the man for the rest of the morning for that very reason.

Nat came back with more snacks and bottles of various liquids, having been unable once again to find any substantial source of food.

“Any coffee?” Tony asked already knowing the answer.

“Red bull.” She shrugged and threw him a can. She also threw a red carton and Peter which he almost dropped. “Drink it. It’ll help.”

“Thanks.” He said blushing, cracking open the cranberry juice. He took a swig and let the familiar bitterness cover his tongue. He had to bite back the urge to gag or pull a face, he’d always hated the taste of the stuff.

“Help what?” Tony peered over at Peter suspiciously.

“Oh, uh-“

“The UTI.” Nat cut straight to the point.

“Don’t tell him!” Peter groaned and flopped dramatically onto the bed.

“Why not? It’s nothing to be embarrassed about kid, they’re pretty common.” The Russian shrugged.

“Ugh cause he’s all, ugh.” The boy covered his face and groaned again.

“All what? It’s not a big deal, bubs.” Tony chuckled lightly at the trivial conversation. Teenagers behaviour made sense now though he was rather surprised that Natasha had gotten it out of him somehow. He also found himself a bit shocked as he’d always assumed UTI’s only happened in women but he supposed he was naive to assume that.

“It’s a big deal to me, it hurts.” Peter whined, still covering his face hoping he could avoid having this conversation with the two adults in the room. He should’ve known that Nat wasn’t going to keep the matter private but he had hoped she’d at least have told Tony when he wasn’t there.

“Aww honey.” Tony sat down on the bed, feeling guilty about not taking the situation seriously. “Is that why you had an accident yesterday-“

Peter cut him off by making a frustrated noise.

“Is the burning any better at least-“ Nat started but again Peter cut her off.

“Can we stop talking about my urinary tract- this is the most awkward thing ever!” Peter cried out. “I’m serious I’m actually going to die if we keep talking about this!”

“And you call me a drama queen.” Tony rolled his eyes. He wanted to ask what he could do to help but he supposed there wasn’t much they could do, other than make sure he drank plenty and schedule extra bathroom breaks to compensate. But if Peter was going to need to stop as frequently as he was going the night before they’d never make it to the safe house. He turned to Nat who seemed to be mirroring his concerns. She shrugged at him, essentially saying they had no other choice, they both knew they couldn’t stay at the motel another night, it was too open. “Pete are you gonna be okay in the car?”

“I don’t have another option do I?” He snapped. “I won’t ask you to stop again don’t worry.”

“That’s not what I meant-“

“I’ll be fine.” Peter shot him a look warning him to drop the conversation unless he wanted another melt down. So Tony did.

“We’ll stop every hour, I just checked the route. We’ve got three and a half to go, that should help us avoid any major incidents.” Nat chimed in referring to both the possibility of attack and the state of Peter’s pants. The two males nodded and gathered up their stuff. The trio headed out towards the car, just as Nat was about to return the door key Peter called after her.

“Wait! Uh..”

Nat sighed and held the key out to him, which he took gratefully and ran back inside the decrepit room. Tony threw his arms up in frustration and Nat just shrugged at the man in the driver's seat of the car. She didn’t think Peter would appreciate if she went in with him, so she patiently waited in the parking lot for him to come back out.

She waited. And waited. For around five minutes. That was when Tony got out of the car and she started towards the door. Just as they both reached it, it opened to reveal Peter standing there with white around the corner of his mouth. “What?”

“Oh nothing, just thought you were getting kidnapped, don’t mind us.” Tony quipped as Nat rolled her eyes on her way to take the key back.

“I had to brush my teeth!”

“Just get in the car.” Tony sighed and wiped the boy’s mouth before he pushed Peter in the right direction.

“Alright, alright jeez.”

Once they were back on the road, the first hour passed quickly. Nat finally allowed herself to get some sleep and Tony used th alone time with Peter to initiate some normal conversation in hopes it would help better both of their moods. It worked up and till a point when Peter started to get quiet again and Tony assumed it was because his bladder was paining him.

“Do you need me to stop?”

“No.” Peter answered in a cold voice as though the question was an insult. Tony frowned but didn’t pry. He knew Peter would still be sore about what had happened the day before so he had prepared himself for the eventuality that the boy was going to deny needing the restroom for the remainder of the trip. He stuck to Nat’s plan of stopping every hour, despite Peter’s protests about how he didn’t need to go. Of course every time he denied it he still jumped out of the car before Tony could even put it in park.

After a long boring journey Peter was glad to see them finally pull up to a run down old cabin. That was until he remembered that he had an irrational fear of run down old cabins.

“That’s a SAFEhouse?! Have you ever seen ‘Cabin in the Woods’?!”

“Have you?” Tony raised an eyebrow.

“Well no but I saw the trailer- and the clues in the name! This is the kind of place serial killers hang out in!”

“Don’t all those killers have a proclivity for killing young teens?” Nat yawned having woken up when Tony stopped the car.

“That’s not funny.” Peter said seriously.

“Jesus, this is why I wouldn’t let him watch the horror channel.” Tony laughed as he got out to start unloading the trunk of the car. Natasha and Peter jumped out too and helped carry their various trunks and bags of groceries.

“Pete, go pee before you hurt yourself more.” Tony shook his head disapproving as once again the youngster was squirming uncomfortably by the car. Peter scowled at him but didn’t argue, running off into the crumbling shack leaving the two adults behind him. After a minute or two Peter popped back into view looking no more relieved than when he went in. “What’s the matter? Still hurt?”

“It’s not that, I can’t find it.”

“Find what?”

“The bathroom.” Peter stressed as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Neither adult had been to this particular safehourse before so they weren’t exactly sure of the lay out either.

Tony sighed before tuning to Nat. “You okay to-“

“I got it, go help SpiderBoy.”

SpiderBoy was currently hopping from foot to foot in the doorway, his irritated bladder getting impatient with him.

“Hold on, kiddo.”

“What does it look like I’m doing?!”

Tony ignored the backchat in favour of finding the restroom sooner. He was stumped after realising Peter was right. He found four bedrooms, the kitchen and living area, but no bathroom. He even went down to the cellar but there was nothing. Whilst he was looking around Peter was getting increasingly more animated and it wasn’t until Nat walked in he realised where the facilities were.

“Look out the back door.” The two men proceeded to the kitchen to peer out the back exit and sure enough there was an even smaller and somehow more decrepit shack at the bottom of a rocky path.

“No.”

“Pete-“

“Uh uh.”

“You can’t-“

“Not happening.” Peter stood as still as possible in his current condition, with his arms folded across his chest and his ankles crossed. There was no way he was using an outhouse. He could only imagine the bacteria that would be festering inside that thing; he’d never considered himself an extreme germaphobe but he had his limits, especially where bathrooms were concerned and that outhouse was sure to surpass all of them.

Tony sighed and pushed Peter through the back door. Now was not the time to be a priss about the hygiene of a bathroom, not when he already had a bladder infection. “Come on, you don’t have a choice.”

“I’m not going in there!” Peter tried to pull away from him but he was using all of his energy to keep his screaming bladder in check.

“Why not? Would you rather pee yourself again?”

“No b-but there’s gonna be bugs!” Peter didn’t appreciate the fact Tony felt the need to say ‘again’ about that statement.

Tony pauses for a moment to let the irony sink in, before he opened the squeaky wooden door and shoved a squeaking Peter inside. “You know you’re Spider-Man right? Now go.”

“Mmf! Gross!”

Tony waited outside the shack, ignoring the various ‘ew’s that came from inside it. Peter stormed out after about a minute muttering something about savages and how he was going to kill the bad guys himself for putting him through this.

“Feel better?”

“Shut up.”

The safehouse had certainly seen better days, though Peter hadn’t expected much. He knew it was important that it was quiet and unassuming but he thought the place would at least have indoor plumbing. He chose the smallest room for himself and threw his things inside. Tony hadn’t thought to grab his laptop or anything, not even his phone charger. He made a note to pack an emergency bag when he got home. He waltzed back into the living room where Nat was on the phone with Bruce and Tony was busying himself setting up their telecom systems.

“So, what now?”

“What do you mean what now?” Tony asked flippantly.

“Well, what am I supposed to do now?”

Tony looked away from the screen he was working on to give Peter an exasperated look. Were teenagers really that lost without technology nowadays? Though he couldn’t exactly comment on that. “Entertain yourself for a while.”

Peter pouted at him. He didn’t feel as though he was being unreasonable in asking what he was meant to do. He didn’t expect the man to babysit him and he didn’t mean to come across as annoying. He slunk back to his designated room, pulled out a notebook and started scribbling.

After a couple hours when Peter didn’t reemerge Tony realised he’d been a little harsh when he told Peter to essentially go away. He actually knocked on the door before he opened it, though he didn’t receive a response. “Pete?”

Still nothing. The silence on the other side of the door made his heart race much like it had back at the Motel. He opened the door. “Hey are you- What the…”

The boy was fast asleep, which wasn’t the issue. The interesting thing was where the boy had elected to fall asleep. Rather than sleep on the rickety wooden loft bed it seemed as though he’d weaved himself a web hammock. Tony laughed at the display which startled the boy awake.

“Huh? Oh, hi.” Peter jumped down landing spryly on his feet.

“Hey there.” Tony chuckled. “What’s wrong with your bed?”

“Nothing, I was just practising! I’m getting better at controlling it.” He said excitedly gazing down at his wrists.

“I see that. It’s impressive.” Tony nodded, making Peter beam proudly. The man sat on the edge of the discarded bed and patted the spot beside him, beckoning Peter forward. “C’mere.”

Peter sat down beside him wondering what this was all about, had something bad happened?

“I’m sorry for being so snappy lately.”

“Oh. It’s okay, it’s been a lot the past couple days.” Peter smiled nervously. He hated it when his Dad apologised to him first, it sounded so unnatural coming. He knew the man meant it but clearly he wasn’t used to it.

“I know, but it’s been a lot for you too. I know it’s frustrating because I won’t tell you what’s going on but I’m not doing it because I think you’re too young.”

“Then why not tell me? I could help-”

“That’s why. I’m just trying to protect you. I know you wanna help but it’s too dangerous this time around, if you got wrapped up in all this and you got hurt, I’d never forgive myself. The less you know the safer you are-”

“Yeah, that’s what Happy said too.” Peter nodded. “I understand Dad, I do. I just...I wanna show you I’m good enough, you know? I know I’m just meant to be the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man but I wanna show you I can do this and you can trust me with the big stuff-”

“P, no. It’s not that I don’t trust you or that I don’t believe in your abilities. I do wholeheartedly, but I value you more than that.” Tony paused for a moment so ensure he didn’t say anything that Peter could take the wrong way. “You’re not just a colleague to me.”

“Yeah, I know that.” Peter laughed. “I know you want me to enjoy being a kid and stuff too.”

“Exactly, but...I don’t know to explain it. Just know it’s not that I don’t think you’re good enough, okay? I think you’re amazing-”

“It’s okay. I know you’re bad at all the emotion stuff.” Peter shrugged, sensing Tony was stressing himself out trying to find the right wording. He was also very uncomfortable when it came to taking praise. “I’m sorry for making it harder too, I shouldn’t have been such a brat.”

“You weren’t that bad I shouldn’t have taken it out on you-”

“Hey, it’s my turn to apologise!”

“It was still my turn.” Tony laughed. “You’re such a Hufflepuff-”

“You don’t even know what that means!” Peter shoved him. “Besides I am not-”

“Whatever you say, kiddo.” Tony laughed. “How’s your bladder feeling?”

“Ugh, not this again. It’s fine okay-”

“I was just asking, no need to get so defensive” Tony held his hands up. “You know you’re an awful liar though, right?”

“Yeah, you haven’t taught me how yet.” Peter said grumpily. “It’s on it’s way out anyway.”

“So, you don’t need like antibiotics or anything?”

“I don’t think so, it’s clearing up quickly this time.”

“You’ve had them like this before?”

“Yeah, when I was little. I told you that already.” Peter climbed back into his hammock. “Haven’t had one in a while though. They’re not a big deal, just uncomfortable.”

“So, you get them when you hold it too long?”

“Tony I’m not WebMD. Go on google if you’re that fascinated by it.” Peter scowled down at him again. Clearly he wasn’t getting the point that Peter didn’t want to talk to him about it in the first place.

“Okay, okay. Backing off. I just don’t want you to feel like you can’t tell me stuff-”

“Well, if you stop being so pushy I just might so can you-”

“Point noted!” Tony held his hands up once again and went to exit the room. “Door open or closed?”

Peter answered him by shooting a web across the room that slammed the door shut in his face, not even looking in the mans direction. “Closed it is then, dinners in an hour!”

“You’re good at that.” Nat quipped from the couch where she was lounging and doing a crossword.

“What?”

“Pissing people off in under five minutes.”

“It’s an elite skill.” He sighed and sat on the chair across from her.

Chapter Text

Peter spent the majority of the day in his room writing various stories and unnecessary essays, in between bathroom breaks to the horrific outhouse(which thanks to Nat’s painkillers and the magic that is cranberry juice were becoming less and less frequent). He convinced Nat to play sudoku with him at one point but the woman became frustrated when he pointed out her mistakes and ended up solving the board by himself. Tic-tac-toe was even more competitive to the point that Tony confiscated the notebook. Now that Peter had nothing to do he was itching to cause some kind of mischief, he knew it was bratty but he couldn’t help himself. He needed some kind of mental stimulation if he was to avoid going completely stir crazy. Besides the lack of distraction only drew his attention the the consistent burning in his nether regions.

He found himself more grateful than ever that his body had developed a faster way of healing. He remembered being trapped in the bathroom for days when he was younger and had given himself bladder infections, and had that been the case with their current situation it would’ve been less than ideal; you can’t spend days locked in a room when you’re on the run especially when the adults you’re with give you zero privacy. It was still humiliating that Nat had been the one to realise what was going on with him. Of course he was grateful for the help but it had always been such a private matter, he’d rarely tell his Aunt unless it prevented him from going to school or if he needed to go to the doctors. He hated being prone to such infections though he knew he was partially to blame for their frequency. Okay, maybe more than partially to blame but he was working on it, alright?

Perhaps the ought to have answered Tony’s questions earlier, but the man wasn’t known for his empathy. His father often needed understand something fully before he was able to offer any kind of emotional response and Peter hadn’t been in the mood to explain his medical history in length. If the man rally wanted to know he could contact Bruce, and Peter had no doubt in his mind that he already had or was at least planning to. He’d wanted to talk to the man about his drinking habits at school too but he’d never found the right time and he felt stupid admitting to something he was doing to himself.

His apprehension had also been down to the fact that he didn’t want Tony to think he was going backwards in his progress about asking to use the bathroom. He was doing a lot better at excusing himself when he had to, but part of that was down to the fact he’d stopped himself needing to go so often. He knew that his Dad would be disappointed and no doubt worried about the effects his dehydration were taking on his body, now he’d seen the results of such effects too he’d definitely use that against him. No, he couldn’t talk to im about it, he’d only overreact again. Or pull him from school like he had threatened to after his panic attack. Now wasn’t the time to talk to his Dad about an issue he’d brought upon himself, not when they had real problems going on. A bladder infection really did seem trivial considering he had people trying to capture him.

“I take it I’m not allowed to go outside?”

“Nope.” Tony popped the P and once again, didn’t look up from the computer he was typing on.

“So, whatcha doin’?” Peter plopped himself down on the couch beside him, knowing full well he sounded like an annoying child.

Tony sighed gently. “See this dot here? That’s Steve. I’m tracking him and controlling some suits with this remote access here, for back-up.”

Peter hadn’t expected the man to actually answer him seriously. He thought Tony would’ve brushed him off but he was actually involving him in something cool and work related. He resisted the urge to point to a large red button and ask what it would happen should he press it, in favour of Tony actually allowing him to be involved in the mission side of things.

“Why, where is he now?”

“Infiltrating one of the headquarters that have information stockpiled on you. It’s actually the facility you were held in after the bite.” Peter shivered at that last piece of information, making Tony realise he may have let on too much.

“So they’re the ones who are after me?” Peter said quietly and started gnawing on his thumb, trying to remain calm outwardly but Tony was more than accustomed to the teens nervous ticks by now.

The older man paused for a moment considering whether or not he should continue, but he decided ultimately that he’d gone too far to stop talking now. If he left Peter with only that small piece of information he knew the boy would only work himself up more trying to put a puzzle together when half the tiles were missing. “Yeah. They’ve been doing some genetic testing and they realised they weren’t quite ready to let you go yet. We think they may have gotten ahold of some of the lab results from Bruce’s work on your arm-”

“What from the cut I got?”

“Uh huh.”

“What do they want from me? I know they did enough tests the first time around, god knows they were thorough.”

“Other than leverage to use against me I’m not sure. I know they want you for that reason too, though. But that’s the information Steve and Bucky are in there to find out now. Don’t worry about it, bubs.”

“They’re probably trying to figure out how to make more people like me.” Peter said quietly making Tony turn to look at him.

“What makes you say that?”

“Well, I don’t know...Just some things they said while I was there, I don’t remember it very clearly but-”

“Tell me what you do remember.” Tony’s tone changed making Peter believe the man thought he was onto something. Surely, it was something they had already considered, wasn’t it obvious?

“One of the doctors said about subject seven being a failure, and something about my DNA bonding when the others didn’t…” Peter trailed off, his mind going back to the dingy lit room and the buzzing sound of machines used to poke and prod him. Fuzzy memories of people in masks and the smell of iodine started flooding back to him. “I-I don’t-”

“Hey, hey. It’s okay.” He felt Tony grab his hand in both of his, making him open his eyes bringing him back to the present. “You’re safe. We don’t have to talk about it anymore, you’ve told me enough.”

Peter swallowed and nodded, glad that Tony was paying attention enough to stop him from slipping into a panic attack.

“That could help us a lot Pete, you did good.” Tony looked him in the eyes assuringly.

“They better not be trying to replicate my mutation, that would mean they were experimenting and killing people. I know that’s what was happening before me.” Peters expression changed from one of fear to determination. He didn’t want anyone else to have to go through what he went through, especially not for the financial or political gain of any company. If he found out that someone was using his DNA to inflict harm on people he wasn't going to let Tony stop him from getting involved. .

“You don’t have to worry about that part, we’ll handle it. Nat can you man this? I’ve got a phone call to make.” With that Tony stood up and stepped out of the room, leaving Pete to wonder what part of the story he told Tony had flicked a switch in the man’s brain. Was it the numbers? That was the only thing Peter could think of that would have been new information.

“Stop thinking about it, squirt. Steve’s got this.” Nat ruffled his hair on her way past, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“This whole thing seems kinda sketchy though…” Peter mumbled.

“Well, duh. We know it’s a trap kid, that’s why we didn’t all go in.” Nat shrugged like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Peter simply shook his head and dropped the conversation, realising that maybe he didn’t want to know the ins and outs of the mission yet, he was starting to get a headache.

“I’m so bored.”

“Go explore the cellar. I think I saw jars of eyeballs and a book made out of human skin.” Nat crunched a mouthful of chips loudly, enjoying the horrified expression Peter took on.

“You’re twisted you know that?” He tried his best to keep his voice neutral but he sounded anything but unphased.

Peter ended up keeping himself entertained by reading his history textbook upside down whilst suspended by the ceiling, ignoring the weird looks he received for doing so. Tony wouldn’t allow him anywhere near the monitors after his realisation earlier, so he was left to his own devices for the rest of the evening. When eleven o’clock rolled around Nat took it upon herself to cut the webbing Peter was using to keep himself above the ground, leaving the half asleep teenager to fall to the floor with a loud thud.

“Hey!”

“What happened to your ‘lightning fast reflexes’?”

“Bedtime, Kiddo.” Tony cut off the argument before it began, holding his hand out to help Peter off of the floor and ignoring when the teenager stuck his tongue out at his female counterpart.

“Fine, g’night Dad.” Peter yawned grumpily still exchanging daggers with Nat. “Goodnight Natasha.”

“Goodnight Peter.” She said with equal bite in her voice before they both broke out into a smile.

“See you in the morning, bubba, love you.”

Peter stumbles down the short hallway and threw himself onto his homemade hammock and tried to relax, listening to the gentle tapping and beeping of consoles and the quiet conversations coming from the front room. He left his door open ever so slightly so he could still see his dad, finding himself feeling oddly scared for no discernible reason. Yes it was an unfamiliar environment and they were in a volatile situation, but nonetheless Peter still found it odd how every time he closed his eyes he found himself jerking awake again; every little sound made him jump, the feeling reminiscent of when he’d experienced his first thunderstorm and found himself running into his aunt's room and jumping into bed with her. He knew he was being ridiculous and that he was far too old to be getting scared by bumps in the night, but having his door open and Tony and Nat in his line of sight was enough to calm him down, letting him drift into an uneasy sleep.

Having neglected to do so before falling asleep Peter woke up after a short time to use the bathroom. He slipped quietly down the hallway not wanting to alert anyone of his presence and snuck out the back door. He did what he needed to do before creeping quietly back into the house, stepping over each creaky floorboard that he had memorised throughout the day. He made his way over to the kitchen sink to scrub the filthy remnants of the outhouse of horror from his hands when he heard a clicking sound from behind him. He turned to see Nat with a gun cocked directly at him.

“Oh it’s you-“

“WHAT THE HELL?!” He whipped his entire body around and fell back onto the sink, smacking his spine against the countertop on the process. “Ow, fluff- what is wrong with you?!”

“Fluff?” Nat smirked. “That’s cute.”

“You’re insane.” Peter scowled, rubbing his now sore back.

“I didn’t mean to scare you, I thought- get down.” Nat’s face dropped and her eyes turned cold, now starring over Peter’s shoulder.

“What-“ before he could finish his question Nat was beside him pushing him towards the ground by his shoulder. His first reaction was to protest but the look on Natasha’s face made him comply with zero resistance. She crouched in front of him and redrew her weapon, balancing it above the counter and aiming out the the broken window. She knocked twice on the counter and Peter heard movement in the room behind them, seemingly she had given Tony a warning to get down also. That tingly feeling returned on the back on Peter’s neck and he focused his senses. He could hear the crunching of leaves outside but also- “Nat.”

“Shh.”

“They’re inside.” Her eyes snapped to him and he held her gaze seriously, showing her he wasn’t playing around. He heard the screen in his bedroom window get popped open, and the old hinges quietly creak making way for someone to crawl through the gap. She kept staring at him as though she was trying the figure out the best course of action.

But Peter could hear there wasn’t time for Nat to figure out a plan, he could hear footsteps making their way down the hall, towards an unsuspecting Tony. Peter moved to stand up, hoping to intersect the assailant or at the very least warn Tony of their incoming prescience but Nat pushed him back down before he could rise more than an inch. “Don’t move.”

Clearly she had been told to keep him safe at all costs but if that cost was Tony’s safety Peter wasn’t about to listen to her- he made a move to stand up again but this time Nat kicked his feet out from under him and pinned him to the floor with one arm behind his back, twisting it unnaturally. It was obvious she’d read his mind before he was able to act on his compulsions. He looked up at her desperately trying to get her to look at him, but her eyes were fixed on the shadow that had appeared in the doorway. He was silently begging her to go after Tony, that he’d be able to handle himself but her eyes didn’t budge. He wasn’t given the chance to try and move again as the shadowy figure entered the room.

Nat sprung up and shot the person twice in the chest before whipping round and firing three more times through the window. Peter took the opportunity to stagger up and run into the other room hoping to see his dad ready to fight also, but he wasn’t there. Neither were the computers. The entire room was empty of any evidence that Tony had been there at all bar from the man’s phone, which was silently buzzing. He grabbed the phone and ran back into the kitchen, where three more people were lying on the floor and Nat was currently struggling with one of them. Peter’s mind was racing yet going completely blank at the same time, thank god his combat training decided to kick in at that moment. His eyes darted around the room and fell on a cast iron skillet hanging on one of the walls; he used a web to bring it to him and without hesitating he smacked it down on the masked man’s head, with a sickening crack.

Nat threw herself up, landing on both feet and immediately began firing again, turning quicker than Peter could keep up with. He tried to will himself to tell her that Tony was gone but he couldn’t get him mouth to cooperate. Instead he had to focus himself on throwing the man who had grabbed him from behind, over his shoulder and off of him. He webbed the man’s arms to the floor and Nat shot him, before Peter could realise what was happening. She turned to him and opened her mouth to say something, but he never quite caught what she said. It was at that point where his hearing turned to white noise and he felt hot water start rushing down his face. Before he got the chance to see the crimson gushing from his head his vision slowly faded out to black and he felt his knees give way underneath him.

Chapter Text

Peter’s eyes fluttered open and he was immediately made aware of a throbbing ache in his head, along with a stinging sensation on his right temple. The dull yellow lights that flickered in the room didn’t do much for the pain in his head, the reflections only adding to the dizziness he was already experiencing. It took him a few minutes to persuade his eyes to open fully and remain that way long enough for him to gather his bearings and take in his surroundings. It was a sickeningly familiar sight, like a reoccurring nightmare. Fractured memories started flooding back to him, the fuzzy ones with the masked men and operating rooms. The months he’d spend hidden away after being exposed to a radioactive spider and his DNA had been altered. He felt bile rise in his throat which he swallowed down feverently trying desperately to push down the nausea in favour of figuring out what the hell had happened and where the hell he was. He saw flashes of the fight that had ensued at the cabin, but everything felt oddly unfocused as though it was a fading dream and he was just waking up. He didn’t have to wait long to get answers as a voice boomed overhead.

“Subject eight has awoken. Brain activity normal.” A cold robotic female voice resounded around the room, piercing Peter’s ears. It seemed in his semi-conscious state that he had little control over his powers; whereas he was usually able to full down his senses and function normally, only accessing his heightened hearing, sight and smell when he needed it- in that moment he was unable to filter them and everything in the small, concrete room was deafeningly loud. He tried to focus himself through the overstimulation but it was difficult when all he could hear was his own heartbeat and breathing, ear splittingly loud. That combined with the buzzing from the sterile lighting made it near impossible to hear himself think.

At one end of the room there was a metal door, not dissimilar to one in a cheap prison show where the prisoners food and only forms of communication would be fed through a sliding hatch. Much the Peter’s surprise that hatch opened and he could barely make out a spectacle clad figure on the other side of it. Once again Peter could will his mouth to cooperate with him, his indignant cries coming out as muffled groans. He started to feel heavy all over, his body going limp against his restraints and his head dropped towards his chest. He couldn’t fight the blackness as it creeped into the corners of his vision once again.

When he regained consciousness the second time he was in a different room. This room was a brilliant white and well lit, and various monitors and screens lined the walls. He could see wires and bags of fluid suspended to an IV beside him, leading to several entry points in his arm. This time he was laying down, whereas he had been restrained standing up before he was now horizontal, with only his wrists being strapped down. He was able to move his head and legs freely, though he wasn’t very mobile at that point. He managed to loll his head to the side and stare through bleary eyes at the monitor beside him. It took him a moment to realise that he wasn’t alone in the room.

“Subject eight seems to have grown more resistant to the anesthetic designed for his metabolic rate, suggesting that he has again experienced an increase in resistance to the one four x serum. Increase dosage to twelve hundred milligrams.” A woman’s voice came from a far corner of the room and two people appeared seemingly from nowhere, clad in the same white uniforms that sprang up in Peter’s recurrent nightmares, started moving towards him.

“Wha- what are you doing?” Peter slurred, but he received no answer. The two figures continued to move towards him, one wheeling a small metal table covered in various medical instruments on it.

The woman’s calm voice filled the room again, taking on an almost amused tone. “Subject eight has regained an astounding level of cognitive function despite the effects of prolonged unconscious under the one four x serum, and has even regained the ability of speech in such a short amount of time. Approximately three times faster than he was able to eighteen months ago, progression much quicker than anticipated. Well, Mr. Parker, you really are giving us a run for our money aren’t you?”

Though she had addressed him, it was clear that she wasn’t expecting an answer. “I don’t even know who you are, don’t touch me!”

One of the masked people had begun to fiddle with one of Peter’s IV ports and jumped back when he flinched against them. The worker turned towards the corner of the room where the woman’s voice was emanating from, almost as though they were looking for reassurance or expecting a new order.

“Don’t worry, he won’t have much motor function yet, he won’t be able to harm you.” She said confidently, prompting the worker to continue with whatever they were planning on doing to Peter’s arm.

“I don’t wanna harm anyone but if you inject me with whatever that purple shit is I just might- don’t!” Peter barked warningly, jerking away from the worker again. The other scientist was surveying Peter’s body and scribbling notes on their findings.

“The three point five inch laceration spanning over the frontal and ethmoid bones has already begun to close, suturing itself just as Dr. Banner’s ledgers said, Ma’am.” The voice squeaked as the masked human scribbled furiously on their clipboard.

“Remarkable isn’t it?” From the dark corner of the room Peter could hear heels clipping across the floor towards him and he could make out a silhouette of a tall woman start to peek into view. His vision was still somewhat fuzzy but he could smell the woman’s perfume from where he way laying.

The other worker was still coming towards him with a syringe aiming for his IV line and for a third time he yanked his arm out of their reach as best as he could given the restraints. The woman had been right when she said his motor function was impaired, he felt strangely light and heavy at the same time, as though his bones were hollow. He had little control over the direction he moved in but he was still able to move his body from one side of the bed to the other.

“Stop! I mean it!” Of course his pleas fell on deaf ears as the worker still continued to grab at his arm. The woman came further into his line of sight and he could see that she had blonde hair and a pinched face but that was all he was able to make out before he felt a needle poke into his arm. “Ow- fuck! Get off of me you son of a-“

He flailed his arm and to his surprise he felt his fist connect with the workers face, feeling as the bone underneath the man’s nose crunched sickeningly with a loud crack and the man flew backwards into the monitors behind him. He’d managed to snap the restraints off of his arm with little effort and he didn’t waste time in ripping the other arm free. He swung his leg round to kick the other worker, who also stumbled back into the various technological devices, and he rolled off of the bed onto the hard white floor. It was at that point he realised the needle the man had been injecting him with was still lodged in his arm, though fortunately he had prevented him pressing the plunger. He ripped the needle out of him and sent it hurtling across the room before realising that it may come in handy later. Whatever the substance was he was sure that Bruce would appreciate a sample, should he make it that far and get out of this god forsaken facility. He dived across the room to pick it up, as he did so he heard the blonde woman speak calmly again, this time into a sleek looking black radio.

“Subject eight has managed to escape his bonds once again, please ensure that he is unable to leave the building.” She sounded sickeningly sweet as she finished the request with a smirk. “Thank you.”

The seamless walls opened up to reveal the hidden doors that were scattered around the room, and the space filled with men in similar clothing to the scientists, only much more weaponised. White leather and metal panelling decorated their uniforms as well as sleek shielded helmets that were reminiscent of motorcycle garb. Had Peter not been scared out of his mind he would have commented on how their clothing resembled that of both Storm Trooper and Death Star Gunners- but alas, there was no time for him to marvel at their great costume design. He dodged out of the way as three of the brutes lunged at him. He managed to hold his own against at least fifteen of the soldiers, knocking out half of them before his adrenaline began to weign and the effects of the drugs in his system took hold once again. The altercation flew by for him as he managed to fight his way out of the room and towards a large pair of doors at the far end of the hallway he fell out into. He managed to make it within three feet of them before he was finally halted.

His reflexes were still stunted as a result of being unconscious for an unknown period of time, and a few mistimed punches had him slammed hard onto the concrete and he felt his ribs snap. A hot blinding pain ran through his left side, making his lungs retract suddenly and harshly, knocking the wind out of him as the searing heat spread. He didn’t have time to react though, he was already being pulled up by another two men, forced back onto his feet and dragged down a grey windowless corridor; they kept his arms pinned behind his back and one of the men forced his head down so he couldn’t see where he was going. The dizzying nausea that came with the breaking of his chest wall had him fighting to stay conscious once again as he was suddenly thrown into another room. This room was much larger, though equally blinding white. Peter didn’t allow himself a moment's respite despite the fierce pain exploding in his chest from his fractured bones. He forced himself to stand up again, only allowing a few wracked coughs before he wiped the blood away from his mouth and readied himself for the next wave of enemies to come pouring out, but they didn’t. The doors didn’t open again, it wasn’t until he heard a cough come from behind him that he turned around to look at the rest of the room.

A circular panel-like table lined the end of the room furthest from him, the tops of which were blocked with what Peter assumed to be bulletproof glass, from tabletop to ceiling. Twelve cookie cutter people with zero distinguishable features between them, all sat around the table, dressed in suits or equally official looking clothing. The only one that stood out was the blonde woman from the corner of the medical room. She was tall, scarily thin, with a pinched face and an unnervingly wide smile. Her lips were painted a bright red and her hair was pulled tight in a bun away from her face, only adding to the skin stretched over a skull look.

“What the- is this real?” Peter laughed shakily, causing the blonde woman to raise an eyebrow.

“I didn’t expect you to find this situation amusing Mr. Parker, though I must say you are just full of surprises today.”

“Really? Is this the the fucking twilight zone or have y’all never seen a movie?” He wasn’t sure if it was the pain, the panic or the drugs in his system that was causing his delirium, or maybe his Dad’s smartmouth was rubbing off on him. Either way his new found confidence in the face of obvious danger was probably not a good idea, but he was too hysterical to care. He’d just been kidnapped and woken up in a strange place, with strange people who were trying to shoot him up with god knows what and now they were reenacting overdone movie tropes? “This is like every bad guys lair ever. Is this the part where you tell me your evil plan to take over the world or where I found out that that dude is my real dad?”

He snorted and pointed a shaky arm to a small balding man who sat at the far end of the conference table.

“Funny you should mention paternal figures.” The blonde woman smirked again and pressed a button on her desk. On commands one of the white walls lifted up, revealing a room separated by a similar ballistic proof glass, adjacent to the one they were in. In it was a chair with an unconscious Tony strapped to it, his face bloodied and bruised. Peter’s smile fell instantly and he ran over to the glass. The blonde woman let out a cold laugh and began speaking triumphantly. “Oh, so that got your attention. It’s not a game anymore is it, Mr. Parker?”

Peter paid no attention to her and began banging wildly on the glass in an attempt to wake his father up, but the man didn’t budge. After a few minutes Peter relented and turned back towards the desk of people. “Don’t you dare hurt him.”

“Well, that all depends. We have no use for him now so whether he lives or dies is meaningless.” She shrugged nonchalantly. “So, sit down like a good little boy and have an adult conversation with us and we’ll be more considerate when it comes to your requests, hm?”

Not much caring for her condescending tone Peter grouchilly obeyed. “How can you not have a use for Tony Stark, that man has more knowledge in his little finger than your entire facility combined, I know you’re just using me as a bargaining chip so he won’t have the Avengers tear this place to shreds.”

The woman cackled at him again. “It’s cute how you think your daddy is that important.”

“He’s not- Don’t- He’s my boss.” Peter snapped furiously. He knew better than to let the enemy get into his head and he knew that he and Tony’s relationship was best left professional when people outside the household were concerned.

“Oh, excuse me. I just didn’t realise that professional relationships included this kind of behaviour.” The woman stood and turned the the blank wall behind her, that began relaying video footage of when Tony had dropped him off at school one morning. Peter watched as he reached through the window and hugged Tony goodbye.

“See ya later, Dad!”

“Have a good day, Kiddo.” He heard his father’s voice echo around the room. There wasn’t any denying that one. Peter kept his mouth shut and his head down, stealing a glance at Tony who was still sitting unconscious in the room next to him. The man had yet to show any signs of life and the lifeless expression on the mans face made his stomach twist. This wasn’t really happening, surely. Tony wouldn’t have allowed this to happen.

“Now we have that out of the way.” The woman sighed and sat back down. “We can start discussing your contract.”

“What’re you- what contract?” Peter scowled.

“We’ve invested a lot of resources into you Peter, technology we aren’t willing to share or let go. Stark may have given you a shiny suit and let you play pretend as a little sidekick for him, but that’s not what you are. You were designed for our purposes-”

“Which are?” Peter cut her off, much to her obvious distaste. She swallowed her disgust however and resumed that sickeningly forced smirk.

“I’m not sure you’d quite understand. I know Stark has you convinced that you’re ever so intelligent, but that’s only to feed his own ego-”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. You’re doing the whole make me feel bad about myself and make me think Tony never cared about me thing so I’ll start to believe the shit you’re trying to sell me blah, blah, blah- Lady you underestimate how bad a fifteen year olds self esteem can be. What is it? Chemical weapons? Biomechanics? Oh wait- I don’t care, because this is all bullshit anyway and you’re never gonna get me to do what you want. So go ahead, give me some spiel about whatever you’re planning, because I can guarantee you’re not going to persuade me. Tony’s not even in there is he, it’s some shitty hologram isn’t it? Isn’t it?”

The woman sat with pursed lips and allowed Peter to finish his rant. “You think you’re so smart. Arrogance will be both of your downfalls. Are you finished?”

Peter was breathing heavily, his face flushed. She hadn’t adressed his accusation about that not being the real Tony. It couldn’t be, there was no way that his Dad hadn’t prepared for the eventuality of his capture. He refused the believe that could really be him, Steve or Thor or somebody would have rescued him by now. But if that was the case Tony wouldn’t have allowed him to be left behind...but there was no way.

The woman waved her hand and the glass separating the two rooms raised up and disappeared into the ceiling. The lack of a barrier allowed Peter to see that his Dad was indeed three dimensional. He heightened senses allowed him to smell the iron rich scent of blood emanating from inside the room and hear the man’s laboured breathing. No simulation Peter had seen could’ve tricked his senses so well. “T-tony?”

“Are you going to listen to what I have to say now Peter, or am I wasting my time?” The woman’s cold voice snapped him out of his trace and brought him back into the room. He managed to rip his eyes away from Tony long enough to make eye contact with her and he nodded. “Thank you. As I was saying, it’s our company that gave you your powers. Our technology. You owe your life as it is now to us, do you understand? We can take that away.”

Peter swallowed thickly. It was taking all of his will power not to rush over to Tony’s side but he knew better than to do so. If he did they would no doubt do something far worse than knock the man unconscious. He hadn’t expected the tables to turn so rapidly, they were using Tony as the bargaining chip to get to him. Not the other way around. “Who are you? What do you want?”

“What happened to not wanting to hear our ‘bullshit’?” She smiled when Peter held his head down again rather than respond. “I won’t bore you with the strenuous details, I fear they’d be wasted on you anyway. My employer was hired by the United States government along with Dr. Banner many years ago to conduct studies regarding the effects of gamma radiation. Of course Bruce went down a different path, he was more interested in another field. But my employer continued with his own line of studies. Most of which were conducted on animals such as the one you encountered when your school toured one of our facilities. Now I know I don’t have to explain that part to you. You’re well versed in the effects that particular specimen caused, hm?”

Peter resisted the urge to spit in the woman’s direction when she flashed him another sickly, toothy grin; Only managing to refrain from doing so to avoid sealing both Tony and his own fate. Instead he nodded slowly.

“Well the results we found in you were unlike none we’d ever seen. No other” She paused for a second seemingly trying to find the right word. “Patient, managed to survive the intubation process. They would pass before our serum managed to bond with their DNA. Even when it finally did, we never expected results quite like yours. Not only did your DNA alter to allow our serum to bond it also-”

“Combined with that of the host. The spider. I know. We picked Spider-Man for a reason.” Peter hissed through gritted teeth, unable to bite his tongue any longer. The woman was feeding him information he already knew he wanted her to get to the point.

“A very apt name.” That smile again, Peter had to swallow down bile. “No one had expected any trace of the carriers DNA to be passed on. None of the trials before or after have had the same result.”

“I know. I remember. It was a fluke.” What was this woman getting at? This entire conversation was asinine, none of this was new information.

“Oh no, Peter. Not a fluke. Something in your DNA holds the key to what we’ve been trying to accomplish-”

“Please for the love of all that is holy- what is that? What’s the point of all this?” He was losing all patience at this point; if she wasn’t going to tell him what the hell was going on he was ready to fight his way out of this place with Tony on his back.

“Resistance to radiation. At least in some form. With the threat of nuclear war at a constant level in today’s climate, don’t you think that would be a useful tool? To be able to immunise people against the effects of radiation, or perhaps induce he results of it. If there’s other people with your specific genetic mutation, it may be possible to reproduce your results-”

“So you’re saying I could be used to save people from a global apocalypse should there be nuke war or to make an army of super soldiers which, in turn, could cause an equally deadly war?”

“I wouldn’t have worded it like that but essentially, yes.” The blonde cackled again, exposing the poor boy to the back of her throat as she threw her head back, turning his stomach even more.

“Well which is it? What’s the end goal here- are we trying to make more captain America’s or less Hulk’s?” Peter breathed out a humourless laugh as he tried to wrap his mind around the gravity of the situation.

“We don’t pride ourselves on ethics, are company prides itself on results, Mr. Parker. So either is preferable, so long as we’re around to reap the benefits.”

“Yeah I got that. Alright. Welp, I ain’t gonna take any part in that. Besides- shouldn’t you have enough of my DNA at this point to have found this key you’re talking about, already? What more do you need?”

The woman’s face took on a dark, twisted shape that certainly couldn’t be described as a smile nor a grimace. Whatever it was, it was much darker than Peter thought possible and he could only imagine what sick thoughts were running through her mind as she spoke. “There’s many more tests that need to be run. Many more.”

Peter swallowed and tried to keep up his calm bravado as he spoke. “S-So what was the point in all this? What’s the point in trying to get my consent? You’re just gonna do what you want to me anyway.”

The woman seemed to pause and think for a moment, clearly amused at the innocence behind his question. “We thought it would be easier if we used dear Daddy here to keep you compliant. Maybe you wouldn’t fight as much, but you’re right. It’s all fruitless. It’ll be easier without him around trying to get you back anyhow. Kill him.”

The woman waved her hand and stood up from her seat, turning away from the table. The other people seated around did the exact same motion all in synchronicity. As soon as the woman made a motion with her hand two guards came in, one grabbing Peter and the other pointing a gun point blank at Tony. There was no time for Peter to react as the latter guard pulled the trigger.

Peter pulled the man behind him over his shoulder and snapped his arm forcing him to the ground. He ran towards the one with the gun and tackled him but not before he heard the bang. The bullet had already left the chamber when Peter’s body made contact with the leather clad henchmen. He couldn’t hear anything but ringing in his own ears though he knew he was screaming. It was as though everything was moving in slow motion.

Wait.

It was.

The bullet was suspended in mid air, surrounded by a faintly glowing red mist. The smoke swirled around it for a moment before the bullet changed direction drastically, at right angle shooting the henchman who’s arm Peter had broken in the head. He barely noticed though, he was too busy repeatedly beating the man with the gun over the head with said gun screaming obscenities before he felt an hand wrap around his arm as he was about to deliver another blow.

“Kid, kid you got him! Come on Pete, stop!” It was Steve. Suddenly Peter’s rage was redirected at him. He stood up and pushed the captain away from him with enough force to actually make the super soldier almost trip.

“Where were you?!” Peter screamed, he was starting to be able to hear himself again and take in his surroundings. People were flooding into the room from all directions, some of which he now recognised to be his team members. He felt like he was going to be sick when he forced himself to look towards Tony.

He was fine. Well not fine, he still was covered in his own blood but there was a distinct lack of gaping head wound or brain matter and that was all Peter cared about. He collapsed forward, ignoring the chaos around them and started undoing Tony’s restraints. He was whispering frantic words of comfort the entire time though the man couldn’t hear him.

“You’re okay dad, I got you we’re- we’re gonna get you out, don’t worry.” He got frustrated trying to undo the leather bonds and ended up ripping them off, along with the arms of the metal chair, making Steve cringe as he watched the metal slice into the boy’s hands. Peter then lifted Tony up effortlessly and started making his way to one of the openings in the door. He didn’t notice all the fights breaking out around him. He didn’t notice Thor smashing through the glass and flying through the gap after the board members, or Clint, Bucky and the blur that was Pietro following suit. He didn’t even notice that Steve was clearing the path in front of him using his shield to part a sea of bodies in the way of their exit. His body went into complete autopilot as he ran hell for leather through the facility, carrying Tony’s deadweight in his arms like it was nothing.

At some point Steve took the lead ahead of Peter, having the zombified teenager follow him down the flight of stairs that lead to a parking garage, that was filled with S.H.I.E.L.D personnel. Several armoured cars were lined up, one of which was clearly set up to be a medi-van. A whirlpool of people surrounded the three men and were attempting to separate Tony from his adopted son, and said adopted son wasn’t taking too kindly to that idea.

“Peter you need to let them check him over-“

“If anyone touches him I will snap their fucking neck.” Peter deadpanned. He didn’t sound frantic, his voice was cold, calculated. The calm demeanour in which the boy delivered the threat was more terrifying than it would have been had he screamed it wildly, the ferocity in his voice caused everyone around him to take a step back. “Bruce. Only Bruce. No one else.”

On que the short doctor pushed his way through the crowd of agents, having heard the boy’s cries. “I’m here Pete, I’m right here. Come lay him down, there’s a good boy.”

Bruce gently lead Peter over to the van with a hand on his shoulder. “H-he won’t wake up, Bruce. Why-why won’t he-“

Peter’s voice started to break as the adrenaline he was running on started dumping out of his system and the panic started to set in.

“It’s alright, he’s probably just got a concussion. I’ve got him Pete, you can let go. I’ll keep him safe you did good, buddy.” It took Bruce gently pushing and Steve gently pulling Peter away to finally pry the boy off of the man enough for the doctor to check him over. By this point Peter’s resolve had all since dissipated and he fully broke down sobbing.

Steve wrapped his arms around him and help him close to his chest. “You did so good, Sport. You kept him safe, you did it. He’s okay, everything’s okay.” He held his hand up to stop the medics starting towards him, telling them that Peter needed a minute before he could handle anyone else near him.

“Where-where were you?!” Peter tried to rip himself away from Steve to yell up at the man, but he held him firm. He knew no matter how angry the teenager was with him he needed a hug more than anything right then. “How did- how did this- they coulda..”

Peter trailed off, once again sobbing into the super soldiers chest, Steve muttering apologies and words of comfort to him the entire time. Whilst they were waiting for Tony to be cleared for travel, Steve managed to pour the hysterical boy in the back seats of one of the armoured vans, ensuring that Tony was still in his line of vision. In that van sat a very beaten up Nat.

“Oh my god- Nat! You’re alive!” Peter threw his arms around the woman who smiled in reply and reciprocated his enthusiasm.

“Just about.” She chuckled and wiped Peter’s curls out of his face. He sat back to look at her, she had a mass of bruises covering the right side of her face as well as a nasty slice in her earlobe.

“Jesus, are you okay?” Peter’s lip trembled and his eyes threatened to start crying again.

“I could say the same about you, look at your head.” She hissed sympathetically as she moved a mass of blood matted hair away from his forehead. “That’s gonna leave a cool scar.”

“They were gonna kill Tony, Nat. They were this close.” Peter’s voice broke and he started sobbing again, relaying the story to the two adults in the car, his breathing getting more and more rapid as he built himself up into a panic attack. What was more concerning to them was the raspy rattling they could hear with each laboured breath. “P, P, hey. Breathe for me, did you get hit?”

Nat placed a hand on his side, making him draw in a sharp breath. Peter had long since forgotten his cracked ribs, the pain being pushed to the furthest recess of his mind in favour of making sure Tony was safe. He nodded and coughed wetly, making the two adults turn to each other and exchange worried glances.

“I’ll go grab a medic, shoulda had them look over him anyway-“ Steve started to hop out of the car but at that moment Bruce looked up towards the window of their vehicle, gesturing that Tony was awake. Peter didn’t even wait for Steve to exit the van, he clambered over the man’s lap and ran out before anyone had a chance to blink. “Or, you know, we could have Bruce take a look.”

Peter pushed through a group of agents and hopped over a case someone had open in favour of getting to Bruce’s van just a moment quicker. “Dad, Dad, Tony oh my god- Dad are you-“

“Woah, hey, Underwood calm down you’re gonna have a heart attack-“ Tony chuckled drowsily from his half lying position on the van floor, not getting a chance to finish his chastising before Peter tackled him with a hug. “Mind my head.”

Peter was busy muttering various apologies and confessions into Tony’s chest, along with another rendition of the events from his point of view but most of it was unintelligible. The other adults took a step back, allowing the two to share a moment in private before they had Peter looked over. Tony smiled gratefully at them and he busied himself consoling the distraught teenager. He’d been briefly informed on what Peter had to witness so he was prepared for the whirlwind of emotions he was going to be facing from the boy. He brushed a shaking hand through Peter’s hair and rubbed his back with the other, whispering to him. “I know baby, I know. I’m so sorry, I know you were scared. We’re safe now, we’re both safe, yeah? I’m right here Petey.”

It took a good fifteen minutes for Tony to calm him down enough for him to separate himself from him, allowing him to sit up fully and support them both while Bruce checked Peter over. At that point it was though all emotion had left Peter as he completely dissociated. If Tony was given the choice between Peter in that state and as hysterical as he had been not ten minutes before, he would’ve chose the former. Anything was better than Peter when he was completely switched off like that, nothing anyone did could provide any comfort, he’d just sit there expressionless. Tony was accustomed to it by that point, but it never made it any less difficult to try and emotionally support someone when they were barely responsive. He settled for holding his hand while Bruce did a quick physical exam, continuing to provide words of comfort every so often. It was heartbreaking to see his child sit there, staring off into space like that, clearly traumatised. He would’ve done anything to get some kind of reaction out of him.
“Okay, Peter, can you help me slip your shirt off of you? Is that okay?” A despondent nod was how the boy replied to the doctors question. “Okay, gently does it. Ooh, yep, broken.”

Lifting the fabric of his shirt revealed a dark purplish bruise covering the entirety of Peter’s side, spreading from just under his armpit all the way down his ribcage. Bruce pushed gently in several areas asking whether or not it hurt or if Peter could feel a change in his breathing, but the boy didn’t respond. Bruce switched to checking his breathing manually using a stethoscope. “There’s some fluid in his lungs but I’m not convinced there’s a puncture, I’ll do some scans when we get back home.”

Tony nodded understandingly and rubbed Peter’s back. He was shocked when Peter seemed to come back to himself for a moment. “Are we going home now?”

“Not just yet bubby, we have to give a report first, then we can-”

“I wanna go home. Can’t I just write a report?” All the adults smiled at him sympathetically.

“No, no. It’s not that kind of report, you have to give a statement to one of our higher ups.” Tony said sadly. He wanted to get his son home as soon as possible too, back to where he felt safe and secure. But he knew it was a necessary evil, one he couldn’t shield Peter from, not after a major incident like that. “It won’t take long, I promise. As soon as you’re done we can go home and-”

“Wait, what? You mean you can’t come in with me?” Peter turned and met Tony’s eyes for the first time since he’d snapped out of his dissociative spell. His big brown eyes taking on a watery fearful expression that made Tony want to scoop him into a hug and protect him from everything bad in the world.

“No, honey. I’m sorry I can’t, we each have to give them individually to avoid us getting our stories muddled-”

“Like cross contamination, I remember when we did the reliability of eyewitness testimony in Psych: suggestibility, misattribution and false memories and all that.” Peter said quietly, the light leaving his eyes again. Tony was used to Peter using his academic knowledge to cope with emotional situations as a way to rationalise them, if that was what was helping Peter come to terms with their current situation who was he to stop him?

“Exactly. They’ll take our statements individually then corroborate our stories themselves, it saves time and it’s more reliable. I’ll be right outside the entire time-”

“Uh uh, you gotta rest.” Peter shook his head seriously, once again switching back to his emotional state. Trust Peter to let himself open up emotionally when someone else’s best interests were involved. “You’ve got a concussion you gotta-”
“We’ve got a couple hours drive yet, bubby. I can take a nap on our way there, don’t worry about me.” Tony pulled Peter into a hug again, finally feeling the boy relax against him. “You stink.”

“So do you.” Peter giggled quietly, the sound of his laughter making Tony’s chest tighten a little. It was a relief to hear.

Whilst they were situating themselves in the back of the van, the rest of the Avengers had filled in and out of the building, checking in evidence and logging casualties as well as reporting who had evaded capture. Peter forced himself not to listen to the various conversations going on around him, in favour of listening to the gentle whir of Tony’s arc reactor. They waited around for another hour or so before the driver of their vehicle informed them of their departure back to main base.

“You buckled in?” Tony spoke into Peter’s hair, feeling the boy nod. He kissed the top of his head gently and let his cheek rest against it. “You must be exhausted, I know I am.”

“Take a nap Dad, I’ll be okay, really.” Peter looked up at him reassuringly. Tony would have argued but he was struggling to keep his eyes open, the concussion having knocked all of his energy out of him, literally and figuratively. With Steve, Bruce and Nat sharing their shuttle, he felt comfortable letting himself rest.

“Don’t you hesitate to wake me up if you need anything, understood?” Another small nod. “Good boy.”

Their drive was uneventful, allowing everyone in the car some respite time alone with their thoughts about the dreadful day they’d had. Peter took the time to go over everything he’d seen and heard, desperately trying to remember all the details so he could give as accurate a report as possible. The adults in the car were sure to check in with him often to make sure he was alright, which he assured them every time he was even though internally he felt like screaming. He couldn’t understand how things had gone so wrong, so quickly. He itched to ask them, especially Steve given he was the one meat to be securing the information on him, but he knew better than to start a confrontation. That and the fact he knew he probably wouldn’t get the answers he wanted to if any at all, they all had to give unbiased reports they couldn’t share their experiences with each other. He was too emotionally exhausted to be angry with anyone anyway, he was sure wherever the mission went wrong it was no one’s fault. He just wanted to get home and go to sleep. Scratch that, take a hot shower, eat something dripping with grease that had zero nutritional value and enough calories to kill a small cow, then go to sleep.

When they were around ten minutes away from their destination Peter shook Tony awake gently, giving the man some time to wake up before he had to relay the days events.

“Ugh, this is gonna be fun.” Tony grumbled as he stretched. “Can’t wait for that look of disapproval ol’ Patchy is gonna give me.”

The others chuckled at the pseudonym but it left Peter confused. That was until he saw a tall, dark figure poke his head out of a room at the end of the hallway they were all currently sitting in. A tall, dark figure with an eyepatch.

“Hey, Fury.” Steve smiled as he stood and waltzed confidently past the man into his office.

“Captain.” The man nodded courteously to the rest of the group, pausing when his eyes fell on Peter. He wasn’t quite sure if the man was just blinking but the teen was sure the man intended to wink at him. Tony clapped a hand on his shoulder and gave him a look that told him the man definitely intended it to be a wink.

The rest of the group chatted casually amongst themselves whilst Steve was having his turn reporting to Fury. Peter had never felt more out of his place in his life. They were situated in what looked to be a normal working environment, all of them dressed in either their supersuits, normal but bloodied everyday clothing or in his case a hospital gown (complete with the paper underwear). People busied themselves around them, filing paperwork and fetching coffee, Nat even having to move Steve’s shield for one lady to use the photocopier.

After around half an hour Steve came out, beckoning for Nat to go in after him. When she did he allowed himself to divulge some of his own story to the rest of the group, though nothing that would conflict with their own stories. The man explained how he and Bucky were captured as planned and he was in the process of getting information out of people when he got the notification that Nat, Tony and Peter had been attacked, just like they had accounted for. Wait a second- accounted for?

“Well yes Peter, of course we were all prepared for that happening. We were never going to put you in any real danger-” Steve tried to explain when Peter had interrupted him at that part of the story.

“Well it sure as hell felt like it! You’re telling me it was part of the plan for me to get captured and drugged and-”

“No! No! No it wasn’t Peter not at all but of course we had measures in place in case that did happe-” Tony started, sensing how things were falling into place in the boys head and they were the furthest thing from the truth.

“So why didn’t you tell me there was a chance that the safe house wasn’t safe at all? I could’ve prepared, I could’ve-”

“We thought it would be best if you didn’t know so there was no way you’d-”

“Fuck it up.” Peter deadpanned, looking at the other men’s faces as if daring them to argue with the accuracy of his statement. All the days stresses starting to rise up in his chest again, preparing him for a good argument to ensue, especially at the way Steve’s eyes blazed at his choice of language.

“Hey-” Steve started to reprimand him.

“No no I get it, I just fuck things up because I’m so unpredictable and unorganised and can’t take direction. Maybe if someone had told me something rather than leaving me in the dark the entire time- about literally everything I wouldn’t have thought Tony was going to DIE! Well I’m sorry! I’m so sorry I’m so difficult to manage maybe you’d be better off if you let them take m-”

“Do not. Finish. That sentence. That’s enough Peter. It wasn’t like that, we didn’t know that was going to go down like that- and we didn’t know that was their motives. I get it, you’re tired and angry, it’s been a long fucky day- but do not, yell and scream and act like a toddler, have you noticed where we are?”

Peter closed his mouth abruptly and looked around at the setting they were in, noticing the office workers who had turned to stare at him during his outburst. He felt his face flush red and he sank own in his chair a little. He had to admit he was surprised that Tony had told him off after everything they’d been through that day, but he also had to admit it was definitely warranted. “Sorry.”

“Thank you. If I ever hear you start to say we’d be better off if we let them take you I’m gonna let Steve wash your mouth out with soap, understood?”

Peter nodded curtly. It was ungrateful of him to say such a thing after all the effort everyone had gone through to get him and Tony out of that mess. They continued to explain to him how they hadn’t ever intended for them to get ambushed, let alone at the safehouse, but they always had to have a plan should that situation arise and they were lucky that they did. It took a short while for them to get peter to understand but he eventually relented and accepted their reasonings for having not told him all the intricacies of their plans.

Bruce was next to go in and Peter started to get nervous, knowing Bruce had only a small role to play in the days events. That meant either he or Tony were going to go in next and he wasn’t sure which was worse; having to be separated from the man and face Nick Fury alone, or having to do that then come out and have Tony pulled away from him immediately. He knew he was being childish and that he should man up, he wasn’t about to cry about getting separated from his dad like a five year old on their first day of kindergarten. Except he was, and he couldn’t make his eyes stop watering. He was scared enough of the man after that day he’d embarrassed himself in that meeting and the idea of having to sit in a room with just them man after the traumatising day he had was enough to push him over the edge.
Just as he was about to enter what would be his fourth panic attack of the day he felt his dad wrap his arm around him and pull him closer into his side. “Breathe with me. In for four, hold for five, out for seven.”

Tony made a show of doing his breathing exercises with him and counting him down each time. Once his breathing evened out Tony continued. “I’ll be a door away from you, if you need me just yell. I’m not going anywhere.”

“That’s what you said last night and look what happened.” Peter voice broke.

“This isn’t the same Petey, we’re safe here I promise. Nothing bads gonna happen, you gotta trust me.”

Peter wanted to say how could he after everything that had happened but he didn’t have the heart to. He knew his dad was just trying to help, none of this had been his fault. He nodded bravely and straightened himself up, hissing slightly when his ribs protested him moving a certain way. Not five minutes later Bruce reemerged and Nick was calling Tony forward. His dad stood and stole one last glance back at him. “You gonna be alright, Underoos?”

Peter nodded bravely and made a ‘go’ hand gesture to usher his Dad out of the room. Nick gave him that ‘wink’ face again before he closed the door behind them both.

Tony was in the room for the longest out of all of them and the wait was agonising. By this point everyone was exhausted, Nat even falling asleep against Bruce for a short while. Steve tried to help pass the time for Peter by advising him on what to expect in the interview but he only succeeding in making the anxious boy more nervous. It was over an hour before Tony reappeared, looking visibly more relaxed than when he went in. He strode over to Peter and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Your turn bubby.” He smiled. “Don’t be nervous, okay? Just tell the truth and everything will be fine.”

Once again Peter nodded bravely and stood up, shaking slightly. He walked slowly down the short corridor to where the tall man was holding the door open for him. He took one last deep breath (and stole one more glance as his Dad who gave him a thumbs up) before stepping inside. The office was nice, tidy with stacks of paper piled neatly on the large wooden desk at one end of the room. Large open windows looked out at the city skyline and Peter found that he could see the one place he longed to be from their floor: Stark Tower.

“Mr. Parker. A pleasure to meet you again, please take a seat.” Fury smiled at him, addressing Peter in a friendly tone that he had certainly not been expecting and gesturing the the white couch in front of the desk. Peter sat down as he was told as the man sat in the seat opposite him. Not that he ever had been, but Peter felt as though he’d been sent to the principal's office for doing something wrong and he felt his palms getting sweaty.

“Before we begin, do you need anything? Water, a sandwich, bathroom break, no?” The man waited for a response to each question, Peter shaking his head to each one (blushing brightly at the last option), before continuing. “Okay. I know this is your first time reporting a series of events and after the day you’ve had I know your head must be swimming. So we’ll start at the beginning, okay?”

Peter nodded again. He was still shell shocked at the scary, usually sarcastic mans kind and friendly demeanor; though considering the change he’d seen in Tony through the course of him knowing him he ought not to have been shocked by people’s multifaceted personalities.

“So, what happened that day at school?”

Peter started relaying the story in as much detail that he could muster, everything from what he ate and drank to what time they stopped at gas stations. He tried to avoid telling the man the personal details about their specific details about their detours, but Nick was persistent with his questioning. It was apparent how uncomfortable he was explaining the issues he’d been experiencing with his bladder, especially considering the history of the first time they met. Peter really didn’t want the man to think he made a habit of peeing himself (though in all honesty Peter, you kinda do). Just as he was starting to develop a block in his speech from the embarrassment he felt something brush against his leg, making him jump.

He looked down and saw a ball of white and orange fluff with large green eyes looking up at him. “Oh, hello dere.”

The ball of fluff in question then took it upon himself to jump onto Peter’s lap and nudge him hands, begging for attention, making the teen giggle.

“Goosey! Sorry about that, he’s not usually so friendly. In fact he hates people.” Nick frowned and gave the cat a disapproving look to which the cat paid no mind, if anything Goose deliberately begged for more fuss using his headbutts.

“It’s okay, I feel honoured.” Peter grinned and fully gave in the the cats demands, relaxing visibly as he did so. He found it much easier to explain the more embarrassing details when the friendly cat took it upon himself to act as a temporary emotional support animal.

When Peter was getting to the more detailed part about the time he spent in the facility he noticed the man start taking notes on exactly what he was saying. He explained everything he’d seen and heard, making sure the relay the dialogue between the woman, the workers and him to the T.

“You’ve got a remarkable memory.” The man commented looking up rom his notes to stare at Peter for a moment as though he was considering all of the missions that he could possibly put that skill to good use on.

“Uh, thanks?” Peter said awkwardly.

The man in front of him cleared his throats before waving his hand flippantly and returning his gaze to his nots. “Anyway, continue.”

“Well, the dude was trying to inject me with this.” Peter withdrew the syringe he’d grabbed out of his pocket to show Fury, the purple liquid still inside the chamber. The man’s jaw visibly dropped. “Was I not meant to show you this-”

“No no, I’m glad you did. It’s a good thing you didn’t check it in as evidence-”

“Oh crap was I meant to…” Peter stared down at the contraband in his hand in horror.

“Don’t worry about it, I won’t tell if you don’t. Be sure to give that straight to Bruce and don’t let another soul see it, do you understand?” Peter nodded but looked visibly uncomfortable at the request, not wanting to get into trouble for doing something wrong and not understanding the nature of the what the man was asking him. “Look, if you book this in, it’ll take months to process. Even when it does there’s no guarantee that we’ll ever see it again, it’d probably be destroyed. If Bruce can get anything useful from this stuff, anything that could help us in our investigation, he deserves the chance don’t you agree?”

Peter nodded slowly. He was still weary of Fury, not knowing the man well enough to make a discernible judge of his character, but he trusted Bruce with his life.

“Good, now slip that back into your pocket. Tell Bruce that should he get caught with it, he found a way to extract it out of your system whilst he was examining you, got it?”

“Okay, but Sir, I still don’t really understand what this stuff is?”

“Neither do I, son. That’s the point.”

Peter continued the story, explaining how he managed to evade the guards for a time, but was eventually thrown into the room full of people with no faces. When it came time to tell Nick about the surveillance footage used against him he hesitated once again.

“What was the footage of, Peter?”

“M-me and Tony…”

Nick waited but Peter didn’t continue. “What were you doing?”

“He was dropping me off at school…”

“And?”

“Well I...I uh- I..”

Fury was already well aware of the relationship between the two, Tony having told him the night they were abducted by the MV, when Tony told him about the number of subjects Peter had remembered. The man also went into detail during his own interview, Nick was using the question to judge the measure of the boys character, to see whether he’d be forthright with him or if he was the type to withhold information. Should it be the latter he’d question Peters ability to progress within a company where loyalty and honesty was such highly valued.

“It had a recording of me calling Tony, Dad, Sir…”

Nick was sure not to show any expression on his face, continuing as though the boy had told him the sky was blue or that he was wearing an eye-patch. “What was your response to her showing you that?”

Peter was surprised but greatly relieved that the man showed no reaction in his admission, but he prayed that he hadn’t just ruined everything for himself and Tony with that one little word. He started petting Goose more rapidly, showing his increase in stress and the cat was quick to nudge him back from the edge of a panic attack.

The rest of the interview went smoothly and after an hour and a half Peter was finally allowed to leave the man’s office, and return to the comforting arms of his father. He was a little sad to be leaving the cat behind though, who mewed sadly as soon as he placed it on the floor. Maybe he’d have to beg his Dad for a pet whilst they were both still emotionally vulnerable.

“Ah Goose, don’t be like that, you’ll see him again. Have a safe journey home, Mr. Parker. And remember, keep that little secret between you, Bruce, your Dad and I, you hear?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Good.” With that Peter walked away, automatically ducking under his Dad’s arm who was stood there waiting for him. Tony looked back at Nick and the two exchanged a knowing glance before he lead his son back out of the building and back home.

Once the boy had left, Nick filled out his report, making sure to leave Peter’s admission out of it, just as he and Tony had discussed. He knew he could lose his job for withholding information, but he also knew should his superiors find out the depth of Peter and Tony’s relationship, it would risk them being separated to avoid “a conflict of interest”. Besides, he kind of liked seeing that side of his longtime friend. Iron-Dad had quite the ring to it.

Chapter Text

“Master Tony.” A deep but soft voice resounded late one Thursday night, waking the middle aged genius up with a start.

“Yes, Jar, what’s up?” Tony inhaled sharply through his nose as he propped himself up on one elbow to look at his alarm clock. Three forty-seven am.

“Master Peter is requesting your presence once again.”

Tony sighed softly. “Send him in, please.”

“I have as per your previous request, sir.”

Tony frowned slightly and rolled over. Sure enough Peter was standing there, red faced but expressionless. “Hey, bubs. Nightmare again?”

Peter nodded sullenly.

“Wanna try and sleep here or are we up for the night?” Peter shuffled uncomfortably looking towards the floor, silently giving the man his answer. Tony stretched and sat up fully, readying himself to get up. “Alright, let’s go.”

Tony lead the unresponsive boy back up to the living room, sat him down on the couch and made his way over to the TV. “Which episode were we on?”

“Attack of the Clones.” Peter mumbled quietly around the thumb he was gnawing on, staring straight through the man.

Tony put the disc in and slid onto the couch beside the boy pulling him close for a hug. Peter didn’t object to the physical contact but he didn’t reciprocate it either, though Tony had grown accustomed to that when the boy was in this state, so he didn’t take the rejection personally. Once the movie started playing he felt Peter relax against him, his tense muscles starting to unwind and he allowed himself to cuddle closer to the man.

“Warming up a little, bud?” Tony asked gently, rubbing his hand up and down Peter’s arm. ‘Warming up’ was code for whether or not Peter was coming out of his numb phase after disassociating from the nightmare. Tony was more than used to the process Peter went through after an episode, from either a nightmare, overstimulation or just a general panic attack. As much as he hated it he knew there wasn’t much he could do other than wait for Peter’s emotions to return enough for him to be of any comfort. He felt the boy nod his head, which was a good sign.

Over the past few months since their run in with the MV corporation this had become a near nightly routine; it was either nights staying up on the couch watching movies until the boy fell asleep or Peter would (on occasion when he’d let himself) crawl into bed beside Tony. It didn’t happen every night, but as time went on it was happening more often than not. Either way Peter was always gone by the time Tony woke up, which would lead onto a morning of sideways glances and avoiding eye contact between the pair.

Peter had bounced back at first, remarkably quickly in fact, immediately settling back into their usual routine. He’d been more than happy to return to school that following Monday, despite Tony wanting him to take a week off regarding his broken ribs, head injury and bladder infection but the boy had insisted; convincing his Dad that normality was what would aid his recovery the best and it had seemed to do the job. He even went out that first weekend with his friends and everything seemed normal, he was back to his usual bubbly, goofy self. It wasn’t until a couple weeks after they returned home when the severity of the events hit him and he started having nightmares about what would have happened had Wanda not stopped the bullet when she did. After each nightmare Peter would either wake up screaming or completely numb, both of which were equally emotionally taxing.

It had started off slowly at first. He noticed Peter was tired a lot of the time and was becoming more withdrawn from their usual activities, electing to spend more time in his room than anywhere else. He also lost interest in his schoolwork, often asking to stay home which wasn’t like him at all. Tony even received a call from Ned’s mom, saying Peter hadn’t been replying to his friends texts for days. After a couple weeks of his odd behaviour Peter stopped talking to anyone at all, only answering direct questions with one word answers or nods. Anytime anyone tried to broach the subject with him he immediately shut the conversation down or became hostile. Despite the fact he wanted to be alone he also seemed to want to be around Tony all of the time, which the man had expected given the trauma they’d experienced. But Peter wasn’t just being clingy, it was as though he was angry with Tony and don’t want to be around him, but he needed to be, which was obviously more frustrating for him. The teenager was struggling to accept the comfort that he so desperately craved; he didn’t feel as though he deserved it and he’d admitted that anytime Tony managed to get some conversation out of him. It was exhausting for both parties- Tony trying to convince the boy that he was allowed to need some recovery time after such an event and Peter fighting against it, claiming to not need it.

Tony has tried to not let himself worry too much as Peter was still doing well at school (despite his lack of enthusiasm) and he was still attending regular appointments with his psychiatrist, he knew if he was patient and allowed Peter to work through things in his own time that everything would be okay. It was still painful for him to watch the boys condition go downhill so rapidly, but he’d been advised by his therapist and the boys Aunt to take a step back and allow him to have his own space, something he’d made the mistake of not doing in the past. So he listened, but it was hard. It was also hard to try and convince the other adults he cohabited with to do the same, especially Thor and Steve who just couldn’t seem to grasp the concept, causing many arguments when they thought the teen was out of earshot. He just hadn’t accounted for the fact that the boy couldn’t battle his demons whilst he was asleep. The first time he’d been aware that Peter was having nocturnal issues (other than the fact the boy was constantly exhausted) was when JARVIS had alerted him that Peter was out of his room at gone midnight. When he pulled up surveillance footage it was obvious why Peter was up and where he was going to he made the point to meet him after he’d visited the laundry room. To his surprise the teen hadn’t been embarrassed about his accident, in fact he didn’t seem phased by Tony’s presence at all. Peter had been in a completely dissociative state to the point that Tony had to manually lead the boy back to his room. Of course, it had worried him. But he figured it had been an isolated incident, maybe even sleep walking, since Peter didn’t show signs of recollecting the incident the following day (whereas usually he would have avoided the man all together out of shame). It wasn’t until about a week later that he realised it wasn’t a one time thing.

Only this time it was much worse. JARVIS didn’t even get a chance to warn Tony before Clint came barrelling into his private bathroom whilst he was taking a shower.

“Tony! Tony you gotta come quick-“

“Fuck me Barton what are you-“

“It’s the kid- he’s having a nightmare or something, I can’t get into his room JARVIS said he-“ the man didn’t get to finish what he was saying because Tony was already dressed and out of the room.

Sure enough Peter was screaming the place down from the other side of his locked bedroom door where Steve was spamming the panel with every access code he could think of.

“The door won’t open JARVIS doesn’t count this as an emergency- fix your stupid computer Stark-“ Steve barked furiously as soon as Tony came into view. Hearing Peter’s cries had set off the soldier’s fight or flight instincts and obviously fight was winning out.

“Get out of the way Steve, for Christ sakes.” Tony said calmly and with one touch of the screen the door slid open, revealing a mass of limbs flailing wildly, tangled in sheets in the middle of Peter’s bed. “Go. I’ve got him, he’s not gonna want a parade of people fucking watching him.”

The others listened, though they were clearly not happy about it, Steve lingering in the hallway for a few minutes before Clint returned to drag him away. Tony made his way over to Peter though he wasn’t exactly sure about the best course of action; he didn’t want to go all in grabbing at him in case he frightened him more or ended up hurting him, but the boy was definitely going to end up hurting himself if he let him throw himself around like that for much longer. He didn’t have time to come up with a battle plan because Peter was dangerously close to smacking his head on the wall.

“Peter, P, hey, hey- Bubby wake up. It’s me Pete, wake up it’s alright-“ He was cut off by a fist smacking him in the nose and he had to bite back the urge to curse. He hissed in pain but pushed forward, climbing in the bed behind Peter and wrapping his arms around him, hugging him tight enough that the boy couldn’t flail his arms around and punch either of them again. “Enough, enough you’re okay. No more fighting baby you’re safe, you ain’t gotta right anymore.”

“They killed him, they fucking killed him-it’s your fault!” Peter wailed bitterly, still struggling to get out of Tony’s grasp in the midst of his night terror. The sight alone was breaking the man’s heart. He started rocking gently and brushing the boy’s hair away from his forehead, like he was used to doing after a panic attack, desperately trying to coax the boy awake as gently as he could.

“Come on, Pete. Come back to me, I’m right here. No ones dying, everything’s okay. Can you open your eyes for me? Hm? Come on, Petey.” Eventually Peter stilled and his eyes snapped open. “There you are. You alright?”

Peter swallowed thickly, it dawned on him where he was and what had happened. He tried to pull himself away from Tony but the man wouldn’t let him out of the hug. “I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for? You didn’t do anything wrong.” Tony continued to rock him though he could feel the boy trying to pull away from him, stiffening up. He slowly relaxed his arms, giving Peter the freedom to move away and turn to face him.

“Was I yelling?” Peters voice was cold and calm, showing his Dad that he was switching off again.

“Just a little, you only woke up half the street.” He joked but Peter’s expression didn’t change. “Clint and Steve heard you, that’s all.”

“Great. Just great.” Peter nodded. He sounded both disappointed and frustrated but Tony wasn’t sure if that was aimed at himself or the other adults. “I told JARVIS not to let anyone in.”

“So you told him that, huh? I thought it was strange that I had to override the lock. It’s meant to allow access during an emergency-“

“Does this look like an emergency to you?! I’m fine.” Peter snapped his eyes finally showing a flash of emotion, albeit not the emotion Tony had been expecting.

“Oh yeah, just fine. Screaming at the top of your lungs and breaking my nose seems just fine to me.” Tony huffed out a sarcastic laugh, making Peter turn his head away and stare angrily at the floor. The man softened his tone. “Peter, what was the dream about-“

“You know what it was about and if I wanted to talk to you about it I would- now get out of my room.” The teenager snapped again, shutting down any room for conversation on the topic.

“Uh uh, I’m not playing this game with you again. You don’t wanna talk about it, that’s fine but don’t start pushing me away Pete, please. Not after everything.” Instead of snapping back at him like he wanted to, he thought he’d take on a different approach. If he played into Peter’s empathic side he was much more likely to knock down the boy’s defenses. He knew that he was just trying to protect himself and avoid facing the problem, so for once he wasn’t going to try and force it out of him. “We don’t have to talk about it. I won’t make you.”

“Yes you will.” Peter sniffed and his eyes fell to the floor. Clearly he hadn’t expected his father to take the emotional approach either and it had caught him off guard; expecting an argument and for the subject to be dropped.

“I won’t P, you’ll talk when you’re ready. I don’t expect you to talk to me either, you can confide in your therapist-”

“I have been. It’s not helping.” Peter curled in on himself at that last admission. “I’ve been talking and talking, but it doesn’t make it go away. I’ve been talking to the therapist, I tried to talk to Ned but he didn’t get it- I’ve even been writing it all down but nothings working, Dad. I don’t mean to keep pushing you away but everytime I look at you I keep seeing it...the gun and you…”

Tony sat silently on the edge of the boys bed, rubbing his back as he spoke. This was the most they had spoken in weeks since Peter had started isolating himself, so there was no way he was going to cut the boy off in the middle of his monologue. He waited for Peter to trail off naturally before prompting the boy to continue.

“It’s okay Pete, you can keep going.”

“I’m- I’m just. Tired. So tired. Even when I’m sleeping my mind won’t rest and it’s exhausting. I just want the thoughts to go away.” Tears started to run freely down his face and he put his head in his hands. “I know I’ve been a dick, but I’m trying.”

Once he’d started pouring his heart out there was no stopping him, all of his anxieties and stress coming out of his mouth all at once. He explained from point of view, nothing bad had really occurred, so there was no need for him to obsess over something that didn’t even happen. Tony didn’t die and everything had gone back to normal, so what was the issue? Everyone was treading of eggshells around him and it was driving him crazy, crazier than the nightmares. It was as though everyone thought he was even more fragile than before, as though they were expecting him to break down. He was adamant that he was going to prove them wrong, despite the stupid obsessive and paranoid thoughts he was getting. Thoughts that would creep in everytime Tony was out of his line of sight and there was the possibility of everything getting ripped away from him again. Thoughts about the split second that could have made his entire life change yet again…

He had to find a way to make the thoughts go away. He was being ridiculous. Yes, he knew it was a normal response to a traumatic event, survivors guilt and all that, but knowing all that didn’t make him anymore understanding when it came to himself. The fact that he was able to understand why he was feeling this way, from an objective and logical standpoint, but still being unable to do anything about it was driving him insane.

“I know- I know it’s normal and everything, and that it’s the idea of what could have happened and the fact that it could happen again eatin’ at me. But I know that, so why can’t I just stop thinking about it? I can’t spend the rest of my life worrying constantly that you’re gonna die on me-”

“Pete, this is what I meant about the recovery period. This feeling is going to pass.” Tony had heard enough and at that point Peter was only talking himself in circles and working himself up more. Frankly hearing how Peter’s mind had been consuming him was making the man feel sick, he hadn’t realised the extent of it and he was internally berating himself for having not stepped in sooner. “I understand how you’re feeling, whether it’s normal or not doesn’t mean anything- everyone copes with things differently and at their own pace, you know that. Just cause it’s normal doesn’t make it any easier.”

Peter nodded and wiped at his face furiously. He felt better that the man was being direct with him, as opposed to how everyone had been treating him for the past few weeks; like a broken child. Even if that was how he felt.

“Fuck, I mean, I’ve been wanting to lock myself in my room and drink myself to death. Seeing how bad you’ve been and knowing I can’t help is killing me- and I’m not saying that to make you feel guilty, please don’t take it that way, I just don’t want you to think that you’re the only one who’s been effected. You’re not weak or stupid for feeling like this Pete, we’ve all been struggling after what happened. Steve’s been throwing himself into his work because he blames himself for everything- I found the poor fucker passed out at his desk last night because he hadn’t slept for two days.” Tony took a moment to calm himself down before continuing, remembering who he was talking to. He didn’t want Peter to try and take on everyone else's issues as well as his own, knowing what the boy was like. “I probably shouldn’t have said that-”

“No, I get it. It does make me feel better knowing I’m not the only one.” Peter tried to console the man.

“You’re doing it again, stop tryna make me feel better it’s my turn to do that for you.” They both chuckled. “But you’re not. It’s not trivial, just cause I didn’t die doesn’t mean we don’t have a right to be upset. So cut that shit out of your head right now.”

He bumped Peter with his shoulder making the boy laugh again. “I’m trying.”

“I know you are. You don’t have to try and do it all alone though, P. I did that for years and look where it got me- friendless with an alcohol addiction.”

“Wow Dad, pep talk of the year goes to-”

“You know what I’m trying to say, smartass.” Tony rolled his eyes. “The dreams will go away, so will the thoughts. It’s gonna take some time, but it’ll take longer if you keep fighting it.”

Peter nodded slowly. “The thought thing, yeah I get that, I’m working on ‘em. But how am I meant to deal with the dreams, Dad? They’re so...so graphic.”

“I don’t know, bubs. What’s your first reaction when you wake up? What do you wanna do?”

“Go and find you…” Peter mumbled embarrassedly.

“Then why don’t you?”

“Because I’m fifteen not five. I’m not gonna go and wake my dad up cause I had a bad dream.” Peter laughed harshly, with a mocking bite to his tone.

“Don’t be like that. Wanna know something?”

“What? You gonna make up a story to make me feel better?” Peter laughed again.

“No I’m gonna tell you a real story to make you feel better. Do you know how old I was when my parents died?”

“Twenty one?”

“Yep. I made the mistake of hacking the police’s databases and looking at the crime scene photos. I couldn’t sleep for weeks after, but of course I wouldn’t talk to anyone about it. Jarvis was long gone by then so, I had no one to wake up and sit with me.”

“So, what did you do?” Peter asked, wondering where the man was going with his story.

“Nothing. I still have them.”

“Oh.” Peter frowned. He’d expected a much happier resolution. “That’s sad.”

“Very sad. That’s why I want you to work through this now. So you wanna come and wake me up? You come and wake me. Even if you just wanna come into my room and make sure I’m still breathing, you can do that. The code for my room is zero eight one zero, JARVIS is set to let you-“

“Hey, wait a second- that's August tenth, that’s my birthday!”

“Is it? What a coincidence.” Tony shrugged nonchalantly, not letting on that it was deliberate.

“Oh my god you’re such a softie-“

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

After that incident, Peter reluctantly took Tony’s advice and started coming to him after each and every nightmare. As much as he hated to admit it, it helped a lot. He found that he was actually able to go back to sleep most nights, though he was always sure to return to his own room by a usual time so no one else would catch on to their new routine. He couldn’t help but he embarrassed each morning after he’d disrupted the mans sleep (especially the nights where the dreams had been accompanied by wet sheets), so he’d do his best to avoid him, inadvertently alerting the other members of their household to the shift in dynamic. He had no doubt that Tony had confided in them about their new sleeping arrangements, if nothing but to explain the spike in his caffeine consumption and the darkened bags under his eyes. Peter felt so guilty about causing the man’s sleep deprivation but Tony had been counteracting that by joining Peter for his afternoon naps, albeit in different rooms.

A couple months passed and slowly but surely Peter’s nightmares started to become less frequent after the spike they had after the month anniversary of their abduction. Once Tony had helped him get over that proverbial hump he managed to wean himself off of going to the wake the man up every night. He still made sure to go into his room, just to make sure he was still there, a few times a night but it got to the point where Peter was only having severe nightmares that he couldn’t self soothe, once or twice a week; which was much more manageable for both men. The ability to get a decent night’s rest did wonders for Peter’s general attitude too and he found himself feeling much more like his normal self. He was able to reconnect with his other housemates, though they were still definitely wary of upsetting him.

They’d all noticed the change in him though, especially Tony who was so relieved to have his little lab buddy back. As soon as Peter mentioned an idea he’d been working on to do with the fabric of his suit he had Tony had him back down in his workshop with him quicker than the boy could say suit upgrade. He’d had so many ideas he’d pushed back whilst Peter was feeling down, sure he could’ve easily worked them out himself but he didn’t want to. He wanted to share the fun with his son and the room felt empty without him tinkering away in the corner.

Things were starting to look up finally, in every area other than school. Peter was still anxious about being away from his Dad for extended periods of time, but he didn’t dare have the man take him to or from school anymore, given the context of the footage that had been used against him. It was also where he felt the least safe. He found it ironic how he had felt suffocated being trapped inside the tower before and now he didn’t want to leave it even for a moment. He didn’t just worry about his own safety, he had been worried about that of his friends. If the MV corp were able to find out his identity and the identity of those closest to him, who’s to say no one else had? How did he know that he wasn’t putting his friends in danger every moment he spent with them? It wasn’t worth the risk. Of course, when he had tried to push them away from him for that very reason, he was met with mixed reactions.

“Dude, you’re so stupid.” Ned had laughed when Peter finally confided in him after a confrontation over three missed facetimes the night before. He smacked his longtime friend on the back. “You ain’t gettin’ rid of me that easy Spider-Man.”

“Keep your voice down.” Peter hissed at him and slammed his locker, turning away to storm down the hallway. But Ned didn’t miss a beat, following right behind him.

“It’s my decision, Pete. I made it the second I found out about all that-”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about Ned, so just stop.” Peter turned around and barked at him, causing several people in the hallway to stop their own conversations to look at him. He sighed frustratedly, great more attention he didn’t want. “Leave me alone.”

Again Ned remained unphased. He skipped happily alongside his furious friend. “You can’t micromanage everything bro. That’s part of your problem-”

“My problem is having a best friend that doesn’t know what’s good for him. Have you even considered it’s not just your life I’m putting in danger? Think about your mom, your dad, your brothers and sisters-”

“My siblings suck ass so the bad guys can have em-”

“Ned! I’m not joking! None of this is funny- This is what I mean, it’s all one big game to you-”

“Okay, okay I get it bad timing.” Ned held his hands up. “But I’m serious when I say I’m not worried. If your Dad says he’s gonna keep us protected I believe him-”

“Then you’re an idiot. He almost got himself killed because of me, he’d clearly not as smart as you think he is so just-” Peter was cut off by his face getting squished against his friends chest as Ned pulled him into a bear hug that left him dangling two inches off of the ground. “Ned. Put me down.”

“Nope.” He popped the p, still smiling. “I’m not putting you down until you agree to be my best friend again.”

“I hate you.”

“Aw, I love you too P!” Ned tightened his grip.

“People are staring! Put me down!” Peter hissed, trying to wiggle out of his friends grip but the gentle giant help him firm.

“What was that Pete? You’re finished goin’ through your emo phase and you’re ready to stop being an asshole now?”

“Okay you’ve made your point- yes! Now let go!” Ned let Peter down causing the boy to stumble slightly as he brushed the newly formed wrinkles out of his clothes. “You’re insufferable.”

“And you’re an idiot if you think you’re breaking up with me-”

“Don’t say it like that, why did you have to say it like that?” Peter shook his head and stormed off towards his classroom once again.

“I’ll see you at lunch!” Ned called back cheerily, making his way to his own class.

Later that very same day Peter was tasked with facing MJ too, who he’d been avoiding with equal vigor. She and Ned were already seated at a table when he entered the lunch hall and his larger friend pulled a chair across the floor loudly, beckoning for him to join them. He made the noise deliberately to get the kids around them attention, knowing full well Peter would be too socially awkward to ignore Ned with an audience. He sighed and took the seat, not looking up at either of his friends faces.

“Uh, hi.” MJ said sarcastically, giving Peter a faux greeting in return of the one he had yet to give her.

“Hey.” Peter said quietly.

The girl sitting across from him raised her arms in the air and looked side to side dramatically, as though she’d just witnessed something mindblowing. “It speaks! Ned did you see that- it’s almost as if he recognises the presence of his two best friends! And I was starting to think that they’d given you a lobotomy up there in that creepy tower-”

“I get it, Mich.” Peter said tiredly, having expected such a response from the girl with no human emotion. “I’m sorry, alright?”

“Sorry would imply you did something accidentally, Parker.” She popped her gum and put her boots up on the seat next to her knowing how much it would irritate him. “At least Neddikins got a text here and there, I didn’t get zip for two whole weeks. Two weeks, it’s rather impressive considering we have the same homeroom, how did you manage not to look up when I threw my textbook at your head-”
“I get it! I’m sure Ned filled you in on why I’ve been distant, so I don’t need another lecture, okay?” He looked up at her face for the first time in weeks and their eyes met across the table. Fantastic, he really needed nervous butterflies in his stomach on top of everything else. “Since when did my friendship matter to you that much anyway? You remind us all the time you’re too cool to talk to us half the time.”

Ned made a soft oo sound and MJ’s expression flickered, only for a second, showing that his words had stung. He hadn’t meant for them to come across with such bite but it seemed to do the trick. “Point taken.”

“I didn’t mean it-” He started to apologise but the girl resumed her usual demeanor instantly.

“I’m more shocked about your appearance really. We had a bet on how many eyebrow piercings you’d have, I had ten buck’s on you flat ironing your hair and dying it black-”

“Wow thanks, way to support a male friend with mental health issues. This is why there’s a stigma you know-” Peter frowned and started to rant but he was cut off when MJ leant across the table and pinched one of his cheeks, in a teasing way.

“We’re just glad to have you back, Parker.” She stood up from their table. “I’m going to the vending machine, you hobos want anything?”

Peter shook his head still shell shocked from the sudden physical contact and the sudden burning sensation that rose to his cheeks.

“Nah, I’m good.” Ned said, turning to Peter as MJ walked away, grinning at him. “Check yourself Pete, you’re going pinker than Mrs. Clarks car.”

“Shut up.” Peter snapped, but he leant on his elbow to cover his flaming face with his sleeve.

“Dude I’m glad we’re friends again cause I’ve missed Steve’s cooking.”

“Yeah, well don’t get too excited, he’s been even more of a food nazi lately. He’d stripped the house of any refined sugar.”

“Jesus you must be dying.” Ned patted his friend on the back sympathetically.

“Yeah, he read something about sugar affecting your body’s ability to produce serotonin and he took it as gospel.”

“Well duh, don’t you know old people get all of their facts from articles on facebook.” Ned snorted as he handed Peter a cosmic brownie from his own backpack.

“For real. I made a joke about candy being the only reason I hadn’t offed myself to Clint and he overheard it and went ape shit. He even found my secret stash of energy drinks, the weekends have been tough. Me and Bruce are flagging hard.”

“Just buy a bunch of stuff on your way home from school, man.” Ned chuckled at the idea of Captain America flying around the tower confiscating everyone’s candy like an overprotective mother on halloween.

“You think I ain’t tried that? He searches my backpack. I tried eating it all on the bus one day but I ended up puking- gross Ned!”

He caught Ned off guard whilst he was drinking his soda, a laugh sending the liquid all over the table as it shot out of his nose. As disgusted as Peter was he laughed along with him, it being the first time he’d really laughed in weeks. Despite his trepidation about letting his friends back into his life, he had to admit it felt good.

That night however, Peter found himself in a bit of a sticky situation, upon following some of Ned’s expert advice. Clint had heard about the issues the young teen had been having at night and by heard he quite literally meant heard. Having been the one who’d had to alert Tony when the boy had started yelling in his sleep one night, he hadn’t felt right to intervene himself even had he been able to enter the boys room, given how embarrassed he knew the boy would be later. So when he came across Peter sneaking around the lower floors one night he felt compelled to find out what the boy was doing. He saw that he had a bundle of something he was carrying, which in the middle of the night as a father he knew that wasn’t a good sign.

“What’s got you up so early, kiddo?” He called as he approached making sure not to startle him.

“Uh- uh uh I- Uhm...nothing?” And he was stuttering? That was strike two.

“What you got there?” Clint pointed to the bundle behind Peter’s back.

“Nothing.” Peter said quickly this time, taking on step back from the man.

“Pete. You can tell me, what is it?” The man said gently expecting the teenager to be embarrassed give what he thought the mass was.

“No! They’re mine!”

What? Okay so it wasn’t a wet bed situation, then what on earth was Peter doing up this time of night? “What’s yours? I’m not gonna take it, what’re you hiding?”

“Nothing!” Peter took another step back this time looking as though he was gonna make a break for it, Clint was in too deep now to allow that to happen. He lunged forward and grabbed Peter’s arm before the kid had a chance to get away from him.

There was a scuffle that ensued that ended somehow with Clint sitting on top of the screaming boy who was curled protectively around the bundle, like a turtle trying to retract into its shell, while Clint truffles to pull back the boy’s arms.

“No!”

“Lemme see!”

“No! Someone help!”

“Don’t say that you’re gonna get me in trou- hey!”

Peter has started to crawl away, desperately clawing at the carpet beneath him. Whilst the boy’s arms were occupied the man took the opportunity to pull out the bag from underneath him.

“NO! GIVE IT BACK!” But he didn’t he held the bag over the boy’s head, which was surprisingly light. He realised it was a shipping bag of some kind. What on earth was the boy doing getting packages delivered in the middle of the night?

“Peter what on earth is this?!”

“Ugh! Fine just open it! But you can’t take em you said you wouldn’t!” The boy crossed his arms over his chest and stomped his foot in a perfect rendition of a spoilt toddler.

Clint sighed loudly and pulled open to package to reveal...what? Some kind of rainbow packing peanuts? But they were all different shapes, what the- oh! “Lucky charms?”

“Yes, lucky charms! Steve won’t lemme have em and when he does he picks all the marshmallows out so I just got a bag of marshmallow- STOP LAUGHING!”

But Clint couldn’t. He couldn’t believe the boy had gotten so violent over a bag is sugary cereal. Of all the things to buy during Steve's sugar ban, cereal was the boy's first thought? “Help- help- they’re after me lucky cha-ar-ar-ar-arms!”

Clint could barely breathe between hysterical bouts of laughter, losing all the strength he had with it, which in turn allowed Peter to snatch the five pound bag of sugar back from the man. The teenager took of running angrily down the hallway, calling back at the howling man.

“If you tell Steve you’re dead, Barton!”

Chapter Text

Life was finally starting to return to normal. Well, as normal as it could be for a teenager who’d been adopted by a genius multi-millionaire because he’d accidentally been bitten by a radioactive spider that gave him superpowers. He was getting back into the swing of things, resuming his training and lab work alongside his school and home life. All of which was hectic, but not the kind of hectic he couldn’t handle, the kind that made him excited to get up in the morning and see what challenges the day had for him. He was still having the occasional night terror, at least once or twice a week, but his recovery time after each one was becoming shorter and shorter, often only needing a quick cuddle session with his Dad to send him back to sleep; as opposed to nightly movie marathons and a metric ton of coffee every morning. The only thing that hadn’t let up was the sugar ban, but Peter was managing to sustain his addiction (as well as Bruce’s) using his method of sneaking giant bags of sweets to snack on throughout the week, though his hiding places were getting more and more creative. Every time he found one Steve managed to sniff it out, that man was like a bloodhound for glucose.

It was early one morning when Thor found Peter dangling from the ceiling, halfway hanging out of the vent when everyone had established that the rule was getting out of control. If the teenager was willing to go to such lengths to get a sugar fix Steve was going to have to incorporate it somehow into their regular diets. Clint was upset to have lost his blackmail material though even if it meant he could start having creamer in his coffee again.

“What about fruit? It’s sweet and it’ll-“

“No.” Both Bruce and Peter said in unison, causing the other adults to snicker.

“Okay...what about honey based things? Like pancakes and honey-“ He was still trying to find away to avoid processed sugars. But the teenager had no interest in finding a natural compromise.

“Still no. But I want honey too.” Peter deadpanned. “Mrs. Buttersworth deserves her own spot in that pantry dammit! I’m sick of this sacrilege Steven!”

They eventually reached an impasse as Steve refused to allow Peter’s favourite candies due to their artificial colours and Peter threatened to show him some artificial colours (no, he’s not sure what that threat meant either) and Tony had to shut the argument down before the whole thing got bloody.

Peter was back to reeking havoc around the house, especially since Tony had a lot of work arrangements that week and Peter was given unsupervised time in the lab. He made Thor and himself small projectile weapons that they were taking turns firing down one of the long passageways which, unbeknownst to the young prodigy, had been lined with carpet that was very flammable. After that incident he was banned from the lab without Tony being there much to his and the man’s own disappointment. He’d only just gotten back in there!

“Well what am I meant to do all day now?!”

“You should’ve thought about that before you set fire to my hallway.” Tony growled. “You could’ve been hurt, I thought I could trust you but clearly not.”

“I didn’t do it on purpose! And besides- I put it out!”

“No. JARVIS put it out. You and Thor started screaming like a couple of little girls. That man’s started more fires with lightning than I’ve had hot meals yet he still-“

“Hey I still pulled the fire extinguisher and I was gonna use it-“

“Not the point Peter. No more lab. End of discussion.” Tony stared at Peter seriously, giving the boy that look that made him want to pee his pants.

“Okay okay. No more lab.” Peter backed off. “Then what am I meant to do all day while you’re still workin’?”

Peter gave the man his signature puppy dog eyes and pout making his resolve weaken. “Why don’t you see if Steve or Nat will watch some of your old movies with you? I’ve got meetings all this afternoon but we can go down and work after.”

“Okay.” The boy said disheartenedly. He made his way back upstairs still disgruntled about his plans to work on boosting the power of his web flingers having been thwarted. It was just a little baby fire after all- if anything it was Tony’s fault for giving him cheap conductors. He found the rest of the adults sitting in the living room, all in one place for once, something that only usually happened during mealtimes or other such scheduled activities.

“Hey.” Peter greeted them as he hopped over the back of the couch to sit in his usual spot, earning him a disapproving look from Steve (having been warned not to use the furniture as ‘his personal gymnastics equipment’ on more than one occasion).

“Hi Peter.”

“Sup, squirt.”

“Good afternoon Spiderling!” Replied Bruce, Nat and Thor respectively. He only received a nod in his direction from Clint who was fiddling with some of the wires connected to the various devices plugged into the TV, cursing as he did so.

“What’re you guys up to?”

“We were planning on watching a movie but dipshit over there can’t figure out what input channel the DVD player is on.” Nat rolled her eyes at Clint who was swapping wires in and out of the boxes.

“HDMI two.” Peter said immediately. He should know he was the one who’d installed it, insisting to Tony that the ‘old fashioned’ way of watching movies made for a better experience than simply streaming them.

“See I told you!” Steve cried out.

“I just tried that!” Clint barked back.

“You guys are so old, here lemme do it.” Peter giggled getting out of his seat to help the man who looked as though he was about to throw the whole television off of the balcony- and possibly Steve along with it. “There, see. This is the DVD remote you were using the one for the speaker.”

“Ugh, why does Tony have to update this shit every other week.” Clint grumbled looking at the two very similar sleek black boxes as he returned to his own seat.

“He likes his gadgets and doodads.” Steve chuckled.

“Did you actually just say doodads?” Nat deadpanned.

“Don’t start Romanov or you’re sitting on the floor.” Steve threatened though he was still smiling.

“What were you guys planning on watching?” Peter asked, immediately becoming suspicious when the adults in the room exchanged nervous glances.

“Oh nothing, uh, did you wanna watch Star Wars or something?” Steve smiled but Peter caught the twitch in the man’s face.

“Uh uh, what were you gonna watch? You guys were planning on having a movie night without me, that’s no fair!”

“Steve it’s really not that scary.” Nat sighed giving the super soldier an exasperated look, as though she’d had this conversation with the man already.

“You know what Tony said, he’s not allowed to-“ Bruce hissed as though he was trying to whisper but he failed miserably.

“I’m right here you know.” Peter scowled at the doctor before turning his attention back to Nat. “What is it?”

“The Grudge.”

“Oh I think I’ve heard of that. It’s that old Japanese movie right?”

“It doesn’t matter what it is we’re watching something else.” Steve said defiantly.

“Come on Steve don’t be such a whore in the mud, I’m sure Peter can handle a simple film.” Thor chimed in confidently giving the pouting teenager a wink.

“The phrase is stick in the mud, Thor and can everybody mind their language please.” Steve stressed peering around the room.

“Honestly though Steveo, it ain’t that bad. Lila watched it when she was eleven, she thought it was funny.” Clint shrugged honestly.

“Hmm, I don’t know. You know Lila’s more…” Steve trailed off trying to find the right word when all eyes fell on him.

“More what?” Thor asked when Steve didn’t finish his train of thought.

“Well-“

“Yeah, Steve more what?” Peter frowned and crossed his arms over his chest, daring the man to say anything that would be derogatory towards him.

“Well, she’s just a tough cookie. Not to say-“

“Oh and I’m not?” Peter raised an eyebrow, looking just like Tony when he was picking holes in other people’s stories.

“Not what I meant! I’m just saying that just because Lila could handle it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll..enjoy the movie-“

“You’re gonna let Peter be upstaged by a prepubescent little girl, Steve? Now that’s low, not even giving the poor boy a chance.” Nat faux pouted before she smirked, knowing that Steve was backed into a corner if he wanted to stay on the teenagers good side (as if the two weren’t rocky enough after ‘Candy Gate’). Peter stated at him also, as did the other three men in the room, waiting for him to either cave or be honest about why he didn’t want Peter to watch it. Steve looked desperately towards each one of them, silently begging for someone to be on his side.

“Don’t look at me, ain’t my decision.” Clint waved his hands in the air and walked over to the kitchen to grab some snacks, physically removing himself from the situation.

Thor of course simply smiled and said “I think we ought to give the youngling a chance to prove himself!”

Nat has made her stance clear so it was down to Bruce who looked very uncomfortable at being the stalemate.

“Well, I mean.” He sighed. “Pete, do you think Tony would let you watch this?”

“Probably yeah, if Nat and Clint say it’s not so bad, sure.” Peter lied, but somehow managed to make himself sound somewhat convincing.

“I don’t know, I don’t think he would approve of this…” Steve muttered quietly, but he could tell that he wasn’t about to win this fight. “Peter you’ve just started sleeping better-“

“Don’t bring that up.” The boy said quickly, his face turning red. It was low of Steve to use that against him, breaking the silent rule around the house that they had not to mention Peter’s nighttime issues, no matter how obvious they were. Even though he knew Steve had a point he didn’t appreciate him using it against him.

“Well if Sparky doesn’t like it we’ll just blame Thor.” Nat shrugged and gave Peter a smirk. It made the boy laugh at the nickname but it also helped to draw attention away from Steve’s inconsiderate comment that would no doubt cause another rift between the two.

“Yes, exactly!” The god said enthusiastically before it dawned on him what the assassin had said. “Wait a minute-“

“Who wants popcorn?” Clint yelled from the kitchen, cutting off the budding argument before it began.

A few moments later they were all settled down on the sofas ready for the movie to start. Peter was excited but anxious, having seized the opportunity to watch a horror movie whilst his dad wasn’t around to stop him. It was almost like a little payback after being kicked out of the lab earlier that day, even if he couldn’t break that rule he could break another one. Though as soon as the credits started to roll he began to get nervous. The last time he’d watched a scary movie hadn’t ended so well...but that was years ago. He’d be fine. He’d seen much more gruesome and real scary things in recent months than he believed any movie could recreate.

Oh how wrong he had been. The opening scene was enough to have him hiding behind one of their couch cushions. As the movie went on Peter jumped more and more at every little jump scare and noise. But the scene that got him the worst? Undoubtedly the one that happened in the bathroom. Why did it have to be a bathroom, of all places? Why?

When the dead woman’s black hair started to drift down from the ceiling Peter squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head away, catching Steve’s eye as him did so.

“You alright, Sport?” He heard the man say, and having not heard anymore noise coming from the screen he made the mistake of thinking it was safe to open his eyes. As he did so the horrific blue skinned face of a murdered child popped up on the screen screaming, only it wasn’t screaming in a human's voice. It sounded like that of a dying cat. Peter let out a scream of his own and covered his eyes making everyone in the room turn and look at him.

“Maybe we should turn it off-“ Steve started to lean towards the remote (albeit the wrong one) and both Bruce and Clint nodded in agreement.

“No- no I’m fine- it just caught me off guard.” Peter panted. He gave Steve that pouty puppy dog look, silently begging him not to turn the movie off even though in the back of his mind Peter wanted him to desperately. He didn’t want to watch it anymore, he wished they’d turn it off and put on something more child friendly but he was in too deep now. He had to prove himself to be tougher than Clint’s little girl. She had been eleven when she watched this? And she laughed? Jesus Christ she was a tough cookie, Peter felt like a soggy broken Oreo in comparison.

They let the movie keep rolling and it only got worse from there. The special effects were good for their time and Peter had to stop himself from gagging during the scene with the girl who’s jaw had been ripped off. Throughout the rest of the film Peter curled up into a ball, pressing himself against the back of the sofa until the oversized cushion was practically swallowing him. Anything to get away from the horrors on the screen.

Finally the movie was over, after a gruelling few hours. The final scene where the grotesque woman had descended the staircase, bending and squirming unnaturally was enough to make Peter want to cry. It was so freaky to watch, it made every fibre of his being want to run away from that monstrous excuse for a human on the screen. But it wasn’t real, it wasn’t real- but it looked it. It looked very real. It looked so real that the woman and her screeching son could just crawl straight out of the screen at any moment. As soon as the credits rolled, he shut his eyes, anticipating one last jumpscare that never came. He didn’t open his eyes until he felt a hand on his knee, making him jump out of his skin.

“You alright there, bud?” Bruce said gently after the boy yelped. He gave Peter a sympathetic smile, one that was intended to make him not feel bad about being so
scared, but it had the opposite effect. “That was too much wasn’t it?”

“W-What? Nah, it was fine.” Peter laughed shakily. He received unconvinced looks from all the adults it the room, bar from Thor of course. Even Nat looked guilty, having had a big part in letting him watch the wretched tape.

“See?! It wasn’t so bad now was it- you really are a worrier Steve!” Thor chuckled loudly as he stood to switch the lights back on, much to Peter’s relief.

“Right.” Steve said flippantly. He didn’t take eyes off of the shaking boy sitting next to him and he yearned to make sure he was okay, but he knew better. If he drew attention to the boy’s obvious fear he’d probably react defensively and reject any comfort anyway. “It’s my turn to pick a movie now.”

“Ugh, what boring shit are you gonna come up with?” Clint rolled his eyes, trying to lighten the tense mood.

“You’ll see.” Steve moved to put something on to hopefully distract Peter from the traumatising footage he’d just witnessed. The boy barely reacted though, staying stuck to his seat, still curled up in fear. Steve picked an older movie, but not as old as everyone had feared. It was an old action movie with a basic plot and very mild violence, but was really centred about the main protagonist saving his love from a bunch of generic super villains. Usually Peter would have appreciated the timely classic but he couldn’t focus on it. He sat still bundled up in the corner of the couch, waiting for his heartbeat to slow down. He hadn’t expected the movie to freak him out as much as it had and that in itself was very frightening to him.

The movie was about half way through when Tony finally joined them. He walked in behind the couch and patted Peter on the head as he strode past. He didn’t notice the boy flinch at the sudden contact. “Hey.”

Everyone greeted him accept Peter who just looked up at the man and patted the seat beside him. As soon as Tony sat down his son leant against him, manually lifting his arm up to drape it over himself in a hug. The man didn’t think anything of it, since Peter had come out of his self segregation phase he’d been much more physically affectionate. He figured it was the boy’s way of apologising for being a brat earlier.

“I thought you’d be itching to get back downstairs kiddo.” Tony chuckled as he started playing with Peter’s hair. The boy shrugged against him instead of giving a verbal reply. “Save lab time for tomorrow?”

Peter nodded. He didn’t want to leave the room that was currently full of people. The more people he was around the less likely the ghost of Kayako would be to come and murder him. The thought made him shiver a little and he tucked his feet up under him on the couch, off of the floor where a crawling ghost would be able to grab them.

“What were you planning for dinner?” Tony asked nonchalantly, paying no mind to the movie on the TV electing to scroll through his twitter feed instead.

Steve sighed across the room. He realised he had nothing planned which meant- “Take out it is.”

Tony smirked knowing how much it pained his friend to say those words.

They spent the rest of the evening together, which Peter would usually have been thrilled about if he wasn’t busy being petrified. He was noticeably quiet throughout the evening but everyone put it down to the boy’s respect and love for cinema as they were watching older action movies he’d no doubt not seen. Even the adult's who had witnessed the teenager screeching in horror had underestimated how badly the film had effected him. Peter was watching the clock, counting down each minute drawing closer to his bed time. He was dreading having to leave the safety of the crowded room to spend the night alone with the pictures from The Grudge still replaying in his head. He hoped that maybe his dad would’ve forgotten about his curfew as they were busy watching a fight during one of the films but he wasn’t so lucky.

“Come on Kiddo it’s almost ten, time for you to go to bed.” Tony patted Peter’s arm for the boy to sit up and let have his own arm back, but the child was reluctant to move.

“C-can’t I stay up a little longer?” He asked in a small voice, giving Tony his big doe eyes. He was gnawing nervously at his thumb in a way that made the man’s stomach twist. When he thought about it Pete had been awfully cuddly that evening, sitting close to Tony ever since he came back from his meeting, and cuddling into him as soon as he got the chance. He’d even had to force the child to get up and go to the bathroom a few times when he’d started squirming, even then Peter had seemed disgruntled to have to leave his side. The man hadn’t thought anything of it at first but now Peter was displaying obvious signs of anxiety he started to worry that maybe he’d missed something.

“Hey, honey what’s the matter? What’s got you spooked?” Tony asked gently, in a hushed voice to avoid the others listening in on their private conversation. He wrapped his arm around Peter again, noting how young the boy looked to him all of a sudden.

Peter shrugged and continued to lean into his Dad’s side, trying to prolong the conversation as much as he could in hopes that it would earn him just a few moments longer before the man made him go to his own room. Alone.

“You worried about something?” Tony prompted, jostling the boy a bit with the question. The sudden change in Peter’s mood was even more concerning to him, though he had been rather quiet all night. Was he not feeling well? He didn’t feel warm. “Petey talk to me, what’s wrong?”

“Just don’ wanna go to sleep, yet..” The boy replied timidly, not meeting his father's eye.

“You worried about the dreams again?”

Peter nodded. That wasn’t a complete lie, he was scared about having nightmares, though not entirely his usual ones.

“Oh bubby, it’s okay. You know you can come and get me if one happens again.” Tony breathed a sigh of relief that it was nothing too serious. Not that he was trivialising the boy’s anxieties, but nightmares was nothing new by this point and it was something Tony knew he could handle. He was relieved to know it was something he could help with. “Come on, staying awake and over thinking about them only makes it worse.”

Tony stood and brought Peter up with him, giving him no choice but to stand up and make his way to his room. He wanted to throw himself on the floor and refuse to move but he knew that was far too childish, he couldn’t do that after all the times he’d brought his age into account during arguments. He resisted the urge to have a full on meltdown but he couldn’t help but whimper when he saw his darkened room.

“Hey, hey, bubby what’s the matter? What’s got you so scared tonight huh?” Tony heard the quiet noise that caught in the boy’s throat and he whipped around to see Peter on the verge of tears. He pulled him into yet another hug, scared himself at the sudden turn the evening was taking. It was another case of everything seeming fine and without warning Peter starting to get upset, he thought that he was getting better at recognising the signs but clearly he was mistaken.

“I-I don’t know.” Peter lied shakily.

“Just been a bad day?” Tony asked worriedly, hoping in some way it hadn’t been his failure to notice something else going on. Peter took the out once again and nodded. “Aw sweetie. Come on, let’s get you comfy, yeah? How about I stay in here until you fall asleep, would that help?”

Peter nodded again and climbed into bed, leaving space for Tony to join him. He felt guilty lying to the man especially considering how kind he was being offering to stay with his teenage son who was scared to go to sleep, but he couldn’t help himself. He needed the comfort and he was willing to use the man’s assumptions to his advantage. He snuggled close to his Dad, having no qualms about how embarrassing it was to do so, he could save his shame for another day when he wasn’t scared shitless from that stupid movie he’d convinced the other adults to let him watch.

Peter held a fistful of the man’s shirt in his hand and mumbled into his chest. “M’sorry you gotta do this-“

“Shh, shh, shh. I wouldn’t have offered if it was a problem, Underoos. Now close your eyes, I’m right here.” Tony soothed quietly, running his hand up and down the frightened boy’s back, trying to gently coax him into falling asleep. Peter tried to, he really did, but every time he closed his eyes he thought he could hear that deep groaning creak of that dead woman’s broken voice. He had to keep opening his eyes just to check that his fathers skin hadn’t changed to that sickly pale blue or that the creepy dead boy wasn’t sitting at the foot of his bed.

Somehow, despite all of his shifting around, he’d managed to convince Tony that he’d fallen asleep after around an hour. He struggled to keep his eyes closed as well as his composure when the man gently untangle his body from his and got up from Peter’s bed. He heard the man reach to turn off his lights but for some reason, thank the gods, the man decided against it. Instead he left the room silently, leaving Peter alone.

Try as he might, Peter could not relax in his own room at all. Even with the lights on he swore he could see things moving out of the corner of his eyes. He tried distracting himself by watching YouTube videos on his phone as he usually would on nights he found himself wide awake and restless but even the constant noise was doing nothing to calm his nerves. He dreaded getting out of bed to use the bathroom, the images from the movie flashing through his mind once again; but he couldn’t put off the feeling any longer, his bladder was screaming. For a split second he considered not getting up at all and simply dealing with the mess in the morning but he fought off the ridiculous thought as quickly as it came, as tempting as it was in that moment. He was fifteen years old. He was not about to piss his bed whilst fully conscious after he was scared from a horror movie a girl, four years his junior, found laughable. He kept telling himself this but every time he put his feet down on the floor from his bed his heart pounded, imagining pale, blue tinged hands reaching out and grabbing his ankles to drag him under the bed to his death. Because of this he found himself sprinting to and from the bathroom, peeing as quickly as possible before he leapt from the doorway onto his mattress in an attempt to avoid the gap under his bed all together.

After another hour or so he heard the others making their way to their own bedrooms having retired for the night, and that was when the panic really set in for the boy. It was one thing being scared when he knew people would be awake and ready to come to him if he screamed for help, should the Japanese murder victim and her drowned half cat son appear to reap his soul; but it was another thing to have that happen when everyone else was asleep, they’d never get to him in time. That familiar sickening panicked feeling started to form in his stomach, expanding slowly stopping his lungs from filling all the way until he felt like he couldn’t breathe. He knew how stupid he was being, it wasn’t real it was just a movie, but that didn’t stop him feeling the cold icy fear running through his veins every time his curtains moved with the wind or he thought he heard footsteps outside his door. He was trying desperately to do his breathing exercises but it was near impossible when every little thing was making him jump. He considered calling Ned but he knew the boy would be fast asleep at that time of night and he’d feel guilty waking him up. He needed someone. Anyone. No. He needed his Dad.

Without a moment’s hesitation once the realisation hit him, he jumped out of bed and literally ran out of his room. The second his feet touched the floor he got the feeling that something was right behind him, chasing him, just a fingertip away from grabbing him. It was that feeling you get when you run up the stairs after turning the lights off and he hated it. He wasted no time running straight to his dad's bedroom as fast as his legs would carry him, only stopping to spam the access panels on the doors blocking his path. Each time he had to stop to do so the panic in his chest rose again, telling him that the invisible entity was right behind him. He convinced himself of this so much that he could practically feel it’s icy cold breath on the back of his neck and he had to bite back the urge to scream. Finally his father's room was in view and he leapt the last five steps to the man’s door, typing in the code wrong the first two times in his frantic state before the sliding doors opened with a whoosh. He practically jumped from the doorway to the empty side of the man’s bed, which was taken over in part by the sleeping figure. He dove under the covers and buried himself close to his dad, finally feelings safe once he felt the warmth coming off of him and he could breath in the familiar smell of his cologne.

“Mm, Pepper your feet are freezing, gettoff.” Tony grumbled and rolled away from his son, who let out a whine to let him know he wasn’t who his sleepy brain had assumed he was. “Hm? Pete, you alright?”

Peter let out another whine in response, the adrenaline in his system causing him to shake.

“Baby boy, what’s the matter? Bad dream?” Tony sat up now fully awake, JARVIS automatically brightening the lights slowly as he did so. The newly lit room allowed Tony to see Peter’s red tear streaked face. “Oh, Petey. C’mere.”

Tony rolled back closer and pulled Peter into a hug. The boy was shuddering violently, he hadn’t seen him that way in a while, not after a nightmare. His breathing was panicked too so it took him a moment to calm him down before he attempted to talk to him again. “Bubba look at me. You alright? That was a bad one huh?”

He tilted the boy’s chin up to face him and Peter nodded in response to his questions. The teen still couldn’t bring himself to admit to his Dad what really had him so petrified. Not only was he sure that Tony was going to be angry with him, he didn’t want to drop the other adults in it with him either. Tony would undoubtedly be furious if he found out that Steve had allowed his child to get as scared as that. No, he couldn’t tell him, he felt safer with his Dad there already so he could spare the man the details. If lying to the man about his PTSD symptoms meant he would still get the protection he needed he was willing to do so, especially if it would avoid further arguments down the line.

“You’re shaking like a leaf, Pete.” Tony said somewhat rhetorically, as he resumed stroking Peter’s hair and back comfortingly, the way that always made the boy feel better. He went back to their earlier routine of cuddling and words of comfort until he felt Peter’s breathing even out and the boy fell asleep. And yes he was actually asleep this time, even in his frightened state he couldn’t force himself to stay awake that long after his bedtime.

But he wasn’t asleep for long. Tony managed to fall back to sleep right after him and the man had the foresight to loosen his grip in case Peter had to get up in the night (knowing his son wouldn’t try to wake him again). They stayed close together though, but once Peter woke up that changed quickly. JARVIS has dimmed the lights again after the two fell asleep, but not completely, allowing just enough light for Peter to be able to see objects around the room, though not clearly. If anything he would’ve preferred total darkness, only being able to make out vague shapes and silhouettes was more terrifying than the total darkness.

He was busy trying to figure out if a white shirt Tony had slung over the back of a chair was a shirt or if it was in fact a headless specter, when he felt the reason he’d awoken in the first place. He had to pee. Bad.

He hissed and shoved his hands between his legs. Curse his tiny bladder, couldn’t it have waited a couple more hours until daylight at least? Obviously not as he was already having to squirm to keep it in. He looked over to the bathroom door that couldn’t be more than twenty paces from the foot of the bed. But that was a long distance when you were scared out of your wits with a full bladder. He bit his lip and wiggled again, crossing his legs this time.

His squirming made the man next to him stir, Tony making a face in his sleep at the disruption. Peter froze waiting for his Dad to open his eyes and catch him- well what was he doing? He had to pee he should just get up and go, the bathroom was right there. Tony didn’t open his eyes, he rolled over facing away from Peter, starting to snore slightly. Unfortunately for the already traumatised teenager who was sharing his bed, his snoring sounded reminiscent of the crackling groaning sound the Grudge made when she was sneaking up on her victims. Peter flinched away from him, almost tumbling off of the bed. He was at a loss for what to do. He knew he had to just get up and go, that he was being stupid and irrational but the fear was overwhelming him and he couldn’t think straight. He was surprised JARVIS hadn’t chimed in but he supposed Tony had measures in place not to wake him.

Still it would have been nice to have at least the robotic voice accompany him to the restroom and that was not a thought he ever expected to have. Fuck, why hadn’t he thought to grab his phone before he left his room?! Oh yeah, because he was running hell for leather away from the demon chasing him, that was right. What he’d give to be able to text Ned right about then, or even MJ. Okay maybe not MJ, but Auntie May maybe. God, he had to go so bad.

He couldn’t hold on much longer, his bladder was already pulsing trying to force the liquid out of him. He had to get up or he was going to wet the bed- Tony’s bed. With the man in it and this time there would be no way he could hide it. It wasn’t like back at the hotel his bladder was full now, not like the tiny accidents he was having with that infection and Tony was laying too close to him; there was zero chance he wouldn't get the man soaked too if he wet himself. Losing it there was not an option he had to get up.

A sudden leak reinforced that for him and he made himself throw his legs over the edge of the bed. As soon as he did so his stomach contracted forcing another leak out of him before he had time to stop it, making him stumble to his feet and start running to the bathroom, not giving him enough time to realise his fear about the monsters possibly lurking under the bed. He only made it a few steps before that fear came rushing back to him though and he stopped dead in his tracks. He made the mistake of glancing at the mirrored wardrobes that lined one side of Tony’s room and he saw something. Someone. Standing right behind him.

Abort mission.

Peter took a standing jump from three feet away back into the bed and pulled the covers over his head and inadvertently off of his unconscious father who was rudely awakened for the second time that night. He curled in a ball and was instantly back to the hyperventilating mess he had been when he’d first entered the mans room- if not even worse.

“Pete? Peter?! Hey, hey wake up.” Tony woke up groggy but it didn’t take him long to remember that he was sharing his bed with the terrified teenager once again. He assumed wrongly that the boy was in the midst of another nightmare. He tried to pry the sheets back but Peter held them firm. “P, it’s just me can you- hey, come on-”

“I’m sorry I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to, M-Mr. Stark I’m so-” Now that was a term of address he hadn’t heard for a while. It sounded so unnatural now, having only heard the boy call him Dad or at the very least Tony for ages. What on earth was the boy dreaming about to make him revert back to Mr. Stark?

“Bub, what’re you talking about you didn’t do anything. It was a nightmare-”

“I-I-I’ll clean it- I’m so sorry I just- I couldn’t-” Clean what- oh. That’s why Tony’s left knee felt wet. Well, fuck.

He was leaning in a puddle of the distraught teenagers urine, it wasn’t exactly a wake up call he was expecting though he was surprised this particular issue hadn’t arisen before then. Peter had had more than a few accidents to the man’s knowledge, he even openly admitted to them a few times but the pair had never encountered an accident in such close proximity as this. Come on Tony you should have prepared for this.

“Aw, shit. No no, Peter baby it’s okay! I’m not mad I promise- You’re okay you can come out- JAR can we have some fucking lights on please?!” Tony lost his patience amidst the panic of not being able to see what was going on and the fact that Peter sounded like he was about to make himself sick. The harshness in his tone only succeeded in making the boy pull away from him more.

“Certainly, Sir.” The monotone AI said as the lights slowly faded back to their full brightness, allowing Tony to see the dark stain that span across his dove grey sheets, in the centre of the mattress. Thank god it was scotch guarded.

“Pete, c’mere it’s okay I promise.” Tony made sure to speak especially softly as he’d seen the boy’s reaction when he snapped at his computer system. He tried once again to yank the covers off of him, successfully this time, if you would call Peter launching himself off of the bed in an attempt to evade capture a success. He landed on the floor next to his side of the bed with a thud, immediately curling into a ball again, sobbing even harder than before.

“Don’t let her get me! I’m sorry!” He wailed into his knees that he was currently hugging to his chest. Okay, now Tony was really confused.

“Who, Petey? What are you talking about?” He crawled over the wet patch and sat on Peter’s side of the bed, leaning over him to put his hands on his shoulders. He didn’t even react, was he having a flashback of some kind? It had been a while since that had happened but it was the only time Tony could think of that Peter had been so unresponsive. He cupped Peter’s chin in his hand and pulled his head up, forcing him to face him. “Open your eyes, can you open your eyes and look at me honey? Remember where you are. You’re at home with me bubby, it’s just me and you, you’re safe-”

Peter was staring right in Tony’s eyes through his own wet ones as he pointed across the room. “She was right there, Dad!”

“Who?” Tony was starting to take the boy’s claims seriously, he seemed so convinced. There was no way anyone could’ve gotten through his security measures- and he knew JARVIS was still operational so there was no way anyone could have gotten inside. But his son wasn’t one to make up wild stories so what was going on?

“The Grudge!” Peter sobbed and collapsed his head towards his knees again.

Ah. Now the night made sense. So, Tony was going to have to brutally murder his friends for letting his son watch a horror film without his expressed consent. Glad to have that one cleared up.

In one way he was relieved- Peter wasn’t in any real danger and that helped to calm down the paternal panic, but the panic was quickly being replaced with rage. Cool it, Tony, you can focus on killing your housemates later, you’ve got to deal with a petrified Peter first.

“Oh Pete. Come here.” Tony sighed and physically picked the boy up, which his back would not thank him for later, placing him on the bed beside him. It was difficult to hug him whilst he was still protecting himself like an armoured armadillo but the man did his best.

“I’m sorry! I know I shouldn’t h-h-have watched it, b-but I didn’t think it was gonna get me so bad-” Peter sniffled into Tony’s chest.

“Shh, shh, it’s alright, you’re not in trouble. This is punishment enough don’t you think, hm? Don’t worry about that now, bubby.” Though Tony was annoyed at his son too he didn’t have the heart to express that while the boy was smearing snot on his shirt. Peter knew better, but what was the use in chastising him or dealing out punishments when the boy was clearly learning his lesson through the consequences of his own actions? Cause and effect parenting for the win. “We gotta get you cleaned up though sweetheart-”

Tony had tried to broach the subject about the boy’s accident as gently as possible but it was no use. Peter immediately jerked away from him.

“Oh my god.” It was as though the boy was realising what he’d done for a second time.

“Pete, it’s really not a big de-”

“I pissed in your fucking bed Tony this is a big deal.” Peter’s face was drawing that blank, cold expression again and Tony could tell he was slipping into a dissociative state, his brain trying to protec himself from facing the embarrassment of the situation.

“Language. Uh uh, stay with me.” Tony moved forward to grab the boy’s arms again, hoping the physical contact could help bring him back from the edge before he switched off completely. “It’s just sheets. I told you months ago that I’m never gonna get mad about this bubby, it’s just an accident. Nothing Dad can’t fix.”

It seemed to do the trick but Tony’s words of comfort didn’t bring out the reaction he had hoped for. Instead fresh, angry tears started filling Peter’s eyes. “Why are you being so nice to me?! I’m so stupid-”

“Peter, no-” Tony started to interject but he stopped himself. He’d learnt through experience it was better to let Peter get it all out before he started to console him. He always hated having to sit through the boy’s self hating rants but it got them from A to B quicker if he let it run it’s course.

“I’m fifteen and I just climbed in bed with Tony fucking Stark then pissed myself cause I got scared BY A LAMPSHADE! IT WAS A LAMPSHADE DAD-”

“I see that.” Tony deadpanned as he followed the accusing finger Peter was pointing at the offending floor lighting. Despite the seriousness of the situation it was difficult to bite back the laugh that threatened to bubble out of his throat at the observation. It was indeed a very spooky lamp.

“And you’re being nice to me?! After I’ve been so pathetic- Lila watched it when she was like four years younger than me and she laughed” Ah, so Clint had been heavily involved in encouraging this? Tony made note of that. “But I can’t even sleep in my own bed and I was too scared to get up and pee like an adult and I-I...mm..”

There we go. Now that part was over Tony could focus back on picking up the pieces. “You finished? Come on, you’ll feel better once we get cleaned up, yeah?”

“Oh my god- it got on you!” Peter started wailing again. Dammit Tony could you say two words to the boy without putting your foot in your mouth?

“I’ve been covered in your blood and puke too, I’m just ticking things off of the dad list at this point.” Tony shrugged but his attempt to lighten the mood only seemed to dampen it more, if that was even possible. Way to go. “We’ll shower, get changed, strip the bed and see how we feel then. If you don’t want to go back to sleep that’s fine.”

“You shouldn’t have to be doin’ this. M’too old and I did it to myself this time. I-I can’t even blame the whole PTSD thing I was just an idiot-”

“Enough, Underoos. Come on.” Tony was too tired to listen to another monologue of self deprecation, plus he was worried about the boy’s skin sitting in wet clothes for so long. He was feeling itchy from having just one leg soiled so he could imagine how uncomfortable Peter was. He lead the boy by the shoulders to the bathroom, stepping out for the boy to get changed, not expecting Peter to have an issue with the privacy (something he’d defended vehemently in the past).

“W-wait.” Peter said in a quiet voice, blushing bright red. Tony turned in the doorway, raising an eyebrow in question. “I...I don’t wanna be alone…”

Peter was clearly ashamed of the request, but the fact that he’d asked in spite of that showed Tony that he was still really freaked out and his Dad wasn’t about to make him feel worse about admitting he needed something.

“Alright, I’ll sit just out here and I’ll leave the door open, okay?” Peter nodded shyly and Tony did as he said he would, changing his own clothes whilst the teen took a shower.

He realised he didn’t have any of Peter’s clothes in his room, and made a note to stock up on some just in case. For now he left a pair of his own pyjama pants and an old T-Shirt just inside the bathroom. “Sorry, Kiddo. I know my PJ’s are gonna drown you.”

“I don’t mind, they smell good.” Peter said innocently making Tony have to bite back an audible ‘aw’. He knew that Peter wouldn’t take kindly to any more humiliation.

They stripped back the bed together, which took longer than it should have since Peter had to stop every thirty seconds to pull his pants up, the boy hanging his head down in shame the entire time. Tony sighed knowing he should probably drop the subject, but his curiosity got the better of him. “So, were you asleep when it, you know, happened?”

Peter shook his head the blush returning to his cheeks. “N-no...I had to go really bad when I woke up but it was dark and I kept seeing things. By the time I got the courage to go it was already almost too late and then I thought I saw something and I guess I…”

Tony nodded understandingly, trying to show Peter his lack of reaction to prove that what happened wasn’t an issue and he wasn’t in trouble. “It’s okay bubs, you got yourself worked up. You can wake me up if that happens again though I won’t mind-”

“I shouldn’t need-”

“In the words of the great Judge Judy- Shoulda, woulda, coulda. Now quit it, we have important business to attend to.”

The important business consisted of the two drinking hot chocolate and snuggling on the couch watching ‘How I Met Your Mother’ reruns, talking about everything under the sun; from childhood memories to suit ideas to Tony’s own daddy issues, anything to keep Peter’s mind off of that god awful piece of media. They did talk through that part though, Tony giving the obligatory lecture albeit half heartedly, and Peter admitted to having overestimated his resistance to scary movies. They came to the agreement that he was never watching any kind of horror again and Tony was satisfied with the boy’s admission of responsibility. It wasn’t he teenager he blamed anyway, he’d warned the other adults about Peter’s wild imagination, they were all much more responsible for this mess than he was.

After a few hours of talking and being comforted by his dad about the embarrassingly unnecessary events that night, Pete found that he felt much better. He was still humiliated and scared beyond belief but Tony had a knack for stopping Peter’s self destructive thought processes in their tracks and the mans ever calming presence was working it’s magic once again. He eventually fell back to sleep, much less restless than he had been hours before. Tony didn’t bother moving him back to his own room, both as not to wake the child up but he also wanted to be there should be get spooked again. He himself couldn’t fall back to sleep though, which meant he was there to greet Steve when the other man woke up.

“Mornin’ Cap. Put the coffee maker on will ya, I’m kinda stuck here.” Tony nodded towards the curly haired head that was currently using his lap as a pillow.

“Hey, yeah, sure.” Steve moved to follow the man’s request, his still half asleep brain not clocking onto the scene in front of him. Seeing the two camp out in the living room wasn’t an uncommon occurrence.

“Guess what I spent my morning doing.”

“What’s that?” Steve asked over his shoulder absentmindedly as he poured the coffee.

“Cleaning up after Peter had a fit thinking he saw a Japanese ghost chasing him.” Tony said flatly, watching as the dots connected in his friends head about why he and Peter had elected to sleep in the living room.

“Aw, cheese and crackers. Tony I said it was a bad idea-”

“You let. My son. Watch. The fucking. Grudge.”

Chapter Text

“He said that he’d be okay to watch it-“

“You trusted a fifteen year old to make a decision like that for himself? You won’t even let him eat fruit roll ups but he can watch The Grudge?!” Tony hissed angrily, ‘whisper-yelling’ as not to wake up the boy sleeping on his lap.

“It’s rated fifteen Tony, and Clint told me it wasn’t so bad so I thought I should let him-“

“Exactly, YOU thought YOU should let him. I told you he’s not allowed to watch that kind of thing and this is why!”

“He’s not a little kid! If he wants-“

“You’re such a fucking hypocrite, Steve I swear to god! No he’s not a little kid but he’s my child. Not yours. I made that decision for a reason- this reason. He gets himself worked up over shit like that, May said he always has done. He got sent home from summer camp after one of the older kids told them a story about Jason Voorhees. We’ve all got things we don’t like it’s nothing to do with his age. I’m never going to watch fast and furious and you’re never gonna watch Ice Age for fuck sake this isn’t a point of treating him like a baby-“

“How did you expect me to know that?! You never told me!” Steve hissed back angrily, starting to lose his temper. He wasn’t ridiculing the child for being scared, of course he wasn’t. He felt rotten that he’d let it happen in the first place but he honestly hadn’t known Peter would be so badly affected. Tony was making it sound like he’d done it deliberately to spite him and he wasn’t that petty. He’d never use the boy for emotional warfare, Tony ought to know that.

“I shouldn’t have to tell you. I told you not to let him watch scary movies. I told Nat. I’m pretty sure I even told Bruce and I know Clint has common sense. But because I didn’t give you a good enough reason you decided I wasn’t worth listening to right? Because the great Steve Rodger’s decided that he should be allowed, to my rules as his dad go out the fucking window-“

“Tony stop it you’re making way to big a deal out it this it wasn’t a calculated attack against you alright.” Steve sighed and turned back towards the counter. He didn’t have to listen to the man’s rants. Especially given that Tony admitted he wasn’t completely at fault. He was also in slight shock at Tony so openly admitting to being the boy’s father, a step he hadn’t taken yet.

“I’m making a big deal.” Oh boy, here we go. Tony laughed coldly. “I’m making a big deal? JARVIS pull up the surveillance footage from corridor A-four last night from three seventeen onwards.”

“Tony no, I don’t wanna see that Peter wouldn’t like-“

“Don’t you dare start acting like you give a shit about his mental welfare now, Rodgers. I’m not gonna show you the worst part anyway.” Tony cut him off his eyes blazing.

As soon as he’d given the command the AI turned on the TV screen, showing clear footage of Peter running out of his room as fast as he could, looking back like something was chasing him and cowering in each door way as he typed in access codes. Though the camera was at an awkward angle, the fear on Peter’s face was still evident and Steve felt stabs of guilt in his chest. He truly hadn’t realised how scared Peter had been, he seemed fine after they switched the film off.

“Oh god.” He shook his head sadly. “Tony I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have let him convince me.”

“No. You shouldn’t have. And you shouldn’t be apologising to me either, save it for the kid. I’m not gonna let this one go, you understand? I’m not trusting you with my boy anymore. Any of you.” Tony looked away from him and focused on the television screen, flipping it over to a normal channel, effectively ending the conversation but Steve wasn’t about to let another civil war break out amongst the household.

“Tony please don’t be like that. It was an honest mistake, you know we’d never mean to hurt Peter in anyway.”

“Well you did. So that’s that. It’s gonna go back to him sticking with me all the time since I’m the only one who seems to know what’s good for him.” Tony didn’t know why but he felt tear prickling in his eyes. Was he really that angry? Even he’d underestimated how much the betrayal had gotten to him. It was just a movie after all but it signified something much bigger. He realised he hated relinquishing any control he had when it came to Peter’s care and that incident just reinforced that for him. He knew he couldn’t go back to his overprotective ways, not unless he wanted to push Peter away again, but he could at least stop the other adults doing things worth his son without him being there.

Steve wanted to protest further, but he knew Tony well enough by then to not push him when he was in that mood. The man had made his mind up and nothing he could say in that moment would change that, he was far too stubborn. If he made Tony think he was in control and let him have his little tantrum for a while the knew that the genius would eventually come to his senses and change his behaviour accordingly. It wasn’t like he’d ever apologise to Steve. He’d rarely say sorry to anyone other than Peter, but definitely not Steve. No he would just be extra nice to him all of a sudden in ways of an apology. He also didn't blame the man for being so angry, he understood why having seen Peter's poor little frightened face. That and the way Tony had referred to him as his boy and his child really warmed the super soldiers heart. Steve decided to back off and play the waiting game, though he knew some of his teammates wouldn’t take the threats quite as well.

He had been right. As the others filed into the room gradually Tony gave each of them a similar speech, though the only one who seemed to take the man seriously was Bruce, who was nothing but apologetic. Clint remained rather impartial, he apologised for the effects the movie had had but he didn’t take any responsibility for the boy watching it. His response was to shrug and say, “He’s fifteen. The box says fifteen, it was his choice. Now we know for next time not to let him.”

Nat reacted with the same level of sarcastic anger when Tony tried to blame her. After all he’d told her directly that night at the motel room so she was far more guilty than the others in his eyes. In turn she accused the man of babying his son, deliberately making Peter dependent on him to feed his own ego.
“You’re not the boss of everyone, Stark, you can’t impose your will on us. Peter’s not one of your little toys- god knows you were never taught to share you spoiled little brat.”

Had Peter not still been asleep a physical fight may have ensued after she made that comment and Bruce had the good mind to lead her out of the room before Tony threw something at her head or they both said something they’d live to regret. Thor’s reaction...was very Thor like.

“I’m very sorry Anthony I didn’t realise the boy has sensitive to such things- he was very enthusiastic about watching it. I forget that human children are much more delicate than Asgardians-“

“Does everything have to be a showboating opportunity for you? We get it Thor, you’re a god, not everything has to be about that for Christ sakes!”

“That’s not what I meant!” In the heat of the moment Thor lost control over the volume of his voice and ended up waking the sleeping boy in question who sat up with a groan, almost smacking his head into Tony’s. He was pouting angrily, clearly upset about having been disturbed.

“Hey grumps ya alright?” Tony patted Peter’s back as he situated himself into a sitting position beside him on the couch.

“Mm, no woke me up.” Came the sleepy reply as the boy slumped against his father rubbing his eyes.

“I know he’s mean ain’t he? Come here.” Tony wrapped an arm around him in a hug. Okay maybe he did baby him a little bit but how could he not when he was so cute? Besides Peter acted like such an adult all the time he needed a bit of coddling now and then, he deserved it. And Tony couldn't lie even to himself that he enjoyed the cuddling just as much as Peter did, though nobody needed to know that.

Thor’s voice softened considerably too, the sight of the sleepy boy making him revert to his big brother days as Peter so often made him do. “I’m sorry, little one.”

“S’okay.” The boy reassured him. After a moment of snuggling Peter groaned again and squirmed a little to prove his point. “Gotta go.”

“Go on. Get dressed so we can get some breakfast in you, we’ve got stuff to do today.” Tony gently pushed the boy off of the couch, having to manually pull his pants up to avoid Peter exposing himself. Clearly the boy didn’t remember who’s pants he was wearing, making Tony chuckle. “Careful.”

Peter scowled at him for laughing and held the waistband of his pants as he shuffled to the bathroom. “What stuff?”

“I’ll tell you more in a minute, go pee.” Tony laughed again.

“I’m goin’, I’m goin’.” Peter grumbled. He elected to use the restroom adjacent to the living room as opposed to his own, avoiding being too far away from the rest of the household. He still wasn’t completely comfortable after the incident the night before- oh god. He’d peed in his dad’s bed. Jesus Christ.

The embarrassment started to kick in full force as he was reminded of the events that had unfolded. He couldn’t believe he’d gotten so worked up like that over a movie. His dad must’ve thought he was such a baby- he was such a baby. All the times he’d chastised Tony for treating him younger than his years had just been made redundant, as he’d shown in one night how immature he truly was. There was no way he was ever going to live this down, no doubt Tony had already yelled at the others for letting him watch it and they were all going to treat him like a toddler from now on too. He shuffled miserably to his room, the anxiety surrounding being alone being replaced with shame. He got changed quickly and kept his head down when he went back to join the others.

“Hey sport.” Steve greeted him warmly and came up behind where Peter had sat down, putting his hands on the boy’s shoulders. He leant down and spoke quietly to him. “You alright?”

Peter nodded glumly, his fears being realised. Obviously his dad had told everyone what happened and he wanted some kind of freak wormhole anomaly to open up and swallow him whole. No that wouldn’t work, Tony would probably find to bring him back somehow…

“Guess what I found.” Steve said, snapping Peter out of his death daydreams.

“What?” Steve replied by holding up a blue box with familiar white lettering and a picture of a frosted breakfast pastry on it. “Pop Tarts!”

Peter eagerly grabbed the box before Steve could take them away from him again and literally hugged it, making everyone laugh, other than Tony; who saw Steve’s attempt at an apology and didn’t much care of his use of sweets as a weapon during emotional warfare. It clearly worked on the teenager though, who momentarily seemed to forget his humiliation as he ripped open a packet of Blue Raspberry.

They ate as normal, everyone conversing freely other than Tony, who was still giving out sour looks like a grumpy old man on Halloween. Peter was still a bit extra quiet that morning but the rest of the room made sure to include him heavily in conversation, trying to reassure the boy that no one thought of him differently after his rough night.

“So what’s the stuff we gotta do today?” Peter asked Tony around a mouthful of pastry, which he quickly swallowed when he saw the look Steve was giving him for speaking with his mouth full. He covered his mouth and blushed. “Sorry.”

“We have to go down to Westerville for group training.” Tony said absentmindedly as he scrolled on his phone.

The group all groaned and Peter didn’t understand what he’d missed.

“Why didn’t you tell us?! When was this decided?!” Clint asked.

“Oh I’m sorry Barton, I don’t remember becoming your PA? It’s not my fault none of you checked your emails. Fury sent out an alert last night.” Tony sipped his coffee not looking up.

“For how long this time?” Steve sighed, even he didn’t look happy. That was surprising to Peter because the man was always enthusiastic when it came to them getting more training. What was so bad about this place?

“Two weeks.” Another wave of groans resounded around the room.

“Where’s Westerville?” Peter asked innocently.

“Ohio, bout nine hours away.” Tony said. “There’s a compound down there S.H.E.I.L.D use for covert testing and training exercises. Remember when we went out of town a few months back and you went and stayed with Pietro and Wanda?”

Peter nodded and smiled sweetly. “Uh huh, they’re nice.”

Tony took a moment to look up at his son proudly, he was always so polite. Always had a nice thing to say about everybody. May had raised him so well and he took that second to appreciate the opportunity he’d been given to carry that parenting on. “They are nice. Anyways, we were down there to go through some basic combat tactics and be briefed on enemies and stuff. You weren’t enlisted last time but Fury decided after everything that went down with MV corp, you were ready.”

Peter shuddered at the memory but he was excited. “That sounds cool! Why do you all look so mad about it?”

“Cause it sucks ba- I mean, it’s not fun.” Thor started to curse but Nat smacked him around the head before he could finish his obscenities.

“Why not?” Peter didn’t understand, they got to learn about what bad guys were doing and try out some new training stuff, what about that wasn’t fun?

“Because they’re boring!” Thor groaned dramatically and slammed his head down on the table. From how still he went Peter couldn’t tell if he was joking around or if the man had actually knocked himself out.

“They make us do repetitive exercises and tasks that are so mind numbingly simple that half the time we fail them because we do things the hard way just trying to spice the day up. They have us on a stricter routine and curfew than Captain Killjoy over there and we’re forced to socialise with a bunch of other agents who are so. Just ugh.” Nat explained, the first one to actually give Peter a tangible answer. “Oh and the food sucks.”

“God the food sucks.” Bruce said wide eyed and staring at the table, as though he was having some kind of flashback. He suddenly pulled his plate closer to him as if he was trying to protect it.

“I go to a public high school bad cafeteria food doesn’t scare me.” Peter chuckled, his enthusiasm undeterred. It would be fun to go on official S.H.E.L.D business and get the experience, even if those around him didn’t agree. They’d been a bunch of times that didn’t mean Peter wouldn’t be able to learn something new, besides he liked meeting new people. That and he'd be given the opportunity to show off his skills to people who would actually know he was Spider-Man, it sounded like a win-win to him. “So, when are we going?”

“We’re meant to check in by tomorrow morning, but I thought if we left ASAP it would give us time to settle in and sleep there. I don’t like driving overnight, either, not with the schedule they put us on.” Tony gazed at his watch. “It’s a pretty long drive so if we leave in say an hour? Give us time to get there before dinner?”

Tony looked around at the other adults for confirmation to which they all nodded bitterly and skunk off towards their rooms to pack. Peter on the other hand ran off willingly, seeming to have forgotten all about the demons lurking in his room from the night before in his excitement. He made sure to pack his laptop, chargers and a couple books, not wanting to get caught short like last time. He packed all his school books too, making sure to send emails to all of his teachers to send him his work in advance, which they were accustomed to doing for him by that point. Considering the amount of signed days off he had to take they’d been forced to make their lesson plans months in advance to account for Tony Stark’s ward, and some of his teachers made sure to make his life more difficult down to that fact. He didn’t exactly blame them, he was definitely making their already difficult job harder by increasing their workload, but come on it wasn’t his fault. How is stopping him from going to the bathroom or picking up on the most minute errors in his work going to make their job easier?

He put schoolwork out of his head for now as he grabbed his bags and headed down with the others for the cars. There were two waiting for them.

“Who’s going where?” Clint asked, waiting on Steve or Tony to organise them.

“Me and Underoos are going in this one. The rest of you can sort yourselves.” Tony said snarkily. He was still making it painfully obvious that he was pissed at his teammates, even if Peter now seemed to be fully recovered. He shot a wink towards the teenager though, just to reassure him that his anger was by no means directed at him and the boy gave him a confident smile in return.

It ended up being Nat driving one car, with Thor, Clint and Bruce as passengers. Then Steve riding along with Tony and Peter, much to the dark haired man’s distaste.

“There’s plenty of room for you in the other car.” Tony sneered when Steve jumped on the passenger seat.

Steve smiled unphased but Peter defended him from the backseat, not liking the unjust remark. He never liked seeing his Dad's mean streak, though he knew full well he had a big one, he was under no illusions to that. “Tony don’t be mean.”

His dad peered in the rear view mirror to make eye contact with his pouting son. “Sorry bubby, you’re right.”

“Thank you, Peter. And apology accepted Tony.” Steve smiled triumphantly.

“I didn’t apologise to you, you think I’d call you bubby?” Tony grumbled, he hated the accusation that he would ever do such a thing, especially in the midst of a feud.

“You’ve been known to make a man blush before, I’m used to your pet names by now-“

“Shut up and out your seatbelt on.” Tony growled ignoring the slight pink tinge that came to his cheeks when he heard Peter giggling in the back of the car.

“Is that everything?” Steve said, watching the others pull out of the driveway.

Tony nodded but he turned to the back of the car and beckoned Peter to lean forward so he could whisper to him. Steve made a point of turning his head away as though he couldn’t hear, trying to avoid embarrassing the boy from what he assumed was intended to be a private conversation.

“Do you need to go to the bathroom one last time? We’re not planning on stopping for at least three hours.” Though Tony tried his best not to embarrass Peter, it was impossible given the line of questioning. A blush rose to the boy’s cheeks immediately but he nodded and Tony was glad Peter hadn't lied to try and avoid admitting he'd forgotten to go in his excitement. “Okay, go on.”

He sighed after the boy hopped out of the car and rushed back inside the building. Peter was known for using the restroom frequently, he just hoped he’d be able to last the three hours before their scheduled stop. Had it not been for Peter’s sake, they usually wouldn’t make any stops on a journey this length, making so without bathroom breaks or food in favour of getting to their destination quicker, but Tony, nor the rest of the adults, were about to subject the boy to those conditions. However, if they had to stop as often as the boy was likely to need they wouldn’t end up getting to their destination before nightfall, which would be less than ideal. Of course he would do it without question but it would be a mild inconvenience, a mild inconvenience that he was well prepared for.

Little did Tony know Peter was also aware of this eventuality. He didn’t want to delay their journey by needing to go to the bathroom every hour, so he’d devised a plan. He deliberately didn’t drink anything after Tony had mentioned their trip, and he wasn’t going to drink anything until after they stopped for lunch. That way he would’ve hopefully made it to the halfway mark only needing one stop (preferably the one Tony had scheduled for them at the state border). He wasn’t going to completely dehydrate himself though, both because he didn’t want to give himself another UTI and he knew he wouldn’t get away with that with Steve in the car, so the little genius accounted for that too. In his backpack he stowed three identical water bottles. A full one, which he intended to sip slowly, a half empty one, that he would show to Steve should the man demand he show his progress, and an empty one for further proof that he wasn’t dehydrating himself. It was fool proof.

He made sure to pee quickly and wash his hands before running back out and hopping in the car. “Sorry bout that!”

“No problem, bud. Ready?” Tony asked and Peter nodded hurriedly. They set off down the road and onto the highway.

Peter was full of questions about the fortnight ahead, asking about the training exercises, the people he’d encounter and the accommodation.

“You’ll be meeting a lot of people that’s for sure.” Steve smiled when Peter asked if he’d see any other superheroes he’d recognise there. It was refreshing to have someone on the team who still found things new and exciting, it definitely helped boost morale. What didn’t boost morale however was Tony insisting on giving Steve dirty looks out of the corner of his eye and sighing every time the man spoke. The blond tried not to let this get to him but after an hour or so his patience was starting to wear thin.

Peter could sense the rising tension in the front of the car so he decided to pull up a movie on his laptop and put his on his headphones in hopes to escape it. The movie was coming to the end when he started to feel his bladder stir. He looked out of the window looking for road signs to indicate how far away they were from the border. He wanted to avoid getting into a desperate situation with the other man in the car so he pulled out an earphone to ask his Dad where they were. Due to his sensitive hearing that often lead to him getting overstimulated, Tony had designed him some special noise cancelling earphones. Obviously they worked a little too well because as soon as Peter removes one from his ear he was met with yelling.

“Oh because it’s just so easy for you isn’t it Steve. It must be hard being so perfect all of the time-“

“I never said I haven’t made mistakes Tony I’m just man enough to admit to them-“

“Oh you wanna play macho man now do you G.I. Joe?!”

Peter was shocked that he hadn’t noticed all the gesticulating before, he guessed that Wreck It Ralph had just really sucked him in this time. “Uh...Tony?”

The arguing stopped abruptly, both men freezing for a second before they reset themselves, falling into a very natural relaxed position. They clearly had practise.

“Yeah, bud?” Tony called back lightly, his demeanor having shifted from night to day in a matter of seconds. He looked in the rear view mirror briefly to check over his son, making sure he wasn’t dealing with an emergency bathroom situation. To his relief Peter didn’t seem to be visibly squirming yet so that was a good sign. He didn’t want to have to deal with a desperate teenager so early on in their trip.

“How far are we from the rest stop?”

“About twenty minutes, is that alright?” Tony looked back again to meet Peter’s eyes over the rim of his sunglasses. He was silently asking if the boy could wait that long or if he needed to turn off sooner and he knew Peter’s eyes always betrayed him when he was lying.

“Yeah that’s good.” Peter nodded confidently. Tony was relieved that the boy was being honest in that statement, and returned his focus to the road.

The air of tension in the car was so thick you could’ve cut it with a knife but Tony was doing his best to ignore it for Peter’s sake. He knew Steve coming in their car was a bad idea given the mood he was in. He noted that Peter put his headphones back in but he deliberately didn’t start up arguing with the super soldier again. Now that Peter had noticed they were fighting he was bound to be much more observant and he didn’t want to expose him to any more of that. He knew he was being petty at that point but he still couldn't back down, a trait that had been so graciously passed down to him by his father and was so difficult to break. Steve knew this though, and his friend had always been patient with him. That didn't stop him from being angry but at least he didn't have to worry about seriously damaging their relationship anymore, not after such a long time. It was nice for Tony to have an emotional punching bag for release very now and then, Steve had openly offered himself up as that many times. What else were friends for? Well, in this case emotionally scarring your children with inappropriate movies apparently. Ah yes, he remembered now, that was why he was angry in the first place.

They drove the remaining twenty minutes to their designated stop, Peter becoming progressively more wiggly the entire time. Once Tony pulled up he was surprised to be met by the car which contained their other team members. All three men hopped out of the car and walked over to the other one, which had the remaining members standing around it, one of which looked particularly furious.

“Tony. You’re taking him. I can’t- I won’t have him in the car with me for the rest of the journey.” Nat was standing against the vehicle with her arms folded across her chest, looking ready to kill someone. It didn’t take two seconds for the trio to realise who they were talking about.

“Natasha I said I was sorry-“ Thor started. He was shuffling uncomfortably where he stood behind the other side of the car.

“Save it!” Nat barked, not looking back in Thor’s direction.

Tony sighed and continued to get the full story of what had happened. Thor was notoriously bad for staying occupied during long periods of time in confined spaces, he’d always caused problems during road trips due to his boredom. That’s why the man had been happy when Thor has elected to go in the other car, he was in no mood to deal with that today. Whilst he was listening to the angry redhead and blond in front of him he’d neglected to notice a shuffling child behind him.

“Uh..T-Tony? Can I go now?” Peter said in a small voice trying but failing to stand still.

“Huh? Oh, Pete! Yeah, go ahead sorry bud.” Tony hadn’t realised that Peter had been waiting for permission to leave his side, though he’d instructed him to do so whenever they were in public. “Cap can you-“

“I got him.” Steve followed behind the boy who had already made a beeline for the restroom. They’d discussed previously, given the kidnapping incident, that no team member should be left alone, especially when they were travelling in a group. They were more likely to be targeted when they were all in one place as it would give enemies a bigger opportunity to capture them all at once, even if they were a harder force to fight as a unit. That and Peter was a little unpredictable at times, constantly finding himself in trouble.

Peter quickly relieved himself and walked back with Steve back to the car, trying to ignore the blush that had risen to his cheeks. He always felt weird needing a chaperone to take care of such things, though Steve made an extra effort not to be invasive it was still embarrassing. Had he not been so desperate by that point, Peter would have probably struggled to go knowing someone was waiting on him. By the time he came back, Nat’s car had already left without a particular tall blonde man. He looked into their car to see Tony with his head on the steering wheel, looking as though he was praying (or begging) to a higher power, to escape the burly man who was now occupying the back of the car. Thor noticed Peter through the window and grinned, waving wildly. Peter grinned in return and jumped in the back beside him.

“Hello again, young one!” Thor greeted him warmly, ignoring Tony who was gently bouncing his head off of the steering wheel repeatedly, muttering something about becoming a soccer mom. Steve also seemed irritated but Peter didn’t mind the company. He helped to entertain Thor by sharing his laptop with him and showing him the wonders of Star Wars.

“Hey look, it’s Fury!” Thor pointed excitedly to the screen.

“That’s Mace Windu.” Peter laughed, not seeing any resemblance, not catching the worried looks Tony was trying to give him in the rearview mirror.

It was when Thor started freaking out that Padme looked exactly like some lady Peter had never heard of and Tony told Peter to turn it off before the man combusted. Instead they elected to spend their time taking turns playing music.

“Just remember there will be no singing in my car, understood?” Tony warned seriously, looking pointedly at Steve in particular. Luckily for him though most of the songs Peter chose the man didn’t know, though Tony almost ended up breaking his own rule when Judas Priest started playing over the speakers. “Low blow, Parker. Low blow.”

They ended up stopping for lunch at around one, which was lucky as that was all Peter’s bladder could handle. He hopped out of the car and ran straight through the fast food restaurant before any employees had a chance to stop him this time. Tony had received a text from Bruce saying that the other group had decided to go through the drive through to avoid Nat assaulting Thor and save time. He wasn't surprised as the only reason they had scheduled stops was for Peter's potty breaks after all. He would have suggested the same thing once he'd returned from the restroom, but Tony had been warned by May not to let Peter eat in a moving vehicle unless he was prepared to have his car cleaned so the others sat inside to eat; the three older men having to adorn slight disguises in order to dine in peace, Steve of whom's included a fake moustache that Peter found highly hysterical. Thor and Tony’s were slightly more subtle, Thor tucking his long hair into a beanie along with a pair of sunglasses and Tony a brimmed hat. Peter struggled to contain his laughter when he saw three sitting in a booth when he exited the bathroom.

“All you need is a newspaper to hide behind and y’all are set.” He cackled at Tony’s disgruntled expression.

“Sit down, shut up and eat your happy meal.” He scowled beneath his glasses but Peter continued to giggle. They made light conversation as they ate until Thor started asking some more personal questions, inadvertently putting his foot in it once again.

“So you weren’t a fan of the movie last night, young one?” The conversation quickly died down as the other men gave Thor looks that said ‘stop talking’ but of course he didn’t read them.

Peter blushed bright red before giving Tony a filthy look. “You told them?”

Tony sighed and ran his hand over his face, he should’ve been prepared for this situation. No one could keep their mouth shut for long around that house. “Pete don’t start I just told them you got a little freaked out-”

“It was more than a little by the looks of those videos-”

“Thor, shut up!” Tony kicked the man in the shin under the table making the blond frown. He hadn’t intended the comment meanly he was just trying to make conversation, why were mortals so sensitive? How was he supposed to know that that piece of information had been intended to stay private?

“You SHOWED them?!” Peter raised his voice. He couldn’t believe the man would betray him like that. Had he shown them everything? Including when he...when he and Tony had to clean up the bed.

“Nice one Thor.” For the first time that day Steve seemed to be on Tony’s side.

“What? What did I do?” Thor was genuinely confused. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of little one, everyone’s afraid of something-”

“Yeah, well not everyone has to run and jump in bed with their boss when they’re a frickin’ teenager do they?” Peter snapped snarkily and sank down in his chair, folding his arms over his chest. He looked away from the table to stare dispondantly out of the window. His life was ruined. He’d never be taken seriously by the team again, not that he ever was in the first place.

“Hey, don’t be like that.” Tony said quietly. Hearing Peter call refer to him as his boss had stung more than he cared to admit, though he knew that he wasn’t going to refer to him as Dad in front of Thor openly yet. Still he couldn’t help but feel a stab in his chest. “I didn’t show them that part-”

“Cause that makes it better? Are you that oblivious to other people’s emotions Tony?” Peter didn’t look at him as he spoke, his accent starting to peak through as his anger rose. “Just leave it, ‘aight? I know everyone thinks I’m a pathetic kid anyways why not show ‘em?”

“Peter no.” Steve said sadly, sharing a worried glance with Tony. He too was used to Peter going off on himself whenever something like that happend. “We don’t think that-”

Thor also tried to reassure Peter. “We certainly do not Spiderling, I can assure you. Tony here was only highlighting our wrongdoings in regards to your parenting-”

“Save it guys, m’not mad at you anyways.” Peter shrugged flippantly.

They finished their meal in an awkward silence and got up to leave. Peter walked in the opposite direction causing Tony to ask where he was going.

“To the bathroom, is that alright with you? Or would you rather film it and post it on twitter?!” He snapped, before he quite realised the implications of what he just said. And how loud he had said it because several of the other McDonald’s patrons turned to look at the man he was accusing of taking lewd videos of him. Did Peter not realise how bad it looked for a middle aged man in a hat and glasses following a teenage boy to the bathroom looked on it's own? Add that comment and you might as well call the FBI right there.

“Okay for one, ew. Let’s think about things before we say them-”

“Yeah, that came out a little wrong.” Peter shrugged, laughing nervously backing down from being angry for a second in embarrassment.

“And two, can you give me a second to explain why I did what I did?”

“Nope.” Peter turned and walked to the bathroom, with Tony following close behind him (but not too closely given the suspicious looks he was now getting thanks to Peter's thoughtless screaming). “Are you actually following me into the bathroom-”

“Can you stop saying creepy shit?!” Tony said firmly. “And last I checked this was a public bathroom and I’m well within my rights to use the facilities.”

“Fine, but no talking to me while we’re peeing.” Peter huffed and slammed the stall door shut.

“I said cut it with the creepy shit, Pete!”

“AND I SAID NO TALKING!”

After they’d both relieved themselves and washed their hands, Peter strode ahead of Tony back towards the car, trying to avoid having a deep conversation with the man. He was in no mood for it, he just wanted to go back to the car and introduce Thor to another one of his favourite movies, maybe he’d show him V for Vendetta to see if the man would freak out again-

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt hands on his shoulders, almost making him grab his Dad’s wrist to break his arm. “Are you dumb? I almost took you out, why would you sneak up on a trained assassin?!”

“Trained assassin?” Tony smirked which only made Peter more furious. “Alright, big shot cool it. I’m not gonna chase you-”

“Then don’t just leave me alone-” Peter turned to walk away again but Tony held him by the arm.

“Quit acting like a bratty teen for five minutes and listen to me. You’re perpetuating the stereotype right now and I don’t much care for it. I’m your father, show me some respect.” Tony lowered his voice in a way that made Peter shiver a little. It was the voice he used when he was chastising a work college or he was giving out an order, it demanded authority. It also jarred Peter into listening to him as Tony very rarely used that voice on him. “You gonna listen to me now?”

Peter nodded but crossed his arms and looked at the ground. He hated how Tony had the ability to make him feel like a small child at times, especially when he felt totally justified for his anger.

“Thank you.” Tony said, his voice softening. “I’m sorry I showed them the surveillance footage. I know it was a shitty thing to do, but I didn’t do it to embarass you. I did it to prove a point, a point I’d already made about you not watching stuff like that-”
“But why were you proving that to them? I’m the one who chose to watch it you can’t punish them for something I did.”

“You’re wrong, I can. You took an opportunity to break the rules, and as far as I’m concerned you learned your damn lesson. Like I said last night I think scaring yourself shitless was enough of a punishment.” Peter blushed again, reliving the recent memory. “They went behind my back and let you do it. Yes, it was your choice, but they were the adults in the situation. Adults who should’ve known better. So, I was showing them the consequences.”

“It’s not they’re fault I’m such a baby..” Peter muttered miserably.

“Uh uh, don’t start that up again.” Tony lifted Peter’s chin with his hand, forcing him to make eye contact with him. “We talked about this. I told you what Howdy Doody does to me, I didn't share that embarrassing story for you to keep on beating yourself up anyway.”

That got the boy to chuckle, remembering the story his father had told him the night before to try and make him feel better. It had, though Peter had been sworn to secrecy and was threatened with mild violence if he ever repeated the tale to anyone.

“See? That’s not the issue here Pete, nobody thinks any less of you, I can promise that. They only felt guilty for letting it happen, as they should.”

“But I was the one who-”

“I’m not gonna spend all day talking round in circles with you, P.” Tony sighed in frustration and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay, put it this way. If I told Steve that you were allergic to peanuts, but you were being a brat and throwing a tantrum over a reese's cup and he let you have it, who would be in the wrong?”

Peter opened his mouth to give the obvious answer but Tony cut him off before he could, sensing the boy was going to give the wrong one in his opinion.

“That’s right, Steve. Because he was the adult and you were the child. Kids do dumb, detrimental shit sometimes, that’s just what they do. You’re programmed for it, testing boundaries and what not, it’s how your brains develop. That’s why we have adults to make decisions for you or society would fall apart after ninety percent of it’s population killed itself by doing said dumb shit. Teenagers, such as yourself, are especially prone to this because risk taking is a habit that develops in adolescence to prepare you for adulthood. Finding out the do’s and don’ts of the world is part of that but we’re here to impart our wisdom upon you, and stop you from finding things out the hard way. You could argue Darwinism is an appropriate factor to take into account but I digress-”

“Tony.”

“It’s our job to take care of you because you’re brains too underdeveloped to understand the implication of your own choices yet. That's not a fault in your character so don't take it personally, it's a transitional phase we all go through-”

“Tony.”

“Why not cut out the middleman of you getting yourself hurt or upset for no reason, when we could prevent that from happening in the first place-”

“Dad! I get it, you can stop talking now.” Peter was done with the basic human developmental psychology lecture, he’d already taken that class three years ago. “They shoulda stopped me, but they didn’t. None of us realised how bad the idea was until after, it was a mistake.”

“I agree. But you got to see the repercussions of that mistake, now you know not to make it again. They didn’t-”

“I see your point but could you not have just told them about it instead of showing them the tapes-”

“They didn’t listen to me the first time when I warned them not to let you watch it. How was I meant to know they weren’t going to ignore what I had to say again?”

Peter sighed. He wasn’t going to win this one so it was best if he just backed down. He’d have to live with the fact the rest of the team had seen him in such a state but he supposed that was part of the repercussions Tony was talking about. “How much did they see?”

“Just you running through the hallways.”

“Not when I..” He trailed off.

“Not when you peed in my bed, no.”

Peter blushed brightly again. “Ugh! You didn’t have to say it out loud!”

“You’re right but it’s kinda funny-”

“It is not!”

“A lamp-”

“I swear to Jesus Christ I will-”

“Okay, okay I’m sorry, bubby. But trust me in a few years time you’ll be laughing with me about this.” Tony wrapped his arm around the scowling teenager and started steering him back to the car. He couldn’t resist teasing the boy. “Be one of those stories to tell at parties-”

“Oh my god if you dare! This is why you’re not doing a speech at my wedding!”

“Thinking of marriage already are we? Who you getting married to, hm? MJ?” Tony drew out the girls initials as Peter stopped in his tracks and turned to him furiously.

“You- you stupid- mm- Shut up!” Peter stuttered flusteredly. Smooth Pete, now he knows for sure he got to you and he’s going to use it every time he wants to get a rise.

“Nice comeback, kiddo.” Tony faux congratulated him patronisingly. He ceased his teasing after this last comment though. Afterall, he was trying to win the boy back in his favour. “I’m sorry for upsetting you Underoos.”

As much as Peter wanted to, he couldn’t stay mad at his Dad. Not after a heartfelt apology, which he knew did not come easy to the man. He knew Toy had reacted out of anger and he was only trying to protect and defend him, even if he had gone about it in a weird way. Peter was forgiving of the fact that Tony didn't have much experience in the parenting department, or “Fine. You are forgiven. But only if-”

“For the love of god Peter, no for the last time you are not getting a cat. Besides Goose isn’t even-” Tony cut himself off, making Peter give him a quizzical look.

“Isn’t what?” He tilted his head slightly in curiosity, looking Tony up and down skeptically.

“Hypoallergenic. Clint is allergic, it wouldn’t be suitable.” Nice save, Stark.

“The what about a Sphynx? They don’t have any fur and I’ve already got a name picked out! Yoda!”

“The answer is no.” Tony shook his head, trying to be serious but the boys endless enthusiasm for animals was so endearing he found himself smiling despite himself. It was hard enough to say no to him even when he wasn’t begging this ferociously. Well it was the boys birthday coming up soon...but that was a decision to be made at another time. He chuckled as he climbed back into the driver's seat.

“What about a hamster?!” Peter bargained, also returning to his assigned seat.

“Peter Benjamin Parker, you will not be bringing any tiny mammals into my home-”

“SO THAT MEANS I CAN HAVE AN AXOLOTL!”

“NO!”

Chapter Text

They drove for another four hours, having to make one unscheduled stop for Peter (which Tony passed off as needing to get gas) and they were nearing their destination. The ride went pretty smoothly other that Tony pulling to the side of the road and demanded Thor get out of the car since the man refused to stop kicking his seat.

“I’m not doing it deliberately Stark, these small human cars aren’t designed to hold someone my size!”

“Steve is the same height as you and he has no problem, you’re just being a baby! I know you have plenty of legroom!” Tony yelled.

“Well if Steve’s so good at being confined then maybe he and I should switch places!” Thor bellowed.

“Yeah, maybe you should!” Tony agreed but still in an equally angry tone. “Steve get in the back.”

“But I called shotgun…” Steve said in a small voice pouting slightly.

Tony stopped to slowly turn and look at him, his face expressionless. “Seriously?”

Steve shrugged then crossed his arms over his chest, showing that he wasn’t budging. Just as the other two men opened their mouths to roar at one another Peter chimed in.

“I’ll swap seats with Thor, Steve is schootched a little further forward anyways, there’s more legroom on my side.” He offered helpfully in a desperate attempt to avoid any more arguments for the short time in the car they had left. He was already undoing his seatbelt to hop out of the car.

“Thank you, P. That’s a good idea.” Tony sighed. It had taken a teenager to find a solution to the argument that didn’t involve Thor being ejected from the car forcefully, something that had happened of several other occasions. After that little incident though, the rest of the drive was quiet. It wasn’t until they were coming to the last leg or their journey when they encountered a problem. Well, Peter encountered a problem.

His bathroom break plan had worked up until that point, but he had made the mistake of drinking too much from his designated water bottle, underestimating how quick his metabolic rate really was. He’d already made Tony stop not a little while before he started to feel an urge again, there was no way he’d bring up needing a stop. Not when they were so close to their destination, no way. He could hold it.

And he did, but it wasn’t long before he was becoming visibly uncomfortable. He was constantly checking his phone for the time, it was almost seven and Tony had said they’d get there before then. Though he supposed the impromptu stops had added unexpected time most of which were his own fault.

He tried to tough it out at first, but after around ten minutes his bladder was becoming insistent, constantly bringing Peter back to awareness about the building pressure in his tummy. He didn’t want to sound like a whiny kid again but he had to know how long he was going to be waiting, not knowing was killing him. How was he to know if he could hold it if he didn’t even know how close they were to the compound?

“D-Tony?” He barely caught himself. Shit, Parker you can’t go slipping up like that, not when you’re about to go around strangers for two weeks.

“Yeah?” Tony was instantly alert at the boy’s near blunder. Peter was always careful about letting the D-word slip around their team members, that combined with the nervousness he heard in his voice made his fatherly instincts kick in. Something was wrong.

“Are we almost there?” Peter asked as casually as he could, avoiding making eye contact with the other people in the car.

“Not far. Bout another twenty miles or so.” Tony eyed him suspiciously in the rear view mirror but Peter did his best to ignore him. He couldn’t drive and he didn’t know how fast they were going, he had no idea how long that was in minutes. “You alright?”

“Yeah.” Peter didn’t offer any more explanation, knowing it would only lead to more questions being asked should he come up with a bad excuse. He knew lying wasn’t his strong suit.

Tony decided to drop the subject but he kept a close eye on Peter whenever he got a chance to look up from the road. He looked a bit paler than usual and Tony started to wonder if Peter’s occasional car sickness was beginning to rear its head. He knew it was a rare occurrence but maybe they’d pushed their luck driving for so long. They were almost there though, hopefully his son would be able to hold out that long.

Not five minutes later and Peter’s unnatural movements were becoming apparent to everyone in the car, even Thor who wasn’t the best at spotting odd body language. The boy kept shifting in his seat as though he couldn’t find a comfortable position and was pulling his seatbelt away from his stomach.

“Are you quite well, Peter?” Thor furrowed his brows, using the boy’s actual name for once marking his concern.

“Uhm..Yeah.” Peter said quietly blushing as he realised he hadn’t been quite as subtle in his movements as he once thought.

“You look uncomfortable, child.” Thor said softly causing Steve to turn around and look at him. He did indeed look very uncomfortable and- nervous? The look on Peter’s face was reminiscent of the time he started throwing up blood in the kitchen and the memory made Steve’s stomach twist. He really wasn’t emotionally prepared to see that again.

“Are you gonna be sick?” Steve asked.

“Uh uh, it’s not that.” Peter he was quick to settle Steve’s nerves about that seeing the soldiers wide eyed look but blushed when he felt all eyes on him. As embarrassing as it was to admit he really wanted to avoid having an accident in the car, at the very least without warning. “I just need to use the restroom.”

Steve looked back sympathetically at the boy who was now squirming in his seat, having been surprised by his sudden admission. Peter looked to be shocked by his words too, never being so bold to admit he had to go to anyone but Tony. Steve knew how it felt to be stuck in a situation like that, as well as how embarrassing it was so he tried his best to avoid making it worse by drawing too much attention to what he said. He made sure to keep his tone light and casual. “Don’t worry Pete, not long now.”

“We’re almost there bubs, there’s nowhere for me to turn off before then.” Tony said gently, growing concerned. If Peter had to go badly enough for him to openly admit it in front of the other two men in the car he must be worried about his ability to wait until they got to the compound. Now he was nervous that Peter was going to end up getting another bladder infection from waiting too long, after the day in the car and the incident last night his bladder must be tired of the abuse. “You only went an hour ago, you feeling alright?”

Peter blushed at the question, not liking the implied question his dad was asking with an audience in the car. He answered quickly feeling flustered. “I don’t know why I gotta go so bad I haven’t even drank anything today-“

“What do you mean you haven’t drank anything?” Steve’s tone changed, suddenly very serious and concerned.

“Uh-uh I don’t mean nothing at all! You saw me drink at breakfast and lunch and- and look!” Yes, Peter, you had prepared for this! If only you held up the right water bottle from your backpack the first time, instead of showing the full one first- Ah fuck! He got it right the second time though, holding up the half empty one as ‘proof’. “See?!”

“I haven’t seen you drink anything.” Steve said suspiciously, obviously not having been convinced by Peter’s poorly executed charade.

“Neither have I, you ought to young one. Maybe you would have got in this predicament earlier and Tony could have stopped the car. ” Thor chimed in unhelpfully on Peter’s part.
“Shut up Thor.” He growled as he rocked in his seat, clenching his thighs together. His tone and the way he snapped at the man made Tony offer him a very disapproving look that made him duck his shoulders shyly. He hated his Dad’s looks even more than when he raised his voice. “Sorry, but can we please stop talking about my water consumption? It’s really not helping.”

“There, there, little one. You know you can always use the empty bottle you have there should you be left with no other-”

“Shut up, Thor.” Tony said in much the same tone as his son just had. He knew from experience that Peter would not take kindly to that suggestion and he didn’t want to stress him out any more. “Just ten minutes bud, fifteen with us getting through security. You can make it.”

“Okay…” Peter wasn’t so sure, with the rate his bladder was filling he didn’t know if he would be able to wait that long.

“Just think about dry things-“

“Thor don’t start filling his head with images you know where they’ll end up-” Steve started.

“Can we stop talking about this now?!” Peter snapped, the embarrassment that came along with the entirety of his current predicament becoming too much to bare. He was content to pretend the situation wasn’t happening, that it was just him and his Dad in the car, at least for just long enough for him to get to the bathroom and survive the agonising humiliation. But that was very difficult to accomplish when a certain two blond men kept making remarks.

Tony managed to shrink there road time by stretching the speed limit just a little. For once Steve didn’t chastise him for it, since the road was clear and he wanted to avoid having a sopping wet teenager on their hands. They managed to make a ten minute journey in just under seven, which didn’t seem like much, though every minute was precious when you were dealing with one of Peter’s bladder crises and Tony knew that better than anyone. In the back of the car Peter was still attempting to stifle his squirms to avoid letting on how desperate he truly was but it was futile. It was either wiggle around embarrassingly or water his dad’s upholstery; the latter being far more mortifying he decided his best best was to allow himself to be a little more animated than usual.

Tony breathes a sigh of relief when the building they were headed to came into view. Peter didn’t look to worse for wear, yes he looked desperate but at least now Tony didn’t have to worry about him having an accident. He pulled up to the security booth and started giving over information to the attendant (who immediately started fumbling over what he was doing when he realised that it was Tony freaking Stark). Steve took the opportunity to check on the fidgeting teen.

“How you holdin’ up, sport?”

“Uh..not too good.” Peter muttered honestly, as humiliating as it was it was hard to lie when he could barely sit still. He wished the guy who was meant to be letting them through security would quit being star struck over his dad, could he not tell this was an emergency?

Luckily Tony could and he managed to move the conversation along enough for the young worker to finally let them through the barriers and into the compound. It looked like an average military base from the outside, with a large parking garage to one side next to the row of grey and green buildings. “Pete you can hop out and run inside that building there, the one with the blue door.”

“Uh- n-no it’s okay I’ll wait with you guys.” Peter shook his head. The idea both made him anxious and embarrassed that Tony was implying he couldn’t wait long enough for them to park the car. Which he couldn’t, but that wasn’t the point. He wanted to retain some semblance of dignity.

“Parker, I said no peeing in my car. Get out. We’ll meet you in there.” Tony shook his head laughing at the boy’s stubbornness. He was clearly minutes away from peeing his pants but he was still refusing to admit just how badly he needed to go. There was no way Peter could wait through getting the car processed as well as the walk back to the building. Teenagers had such sensitive sensibilities at times, he wasn’t sure he’d ever understand it.

Peter huffed and gave his Dad a filthy look, but he didn’t wait to be told twice. He was out of the car before Tony pulled it to a complete stop.

“Do you want me to hop out with him?” Steve said gesturing to the dot in the horizon that was Peter, who was already running full pelt towards the blue doored building.

“Nah, I don’t think you’d catch up with him at this point anyways.” Tony chuckled. He wasn’t worried about the boy’s welfare as he was in a more than safe place and he feared if Peter slowed down to wait for Steve he may not make it to the bathroom in time.

Peter wasted no time running into the building, where he immediately entered a lobby type area, with a smiling blonde lady with a kind face sitting behind a desk. It was then he realised he wasn’t exactly sure what he was meant to say. The lady could see his internal conflict and broke the conversation for him. “Hi there. Can I help you?”

“Uh- hi yeah, uhm, is there a bathroom I can use, Ma’am?” He stuttered, trying his best to stand still but ultimately failing.

The lady smiled a little more softly, catching on immediately to Peter’s situation. “Not here in the lobby honey, but there’s some just past the barriers. Have you got any identification with you?”

“Uh no.” He hadn’t thought about that, he’d assumed there would at least be a restroom he could use in the waiting area. The idea hadn’t even passed through his head that they would need to see who he was before they let him use the bathroom, though it made obvious sense. They couldn’t let just anyone walk in there under the guise of having to pee- but he really did.

“I’m sorry sweetie, I can’t let you through without your ID papers. Who are you here with?” She was trying her best to help him but there wasn’t much she could do. The lady said looking over him sympathetically, he seemed in a bad way.

“T-the Avengers.” He stuttered again, having to cross his legs when a particularly bad wave hit. He hoped the title of his company would sway the woman in letting him go through without any form of ID though he doubted it.

“What’s your name, honey?” She could tell the situation was urgent and the boy in front of her looked so young, maybe he was part of an entourage and she could find a way to let him in off the record. Technically she shouldn’t be bending the rules to accommodate his situation but she couldn’t help it, her heart went out to the young man. She typed furiously at the keyboard in front of her, ready to type in the relevant information.

“I uh- uhm-“ He felt so stupid, why hadn’t Tony told him what to say? Was he meant to use his superhero alias or his actual name?

The kind lady could see his confusion. “Your legal name, honey.”

“P-Peter Parker.” He bent forward as his bladder gave a particularly hard contraction. It couldn’t understand why he had stopped moving and why it wasn’t allowed to empty yet. He felt himself threatening to leak and he had to move around to avoid that from happening. He tried his best to only squirm while the lady at the desk was looking at the screen in front of her but it was near impossible for him to stay still at this point. ‘Please let my name be on there, please. I can’t wait much longer.’

“Aha, Yes here you are!” The lady said happily before her face fell. “Shoot, sweetie I’m sorry you don’t have clearance yet. I can’t let you through, you have to have someone come and identify you because this is the first time you’ve been enlisted, I’m so sorry.”

The woman looked genuinely upset, she didn’t know what she could do for the young man who was so desperately trying to contain himself in front of her. Still despite what she had told him he remained so polite.

“I-It’s okay, Ma’am it’s n-not your fault. I don’t wanna get you in t-t-trouble.” The boy bent over double and put a hand on his lower stomach, making her worried that he was about to lose it then and there.

“Oh goodness, come sit down would that help? Whoever you’re with knows where you are right? They’ll be coming to meet you soon?” He nodded to each of her questions, not being able to make himself speak without whining. “That’s good at least, then I’ll be able to let you back there.”

She didn’t know what she could do to help, if she could have let him through the barricade illegally she would have but without Peter’s identification she had no access code to put into the computer. She’d considered using someone else’s but that would flag up immediately as soon as said person try to enter the building themselves; had that person in question already been inside the building however there would immediate backlash for everyone involved. She lead Peter over to a chair at the other end of the room, leaving her desk unoccupied- that alone she could have been fired for. She didn’t have any way to open the door, even though she desperately wanted to. Once she got closer she realised the man didn’t just look young, he was young. Like, a child young. He was at least a head shorter than her. Surely he wasn’t a minor. “Honey, how old are you?”

“F-Fifteen ma’am.” Why was she asking him personal questions? Was he allowed to tell her that? Was she just trying to keep him distracted? He didn’t care at that point he could barely hear anything over the sound of his bladder screaming for release.

“Good grief, and Stark sent you over here alone?” There was a bite to her voice that Peter couldn’t quite understand. It was as though the thought personally offended her. Why did she assume he was with Tony anyway? He had just said the Avengers. Though Tony was kinda the main boss but it was weird how her tone changed upon hearing that information.

Just as he was about to question the lady in return he saw said billionaire pop into view through one of the windows, accompanied by Thor. He stood up quickly and rushed out of the door, grabbing his crotch as soon as his back was turned to the nice lady. He was too desperate to worry about what Thor would think, at this point he doubted the man would judge him anyway. As soon as he was in front of them the two men ceased their own conversations and looked equally concerned.

“Well if he thinks he’s so much better at parking we’ll let him do i- Pete? Why haven’t you-” Tony started but Peter cut him off. He didn’t have time to have a full conversation dammit he was about to pee his pants.

“Mm-the doors locked and there’s no bathroom by the front desk- the lady can’t lemme in without a code or ID or something so can you please just- mm, come on!” He rushed out all in one breath bobbing up and down, hands still buried between his legs.

Tony wasted no more time he gently moved past Peter and ran up to the front desk himself saving time waiting on Peter to keep pace with him. This left Thor tasked with trying to lead him back inside without the boy either tripping himself the way his legs were twisted together.
“Come, young one, it’s alright. Your father will have this sorted, don’t worry.” Thor soothed. Even in the heat of the moment Peter caught on to the term of address Thor had used and dear god, if he had picked up on their dynamic they had no chance of keeping it a secret. He didn’t have the energy to care, he was too focused on keeping his rebelling bladder in check, a fight that he was gradually losing. He could feel that the crotch of his jeans were wet but he could bring himself to check how visible the stain was.

Thor half carried him the rest of the way inside where he could hear Tony screaming at the poor woman behind the desk. He had both hands on the desk, one of which was clutching a stack of papers in its fist and he was looming over the woman, who seemed entirely unimpressed.

“You couldn’t have just opened the fucking door?! Like I would let you get fired for helping him-”

“It’s not up to you whether I keep my job or not anymore you made sure of that.” She hissed at him obviously trying to get him to lower his voice.

“Oh so that’s what this is about?! You wouldn’t let him go to the bathroom because you’re still pissed at me?!”

“Of course not!” She raised her voice for the first time and her blue eyes blazed in anger at the accusation, in a way that made Tony take a step back momentarily. “How dare you suggest such a thing, I didn’t even know who he was. Not everything is about you Tony I thought you would have figured that out by now. I can’t believe you brought a child into this. When you said about the kid I didn’t think you meant an actual kid. I never thought even you be so-”

But she cut herself off with a sigh, only managing to make Tony even more angry. “So what?! Go ahead tell me!”

“It’s not worth it. I’m not going to spend my time arguing with you sir, not in front of a little boy. Especially not when you seem to care so much about him.” She lowered her voice again and spoke calmly, sarcastic undertones towards the latter part of her statement. She stood up so that their faces were almost touching, her expression just as determined as his. “I’ve wasted too much of my time trying to get you to be a decent person.”

“Open the goddamn door.” He said through gritted teeth keeping his eyes locked on hers, but the lady didn’t back down.

She just silently tapped a code through, opening the clear barricades to the hallway behind her desk. She looked away from Tony who was still leaning over her, showing no indication that she found him threatening in anyway and made eye contact with Peter; who was being held upright by Thor in the doorway obviously dangerously close to wetting himself. She smiled again and spoke to him softly. “I’m so sorry sweetie, I hope you make it on time.”

“Thank you Madam.” Thor answered for him and started making his way down the hall, still corralling the desperate teen.

“Second door on the left guys!” She called after them, but she was already out of view.

Peter could distantly hear Tony start shouting again but it was hard to hear over the blood rushing through his ears. He could barely walk, he no doubt would have collapsed if Thor wasn’t dragging him. As much as he was clenching his muscles he could still feel urine coming out of him slowly, more coming out with each step. He felt like just giving up, there was no way he was going to make it to the bathroom dry at this point, but fortunately for him Thor didn’t have the same outlook.

“Almost there youngling.” He sounded a lot calmer than Peter felt. Suddenly the man stopped and pulled Peter to one side and moved his hands down towards his waist. Before he had a chance to question what the man was doing, Thor had already undone his belt and was pushing him through a door into the bathroom.

Thor had hoped he hadn’t overstepped any boundaries by doing that for the boy but his brotherly instincts had kicked in before he had a chance to second guess himself. In the urgency of the situation he hadn’t stopped to think how that may have been deemed inappropriate and he hoped that he hadn’t made Peter uncomfortable.

Luckily for him Peter felt the complete opposite. He was grateful Thor had taken those few precious seconds to do a task for him that undoubtedly would have taken him too long to do in his desperate state without completely wetting himself. He dashed over to the toilet and pulled his underwear down immediately, not noticing that he had neglected to shut the door. Fortunately Thor had the foresight to rectify that for him before he did notice, to save him some humiliation.

The blond waited patiently outside the door and was there to greet a still seething Tony who came barreling down the hall a few minutes later,

“God that woman, she’s lucky she doesn’t work for me anymore I swear to god-” He was muttering angrily to himself but upon seeing Thor he stopped. His anger turned back into concern knowing how upset Peter was going to be about the whole display. “Did he..?”

“Mostly, I think. But you may need to grab him some more clothing, my friends.” Thor smiled sadly. Peter had yet to reemerge even though he had heard the toilet flush minutes ago, it didn’t take a genius to figure out what was happening.

Tony sighed and shook his head, preparing himself to deal with a distraught teenager for the second time in twenty four hours. “Thanks, Thor. Can you wait here while I-”

“No problem.” Thor waved his hand and leant against the wall. As soon as Tony returned with the clothing in hand Thor took the opportunity to go and find Steve and the others, to give the pair some privacy.

Once the man had walked away Tony knocked on the door. “Underoos.”

“Yeah?” Came a quiet, tearful voice from the otherside of the door.

“Open up.”

Peter opened the door just enough for Tony to hand him the garments. He let out a sheepish thank you before shutting the door again.

“It’s alright bubs.” Tony sighed gently. It had been a long day this was really not the ideal way to finish it off, he just hoped Peter would bounce back as usual when he got to take a look around. He didn’t want to ruin his experience so early on, not after he had been so pumped about getting to join them. Peter finally came out of the bathroom and it was clear he had been crying, but he’d dried off his face and looked as though he was making an effort to keep his composure. Tony, not wanting to dwell on the subject and risk upsetting him again decided to move on. “We missed dinner, but Clint found a vending machine. You hungry?”

Peter shook his head and sniffed. He didn’t seem interested in conversation just yet, lest his voice betray him.

“Okay, let’s just go and get unpacked yeah? Then I can show you around a little if you want.” Tony placed a comforting hand on Peter’s shoulder and started to lead him down the complex passages and hallways, which lead to their assigned chambers.

Their room was fairly small with two sets of bunk beds lining it’s two outermost walls. There was a dresser on either side of each bunk, with a small desk area tucked away in one corner, a sink in the other. Tony was getting slightly worried about Peter’s lack of reaction or conversation but he hoped it was just the usual after effects from his partial accident. However that was not the case, Peter was upset about something else, which he soon found out.

“Why wasn’t I on the stupid system already? Why didn’t you tell me?” Peter turned to him,sniffling wetly, though his eyes were dry now at least. He looked more angry than upset.

Tony sighed. He should have known Peter was going to say something like that. It always seemed easier for the teen to blame him for everything.“I didn’t know they wouldn’t let you through, I don’t see why she couldn’t have just- ugh. She knows I could’ve overridden the codes when I got there she should have just used mine-”

“It’s not her fault she was trying to help me!” Peter snapped. He didn’t understand how his dad could be so rude to someone who was just trying to do their job and it irked him to no end. “You should’ve thought about it before you sent me off by myself. You didn’t answer my question-you said I was already on the team so why wasn’t I listed on anything? Shouldn’t I have already had clearance?”

Tony paused for a second and it was clear to Peter he was trying to find the right words to sugar coat whatever he was about to say. He considered lying, telling the boy that it happened to everyone the first time they entered a new area but he was bound to get caught out sooner or later; whether that be from another member of the team telling Peter otherwise when they boy asked them the same question to see if they’d corroborate his story, or when they would undoubtedly visit another base and Peter wouldn't be subjected to the same process. It would be better to tell the truth. Not easier but better. “You are a part of the team. You’re an avenger just not a full S.H.I.E.L.D agent yet-“

“That doesn’t make any sense.” He made it clear that he wasn’t in any mood for Tony’s bullshit.

“It does make sense.” Of course the teen wouldn’t be able to understand all of the intricacies of the working world yet, it was pretty complicated what Tony had had to go through just to get Peter to live with them in the first place. He’d never felt the need to explain it to him either, especially given how Peter was reacting to the information.

“No it doesn’t. How could I go on official missions and go out on call and patrol if I’m not an agent? Surely that wouldn’t be allowed, I wouldn’t be allowed to know secret information. I know Spider-Man is still meant to be a secret from the general public, or at least they don’t know I’m an Avenger I get all that, but I didn’t realise I was a dirty little secret to the people I’m meant to be working for-”

“It’s not like that.” ‘Really kid? If only you saw the stack of paperwork that had to be completed every time you put on your damn suit.’ Tony pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to calm the anger that had started to rise. He really didn’t want to snap at him, but the sass was really starting to work on his last nerve. He didn’t understand how the child could be so indignant about something he knew literally nothing about; he was taking one snippet of information and acting like he knew everything about how their agency worked, and as though Tony was doing something to slight him when in fact it was the opposite. “You’re listed as a general field agent, almost like the FBI, you’re only one step down from being an official part of S.H.I.E.L.D, okay? No you shouldn’t technically know certain things, but I went around things a certain way so we could train you up at home instead of having to get shipped off to a dump like this. You were technically in pre-training during those missions, it took a lot of loopholes for us to let you do that. Now Fury and I decided you should be fully enlisted so we don’t have to jump through hoops everytime we go on official business-”

“Oh so you lied to me. Again.” He quipped coldly, the usual lilt to his voice flattening. Why hadn’t he just told him that in the first place?

Tony shook his head. Peter really had a knack for taking things the wrong way, despite what he said to try and explain things. Was that a teenage thing or a special skill his son had developed due to his tumultuous childhood? Either way it was infuriating, it was like he was just trying to find things to argue about. Is this how Steve felt when Tony was in one of his moods? After the foolishness at the front desk and having to deal with Thor in the car all day he was not in the mood to be having this conversation. Not when his son was being so stubborn. “No I didn’t. Why are you acting like this? I was trying-“

“To protect me. Yeah I know. That’s all you ever try and do but you always find a way to mess it up, huh?” Peter scowled and threw his bag then himself onto the top bunk on his side of the room. He was used to the speil Tony was about to give about now, it didn’t excuse the man constantly lying to him about stuff. Not after everything, he didn’t deserve to be treated like a little kid then expected to react like an adult, how was that in any way fair?

Okay. That was uncalled fort. After everything Tony was trying to do for him having Peter say he only ever messed things up was deeply hurtful. Did he not understand what a pain in the ass getting enlisted as an official agent was? S.H.I.E.L.D was one of the most top secret areas of the government, did he not understand the levels of security, backgrounds checks and rigorous tests, interviews and training people had to go through just to get their application looked at? Obviously not, he didn’t seem to appreciate all the opportunities he’d been given, he was mad all because he hadn’t been allowed through one door? Maybe Tony ought to show him what he was missing out on. Maybe he ought to show him being a hero isn’t all that easy. “You don’t want my help now? Is that it? Fine. Go to your room.”

Peter huffed a laugh, not taking Tony seriously in the slightest. “I’m in my room-“

“No you’re not smartass, you’re meant to be in the rookie barracks, sharing a bunk bed in a room full of twenty or so other men who are way older than you and have a lot more experience. Probably a bunch of ex-marines or other people with powers like you. They have a great row of communal showers and toilet stalls without doors if you wanna go check ‘em out? But you knew that didn’t you? I forgot you already know how everything works, since you can’t seem to make sense of what I have to say right? I had you put in with me so you wouldn’t have to be kept separate from us all day and night. But since you don’t feel like appreciating all that why don’t we take a walk down there right now, huh?” He watched Peter’s face fall at that and it filled him with a smug satisfaction that he would come to regret later. “Oh got nothing to say now?”

Peter paused for a moment, carefully thinking about what he was going to say next. It wasn’t his fault he didn’t know anything, how was he supposed to when Tony never talked to him? “How was I supposed to know that?”

Tony didn’t feel like he should have to explain every decision he made to Peter before he made it. He was the adult and he was the child. He should be able to follow some simple instructions without kicking up a fuss. “Well you seem to know everything, I forgot all teenagers have infinite knowledge. Would you rather I hadn’t pulled some strings? Cause I can have you sent back where you’re meant to be staying and I’ll see you in two weeks.”

The conversation was going downhill very quickly and he didn’t much like where it was heading. He was the one who was upset after not being allowed to go to the bathroom he didn’t expect for the conversation to turn back on him. He hadn’t meant to piss his Dad off that much, he wasn’t sure if Tony’s threat was serious or not. Either way it wasn’t right for him to threaten him with something like that. He hated when he backed him up into a corner like that, using power moves against him. In Peter’s eyes it just proved that his Dad was in the wrong; it meant Tony couldn’t win the argument with his words so he had to bully him into submission, something he’d seen the man do several times and he wasn’t a fan. “You know you’re not being fair.”

Tony laughed coldly. “Life ain’t fair, that’s why I do my best to make it fair better when I can, but if you don’t appreciate it and you’d rather do things the hard way, go right ahead kiddo. Be my guest.”

“You just think I can’t- forget it.”

“No come on, you wanna be a big shot. What were you gonna say?”

“It’s not worth it.”

“Well I just said it is. And what I say goes. Now, what were you about to say?”

As much as he was trying to resist snapping back, he couldn’t help it. Tony was trying to push him into saying something back so he could feed into his own anger and he hated it. He hated when his Dad goaded him, he just sounded like all of the bullies at school. He couldn’t stand it. “I just- you don’t think I can do it. You think I’d come crying to you just because I had to share a room with some other people, I’m not that pathetic-”

Tony growled in frustration. Why did Peter always have to bring it back to that? How many times did he have to tell him that wasn’t the case? It wasn’t fair, he always found a way to twist his words or his actions to suit his own self hating narrative and it was exhausting. He was too tired to entertain it, too exhausted to spend the time consoling him when it never seemed to sink in anyway. “Don’t start that shit I never said-”

“I’m not that codependent! I’m almost an adult, Tony, I don’t need you around me all the time to just function-”

“Oh yeah? You don’t need me around?”

“Not what I said-“

“You weren’t saying that last night, when you quite literally came crying to me, were you?” The man froze at his own words as did Peter. The teenager tensed for a moment before he sighed and looked away. Fuck he hadn’t meant to say that.

He didn’t get the instant reaction he was expecting. Instead Peter let out a quiet, breathy laugh and looked away from him.

“Wow, really? Okay.” Peter deadpanned.

No this wasn’t fair he hadn’t meant to say that, he could still take it back. Fuck why did he let himself get so over emotional in a conversation with a teenager. He wasn’t Steve he shouldn’t feel the need to one up his own son. “Pete I didn’t mean-“

“Nah, it’s cool I get it. Let’s just stop fighting now I won’t question your decisions anymore.” Peter said dejectedly as he hopped down from his bunk.

Tony was infuriated by Peter’s sudden apathy towards the conversation. He’d been happy to wind Tony up like that he deserved a chance to apologise. “The conversations over when I say it’s over. I shouldn’t have brought that up.”

“But you did. And I’m not interested in having a ‘conversation’ with someone who’s gonna throw things back in my face like that. You’re just- you’re so nasty sometimes.” Peter just shook his head, speaking very quietly. His tone had changed from one of indignance to a flat, neutral tone. He sounded like an exhausted parent who had spent hours telling their child not to do something and they did it anyways. He sounded how Tony felt and honestly, the man would have preferred for Peter to shout and scream at him. At least that way he had something to bounce off of not the emotional brick wall that had just formed before his very eyes.

Peter started moving towards the door and Tony was too gobsmacked at the sudden turn in the conversation for that to register at first. “Where are you going-“

“I’m gonna go hang out with Nat and Bruce for a while, I saw their room was just down the hall. You should take the time to cool off a little.”

Peter walked out of their shared room shaking his head disapprovingly. The boy had managed to make Tony feel as though he was the teenager and Peter was the parent, leaving him in his room as ways of punishment. He did not like that feeling, it was one he hadn’t experienced in over twenty years. The shock from Peter’s sudden maturity actually made him sit back and reevaluate his actions that had lead up to that point. Had his son reacted in anger at him, like he had expected, it probably would have ended with one of them storming off or crying or both; which he was glad to have avoided but he was meant to be the adult in the situation it should have been his actions that helped to avoid an argument not fuel it.

But why was so hard to everyone to understand? He had a reason for everything he did. All he was trying to do was take care of Peter the best way he knew how, there was never any malice. He always weighed his options before making a decision on the boy’s behalf, he knew full well what he was doing, how dare anyone else think they have a say? Or even an opinion? He didn’t have to justify his actions to anyone. Though as that thought crossed his mind he knew he was being unfair and if anyone should have a say it should definitely be the boy himself. He knew he was in the wrong about everything, he just hated to have to admit that. To himself or anybody, especially when it had to do with his parenting.

Every time something like that cropped up he felt like his father, in fact the way he had brought up a vulnerable moment like that and used it against his son to win a stupid argument? That was a total Howard Stark move. Christ, he had enough of his own issues dealing with ‘weakness’ from that kind of behaviour he wasn’t about to pass that onto his son. If he had just taken a second to word it differently or think about what he was saying to the already fragile teenager- he’d basically outright called him pathetic, which he’d been spending months, well over a year now, trying to convince Peter otherwise. For a man who prided himself on his reputation of having no heart he really had a way of getting over emotional.

He decided ultimately that Peter was right, he should take a minute to himself to calm down. He didn’t blame his son for wanting to get out of that volatile situation either, he was just glad he had a safe place to go. He knew his friends would make sure he was alright, his friends he had spent the last twenty four hours hating because of a stupid mistake...okay, let’s focus on one thing at a time, Tony. The team is used to your outbursts, Peter isn’t. Nor does he deserve to be.

After an hour or so of wallowing and mulling over the right things to say, Tony made his way down to where the rest of the team were located. They’d all hauled themselves up in Bruce’s room and they were playing cards. Clint had spent the time to teach Peter how to play rummy which was fun at first, until the kid started to beat him. The fact that they had been placing bets using candy was a high stakes reward for both Peter and Bruce and the pair were currently wiping the floor with everyone, planning to split their profits equally. Tony stood in the doorway for a few minutes just surveying his weird little miss matched family. Dysfunctional as it may be at times it was his and it was heartwarming to see them all getting along, albeit without him there, which was probably a good thing at that time. It was incredibly humbling and thought provoking and-bleugh emotions. No more, please.

Just as he was shaking off all his paternal pride Peter made eye contact with him, and much to his surprise gave him a small smile and a wave. This caused the others in the room to turn around and look at him, other than Clint who was taking the opportunity to try and get a peak at Peter’s cards. He sat back huffily though as Peter moved his hand deliberately as the man leaned over, not looking in his direction.

“Nice try, Clint.” He giggled, still looking over at his Dad, waiting for a command.

“Can we talk?”

“Sure.” Peter shrugged his shoulders, keeping his tone incredibly light much to Tony’s dismay. He had fully prepared himself to beg for a grumpy Peter’s forgiveness, but he ought to have known never to expect anything. His son was always full of surprises. Peter stood and followed him into the hallway where Tony immediately started to talk at him again.

“Peter I’m-“

Peter held a finger up to stop him. Usually Tony would have taken great offence to this but given the circumstances he gave the boy that one. “Uh uh. My turn first.”

“Okay, you’re right. Go ahead.” He took a step back and nodded for Peter to start talking. The boy did, he kept his tone equally light throughout which only added to Tony feeling like a naughty schoolboy being chastised.

“You hurts my feelings dad. I know you were lashing out because you were frustrated, I get that. But you’re old enough to know better. You should be leading by example when it comes to thinking before you say things.” Peter paused for a moment when Tony looked as though he was going to interject, but he gave him a look that told the man otherwise. He’d agreed to let Peter talk, so he ought to do it. Besides he was in no place to be defending his actions, he was there to apologise after all and he certainly didn’t disagree with anything Peter had just said; it was just relax for him to apologise at that point.

“I know you’re sorry and you didn’t mean for it to come out like that, I’m not upset anymore I promise. And I do understand why you do the things you do, even when they come out the wrong way. You’re not used to the whole dad thing, you’re gonna make mistakes and you and I both know you don’t have a very good base to go off of. I appreciate everything you do for me and I know everything you do is only because you care. Even if I don’t like it sometimes, you do it because you believe it’s the best thing to do and you’re trying to protect me. So, I don’t wanna have to have this conversation again cause honestly it’s kinda boring. You’re forgiven, I still love you, you’re still a great Dad even if you make mistakes. Which you do. A lot. Just, talk to me next time okay? Tell me the truth, we both promised to talk to each other about things remember? It’s not fair for you to make all the decisions on your own, for me or you.”

Towards the end Peter droned his voice dramatically to illustrate his point. “Wow. You kinda ruined my speech I had ready there, kiddo.”

“I know I’ve heard it a bunch of times, I’m just paraphrasing at this point.” Peter shrugged. He was so calm the entire time and Tony was glad. He had been so scared that he’d really damaged the boy’s self esteem, what little he had, with that comment. So being met with a calm, rational thinking teenager was what he had least been expecting. He really had talent the wind out of his sails with his whole spiel though.

“I am sorry, P.”

“I know. I forgive you. Just please don’t be so mean to me next time. I don’ like it.” Peter let himself show some emotion for the first time since his he’d walked out of their room. He looked so sad and the way he said it made Tony’s heart break with guilt. He hadn’t meant to let his mean streak get the better of him.

“I know, I’m so sorry bubby. I shouldn’t have let myself get so upset and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. Thank you for being so mature-“

To that Peter’s usual smile resumes and he took to opportunity to make fun of his Dad a little as revenge. As much as Tony had upset him, he knew that Tony was going to beat himself up emotionally more than Peter ever could, so he wasn’t going to prolong the man’s agony. Besides, he made a much better point when he conducted himself in the way he just had; making Tony feel ashamed of himself whilst upholding the moral high ground by not reacting. “Well one of us had to be huh? Thought it was better if I just walked away and let you have your little tantrum in peace.”

“Alright I get it.”

“But for real you say I act like a bratty teenager-“

“Peter.” Tony said warningly letting the boy know not to push his luck with his Dad’s already short temper.

“Okay, okay. But seriously, can we not argue anymore? At least not til we get home cause it’s been a long day.” Peter yawned to prove his point.

“It has been a long day.”

“Did you apologise to that nice blonde lady?” Peter suddenly remembered the altercation at the front desk and how rude his father had been to the woman who had been trying help him. He turned and frowned at the man.

“Uh. I will, Pete.” Tony shrugged awkwardly and Peter had never seen the man look so- shy?

“Seriously you were so mean to her, she was just tryna help me-”

“I know, I know, I will I promise. I owe her an apology for a lot of things.” Tony muttered not looking Peter in the eye. A sudden realisation hit him. The familiarity between them, the way they were going back and forth and what they were saying...

“Wait a second...was that Pepper?!” Tony’s eyes went wide and he stared at his son causing Peter to giggle involuntarily.

“Where did you hear that name?” Tony sounded dead serious but it was hard to take him that way when he had a distinct red glow on his cheeks.

“Oh my god- are you blushing? I never thought I’d see the day-“

“Peter.” Tony growled. It was clear he had no patience to be teased about that particular lady. “Where did you hear that name?”

“You said it in your sleep last night, when I jumped in with you. When you said my feet were cold, you called me Pepper.” Peter tried to keep a straight face as he saw the mortification set into Tony’s it was near impossible.

“You don’t repeat that name to another living soul do you understand?” The man said flatly and continued walking ahead of him, not glancing back.

“So it is her! What is she your girlfriend or somethi-“

“One more word and you’re grounded as soon as we get home.” Tony said finally.

Peter’s mouth gaped like a fish as he fought the urge to say anything else, but he held his hands up to show Tony he forfeited. He waited for his Dad to say something first, not sure if the threat including talking about other things.

“Just say it.” Tony sighed and rolled his eyes at him.

“Can I go finish my game now? I don’t trust Clint not to try and cheat again, he’s mad I got his ho-ho’s-”

“Come on.” Tony smiled and shook his head.

Peter grinned and turned back down the hallway announcing his arrival back in the room with a “What’s up losers!”

“No one likes a show off Kid, you were just on a lucky streak. Quit while you’re ahead.” Clint grumbled behind his cards.

“That sounds like something a sore loser could say Mr. Barton.” Peter giggled annoyingly, relishing in the reaction he got out of the man.

“We were going easy on you.”

“Suuuure you were.”

“I leave my kid alone with you for an hour and you guys already have him gambling? Tsk tsk.” Tony laughed at Steve’s horrified expression.

“I didn’t think you of all people would object to such a hobby, Tony.” Bruce chuckled as he clutched his small pile of various sweet goods close to him, looking ready to bite anyone who dared to touch his loot.

“On the contrary, I wanted to give him his first Casino experience on his eighteenth birthday.”

“Uhh, no thanks I’ll stick to candy bets thank you very much.” Peter laughed nervously. He could only imagine his aunt’s reaction if she heard Tony had taken Peter on such an excursion.

“Underground gambling more your style there, Pete? Looks like we got a little lawbreaker on our hands.” Nat smirked.

“Hey, uh uh don’t do that. Not going there.” Peter shook his head but he was still laughing.

“You’d rather gamble illegally than go to a licensed, refutable establishment? That sounds pretty deviant to me, son.” Tony joined in.

“Shuddup, I’m a sweet innocent baby boy and you all know it.” He smiled sweetly to illustrate his point. “Y’all are the heathens who are corrupting me. I’m a minor I relinquish all responsibility.”

“So, I’ll take your stash since you’re not gonna play anymore-” Steve reached his hand over to take Peter’s candy.

“Oh hell no, you best believe I’m taking you suckers for all you’ve got.” Peter cackled, slapping Steve’s hand back. “Hands off me treasure.”

They continued playing for a couple more hours, Peter being true to his word wiped the floor with the rest of the group. He couldn’t resist sharing some of his earnings with his candy-less victims though, he wasn’t a monster. It got to be eleven o’clock when Tony finally decided it was time they all retire to their own rooms, ready for the busy day they had to face tomorrow. Satisfied with having won Peter didn’t argue as he was pretty exhausted from the emotionally taxing day. He was just glad he and his Dad had made up before they had to retire to their room as despite himself, as the sky darkened outside he felt a familiar dread from the night before. Since it was past curfew all the lights in the hallways had been turned off and he would’ve been completely lost, not to mention terrified, if his Dad hadn’t been there. He managed to ignore the pale, black haired figures and shadows he saw in his periphery thanks to the man’s comforting presence, but he couldn’t ignore the shame that came along with it. Especially after the speech he’d given to his Dad about not needing to share a room with him.

Tony made sure to point out the closest bathroom before they retired to their room, both of them visiting it before heading back. After they had unpacked and changed for bed he also made the boy lead him to the restroom and back to their room unaided so that he was sure that Peter knew where he was going.

Peter elected to sleep on the top bunk of his set of bunk beds for some odd reason. Peter often liked to sleep up high, constantly making web hammocks in his room since he figured out how that day they spent at the safehouse. Tony knew better than to question his sons weird habits anymore, he was too tired anyway. He was ready to sleep like the dead for five hours before he had to get up and-

“Psst.”

Ugh. Just pretend you didn’t hear him Tony. Pretend you’re already asleep. But what if he needs something?

“Pssst, Dad are you awake?”

Tony sighed and rolled back over. “I am now. What is it Pete?”

“What’s gonna happen tomorrow?”

Tony sighed again. It wasn’t like he had already had this conversation eight times today with the boy already. But the way Peter asked was so innocent he didn’t have the heart to say that. “Well, we’ll get up at five thirty because they do count at six and it’s nicer not getting woken up be a soldier sticking a flashlight in your face. Breakfast is at six fifteen on the dot and anyone who’s late will be reprimanded-”

“Like with Steve?”

Tony chuckled a bit at that. “A little worse than Steve, bubs. But you won’t be late so don’t worry about that. After breakfast you’ll be called to go to your training area-”

“But I won’t be with you guys right?” Peter recalled from their earlier conversations.

“Right. I’m not sure exactly where you’ll be headed, but you’ll most likely be attending an initial induction meeting first. They’ll go over all the basic stuff about the importance of secrecy, data protection blahblahblah. Then you’ll go on to do some kind of drill exercises, but I should get to see you at around ten o’clock. That’s when we’re scheduled a break and I put a request in for you to be allowed access to our break area.”

“If I’m not put in with the new recruits then where else could they put me?”

“I don’t know, probably with a group of trainees or something.” Tony sighed. Couldn’t they talk about this in the morning? He’d already told Peter he didn’t know.

“Oh right yeah, I just wanna be prepared for anything. Sorry, I’ll let you sleep now.” Peter picked up on how exasperated his father was becoming and he didn’t feel like getting yelled at again that day.

“Goodnight, bubby.” Tony smiled fondly and turned back over.

“Nunight, Dad.” Peter laid down himself. He still had a thousand questions burning in his mind and his stomach was filled with a mixture of excited and nervous energy. But he knew better than to continue pestering Tony. All of his questions would get answered tomorrow and maybe he could find out from a neutral third party a little more about his standing within the agency because lord knows he wasn’t about to get a straight answer from his dad. With his mind racing it took awhile for him to fall asleep, he spent a couple hours tossing and turning. But finally he drifted into an uneasy sleep, dreaming about all the possibilities the next day could hold.

Chapter Text

Peter woke up before their alarm was set, by his body’s natural alarm clock. He was confused as to where he was for a second, but the prompting from his bladder caused him to remember pretty quickly. Once he had used the facilities he was already too awake to go back to sleep, especially once he remembered all the excitement and anxiety he had in store for that day. He decided to get dressed and ready a little early so he would some time to calm his nerves before he had to meet any new people. He took a little extra time in the shower, letting himself relax under the warm water. By the time he strolled back to his and Tony’s room it was coming time for the man to be getting up himself. And he was right his Dad was up, albeit a little confused.

“Pete, c’mon you gotta get up.” Tony yawned his eyes half lidded, washing his face in the sink. “I’m tired too bud, but we can’t be late-”

Peter was standing in the doorway tilting his head. “Dad, I’ve been up for ages who are you-”

“Jesus christ!” Tony jumped slightly and put a hand over his arc reactor. “Peter, fuck, you scared the shit outta me.”

Peter was genuinely confused. Had the man not noticed he wasn’t in the room with him? It was then he looked over to his bed. In his haste to get to the bathroom he had thrown back the covers over the three pillows he had accumulated in his nest (two of which were stolen from the unoccupied bunks, had he been able to pry Tony’s out from under his head without waking the man up he would have) inadvertently creating a human shaped form under the blankets. He bust out laughing much to his father’s distaste.

“That’s not funny Peter. You can’t go around doing that to someone with a heart condition. You wanna start a prank war with me?”

“No, no! It was an accident I swear!” Peter said quickly his smile dropping. He had been told tales of the great prank war that occurred a couple years ago, Thor had even shown him the scar.

“Oh yeah, sure. Hey Pete, what’s that?” Tony changed his expression convincingly and pointed over Peter’s shoulder causing him to turn around.

“What’s wha- AH!” Tony took the opportunity and lunges at Peter tickling his sides mercilessly. He hadn’t thought the boy would be naive enough to fall for that. “N-No! Sthap- stop! D-aha ha had!”

“I know you’ve just been to the bathroom so I can do this all day.” Tony grinned evilly, crouching down to continue his torture when Peter’s knees have way from laughter. He rolled into his side like a character from a dramatic Shakespearean death scene, losing all of his strength during his giggling.

“Wh-who who a-ar- AH!” Peter had intended to say ‘who are you Steve?’ given that Tony had just used the man’s signature catchphrase unintentionally, but he wasn’t given the opportunity between gasping for air.

“Why are you doing an owl impression Pete?” Tony spoke as if they were having a completely normal conversation and Peter had started just booting out of nowhere. “Be quiet kid you’re gonna wake the neighbours.”

“I-I-I’m gonna pe-he-he- Stop!” Tony didn’t take the threat seriously until Peter stopped trying to fight him off and started grabbing his crotch instead.

He relented and stood back up, still believing it to be a scare tactic to make him back off. “Oh come on, that’s so not fair-“

He was cut off by Peter running out of the room still holding himself. He returned after a few minutes his face still impossibly red.

“That was so not funny!” He huffed grumpily. “I said no prank war!”

“There is absolutely no way you actually used the bathroom.” Tony chuckled flippantly.

“Oh yeah?” Peter scowled and abruptly pulled down his pants enough to show the man his underwear.

“Boy what are you doing- oh.” There was indeed a decent sized wet patch and Tony felt a stab of guilt. That was until he started laughing. “How is that even possible?”

“Shut up! It’s involuntary alright?!” Peter huffed and stormed over to his dresser to fish out a new pair of boxers.

Tony knew he ought not to tease his son but he was still tired, which caused him to be a bit giggly that morning and he couldn't help himself. “No but that’s like, physically impossible. How did you manage to do that? Is that pee or some kind of spider venom-“

“Stop talking or I’m throwing these ones at your face.” Peter deadpanned holding his wet underwear menacingly. “It’s like a fear reaction I don’t know..”

“Awe did I scare you my little bubba?” Tony mock cooed at him and walked over to pretend pinch his cheeks. Peter slapped his hands away and stomped his foot.

“God you are so annoying! What is with you this morning? Go get some damn coffee or something.” He scoffed and turned away from his Dad to get changed.

Tony turned to do the same, throwing his head back to groan dramatically. “Ugh don’t remind me. I’m not gonna get a decent cup of coffee for two weeks.”

“Woah, wait do you hear that?”

Tony sighed knowing full well what was coming. “Don’t say it.”

“It’s the world's tiniest violin.” Peter proceeded to make tiny whining sound effects until he felt something hit him in the back of his head. It didn’t hurt but it was startling. He looked behind him to see a pair of discarded socks rolled up into a ball. “Oh gross! That’s disgusting Tony!”

“You just threatened to throw your pissy draws at me, don’t wanna hear it.” Tony cackled.

Not long after the two finished getting dressed (or redressed in Peter’s case) a soldier dressed in typical camo gear came round with a clicker, counting to make sure everyone was in their rooms. Peter had been in the middle of making sure his bed was made to an appropriate military standard and jumped a foot in the air when he heard someone come in behind him. Luckily his brain worked ever so slightly quicker than his reflexes that morning or the poor worker would’ve got a fistful or webbing thrown into his face. After they had been cleared to leave their bunk room from count Tony lead Peter by the shoulders in the opposite direction than they had been going previously since he had zero idea how to get to the mess hall himself.

Just as the were at the top of a corridor, opposite a set of doors labelled cafeteria, Tony stopped walking and turned Peter to face him. “The canteen is communal and everyone eats at the same time, so there’s gonna be a lot of people okay? It’s gonna be pretty loud.”

Peter managed to keep the grimace from his face and nodded. His Dad knew about how sensitive his hearing was and how common it was for him to get over stimulated from too much sound. Peter often counteracted this using specially designed earbuds when he was in crowded public spaces, like in the halls at school, but he hadn’t thought to bring them. Tony had said they weren’t allowed any specialist pieces of equipment that weren’t essential to survival (such as Tony’s heart), as not to impede or advance their performance.

“I know bud.” Tony rubbed his arm comfortingly. He could tell that Peter was putting on a brave face but was nervous as well. “Just stick close to me.”

As soon as they opened the door it hit Peter the magnitude of the place. The room was filled with what must’ve been six hundred or so people, sat along the massive metal benches lining each side of the room or standing in line at the various windows that were dealing out trays. He was immediately bombarded with sounds that made him want to cover his ears. Sounds of metal scraping, of conversation and worst of all chewing. Gross. It made him wonder what kind of material the doors were made of to be able to block out the sound so much, as he could barely hear whispers before they hinges opened.

It wasn’t until Tony nudged him that he realised he hadn’t moved and he was standing in the way of a pair of giant men who made Thor look like a cabbage patch doll. “Oh s-Sorry!”

“No problem.” Came one gruff voice.

“Cute kid, Stark. He yours?” The other man teased, grinning slyly.

“Good morning Marvin, Ace.” Tony nodded to each man respectively and rolled his eyes. “Come on, P.”

He steered Peter through a sea of people getting stopped a couple more times. He tried to stay calm but it was difficult when he was being pushed through a crowd without knowing where he was going. He much rather would have trailed behind Tony but he supposed the man didn’t trust him not to wander off and talk to people. Which was tempting as he saw several people he recognised.

“Hey is that-“

“Keep it movin’ Spidey. We can have a meet and greet later.”

He didn’t argue. He knew Tony was right, they had two weeks for him to go around pestering people. He was just happy to see familiar faces in the ocean of strangers. Finally he saw some very familiar faces, one of which was bellowing across the hall, causing a lot of other missionaries to turn and stare.

“TONY! SPIDERLING! OVER HERE!”

“Yes, Thank you Thor we see you.” Tony shook his head, clearly embarrassed by the sudden attention. Peter on the other hand was relieved, though he did blush a bit at the nickname. He didn’t want anyone else to start calling him that or god forbid think that was his actual alias.

Tony steered Peter through the last leg of the crowd and told him to sit down at the table whilst he went and grabbed their trays. Peter went to object, assuming that Tony wouldn’t be allowed to take two in such a strict military environment but he bit his tongue. Who was he kidding, his Dad was Tony Stark. No one was going to say no to him. Besides, he didn’t want to leave the safety of his seat and be swallowed by the mass of other agents.

“Morning Pete.” Steve smiled, though the man looked exhausted. Peter had never seen him look so tired.

“Hi, are you okay?”

Steve laughed softly. “Yeah, just a rough night. Has anyone told you where you’ve been allocated yet?”

He noted how Steve had changed the subject quickly but decided not to press the man on the issue, assuming he was keeping something private for a reason. “Uh uh not yet. I haven’t really seen anyone official other than the head counting dude.”

“Yeah, the first morning is pretty unorganised. They have to allow time for everyone to get here first.”

Peter nodded understandingly. He’d heard at least a dozen different languages being spoken that morning alone, which was amazing. He hadn’t realised that S.H.I.E.L.D was such a diverse corporation. Of course he knew they had agents all over the world but he had thought it was predominantly an American based operation, but he was clearly naive to assume such a thing. He was pretty sure half of the native tongues he was hearing weren’t even human. Cool.

They all made general conversation, answering Peter’s excited/nervous chatter. Tony eventually made his way back to the table with two mini boxes of cereal and cartons of milk, looking disgusted.

“Have you seen the shit water they’re trying to pass off as coffee?” He grumbled as he slammed the trays down. “Here kid.”

“Thanks!” Peter happily ripped open the packages, being starving given that he had missed dinner the night before.

“Well maybe this is a good time to curb your caffeine addiction.” Bruce chided over the table, earning himself a death glare from Tony.

“I’ll stop drinking coffee when you stop putting yourself at risk for type two diabetes, Doctor.” He growled.

“Take it easy.” Steve chuckled. That was when Tony noticed how disheveled the blond looked.

“Jesus Rogers, you look like shit. Bucky having a rough time sleeping again?”

Steve’s expression hardened and he looked between Tony and Peter for a minute. “Can we not in front of Peter please?”

Tony blinked for a second before catching on to Steve words, seeming to have forgotten Peter’s presence. For once he actually held his hands up in apology. “My bad.”

“I ain’t eavesdropping on other people’s business.” Peter out his hands over his ears to prove his point. Though he was intrigued by the things implied during that short interaction Peter respected Steve’s right to a little privacy, something that was already in short supply in their household. He made a show of changing the subject. “So Clint, you’re looking extra grumpy this morning-“

They made conversation freely again, Tony being sure not to accidentally bring up private matters again. It wasn’t long before Peter started to grow quiet, the anxiety starting to take over the excitement running through him. It was Nat who caught on to this first and she got up from the other side of the table and gestured for Thor to scootch up the bench.

“Getting nervous, Spider-Guy?” She spoke quietly to avoid Tony jumping in and going all over the top protective Dad on him. She smirked her usual sarcastic smile but her voice was a lot softer than usual, letting Peter know that she wasn’t teasing him.

“A little.” He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

“You’re gonna do fine. You’ll pass all the tests, you’re more than physically capable. So long as you keep your head down and don’t stray from orders you’ll be absolutely fine.” She patted his back and gave him a genuine smile, which was certainly a rarity. “The questions they ask are easy, just don’t over think them. You’re more than qualified for this, you have nothing to worry about.”

Peter nodded, finding that her words actually did bring him some comfort. It meant more coming from someone who so rarely engaged in emotional conversations. Since the time they spent together before Peter and Tony were abducted, moments like that were becoming more and more frequent and Peter likes seeing that side of the usually stoic woman. He managed to smile back at her. “Thanks Nat.”

“Don’t mention it, squirt.” And of course she had to ruin the moment by messing his hair up as she stood to take her original seat.

“Hey!” He had spent time slicking his curls down dammit!

Not long after Nat gave him a pep talk, the room that had been full of roaring conversation died down to near silence. Everyone turned to face the far end of the room, Peter following suit, to look at the group of official looking missionaries that had filed in and lined up. As opposed to the other officers he’d seen walking around, these men and women were wearing a sleek, navy uniform that looked similar to the suits Tony often had his team wear to rain when he was working on repairs or upgrades for them.

“New recruits listen up!” One of the men stepped forward and barked, his voice echoing around the room. “You will now be sorted into groups do testing and processing. If you have already been processed and accepted you will be placed into another group, but if not you need to have your personal statements, identification and other credentials on hand-“

At this point in the speech Peter turned to look at Tony, silently asking him if he had forgotten to bring something important but he’s Dad put him at ease, shaking his head slightly.

“For those of you who are already agents or have been here before, you should understand how the following process will go. When I call your name please go towards your allocated officer. Avery, Aaron, group c-“

The man continued to list names in alphabetical order and it seemed to Peter as though he was just calling out the newcomers. This made him nervous as he realised his time with his family was running out. Even though Tony had prepared him for this since they’d got there it was still a momentary panic to have the clock ticking against him, he hadn’t realised how immediately he was going to have to be whisked away. What made it worse was most of the other new people had congregated together, likely due to having bunked together, and were sitting at the tables nearest the door. Peter was sitting all the way at the other need of the room meaning he was going to have to walk the entire length of the dining hall. In front of all those people. He suddenly felt like his breakfast was going to make a reappearance when he felt Tony’s hand on his shoulder.

“You’ll be fine Underoos. Remember I’ll see you during break.”

He looked up to his dad and gave him a brave smile even though he felt like crying. Deep breaths. Oh god they were getting to the P names that would mean he’s-

“Parker, Peter, group G. Partridge, Alan-“ The officer moved on immediately of course but Peter didn’t move for a second. It wasn’t until Tony squeezed his shoulder and he realised that he had to stand up before it started to look weird.

“See you later, guys.” He whispered as he turned away, all of them whispering encouraging words in response. His legs felt like jelly as he strode towards the soldier holding up the laminated sign for his group. It felt like all eyes were on him, and some of them were, mostly because they were shocked to see a new recruit sitting at the Avengers table more than anything else. He swallowed the bile that rose in his throat and kept his eyes dead ahead. He joined the back of his line, where about thirty other people were already queued. He dared to glance back at his table everyone was giving him thumbs up in approval. At once point Thor looked as though he was about stand to shout something out across the room but Bruce and Clint pulled him back down, Steve covered his mouth and Nat looked as though she was whispering threats to him. At least that made him chuckle.

It was hard to see across the room but Tony was mourning something to him. He shrugged to show the man he couldn’t decipher his facial movements and his Dad held up his wrist pointing at his watch. What about the time? It was six forty five what was so important?

He shrugged again and Tony rolled his eyes, preparing to mouth whatever he was trying to say more dramatically but unfortunately, Thor decided he’d help the pair out.

“HE’S SAYING TEN O’CLOCK MY YOUNG FRIEND!”

“Thor shut up!” Nat hissed as did the rest of the adults lining the table, who were all giving the confused god murderous looks. Well if they weren’t before, everyone was certainly looking at Peter now.

He didn’t dare to reply verbally he just gave his Dad a nod to show he understood and turned away before Thor had the mind to say anything else. He could feel eyes boring into his back and it made his skin crawl thinking about all the pairs of eyes on him, waiting for him to do something. Or to mess something up. No pressure. He tried to shake off the feeling as best he could but it was difficult when he could hear mumbling and whispers asking what that kids name was again and was he really sitting by the avengers? Surely not.

He could feel his ears getting hot as the blush on his cheeks spread. Keep your head down Pete, just like Nat said. He took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders, trying to portray the air of confidence he wished he had. He’d been this anxious before, he kept telling himself that.

‘Remember the day you started the Stark internship? That was way worse than this, you’ve got this. I’ve got this. Like Dad says keep breathing this feeling will pass, it won’t be as bad as I think it is.’

He kept this little mantra going as the last of the list of newbies was called and they were being marched out of the room. Well, not literally marched because Peter didn’t know how to, not properly. He made sure not to steal another glance back at his table, both to not waiver his newfound bravery and to help convince the people on it that it was genuine.

“Is this what it feels like on your kids first day of school?” Tony turned to Clint after he watched Peter walk away, right up until he disappeared out of view.

“Yup.”

Peter followed the line of people, not being able to see where he was going. It was pretty disorientating between all the noise of people’s boots hitting the hard floor and the twist and turns of the corridors that he had no chance of maneuvering around himself. He ended up bumping into the guy in front of him, who gave him several dirty looks for doing so; It wasn’t his fault, he couldn’t see far enough ahead of him to anticipate the corners they were about to take. They were eventually were lead to a large bunkroom, much like the ones Tony had described during his threats the night before. The main guard who had been holding the sign took to the open space squared off by the beds in centre of the room Next to him were stacks of bluish-grey clothing folded neatly and separated by size.

“Line up.” The man spoke quietly but firmly and everyone immediately did so, except for one guy who for some reason had been forced out of the line and no one would make a space for him to slot in.

“Oh come on- ugh. Seriously? Just lemme scootch right on in and- hey!” Every time he tried he was shoved back and it was clear he was becoming understandably frustrated.

“We got a problem here, Lang?” The main guard said gruffly.

“No. Well yeah I just-”

“Psst.” Peter hissed and stepped aside to make room for him, waving his hand quickly. He’d never been a fan of organised bullying, he wasn’t about to let this guy get in trouble for something he couldn’t help. By the looks of things even the organising officer had it out for him. The man’s eyes lit up when he saw what Peter had done and he rushed forward to join the line before the men either side of him had a chance to close the gap.

“Thanks.” He whispered to him hurriedly and flashed Peter a smile.

Everyone else in the room sighed, tutted or groaned once the man he only knew as Lang joined the line. For a second Peter was worried he had made a mistake, he didn’t want to make enemies so early on. But the man hadn’t been doing anything wrong from what he’d seen so he brushed that feeling off as quick as it came. He shrugged and smiled in return before turning his attention back to the man in the centre of the room.

“This will be your uniform for the duration of your stay with us here at the sunshine camp for wayward girls.” The man held one of the folded garments in the air as he strolled slowly around the room, looking each soldier up and down. Peter resisted the urge to laugh at the scene. It was such a stereotypical rookie intimidation thing had he not known better he would have thought it was satirical. It was difficult not to laugh when he had images of the various ‘let me see your war face’ memes running through his head. It didn’t make it any easier when the man stood in front of him, eyeing him up and down. He couldn’t help it, he had a nasty habit of laughing at inappropriate times, anyone who knew him could attest to that.

Despite the filthy looks the officer was now sending his way he continued with his speech.

“The colour of your uniform is your key. It works as a form of identification. It lets us know who you are, where you’re meant to be and where you are not.” His dark piercing eyes laid upon Peter with that last word. “Your suits are grey. Grey means you’re in G group and grey means you’re now answering under me. Everything you do from now on is a reflection of me and I won’t have my soldiers ruining my spotless reputation, is that understood?”

The group chorused, including Peter even if he was just a beat behind. “Yes sir.”

“Good. I understand most of you come from a disciplined military background-” Again the man’s eyes fell on Peter but also the man beside him, with a look of disgust on his face. “-and have worked very hard to be here today. To have this opportunity. So, I don’t expect mistakes. Mistakes mean you don’t really want to be here, that you don’t have the drive needed to excel in this kind of environment, that you’re weak. And none of those apply to you, do they men?”

“No sir.” Again Peter had to bite back the urge to make a remark considering at least half of the troops lined up were women. He wasn’t sure where all of the sass was coming from but he had a sneaking suspicion he was spending too much time around his quick witted father. He was going to have to tone down the sarcasm if he was going to survive the next two weeks.

The man, who’s name Peter still didn’t know, then went around the room asking peoples sizes and handing out the appropriate uniforms. Peter wasn’t exactly sure what his measurements anymore and that’s what the man seemed to be asking for, which made him start to panic. People were also changing right where they stood like it was no big deal, did he really have to strip in front of a bunch of strangers? Given his age he was sure that there were laws in place preventing that.

‘Well, suck it up buttercup.’ A voice in his head sounded. ‘It’s no different to getting changed in the boys locker room at school-’

Another voice chimed in. ‘Yes it is there are girls in here. And I hate gym at school too.’

‘Touché.’

As Peter was having his internal debate the officer had made his way around the room and was standing in front of him.

“Size?”

“Uh- I don’t, I’m not really sur-”

The man sighed and cut him off. “So Stark’s golden boy doesn’t even dress himself?”

There were chuckles around the room. Ah. Great.

Peter felt his face going beet red for the second time that morning and he clamped his mouth shut, both because he didn’t know what to say and he didn’t trust himself not to throw up as his anxiety kicked in. How was he meant to respond to something like that? It was clear the man already had a distaste for him, he wasn’t going to win whatever he said. Keep your head down and you’ll be fine.

He looked down towards the floor and the chuckles died down. It seemed even the officer didn’t have the heart to continue to ridicule him. He sighed again, but softly this time. “Johnson, grab me a small uniform please.”

A small? Come on, he was at least a medium! Though looking around the room everyone around him was considerably bigger than him, all of them being at least half a foot taller than him, including the women. Going by their standard Peter was certainly a small. Well, that was a confidence boost for sure.

Once his uniform was handed to him he made quick work of getting changed, both because he didn’t want to cause a fuss and have attention drawn to him again and the fact the almost everyone else was already done. Luckily he had plenty of practise changing quickly, thanks to his small bladder and his vigilante days in the alley after school. To his dismay it was still a little loose whereas everyone else’s seemed to be form fitting. Maybe he was going to have to start listening to Steve about finishing his meals. He puffed his chest up a little, as though that made him look any bigger and awaited further instruction.

“As you know, you’ve all been stripped of your technological devices. This is to ensure none of you rely purely on your tech to survive and preform. Tech should only be used as an additional asset for any S.H.I.E.L.D agent, an accessory not a necessity. To ensure that we make sure to weed out the weak ones early on. I’m sure none of you will struggle with the following tasks, the tests you’ve passed previously would have made sure you were up to speed, so to speak.” Again the man’s eyes fell on Peter and ‘Lang’. Okay so this guy was in the same boat as him it seemed. It wasn’t his fault he had skipped the usual route to get there, he didn’t ask to be bitten by a radioactive spider dammit. Just keep your head down- he was trying but it was hard when everyone seemed to have it out for him already because of his circumstances. It just made him more determined to prove to everyone that he was worthy of being there as they were.

“In order for us to achieve an accurate score for your results of these assessments we ask those of you with particular skills or powers not to use them. Not only could this affect those around you from achieving their personal best it would also make your own scores invalid as your superpowers wouldn’t allow us to get a clear picture of your physical abilities. That means no portals, manipulation of elements, mind control, projectiles of any kind, etcetera- understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

The group was then lead out of the room and back through a barrage of hallways. Just trying to figure out the floorplan of this place was enough to make Peter dizzy, though he supposed that had been a deliberate design feature. It would help confuse enemies as well as keep people like him dependant on their leader, in turn leading to less people exploring. They were taken to an outside area, complete with a large obstacle course as to be expected.

“You will be completing the course as a unit first. All of you at once. Those of you who finish last will be made to perform the task again until your time improves. Then you will complete the task again as an individual. If you do not beat your own record time you will have to redo the task until you do. Is that clear?” Everyone sounded off. “Take your positions at the starting line.”

Peter was just happy to be outside, the cool early morning air leaving him feeling instantly charged. And honestly? The course didn’t look half bad. In fact it looked quite fun. It was a typical military set up, with tyres and rope swings and walls to scale; along with other various structures to climb over, under or through. He could do all of those things easily he didn’t need his webs. This was going to be a piece of cake.

“On the count of three. One. Two. Three.” And they were off. Much to Peter’s surprise he seemed to be ahead of everyone else, only seeing a few people in his periphery. He took the tyre run with ease, leaping backward and forwards fluidly. The ropes, if anything, gave him the unfair advantage the nameless officer had been talking about. He propelled himself forward using only the first and last rope, skipping over a solid thirty yards as though it was nothing. If he wasn’t ahead before he definitely was after that, the only minor snag he hit was towards the end, on a frame covered in wooden spikes. Quite literally a snag, his uniform got caught on one of the pointed edges and he had to take a moment to free himself lest he end up finishing the rest of the course with no pants. While he was fiddling he saw a couple people over take him, but he paid them no mind. He wasn’t particularly competitive (other than with his dad, but Tony could’ve convinced Mother Theresa into competing in an arm wrestle) and besides he was getting marked on his performance alone, this minor hiccup would just make it easier for him to beat his time.

He ended up finishing fourth, which he was pretty proud of given the circumstances, not that they were particularly taking an interest in placing. He was just relieved not to have finished near to last. Speaking of which he noticed the man, Lang, was one of the last five people to finish. It was still impressive, the obstacles were by no means easy, Peter doubted anyone who hadn’t formally trained in the military (bar those like him who had had training elsewhere) would have struggled to complete it at all. Lang came fourth to last and was visibly upset by that fact. The group was now a mixed bag of sweaty, heavy breathing people and those who looked as though they’d just taken a gentle stroll through the countryside. Fortunately for Peter, he was one of the latter as he’d had ample time to get his breath back whilst the others finished. They however, weren’t so lucky.

“And, Polinski. Time three o eight. Walker, Lang, Reed, O'Connor and Polinski make your way back to the starting point.” The officer barked, looking disappointedly down at his watch.

Lang looked up from his bent kneed, position where he was leaning his hands against his thighs, staring wide eyed at the officer. “Wha-what? Can’t we take a minute to-”

“Now!” The ferocity in the man’s voice made Peter jump even though it wasn’t aimed at him. He felt bad as he watched the men walk back around, only to be forced into a jog after another bark from the navy clad man. They were given no respite before he demanded they go again. Peter watched, silently rooting for all of the poor people especially lang, hoping that they would beat their time so that they’d be given a break before they had to go again.

It seemed his silent prayer worked, at least to an extent. Lang was given the all clear and allowed to crawl towards the sideline for a much needed rest. Two of the other recruits weren’t so lucky. Peter watched in horror as the two raced the last leg of the course against each other, when one abruptly fell with a sickening crack resounding through the entire area. Not a few seconds later the sound was followed by an ear piercing scream that reverberated off of the concrete walls and into Peter’s sensitive ears, as the man who had fallen (he believed to be Reed) held up their leg that was very clearly broken. His foot was facing away from his body in an unnatural position and Peter had to look away before he threw up, getting that familiar watery feeling in his mouth as a warning. He didn’t see the other rookie make the mistake of turning back to tend to the shrieking man, which ultimately lead to him having to take the course a third time. This time by himself.

Their captain took this as a learning opportunity. “This test was not designed to measure your morality. I don’t care about your precious sensibilities, this task was created to measure your athletic ability, your will and your stamina. How you ever gone survive out on the battlefield if even in here you can’t remember to look out for number one? I don’t wanna see any more of this no man left behind bullshit- you getting the message over there O’Connor?”

The exhausted man managed somehow to yell back. “Sir, yes Sir!”

He didn’t respond, he just laughed cruelly. Thankfully for O’Conner the adrenaline that had fueled him once he’d seen his comrade break a limb managed to carry him over the finish line, somehow beating his first score.

“There! Now that weren’t so hard was it.” The leader laughed again and smacked the man on the back, almost knocking him over. “Two twenty six- hell you even beat Stevenson! Go grab yourself some water there, pal.”

The second smack to O’Connor’s back was enough to make him stumble over, to which he received no help or sympathy. “Whoo, careful there. You coulda broken a leg.”

Peter took it upon himself to help the man up and hand him a bottle of water, not that he received much gratitude in return. He couldn’t blame him, not after he’d just been forced to learn a hard lesson for helping others. Peter went and sat down on the grass along with a few other people, ready to watch the people with names corresponding with earlier letters in the alphabet. He was glad that they didn’t get yelled at for doing so as their captain was busy surveying the other recruits.

He was busy considering how much water he should drink to avoid dying without needing a bathroom break when he felt someone sit beside him. It was Lang. They exchanged a quick smile before Peter really took in the mans face. Peter hadn’t noticed before but the man looked strangely familiar now that he was up close; it wasn’t a familiar face, he was good with those but there was something about him. Something that he couldn’t place. The more he looked at him the worse the deja vu got, he just couldn’t put his finger on it.

“Do I-” They both started at the same time. It seemed the man had been thinking the same thing.

“Have we- have we met before?” Lang said.

“I don’t know have we?” Peter laughed. He didn’t recall ever hearing the last name Lang but the mans voice-

Once again it appeared Lang was having the exact same thought process. “Wait your voice, I knew I heard it when you were talking to Judge over there- say something else!”

“Uh hi?”

“No no, more than that, give me your name or something!”

“Uh, hi I’m Peter?”

“That’s it! Oh my god you’re that kid from Germany! The one Tony Stark brought in! Jesus I knew you were young but I didn’t think you were this young!”

Whilst the man was talking the realisation dawned on him too. He turned himself around to face Lang fully, sitting up on his knees and pointing to him. “Wait are you that tiny guy who got really big all a sudden and then-”

“Yes! Yeah- that was me! And you were the kid that Captain America dropped that tanker on!”

Peter laughed nervously at the memory, rubbing the back of his neck. Steve had apologised over a hundred times about that and he’d flown off the handle at Tony for letting him fight him (“FOURTEEN?! I COULD HAVE KILLED A BABY!”) “Hehe, yeah that was me.”

Lang finally seemed to get over his initial shock at the chance meeting and held out his hand to shake Peter’s. “Well, how are ya man?! My name’s Scott by the way, Scott Lang. God it’s nice to see a somewhat familiar face around here!”

Peter shook his hand back mirroring the mans enthusiasm. “Tell me about it, T-Mr. Stark told me you were part of an independent company, what’re you doing here?”

“Well after the whole Germany fiasco S.H.I.E.L.D got wind of my work, obviously. The whole national TV thing didn’t help- Anyway! They said I could continue doin’ my thing so long as I went through the proper government measures and all that. To which I said, ‘no you can kiss my ass’ to which they said ‘uh, you either do it our way and enlist as a part of our agency, or that ass will be behind bars in an unmarked cell where no one would ever find you’. So yeah. Oh that and if I do think I get access to a lot of materials that were pretty darn hard to get otherwise. So, yeah, that’s it in a nutshell!” Scott shrugged still smiling happily. “So what about you kid, how’d you get wrapped up in all this?”

“Uh…” Peter wasn’t really sure where to start. Bearing in mind this man was still practically a stranger and he wasn’t sure how much information he could actually divulge without getting himself or anyone else into trouble. “It’s a long story. But basically I work for Mr. Stark full time now and they decided it would be a good idea for me to enroll as a full agent since I was kinda doing it anyway just off the books, you know?”

“Makes sense.” Scott nodded. They chattered back and forth for a while, Peter asking questions on how Scott’s suit worked and Scott asking Peter what kinds of things he worked on in his own lab. Halfway through a conversation about nanotechnics Scott paused and looked at Peter thoughtfully. “Can I ask a personal question?”

“Uh. Well that depends on the question I guess.” Peter chuckled nervously.
“How old are you?”

Peter paused before answering. He didn’t exactly want everyone around them to hear him admit his age for fear of being judged even more. They were already against him for having gotten to their position so easily he could only imagine the looks on their faces if they found out he had achieved their lives work in only his short years, let alone the treatment he’d most likely receive as a result. He made sure to lower his voice, crouching closer to Scott so hopefully the man would pick up on his vibes to secrecy. “Fifteen.”

“Fift-fifteen?” Scott exclaimed before lowering his own voice at Peter’s wide eyed expression. “Fifteen? Wow.”

“Yeah I know, I get that a lot-”

“You are really smart for your age.”

That took Peter by surprise as he’d expected a spiel about how young he was to be working in the field. “Oh. Uh, thanks.”

“I’d never be able to hold a conversation like that with most grown ups let alone a fifteen year old. Damn, you’re not much older than my daughter.” Scott sat back and stared off into the distance, still letting that information sink in. “Fifteen-”

“If I’m done interrupting your mothers meeting ladies, I believe I’ve called LANG TWICE ALREADY! ONE MORE TIME AND YOU’LL BE JOINING THE PIGS IN THE MEAT LOCKER!”

Scott and Peter both jumped and the former scrambled to his feet. “Shit, shit, shit- sorry Colonel, I’m coming!”

Chapter Text

Scott was quick to complete his third rendition on the obstacle course and much to his glee he halved his original time, actually ranking within the top thirty of the group. Not that he actually received any praise whatsoever from anyone other than himself. He returned triumphantly to Peter's side, collapsing on the grass next to him.

“Not bad.” Peter chuckled and threw the exhausted man another bottle of water which he took gratefully.

“Whoo- thanks. Damn, what time is it?”

Peter glanced down at his watch, forgetting it wasn’t there. Tony had told him he wasn’t allowed to wear it, the officers enjoyed having complete control over their recruits meaning they were dependant on them for everything, even the time. That and he guessed some people would have been able to hide forbidden tech even in such a small device, hell Tony probably would have. He shrugged in response to Scott’s question but the man didn’t seem too upset by it.

“Feels like bedtime to me.” He yawned dramatically and threw his head back onto the ground and closed his eyes, still panting heavily.

Peter chuckled but he started to wonder himself. It had felt like they’d been outside for hours but realistically it couldn’t have been that long. He supposed he was just bored from the lack of mental stimulation but he wouldn’t have to worry about that for much longer.

“Nice work Packham. Parker, you’re up.” The colonel called out giving Peter that familiar sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He wasn’t nervous about the task itself but the idea of everyone staring at him again was enough to make his stomach churn. He took a deep breath, trying to ignore the nagging feeling in the back of his mind and stood up. He found a tactic that helped calm his stage fright.

‘Pretend you’re in the suit. They’re not looking at you as Peter, they’re looking at Spider-Man. Show them what he can do.’ The voice in his head lending the idea sounded suspiciously like Tony and the thought helped calm the butterflies in his stomach tremendously. He still didn’t like the way the officer stared at him but it was much more tolerable if he imagined his mask between them. He braced himself at the red line that indicated the start of the track, waiting to be counted down from three like he had heard the man do for each of the other recruits.

But no such countdown came. “Go!”

Luckily his body reacted immediately so that didn’t impact his time, but his mind was reeling. He hadn’t done anything wrong, the only interaction he had had with the man included him saying five stuttered words to him, there was no way he had done anything to deserve such treatment. It was like he was setting him up to fail, deliberately trying to put Peter at an unfair advantage, as if his age and size wasn’t enough. This early on in the programme no less, Peter hadn’t even been given a chance to prove himself yet what did the man want from him? It was totally unfair. His anger towards the unjust treatment fuelled him, making him take on the course faster than humanly possible. He didn’t even have to think about what he was doing, having watched so many people go before him and the muscle memory from his previous run, he could have tackled it with his eyes shut. He landed gracefully over the finish line, his breathing barely altered and he felt accomplished. He didn’t even need his time to know he had beat his record, the colonel’s sour expression told him enough. He tried to resist giving the man a smug smile but he couldn’t help himself.

“Sit down, Parker.”

“Yes, sir.” Peter said coolly and strutted back across the yard.

Despite how happy he felt he couldn’t help but notice Scott’s worried expression as he sat back down. “Tread lightly around Judge, Peter.”

“Is that his name? He never said it.” Peter shrugged off the warning, but Scott pressed on.

“His nickname. His real name is Colonel Wilson. From what I’ve heard and seen over the past few weeks you don’t wanna be on the wrong side of him-”

“Wait. Weeks?”

“Yeah. My lab got raided sometime last month and since I complied they couldn’t put me in jail so they had to keep me somewhere. They just had me wait around here until the next catchment of new recruits were scheduled to come in; which I get there’d be no point training one person but come on, I was already under house arrest it’s not my fault they didn’t consider that my ankle bracelet wouldn’t shrink with me. How is it my fault? I didn’t break the rules I bent them!” He ranted rhetorically for a second before remembering he was telling a story. “Anyways-I was in the barracks with a few other strays up until then but all the people I met were like ‘oh, I hope I’m not with Wilson, I hope I’m not with Wilson’. I didn’t get it at the time but I do now.”

Peter had seen that morning alone that the man was less than friendly, but if the man had a reputation even amounts the newbies he must’ve been worse that he’d initially realised. He figured his unfair treatment was just down to him being young and having skipped the other steps to get there but if other people were experiencing the same thing...something about it didn’t feel right.

“What kinda things have you heard..?” Peter asked apprehensively.

“Well for one thing he was demoted from Lieutenant General I think it was? Some time last year, for something he did. I don’t know what it was. But ever since then apparently he’s had a mean streak a mile wide.” Scott looked around him briefly to see if anyone was eavesdropping on their conversation. “I’ve got a hunch that it’s something to do with the people you work with.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Just the way he’s been acting with you. I thought it was just me you know? Since he was nice as pie when I first came in but as soon as he looked through my papers and saw who had me enlisted he started being a total prick- wait shit, I probably shouldn’t swear around you huh?”

“Dude I’m in highschool. And I live with Tony do you really think I don’t hear cursing on a daily basis?” Peter snorted.

Scott opened his mouth to say something but his face fell into that of confusion. “Wait. You live with them?”

“I didn’t say that.” Peter felt his face reddening. Backtrack, backtrack, backtrack-

“Yeah, but you kinda did. Just now you said ‘I live with Tony.’”

Crap so much for keeping things private. “N-not that Tony. Uh- My aunt.”

“Your aunts name is Tony.” Scott said flatly, no inflection of a question.

“Yeah? Problem?” Peter reverted back to the indignant front most teenagers give when they’ve been caught out saying something stupid or incriminating.

“With the name? No. But if you’re referring to your aunt why would you say Tony like I’m meant to know who that is?” Scott tilted his head smirking, knowing full well he had the boy backed into a corner.

“...My aunts very popular?” Smooth Parker. Real smooth. “A-anyway. Why do you think he’s got something against the Avengers?”

Scott laughed off the Tony issue, deciding to come back to that later. “Rumour is he used to be one, or at least he was gonna be. He was Steve’s right hand man for a while.”

“Weird. I’ve never heard the name before.” He’d never heard Steve talk about anyone other than Bucky, who he’d met a couple times. He supposed it wasn’t unlikely that he didn’t know everything about the man’s life, he was Tony’s apprentice after all, but Steve was one to talk about his friends pretty openly. Hell, Peter even knew the name of the man’s dentist. So it was odd to him that he’d never even heard the name, especially with how close Scott was implying the pair were.

“Eh, I guess but maybe there's a good reason for that. Apparently he went rogue after Captain and Iron-Man’s little spat last year. He had a grudge against the winter soldier or something, I don’t know the details. But it was thanks to him that he got excommunicated, though I think Steve helped get him this gig instead of firing him completely. God knows what he would’ve done then or what S.H.I.E.L.D even do with dangerous ex heroes like that. I can’t imagine it’s very nice.”

Peter listened intently but again something didn’t add up. There was no way a bunch of random ‘strays’ as Scott had called them, would know such intimate details about something that was so internal as Steve and Tony’s self proclaimed ‘Civil war’. He lived with the two men and he still didn’t know much about it. He could tell Scott was vaguely trying to cover up the fact that he knew more than he was letting on by skimming over some of the details.

He decided to call the man out on it, just to see his reaction. “You didn’t hear that through the grapevine did you?”

Scott blinked for a second, seemingly weighing his options about whether or not to be truthful. He ultimately decided to tell the truth, though he looked uncomfortable, he sounded off in his usual cheery tone. “No I did not. He caught me sneaking into his office and hacking his computer. I read the whole report.”

“Well, no wonder he hates you man! Keep that information to yourself- you shouldn’t have even told me you could get yourself into so much trouble.”

“I mean I already did so, you know, one more big fuck up and I’m outta here. And not in the way I want- I think that’s what he’s counting on, so. There’s that.” Scott grimaced for a second as he let the gravity of his situation settle in, but he shook it off just as quickly as it came. “Anyway! I’m pretty sure he had it out for you to cause of the whole Avenger thing. I’m pretty sure he took the rap for something to do with Germany and it looks like Steve let him.”

“Well, ain’t that just great.” Peter sighed dejectedly letting his head and shoulders fall. He put his head in his hands and stared at the floor, thinking about all the ways he could possibly get out of this situation- a situation he was in through no fault of his own. Surely someone had seen the connection between him and this vengeful officer? There was no way his placement in G group had been an utter coincidence. What is this was the man’s way of getting back at Steve?

He couldn’t put in for a transfer without giving a good reason, there was no way S.H.I.E.L.D would just let people pick and choose where they wanted to be even if they were the ward of Tony Stark. That and his Dad would have questions as to why he wanted to move groups, after one day no less. Of course if he did go ahead with asking for a transfer he’d then have to give tangible evidence of the unfair treatment too, which he didn’t have and had no way of getting; like they’d believe a teenager and Scott, who was apparently a minor criminal in at least some capacity, over an officer. Even if said officer had a tarnished reputation.

In fairness, the man hadn’t done anything that bad to him yet either, other than make him uncomfortable. Peter couldn’t justify making such a serious decision off of some bad vibes and a few mean looks. And who knows, maybe it was a good thing the man was being so harsh on him. Getting to be an agent wasn’t meant to be easy, so maybe it wasn’t a bad thing the guy was giving him a hard time. Compared to the other people there Peter had had a pretty easy time getting to where he was meant to be so perhaps the man’s misdirected anger towards him would be helpful to him in the long run, help him build some of that resilience he always insisted he had. He’d spent so much time and effort telling Tony that he wasn’t a kid and that he could handle tough situations himself, if he wanted to prove that there was no way he could just go crying to his Dad because one of the officers was being mean to him. Not if he wanted to prove to himself and everyone else that he was good enough to be a part of the team.

He also felt kind of bad if Scott’s theory about the colonel was true; he could understand the man being angry. Of course it still wasn’t fair that he was taking it out on him, but he didn’t want to be responsible for the officer getting into anymore trouble, both for his sake and everyone else’s. Who knows how the man would react when Tony would undoubtedly get him fired for being a bit harsh to his son? No, he decided, he’d tough it out. It was the first day, not even the first day- first morning. There was no way he was about to quit or be deterred by a little unfair treatment. The man had barely done anything to him, Peter told himself that he was just being too sensitive. He’d been in high school and middle school with Flash and he hadn’t quit then, and that kind of systematic bullying had been way worse. No. He could do this.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine. Just keep your head down.” Scott soothed unknowingly reinforcing Nat’s advice from earlier. He could see Peter was still anxious given the new information so he tried to change the subject. “So, why Spider-man? I get with like the webs and stuff but what made you go with that idea instead of, I don’t know, some other bug?”

“Well, I was gonna go for Ant-Man but that was taken.”

“Ha- funny one.”

“It’s a long story.”

“Well we got time, doesn’t look like Thompson is gonna he beating his time anytime soon.” Scott gestured to the recruit who was struggling to scale one of the wooden walls.

It was the first time Peter had been asked for his superhero backstory in quite some time and though it went against his better judgement he relayed it in great detail. Though he’d only just met Scott he felt comfortable that the man wasn’t going to be using the story he told against him, even if he was a bit nervous about discussing classified information. Tony had warned him against doing so thousands of times but surely that didn’t count towards other agents right? Besides, Tony himself had trusted this guy in particular to help him out last year, when he couldn’t trust people in his own household, so he must be safe. Scott helped quell Peter’s anxieties once again by going through his own origin story which the teen had plenty of questions about. More about the science than anything, some of which Scott didn’t know the answer but Peter was fascinated nonetheless. They were discussing some of the technicalities behind Dr. Pym’s EMP communication device when Colonel Wilson cut off there conversation once again.

“Right ladies!” Ugh, Peter was getting sick of him using outdated gender stereotypes with the intent of being derogatory. Get with the times man, it's not the nineteen sixties anymore. “Break time! Not that a lot of you have earned it. If it were up to me we’d continue through to lunch cause most of y’all ain’t even breaking a sweat. But don’t worry, I’ll get your blood pumping as soon as you get back. Line up alphabetically again and follow agent Johnson.”

The woman he pointed to was young, with shoulder length dark hair. Peter hadn’t really noticed up until the but the woman had been standing back the entire time, watching them. She looked sternly across the courtyard, eyeing up each recruit as the stood in line but her face seemed to soften as she look at Peter. He was probably just imagining things, anyone’s looks were friendly compared to the ones Wilson had been giving him.

She lead them silently through the courtyard over to a fenced in area, filled with two other groups in different coloured uniforms; red and purple. There was another typical oblong, grey concrete building spanning the length of the gated field, as well as a running track at one end.

“This is what’s known as the blue zone, during break periods and free time you’ll be allowed to enter both the building and the yard freely. For this if you who are bunking in dormitories you’ll now be sleeping in one of the rooms inside that building. You’ll be assigned beds after dinner tonight and you’ll be given time to move your things over from the barracks, don’t worry. You must not leave the blue zone or enter other areas so long as you are in uniform- which you should be in at all times. Not under any circumstances unless you have been given expressed permission and are otherwise accompanied by a guard. Is that clear?”

“Yes ma’am.” G group sounded off in unison, though Peter was much quieter than the rest. He wasn’t sure if his situation applied to those terms as Tony had told him he’d put in for him to have permission. He didn’t have any kind of proof of that on him though and once again he lacked any ID. He was frightened to ask in front of the other members of his group because he really didn’t want to give them any more reasons to dislike him. He didn’t want to be that kid who was given special privileges, especially not when how his group mates were already looking at him. But Tony had been pretty insistent that Peter meet him during break, he really didn’t want his Dad to turn up in the middle of one of their training exercises if he didn’t show up to meet him, which wasn’t unlikely. He could just imagine the looks on their faces if Tony Stark turned up to check up of his

“You’re allowed to talk to members of other groups but it is preferred if you mix among yourselves as opposed to building bonds outside the confines of this group. Remember to conduct yourselves in a professional manner at all times. Meet me back here at ten thirty please ladies and gentlemen, enjoy your break.” With that she promptly turned away from the group and exited the yard, back through the chain link fence that separates it from the main campus.

Peter felt lost for a moment and it seemed he wasn’t the only one. For a few seconds, no one in their line moved, they all just looked back and forth at each other waiting for someone to take the first step out of line. Finally someone did. A tall man with bright blue hair and a surprising amount of facial piercings (which Peter was sure had to be against the rules somewhere, how could that possibly be up to health and safety standards in that kind of environment?) stepped out shrugging his shoulders before striding across the courtyard and into the grey building. “Later bitches.”

With that the rest of the group wandered their separate ways, leaving the poor teenager stuck standing by himself against the fence, still unsure of what he should do. All he did know is he wanted to find a bathroom at some point before he went back into training. He wanted to go find Scott since that was the only person he now knew there but he didn’t want to come across like a clingy child. Maybe the man wanted a break from him after spending most of the morning with him.

“Oh my god, there you are thank god I didn’t wanna be alone!” Scott ran up beside him breathlessly laughing. He slapped Peter on the shoulder and took a second to catch his breath before he noticed the troubled look the teen had on his face. “Hey, you okay?”

“Uh huh.” Peter said quietly but it was obvious how the boy’s mood had changed in less than ten minutes.

“What’s wrong?” Scott straightened up and stood in front of Peter so he couldn’t avoid eye contact. He may not have much experience with teenagers but he had a child of his own, so his instincts were pretty sharp when it came to upset children.

“Nothing, I just. Well I was supposed to..it doesn’t matter.” Peter sighed and went to move past him, making his way towards the building but Scott stepped back in front of him.

“Woah hey, come on Spider-Man. You can tell me, what’s up? Did one of those guys say something to you?”

Peter smiled a little at that. He’d barely known the man for three hours but he was already getting defensive for him. It occurred to him that he brought out the protective side out of most people around him and he wasn’t quite sure what that said about his character. He shook his head before answering. “No it’s not that, it’s just, you know how agent Johnson said we can’t leave this area? Mr. Stark told me I had to go over and meet him, though I don’t know where he meant-“

“Oh. Well, I’m sure Tony Stark’s orders outrank that lady’s so uhh- maybe you should go and ask one of those guys over there.” Scott pointed over towards the three armed officers who were manning the entrance to the Blue Zone. “Ask ‘em. Did he give you like a clearance code or something?”

“Uh uh, nothing.” Peter gnawed his lip nervously. He knew Scott was right and he should just go and ask but his anxiety was starting to kick in. The more time he wasted the worse it got.

“Want me to go with you?” Scott asked gently, he could see the panic rising in the teen who had been so outgoing and friendly only moments before.

“No no, it’s fine I know I’m just bein’ stupid.” Peter shook his head and forced himself to walk over to the guard. He hated the pitiful look Scott was giving him, though of course he didn’t blame the man, he just didn’t want to be treated like a little kid from by the only friend he’d made. He got enough of that from Tony and he knew it was his own fault for being so dependant on him. Peter wasn’t about to let himself start relying on other people to speak for him, he needed to prove to himself and his Dad that he could do it, and that the months of working on his social anxiety with his counsellor was actually working. He was perfectly capable of going by himself he just needed to convince the right side of his brain. He knew he was being irrational, the worst thing they could say was no.

He could feel heads turning towards him as he approached the guards by the gate, letting him no this was not something people usually did. He wasn’t sure if he was breaking any rules by doing so either but he didn’t really have a choice at that point, not if he wanted to avoid getting in trouble with Tony. He walked up to the man in uniform closest to him but to his dismay they didn’t turn in his direction. He was standing three feet away from him but the guard continued to stare straight ahead of him.

“Uh..Excuse me?”

“What do you want, kid?” The man said in a low gruff voice, still turned away from him, not even offering Peter a nod in his direction.

“Uhm,” Peter wasn’t exactly sure how to word it, even though he’d rehearsed the conversation at least twenty times in his head on the walk over. “I’m meant to go meet someone in a different area?”

“What area?” This time the soldier actually turned to look at him, with a quizzical but amused look on his face.

“I-I’m not sure.” Peter said quietly getting a sense of where their interaction was headed.

“Uh huh right.” The officer nodded patronisingly, his amusement more evident and the other guards were sneaking sideways glances at the pair. “So, who is it you’re meant to be meeting?”

Peter looked down at the ground dejectedly already knowing full well what reaction he was going to get. He sighed before mumbling. “Tony Stark.”

“What was that?” The man leant down to peer up at Peter’s face, teasingly, barely holding back a smirk.

Peter huffed again and stood up straight again, puffing his chest out a little and squaring his shoulders. He spoke more confidently this time, though it came out as more of an exasperated whine as he anticipated the rejection. “Tony Stark.”

The three men openly bust out laughing that time. “Get outta here kid. You can get his autograph later.”

Peter promptly walked away, keeping his head held high though he could feel his face burning.Of course he wasn’t allowed to bring his phone either so he had no way of texting his dad to let him know where he was or have the man vouch for him with the guard, he knew better than to try and argue. He just silently prayed that Tony wouldn’t rip his head off, or someone else’s trying to get to him.

He saw Scott go from smiling with his thumbs up to cringing with his thumbs down before he scurried towards him. “I take it that didn’t go well?”

“They didn’t even ask for my name! Assholes- now Tony’s gonna be pissed at me.” Peter hissed angrily as he walked towards the building. He wasn’t walking away from Scott deliberately but he was storming off a little faster than the man could keep up with at a comfortable pace without jogging, which he did.

“Look, he can’t get mad at you. Just explain what happened, I’m sure he’ll understand-”

Peter let out a joyless laugh and shook his head. “My boss ain’t always the understanding type, ‘specially not when he’s mad. He’ll probably yell at me for ten minutes before I even get a word out.”

Scot frowned again and paused for a second. “Well, I’ll vouch for you.”

Peter managed a smile. “Thanks, but I wouldn’t wanna put you in the firing line when Mr. Stark goes off on one.”

Scott seemed unphased and smiled. “Eh, we’ll have to worry about that later, we’ve only got fifteen minutes left before we gotta head back.”

“Already?” Peter sighed again when he looked up at the big clog on the front wall of the building. “Jeez.”

“Yeah, so we should probably hit the bathroom before they get super busy when everyone gets the idea at the same time, then just go wait at the meet point.” Scott shrugged. Peter was glad he hadn’t been the one who had to mention using the restrooms because after his failure with the guards he wasn’t mentally prepared to speak up about that too.

Luckily it didn’t take the two long to scope out where the restrooms were, and double luckily for Peter they were near empty. He still had to wait until someone turned on a hand dryer for him to be able to actually relieve himself but that didn’t take long either, so he was able to survive the morning without another awkward incident.

They waited out the rest of their break by the meeting point as other people gradually joined them, automatically lining up in alphabetical order which in turn forced the two men apart. He saw agent Johnson peek into view from the other side of the fence, ready to come and collect them. Just as she went to the front of the queue there was an earsplitting siren that suddenly echoed across the yard to mark the end of their break. It must’ve been hitting a certain frequency or pitch that Peter’s sensitive eardrums didn’t like because the sound sent a sharp, searing pain right through his head. He couldn’t help but audibly hiss and hold a hand to his ear to check if it was bleeding, which fortunately it wasn’t. He saw a few people in line turn around to look at him, most of whom sneered.

‘Oh, great cause Stark’s kid is too sheltered and spoiled to be able to handle a loud noise, how’s he ever gonna be a real agent?’ Was what Peter’s brain told him what they were thinking which did oodles for his already destroyed confidence at this point. Couldn’t he just shut off his thoughts for like, five minutes?

His ears were still ringing as Johnson lead them back out to the yard they’d been in before, then back inside the main building to an indoor gym type area. He was still struggling to quell his anxieties regarding Tony busting through the door at any moment, but looking around at the different instruments that were laid on the floor in front of him helped to take his mind off of it. There were various vests and protective gear in a variety of sizes and a multitude of different shields, all made of different materials. They looked similar to what S.W.A.T teams use, the kind of full body shields that people are meant to crouch behind, some were clear but others were different metals and meshes.

“Listen up.” Wilson appeared from seemingly nowhere behind the group making several people, Peter included, jump. He had a smug look on his face as he strolled past the line into the centre of the room. “This training room is where I’ll be teaching giving you your combat training. But once again I need to assess each of you to see what you’re capable of first, so I can ensure I put you in a group of peers with a similar skill set. All of these safety devices are designed to keep those of you without powers safe. They’re all resistant to fire and most types of radiation, as well as the shields being resistant to sonic waves and other types of kinetic force.”

That certainly peaked Peter’s interest. He’d love to get his hands on some of the elemental components that went into making them, he could tell even from as far away as he was that one of the shields was made out of Vibranium. He’d only seen small samples of it before but the juxtaposing matt sheen on its jet black surface was too distinct to be anything else. His nerd brain managed to push out the anxiety and he listened keenly to what Wilson was saying.

“You’ll all be performing some strength tests, as well as those of you with abilities will be asked to display what said abilities are. If your powers involve being able to control or otherwise manipulate another person we ask you so do so with a willing volunteer with expressed consent, we don’t want any lawsuits here people.”

There was some murmuring amongst the recruits, for the first time since their day had started. It appeared that some of them were nervous for their safety being in such close proximity to people displaying their superhuman abilities. Peter too thought it was a little strange that such a test would be conducted indoors as opposed to back outside where they’d been originally but he was sure there was a good reason for it.

Colonel Wilson seemed to sense the unrest in his troop and rolled his eyes. “To demonstrate that you’ll all be perfectly safe, I’ll demonstrate how good our equipment is. Agent Johnson if you could come up and assist me please.”

He beckoned the woman forward and she did so begrudgingly, giving him a sickly sweet sarcastic smile. “Maybe I don’t feel like performing on cue today, unless you’ve got peanuts.”

Wilson didn’t respond to her quip verbally, he just gave her a pointed look of frustration. He continued addressing the room whilst he walked to pick up the shield that Peter had been admiring. “Johnson here can produce waves of kinetic energy at will-”

“Vibrations, actually. If you wanna get technical I mean.” She chimed in interrupting him, earning herself another exasperated look and a sigh.

He then turned to her and bowed slightly, with a sarcastic pained smile plastered on his face. “My mistake.”

He turned back around to face the group. “Vibration waves, at will. She’s mastered her ability to the point that she can focus this energy into directed, controlled waves aimed at one person, a room of people or if she really wanted to- a full scale earthquake. Since I’m only trying to demonstrate the power of our defence equipment, I’ll be asking her to stick with some small scale attacks, if that’s not too much to ask?”

“Not at all, you know I love hitting you Sam.” She smirked at the reaction she got out of him.

“Enough! Just get ready.” He growled through gritted teeth and positioned himself behind the shield, crouching low to the ground. “On your countdown, Johnson.”

Agent Johnson held her hands outstretched straight in front of her, palms facing Wilson. Peter found it comparable to Aang airbending in Avatar, she even took on a similar focused look. She took a deep breath visibly relaxing her shoulders as she adjusted her foot posture, readying herself. “Three. Two. One.”

After the last count Peter felt the floor beneath him rumble under his feet ever so slightly. No one else seemed to show any reaction, so he guessed it was his heightened sensing making him extra sensitive to Johnson’s manipulations. Just as he was realising that fact, he saw a ripple of air (or what he assumed to be air since it was practically invisible) ripple through the space between her and Wilson. It was so quick had he blinked he would have missed it entirely, but he noticed the wave that came out of her hands seemed to echo in a ring pattern, that ended at her intended target- the centre of the Colonel’s shield.

The sheer power and velocity that the wave showed by the way it tore through the air was not reflected in the man’s reaction. The shield worked for its intended purpose by absorbing the shock dealt to it, deflecting the energy off of it. That after shock sent a whirlwind rushing throughout the room, visibly moving the other recruits hair and clothing, even knocking off one’s glasses. It was powerful enough for Peter to have to take a step back in order to steady himself but Wilson barely budged a foot backwards; he slid back on the floor but he remained in his crouched position, slowing his skidding down with his back foot. It was evident that it was a difficult task holding the shield firm whilst that much power was thrust into it, but the man didn’t waver and it had worked.

He stood up a moment later, rolling his shoulder a little probably to relieve the tension that had built up in it, and straightened his clothing. He cleared his throat before he continued speaking. “Usually I would ask Miss Johnson to do a demonstration on what her powers would have caused without the shield, but since we’ve been put inside today and I don’t wanna fill out any paperwork about why there’s a hole in the wall, let’s skip that for now. You get the idea.”

Everyone certainly did, though several people still looked pretty apprehensive and dishevelled. The man who’s glasses had been ripped from his face seemed particularly shaken, even more than before the demonstration. It occurred to Peter then that a majority of general members of the public had never seen mutant abilities up close. In fairness he hadn’t seen many either, at least nothing quite like that, but he found it fascinating.

“People with powers line up over here please. Those of you without, over on this side.”

The recruits separated into their respective groups and Peter looked worriedly over to Scott, who made sure to give him a reassuring smile. Running an obstacle course in front of everyone was one thing but being asked to show off his powers was another thing. How was he even meant to do that? He was still working on webbing on command and how was he supposed to show everyone he had super senses? He couldn’t there was no way he’d be able to prove that through combat exercises, this test was stupid, he conceded before he even saw what the tests were.

“First you’re all gonna be doing a strength test, seeing how much you can deadlift, bench press or otherwise move without difficulty. Yes, you’re meant to push yourselves but I don’t wanna see anyone trying to compete with others and hurting themselves. I wanna see your personal best, is that clear?”

“Yes sir.”

Peter felt slightly more confident at least, heavy lifting he could do. At least he’d be able to prove his super strength if nothing else. Once again the tests started going in alphabetical order, after some preliminary warm ups, so Peter had a while to wait before he was expected to perform; which was both a good thing and a bad thing. It was good because it meant he had time to try and relax, but bad because he couldn’t. The longer he prolonged the inevitable the more anxious he became rather than less. The wait gave him time to build up his anxiety that was waving heaving in his stomach. The two groups (his of which was only made up of six people, which he guessed proportionally was quite a large group considering the size of his class) were performing separately at least, so only half the room would be watching him, but that did little to settle his nerves.

Each person was expected to step under a machine that had a box on top of it, that the person was expected to hold up. It was a simple design, though Peter was interested in the internal mechanics of it as the box would progressively get heavier and the person was expected to endure the weight until they couldn’t bear it anymore. Each person was made to do the test three different ways, as Wilson had already described deadlift, bench press (that involved laying down underneath the machine which Peter found mildly terrifying- he didn’t particularly want to be crushed) and then the ultimate test was seeing how much weight that the individual could simply move. Not necessarily lift entirely, but move. It was simple enough, so why was Peter freaking out so much?

Of course, the machine the superhuman group were using had been specifically altered to accommodate their strength. Part of him was actually kind of excited, Wilson was reading out the amount of weight each person was able to lift and it seemed the scale went up to at least three tons (the most one woman had been able to lift) and he had never measured how much he could lift before. He wasn’t sure if the MV had done that kind of test on him, though if they did he certainly didn’t remember it and Tony had never put him through any rigorous testing like that. Not even when he had been taking certain measurements for his suit and Tony had asked him to do some particularly odd things for that.

Wilson had called up the last member of his group other than him and Peter could feel his palms getting sweaty, but he kept repeating his tactic of pretending to be in his suit. It wasn’t as helpful as it had once been, it seemed his brain had grown a tolerance to his trickery but it worked enough for him to slow his breathing down so that those around him at least couldn’t hear how nervous he was. Man, his stage fright was killer.

Peter was counting down on his fingers the seconds on one hand. It was a nervous habit he’d developed at an early age after he’d been taught to count, it was compulsive. Whenever he was anxious he would try and count down the amount of time he had before he had to do the thing that was causing the anxiety. In his later years the habit had been replaced with constantly checking his phone or his watch for the time but not having either of those things on his person made him revert back to his old method. According to his digits each test was taking around three minutes, each person having to perform three different tasks each, making people in his group's average time about ten minutes roughly. Unfortunately, his old method was a lot less accurate and he was called up a lot sooner than he had expected.

“Parker, you’re up.” Wilson called. Why couldn’t Johnson be manning his group? She already seemed way nicer than him. Peter strode up to the front of the room on slightly shaky legs and readied himself for the instructions he was about to be given. “Stand there. Place your palms under there, yep just like that, good. Careful of your foot stance, push back- there we go. Ready for the weight?”

“Yes sir.”

“Alright, starting off at two hundred and fifty pounds.” Wilson turned a dial at the side of the machine and Peter heard the whirring sound, as well as the vibrations and gentle pressure that started gradually building up on his hands. The weight was nothing to him and his body language reflected that. Of course he felt the weight was there, but it was no different to him than picking up his backpack, which was odd but he assumed it was due to the way the weight shifted slowly as opposed to being dropped on him as a deadweight.

Wilson increased the weight by another two fifty. Again Peter barely reacted, the distance between his hands and his shoulders not changing at all. Another two fifty. Then another. The weight was increasing obviously but Peter felt no more strain on his muscles; it was an odd sensation. He’d never held something that gradually got heavier, he was only ever used to catching or picking up something with a predetermined weight. It occurred to him that S.H.I.E.L.D used this method as opposed to free weights, both because it was easier than having multiple different dumbbells (as well as taking up less space) but it also simultaneously tested their agents endurance.

At the two ton mark Peter was starting to experience some difficulty, though it wasn’t unbearable. He had to adjust his feet posture and crouch slightly, but the pressure was still easily maintainable. He’d kept his eyes focused on the floor the entire time, but he took the opportunity to peer around the room at the people watching him. The other recruits had a mixture of expressions, some remaining completely unphased whereas others looked impressed or concerned. Most people made an effort to act like they weren’t watching him, which he was perfectly fine with though Scott deliberately made eye contact with him across the room to give him the thumbs up.

“Three tons, you feeling the strain yet, Parker?” Wilson asked, though not as teasingly as Peter would have expected. The man sounded a lot less hostile but maybe that was down to the fact that half the room were out of earshot to hear his gentler tone.

“Not really, sir.” Peter said honestly and his voice reflected that he wasn’t struggling at all.

The only minor problem he was experiencing was that his hands were starting to sweat and he felt a mild ache in his joints from standing in one position for too long. He made the rash decision to swap his legs over, making his left the weight bearing leg, and his foot nearly went out from under him when his sneaker slipped on the metal floor. Wilson moved forward, putting an arm under Peter’s, ready to pull him out of the way of the machine before the box fell on him but luckily Peter stabilised himself so that wasn’t necessary. The machine had measures in place to stop him from being crushed, of course, but he still would have sustained a nasty knock to his head if he lost his grip.

“Well, that was a dumb fucking idea.” The man said staring wide eyed at the boy, showing concern for his welfare for the first time since they’d met. After the initial shock left his face he was quick to return to his cold, steely expression but Peter had seen the crack in the man’s composure. Maybe colonel Wilson wasn’t so scary after all.

Peter chuckled nervously. “Yeah, it was.”

He was sweating and his biceps and deltoids were burning, the edge of the metal panel was digging painfully into his hands and he was sure the moisture in them wasn’t just sweat anymore. But he stayed strong and the weight was still tolerable. He was more worried about his hands slipping or his legs going numb than his ability to continue holding the box up. When he got to four tons that was when it was becoming a challenge, he had to make a concerted effort to focus on the weight rather than the symptoms he was getting from standing so long. He finally felt his shoulders start to dip and he made a small noise as he felt Wilson up the pressure again. He hadn’t gotten used to the four thousand pounds before he was being upped to the four twenty five and his shoulders and back were really starting to protest the sudden changes. There was a deep ache building in his muscles, like they were being set on fire whilst at the same time turning to cement. It was a familiar feeling, one he was used to getting when he was pushing himself during cardio, a simple build up of lactic acid. But his inability to change position or do anything to alleviate the ache was frustrating, making the pain get more and more intense. It wasn’t excruciating, more aggravating and uncomfortable, but it was enough for Peter to have to close his eyes and hiss through his teeth. For a moment he felt like asking to stop but he pushed through the pain. He really wanted to know how much he could hold, once he’d gotten over that wave of pain it became easier again. He even found he was about to straighten his arms up, so that his elbows were above shoulder height again.

Getting over that proverbial proverbial hump have Peter a burst of energy. He wasn’t sure if it was adrenaline or self confidence at having forced himself through and out of his comfort zone, but he was ready and excited to find out just how much more his body could take. With his newfound determination at the forefront of his mind it took him a second to notice that Wilson had stopped calling out numbers and he looked up at the man questioningly. Every thirty seconds he’d increased it, Peter had been counting, now it had been thirty five.

Just as he was about to ask why he hadn’t increased the weight anymore the man spoke. “Five tons. That’s the maximum capacity of this machine, Parker.”

“Woah, really?” He was holding up five tons? He'd never have guessed he’d be able to do that- especially not with the minimal amount of effort it took. He must’ve gotten stronger since the last time he had to do any real heavy lifting, that bus would’ve only been what like, three tons max? And that was with adrenaline coursing through him. The knowledge was exciting, he couldn’t wait to tell his team.

The colonel seemed as surprised as he did. “Yeah. We may need to bring in some heavier equipment for you later down the line, but you’ll have to make do with this machine today. How hard was that for you?”

“It wasn’t that bad.” Peter shrugged breathlessly, stepping out from under the panel once he heard the clank of the safety clip slipping into place. He was more interested than ever to find out how that machine worked. That would be something for him to ask his dad later, maybe he could find a way to get their hands on one so Peter could find out how it ticked.

Wilson still seemed rather shocked about Peter’s display himself, but clearly eager to see how he would fair with the other two challenges. “You ready to do the bench press?”

Peter nodded apprehensively. Physically he was more than ready but mentally, not so much. He’d never considered himself to have claustrophobia but then again he had never considered the prospect of five tons of unknown metal falling on him. He took a deep breath and told himself he was safe, which he knew he was. He was in no danger of being squished, he could see the brackets just above the floor preventing that. With that in mind he watched as the panel lowered until there was just about gap for him to slide underneath and he promptly did so, making sure not to hesitate. He might be scared but he didn’t have to show it.

That test went much like the last though Peter found it a bit more difficult; it was probably due to his body not having ample time to recover between sets but it was still fairly easy. The only thing that really hurt were his hands but he brushed it off in favour of completing the task quicker. Once the box was heavy enough for him to have to lower his arms though, panic set in. Having something you knew weighed that much in such a compact object that was slowly moving towards your head was more than nerve wracking and he had to focus on his breathing and shut his eyes to avoid a panic attack. Wilson seemed to think this behaviour was due to him struggling with the weight and he crouched down to talk to him quietly.

“Do I need to pull the plug, Parker?” He spoke quietly and calmly, it actually sounded as though he was showing some compassion in trying to avoid the rest of the room hearing their conversation; As though he was trying to avoid embarrassing Peter for once, which he appreciated.

“No sir.” He said shakily, though of course the colonel remained unconvinced.

“Are you sure? You ain’t got nothing to prove, don’t hurt yourself.”

“Yes, sir. I’m fine honest, it’s not the weight.”

“Then what is it?”

“Uh,” even though Wilson was being somewhat nice in that moment, Peter didn’t feel fully comfortable admitting his fear to the man. “it’s just uh, leg cramp.”

Wilson quirked an eyebrow but didn’t question him anymore, standing up straight. It was obvious he didn’t buy the lie but he’d exhausted his level of responsibility, of Peter went and got himself hurt after that it was his own fault.

Finally the test was done, and like the last one Peter managed to complete it fairly easily. He slid himself out from under the metal slab and scrambled to his feet, getting prepared for the third test.

“There’s no point you doing the deadlift, Parker, you’ve already shown you can move the maximum weight.” Wilson said flippantly, going to turn away.

“Well, yeah, but that was gradual, it wasn’t like all at once. So, surely that different right?” As soon as Wilson turned around Peter realised he’d made a mistake in speaking out of turn, the man’s previously intimidating demeanour returning in full force. He scrunched his eyes up and leant back slightly, preparing to get yelled at.

“You, questioning an order Parker?!” Wilson stepped forward and barked into his face, so close that Peter could feel the man’s hot breath.

“N-no, sir.”

“Get back in line.” Wilson growled and promptly turned away from him to storm across the room and talk to agent Johnson.

Peter made quick work of rushing to the back of the room behind the rest of his group, where he was least likely to be seen or talked to. He didn’t dare look over to Scott because he didn’t want to see that look of pity again.

After a moment Wilson returned back to their side of the room. “Okay, since the other groups strength tests are going to take considerably longer given how many of them there are, I’m gonna take y’all outside to do your run test-“

“Didn’t we do that earlier?” Asked one man, who didn’t get the same treatment for talking out of turn.

Wilson smiled wickedly. “Oh no. This one is much more fun.”

Peter swallowed nervously. He wasn’t opposed to running, he often did it cathartically it was something he enjoyed, but the way the man spoke made him feel like whatever they were about to be doing would anything other than fun. He felt his palms getting clammy again and he went to wipe them against his uniform only to be met with a sharp stinging sensation. He looked down only to notice that he had a deep red line running through the centre of each hand, that were bleeding steadily. He glanced at the floor next to him and saw two small pools of blood also, how hadn’t he noticed? It was probably due to being screamed at but still. He wasn’t really sure what to do, he knew his body would have no issue healing the superficial wounds but it was still gross to walk around like that. Still he felt too awkward to stick his hand up and ask to wash his hands. He didn’t want to draw any more attention to himself so he stuck his hands in his pockets, ignoring the protests from the sensitive skin and attempted to scuff the small blood stains on the floor around so that they’d be less visible. That only got the attention of the man he was standing behind though, who turned around to see what he was doing. Peter gave him a sheepish smile and stopped what he was doing and luckily for him he shrugged it off, after giving him a weird look.

“Line up, my group. Follow me.” Wilson barked and the troop of six obliged, filing into line and being lead back out of the room by the man. Peter looked back at Scott who waved at him and stupidly he went to do the same, forgetting the state of his hands. He stopped himself just in time but that earned him an odd look from Lang. It didn’t matter as there was no time for him to question it, Peter was out the door before he got a chance.

They were lead back outside to the blue zone, to the track at the other side of the field.

“Alright, this test is simple. You’re gonna run until you can’t run no more and I wanna see full on sprinting going on here people. No jogging, no rests, no slowing down. Full pelt one hundred percent of the time for as long as possible.” He grinned evilly. “If you’re getting chased by an enemy you don’t have time to pace yourself, so let’s see how long y’all would survive.”

It wasn’t a complex procedure, easy enough to follow. Peter had done endurance runs during his training back home plenty of times and the few times he’d accompanied Steve on his early morning runs he’d have to run full pelt the entire time just to keep up with him. It didn’t sound particularly pleasant but that was the point of training and it was a lot less nerve wracking than the bench press. He lined up alongside the rest of his group and crouched in a typical runner’s stance, waiting for Wilson’s order.

“Get ready- Parker what the hell are you playing at?” The colonel suddenly screamed making the entire troop jump at the mans abrupt change in tone.

Oh crap, what was he doing wrong now? “Wh-what, sir?”

“Your hands! Good god- boy go clean up and see the medic if you have to!”

“Oh, uh, it-it’s not that bad sir I-”

“NOW PARKER!”

He didn’t wait to be told a third time and he made a beeline for the grey building and into the bathroom, trying to clean himself up as quickly as possible. The slices in his palms were already sealed shut and tuning pale at the edges thanks to his accelerated healing, so the process didn’t sting nearly as much as it would have done. He went to exit the bathroom without using the toilet but thought better of it. He didn’t need to go but it was best to take advantage of the situation without having to ask to use the bathroom later. He did so quickly, washing his hands a second time and rushing out.

He was embarrassed to see that everyone had to wait for him to come back before Wilson would let them start. It made sense otherwise the man would have had to set a separate timer for him but he still felt guilty. He smiled sheepishly at them and went to rejoin the group at the start of the track. “Sorry bout that.”

Wilson stepped out to stop him walking past. “Show me.”

Peter stuck his hands out for the man to inspect, which he did. He didn’t seem surprised by the state of them but Peter knew this was likely due to the man having read files on his abilities. He seemed satisfied that he wasn’t in any immediate threat of perishing so he let him rejoin the group. “Go on. Speak up next time kid.”

“Yes, sir.” If Peter had a penny for every time he’d heard that throughout his life he could have hired Tony as his intern.

He got back into position and Wilson finally gave them the word go and they were off. Again Peter was at the front for a minute or so before two people overtook him, but he didn’t care. He was enjoying the freedom of being able to run as fast as his legs would carry him. He was always that one kid who didn’t hate track days during P.E. Something about the fresh air and the satisfying ache he got in his chest afterwards was enjoyable for him. After being cooped up in a room then underneath that weight, it felt nice to be able to move his limbs freely.

He ran for around fifteen minutes before he saw the people ahead of him slow down, eventually over taking one of them. Wilson barked at them to pick up their speed but they didn’t manage to over take Peter again. He wasn’t sure how much time went past but he saw three of the six of them had called it quits and taken themselves off of the track. He still was only just breaking a sweat, but he was getting bored. Haven gotten over the initial runner’s euphoria he was starting to get bored. Usually when he ran he’d have music on or at least someone to talk to, something to keep his brain occupied, but of course he had neither of those. So, he contented himself by imagining all the scenarios that could lead to him having to run like that, which eventually lead to him pretending he was in an India Jones movie.

Whilst he was lost in his daydream he failed to notice the other group had come outside and joined him on the track, he only noticed when he looked up just as he was about to crash into someone. He dodged between two people and looked around. Was he still meant to be running? He hadn’t heard Wilson say anything. Then again hadn’t even heard a bunch of people start running behind him, he was too busy running away from an imaginary rock ball in an imaginary cave.

“Whatchu slowing down for, Parker?!” He heard Wilson yell. Okay, so he was still meant to be running. How long had it been? Now that he thought about it his legs were starting to get pretty heavy…

He shook the feeling off and tried to get back into his daydream, but it was difficult when he now had to be mindful of dodging in between other people. The track was big enough to fit them all apart equally, was it necessary for them to still insist on weaving into his lane? Rude.

He did pass by Scott though, who he waved to and who looked exhausted already. How long had they been out there? He had no idea, but he did know his legs were now really starting to protest. He was getting a similar feeling to when he’d been lifting the box, that lactic acid build up; like hot lead filling his calves before it turned solid, making them heavy. His chest was aching too from his lungs expanding more than they were used to. He had been doing his best to regulate his breathing like he was taught to, but know that he’d noticed the pain it was impossible to ignore and he felt himself start panting exhaustedly. He tried to push through it but he could feel himself slowing down again.

“Come on Parker, pick it up!” Wilson screamed again and Peter had to clench his jaw tight to avoid screaming back at him to shut up.

He tried to resume his pace but it was near impossible when his lower half felt disproportionately dense. He didn’t stop running even when he got a metallic taste in the back of his throat and his lungs felt as though they caught on fire. He did stop however when he got dark spots appearing in the corner of his vision. It took a few seconds for his legs to react to his request but he came to a wobbly halt and put his hands on his knees, gasping desperately for the oxygen his brain was being denied.

“Come on DiMarco, you can do better than that! Parker! What did I say about stopping- get your ass moving!”

Peter let out a noise and resumed running once again, barely jogging.

“Aw, is someone tired? Callin’ it quits so soon, Parker?” Wilson laughed and Peter could swear he could hear several of the people who had already sat out chuckle along with him.

‘Kiss asses.’ He thought bitterly.

The tormenting filled him with newfound determination and he managed to pick himself up again. He picked up a decent pace but that only lasted a few minutes before the burning sensation in his chest became too much. He was dizzy and it felt like he was choking, he just couldn’t breathe deeply enough no matter how hard he tried. For a scary moment he thought his lungs were collapsing and he was forced to stop fully again, coughing violently. He felt completely unbalanced, someone rushing past him five feet away from him was enough to almost knock him over even though they made zero contact with him.

“No stopping-” Wilson was unfortunately cut off when Peter felt the burning sensation in his chest rise up the back of his throat and with little warning come pouring out of his mouth. He managed to run off of the track just before it came splashing down onto the asphalt, still coughing up the last remnants of his breakfast. He avoided getting any puke down his uniform though which he considered a win.

He wasn’t surprised by the lack of sympathy he received from his captain. He ignored his words as he staggered over to where the others who had finished their run were congregated. “Your times an hour thirty two, Parker.”

“Yeah. Thanks.” He said snarkily furiously wiping his face. On the inside he was actually rather impressed, he didn’t know he’d be able to maintain a decent speed for so long. He was learning all kinds of things about his body that day. He threw himself down on the grass and placed his head between his knees still trying to get his breath back. He’d changed his mind, Wilson was bad afterall. Peter would like to see him try and run for an hour and a half without pacing himself.

His angry thoughts were interrupted by a man rushing up to him with a bottle of water and a towel. “You alright, Peter?!”

“Yeah, Scott I’m fine. Thanks.” He took items gratefully, using the water to swish out the bitter taste in his mouth.

“I didn’t think you were ever gonna stop, you were running before we got out here and you were going long after I stopped! You alright? Not gonna pass out or anything?” The man went from chattering excitedly back to looking like a frightened parent.

“Nah, I think I’m good.” Peter chuckled in between gulping water.

“Well you wouldn’t be the only one, Perry and Clark fainted just before you.” The man said seriously hoping it would be of some consolation.

“Seriously? Welp. Guess that’s military training for yah.” Peter shrugged. He wasn’t particularly surprised and honestly now that he had sat down and had a moment to recoup, he didn’t care. So, he threw up. It could have been worse and no one else seemed phased by it so why should he? From what he understood it was common for those kinds of things to happen during such harsh training and he could see why it was necessary. People had to know their boundaries in order to improve on them and to know how much they could take during a real life situation; if he was to be able to strategize himself properly during missions or fights, it was useful information to know that he could run away for an hour and a half before he needed to stop.

“Yeah I guess, but he could be a little nicer about it.” Scott waved his hand in Colonel Wilson’s direction scowling.

“The bad guys aren’t gonna be nice.” Peter giggled at his expression.

“Well he’s not a bad guy, he’s a good guy! Or he’s supposed to be- either way he should be teaching us to be good guys!”

“Maybe it’s just another level of preparation. Mental stuff or something, I don’t know.” Peter shrugged, it was amusing to watch Scott argue with himself.

“Well he ought to be a little less harsh next time, that’s all I’m saying.” Scott grumbled before crossing his arms and pouting in an attempt to make Peter laugh, and it worked.

“So, how did you do with the other tests?” Peter asked.

“Don’t even get me started-” But of course Peter had. They chatted until the last ten people on the track gave in, two of them ending up the same way Peter had. It wasn’t long before he heard that god awful siren again that made him want to rip his ears off.

“Looks like it’s lunchtime ladies! Some of y’all must be hungry after losing your breakfast like that, huh?” Wilson smirked.

Chapter Text

Everyone queued up like before and were lead through the labyrinth of corridors back to the cafeteria. They joined a longer line that was made up of several other groups in different coloured uniforms and Wilson took it upon himself to leave them to their own devices, demanding they meet him back at the blue zone by two thirty. Once he was out of sight Scott ducked out of his spot in line and moved back to stand next to Peter. When it came time for them to take their seats in the hall the pair stood awkwardly for a moment, both unsure about whether or not Peter was going to break off.

“I should go sit over there...Tony’s probably already freaking out that I didn’t go see him at break-“

Scott smiled confidently and clapped a hand on Peter’s shoulder. “It’s cool kid, I’ll catch up with you later.”

“You sure? I feel bad leaving you sitting alone…”

“I did it for like five years in high school, I can handle it. Go see your boss before he has a melt down.” Scott took his own seat at the end of the table furthest from everyone else and waved his hands, urging Peter to go. The high school anecdote didn’t help Peter to feel any better about abandoning him, if anything it made the situation worse, but he knew Scott was right. He saw a flash of red, white and silver at the other end of the room, Steve’s shield. He better get over there before Tony noticed his absence.

“Say hi to your Aunt Tony for me!” Scott called after him cheerily, earning himself a dirty look from the teenager.

He made his way through the cafeteria quickly, dodging spryly in between people, managing not to knock over any trays or ruffle any feathers. He even used the crowd to his advantage, ducking behind larger people when he was in the line of sight of some of the guards, lest he get caught out because of his uniform again. However, this tactic wasn’t fool proof. Just as he was about to make eye contact with Bruce his vision was blocked by a large camouflaged mass. A soldier's chest. Aw, crap.

Peter prepared himself to try his speech for a second time that day, even if it wasn’t going to be believed at least his friends were right there to vouch for him. But before he managed to open his mouth he felt a large hand shove him backwards and he stumbled a bit as a gruff voice growled, “Back to your area, boy-“

“Don’t you dare put your hand on my intern.” Out of nowhere a familiar voice growled far more ferociously, straining the last two words with such bite Peter was surprised the soldier didn’t turn and run away. Of course Tony came to his rescue, placing himself between Peter and the soldier, staring up at him with one of those scary faces that Peter tried his best to avoid seeing. “Peter come on.”

The soldier started to stutter apologies, all of which were ignored. Tony grabbed him by the wrist and gently, but firmly dragged him to their table, where they’d been joined by several people Peter didn’t recognise. He didn’t have a chance to say hi to anyone before Tony was already ranting at him, much like he had predicted. He grabbed Peter by both shoulders and was shaking him with each word, his face flooded with concern with just a dash of anger thrown in.

“What happened? Where have you been I was worried you got hurt or-” Peter didn’t even have to hear what Tony had to say to know that the man had been frantic for the past four hours, understandably so, though maybe not to that degree.

“Mr. Stark I’m fine really! See, I’m all in one piece! The guard dude just got mad when I tried to leave the blue zone and he didn’t believe me when I said you’d got me clearance-“

“Did you get his name? What did he look like? Is he in here right now, point him out to me-“

Peter leaned in close and lowered his voice, forcing the man to listen to him. “Dad I’m fine, okay? Relax, please. I’m alright.”

Though Tony stopped telling he didn’t seem any more visibly calm. “This is complete horseshit! I actually went around things by the book this time- not pulling a ‘Mr. RichKid’ move and throwing my weight around, I put that request in the second Fury told me you’d be joining us. This is fuck-“

“Language, Anthony.” Steve chimed in from his seat at the table, smiling as per usual.

With that Tony whipped around and pointed an accusing finger at the blond, Peter took the opportunity to slip past him and sit down. “Oh eat shit Rogers-“

“You haven’t had any more coffee today, have you Mr. Stark?” Peter smirked and raised an eyebrow, having put the dots together. Of course Tony was on edge about his sudden disappearance, but Peter wasn’t in any real danger, not in such a highly secure area. His anxiety and temper must’ve been spiked as he was going through caffeine withdrawal.

Tony closed his mouth and looked indignantly at his ward. “...that’s not relevant.”

“Uh huh, of course it’s not.” Peter chuckled and scooted up the bench, beckoning for Tony to sit down.

For the sake of those around them, Clint was quick to change the conversation before Tony could start ranting again. It was clear from the tension around the table that his outbursts had been a frequent occurrence that day. “I grabbed you some cup noodles from the commissary, Pete.”

“Oo yay thanks!” Peter said with genuine excitement and eagerly grabbed the cup. “What?! Don’t look at me like that, Steve hasn’t let me eat these in ages!”

“You’re definitely gonna do well in college if you get excited about subpar ramen.” Tony rolled his eyes.

“Hey, a good thing about growing up poor, you ain't got the option to be fussy. These are a delicacy to me.” The comment made Tony look mildly uncomfortable, as he often did whenever Peter mentioned his and May’s financial situation during his childhood.

“You’re not surviving on these things, any of you.” Steve squinted at the label making a disgusted face. “The meals here might not taste all that great but they’re packed with way better nutrients than-“

“You’re telling me that is nutritious, Steve? It’s all the same colour.” Nat said miserably poking something grey around her tray, it might of been potatoes or it could’ve been meat Peter wasn’t sure but it made his stomach churn again. The supersoldier gave her an exasperated look but dropped the subject. He still looked exhausted it was obvious he didn’t have the energy to argue.

“Wait, did you say commissary, Clint?” Peter hasn’t picked up on the phrase immediately as his hunger took over his brain.

The archer nodded.

Peter tilted his head like a confused puppy. “Wow, so this place is like a prison.”

“What would you know about prison?” Nat laughed.

Peter pouted. “I’ve seen Orange Is The New Black, I know some stuff.”

“You should not be watching that.” Clint bust out laughing but he seemed serious in his concerns about the adult material.

“What’s that?” Steve seemed to perk up once he saw Clint’s reaction to the comparison.

“Nothing.” All three of them said at the same time, albeit in different tones of urgency.

“You let him watch the Grudge, Clint, I don’t wanna hear it.” Tony grumbled still staring at the table in front of him. He was clearly furious but he was staying withdrawn from the conversation in order to keep himself from exploding at someone. Though Clint’s comment had clearly gotten to him enough to bring him out of his silence.

“Point taken.” The archer shrugged it off as not to feed into Tony’s bad mood any more.

“So, how’s your first day going so far, kiddo?” Steve asked, still blinking confusedly like he was trying to figure out what Orange Is The New Black was.

Peter relayed the entire days events, excluding the name and characteristics of his officer; he wasn’t about to get Scott into anymore trouble and he also didn’t want to give Tony something else to be mad about. In fact he didn’t mention Scott at all not knowing quite how Steve would react to Peter befriending someone who was on the opposing side of the Germany incident. Besides he was going to enjoy showing off a little. “Guess how much I can lift!”

Clint hummed in thought for a moment. “Uhmm, seven fifty?”

“Not even close.” Peter grinned as the others continued to throw different weights out. “Nope. None of you got it.”

“Well, spit it out then.” Bruce laughed.

“We I don’t know for sure ‘cause I maxed out the machine but- Five tons.” He smiled proudly at their reactions.

“Really?”

“Bullshit.”

“I’m serious! He said the machine didn’t go up any higher so we couldn’t bump it up! It was pretty hard but not like, agonisingly hard.”

“What machine?” Tony joined in the conversation finally, Peter’s numbers having peaked his interest.

“It was like an assisted pull up machine but you stand under the panel instead and it’s got a box thingy-“

“They’re still using that old thing for the new recruits? I designed that like fifteen years ago.” Tony shook his head and returned his focus to the table.

“I knew it! Can I see the blueprints for it?” Peter went on to ask five more questions about the inter mechanics of it before he let Tony answer.

“I might be able to dig them out when we get home.” His dad smirked, Peter’s enthusiasm finally getting the better of him.

Peter went on to talk about his run time too and explained how pushed it too hard and made himself throw up, but surprisingly Tony didn’t freak out about it.

“Yeah, it’s fun when that happens. You’ve done it once now you don’t have to go doing it again.” Tony chastised gently. Bruce looked more concerned than anyone around the table but since Steve wasn’t making a fuss he didn’t pipe up.

“It wasn’t just me either, two other guys did and one fainted.” Peter shrugged and went to brush his hair away from his face when he felt a hand grab his wrist. Tony had his arm clenched in his fist and was yanking it closer to him. He stared at the man in shock more than pain and said, “Uh- ow?”

But Tony wasn’t looking at his face he was staring at his palms. “What happened to your hand?”

“Wha- oh! Oh, it’s nothing.” Peter jerked his arm away and rubbed at his palms self consciously, keeping both hands under the table. He’d left out the minor injury from his story because he figured he'd get that sort of overreaction. “The weight machine thingy just dug into ‘em a little.”

“A little?” Tony scowled.

Peter sighed and rolled his eyes. “Don’t make a big deal out of it, okay? You know how quick I heal anyway-“

“That’s not the point-“

“Then what is that point?” Peter hissed. The people he didn’t recognise at the other end of their table were starting to give quizzical looks over to the pair, and it was obvious they were questioning why the man was being so overprotective. “Can you just stop? I’m fine.”

Tony seemed to get the hint but he didn’t look happy about it. “I’m so sorry if me caring is embarrassing.”

Peter rolled his eyes. If his Dad was being this sensitive after half a day without caffeine it was going to be a long fortnight. “It’s not that you’re just so, OTT sometimes.”

“Don’t use text acronyms in real life conversation.” Tony scoffed.

But Peter saw the slight smile that Tony had on his face, his lips curling ever so slightly so he carried on. “You mean IRL conversation-“

“You’re grounded.” Tony deadpanned but his steely expression broke and he was forced into a smirk.

“What the hell?!” Peter laughed.

“You mean WTH?”

“You mean ‘can we not use obscenities at the dinner table?’” Steve scowled at the pair.

“Sorry, Steve.” Peter said sheepishly, igniting the snickers he heard across the table from the people he didn’t recognise. He found it odd that Tony hadn’t introduced him, the man was usually so instant on doing so to keep up appearances. He leaned in close and whispered. “So, who are the people over there?”

“You’ll meet them soon enough.” Tony sighed.

Peter found that response even more odd. They were in the same room, Peter didn’t see any reason for them to have to wait until later. “Bu-“

“Don’t argue.” Tony said finally, back to scrolling on his phone. Peter gave him a funny look but listened, ultimately knowing his Dad probably had a reason for what he was saying. That didn’t stop him looking over at the other people though. One girl who didn’t look much older than him snuck a small wave, which he returned, only for them both to be chastised by the men sitting next to them.

“What did I just say?” Tony snapped making Peter pout.

“You said I couldn’t talk to them not that I couldn’t say hi.” Peter cheeked though he instantly regretted it.

“No communication if any kind is that more clear? Or do I need to break it down for you even more?” His Dad then stood up and gestured for him to move. “You’re sitting on the end now since you can’t be trusted.”

“Bu-“

“Now.” Tony gave one of his scary faces again this time in Peter’s direction which made him move pretty quickly.

Peter sighed dramatically but complied. “Okay okay, fine-“

“No sass Peter, I am not in the mood.”

“Well clearly-“

“What does the rest of your day look like, Pete?” Steve interjected before Peter got himself screamed at in front of the entire mess hall, sensing that Tony was one comment away from blowing his stack. The man really had been on edge all day and Steve wasn’t convinced it was all down to his coffee cravings.

“Uhh, I don’t know actually. He never said.” Peter shrugged, having not actually thought about it. He figured it would be more PT but maybe that wasn’t practical considering they’d been doing that all day. Tony had said something about more tactical lessons during the evenings but he wasn’t about to ask his Dad for affirmation, not given the mood he was in. “What about you guys, what have you had to do?”

The rest of his part of the table groaned at the question and started telling him about all the ‘boring’ stuff they had to do. Some of which included sparring and entering hyper realistic VR simulations.

“How can you complain about that?! That sounds awesome!”

“It would be if we didn’t have to do the same ones twenty seven times in a row because someone kept messing it up.” Nat snarled shooting a pointed look at Steve.

The soldier sat up and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m sorry but that is what I would have done in that situation. There was no need to kill-“

“It’s not about what you would actually do it’s about giving the right answer on paper you idiot! How many times do we have to go over this?! Do you think I would actually go for their stomach first when they’ve left their throat wide open? No!”

Clint, Bruce, Nat and Thor all made different gestures and noises of exasperation in tandem and an argument soon broke out amongst the group. Peter would be lying if he said he regretted asking, it was rather entertaining, especially since they were giving out information that he probably shouldn’t have known. In an odd way it was calming to hear the familiar sound of his dysfunctional family yelling at each other. He contented himself listening to the chaos he’d caused until he finished his food before he realised he kinda needed to use the bathroom. The only two he knew of were the ones right by his room or in the blue zone, both of which he couldn’t find himself and were too far away; he wouldn’t make it back to the meet point in time even if he didn’t get himself lost. Sure, he could wait until they were lead back by Wilson but he had no guarantee that he’d be given an opportunity to go before they went back to training. It was doubtful, considering they’d been given ample time to take care of their needs during the lunch hour.

“Hey uh, where’s the nearest bathroom?” Peter turned to Clint since he was the least involved in the argument (for once).

“You know the passage that leads off to our dorms?” Peter nodded vaguely but in actuality he had no idea what corridor the archer was referring to. “Well go down there and turn off like you’re going to the storeroom-”

“I’ll take him.” Tony stood up holding up his hand for Clint to stop explaining because it was obvious Peter was already lost. “C’mon, Pete.”

He wanted to protest and insist that he could take himself to the bathroom but he knew it wasn’t worth the fight. He didn’t want to risk being late or lost because his pride and he also didn’t want to piss Tony off anymore by making a point.

While they were walking Peter decided to try and help Tony’s bad mood, feeling semi responsible for it. “I’m sorry if I spooked you by not coming to find you at break. I just didn’t wanna get in trouble on my first day here.”

Tony sighed and threw an arm over his shoulders. “You did the right thing bubs, I don’t blame you. I was more angry at the guards than anything else. I was more worried about you getting freaked out being by yourself.”

Peter smiled thinking that it was rather sweet how Tony didn’t understand his social anxiety but tried to be mindful of it anyway. “I wasn’t by myself though, I made a friend.”

“Yeah?” Tony raised an eyebrow.

“Uh huh, you know him.” Peter smirked.

“Who?” Tony stopped just outside of the bathroom.

“Oh you had us working together last year.” Peter teased deliberately beating around the bush but he soon stopped as his father’s expression soured once again. “Ant-Man.”

“Lang is here?” Tony seemed genuinely surprised.

“Yeah, you didn’t know that?” He shifted from foot to foot. He assumed Tony would have been notified given that he and the man had a history together. A history that was less than favoured by S.H.I.E.L.D.’s internal standards from all the rules Scott said the two had broken in order to go against Steve, Peter being one of those rules.

Tony shook off his confusion to usher to the teen into using the restroom, seeming to have noticed Peter’s movements before he did. “Go pee, we can talk more later.”

“Oh, right!” The boy said quickly dashing inside almost as though he’d forgotten where his Dad has been leading him in the first place.

Once Peter exited the restroom the pair started walking back through the hallway to the communal area and Tony used to opportunity to ask Peter a personal question.

“Have you been okay today? With asking to, you know..?” He asked awkwardly causing Peter to blush.

“It hasn’t come up.” He said quickly, in hopes Tony would leave the conversation there.

But of course the man didn’t. He frowned at his son’s answer. “What do you mean it hasn’t come up? With the amount of PT you’ve been doing you should’ve been drinking more than enough water-”

“Tony, can we not?”

“No Peter, this is not the kind of place you wanna give yourself another UTI in-”

“I get it! If I needta go I’ll ask, now can we stop talking about it?”

Tony didn’t want to stop talking about it, it was one of his main worries about Peter being separated from him. He knew if the teen was to have an accident in front of anyone the boy would be mortified. He didn’t want his son deliberately dehydrating himself again either, Bruce had warned how Peter had been reeking havoc on his kidneys with his drinking habits. As much as he wanted to ensure that that wouldn’t happen, he also didn’t want to stress Peter out before he had to part from him again so he relented, promising himself to broach the subject later when they were both in better moods. “Alright, but do you know where you’re going now at least? You grew up in New York, how can your sense of direction be so bad?”

“Hey, it’s my first day cut me some slack!”

Peter felt a lot less stressed after spending a little alone with his Dad and seeing the rest of his family. The rant wasn’t as bad as he’d expected it to be so he was glad that he wasn’t in any kind of trouble. It was Tony he seemed more nervous about splitting up than he did this time. By the time they’d made their way back to the mess hall it was already starting to empty and Peter could see Scott waiting for him at the other end of the room by the door. He was grateful for that since Tony was right, his sense of direction was terrible inside that place.

Tony frowned when it was time for them to go their separate ways, eyebrows knitting together in concern. “You sure you’re doing okay, Pete? I can still try and get you bumped up to our group if-”

“I’m fine, I promise.” Peter smiled confidently, meaning it this time. The day had been a mixed bag of emotions so far but it hadn’t been nearly as bad as it could have been. Now that he knew he was going to get the respite time during the day to be with his family he was feeling a lot more comfortable with the separation; he hoped him expressing that would help settle Tony’s nerves a bit. That and he was excited to see what else the day had in store, he was having fun exploring and pushing his abilities in a way he’d never been allowed to before. It was refreshing to be treated like an adult. No, Wilson’s manners weren’t exactly to bedside standard, but Peter was willing to deal with that if it meant he wasn’t being treated like he was fragile for once.

“Okay.” Tony said, somewhat glumly. He found it difficult to know what Peter needed from him at different times, it was like he was always stuck between caring for him like a child or expecting him to act like an adult. He’d assumed their time at the compound would be one of the former as he felt the overwhelming urge to protect his son from all the strangers walking around, but it seemed he had been wrong in his assumption. It was hard but he supposed it was just apart of him growing up. It was times like that that made Tony wish he’d come into Peter’s life a lot earlier, so he would have had more time with him without this weird transitional phase. Of course he was proud of his son and happy that he was confident, but it hurt a little when he realised he wasn’t needed. Still, he got to relish in the sleepy, clingy moments when Peter came to him for comfort he just knew that they weren’t going to last much longer. He’d appreciate every bit of Peter’s childhood the boy had left...oh who was he kidding, Peter still slept with a teddy bear and played with LEGO, he had plenty of Dad time left.

“Are you okay D- Mr. Stark?” Peter peered up at him with an odd expression. “Ya kinda spaced out there for a second.”

“Yeah, just been a long day. I’ll see you at dinner okay? Take this, since people are still giving you a hard time because of your uniform.” Tony slipped off the dogtags he was wearing off of his neck and handed them to Peter.

“Cool!” He smiled shaking the jewellery in his hands for a second before stuffing it into his pocket. “Am I gonna get tags like that?”

Tony grinned back. Yep, Peter was still a kid alright. “We’ll look into it.”

“Sweet.” The teen said and looked back across the room at Scott who was waving urgently for him to hurry up. “I gotta go, I’ll see you later!”

Tony fought back the urge to hug him as he scampered off, knowing it would be inappropriate given their current setting. He settled for giving the boy a small wave, as well as a nod to Scott when the pair made eye contact. Again he waited until Peter was fully out of his sight before he let himself walk away with a small sigh.

“Come on kid, we’re gonna be late.” Scott urged as soon as Peter was within ear shot.

“Sorry! I had to go to the bathroom.” The two of them speed walked back to the meeting point, making it with plenty of time to spare. Well, two minutes, but it was long enough for them not to be the last ones there.

“Well, we’re not late I count that as a win.” Scott laughed breathlessly.

Right on the dot, Wilson showed up along with a different agent that wasn’t Johnson this time and took the group to yet another room. Peter had no chance of maneuvering himself around the campus at this rate. He was starting to think the building was sentient or could at least move around because there was no way the floorplan he was imagining made any sense.

The room they were taken to was a small scale lecture style auditorium, with a big screen in the middle of it. There was only about one hundred seats in the room so given it’s small size the recruits were forced to sit next to each other for the most part, but of course Peter and Scott were sure to seat themselves closer to the back of the room away from them. They took their seats, each desk having a pencil and paper and for a moment Peter started to panic. It seemed he wasn’t the only one worried about the possibility of a test of some kind because many of the other recruits were exchanging nervous glances and whispers too.

“Don’t worry, ladies. There won’t be any written tests during the duration of your training here, only practical ones. After all, you’ve all completed the written entry examinations to get to where you are now.” Wilson strode around the open floor of the room directing a look at Peter and Scott with the latter part of his sentence. “Paper has been provided as I encourage you to take notes on what I’m about to say. In the future you’ll be required to bring your own stationary if you do so wish to continue taking notes. Everything I go over during these sessions comes from experience, both my own and from others in the field so, if you value your time here, it’s important that you take it in. This part is just as crucial to your training as the physical side, if not more. That means pay attention STEVENSON!”

As Wilson screamed the man’s name he slammed his hand hard against the desk in front of him, the sound carrying around the room making Peter wince as it hit his sensitive ears. He prayed no one else would decide to chat whilst Wilson was giving a speech.

“Okay!” Their leader stood up straight and clapped his hands. “First things first we’re going to be reviewing some footage of what NOT to do in the middle of a fight or otherwise covert mission. Let’s get down to basics.”

Peter braced himself for the material he was about to be exposed to, knowing he was likely going to see some intense gore. He was pleasantly surprised when a picture of someone who seemed to be in a similar uniform to his own. So, these were just training videos? That wasn’t so bad.

But as soon as the man played the video Peter realised it wasn’t just a demonstration. The man and woman who were sparring on screen immediately began attacking each other, moving quicker than Peter was able to keep track of. For a minute it looked as though the man had the upper hand, he had the woman pinned to the ground with one arm across her neck as though he was holding an invisible knife to it. Peter drew a quick sketch of their positing just in time to look back up and see why this particular clip was used in the ‘what not to do’ reel. The woman flipped herself around, using her leg to wrap around the man’s torso and flip him upside down. She grabbed his arm at the same time and twisted it behind his back, slamming him face first into the ground. Even through the somewhat grainy footage, a loud popping sound could he heard followed by the man screaming due to what could only be assumed to be a dislocated shoulder.

Several members of group G, including Peter, recoiled in shock having not expected such a graphic scene given the environment it was taking place in that had lured them into a false sense of security.

Wilson paused the video mid scream and walked around the room again. “What did he do wrong? Polinksi?”

Polinski obviously didn’t expect to be called on. “Uhh, I-uh, he didn’t secure her legs sir?”

“Wrong. Battrum?”

It was a young woman this time and she seemed more prepared to answer. “He left himself open for attack si-”

“Not what I’m looking for. Parker?”

Peter froze. He didn’t know the answer either but he could barely open his mouth to respond, immediately panicking. He hated teachers who would adopt that method of getting an answer at school but at least then he usually knew the answer anyway so it was easier to get the moment over with, but Wilson didn’t seem like the type who would take ‘I don’t know’ for an answer. For a horrible few seconds, that felt like an eternity to him, his mouth gaped open and closed like a fish before any sound would actually come out. “He..he uh-”

“Speak up!”

‘God, really dude? Can't you see I’m trying?’ “He wasn’t supporting with his back leg, sir.”

“Meaning?”

Peter certainly hadn’t expected a follow up question, he was expecting to have the word wrong screamed at him and for Wilson to move on to the next poor soul. “Meaning he was off balance. If he was balanced he could have been able to brace himself against her leg and she wouldn’t have had the leverage to flip herself...sir?”

Wilson’s face broke into a sick smile that made Peter feel even more uneasy. “Good! That’s the answer I was looking for! So, you’re not completely clueless huh, Parker?”

‘Jesus Christ, move on already.’ Peter panicked, feeling like a deer in headlights. It was obvious why the man was picking on him he must’ve got some sort of sick satisfaction out of making him uncomfortable. He couldn’t stand the attention being on him. By that point he wished he had just gotten the answer wrong. Surely the man didn’t expect him to answer, but he was still holding eye contact for a solid ten seconds after the derogatory rhetorical question.

After far too long a pause the man moved on, explaining in detail the point Peter had made, going over the logistics and pressure points in the leg that the woman had hit to weaken the man in the video. Peter would have found it interesting if he wasn’t so focussed on catching his breath after holding it for so long. Though his mind was elsewhere thanks to the near panic attack the colonel had to graciously bestowed upon him, Peter’s hand luckily remained in student mode and he continued to make detailed notes. The other hand had made its way into his pocket and was fiddling with the chain on Tony’s dog tags which he found very soothing for some reason.

After he managed to calm himself down, despite his bitterness towards the speaker, the lecture was actually very interesting and Peter found himself enthralled. He covered several sheets of paper, full of diagrams, questions he had, names of maneuvers that he wanted to practise in private. Wilson went on to show several move videos though luckily for Peter’s weak stomach there wasn’t much blood in them, other than one where a man had his teeth busted through his lip as well as having his nose broken due to not interpreting a punch from his sparring partner; when that particular clip showed up Scott covered his eyes, instinctually picking up on the boys aversion to gore probably due to his fatherly instincts. He saved Peter from vomiting all over himself but he couldn’t spare him from Wilson’s ridicule.

“What’s wrong Parker? Can’t take a little blood? How d’you reckon you’ll be able to be an agent then Princess?”

Peter kept his mouth shut as not to prolong the attention being drawn to him once again though he wanted to come back with a witty remark. He was going to have to stifle the Tony Stark part of his brain that had become implanted in him after a year of having to clap back at the sarcastic man if he wanted to survive the next two weeks. Seriously, he never remembered having such an attitude problem before he started spending time with Tony, he ought to get out of the habit. Scott shot him an apologetic look which he brushed off lightly, not wanting the man to feel bad. It wasn’t his fault Wilson was such a dick, like he didn’t already know he had to get better around blood, he was working on it.

Wilson was going through strategies on how to get out of a chokehold when your hands were bound when Peter had to slide across the vacant seats to get more paper as his sheet was covered on both sides. The officer shot off another witty remark but this time Peter made a point of fully ignoring the man.

“Parker I know you ain’t hard of hearing, you wanna be a smart ass? You and Lang come join me down here for a little demonstration.”

That got the boys attention. Was he being serious? He looked up at Scott who had the same expression of disbelief on his face.

“No, sir.” All heads in the room turnt to Scott.

“What was that Lang?” Wilson hissed furiously but Scott remain calm.

He shrugged and smiled a sarcastically apologetic smile. “I won’t sir. I’m not putting my hands on a kid.”

The room was silent enough to hear a pin drop. Wilson broke the silence by striding up the short steps where Scott was seated, chuckling coldly. He leant over the desk to get right up in Scott’s face, but give the man his due he didn’t back down. He held his ground and even smiled at the man to show he wasn’t intimidated, though he ought to be.

“You’re going to regret disobeying a direct order, Lang.” He whispered so coldly and harshly that Peter, along with the several people close enough to hear the threat, shivered. Though his words weren’t particularly incriminating, the way the man delivered them was enough to make Peter scared for Scott’s life, though clearly Scott didn’t share the same concerns if his cockiness was anything to go by.

Wilson promptly turned away and strode back down the steps, beckoning for Peter to follow behind him, which he did. He wasn’t brave enough to defy the man so boldly as Scott did. “Since I don’t wanna upset Lang’s precious sensibilities, do I have any volunteers to help aid my demonstration?”

The room was silent again for a moment, before a few people stuck their hands up. Peter recognised them to be the same group that would always chuckle along with Wilson’s cruel jokes, so he assumed they were doing so for brownie points.

“Miller. Up you come.”

Of course Wilson picked the biggest guy in the room. He was well over six foot and built like a barn but Peter tried not to let that bother him, he’d taken on worse. Besides it was just a demonstration right? No need to worry.

“Parker, arms behind your back and wrists out.” Oh no, no. Hell no, he didn’t sign up for no bondage shit.

Despite his internal panic he complied and made sure to stay outwardly calm. Though as soon as the cuffs went on him he felt his entire body tense up, immediately going into defense mode. He zoned out as he tried not to let his training get the better of him (even if his body wanted to rebel and fight the Colonel off of him), not fully listening to what Wilson was telling him but he caught the gist. Miller was to stand behind him and grab him around the neck, then Peter was to do his best to get the man off of him by any means necessary then Wilson would critique his method. It was simple enough.

“Don’t hold back either of you. I take it you know how to choke hold someone without crushing their windpipe?” Wilson directed his question towards the burly man and much to Peter’s relief Miller nodded. “Good, that makes my job easier. Choke him out, if you pass out Parker don’t worry we’ll make sure you come to before your Daddy gets too worried.”

Wilson grinned at him, obviously referring to Tony which made Peter’s blood boil; the teasing was too reminiscent of the way that woman from MV corp was talking before all hell broke loose and Tony almost...Peter couldn’t let himself think about that incident not whilst he was about to engage in faux combat. He couldn’t lose control of himself that was no doubt what Wilson wanted. He wasn’t about to let the bully get the better of him.

He ignored the chuckles from Wilson’s usual band of goons and it struck Peter for a moment how much the group reminded him of Flash. He guessed bullies were all the same despite the size and shape of the package they came in. He tried to clear his head and focus, pushing his emotions to the back of his head the way Bruce had taught him during their meditation at home.

“When you’re ready gentlemen.” Wilson nodded and Miller didn’t even give Peter time to brace himself. The large man pounced on him before he could take one last inhale, forcing the last of the air out of his lungs as he did so. Fortunately for Peter, it wouldn’t be long before he freed himself so his lungs could reinflate.

Not two seconds after Miller grabbed him, Peter got over his initial shock and his body took over, much like it had the day he was almost kidnapped in the alley. With his arms behind his back he utilised his legs kicking one out between the man behind him. Miller’s gate was wide so it was easy for Peter to maneuver his leg behind one of his calves, pushing one of the pressure points Wilson had highlighted earlier, effectively kicking out his leg underneath him. As Miller stumbled forward trying to stop himself from collapsing Peter twisted his entire body around, slipping his hands, still linked together, around Miller’s neck. He used his neck to swing himself up and over the man’s head, landing on his feet behind him as the sudden movement caused him to fall to his knees. That was another good thing about the bite it had seemed to make him hypermobile, meaning he could easily force his joints into all kinds of positions with little to no pain, like he had just then having felt zero pressure in his shoulders after practically dislocating and relocating them. The tables had turned and now it was Peter standing behind and choking his improvised partner. It all happened within five seconds, Peter reacting on instinct and reflexes alone.

“Stop! Parker, enough!” Wilson barked causing Peter to jog himself back into his usual brain.

He gently lowered the man, slowly, so that he didn’t fall backwards, leaning Miller back against his legs. He removed his cuffs from around the man’s neck, realising the pressure he must’ve been applying as Miller spluttered and coughed as soon as he did so. Miller grabbed his neck and slumped forwards wheezing, only avoiding smacking his face onto the concrete because Peter caught him by the shoulders. He started to panic that he’d ruptured the man’s windpipe before he took in a deep breath and the colour returned to his face.

“Shit are you-“

“I’m good.” The gruff voice strained out, refusing Peter’s hand to help him stand up.

Peter was flooded with guilt. He’d never meant to hurt anyone, he should’ve controlled himself better. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to-“

“What’re you apologising for kid, that was the whole point!” Miller spat out still rubbing his neck, which was already developing a nice purplish bruise.

Wilson cleared his throat. He hadn’t expected Peter to come out the victor clearly, but he had to pretend that he had. “He’s right Parker, you can both sit down now. So, what did Miller do wrong?”

The purpose of the exercise was meant to be picking apart Peter’s defence not Miller’s attack. The whole altercation had Peter worried he’d just made another enemy, should the man’s pride have been hurt. That was the last thing he needed. He made his way back to his seat wide eyed and red faced where Scott was looking at him in awe. “I’m glad I didn’t go up there.”

“Quiet Lang!”

Though the experience was slightly traumatic, it at least got Wilson off of Peter’s case for the rest of the day. He also went on to praise his technique and explain all the things he did right during his short presentation of skill, which helped heal the wound a little. He was still sure not to make eye contact with any of the other recruits though he could feel eyes on him every now and then. The rest of the class passed by all too quickly for Peter, who once again found himself actually captivated by what Wilson has to say. He liked learning the names for certain moves and he sure to write down as much as possible so he could make more detailed notes and descriptions later, even though he’d used up all the extra paper from the surrounding empty desks.

Finally it was approaching six thirty when Wilson declared that they would be finishing for the day. “Those of you waiting to be assigned new bunks in the blue zone please meet back their after dinner, as for the rest of you the evening is yours. Though for other groups it is not mandatory, I like to go the extra mile to get my soldiers in shape and ready for what they’ll be experiencing as an agent. So, before breakfast, I want all of you to meet me by the track for some routine stamina and strength training.”

There were a few grumbles and sighs around the room as people gathered their things but no one verbally protested the request. Peter wasn’t particularly fazed, he was often up at the crack of dawn anyway he might as well get some exercise whilst he was already up. He had a feeling his dad may object to not seeing him all morning but he couldn’t go against orders.

They were lead back to the mess hall and Peter finally had some sort of idea what direction they were meant to be going in. Not that he’d have a hope in hell finding his way on his own but he at least knew they were meant to be heading North Easterly.

“Five thirty tomorrow, ladies. Don’t be late or you’ll be skipping breakfast to make up for lost time, so I make myself clear?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Enjoy your free time.”

Scott made faces as soon as Wilson started walking away from them making Peter giggle. That was until Wilson called back not turning around. “And I’ll see you at four am, Lang.”

“I can’t wait, sir!” Scott called cheerily.

But Peter stopped laughing and frowned. “Dude, you gotta stop. You’re gonna get yourself in deep trouble if you mess with him I can feel it.”

“Spidey-senses tingling?” Scott laughed, trying to brush Peter off though he knew the boy was right. He just didn’t want the teen to worry about him so it was easier to play it off.

“I’m serious. He’s already got it out for you man, you gotta play it smart.”

“Eh well, another hour and a half of running or whatever is better than getting choke slammed by you that shit was fierce.”

Peter rolled his eyes in response. He knew that Scott was deliberately not taking the conversation seriously to deflect his own nerves, Peter did the same thing with Flash at school. If he turned everything into a joke no one would realise how scared he really was. “Just..just try not to get into any trouble tonight, okay?”

“No promises, I’ll see you tomorrow kid.” Scott said cheerily as he went to fetch himself a tray.

“See ya.” Peter said sadly. He was worried but he knew there wasn’t much he could do, he just hoped Wilson wouldn’t work Scott half to death before the day even began. He tried to shake the thought from his mind and focus on the positives from the day as he made his way over to the Avengers and co table.

Luckily this time none of the guards made a fuss over him walking towards them, probably due to the soldier from earlier being scared shitless by his dad. He was happy he didn’t have to flash Tony’s ID tags at anyone though. As soon as he approached the table Thor locked eyes on him and greeted him in his usual excited manor.

“Spiderling! There you are! Good evening my boy!”

“Hey guys.” He smiled and took a seat, not bothering going to grab himself food yet. He didn’t feel hungry at all he was just craving his bed. By the looks of it so was Steve, the man yawned as he greeted him.

“Hey, sport. Whatcha got there?” Steve references the stack of papers he had clenched in his hand.

“Oh, just some notes from the class, it was really good. We went over a bunch of stuff.” Peter handed them over for Steve to look at.

“I can see that.” He smiled, though Peter couldn’t help but notice the bags under the soldiers eyes. They stood out so prominently on a man who constantly badgered the team about getting their eight hours. “Wow, Pete these are so detailed. Did you draw these?”

Steve was pointing to one of the diagrams Peter had made of the pressure points in people’s sides. “Uh huh, I had to write it all real quick though he was talking super fast.”

“They’re really good.” Steve praised as he handed back the notes.

The compliment made Peter blush. He’d had the privilege of flipping through Steve’s sketchbook a couple of times so having the man commend him on his sketching ability was very humbling, even if he was just trying to encourage him. He chuckled awkwardly. “Thanks. Where’s Mr. Stark and Dr. Banner?”

Peter had just noticed they weren’t anywhere to be seen, he saw Nat and Clint up at the tray window but not his Dad and Bruce.

“Uh, there was a slight problem they had to attend to. I’m sure Tony will be back in a minute.” Steve said a little too quickly and Peter easily picked up on what the man meant due to his lack of including Bruce in that assumption.

“Is Bruce, okay?” He asked quietly.

Steve nodded. “He’s fine bud, don’t worry. Why don’t you go get yourself some food, huh?”

Peter did as he was told, knowing better than to argue with Steve about his lack of appetite. He had yet to try any hot food that came out of the kitchen and he was rather apprehensive given the god awful reviews the rest of the adults had given. To his pleasant surprise it didn’t look all that bad, though he had often prided himself on being a less than fussy eater. Given his upbringing as long as he was allowed some kind of sugar after, he’d eat anything. He passed Nat and Clint on their way back to the table and Nat elected to stand up there with him.

“Hey, short stack.”

“Sup, carrot top.” He grinned even when Nat ruffled his hair into his eyes. She asked him similar questions to Steve albeit in a much more sarcastic manner and Peter took the opportunity to ask Nat about what happened with Bruce. It was well known within the household that the two were an item, but it was just another one of those unspoken things like Peter calling Tony dad and Steve’s unhealthy obsession with recycling. He knew she’d be upfront with him about Bruce’s state whereas the other adults would try and hide the extent of it from him.

“He’s in rough shape. It was a pretty bad turn this time around.” She said seriously.

“Did they like make him do it or was it an accident?”

“They like to call it a control test, but there was nothing controlled about it. We were lucky he didn’t hurt anyone. I just hope he doesn’t remember this one. He’s gonna feel like shit if he does.”

Peter frowned. He didn’t like the idea of Bruce being forced into something like that, he knew how much the doctor despised it without the added factor that it caused him great physical pain. “That ain’t right.”

“He’ll be fine, kid.” Nat bashed into him with her shoulder affectionately, sensing how upset the teen was getting. Peter went up to get his tray and as they were walking back Nat failed to point something out until it was too late. “Oh, and your shoe’s untied.”

“It- wOAH!” Peter tripped but managed to avoid throwing his tray across the room by spinning wildly in a circle, hopping on one foot as he tried to keep his balance, said foot still trapping the loose shoelace. He managed to stabilize himself for a second but immediately tripped again as he tried to take a step forward. This time both him and his tray were sent crashing to the floor but luckily both of them were still facing up. Nat bust laughing immediately as she went to grab his tray and take it to the table for him, but leaving him on his butt. She wasn’t the only one, Peter heard soft giggling from behind him too.

“I think you dropped this.” Came a sweet voice with a thick accent that Peter couldn’t quite place. He scrambled to his feet and turned around to be met by the girl he got in trouble for waving at earlier, who was laughing and holding out the bottle of orange juice that had bounced off of his tray.

“Oh, uh, thanks! Sorry, did it hit you?” He stammered as he could feel his face turning a beautiful shade of crimson. He took the bottle from her outstretched hand gratefully but he couldn’t help but avoid eye contact.

“It didn’t, no worries.” She said cheerily and stuck out her hand again. “I’m Shuri, by the way.”

He hesitated for a moment, Tony had said he had to wait until he could go introducing himself. But technically he hadn’t initiated it and Tony wasn’t there so he threw caution to the wind. “Hi, I’m Peter.”

“You’re Mr. Stark’s apprentice, no? I’ve seen some of your work, very impressive stuff.” Peter didn’t fail to notice the way her compliment made his heart flutter a little.

“Yeah I am-“ he chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck, he wasn’t used to people knowing who he was. He went to continue his conversation but he heard a voice clear it’s throat from behind him. Aw, crackerjacks.

He whipped around and there his Dad was. “Hey, Shuri.”

She nodded graciously, not looking at all intimidated by the man’s presence, though Peter knew she had also been told not to talk to him. “Mr. Stark.”

“U-uh hey, Mr. Stark. Shuri was just uh-“

“Relax kid, I saw you fall on your ass.” Tony smirked at his son’s horrified expression.

Peter stuttered for a moment but Shuri interjected before he could get the words out. “Ah yes, I must admit you seemed much more spry as Spider-Man, though I guess it could be the suit.”

He blushed even harder than before and shot Tony and angry look for having brought up the embarrassing moment again.

“Aw well, not everyone can have such cat-like reflexes as your brother, eh? Maybe he needs a little extra training.” Tony was talking directly to Shuri but the hand he had gripping Peter’s shoulder was getting progressively tighter as he reminded him what group he was meant to be talking to.

“Speaking of him I should get back before he murders me for talking to you, it was nice to meet you Peter I hope we get to talk again.” She gave the pair a small wave and returned to her seat, next to a man Peter now knew was her brother who looked as disgruntled as Tony did. The man gave Tony and understanding nod that he returned as though they were both saying ‘ugh, kids’.

“Come on hot shot.” Tony not so gently pushed Peter back to the table.

“Well I wasn’t just gonna be rude and ignore her.” He hissed back but Tony just shoved him again. “Quit it!”

Once again Tony ignored him and pushed him down into his seat where his less than appetising meal was waiting for him. “Stop, I’ve had enough of being pushed around today!”

That caught Tony’s attention. “What do you mean?”

“Uhh, you know, the halls are always so packed people kept bashing into me.” He said quickly, trying to brush off his comment but Tony still looked at him suspiciously.

“It’s probably because you’re so short, youngling, they may not have been able to see you.” Thor chimed in ‘helpfully’.

“I ain’t that short!”

“Told you we shoulda got him some platform shoes, Tony.” Nat smirked at his indignant expression.

“I’m five eight!” He may have been stretching the truth ever so slightly with that one, but he noticed Shuri was showing an interest in their loud conversation at the other end of the bench.

“Now what about without shoesies?” Clint cackled.

“You know what? Sorry Steve but I’m not hungry I’m going back to my room-“

“D’you know how to get there?” Tony asked feigning innocence.

“...I’ll figure it out.”

“Boy, eat your damn meatloaf.”

“I thought it was a pork chop?” Nat said disgustedly.

“Well, whatever it is eat it.” Tony sighed.

Peter shrugged and started eating whatever it was. “Happy mystery meat Monday I guess.”

“You’re nasty.” Nat grimaced and Peter bit back the urge to open his mouth and do the old ‘see/seafood’ joke but he knew Steve would have had a melt down.

They ate their meals in relative peace with Peter telling Tony the same things he’d already told Steve and the others though he went into slightly more detail now that he had his full audience. It was drawing near to half seven when Peter grew increasingly quiet and starting yawning regularly.

Tony leant in close after Peter zones out in the middle of Clint talking to him. “Wanna head back to the room kiddo?”

Rather than protest Peter nodded and blinked himself awake. They said their goodbyes, assuring the rest of the team they’d see them shortly and the pair started walking back to their dorm. Peter looked back on last time to see if he could see Scott but the G group table was all but empty.

“You alright, bubs?”

“Uh huh. Just tired.” Peter said adding a yawn to the end for effect.

“I can tell.” Tony smiled fondly. “Just so you know, you probably shouldn’t mention Scott to Steve.”

“Yeah I got that.” Peter mumbled. He was too tired for conversation, words took too much energy and brain power.

“Where are you off to?” Tony chuckled as he had to grab Peter around the waist and steer him in the right direction when the teen decided to take a harsh left.

“Thought it was that way.” Peter shook his head.

“Not quite, honey.” Tony managed to corale Peter back to their room before the teen collapsed onto his bed, immediately grabbing his phone.

“Hey dad?”

“Hm?”

“Is there WiFi I can use here?” Tony rolled his eyes and went to give a sarcastic answer about teens being dependant on their phones (not that he was one to talk) but Peter cut him off. “For school, Dad. My teachers and Ned are gonna email my assignments remember?”

“Yeah, gimme your phone.” Tony took it from him and quickly typed in the code he had memorised, doing the same for the boy’s laptop too. He went to hand the devices back to his son but didn’t have the chance to. “Here P- aww.”

The boy was already unconscious, fully dressed on the bottom bunk. He was still half sitting up with his mouth open and Tony marvelled at his ability to fall asleep at the drop of a hat. As much as he wanted to just let the exhausted boy sleep he knew he had to get him into a more comfortable position and his shoes off at the very least. Peter was always so adorable when he was sleeping and Tony hated how the sight made him turn all broody. He walked over to his son and gently stroked his cheek a few times with his thumb, imagining how cute he must’ve been as a toddler and how sad he was to have missed those years, before he had to snap himself out of it. He slapped Peter’s cheek three times to wake the kid up. “Up ya get.”

Peter groaned and shoved Tony’s hand away. “Heeey.”

“I know you’re tired but you’ve gotta hey changed. Besides you’ll pee the bed if you don’t go before you sleep now come on.” Tony helped the now teary teen sit up as he whined pitifully. “I know it.”

“You’re mean.” Peter sniffed and shuffled off in the direction of the bathroom.

“I know, I’m the meanest. Go potty and brush your teeth.” He smirked deliberately goading his son with the baby talk but the kid was too tired to do anything but whine in response. He couldn’t help it, he was too cute when he got like this and it was the only way he could cope with it without cooing. Whilst Peter took care of his nightly routine Tony pulled out the boy’s pyjamas and put away his notes on the desk, then untucking the corners of Peter’s bed so he could clamber into it easier.

The disheveled teen appeared in the hallway with his pants still undone, toothpaste on his shirt and his hair a mess where he’d presumably attempted to comb it. Tony just prayed the young zombie had avoided any other people in the hall. “Jesus Christ, come here.”

Peter was too tired to protest, all the emotional and physical energy he’d spent that day combined with the lack of sleep that night and no nap he was exhausted. The crash seemed to hit him all at once. It was the most tired he’d felt in a long time and honestly, it wasn’t a bad feeling. He knew he’d get a good night’s rest at least. Tony helped strip him of his uniform and change him into his pjs which he would have been mortified about at any other time but he was too tired to care. He went to climb the ladder to his bunk but instead he just kind of lent against it, as though he was trying to see if he had telekinesis strong enough to will himself up there without moving limbs.

“Bottom bunk tonight, little one.” Tony chuckled and helped pour Peter into the bed closest to the ground. “You’re a mess, Petey, you know that?”

“But you love me anyway.” Peter mumbled, not even bothering to open his eyes.

Tony pulled the blanket up over him. “You’re right I do. Very much.”

“I love you too Dad.”

Tony smiled, those five words making it feel like his arc reactor was overheating. He planted a kiss on the already knocked out boy’s head. “Sweet dreams, Underoos.”

Tony resigned himself to a quiet evening, though he had wanted to have a more in-depth conversation about Peter’s newfound friendship in Scott. He knew he’d have ample opportunity to talk to the man himself, at some point what he was more interested in is why he hadn’t been notified and why Scott and Peter had been placed in the same group. Surely that couldn’t be a coincidence.

An hour or so after he’d tucked Peter in Steve popped his head through the door. “Hey everything alright in here?”

“Shh!” Tony hissed desperately. “Don’t wake him up.”

“Aww, he’s conked out already?” Steve cooed looking over at Peter.

“I know, if I had known this was how to get him to fall asleep early I would’ve brought him with us last time.”

Chapter Text

The next couple days came and went, all merging together; only being broken up by the time Peter spent passed out in his bunk. Everyday was like the first, Peter being almost too exhausted to finish dinner, but he made Tony keep him awake so that he could do schoolwork and tidy up his notes. His days were grueling and exhausting, but Peter found himself enjoying nearly every minute of it even when Wilson was trying to make things deliberately harder for him. Though each day was filled with different, exciting and challenging tasks the structure of their days remained the same; Peter’s day consisted of strenuous exercise first thing in the morning then transitioning into more practical work towards the afternoon. He was finding with each lecture he was learning more and more, when before he had assumed that none of the material would be new information; as much as Colonel Wilson made it obvious he detested Peter’s presence, the teen found himself looking forward to the latter part of the day more than anything else. He was enjoying learning about all the different strategies and tactics, he made a point of researching and learning all the different codes and acronyms used within average military operations, even learning the NATO phonetic alphabet along with the corresponding code words in one night (much to Tony’s disbelief).

He would also relay his lessons in great detail to his adult team members who always made sure to be equally as enthusiastic as him. They asked him questions like they didn’t fully understand, even though they had learned the same things many years ago, but Peter didn’t need to know that. He was always so excited to talk to them about it, it was impossible not to engage with him. He never noticed the fond smiles they would give each other while he was explaining a tactical error to a ‘very confused’ Clint or Bruce. Though to be fair to him, Thor often was completely oblivious, having bypassed that kind of training being that he was from another world, so god didn’t actually have to play up his ignorance.

Nat had taken a special interest in his combat training, since out of all of them her and Peter had the most similar fighting style, revolving around leg work as well as punches. Without realising it he had adopted a more mixed martial arts style of fighting as opposed to brute strength, which he had an abundance of, and this excited his female counterpart. They often trained together in the evenings and Nat’s private instructions gave him an edge over the rest of the recruits that was becoming more and more apparent with each session, much to everyone's distaste.

The more he excelled in his classes the more bitter certain members of his group grew towards him, but Peter didn’t let that bother him too much. He had Scott as well as a few other people warming up to him thanks to his bubbly personality. The people he was often partnered with to spar took a liking to him quickly once his friendliness got the better of them.

He’d even been allowed to talk to Shuri and her brother, T’Challa, who Peter later found out was the Black freaking Panther. He had to make a concerted effort not to have a full on fangirl moment but it was pretty difficult considering he had action figures of the man. Once he found out who they were he couldn’t contain his excitement when it came to tech talk with Shuri who was more than enthusiastic to answer his questions; despite Tony and T’Challa warning the two teenagers to keep their discussions strictly theoretical, due to data protection, they were already making plans to work on a project together. He found out that he’d been right, Shuri wasn’t much older than him only being seventeen, which made him feel a lot better about being the baby of the team. Though even she kept calling him cute, much to his embarrassment.

All in all it had been a good week, though Peter was starting to miss home just a teensy bit. He was mostly missing Ned and MJ but at least he could have contact with them in the evenings, texting constantly with Ned and getting the odd snapchat from MJ here and there (which was more than he’d usually get out of the girl). Tony had warned him to mind what he said, even to Ned who he knew was aware of Peter’s alter ego. Every message or google search or phone call was being closely monitored by S.H.I.E.L.D staff at all times and Peter was careful not to incriminate himself or possibly put Ned in danger by giving away too much information. Luckily the two had the forethought to come up with a code for that very situation ahead of time, so Ned knew not to let on what he knew about Peter’s double life either.

It was the morning of the fifth day when Peter ran into his first big problem. He’d stayed up until gone three the night before practising kicks with Nat after Tony fell asleep (knowing if he Dad caught him awake that late he would have been in big trouble, but of course auntie Nat wasn’t adversed to breaking the rules). He was having a great dream about him and MJ hanging out on the rooftop of a building. Just as it was getting interesting he was woken up by Tony shaking him.

“Pete. Petey. Wake up, you alright?”

“Mm?” He groggily opened his eyes to see his Dad looming over him. He rubbed at his eyes sleepily trying to wake himself up enough to figure out why he was being disturbed.

“P, do you know what time it is?”

“Huh?” Peter blinked and sat up, realising where he was. He glanced over at his phone and it read 5:46. “Oh no!”

He barrel rolled off of his bed seeming to have forgotten he was on a bunk bed, but luckily Tony was there to catch him. “Woah, careful-“

“I’m late! I’m so so late!” Peter sprang around the room like a headless chicken trying to get himself dressed in record time. Though he’d had plenty of practise getting changed quickly, the combination of sleep deprivation and panic dulled his skills and he ended up tripping over his pants still muttering obscenities.

“Pete, chill! You’re gonna hurt yourself just take a minute.” Tony chuckled and pulled his son off of the floor.

“I don’t have a minute I’m already late! I-I-I’m gonna get in so much trouble!” Peter shook his head fervently not listening to what his Dad was saying at all.

But Tony grabbed him by both shoulders and forced him to look at him. “Peter. Breathe. Don’t work yourself up into a panic, it was an accident.”

“Yeah well I’m pretty sure the Colonel ain’t gonna see it that way- I’ll see you later!” He brushed past Tony running straight out of the room and down the hall before he could stop him.

“Bub-Peter! At least go...to the bathroom first.” Tony sighed realising his son had already taken off out of earshot. He just hoped he had the wherewithal to do so before he went out to the track. “Guess I’ll make your bed then.”

Fortunately Peter did, but only because his bladder made a very sudden protest in the middle of him sprinting and he was forced to take a detour to the bathroom, only adding more time to his lateness. By the time he made it out to the track the other recruits had already finished their run and were moving on to press ups and other core exercises. He immediately walked over to Wilson, feeling everyone’s eyes on him. The usual culprits snickered at him as he walked red faced across the courtyard.

“Sir, I’m so sorry I-“

“On the track, Parker.” Wilson barked before he even got over to him. Peter nodded and changed direction, jogging back to the track to catch up with the part he’d missed. He was happy that he hadn’t been publicly chastised for being late, he’d expected Wilson to make a massive deal out of it. But he had a feeling that wasn’t going to be the last he heard of it.

He was right. Wilson had him run for the rest of their early morning session and he wouldn’t allow him to join the rest of the group for breakfast. He wanted to protest, knowing how badly his father would react if he didn’t turn up let alone Steve, but he knew better. Wilson has just started to ease up on him, he wasn’t making Peter take part in demo’s anymore and he’d stopped calling on him unnecessarily during class too. Now he was worried that all that was going to start up again.

Once again he was right. Just as he was finishing up his core training Wilson took him to collect the rest of the group after breakfast and Scott ran up to him as soon as they were lead back out.

“I tried to sneak you a cereal bar but I got caught. You okay? What happened this morning?”

Peter chuckled at the sentiment. “Don’t get yourself into trouble dude and yeah I’m fine. I just slept through my alarm.”

“Aw shit kid. You know how Judge gets when people are late-“

“I know, I know.” Peter grimaced. “But I made my time up so hopefully he won’t be too bad-“

“Parker!” Their conversation was cut off by said Colonel screaming across the yard. “You show up late and now you wanna interrupt me?”

“Sorry, sir.”

“Get your ass down here!”

Peter sighed and Scott gave him a sympathetic smile as the teen marched his way to the front of the group.

“Drop.” Peter understood the command and did so, propping himself into a push up position. What he wasn’t expecting however was to feel two feet on his back. He braced himself against the sudden pressure, freezing in place. “Why ain’t you moving?”

Was he serious? Apparently so. Peter was forced to do push ups with the man standing on his back the entire time he spoke to the rest of the group. The weight wasn’t an issue of course, but Wilson’s boots dug uncomfortably into his back; He felt the man deliberately adjusting his foot stance repeatedly so that they dug in even more. He didn’t make a fuss lest he give Wilson more reason to pick on him. It was humiliating but he didn’t have another choice so he tried his best to grin and bare it.

The rest of the morning went like that, Peter being used as an example for any given reason Wilson could think of. He accidentally slipped in the mud during one of the obstacle courses but apparently that was intentional, so Peter had to redo it three more times before the man was satisfied, making him late for break. He managed to duck in and out of the bathroom and grab some water from the fountain before he was marched back into the weight room. Then Peter was paired with one of the biggest people in his group for sparring. Lovely.

Of course it was nothing he couldn’t handle, but by the end of PT Peter was exhausted. Not only was he running on less than four hours of sleep but also no food, which with his metabolism left him with a dangerously low blood sugar. He was shaking by the time their training was over and he felt light headed and wobbly. As he was walking out of the room Wilson couldn’t resist one last pop at him.

“Good work, Parker.” He chuckled sarcastically and Peter had to drag Scott away before the man said anything.

They took a slow walk to the canteen since Peter was struggling to walk in a straight line and Scott was worried he’d pass out if he rushed him. As Peter expected, Tony was looking around anxiously trying to spot Peter as soon as he walked through the door.

“You okay to walk over there?” Scott said, seeing Tony at the same time Peter did. He knew the poor boy was about to get grilled by his boss for having skipped breakfast and he felt upmost sympathy for him.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine honestly.” He brushed him off, he felt unbalanced sure but he wasn’t about to faint. Not yet anyway.

“Okay...I’ll see you in a bit.” Scott said apprehensively, but he kept a close eye on Peter as he walked away, ready to run over and catch him if he did pass out.

Peter nodded and made his way across the room as quickly as his shaky legs would allow and thankfully one of his team members had the forethought to grab his tray for him. He kept his head down and avoided anyone’s eye before he got there, silently begging them not to say anything about his absence that morning but of course he wasn’t so lucky.

To his surprise it was Steve who got in first, not Tony. “Peter where on earth have you been?! You know you’re not to skip meals under any circumstances- look at you, for goodness sakes you look like you’re gonna pass out! What were you doing?! Why didn’t you at least come and see us on break?!”

Peter stared silently at him for a moment before he sat himself down, sighing. “Can I answer the first question or are you not done?”

Everyone around the table looked at him not expecting such an attitude to come from the usually complacent teenager. The sardonic tone of voice made him sound eerily like Tony and it didn’t suit him.

“Hey. Watch it.” Tony snapped. “What’s gotten into you?”

“Sorry. M’sorry Mr. Rogers.” Peter said, regretting taking such a tone against the man who was obviously only concerned. “I’m just tired.”

Steve and Tony exchanged glances, as did the rest of the group and they all seemed to silently agree to leave the boy alone.

“Eat.” Was all Tony said and Peter wasted no time in obliging. He was starving. He ended up warfing half the tray down in under five minutes. “Jesus, Pete, slow down. You’re gonna make yourself sick.”

“Sorry.” He said sheepishly making an effort to slow down. There were conversations going on all around him but he made little effort to join in or really pay any attention. The only time he did was when Tony was getting up to get more coffee. “Can I have some?”

“You think that’s a good idea?” His Dad quirked an eyebrow. Peter knew what he was hinting at but he also knew the man wouldn’t bring that up in front of the rest of the table.

“Please?” He begged, whipping out the puppy dog eyes. “I can barely stay awake, Mr. Stark.”

The way Peter spoke stabbed at his heart strings; the quiet sweet voice and the use of his last name reminded Tony way too much of the early days when Peter was too scared to ask for anything. “Fine. Just one.”

Peter smiled a little smugly as soon as Tony’s back was turned and he received an exasperated look from Steve for doing so, which he shrugged off. Sometimes being cute had its perks. Tony was right the coffee was not good, but it was better than nothing. It didn’t take long to kick in either, so he perked up more towards the end of their lunch break. He still remained rather quiet but he felt more human than zombie.

Once it was time to go back Tony grabbed him just as he was getting up from the table, pulling him close to whisper to him. “Go to the bathroom first.”

Peter blushed but nodded. He’d been planning on doing so anyway but having his Dad remind him made him feel like a small child. After he peed (and brushed his teeth because he felt disgusting) he made his way over to where Scott was and the man was just finishing off his own meal and going to bus his tray. As he stood to do so Peter saw one of the other members of G group barge into him, causing his tray to go skidding across the floor and almost knocked Scott over. Peter jogged over to help him clean up the mess before one of the officers yelled at him, but he didn’t get over there quick enough to ask what the other guys deal was.

“What was that about?” Peter hissed as he helped to scrape some half eaten macaroni off the floor.

Scott simply shrugged nonchalantly. “No idea.”

“Did he say anything? Did you say anything?” The two questions had very different inflections as Peter realised that Scott may have opened his big mouth to the wrong person again.

“No words were exchanged it was probably an accident.” Scott chuckled. He always found it amusing when Peter tried to parent him.

“It didn’t look like an accident…”

“It’s no big deal- come on before you’re late again.” Scott changed the subject quickly and pulled Peter towards the lecture hall.

Fortunately they weren’t late. They were early in fact, but that did nothing to quell Wilson’s contempt towards Peter that day. It was as though because they’d gotten off on a bad foot that morning that all Peter’s hand work and good behaviour had been forgotten. Wilson was just as hostile and arrogant as he had been on the first day and Peter was in no mood for it. He did his best to keep his head down but that was difficult when he kept picking on him for every single question only seeming to get more infuriated when Peter knew the answers.

They were around an hour in and Wilson had let up on him a bit, most likely due to the rest of the group getting fed up with not having the chance to answer. Peter was glad for the break as he was starting to experience something he hadn’t during training before. He started needing to pee. Up until that point he had always been strict on his fluid intake and bathroom regime. Whenever he did drink anything he made sure to sip it slowly and gradually; somehow he’d managed to avoid any close calls up until that point. But where he’d been so hungry and tired he’d forgotten himself, at lunched he downed a whole bottle of water as well as the coffee he guilt tripped Tony for. He was in trouble.

He’d promised his Dad he’d ask if he needed to go and his Dad had assumed he was doing so without any major issue, but in fact he never had to. Peter wasn’t even sure if Wilson would let anyone go during training as he had yet to see anyone ask. Not once had anyone asked to be excused so he supposed that the adults were just able to wait until their breaks to use the facilities. That or they’d been privy to some kind of bladder training that Peter hadn’t as part of their pre agent testing. It wasn’t fair, he didn’t have an adult sized bladder how was he meant to wait until breaks? He didn’t have that kind of control over his kidneys, he couldn’t time it. Besides he did go on his break it wasn’t his fault he had to go again. Okay, maybe it was a little his fault, but what the hell what he supposed to do now?

‘Ask,’ Said the logical side of his brain. But that wasn’t so easy because the emotional side was already reeking havoc. Wilson was in the middle of talking and there was no way Peter was about to interrupt and ask in front of everyone. Even if the man hadn’t taken a particular dislike to him that day he wouldn’t have been able to do that- he could barely do it in school, in front of a familiar group of his peers. These were adults, these were hardened military personnel, he couldn’t make himself ask for a potty break in front of them.

He tried his best to ignore it for a while, but the caffeine was doing a number irritating his bladder. The pressure in his stomach was building rapidly and he knew he had to do something before anyone caught on to his predicament.

He determined that he had three options, all of which were panic inducing. The most straight forward, yet most difficult one, was to bite the bullet and just ask to be excused. But that ran the risk of Wilson making fun of him in front of everyone and possibly not letting him go anyway. He could try and slip out, but he doubted that he could do so without getting caught and then he’d either be forced to sit back down again to be forced to admit where he was going and be ridiculed for it, or even be told he wasn’t allowed to. The third option was to try and hold it until dinner, but Peter knew that was unrealistic. Had it been a good day, where he hadn’t drank any caffeine and wasn’t stressed out he wouldn’t have been able to hold it that long.

Whilst he was having that internal debate his bladder was steadily filling and he couldn’t sit still anymore. He swung both of his legs to one side of his chair, trying to put pressure on his crotch without having to use his hands but it did little to help him.

Scott had noticed the change in body language and was attempting to catch Peter’s eye but the boy refused to look at him. If Wilson saw the two conversing even if it was non-verbal he was scared that the man wouldn’t let him leave to go to the bathroom- if he ever built up the courage to ask. But Scott was persistent, he ended up writing on his sheet of paper and pushing it towards Peter’s section of the desk.

‘What’s wrong?’ It said.

As panicked as he was Peter couldn’t bring himself to admit his need to Scott. Despite knowing the man’s reaction would be nothing less than sympathetic he just couldn’t do it. He didn’t write anything back at first just shaking his head slightly in response but again, Scott didn’t quit and apparently Peter wasn’t as surreptitious in his movements as he once though.

The second note read, ‘Do you have to pee?’ and Peter quickly scribbled it out with his own pen just in case anyone could see. He shook his head again but Scott wasn’t stupid, he knew a potty dance when he saw one. Though he hadn’t known Peter for very long he had noticed the teen made an effort not to drink much, would get quiet and bouncy before their breaks and would always blush whenever Scott mentioned using the bathroom; he’d figured that Peter was a little shy when it came to such matters. He wanted to help but he knew he couldn’t speak for him, the other recruits let alone Wilson would never let him live it down. All he could do was try and encourage Peter to say something for himself but that was no easy feat.

‘Just go I’ll cover for you.’

This time Peter actually wrote something back. ‘I can’t. I know he’s gonna stop me.’

‘He can’t stop you from going to the bathroom I’ll kick up a storm if he tries. Just go.’

That was the extent of Peter’s replies though as he was too busy arguing with himself on the matter. The situation was getting dire and he could feel his bladder threatening to leak every time he fought against the urge to squirm. His brain was going a hundred miles per hour as he tried to think of a solution that wouldn’t end in him embarrassing himself.

“Peter go.” Scott whispered audible causing Peter to shoot him a warning look.

He was running out of time and they both knew it. He had his legs firmly crossed under the desk now but that wasn’t cutting it anymore, he was having to switch positions every few seconds lest his bladder betray him. It was when he leaked and had to bend forward suddenly that an idea struck him. It wasn’t a pleasant one but it covered all bases and he was too desperate and panicked to think about how insane it was.

He decided to give himself a nosebleed.

He didn’t hesitate once the idea came to him, it wasn’t like he hadn’t done it before to get out of things. Admittedly not in several years, but it wasn’t a difficult feat to accomplish. There was no way Wilson would deny him leaving the room if his face was dripping blood- that was a sure health code violation. He made quick work of thrusting the palm of his hand against his nostrils hard, in one swift motion, and he was immediately rewarded by the familiar rush of heat filling his nose before running down his chin. Scott was the only one to witness him do this, who stared on in horror and confusion but Peter didn’t have time to worry about his reaction. He stuck his non bloody hand up in the air to get Wilson’s attention.

“Parker, what- oh for God's sake.”

“Sir, can I-“

“Go.” The man waved his hand flippantly and rolled his eyes. He didn’t wait to be told twice.

Peter dashed out of the room pinching the bridge of his nose as he ran, though he wasn’t truly concerned about it. He was more concerned about keeping his pants dry, a mission he was mere minutes away from failing. Gravity hit him hard as soon as he stood up and his bladder weighed heavily in his abdomen, demanding its contents to be released. He soon gave into those demands as he got himself to the nearest bathroom much to his relief. He managed to get his pants down just in time to avoid disaster and he audibly moaned as he went. He was too relieved to be embarrassed, at least initially.

He hadn’t escaped the experience completely unscathed, his underwear was thoroughly soaked but with no outward signs of his mini accident on his uniform he was content to deal with that. He was more panicked about the possibility of it happening again. Peter was well aware about his bladders shortcomings, so the likelihood of him getting desperate again before the lecture was over was strong. Now he had to figure out how he was going to combat that. Luckily the self induced nosebleed bought him some time as he actually needed to stop the flow of blood; Despite his accelerated healing for some reason his nose remained one of the few sensitive areas that still took it sweet time repairing itself. Bruce suggested it was due to the delicate capilleries being damaged but Peter surmised his nose was just dumb- that was his expert medical opinion.

As he sat on the toilet with tissue stuck up his nostrils he came up with a plan. He’d hide out in the bathroom for as long as he could without raising suspicion (I.E. until Wilson sent someone in after him) then he’d try and pee again before he left. That way he should be able to manage the next few hours without having to leave again. It might be a tight schedule and he’d probably end up desperate right at the end of class but it was the only option he really had if he wanted to avoid assaulting himself again. A second nosebleed would definitely raise suspicion and no doubt Scott would think him absolutely insane- though he wouldn’t be entirely wrong in thinking so.

‘Oh god Scott.’ Peter suddenly thought. The man had just witnessed him pee dancing like a five year old, all after one cup of coffee. Great now he was going to be too ashamed to face the one friend he’d made by himself.

The idea of going back to the classroom and having everyone looking at him was tipping him over the edge. He suddenly realised how homesick he was. Why couldn’t he have been back in Mr. Brunswick’s class with Ned there? Or why wouldn’t he have been somewhere with his Dad where he could have just Tony-Starked his way out of it? He had failed to notice before since his days had been non-stop but he’d been an anxious wreck the entire time he’d been there and the mental toll was starting to weigh on him all at once. He had to second guess every little thing he did, he was constantly worried about doing something wrong or looking stupid for not knowing something, he could still barely find his way around the place. It always felt like someone was just waiting for him to slip up so they could laugh at him. He missed seeing his family and felt ostracised once again because he was the only one not experiencing the same kind of training...Now that he’d given himself the time to sit and really think about everything, it all became too overwhelming and he felt like he couldn’t breathe. Peter couldn’t stop himself from slipping into a panic attack and he did little to try.

He just leant forward and let it takes its course, propping himself up on his knees as the hyperventilating kicked in. It was extra difficult due to his blocked nasal passages but he didn’t have the mental capacity to care. He’d just nearly pissed himself in front of everyone because he was too scared to ask to go. Maybe they were right maybe he didn’t have what it took to become an agent. His head was swimming and he closed his eyes, waiting for the panic to stop. He wasn’t sure how long he was sitting there but it was long enough for Wilson to send someone in after him, just as he had expected. What he hadn’t expected though was just who came in to check on him.

“Parker? You in here?” It was a woman’s voice, he recognised it as agent Johnson’s. She hadn’t been involved in their training since the first day where she demonstrated her powers, often standing back and observing; making notes and occasionally adjusting people’s posture so that they didn’t injure themselves. She usually disappeared after lunch so Peter was surprised to hear her, let alone in the men’s bathroom.

“Uh, y-yes ma’am.” He stammered out quietly. He was still struggling to breathe and that clearly translated into his voice.

He heard footsteps approaching the stall door and Johnson stood right outside of it. “Open up, kid.”

He opened the door shakily, still with toilet paper shoved up his nose, opening it just enough to look at her through the gap.

“You alright?” Her face was considerably softer than usual, as well as her voice.

“Uh, y-yeah, m’fine.”

“Did you make it?” The question caught him off guard.

“I don’t uh, I don’t know what you m-mean-”

“Cut the crap Parker, I saw you punch yourself in the face.” She said dryly but her eyebrows were still knitted together in concern. “Do I need to grab you a new uniform?”

Peter was in shock. He was sure that no one other than Scott noticed him, but now he was beginning to worry that Wilson may have seen his crazy behaviour as well. “N-no, ma’am.”

“Okay.” She gave him a small sympathetic smile. “Next time just ask kid, you’re not gonna get in trouble. I know Sam can be harsh but he won’t stop you from peeing, ‘aight?”

Peter just nodded and looked towards the ground. He was so embarrassed he couldn’t find it in him to verbally respond. He could feel his ears burning and he was waiting for the ground to open up and swallow him. Johnson could sense his obvious discomfort so luckily she didn’t prolong the moment of emotional torture.

“If that doesn’t stop in the next ten minutes go to the medic.” She gestured to his nose and turned back to walk out of the bathroom.

Though the stem of blood had all but stopped Peter took those last ten minutes to calm himself down, or at least bring himself back from the brink of a mental break down. The interaction with Johnson did nothing to help his panic attack, only adding to his concerns about everyone knowing what his real reason for running out of class was. Not only was he going to have to face Scott he was also going to have to face the fact that his foolproof plan hadn’t worked as well as he thought. Why did he do that? That was so extreme, he should’ve just asked, why did his anxiety riddled brain think that was a viable option? Maybe he really was crazy.

He walked as slowly as he could back to their classroom after making sure to empty his bladder completely before he left the bathroom. He tried to slip in unnoticed but as soon as he opened the door everyone snapped their heads around to look at him. The sight of all those eyes on him made Peter want to throw up.

“Nice of you to join us.” Wilson smiled sarcastically. “Since you’re already up why don’t you come down here and help me show the rest of the group how to disarm an enemy with your back to them?”

“Yes Sir.” Peter sighed and went down to the centre of the room as he was told. He did the demo as instructed, doing his best to ignore all the eyes that were on him so he didn’t have another panic attack in front of the whole room. He avoided eye contact with Scott for the rest of the class too, though the man was desperately trying to catch his attention. Scott even resorted to kicking Peter’s chair until he finally looked up to snap at him.

“Are you okay?” Scott mouthed.

Peter just shrugged and turned his attention back to his sheet of paper that he was doodling on. He’d long since lost interest in Wilson’s teachings which was unusual for him, but he was stuck in that post panic haze that made it difficult to focus on anything but the hum in his own ears. He felt like he was alone in a room full of people, like an eery out of body experience; it was similar to every time he dissociated, like he was sitting in a room away from his body, watching through a glass window everything he was doing, but he wasn’t the one in control. He’d entered autopilot and he didn’t feel anything, which was a considerable improvement to how he’d felt only fifteen minutes before.

His prediction about needing to go again before the lecture was over was right. With just under an hour left his bladder started to stir but this time Peter didn’t ignore it. As anxiety inducing as it was he decided to actually ask for permission to leave this time; he was too tired and overwhelmed to try and figure out another excuse and Johnson had already told him it was alright to do so. He also wanted to avoid giving himself another nosebleed, mostly because it would be too suspicious but also because he didn’t want Scott to think him completely psychotic. Besides that the usual thoughts of his inadequacies regarding his anxiety issues were creeping up and he wanted to prove them wrong. Wilson had paused for a moment between slides, allowing for people to catch up with the notes they were taking and Peter seized his opportunity.

He stuck his hand in the air and waited for the man to call on him but he didn’t. It was obvious that he’d seen Peter’s arm but chose to ignore it. Peter bit his lip and took a deep breath before he spoke. “Sir?”

“What now Parker?!” Wilson barked making several people jump.

“Uh…” Peter paused, the colonel’s harsh tone making him second guess himself but he couldn’t back down now, he had to ask. “M-may I be excused?”

“What for?”

‘Please don’t make me say it, please don’t make me say it-’ “I-uhm, I need to use the restroom, sir.” Peter spoke in a quiet voice.

”Hold it.” Wilson said finally, turning back to the board and changing slides.

Peter sighed and put his head in his hands. He hadn’t expected a different answer if he was being honest. At least he tried, but now everyone knew he had to go which was the one thing he’d been trying to avoid. He was beyond humiliated, exhausted both emotionally and physically and despite his best efforts he still needed to use the bathroom and his bladder was starting to rebel. There was twenty minutes left when Peter said ‘screw it’ and got up.

“So, when the agent lifted their leg it- Parker where the hell are you going?” He didn’t answer he just continued walking towards the door. He felt everyone in the room turn to look at him but he didn’t stop to worry about it. He didn’t have time to, he was about to explode. He was just getting through the door as he heard Wilson yell after him again, “Parker you were NOT dismissed!”

The screaming continued as he made his way down the hall but he couldn’t make it out. Peter was hyperventilating again, his desperation having grown tenfold since he stood up and his mind was going just as crazy. He’d just walked out without permission. Wilson was going to kill him, but he had no choice. If he had stayed in the class any longer he would have wet himself and he had no doubt he would’ve gotten in more trouble for making a mess.

In his frantic state he got himself turned around in the endless hallways. He had been heading towards the cafeteria out of habit as opposed to towards the restrooms near bluezone; he attempted to change direction when he realised his mistake but when he turned around he didn’t recognize where he was at all. He turned again and it was as though he’d been dropped in the middle of a maze. He wanted to cry, how had he gone so wrong? He’d been walking these halls for almost a week now and one bad turn left him completely lost. It was enough to make him cry, he was stuck with a full bladder in the middle of a corridor he’d never been in with no one around to ask for directions. He didn’t know what to do he was too panicked to think.

“Pete?” He heard a familiar voice from behind him but he half thought it was in his imagination. What were the odds that he’d run into his Dad right when he needed him? But then he heard footsteps coming up behind him. “Bubs, what you doing here?”

He wasn’t imagining things, it was Tony. Peter wasn’t sure he’d ever been so happy to see the man in his life. “Da- Mr. Star- I- mm-”

Tony walked straight up to him hearing the panic in Peter’s voice that sent him immediately into Dad mode. “What’s wrong?”

“Help.” Peter cried pitifully. He had his legs crossed so it didn’t take Tony long to realise what was going on.

“Shit- come on.” Tony had several questions but they could wait, he wasted no time dragging Peter to the nearest bathrooms, which luckily weren’t too far away.

He quite literally had to drag him because the boy wasn’t able to move his legs fast enough and keep control of himself at the same time. He had to stop for a moment and grab himself between the legs and Tony thanked whatever deities may be out there that there was no one else around to witness the scene. Peter sniffed and miserably mumbled to himself. “M’not gonna make it.”

“Yes you are.” Tony said, mostly rhetorically and made the rash decision to just pick Peter up. They were a mere twenty steps away so he braced himself to bare the child’s weight, but he found Peter was surprisingly light which was good for his back but slightly concerning. He pushed the thought back to the back of his mind to be dealt with later in favour of getting Peter the last few steps to the bathroom. He brought Peter inside and pushed him into one of the stalls. “Go, go, go, go.”

Peter just barely made it, once again saturating his underwear but ultimately leaving no traces on the outside of his pants. In his relief and panic and all of the stress from that day he lost control of his emotions and started crying quietly, leading Tony to believe he hadn’t made it.

“Aw Petey.” The man sighed quietly, not having been prepared for such a sudden turn of events. He was just going to get himself a cup of coffee he hadn’t expected to run into his son especially in such a state. But his parental instincts kicked in and he pushed the shock aside ready to handle the situation. “Can you open the door?”

The door opened and to his surprise he was met with a dry son, albeit a teary one. “Hey, you didn’t- Bub it’s okay! See you’re fine!”

His words did nothing to comfort the boy though who continued to sob silently. He pulled Peter into a hug feeling kind of awkward about doing so in the middle of a bathroom but he didn’t care. “Peter what happened?”

“I a-asked to g-go and he wouldn’t lemme and I-I got turned around and I didn’t know where I w-was and I couldn’t- I didn’t-” Peter was cut off as another sob wracked through him and Tony shushed him quietly having gotten the gist of what he was trying to say.

He was furious but he was sure not to let that on in the moment in case Peter mistook his anger as being toward him. He also couldn’t say he was surprised, if anything he had expected Peter to run into that situation a lot sooner but it did nothing to calm him down when he thought of someone denying his already shy son permission to use the bathroom. “Oh honey, it’s alright. It’s not your fault, it’s okay.”

After a few minutes Tony managed to calm him down enough for them to have a cohesive conversation.

“I’m sorry Dad.” Peter pulled out of the hug still sniffling, but now he was furiously rubbing at his eyes. “I know I’m pathetic-”

“Shut your mouth. I’m not gonna listen to any of that-” Tony prepped himself to give his usual speech about not letting Peter slip into his self deprecation but the boy cut him off.

“But it’s true! How am I ever gonna be an agent if I can’t even hold my piss for a fucking hour?!” Peter snapped angrily.

“Who said that?” Tony furrowed his brows, wondering if someone had said that to his son and he started thinking about what he’d do to them.

“I’m saying that!”

Tony blinked at him slowly, trying to think about the best way to handle the situation. “Well that’s dumb. When you’re on a mission if you have to pee you can just go there’s no one on a powertrip telling you you can’t-”

“You can’t always! What if we’re on a stake out or something? I can’t just get up and walk away! Or in the middle of a fight-”

“Pete we’ve been over that, it doesn’t matter if you’ve gotta go you’ve gotta go. Whatever happens no ones gonna make a big deal about it. Bladder capacity has nothing to do with your ability to be an agent but that’s not relevant right now. Stopping you from using the bathroom is not part of your training, who told you you couldn’t go?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Peter said quietly, that question seemed to quell the teens anger as he stopped making an effort to argue.

“Yes it does Peter, who stopped you?”

“It doesn’t matter! Please? I just wanna forget it..” Peter suddenly looked like he was about to cry again and Tony gave in, but he made a mental note to find out who Peter’s commanding officer was. “It was my fault anyway I shouldn’t have drank so much.”

“Alright, alright, come on. We’ll talk about it later. It’s almost time for dinner anyway.” Tony lead Peter by the shoulders out of the restroom towards the dining hall but as soon as Peter realised where they were he stopped. “What’s wrong?”

“Can I just go back to our room? I’m so tired…”

“Pete you gotta eat something, you’ve barely had anything today-”

“I’ll eat later I just- please? I don’t think I can handle all the noise and the people right now…”

“Hmm. Okay.” Tony gave in. Peter looked so pitiful and after the sudden bathroom emergency Tony didn’t have the heart to play bad cop in that moment. “You want me to come with you?”

“No no, you needta eat. Can you just...can you just keep Steve off my back tonight?” Peter begged. One more disapproving look after the day he had would push him over the edge and he really didn’t want to start crying again.

“Sure bubby, I'll see you in a little while.” Tony had half expected Peter to be clingy after such an emotional outburst but he understood that he might also need some space.

“See you.” After he hugged is dad goodbye he made his way back to his room to continue the rest of his mental breakdown in peace. He’d just walked out of his class without consent and he’d practically bunked off the rest of the day. He was dead. Wilson was going to kill him. Shit- when his dad found out it was Wilson who’d denied him a bathroom break he was going to kill him. Then maybe Scott. Then maybe Peter too for not telling him who he’d been placed with.

It wasn’t like he’d lied to Tony about being in Wilson’s group, the man had just never asked him the name of his commanding officer- so he hadn’t told him. Even when he did ask a couple times Peter had managed to throw him off the conversation before he realised that he hadn't received an answer. If Tony found out after five days of not knowing, he would figure out that Peter knew the connection Wilson had to both Steve and him. His plan to keep him and Scott’s knowledge a secret was going to come tumbling down and now he couldn’t do anything to stop it. Why had he been so stupid? Why did he have to run into his dad then tell him what had happened? Why couldn’t he have been blessed with a bladder bigger than an acorn?

He didn’t have the energy to think about it all for too long. As soon as Peter got back to his room after cleaning himself up and changing into comfier clothes, he laid down on his bunk. No sooner than his head hit the pillow he was out like a light.

Tony came back just over an hour later to find his son passed out with a tear streaked face. He wanted to leave Peter to sleep but he knew he had to wake him up if the boy was going to get any decent sleep that night. He also had to make sure he ate something before his sugar crashed like it earlier that day.

“Rise and shine Underoos.” He rubbed Peter’s back, speaking gently. “Come on you can’t sleep yet or you’re gonna be up all night again.”

“Mm.” Peter sat up with his hair sticking in sixty different directions and Tony had to bite back a laugh. “M’up.”

“Sorry sweetie, I know you’re tired. Bedtime soon.”

Peter yawned and stretched dramatically. “You’re right. I gotta get my will sorted anyway.”

“What?” Tony chuckled.

“Well I’m dead when I turn up to training tomorrow. I just went AWOL, I should start digging my grave now.”

“I’ll have it sorted. Don’t worry about it you’re not getting in any trouble.”

Peter grumbled as he jumped down from his bunk. “You can’t go fighting my battles for me Dad. I broke the rules I gotta deal with it.”

“We can fight about it later, I’m still mad he told you no I’m the first place-“

“Yeah yeah, I get it.” Peter said flippantly as he stretched again.

“You gotta get some food first.” Tony rolled his eyes. “The canteens closes but-“

“Café de la Peter is open.” Peter grinned devilishly pulling out the candy and soda hoard he had hidden under his bed. The nap had done wonders to improve his mood, even if he was going to have to deal with the repercussions of his actions the next day. He decided he’d tortured himself enough for one day so future Peter could deal with the rest after he had some much needed down time.

“Oh great so I get to deal with you hyped up on sugar.”

“Yup.” Peter popped the P at the same time he cracked open a can of grape soda.

“So you don’t wanna talk about earlier?”

“Nope.” Peter slurped his drink for affect that time.

“Okay.” Tony decided to back off, not wanting to upset Peter again and resolving to deal with the matter on his own without the boy’s consent. “You got any homework?”

“I’m just bouta check.” Peter sighed as he pulled out his laptop. He had a few emails from his teachers as well as a bunch of messages from Ned saying how much he missed him, which after the day he had was really nice to see. He also saw a message from MJ as soon as he went online.

MJ: Hey

Peter smiled. He never usually got messages from the girl let alone one as immediate as that. His response was just as quick.

Peter: Hi

MJ: you busy?

Peter: Nah, why?

MJ’s next message took a minute for her to right which only built the boy’s anticipation.

MJ: we have a couple assignments due and I need help with our calculus hw. It’s too much for me to type out so I was gonna skype you if you’re free.

Peter’s heart stopped.

Chapter Text

She wanted to video chat? She had never so much as wanted to call him before and now she wanted to video chat? It was very unexpected and certainly not the most opportune time. He couldn’t talk to her on Skype while Tony was in the room he knew his dad would do or say something to embarrass him, but if he asked him to leave he’d no doubt ask him a bunch of questions as to why. Then again, now that the girl had brought up the idea, Peter found he really wanted to see her. Like, really wanted to see her. Surely he could ask his Dad for a little privacy and he could always lie to him.

“Uh, Dad?”

“Yeah?” The man said absentmindedly scrolling through his phone. It was clear he was expecting another random or naive question.

“Do you, uh, were you planning on going and hanging out with the others tonight?” Peter asked apprehensively. He was trying to sound as nonchalant as possible so that Tony hopefully wouldn’t pick up on his nervous energy, but of course that didn’t work.

His dad slowly looked up from his and turned his head towards Peter, eyeing him suspiciously. “Why?”

He couldn’t backtrack now, not without seeming even more sketchy, so he decided to just bite the bullet and ask. “Well uh, my friend wanted to Skype me tonight about homework.”

“Right, so?”

Tony was really gonna make this difficult for him huh? “So, I was gonna ask if you could like, I don’t know-“

“Fuck off for a bit?” Tony finished helpfully

“I wouldn’t have put it quite like that, but yeah.” Peter shrugged and his Dad laughed.

“Wow, you’re kicking me out of my own room!” Tony chuckled but he didn’t seem too disgruntled about it. “Who is it?”

“Just Ned-“

“It’s MJ isn’t it?” Tony grinned at how red his son got instantaneously. Blushing should’ve been counted as one of his super powers, he could go from pale to tomato in half a second. He knew full well Peter would have said Ned instead of ‘my friend’.

“No.” Peter croaked before clearing his throat and trying again. “You don’t know them.”

“Aww, look at you going all pink!” Tony stood up from his reclined position on his bunk and strode across the room to pinch Peter’s cheeks.

“Stop that!” Peter slapped his hands away furiously and turning back towards the laptop.

“You’re so adorable.” Tony laughed and sat down on Peter bottom bunk. “So what does your damsel in distress need help with?”

“AP calculus and she wanted to explain the History assignment-“ Peter stopped when he noticed Tony grinning again. “What?”

“You just said she.”

“Frick!” Peter sighed and slammed his head on the desk.

Tony gasped in mock horror and dramatically cried, “Such language!”

“Go away.” Peter groaned leaving his head on the desk. He wasn’t in the mood to be teased.

“You go away.” Tony chuckled. “What time do you want me gone?”

Peter picked his head up giving his dad a skeptical look. “You mean you’ll actually leave me alone?”

“I’m not a monster. I can give you a little privacy to talk to your lady friend. Just remember that the call will be monitored so, no funny business.”

“Dad! Stop it, seriously! She’s just my friend why you gotta make it weird all the time?!” Peter yelled as he waved his hands about exasperatedly. He was still a little cranky and over emotional after such a terrible day. “It’s so annoying! I don’t have many friends and you’re making one of the only friendships I’ve got awkward-“

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. I’ll stop teasing.” Tony came up behind him and put his hands on his shoulders. He enjoyed winding Peter up but even he knew when to stop when he’d pushed it too far. “I mean it. I’m sorry, bubby.”

Peter sighed but relaxed his shoulders. He was still suspicious about his dad keeping his word but he hoped it would last long enough for him to Skype with MJ in peace. “You promise not to come in and try and embarrass me?”

“Pinky promise.” Tony held up the digit. Despite his reservations Peter accepted it, knowing how seriously Tony took the childish vow.

“Okay…”

“What time do you want me gone?”

“At like, eight?” Peter said, confirming the number with both his Dad and MJ simultaneously.

“Alrighty then, I’ll be out of your hair by then.”

Speaking of hair Peter suddenly decided he hated his. He spent half an hour trying to get it to sit right. Since they’d arrived at the compound he had spent zero time styling it and the stubborn curls that refused to lay flat showcased that perfectly. He usually made an effort to tame the coiled locks everyday to train them into behaving but he’d neglected to do so, between not having enough time or energy after training. He was deeply regretting that.

As much as Tony had promised to stop teasing his son, he couldn’t resist commenting on how ridiculous he thought the boy was being. Vanity was never a trait Peter possessed and it was amusing to see the teenager take such a sudden interest in his appearance. “Ah, to be fifteen again. When all you have to worry about is acne, girls, and your hair.”

“Acne?! What acne?!” Peters eyes grew wide and he started moving his head around looking horrified in the mirror.

“Jesus, Pete I was kidding your skin is fine-“

“It better be the amount of money I spend on proactiv every month!”

“Hey you imposed and allowance on yourself ain’t my fault if you wanna spend it on useless shit-“

“Useless?! So my skin does look bad- oh god I’m breaking out on my chin, aren’t I?”

Tony was surprised at how much the boy was reacting to a few missmade comments. He hadn’t seen the boy panic so much over his appearance since the night he went to that party with Ned. He could see the start of a panic attack brewing in him and though he thought his sons upset to be trivial (especially in the grand scheme of things) he felt guilty for having given Peter a hard time over his obvious crush.

“Underoos, hey chill out. I was just joking your skin is fine, you’re fine. MJ’s not gonna care what you look like anyway.” Tony tried to soothe but he’d apparently just made things worse. He watched Peter’s shoulders fall dejectedly.

“Yeah, you’re right.” The boy sighed and shook his head, making Tony wonder what the hell he’d said wrong now.

“What’s the matter..?” The older man said gently sitting further along the bed so he was right next to the boy leaning over the sink. He truly hadn’t meant to upset him, he’d let the novelty of Peter acting like a typical teenager overtake his judgement as a father and he’d accidentally pushed his sensitive son too far.

Peter was still staring at his reflection but he seemed to snap himself out of whatever he was thinking to answer him. He gave a weak smile and chuckled almost convincingly. “Nothing, just dumb teenager stuff.”

Tony opened his mouth to press on but Peter moved back over to his side of the room, digging in his backpack. “Hey, have you seen my Classics and Culture book?”

“I think you put it in the third draw down.” Tony said quietly. He didn’t like how easily Peter had been able to switch in and out of moods. The idea that his son was upset about something but could hide it or push it down like that made him feel uneasy. Tony was more than aware of Peter’s body confidence issues as well as his self esteem in general, he hated the thought that he could’ve just added to those because he had been careless with his words. Despite the nagging feeling in his chest he decided against bringing it up again, knowing it would probably end in him upsetting the teen more. He told himself he’d bring it up again at a better time, when Peter wasn’t emotionally exhausted.

“Thanks.” Peter called back cheerily, having found the textbook he’d been looking for. He made an effort to clear the tension that had built up in the room by changing the subject quickly. “Do you know when I’ll be able to start being an actually agent? Cause some of the guys were saying they’ve gotta go to like, nine more of these training camps before they can officially enlist and they’ve already been at this for like, years so...Not that I’m not enjoying the experience buuuut-“

“You won’t have to complete the entire course Pete.” Tony chuckled softly. “This is more of a formality, we’ll continue training you at home after this.”

“But that doesn’t answer my question.” Peter deadpanned.

“Does too.”

“Does not! How long is it gonna take for me?”

“We’ll see.”

“That’s not an answer I was a unit of measurement dammit!” The two went back and forth for a while, getting more and more playful in their responses, Tony being deliberately cryptic to make the boy laugh. Sooner enough seven o’clock rolled around and Tony was exiled to sit in Bruce’s room.

“I’ll be back in here by midnight though, okay? Don’t stay up too late. We don’t want a repeat of this morning.”

“I won’t.”

“See you later, kiddo.” With that Tony left Peter to his own devices, though he did plan on stopping by his room at some point that evening to ensure the teen went to bed by an appropriate time. If he didn’t, he knew Steve would and though he promised that he wouldn’t barge in and embarrass him the same couldn’t be said for the motherly blond man.

Peter didn’t know why but he was nervous. He spent most of his school days as well as several days out with MJ by that point, so there was no need for him to be as anxious as he was. He was still paranoid about his unruly hair and now, thanks to Tony, his complexion though he knew he shouldn’t be. His dad had been right, MJ didn’t care what he looked like. If she did she would never have been friends with him in the first place.

For some reason he couldn’t bring himself to press the call button on the Skype app and he waited for MJ to do it herself. Every time he went to do it he felt his heart race and his hands get clammy. So he waited. And waited. And waited. Maybe she’d gotten annoyed by him not calling first and she’d given up on the idea. He was about to message her again when the call came through, which he accepted with shaky hands. Within a second he saw the familiar brunette pop up onto his screen wearing her signature sarcastic smirk.

“Hey, you!” She grinned cheekily.

“Hey, MJ.” Peter chuckled. Though he was still anxious seeing his friends face helped relax him, even if the nerves were replaced by that irritating butterfly feeling he got whenever he saw her, but he’d grown used to that.

“Well, how are ya Mr. Business man? We’ve missed you at school.”

“By we you mean you and Ned right?”

“And Mr. Brunswick- and I don’t know Flash has seemed to miss his favourite emotional punching bag, though he’s been making do with Ned for now.” She was sitting in her room, that Peter noted was not quite what he’d been expecting. Though he wasn’t exactly sure what he was expecting, it definitely wasn’t that. Her room was decidedly more girly than her personality and usual fashion choice, though he had to admit to himself he didn’t have much of an eye for interior decoration as both he and Ned had had the same bedroom’s for the past eight years. Still it was kinda weird to see a girl clad in grunge style clothing sitting in a pink and turquoise pastel room.

“I missed you guys too.” He laughed off her other comments but part of him hoped she’d been joking about Flash giving Ned a hard time. He hated the idea of his friend getting picked on when he wasn’t around, mostly because the big softie wouldn’t stick up for himself the way he would Peter. He shook the thought off.

“When are you gonna be back? Life pretty boring without you to pick on.”

“Why, thank you very much Michelle.” Peter rolled his eyes. “In a couple weeks.”

“Wow that sucks, you’re gonna miss Sissy’s sweet sixteen, however will she cope?” It was obvious MJ meant how will she cope but Peter didn’t quite pick up on that at the time.

“I’m sure she’ll manage.” Peter said flatly. “So, what’s this calculus thing you’re stuck on?”

“Ugh! It’s so stupid right, so I asked her four different times to go over this integrals and logarithms sheet with me, because I’m convinced this bitch has it all wrong-“ she went on to rant about how the teacher had missed placed the parentheses on several of the equations, rendering them completely unsolvable until Peter pointed out that MJ hadn’t considered implicit differentiation in most of them. They chatted back a forth about the material for a while before MJ abruptly changed the subject. “So, what are you doing anyway? Ned just said something about a business meeting out of state?”

Tony had prepared Peter with a lie beforehand, knowing how terrible he was with coming up with them on the spot. He’d even had him rehearse it several times to ensure the boy was practised enough to give a strong delivery or for it to sound even remotely convincing. “Yeah, it’s this tech conference or something. Mr. Stark wanted me to tag along to take notes, it’s pretty cool stuff.”

MJ quirked an eyebrow but didn’t immediately let on that she wasn’t buying it. “Where you at?”

“Uhh, I’m not really supposed to say what state-“

“No, I mean where are you, like right now. What kind of room are you in?”

That was an odd question, he wasn’t prepared for that one. Well it was simple enough, surely he could lie easily about that. “My hotel room..? Why?”

She shrugged and leaned back in her chair, fiddling with a loose strand of hair. “No reason. Just thought it was kinda weird to have a sink and two sets of bunk beds in a hotel room.”

Peter looked in the window that showed what his webcam was picking up and MJ could indeed see the sink seated opposite his desk; the mirror above said sink aided in reflecting practically the entire room, giving MJ a clear view of everything including the door. He quickly moved his head in the way of the mirror and tried to throw her off topic. “U-uh, uh, let's just get back to your homework, alright? I’m really not supposed to talk about it-“

“Okay, P, don’t get your panties in a twist I’m not gonna get you in trouble.” She smirked at his flustered expression, seemingly knowing she had complete control over the conversation. “I was just wondering, that’s all. Can’t a girl show her best friend she’s interested in his life?”

Peter scowled at her not liking her smugness but he did feel a blossom of warmth in his chest when she called him her best friend. “You’re real nosy, you know that?”

“Of course I do, it’s one of my favourite personality traits of mine.” She flashed him a genuine smile that made his stomach flip.

He sat there staring at her for a moment, noticing how pretty she looked in there green T-shirt she was wearing, he loved her in green...before he snapped out of his daze, feeling like a creep for thinking such things. “Homework. History, what’s it on?”

“An essay assignment, you’ll have it done in no time.” She explained the task they’d been given in detail, which only took her a few minutes.

“I thought you said it was a lot to explain? Sounds simple enough to me.” Peter laughed and looked up from his notebook to catch her eye. He found that she was already looking at him with an expression he couldn’t quite read.

“Maybe I just wanted an excuse to talk to you.” She said simply and Peter could feel colour flood into his face.

He swallowed thickly and desperately tried to ignore the rave the butterflies were currently having in his stomach. “You never have before?”

She shrugged and looked away from him. “Usually my dad’s home, but he’s out of town for work.”

“You’re home alone?” Peter frowned a little. Not that it was odd for a sixteen year old to have the house to themselves but it just seemed odd to him. MJ’s father, the little he knew about him, had come across as pretty overprotective in the past. Not quite Tony’s level of overprotective but enough to where MJ was constantly on her phone telling him where she was and she had a strict curfew; that she broke. Many, many times. But that was MJ.

She gave him an odd sort of smile, one that came across as more of a grimace, certainly not her usual confident one. “Yeah. To be honest I’m a little freaked out by it.”

Peter’s face softened. It made sense now why she had been so insistent on video chatting rather than them just texting. Part of him felt an odd warmness though, that she had come to him as a her source of comfort but ultimately he felt bad for her. Had he been in the city he would’ve gone over to actually hang out, he couldn’t do much from where he was. “Aw, M, you could’ve told me that. You know I wouldn’t have made fun of you for being scared.”

“I know that dumbass, but I knew you’d give me that pity look you’re giving me right now.” She laughed and tucked her feet under her in her chair, spinning it around. “I’ll be fine, it’s just for a couple of days. It’s nice to have the space too, you know?”

“Can’t relate.” Peter chuckled. He’d never been allowed to stay by himself, not even with May he’d always be sent over to Ned’s. The one time he had been allowed to stay home alone for a few hours he’d nearly set the apartment on fire trying to cook eggo waffles in the microwave.

At least he got her to laugh with that comment. MJ knee full well how suffocating Tony was at times as Peter was very vocal about the little privacy he got at home. “I’m not fully alone at least, Dad left his asshole cat here for me to take care of.”

“You never told me you have a cat!” Peter’s love for animals was immediately sparked causing the girl to roll her eyes.

“Because I don’t.” She stressed. “It’s his, I don’t want anything to do with that thing.”

“I wanna see the cat!” Peter pouted causing her to sigh and roll her eyes again.

“If he comes back here I’ll show you but I ain’t making any promises. I don’t want him to scratch my eye out if I try and pick him up.”

They went back to talking about the essay, bouncing ideas off of one another about possible topics and general structure. Whilst there were talking Peter started to feel a familiar ache in his stomach but he ignored it. He didn’t want to cut MJ off in the middle of a conversation so he could use the bathroom. Not only was it rude (in his eyes) but it was embarrassing. For some reason the idea of someone else knowing he had basic bodily functions was mortifying, especially MJ. He’d always been extra shy of excusing himself around her when they’d hung out; in person it was easier, they’d usually be with Ned who would make an excuse for him or go with him. Even when they’d spent time alone together, MJ had been able to pick up on his change in body language prompting him to admit he needed to go or otherwise forced him to before it got bad. Both of his friends were understanding of his shyness but it never made those experiences less shameful for him.

He decided to just hold it. He figured MJ would want to hang up after they’d gotten their essays started, which as she said herself wouldn’t take long. He shifted slightly getting into a more comfortable position that eased the pressure enough for him to push it to the back of his mind.

That didn’t last long however, the several cans of soda he’d drank that evening as a meal replacement were beginning to catch up with him. It was uncomfortable but he could handle it, for now. As silly as it sounded, he just didn’t want to leave yet. They’d long since forgotten about their homework and moved onto conversations about recent shows they’d gotten into and different antics from various classmates. He was having too much fun listening to her recant stories about the latest outrageous thing Flash had come out with during academic decathlon. But if Peter wanted to remain in the room MJ was going to have to stop making him laugh, every time he did he was reminded how much he needed to pee. His bladder was already tired after holding it for so long during Wilson’s lecture, so his desperation was climbing quickly. He’d learnt his lesson about waiting until the last minute to ask to go, but he didn’t even need to ask. He could go whenever he wanted. He just wanted to wait a little while, maybe until MJ got up to go too so he wouldn’t have to say anything...

“Hey, you okay?” MJ asked when he’d stopped laughing suddenly, tilting her head slightly. Peter paused for a moment to take in how adorable it was when she did that before he realised he’d bent in at the waist a little.

“Uh, yeah I just- dropped my pen.” He was quick to cover his tracks by bending down to pick up the imaginary fallen writing instrument, though that proved to be a big mistake. As soon as he did so he felt his bladder scream in protest and he was forced to cross his legs. The sudden motion made his entire body jerk and he ended up smacking his head on the underside of the desk. “Ow!”

“Careful-pfffft!” MJ covered her mouth in a ditches attempt to conceal her laughter but she couldn’t help it when she saw his face. “Don’t look at me like that!”

“You’re mean.” He pouted which only made her laugh harder. She laughed until Peter heard a noise he’d never heard the girl make. “Did you just snort?”

“Shut the fuck up.” She was still smiling and trying not to laugh but there was a bite to her voice. Peter tried not to laugh himself but he was struggling to contain it. As soon as he broke into a smile she started laughing again. “Laugh and you’re dead Parker.”

“I didn’t d-do anything-“ they both started laughing again but Peter had to be especially careful since his bladder was certainly not enjoying the company as much as he was; with every laugh it threatened to spill over.

He continued toughing it out for another ten minutes, but he realised that their call wasn’t going to be ending anytime soon- nor did he want it to. He just really, really needed to use the bathroom. His bladder was tired of all the abuse he’d subjected it to that day so it wasn’t tolerating being forced to hold it without good reason. Well without any reason. It wasn’t that hard- just get up and go, he knew he was being ridiculous holding it when there was no real need for him to. He was trying to pluck up the courage to excuse himself when MJ did it for him.

“I’ll be right back.” MJ said and stood up, leaving her laptop unattended. Why couldn’t Peter just say that? It was so simple, he didn’t even need to admit he had to use the bathroom. Now would be the best chance for him to run and go, MJ was out of the room he wouldn’t have to say anything at all. But if she came back and he wasn’t there she’d probably have more questions about that and god knows he can’t lie for anything. If he just went really quickly maybe he’d make it back before her and that could be avoided all together-

“Ya girl got Lil Joe’s.” MJ came bounding back into her room with a pizza box and enthusiastically threw herself cross legged back into her chair.

Damn it, Peter had missed his chance. “Ugh, don’t even talk to me about pizza, the food here sucks.”

“You still wanna try and tell me you’re at a hotel? Like Tony Stark would stay somewhere with less than three Michelin stars.” She snorted.

“He didn’t pick it, it- it was an agency thing!” Peter huffed in frustration. MJ was so persistent even though he was making it blatantly obvious that he couldn’t say anything. She knew how secret he had to be when it came to work related stuff, so he was getting irritated by her continuously asking about it. He had an incline that she was teasing him deliberately but the ache in his bladder was causing his patience to wear thin.

“Uh huh, sure, P.” MJ laughed. Why did she have to use his initial right now, he didn’t want to be reminded of pee. “What about Virgil's aeneid, on page eleven?”

They carried on with their homework, finally settling on a topic they were both interested in. Outwardly, Peter was making a concerted effort to stay calm but on the inside he was panicking. He could barely sit still and he knew it was becoming noticeable. But he didn’t have a choice it was either squirm or wet himself. He couldn’t believe he had let it get to that point but he’d gone too far to turn back without raising more questions. If he got up now he knew that he’d have to make a mad dash for the restroom and MJ would be sure to comment on it when he got back. That and he knew that his Skype call was being monitored by some security agent somewhere and once that thought him he knew he wouldn’t be able to admit he had to use the bathroom outloud. It was bad enough the thought of MJ knowing so the added notion that a complete stranger would know too was too much for him. He couldn’t say it, he’d have to wait until the call ended. It was getting late anyway, surely he could hold it until the call ended.

He tried to content himself by sitting on his heel to take some of the pressure off but that didn’t work as well as he had hoped. After less than thirty seconds he was forced to change position again, this time slipping a hand beneath his legs. He felt his face turn crimson for doing such a thing with MJ sitting right there but it wasn’t like she was in the room with him, she couldn’t see beneath the desk. But he knew what he was doing and he felt so ashamed for letting it get to that point- for the third time in one day. What was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he just speak up like everyone else?

‘Come on, Peter just say it. Just say you’ll be right back, four little words it’s not hard.’

He’d become noticeably quiet, even more than usual and MJ of course noticed. She kept sneaking glances at him when he was turned away. When she finally caught his eye she gave him a knowing smile, a gentle one as opposed to a teasing one.

“P, you okay?”

‘Tell her, just tell her! Make something up it doesn’t matter stop being so stupid, the bathroom is literally right down the hall!’

Despite his efforts, Peter was visibly uncomfortable. He’d tried his best to sit still but he just couldn’t anymore, not without his bladder threatening to empty on him. He also couldn’t remove his hand from between his legs due to the same fear, god why had he let it get this bad? “Y-yeah, m’fine.”

“You know you can say if your tired, I’m not gonna get upset.” She smirked and leaned back in her chair.

Peter took the out, despite wanting to protest. It was getting late, coming up to ten o’clock, he knew he ought to be off call by then anyway even if he wasn’t moment’s away from wetting himself. “Uh, it is kinda late I guess-“

“It’s cool, I know you’ve probably got work stuff to do tomorrow. We’ll pick this back up when you’re not busy yeah?”

Peter couldn’t believe his luck; as embarrassed as he was to get caught out for acting weird he was glad that his movements had been perceived for something other than they were. And she wanted to Skype again even after he’d acted like such a kid?

He was about to answer when he felt it. A familiar warm sensation spreading over his crotch. No. No way. He wasn’t. This wasn’t happening.

“...Peter?” MJ looked deadly serious for once, her face flooded with concern.

He opened his mouth and closed it again, looking horrified at his lap. He was still holding himself but it did nothing to stem the flow it was like his bladder had become completely numb; completely giving up on him after it’s day of being abused. No amount of clenching his muscles was doing anything, all he could do was sit there and watch as his sweatpants became saturated, as well as the chair. He knew he had to say something before MJ figured out what was going on but he was in shock. They were just about to hang up couldn’t his bladder have waited two more minutes?

“U-uh, y-yeah M, sure. I’ll-I’ll uh- I’ll call you tomorrow.” He didn’t look up he couldn’t bring himself to see what expression she had on her face. There was no way he’d gotten away with that, she must’ve known what had happened.

“Okay...well goodnight.” She said unsurely. It was obvious she wanted to continue asking if he was okay but she knew Peter well enough to know that he wouldn’t be honest with her, at least not in the moment.

“N-night.” He still didn’t look up. He couldn’t bring himself to. He couldn’t even bring himself to move and for an awkward moment neither of them hung up the call. It was one of the longest moments of his life and he was still going. Finally he heard the familiar beep of the call ending and he breathed a small sigh of relief but it didn’t last long.

He sat frozen for a couple minutes. Both while his bladder emptied and he let the gravity situation sink in. He’d just peed his pants, on Skype with his best friend, in a room he was sharing with his dad. Shit Tony- how was he going to hide this? He had no idea if there was anywhere he could do laundry and- oh god the chair! And the floor- fuck what was he going to do?!

‘Don’t panic, don’t panic. You’re not gonna get anything done if you freak out- Uhm. Change clothes first, yes. That makes sense.’ Even though he was telling himself not to freak out that wasn’t working out well for him. He grabbed a change of clothes and a towel and ran as fast as he could to the nearest bathroom, something he should have done ten minutes earlier.

He showered quickly but his head was still spinning. How could one day have gone so wrong? And it was all his puny bladders fault. Not only had he messed things up career wise now MJ was going to know what a freak he was. He could feel another panic attack creeping up and he wanted to scream- when would he stop being so pathetic?! He’d brought this all on himself now he was gonna sit there and cry about it?! The shame and guilt all bubbled up into anger and self hatred; he’d had a chance to put a positive spin on the otherwise crappy day by spending some normal teen time with his best friend- something so simple and easy but yet he still managed to fuck it up.

Once he’d cleaned himself up and changed his clothes he had to figure out something to do with the soiled ones. There was a generic laundry hamper in their room that was emptied every day but he couldn’t put his wet things in there, Tony would see them. But he didn’t know where the laundry was or even who did it, he didn’t want some poor government cleaner to have to deal with his urine soaked clothing, especially not after a totally preventable accident. Damp underwear was one thing but completely peed pants was another. He did his best to rinse them in the shower and ring them out, but the material was odd and it was still dripping wet when he had to head back to his room. He still had the chair and the floor to take care of and he had no idea what to do.

As he made his way back to the room he immediately noticed the door was open when he had specifically shut it in case someone was to walk past and see the mess he’d made. It only meant one thing. Someone had either come by to check on him or they were still in his room, either way they would have seen the mess and he was going to have to face them. And he really, really didn’t want to. He just wanted to clean the mess up, go to sleep to try and forget about the terrible day he had and prepare for what was likely to be an even more terrible day tomorrow. He took a deep breath and started towards his room.

“There you are.” Tony said nonchalantly when Peter crept quietly into the room, wet clothes still in hand.

“I’m going to bed now. Sorry I didn’t mean to stay up so late.” Peter’s voice was barely above a whisper. He knew there was no way of getting out of this. To his dismay the floor had already been mopped up as well as the chair being dried as best as it could have been. He looked up at his Dad and his eyes filled with embarrassed, grateful tears. Tony was smiling softly, no hint of teasing on his face. “I’m sorry…”

“What happened bubby?” He said softly, making his way across the room to hug the tearful teenager for a second time that day.

“I...I’m just an idiot!” Peter cried out and started sobbing again, the days events as well as his most recent accident came crashing on top of him and his dad being so nice to him about it only made his guilt and self loathing worse.

Tony gently pried the wet clothing out of Peter’s hands and dumped them in the sink before he pulled the boy onto the bottom bunk of his bed and wrapped him in a bear hug. “Oh Pete. Shh, it’s alright. Just been a rough day huh?”

“Y-y-yeah and now m’cryin’ about it l-like a fucking baby.” Peter stuttered out between sobs trying to pull away from Tony but the man held him firm.

“Having accidents doesn’t make you a baby and neither does crying.” Tony rocked him gently as he spoke but Peter was still hellbent on beating himself up.

“Well i-it’s not an a-accident if it was preven-ventable. It was my own fault I should’ve just gone!”

Tony sighed. Though technically Peter’s logic was sound they both knew it wasn’t as simple as that. “Peter it’s not your fault you couldn’t say anything. We’re still working on that remember? You’re getting so much better at it-“

“I’m fifteen! I’m trying to become a government agent for Christ sakes I should be over this! Most p-people get over this in kindergarten!”

“But you’re not most people you’re you and I wouldn’t change you for anything.” Tony said seriously, talking slightly more sternly than he had been. He pulled Peter to face him, brushing the teens curls out of his eyes. “Everyone has things they struggle with Pete, things they need to work on. Look at me, I’m in my forties and I still can’t ask for help when I need it. It’s taken years for me to get comfortable enough around Bruce and Steve and the others enough for them to push me to ask when I need it. It’s a work in progress- we’re all works in progress. You’re trying, that’s what matters.”

Tony’s words hit home in the teen but it didn’t stop him hating everything about himself in that moment. “It’s not an excuse.”

“It’s not an excuse, it's an explanation. You have an anxiety disorder that you’re being treated for and one of the symptoms is not being able to excuse yourself. As much as you try and find reasons to pick yourself apart Pete, this can’t be one of them, this isn’t your fault. You’ve come along way since we met and you’re still progressing everyday. You’re gonna have shitty times- today being one of them, but that’s okay. We’ll get through them together. It’s not always gonna be like this, one day it’ll be easy-“

“I want that day to be now.” Peter sniffled wetly.

“Soon bubby, just cut yourself some slack in the meantime eh?” Tony wiped some of the tears off of Peter’s face and smiled sadly. “God I hate seeing you cry.”

“And I hate crying, I feel like such a little bi-“ Tony raised his eyebrows. “baby.”

“You’re not a baby.” Tony pulled him in for another hug and kissed the top of his head. “But you’re my baby.”

“Stop being nice to me!” Peter cried again. Tony was never that mushy and all the emotions in the room were too much for him; he was stuck between wanting to curl up in a ball and be babied by the man and punching him in the face.

“My very tired baby.” Tony rubbed his back and Peter was reminded about how exhausted he truly was, wanting to fall asleep against the man right there. Okay, maybe he didn't want to punch him.

“God tomorrow is gonna suck.” Peter sniffed.

“Let me take care of it Pete, please. You don’t deserve to get into trouble-“

“Dad you can’t. If I get special treatment or if you go and try and fix everything it’s just gonna make more problems. Everyone’s gonna treat me like a spoiled brat who doesn’t deserve to be there again-”

“I get that, but I don’t think this should count. You could have been sick or something, it’s not right Peter-“

“Just lemme deal with it. Please. It’ll be fine I’m just embarrassed that’s all. Having you go and yell at the Colonel on my behalf won’t help anything.”

“I wasn’t gonna yell.” Tony frowned. Did he really yell that much?

“I’ll be fine I’m just- I’m just tired and I want this day to be over with.” Peter said sadly, rubbing his eyes for effect. “I’m sorry you had to-“

“Nope. No apologies.” Tony ruffled his hair and stood up, preparing to deal with Peter’s clothes. “It’s my job.”

“But I can-“

“No buts. The only but you should be concerned with is getting your butt into bed.”

“Wow, that was such a dad joke. You should be ashamed.”

Tony shrugged. “Made you smile though didn’t it?”

Peter chuckled softly and pulled his blankets and pillows down onto the bottom bunk, making sure to set several alarms in the morning and asking his dad to do the same so that he didn’t end up being late again. As he was setting the alarms on his phone he saw a message from MJ on Skype. He hadn’t seen it until then but she had messaged him immediately after they hung up.

MJ: you could have just gone you know, I wouldn’t have said anything :p

He cringed and covered his face with the pillow, yelling into it.

“Did she see?” Tony asked having figured it out pretty easily.

“I don’t think so, but I she knew I had to go.”

“Yeah you’re not very subtle about it- Hey!” Peter threw a pillow at his head and pouted.

“I know I’m not!” He sniffed and turned over dramatically to face the wall and show that he was mad about the comment. “But you don’t gotta say it!”

“I’m sorry, bubba.” Tony walked over and brushed Peter’s hair off of his face. “Did she say anything mean?”

Peter shook his head.

“Well that’s good. I won’t have Happy take out a hit on her then.”

Peter huffed out an involuntary laugh. “G’night you dork.”

“Night nerd.”

Though Peter said goodnight, he stayed awake a little while longer, thinking about all the terrible decisions he’d made that day. Between MJ, Scott, Wilson and Tony he had a lot to think about. But eventually the exhaustion set in and he drifted off into an uneasy sleep. That night he had several nightmares revolving around the same topics, everything that could possibly go wrong doing so in many horrific and humiliating ways. He woke up countless times in the night to look at the clock and make sure he hadn’t slept in, but he managed to get a few hours of uninterrupted rest when Tony started playing music from his laptop. It was a habit Peter had been forced to break but he’d confided in Tony that he tended to need background noise in order to drown out the voices in his head when he was struggling to sleep, and he was touched that the man had remembered. With the white noise playing he was finally able to relax enough to sleep.

Tony didn’t get much sleep, but he didn’t mind. He felt overwhelmingly guilty for all the teen had suffered the day before and he went on his phone to look through the S.H.I.E.L.D databases to find out who Peter had been assigned to, even though his son had begged him not to get involved. When he saw Sam Wilson pop up on his screen he nearly audibly exclaimed. It couldn’t be the same Sam Wilson...but it was. Fuck.

There was no way Fury would have allowed Peter to be put in that man’s group, it had to be a mistake. But it also couldn’t have been a coincidence, Scott and Peter in the same group- Sam’s group? What the hell was the man playing at?

There was no way Peter could have known who Sam was, not unless Scott had told him- though he wasn’t sure how much information he’d given Scott on the situation, Germany had been such a long time ago he doubted he would have given any names. But if Scott did somehow know and had shared that information with Peter, his son would have asked him a billion questions about it by now, surely. No, Tony surmised that Peter had no idea, Scott wouldn’t have been dumb enough to tell him. Had Sam been that harsh on his son the entire time as some sort of twisted revenge on him and Steve? Peter was always so excited about his classes, Tony hadn’t thought he was experiencing any issues, other than the incident that day...Tony didn’t have all the details. Maybe Peter hadn’t fully expressed how badly he needed to use the restroom and Sam had underestimated him, it was a mistake Tony had made himself. Even if he did have some kind of personal vendetta he’d have been an idiot to take it out on Peter so openly, where anyone could spot and make the connection. Then again why should he give that piece of shit the benefit of the doubt? He’d been dumb enough to oppose him the year before when Steve was being an imbecile.

Tony’s head was swimming, going back and forth all night. He didn’t know how he wanted to deal with the situation or whether or not he wanted to tell Steve. All he did know was he wanted Peter away from that man as quickly as possible, as he had no idea what he was capable of. If he acted too rashly however, it would probably backfire on him- either internally getting him into trouble with the higher ups or Peter getting angry with him for interrupting his training. Peter seemed happy in Wilson’s class with Scott, if he pulled him from training it would likely raise more questions; if his son didn’t know by now he certainly would after that. He sat up all night trying to think of the best way of going around the problem, without drawing too much attention to it. But he couldn’t risk someone putting his son in an uncomfortable situation; Peter certainly wouldn’t tell him if something was going on, he was too hellbent on proving himself... He sent an email to Fury asking to meet with him ASAP to discuss their options. All he did know was that he wasn’t going to mention anything else about it to his son, lest the boy start digging for more information and end up into trouble.

*************

The next morning, Peter didn’t wake up late thank god. He got up twenty minutes before his alarm, switching it off before it woke his dad up unnecessarily. Once he finished his morning duties he found that Tony wasn’t in the room with him. It struck him as odd but he didn’t have time to go and find him, he wanted to get out to the track as early as possible in hopes that he could avoid Wilson yelling at him in front of everyone; he’d prepared himself as best he could for the public ridicule he was about to face after skipping the man’s lecture the day before and he was going to take it on the chin, as much as it would suck.

When he got out there it was still dark outside which was kind of spooky but he tried to ignore the primal childish fear, telling himself the same stuff about manning up and being an agent. The track was empty, even Wilson wasn’t out there yet, so he took the extra time to get some runtime in while he waited for the others to appear. He wasn’t alone for long however, a few of the other recruits seemed to get the same idea. There was a group of five of them all running before Wilson finally made an appearance.

“Parker. Can you come over here please?” Shit this was it. Peter slowed down and took a few deep breaths before walking over to the man, trying to calm himself and prepare for the screaming. At least there wasn’t many people around to witness it.

“Yes, sir.” He said quietly looking towards the man’s boots instead of up at him.

“Boy look at me when I’m talking to you.”

“Sorry, sir.” Peter adjusted his posture and cringed.

Wilson’s face didn’t bare it’s usual harshness to it and he wasn't looking at Peter with the same disdain as he usually did. He also spoke quietly, almost softly, Peter wasn’t sure if this was because he was trying to seem less threatening or that he didn’t want the other recruits to overhear their conversation. “I’m sorry for what happened yesterday, Parker.”

That took Peter by complete surprise. “I- you- sir?”

“I shouldn’t have said no when you asked. I thought you were just trying to get out of the lecture. I didn’t think you actually needed to leave since you’d already had time out of class. I shouldn’t have denied you that right and I’m sorry.” Wilson said earnestly, maintaining eye contact with Peter the entire time.

“I-it’s okay, Sir, I should’ve- it was my fault.” He was in shock he hadn’t prepared himself to respond to an apology.

“Kid, it’s not your fault.” Wilson sighed and rolled his eyes, looking more like his usual self. “Let’s just move on. It won’t happen again, okay?”

“O-okay. But, uhm, sir?”

“What is it?”

He knew he ought not try his luck but he couldn’t help himself, he had to know. “Did...did Mr. Stark put you up to this?”

Wilson’s face turned from a kind one back to his usual harsh sneer. “No. Why did you run and tell on me?”

“N-no! No sir I didn’t, h-he doesn’t know.” Peter lied but at least it seemed Wilson was telling the truth. That meant Tony hadn’t stuck his nose into Peter’s business which he was grateful for.

Wilson eyed him up and down suspiciously. “Well, let’s keep it that way. Back on the track Parker.”

“Yes sir.” Peter made no protests and ran back out onto the track feeling ten times better than he had the night before. Was he still dreaming or did the Colonel actually just apologise to him? He had to be sure and tell Tony before the man did go rushing in and mess things up. The issue had resolved itself, better than he’d even thought possible.

Whilst he was running he caught sight of Scott and the man waved to him. He waved back feeling decidedly awkward given everything the man had witnessed the day before, but he tried to push those feelings down. Hopefully Scott wouldn’t hold that against him and if need be he’d explain his anxiety issues to the man. If he made an effort not to overthink things maybe they’d turn out okay, like they just had with Wilson. He told himself he’d bite the bullet and talk to Scott as soon as he got the chance which he assumed would be when they moved on to their core exercises.

However when they were called off of the track Wilson made a point of telling Scott to stay behind and keep running. “Not you Lang, we’ve got all morning!”

Peter frowned. What trouble had the man gotten himself into this time? A pang of guilt ran through him when he thought that it could possibly be due to what happened yesterday, maybe Scott had said something in his defence that got him into trouble. He hoped that wasn’t the case, it wasn’t like Wilson needed anymore reasons to hate Scott. But knowing his friends proclivity for back chat he highly doubted it.

When they’d finished their exercises and were being lead to the mess hall, Scott was still running. Wilson stayed out there barking orders at him and it was agent Johnson who lead them instead. Peter couldn’t bring himself to look at the woman, but when he caught her eye she smiled kindly at him. Somehow that only managed to make him feel worse but he appreciated it nonetheless.

He kept his head down and went to get breakfast, sneaking some food into his pocket much more successfully than Scott had. When he made his way over to their usual table Tony wasn’t there.

“Good morning Peter.” Steve yawned as he sat down, the others greeting him as well.

“Still no sleep, Cap?” Peter asked quietly. Ever since they’d been there Steve looked more and more tired. It was getting to the point where the man could barely keep his eyes open. Every time he asked someone about it they brushed him off. It was frustrating when everyone knew something that he didn’t but he tried not to get too frustrated. He was sure they had good reason but still, Steve was looking awful.

“Eh, last night wasn’t too bad.” Steve smiled only to be cut off by a yawn again.

Peter sighed, knowing by now he wasn’t going to get anywhere. Instead he turned his attention to where his Dad was. “Where’s Mr. Stark?”

“He had some kind of conference call this morning, he should be back in a little while.” Bruce said helpfully as Steve was still busy yawning.

“Okay.” Peter shrugged casually, not wanting to let on the panic he felt rising in his chest. He wanted to talk to him before Tony tried to get Wilson fired or something, he just hoped the call he was on wasn’t related to it. He tried to calm himself down, after all Tony had agreed to let him handle things on his own- but then again his dad often acted out behind his back because he thought he was doing the right thing for him.

He made an effort to make normal conversation with the rest of the group and Shuri came over to chat to him which was always nice. He really hoped he’d be able to have contact with the girl after they both returned home though the incident the night before had knocked his confidence when it came to Skype calls. It was nearing the end of breakfast and Tony still hadn’t returned. Peter was beginning to panic that he wouldn’t have a chance to talk to Tony at all but just as he was about to voice his concerns the man appeared through the doorway.

Peter ran up to him and pulled him aside almost knocking the man over. “Jesus Peter What-“

“Wilson apologised please don’t make a thing out of it!”

Tony’s face dropped when Peter used the man’s last name. Did he know who he was after all? “I wasn’t planning to.”

“Liar I know what you’re like- just please don’t, it’s all sorted now.”

“Peter it’s not just that. Do you know who that man is?”

‘Play dumb, play dumb don’t get Scott in trouble-‘ “Uh...a Colonel?”

Tony eyed Peter skeptically trying to determine whether or not he was genuinely confused or if he was lying. If Peter genuinely didn’t know he didn’t want to risk him finding out and potentially getting himself in the man’s bad books again. “Right. And he shouldn’t be abusing his power like that.”

“But he didn’t do anything! What you gonna do? Tell Fury he didn’t let me go to the bathroom one time? That’s hardly just cause to get him in any real trouble- besides he said he was sorry and that it won’t happen again. Don’t go all overboard-overprotective-Dad on this one.”

Peter was right Tony didn’t really have any significant evidence to show that he wasn’t safe in the man’s hands, or that he was treating him particularly badly. Still something didn’t feel right, he’d feel better if both Peter and Scott were placed in another group. But he didn’t want to draw Peter’s attention to who Sam was- he just...he just didn’t know. He was going to have to discuss matters with Steve he knew it, but the man was already so sleep deprived from sharing a room with Bucky that he’d probably over react as much as he had initially. It was too early in the morning to try and figure all of it out especially by himself. Why was being a parent so complicated? He wanted to just make a decision and get it over with without having to worry about any of the emotional repercussions. “Alright. I’ll leave it. I need to talk to Fury about your training anyway but I’ll leave that part out. But if anything else happens you tell me immediately, understand?”

“Uh huh-“ Peter nodded and went to walk away but Tony grabbed him.

“I mean it Peter this is important.”

“I said okay! Quit manhandling me, Jesus!” Peter brushed his hands off of him and looked around to see Shuri as well as a few of the others giving odd looks towards the pair. Peter walked away quickly so he didn’t give Tony the opportunity to respond. “I’ll see you at lunch, okay?”

His Dad was onto him he knew it. If he found out that he knew who Wilson was he’d figure out pretty soon that it was Scott who told him. Then it would get back to the higher ups that Scott was snooping around the offices and he’d be in heaps more trouble. He had to warn Scott that Tony was about to find out.

He made his way across the dining hall, prepared to go back outside and find Scott there but to his surprise he saw the man at the far end of the hall. He wasn’t alone, he was standing in the middle of three of the other recruits, he recognised as Miller, Thomas and Jacobs.

“If I catch you pulling that shit again, Lang, you’re dead meat-“

“John, John quit man the kids coming.” Thomas slapped at Jacobs chest gesturing back to Peter, which made the other three men turn to look at him.

“Scott?” Peter said nervously.

“Hey, Peter!” Scott called cheerily, his tone sounding total normal. The trio walked away quickly seizing their opportunity.

“What was that about?” Peter asked slowly as he eyed up the others as they walked down the hallway.

“Oh nothing. Come on P, we get to see you freaks use your powers today.” Scott grinned and ushered Peter to follow him. They had been told the day before that they’d be allowed to spar using their powers for the first time so everyone was pretty excited.

“That didn’t look like nothing- isn't that the same dude who bumped into you yesterday?”

“Is it? I don’t remember.” He shrugged nonchalantly but Peter wasn’t buying it. “Anyway, what did-“

“Scott tell me- what the hell was that? Were those guys threatening you?”

“Eh, a little-“

“Why?”

Scott sighed, knowing full well Peter wasn’t going to drop it. “We had a bit of a disagreement yesterday after you left.”

Peter blushed at his disappearance being mentioned. “Why? What happened?”

“When Wilson wouldn’t let you go I kind of kicked off.” Scott chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Ended up getting myself written up. Some of my roomies didn’t take to kindly to the tone I took against a superior officer. Started popping off at me about discipline so I messed around with some of the pipes in the showers.”

Peter rolled his eyes and made an exasperated noise. “Scott for Christ sake! Do you really need to add enemies on your list of problems?”

“They’ve had it out for me since day one, they were just waiting for an excuse to jump on me. It’s not a big deal Pete, I can handle it.” Scott shrugged again.

The idea of his friend getting picked on because of an incident Peter had caused was horrible. He’d been having a tough enough time as it was anyway he didn’t want organised harassment to be added to the list. “But Scott they cant-“

“End of discussion small fry.” Scott kept his tone light but he used his Dad voice again which told Peter not to argue, though he desperately wanted to. That was the second time he’d seen something happen to Scott when he wasn’t there and it was starting to seem as though more was going on that he didn’t know about. “What did Wilson say to you this morning?”

“He said he was sorry for not letting me go when I asked- oh!” Peter remembered what he’d originally wanted to talk to Scott about. “Tony found out.”

“Found out what?”

“That Wilson’s our group leader. I-I acted like I don’t know who he is but I think he’s onto me-“

“Yeah, you can’t lie for shit.” Scott bit his lip obviously deep in thought.

“Hey.” Peter pouted indignantly.

“Wilson never officially wrote me up for hacking his computer. He’s just had me under his boot the entire time. After cussing him out yesterday I think he let on to a few of his favourite pupils that I was looking through some of the files in his office…”

“Well, were you?”

“Only the ones with my name in them. And Wilson’s. I don’t care about anyone else’s business…but by the way their acting something tells me they’ve got some secrets they wanna keep under wraps too. If your records clean why would you be worried about anyone else seeing it right?”

“Right. Christ, Scott.” Peter shook his head. He had no idea what to say, he’d never been in such a situation so he had no advice or frame of reference. Everything was getting more complicated and Peter was beginning to regret not just telling his Dad about all of it.

“It’s not something you need to worry about kid, you’ve got enough on your plate without worrying about me.”

“Well it is kinda worrying when I see three guys threatening you in the hallway, dude…”

“Peter seriously, it’s no big deal just a couple of punks tryna be teachers pet.” Scott shrugged again. “What’re you gonna do about Tony?”

“I don’t know yet, I can’t tell him I know who Wilson is cause you’ll get into trouble. And I’ve already lied and told him I don’t know so he’ll get mad at me.”

“Right.”

“So I guess if he brings it up again I’ll just play dumb and say I had no idea.”

“Smart move. You reckon he’s gonna try and get you pulled from G group?”

“I’m not sure, I hope not.”

“Why?” Scott seemed genuinely confused, Wilson had been nothing but a dick to both of them, why on earth would Peter wanna stay there?

“‘Cause then I wouldn’t be with you and I don’t feel like making new friends.” Peter said seriously which made Scott smile. “Besides, I've got a point to prove to him and everybody that I’m gonna be a great agent. We’ve only got a week left, we can handle it until then.”

Chapter Text

The rest of the week progressed as normal, Peter’s training continued getting more and more vigorous by the day. He was finally being able to explore the extent of his powers, which was exciting, but it meant he was even more drained by the evening and often elected to nap after dinner for an hour or so before getting up again. The Skype calls with MJ continued, though Peter was sure not to consume any liquids before or after their calls and he started to include Ned; Ned often acting as a buffer if Peter needed to run to the restroom real quick. Though MJ and Peter tended to stay on call after Ned went to sleep and before Tony came in to badger Peter into doing the same.

“Your dad not back yet?” Peter asked quietly one night. He’d switched the lights off and climbed into his bed with his laptop, prepared to pretend to be asleep with a movie playing when Tony came in to check on him, so he could chat with the girl just that little bit longer.

“No, he was meant to be back the other day but one of his colleagues called and asked for an urgent meeting.” She said somewhat sadly. Despite their rocky relationship Peter could tell how much the girl cared for her father and it was obvious that she missed him. She also seemed especially jumpy, whenever her cat (that he had yet to see much to his disappointment) bumped something around in the other room she’d flinch which made it obvious she was still freaked out about being home alone. “He said he should be back by Friday.”

“What day is it?” Peter asked genuinely. He hadn’t kept track during his time at the compound as there was no need for him to and the days just seemed to blur together.

“You been in prison that long? Peter do you know what year it is? Blink twice if you need help.”

“Fine I’ll check my phone if you’re gonna be like that.” He huffed in faux anger, but he was still smiling. He just couldn’t seem to stop smiling when she was around.

“It’s Tuesday.” She laughed. “You’re gonna be home on Monday right?”

“Uh huh. I don’t think I’ll make it in time for school though, m’not sure.”

“Well, either way Ned’s gonna tackle you when he sees you. He hasn’t been able to hug anyone in a week I’m surprised the poor boy hasn’t exploded.” She rolled her eyes. Little did Peter know the girl intended to greet him in a very similar fashion.

“Yeah, he’s a hugger.” Peter grinned, that was his Ned.

“I’ve noticed. He went to hug me and almost caught my knee in his groin.”

“Jesus.” Peter spluttered before reaching over to grab his phone that was vibrating. He chuckled again and went to reply to the text that he’d gotten.

“I thought Ned went to bed?” MJ quirked an eyebrow.

“Huh? Oh yeah, I think he did. I’m texting Shuri.” Peter said flippantly, continuing to tap on his screen.

He failed to notice but MJ’s tone changed slightly. “Who’s Shuri?”

“This girl I met at the conference. She’s really into tech stuff too.” Peter went on to explain how they were going to be working on a project together soon. This time Peter did notice the girls expression sour slightly, but he naively assumed it was down to her not understanding the technical language he was using.

“You never mentioned her before.” MJ said flatly.

Peter shrugged not thinking anything of it. “You never asked.”

They continued chatting for a little while longer, though the conversation died down very quickly after that. Peter noticed but wasn’t sure why until MJ abruptly said:

“You know what, I’m pretty tired. It’s getting late, we should go to sleep.”

Peter thought it was odd considering it was barely nine. The pair had stayed up far later than that before and she’s had no qualms with it. “Everything alright?”

“Yeah. Fine. I’m just tired. I’ll see you later.”

“Okay…” Peter certainly noticed the change in her mood then. Everyday since they’d first Skyped she always said ‘I’ll see you tomorrow’ or something to that effect. Something that implied they’d call the next day. Maybe he was overthinking things. “Well, goodnight.”

“Night.” She hung up the call as soon as she said that, almost too quickly to the point where the Skype’s beep almost cut her off. Peter frowned thinking to himself how the girl had acted rather odd.

He went to use the bathroom before settling himself back down to sleep. Just as he rolled over to do so he shot MJ one last text.

Peter: You sure you’re okay?

He fell asleep before he got a reply, the exhaustion taking over before the anxiety could. Tony came in a couple hours later and woke him up since he was squirming in his sleep. When he got back from the bathroom he checked his phone and saw that she’d left him on read. His dad noticed the drop on his face when he looked at the screen.

“You okay?”

“Yeah.” Peter mumbled half mindedly. He was still half asleep but even in his semi conscious state he knew something was up. “I think I upset MJ.”

“Why, what did you say?”

“I don’t know.” He was genuinely clueless.

Tony smiled to himself when he had his back turned from Peter. His son still had a lot of learning to do when it came to the complexities of the mind of teenage girls, and he felt happy to be apart of that learning curve. It was one of the few big milestones he’d get to share with his son and he found it cute how naive the boy was; it was blatantly obvious to everyone but him that the two teens had a mutual crush on each other, but he had a feeling it would take a long time for Peter to accept that anyone would be interested in him romantically. Not that that was a problem in Tony’s book. Peter was still so young and innocent, something that was rare for a boy his age, and he was intent on keeping him that way for as long as possible. “Let’s worry about that in the morning, yeah?”

“Yeah I guess.” Peter yawned. His eyes were closing involuntarily, making that decision for him.

“Night bubs.”

Every morning since he’d been late that one time, Peter would go down to the track (which he could find all by himself now, even if he did sometimes head down the wrong corridor right at the end) extra early to meet the other recruits before Wilson got there. He’d usually take a bottle of water for Scott who was still receiving his extra punishment for his insolence that day Peter had to rush out of class; which included being made to do extra PT before and after hours, as well as often losing his break privileges as well. The man only made it worse for himself though, as every time he had the opportunity he’d backchat Wilson and it was usually in front of everyone else. No matter how much Peter tried to convince him to back down he just wouldn’t and he couldn’t understand why. Scott was such a nice guy and had made such an effort to make Peter feel less alone in that big scary place but he wouldn’t even help himself.

Each day then went by seemed to get worse for Scott thanks to his big mouth. It had become beyond personal now; Colonel Wilson wasn’t just making Scott do some extra runs every morning he was making him do extra everything. Every task he was made to repeat multiple times, he’d constantly pair him against people three times his size and experience during sparring sessions, he’d even been punishing Scott by not letting him eat breakfast or dinner so the man was surviving on lunch and snacks alone half the time. He always came up with an excuse as to why Scott was being made to skip meals, being held back for ‘one to one’ training, but Peter knew it was all bullshit to keep himself from getting flagged up on the system for abuse or misconduct. Peter had taken to sneaking off to the blue zone in the evenings and giving the man food since he’d been barred from using the vending machines after one of Wilson’s suck ups said he caught Scott ‘tampering with them’.

The harassment from the other recruits had escalated too. There wasn’t anything super alarming that Peter witnessed, but he did notice how there would be a chorus of laughter every time Scott slipped up or did something wrong. The people he was paired with during sparring sessions would often push him just a little too far for Peter’s liking. Never breaking the rules (which boiled down to no lasting bodily harm, such as bruising, drawing blood ect) but they certainly pushed the envelope more and more each time. The shoving or tripping in the mess hall became a common occurrence too, everyday Peter saw the same group of men make Scott drop his tray. It was getting to the point that Peter didn’t feel comfortable saying goodbye to Scott anymore, but every time he voiced that concern he would laugh or shrug him off. And he certainly wouldn’t let Peter say anything to them lest the teen get himself into trouble, so he felt pretty helpless. It didn’t help that the same group seemed to be Wilson’s personal little pets.

It had all degenerated so quickly and Peter didn’t understand why or how to stop it. He knew there must be more going on that he didn’t know about, but Scott for the life of him would not tell him. He was getting seriously concerned and he kept threatening to Scott that if it escalated he’d be forced to tell his dad what was going on and that was the only thing that seemed to deter his behaviour. He always managed to convince Peter not to but he kept getting a nagging feeling that something just was not right.

When Peter made it out to the track that morning Scott was already dripping with sweat, looking exhausted and he was ready by the side lines with the usual bottle of water. The man stumbled over to him immediately and he looked more than just physically exhausted from the run.

“Thanks, kid.” Scott panted as he pouted the cool liquid not only down his throat but all over his face as well.

“You okay?” Peter eyed him up and down suspiciously. He had massive bags under his eyes. He had since they’d met and Peter assumed that he didn’t sleep well from the stress of being away from his family and having to sleep in an unfamiliar place, which he understood. But that morning they were even more pronounced.

“Yeah, I’m good.” Scott smiled though it looked out of place on his face for some reason Peter couldn’t figure out.

He didn’t have time to dwell on it though as Wilson came out earlier than usual and they all began running again. This time however, the colonel allowed Scott to sit out and recuperate. It seemed as though the man had finally taken pity on him or deemed that he’d received enough punishment for calling him something that Scott wouldn’t repeat to Peter’s innocent ears. Every time Peter glanced over to the two, they were talking which he found to be extremely odd as Wilson seemed to try and ignore Scott’s existence as much as possible when he wasn’t trying to make his life hell directly.

The conversation didn’t seem offensive either which he found doubly odd. Peter tried to use his super hearing to listen in but he was just a little too far away and by the time he’d circle round the track Wilson and Scott had the forethought to cease their conversation when he was within earshot. When they moved on to their warm ups Scott rejoined the group but he deliberately went to a spot far from Peter which made the boy frown. He’d usually line up next to him so they could chatter in between exercises. Was it something he said? He’d barely said two words to him that morning, so that didn’t make sense.

When they were led to the mess hall Scott seemed to hang back and avoid him again, in favour of talking to the colonel so Peter made a point of using the bathroom nearest their location and coming back in time for their private conversation to wrap up. He grabbed Scott as the man went to head into the canteen once Wilson was out of view. “Hey what gives? Why’re you avoiding me?”

“Jesus kid! We need to get you a bell or something!” Scott jumped initially as he hadn’t heard Peter approach. Peter had a knack for that, he often found people jumped when he walked up behind them, his footsteps were silent since the bite. It was rather amusing to see people, especially the Avengers and especially Tony, jump when they saw him. Well it wasn’t amusing that time Nat socked him in the jaw- but he hadn’t even done it on purpose that time. Once Scott had recovered he addressed the boy’s question. “I’m not avoiding you kid I just knew you’d ask questions and I couldn't have you do that in front of Wilson.”

“Why? What kind of questions? What were you guys talking about? Was it about the report he keeps threatening you with? Did those guys do something to you? Is it something to do with Steve and D-Tony?” Peter blurted out practically all in one breath.

“Just like that.” Scott chuckled and started walking again. He didn’t draw attention to what Peter almost called Tony, he’d figured out their relationship on his own. It wasn’t rocket science. “It’s nothing to worry about.”

“Sooooo, tell me then?” Peter pried. He knew he sounded like an annoying child but he was worried. “Is it about that report he’s been threatening you with?”

“What? No, no nothing like that. He’s just letting me off the early morning stuff now, says I’ve learnt my lesson since we...had a talk last night. It’s really nothing to worry about.”

The way Scott mentioned having a talk with their superior ranking officer was another red flag that caused a lot of questions to pop up in Peter’s mind but he elected to ignore them. For now. He’d ask them later when Scott’s guard was down because clearly there was a lot more going on behind the man’s words and Peter was not about to drop it. “Well, have you?”

“Have I what?” Scott said confusedly through a yawn.

“Learnt your lesson?” Peter assumed said lesson was referring to the man’s constant backchat and issues with authority.

“Oh. Yeah, sorry I’m a little out of it this morning. Go get some breakfast kid I’ll see you in a bit.” Scott clapped him on the shoulder and pointed over to where his family were sitting before moving to get his own tray. Peter found it suspicious how the man was brushing him off but he was instantly distracted by something else going on at his own table.

Tony looked upset. Not angry, stoic upset like usual but, kinda sad? Peter had never really seen that expression before and he wasn’t sitting in his usual seat. He was sitting next to Steve who was whispering to him about something Peter strained to hear. As soon as he approached the table the pair ceased their conversation, making it abundantly clear to Peter that they were talking about him. “Uh, hi?”

“Hiya, Sport.” Steve said cheerily, a little too cheerily. He was considerably more energetic than he had been the rest of the week, where Peter had become accustomed to the man yawning every five seconds and nodding off in the middle of conversation. His high energy seemed too forced to be real and it only made Peter more skeptical.

Tony simply nodded to him in ways of a greeting and moved to his usual spot at the table, next to his son but avoided eye contact. No one else greeted him even Thor which was especially suspect. Instead they were all focused on their own meals, not speaking a word to one another. What was with everyone this morning?

“Do I smell or something?” Peter eventually asked exasperatedly after at least two minutes of silent chewing; causing all the adults around the table to look at him quizzically.

Of course, Thor took that a bit too literally and leant over the table, taking a deep inhale through his nose before sitting back down. “Not any worse than usual, my friend.”

Steve put his head in his hands and Tony rolled his eyes. Clint and Bruce tried their best to remain neutral but were clearly trying not to laugh where as Nat allowed herself to laugh without abandon.

“Wow Thor, thanks.” Peter said dryly, though a little voice in the back of his head took note of that comment to add to the things he needed to be anxious about later; the list was getting rather long for it being so early in the morning. He then turned back to his original point. “Anyway! What’s the matter with everyone today? You’re all acting weird.”

Tony sighed and went to open his mouth but Steve kicked him under the table. Very obviously, even though the blond looked in a random direction to try and cover his tracks from Peter. “What the fuck Rogers?!”

“What?” Steve said innocently.

“That fucking hurt with your freaky super strength, god ow!” Tony reached under the table to run his shin and Peter was even more freaked out.

“Okay what the hell is going on?”

“Language.” Tony said flippantly as he took a sip of coffee, still refusing to meet Peter’s eye.

“You just said fuck twice!”

“Language!” Steve and Tony said in unison, with different levels of fury, and the latter clipped Peter around the ear. “And I’m an adult. You’re a child.”

Peter let out a noise of frustration and rubbed the side of his head. God he hated it when Tony pulled that card, it reminded him of the Dad in Matilda. “Only when it suits you I am, now tell me what’s going on!”

That comment got Tony’s attention and the man turned to look at him, eyes blazing but a calm look of intrigue on his face. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Don’t nitpick so you can change the subject!” Peter pouted and pushed his food away from him defiantly, to show he meant business when really it made him look like a toddler. “Why are you acting weird?”

“Tony just tell him.” Clint sighed and Bruce nodded in agreement since his mouth was full of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

“Don’t you dare.” Steve growled giving Tony a warning look.

“Tell me what?!” Peter yelled in frustration. It was enough that Scott was hiding something he didn’t need the rest of his companions doing the same.

“We have to go on a mission. Today.” Tony sighed and Steve put his head in his hands. Though he had initially agreed with the blond to not tell him he could tell that Peter was becoming agitated and he wanted to avoid

Peter paused for a moment to let that sink in. “By us I assume I’m not included and that’s why this is a bad thing.”

“Correct. I’ve been trying to get out of it but-“

“It’s cool.” Peter said calmly and everyone gave him a look of shock as though they expected him to kick off. He felt rather smug that he’d defied their expectations by acting mature.

“You’re not upset?” Steve asked cautiously.

“Nah, you guys go on missions all the time without me what’s the big deal?”

“Because we’d be leaving you alone in an unfamiliar place.” Tony said bluntly. His face remained impartial but his eyes were darting around Peter’s face as though he was looking for any signs that the child was lying or panicking, but he found none. Peter really did seem to be taking the news well, when he and Steve had both expected some kind of meltdown; whether that he because Peter was anxious about being alone or angry about being left behind and go on his usual rant about not being a real Avenger.

They’d been arguing all morning about how they’d approach the subject, Steve opting for not telling him at all. Just disappearing and letting T’Challa or Bucky inform him after they’d left. He knew that Peter wouldn’t have a tantrum with them but Tony thought the idea was cruel. He also didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye because who knows? Their mission could go wrong and they might not come back for a while, he didn’t want Peter’s last memory of him be him passed out in his bunk. Even though he fancied himself a pretty sleeper- that wasn’t the point. The point was he wasn’t about to let Peter turn up to lunch and be met with an empty table just to avoid a fussy teenager. Not when it could be avoided, he deserved ample warning when they could provide it. He felt guilty enough the days he had to cut lab sessions short for sudden meetings, he wasn’t about to be a deadbeat Dad like Howard. It wasn’t right.

Peter smirked at the worried look he was getting. It sounded like Tony was suffering more separation anxiety than he was. “Look around Mr. Stark, I’m hardly alone. How long for?”

“Should just be overnight. That’s why Steve didn’t want to tell you, he said we should be back before you woke up-“ Steve kicked Tony under the table again making it clear he didn’t enjoy getting ratted out and the genius groaned. “Kick me one more time Spangles, see what happens!”

“I’ll be fine for one night.” Peter laughed. “I’m not a baby.”

“We know kid, you remind us twenty times a day. God forbid anyone forget you’re fifteen.” Clint rolled his eyes as he swirled his coffee in a cup, going to take a sip before he spat it back into his cup. This time it was his turn to get kicked under the table. “Ow!”

“Why don’t you shout it out a little louder, Barton, so the whole compound can hear you? Give them his date of birth and his blood type while you’re at it!” Tony hissed and turned back to Peter. “We‘re leaving at noon but we’ll be back by tomorrow morning. If not all of us, I will.”

“Okay.” Peter shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s no big deal if you aren’t.”

Tony frowned. Of course he hadn’t wanted Peter to be beside himself upset but he had thought there would be some kind of emotive response. He’d never left the child alone for a night, always sending him to stay with Ned or other agents that Peter was comfortable with like the Maximoff twins, even having Happy stay over one time. The idea of leaving Peter alone for an entire day around strangers was enough to make his arc reactor work overtime. He’d expected Peter to at least mirror his own anxieties but he boy barely reacted, which made him feel stupid for feeling that way. Yes he was being overprotective but he couldn’t help it. “I will be.”

“Okay.” Peter shrugged again. He wasn’t particularly upset about the prospect of an evening to himself. Though Tony tried his best not to be intrusive, it would be nice to have the space to himself without having to be courteous to other people and he could stay on call with MJ as long as he wanted...given the girl wasn’t still in a weird mood of course. Besides it was an opportunity to show the rest of the team that he was mature, then maybe he’d be able to spend nights alone back at the tower which in turn would give him some unsupervised time in the lab...

“And Bucky will be here if you need anything, you know where our room is.” Steve interjected. It seemed he was just as anxious about leaving the teen as Tony was.

Peter nodded. Though he had yet to see the man he knew The Winter Soldier was also at the compound for training, he just preferred his privacy. From what he could gather Bucky wasn’t a fan of the loud noises and people in the cafeteria, which Peter himself could totally understand. His and Steve’s room was also the furthest away from everyone else’s and Peter had a pretty good idea why; he wasn’t stupid and it certainly didn’t take a genius to figure it out. He’d heard the comments Tony had made to Steve and he was aware of Bucky's PTSD. The man clearly suffered from night terrors and that’s why Steve had been so tired. He felt bad for the man and he certainly wouldn’t be bothering him unnecessarily. He’d met Bucky a few times since the Germany incident (where the soldier had apologised profusely about the entire affair, reacting similarly to Steve just with less emotion) and the man had always been exceedingly nice to him so he’d be sure to return the favour and not bother him.

“And you can call us. We’ll have our phones on us.” Steve continued listing all of Peter’s options for help or sources of comfort, including listing all of the acquaintances he’d made.

“Uh huh, and the emergency numbers are on the fridge and I’ll tell the babysitter to leave the hall light on.” Peter smirked. Steve’s obvious concern was very touching but he was definitely going overboard, even Tony was rolling his eyes. “I’ll be fine, I promise.”

Before breakfast was over all over the Avengers left to go to their own rooms to get ready for the mission they had ahead and Peter took the opportunity to go with them; mostly because he wanted to say a proper goodbye to his Dad beforehand.

“Are you sure you’re gonna be okay?” Tony said worriedly, knowing Peter would be more honest now that they were alone (even if the boy tried to lie, which he so often did, he was terrible at it and Tony would be able to pressure him into telling the truth when they were by themselves). Though he was desperately trying not to show it, he really didn’t want to leave without Peter. He didn’t want to leave his boy in the hands of people he barely knew. Of course he knew his son was safe from harm but Peter also had anxiety issues, refused to ask anyone for any kind of help and he wasn’t in the company of people who would know what signs to look out for should Peter need said help. He knew full well if something happened when he wasn’t there Peter wouldn’t go to anyone about it and he’d have to deal with it when he came back. What if he had a nightmare or a panic attack or an accident or he got sick-

‘Dammit Stark get ahold of yourself. It’s less than twenty four hours, he’ll be fine. He’s a big boy.’ Tony shook his head. ‘But he’s our boy- and he can barely reach the top shelf in the fridge!’

“Uh huh, like you said you’ll be back by tomorrow.” Peter smiled confidently, interrupting Tony’s internal debate. He could sense how anxious his Dad was and he wanted to ease his mind. “But how come they didn’t send someone else if they knew you guys were in training?”

“It’s unfinished Avengers business. Nothing major just a few loose ends that need to be tied.”

Peter chuckled again. Trust Tony to be as cryptic and vague as possible. “You could just say classified.”

The man looked up briefly from the bag he was packing. “Classified.”

Peter rolled his eyes and continued to watch as the man busied himself around the room packing things. He took the time to check his phone again, feeling disgruntled when MJ still hadn’t replied to him. For a moment when she saw he was online Peter saw he typing, but after a few minutes the three little dots disappeared again. Should he text her again to see what was up? Was she mad at him for something? It wasn’t like MJ to be anything but direct so the behaviour was so out of character it was worrying. But he didn’t have time to think about that now, he would just try and call the girl later. It was almost time for him to head back to the blue zone but he could tell his Dad wanted him to linger as long as possible, even if the man would never come out and say it.

“You better start heading back bud, don’t want you to be late.” Tony said after a moment of pretending to double check everything, somewhat sadly.

“I know. Well- have fun! Bring me back a memento.” Peter jumped down from his perch on his bunk to hug him.

His comment made Tony chuckle. “It’s not the kind of place you’ll want knickknacks from, bubs.”

“A postcard then.” Peter shrugged before squeezing the man tightly. “Stay safe.”

“As always.” Tony hugged him back leaning his chin on top of the boy’s wild hair. They lingered in the hug just a second longer than usual because he just didn’t want to let go. What was it about leaving his kid behind that made saying goodbye so difficult? It wasn’t like he was never gonna see him again. Thoughts like that made Tony’s mind say ‘what if’; what if he didn’t come back, what if this was the last hug and he just didn’t know it yet- but he was quick to push those out of his mind. They made him feel sick but at his age though life experience, he’d developed the necessary coping skills to deal with such anxious thoughts, whereas Peter didn’t. That’s why he was glad that Peter didn’t seem to be nearly as anxious as he felt. “I’ll see you tomorrow, bubby. You call if you need anything, alright?”

“I will.” Peter smiled and the pair walked out of the room, splitting off and going in separate directions down the hallway. Tony tried to ignore the dull ache in his chest he felt when he had to turn his back on Peter, but just as he did he heard the boy call after him. “Wait, Dad!”

“What?” Tony raised his eyebrows and turned around to see the kid bounding down the hallway after him. He was half expecting Peter to ask for another hug.

“Toothbrush.” Pete held up the green and white piece of plastic.

“Oh.” Tony blinked and grabbed said item from him. He was a little shocked he’d forgotten such an important and generic thing but he guessed his mind had been elsewhere. He couldn’t help but feel the tiniest bit of disappointment that Peter hadn’t in fact just been wanting a little more attention. “Thanks.”

He went to turn away again after tossing the object in his bag but Peter grabbed him before he could, nearly tackling him in another hug. Peter really needed to learn to control his super strength when he was excited, he damn near winded him. But Tony didn’t mind one bit. “I love you, Dad.”

“I love you too.” Tony would never dare admit it but he was suddenly slightly misty eyed. Damn they needed to dust these hallways better. Fuck, no matter how many times he heard those words they still set off his dust mite allergies.

As quickly as Peter had appeared he was gone again, breaking away from the hug and sprinting down the hallway. “I’ll see you tomorrow- good luck!”

“See you tomorrow, kiddo.” Tony smiled despite himself. He added one last comment with a wink, intending it to be a joke. “And stay out of trouble!”

Little did he know his jokey comment with no real bite to it should have been a genuine threat, because unfortunately Peter didn’t follow his advice. He was a good kid he had no worries about the boy behaving himself in his absence, especially in not such a short amount of time. And Peter hadn’t intended to break the man’s trust in him, but things happen. Especially in a place full of special agents and mutants in a confined space- some of which had certain grudges. Unbeknownst to them their time apart would go anything but smoothly; But they’d both realise that later.

Chapter Text

The rest of the day went smoothly. Well, smoothish. Up until lunch anyway, that’s when Peter’s calm demeanour started to unravel and unbeknownst to him that would soon cause all hell to break loose. Once Peter returned to his group and he caught up with Scott, he couldn’t help but notice the man was acting odd still and not in the same way as he had before. Him and Wilson were exchanging glances often, but it was more than that. Now Scott seemed really jumpy and skittish, especially when other recruits passed by him so Peter decided their break would be the right time to start asking those questions he had earlier.

Scott however, had preempted this. He already had lined up a list of things to talk to Peter about to try and throw him off, theoretical conundrums about scientific topics he knew the boy found interesting. But it didn’t work to throw him off the scent.

“So, what happened last night for you and Wilson to have this little chat?”

“Oh, you know.” Scott said nonchalantly and shrugged his shoulders. Then for a moment there was an uncomfortable silence as Peter waited for him to continue and Scott waited for Peter to move on. Neither of those two things happened.

“No. I don’t know.” Peter prompted and crossed his arms, trying to do his best serious-Stark impression. He was getting pretty good at it too, it seemed, as Scott shuffled uncomfortably- Tony really was a good mentor. The teen made it clear he wasn’t getting out of it.

“Look, it’s not a big deal okay? I was just...exhausted after all the extra work outs and stuff, so I went to talk to him and he let me off.” Scott rambled but his eyes darted around and he refused to look at Peter directly.

“That’s crap and you know it.” Peter deadpanned. He wasn’t going to beat around the bush, his experience with Steve trying to hide stuff from him earlier that day had let him know that being direct was the best way to go. He didn’t want to play games anymore, something had been going on all week and he was sick of seeing Scott deteriorate more and more. That and from what he’d witnessed of Wilson’s character the man was less than understanding. Peter doubted that Scott had just had a friendly talk with the guy and the whole thing had blown over. Sure, he had apologised to Peter after the embarrassing endeavour the week before but that was different. Peter hadn’t been deliberately antagonising the Colonel by undermining him and challenging him at any given opportunity. In his mind it was out on the question that the pair had a reasonable, constructive conversation, they were both too hot headed. “What really happened, Scott?”

The man sighed and looked off into the distance as though he was coming to terms with the fact that he couldn’t keep his secrets for much longer. Peter was persistent, annoyingly so, but he couldn’t blame the kid for being curious. Obviously it was fishy that overnight he’d gone from being locked in a bullfight with his superior officer and being worked near to death, to being rather chummy with him the very next day. “I backed down. I gave up fighting him, turns out he’s not the asshole, I am.”

Peter seemed satisfied with that vague, disingenuous answer initially. He hadn’t picked up on the obvious signs of deception, not yet. “Well, yeah you were making life difficult for yourself but he’s still an asshole too. Do you not remember that dude breaking his leg and he made a joke out of it? Or him threatening you with that report thing? Or him almost making me pee my pants?”

“Some of his actions are somewhat...unethical I agree. It’s just not as bad as I thought it was.” Scott shrugged and made his way over to the water fountain, with Peter following closely behind, but he whipped his head around at the last example Peter gave, giving the boy one of the most serious looks he’d ever given him. “Though that last one is unforgivable and I made a point of that.”

“Unethical? They were damn right immoral Scott and you know it!” Peter gawked. He was defending Wilson now? The man who had single handedly pushed him to near physical exhaustion as well as plenty of psychological distress simultaneously, for eleven days- as well as practically encouraging the other recruits to bully Scott or at the very least turning a blind eye to it, was not in their bad books anymore? What the hell had the two talked about for Scott to make such a drastic turn around in one night?

“What was immoral was me reading his file in the first place, we started off on a bad foot.”

“But you said that was an accident.” Peter said suspiciously, recalling the story of the events that Scott had told him. How Scott had only broken into the room in the first place to search how long he would be kept at the facility; he hadn’t been graced with any information as to why or where he was let alone when he would be allowed to go home. He had just wanted to know when he’d be allowed to see his little girl again and when he’d typed his name into the database, one of the first files that popped up was the Germany report, then Sam’s name and his curiosity had peaked despite himself and well...Peter knew what happened after that. Scott had inadvertently made himself an enemy.

“It was. But me being a dick to try and keep the attention off of you only made me a target for- other things.” Scott cut himself off again and it finally clicked into place in Peter’s mind why Scott had been making things so hard for himself. “So we talked it out and now everything’s..just peachy.”

It took a minute for the dots to connect in Peter’s head. “Wait so you...you kept getting yourself in trouble so he wouldn’t pick on me..?”

“Well, duh.” Scott chuckled but his face softened when he saw Peter’s horrified expression. “Why else did you think I was doing it?”

“I don’t know! I thought it was personal because of the file thing- or you just have a combative personality- I don’t know!”

“I mean those are both true. But after you ran out that day I knew he’d likely give you a hard time to make an example of you and I wasn’t about to let that happen. So, I became a thorn in his side to keep him occupied. I figured; If he thought you ignoring him was disrespectful when you just had to use the damn bathroom and he was the one ignoring you - I’d show him what true disrespect was.” Scott looked as though he was doing some self reflection for a moment but he soon shook it off, resuming his usually quirky smile. “But it doesn’t matter now anyway kid, I took care of it.”

Peter’s head was still spinning from the realisation that all of the turmoil his friend had been enduring was due to him. If he was better at standing up for himself Scott would never have felt the need to protect him. He hung his head ashamedly as the guilt washed over him. “I’m sorry.”

Scott’s face fell and he put a hand on Peter’s shoulder. “Hey, hey, it’s not a big deal Pete.”

“Quit saying that, it is a big deal!” Peter sniffed. “Why last night? Why not last w-week or Friday? Something must’ve happened S-Scott. And what do you mean you took care of it? What’s it?”

Scott frowned again. He hadn’t needed to know Peter long to know that when he stuttered it was a bad sign. He didn’t want to reveal the whole story to him, he’d been warned against it, but it was obvious that the teenager was working himself up and Scott felt he deserved an answer. “I..Well…”

The way Scott paused only made Peter more anxious. In the entire time he’d known him the man had never run out of things to say, so for him not to be able to find the right words set off that anxious feeling in his stomach.

“In you come ladies!” Wilson could be heard screaming at the other end of the hallway.

“No not now! Scott what were you gonna-“

“Come on kid, we can talk later.” Scott breathed a sigh of relief having been saved by the bell. Perfect timing. Ugh.  

They were ushered into their classroom where Scott managed to evade Peter’s questioning again. That twisty, sick feeling in the kids stomach only intensified every time Scott and Wilson exchanged glances. The weirdest part was that Scott was made to sit out from the group sparring exercises, for no discernible reason, at least none that Peter knew of. Something sketchy was going on he knew it, nothing about the story Scott had told him made sense and now he was not only being allowed to cease his extra punishment but he wasn’t even made to interact with the other recruits? It was then Peter noticed the looks Scott was getting, not only from Wilson but a few of the other recruits too. He saw three of them in particular giving Scott the evil eye whenever the man so much as shifted in his seat and of course it was the usual culprits; Miller, Thomas and Jacobs. God dammit. Had Wilson put Scott into some kind of protective custody or something to keep him away from those assholes? Or was it the other way around...What the hell had gone on last night? Peter had no idea but he was starting to form his own plot line in his head of the possibilities...as if he didn’t have enough things to think about.

There was no doubt about it, the three other recruits were definitely giving Scott dirty looks and the man was returning them. There was no denying it. Peter couldn’t help but notice them even from all the way across the room.

Unfortunately Peter noticed this whilst he was meant to be deflecting a punch from private Perry and as a result he failed to do so. He made a mistake very similar to that Bruce made the day he went Hulk and Peter discovered the handy filtration system in his suit. He didn’t have time to shudder at the memory as he turned his head back a split second too late and Perry’s fist connected with his left eye. Ow.

He fell flat on his ass for the second time since he’d been at the compound though this one was much less comedic, as it was combined with a blinding pain spanning across the side of his face. His sparring patterned immediately dropped to the floor beside him. “Shit! Parker you okay? I’m so sorry!”

“I-it’s okay! It’s my fault I wasn’t paying- ow- attention.” Peter tried to reassure him but it was difficult when there were three of him, his vision having blurred, he wasn’t sure which Perry he was meant to be looking at. “Nice hook you got there.”

“I thought you would’ve blocked it before I’m so-“

“Move it, Perry.” Wilson had strode across the room pulling the private out of the way and crouching down next to Peter. He looped an arm under him and pulled him up. “Up you get, kid, you’re alright. Stand up.”

Peter did, albeit slightly wobbly. His head was spinning and he had a gross metallic taste in his mouth. Instinctively he flinched away from Wilson’s touch though, despite the punch he still had his wits about him and he didn’t trust the man. Especially not after the shadiness he’d witnessed going on between him and Scott. If Peter had noticed the threatening, hate filled looks three of his group members were giving Scott the colonel no doubt had; especially given he and Scott were also looking at each other constantly and the man wasn’t doing anything about it .

Wilson ignored his physical protests though and lead the boy over to a bench, pushing him down onto it. Wilson hissed when he saw the state of Peter’s face which made the teen worried about how bad it was, if even the stone faced man had a visible reaction. “Move your hand, Parker. Johnson, you got him?”

“Yeah.” She rolled her eyes tiredly at the man as she was already heading over there with a rudimentary first aid kit. Wilson backed off, much to Peter’s relief as the man’s presence so close to him was making his fight or flight kick in, to allow Johnson to get a closer look at Peter’s face. “Oo, yep. That’s a shiner.”

“Great.” Peter grumbled as he took the ice pack she held out to him. The pain was already fading to an ache, he just hoped that his accelerated healing would have the bruise gone before Tony saw or his dad would flip. Oh wait...his dad wasn’t going to be back until tomorrow…

As the realisation hit him Peter sunk down further in his chair, suddenly feeling really upset about something he’d been totally fine with not hours before. “How bad is it?”

“If I had a mirror I’d show you. It’s going a pretty shade of purple already, nice work Perry!” She called over with a smirk but the young soldier didn’t react favourably. He looked more guilty than ever and so did Peter, it wasn’t his fault. It was Wilson’s and Scott’s for that matter for being so...weird. He knew ultimately it was his own fault though, he’d broken concentration one of the most important things not to do in during a sparring session, especially with highly skilled agents who in this case had super powers.

Johnson flashed a torch in his eye and got him to look side to side, then went through the basic concussion questions that Peter knew off by heart from Bruce. “You’ll live. But how about you just sit out on this one huh?”

Peter nodded. He was too preoccupied to focus on sparring in the first place and now he had a headache. And he was more than a little embarrassed; he’d made a rookie mistake that ended in him getting punched and he’d even heard a couple of people snickering when Wilson had to pick him off the ground. He wasn’t in the mood to join back in with the class, it was easy stuff anyway. Training Wheels back home was a much more worthy opponent and at least it would have the forethought not to punch him when he wasn’t looking. So, Peter sat out for the rest of the session and to his surprise agent Johnson sat with him. Since the incident where she’d called him out on his bloody plan to get out of the lecture and go to the bathroom he’d avoided her like the plague; she could see right through him and he didn’t much care for it, not from someone he barely knew. He already knew he couldn’t trust everyone in that facility, as safe as it was, Wilson showed him that so he was very wary of the woman. Of course she had been nothing but nice to him, even going so far to being especially lenient on him, which he assumed was due to his age. She seemed to have a soft spot for him but he was too embarrassed to face her ever since his little pee emergency. He didn’t need another person who viewed him like a baby, even if that’s how he had acted, he was trying to be a professional. Though having someone sit with him when he wasn’t feeling his best wasn’t the worst thing in the world, he had to admit, especially when he was suddenly feeling very, very homesick…

“So, what’s up with you today? You’re usually on the ball all the time, it’s not like you to slip up like that.” Johnson asked though she didn’t make eye contact, she continued to stare off at the other recruits which Peter was grateful for. It made everything less awkward.

“I uh, I don’t k-know.” Peter shrugged. He didn’t exactly feel like opening up in that moment and he knew nothing he could say would be an excuse for his mistake. If he wanted to be an agent he knew a bad day or other outside variables couldn’t impact on his ability to fight; how could he be an Avenger if he’d get distracted easily and possibly endanger himself or others? It was too risky.

“Distracted ‘cause you’re team’s off galavanting without you?”

“No.” Peter said a little too quickly. The reminder that he was essentially alone wasn’t welcomed in the boy’s already anxious mind. He had felt fine about them leaving before, he’d even thought his dad was being a little silly worrying so much but now he had changed his mind. He suddenly felt very small and very alone in such a big place. Now his head hurt and he just wanted to see his family. He mentally kicked himself as he realised he’d forgotten to say a proper goodbye to everyone other than Tony…god he was such a baby. He was never going to make it as an agent. He wasn’t cut out for this.

The woman seemed to read his mind. “It’s okay to have off days kid. Everyone has them.”

Peter simply nodded in response then occupied himself by scuffing his shoe against the floor instead of trying to hold a conversation. His mind was swimming between Scott’s odd behaviour to the sudden onset of crippling anxiety he was feeling with Tony being gone and now his brain decided to remind him that even things back home were going wrong; he’d somehow managed to upset one of his only two friends. Why now? Of course it had to be now, when would his brain ever give him a break? His day was going from bad to weird to worse.

He continuously tried to catch Scott’s eye but the man was equally persistent in dodging it and Peter was starting to get irritated. There was no need for Scott to cut him out like that, he hadn’t done anything wrong. Yeah, he was being pushy but so what? He was concerned , and becoming increasingly frustrated with the man trying to avoid him. The rest of the session ticked by painfully slowly between the lack of mental stimulation (other than the slideshow of shit his brain was showing him- just to keep his anxiety fresh), the ache in his face and now Scott blatantly ignoring him. There was no way he just didn’t see Peter trying to get his attention and the teen knew he wasn’t just distracted; every so often he managed to catch Scott’s gaze for a split second when he checked to see if Peter was still looking at him, immediately changing the direction of his eyes when he realised he was. It got to the point where Peter considered just getting up and walking over to him, it’s not like he could just run away but his thoughts must’ve been extra loud that day because as the idea crossed his mind none other than Colonel Wilson placed himself directly in his line of sight, blocking Scott from his view.

So, Peter gave up. He just sat there silently for the rest of the hour, staring at the floor, rebutting all of agent Johnson’s attempts at conversation. He felt a bit guilty since the woman was trying so hard to make him feel better but he also didn’t have the energy to care. Of course he didn’t want to be intentionally rude but he had too many thoughts running through his head to try and make sense of other people’s words on top. His mind was racing and he wanted to talk it out with someone just not her. The only person he wanted to talk to had already left by then and he wouldn’t see him until tomorrow. Of course Tony left right when he needed him. Typical.

Finally class ended and they were let out to go to lunch but Peter didn’t even bother to try and go after Scott. If the man wanted to talk to him, he'd have to make the effort to approach him first because Peter wasn’t about to try just to get rejected again. Whenever people treated him like a kid it made him want to act like it so if Scott was going to treat him like a child who couldn’t handle things he’d live up to the man’s expectations. He definitely didn’t feel up to handling getting blanked like that again he was feeling too fragile. Besides, Peter had never done anything in front of Scott for the man to not trust his maturity, he’d never been anything but adult around the man. Well..maybe he had been a bit babyish at times especially the whole having to run out of class to pee thing...but still! That wasn’t just cause for Scott to treat him that way. He didn’t deserve to be treated like an infant.

He made his way out of the room quickly, being one of the first people to leave so he would avoid Scott, but as he left he couldn’t help but hear one last comment from Wilson; though it wasn’t directed towards him, just about him.

“Skye, I know you have a soft spot for kids but you can’t pick favourites. Especially not that one .”

Now what the hell was that supposed to mean?! Peter hadn’t even done anything!

His day just kept getting weirder and weirder and all he wanted was to be greeted by his family at lunch but with a deep dread in his stomach he realised once again that said family was absent. There was no feisty redhead, or goofy blond, or serious archer and there wasn’t a quiet spoken doctor, or smiley soldier in sight. Well, maybe that last one but not his smiley soldier- and certainly not one that would fuss at him for not eating his vegetables. But worst of all there was no arrogant, egotistical genius with a god complex and a heart of gold that Peter suddenly missed so much. Just empty spaces in the seats they should have been in, which to Peter was very metaphorical and he hated how the sight of the empty bench invoked such a guttural, emotional response. He knew he was being ridiculous. He’d only seen them that morning but with the day he was having it felt like ages ago. The smell of that days lunch made his stomach turn anyway, only adding to the churning sensation his anxiety was giving, so he decided to skip the meal. Besides there was no one there who would miss him, Steve wasn’t there to bash him into eating…

If he wasn’t eating he could at least spend his time doing something productive. Like heading back to his room to check his phone and see if MJ had got back to him. Maybe once he was in there he’d text Tony, just to see if they’d made it to their destination okay. Not that Peter knew where they were going. Maybe he was on a plane...well it wouldn’t hurt to send a text. Well...then again if they were busy Tony probably wouldn’t see a text- so he’d just ring him instead. It wasn’t a big deal just a quick friendly call, it’s not like he needed to hear his Dad’s voice or anything. It wasn’t like he was starting to get that creeping feeling in his chest that the MV were about to capture his Dad and shoot him again- a feeling he hadn’t gotten in quite a while, which he now found it very difficult to cope with having not needed to for so long. Nope that wasn’t it at all he just- he just needed to- screw it, who was he kidding? He needed his dad.

“Pick up, pick up, pick up-“

And Tony did after only the second ring. “Underoos?”

“Uh- h-hi Mr Uhm..Mr. Stark.” Peter stuttered unsuredly, the term of address feeling unnatural in his mouth given his current state of emotional distress. He didn’t know what kind of company Tony was around or whether or not it was safe for him to address the man in his usual way and the man had used one of his covert nicknames so...

“What happened to Dad?” Peter could hear the smirk in the man’s voice as well as what sounded like an engine of some kind. “It’s just us here, Pete.”

Peter audibly sighed in relief. he really didn’t feel like pretending right then. “Oh good, where are you?”

“On the mission buddy, remember?” Tony chuckled but he stopped when he heard Peter sigh in frustration. Okay, so the teen wasn’t in the mood for friendly banter and something must be up for him to call in the first place, after all. “In the quinjet still.”

“Aww what?! How come I always miss out on the fun stuff?!” Peter whined petulantly causing Tony to chuckle again. The teen hadn’t had a chance to go in the craft yet though he had begged the man to find an excuse for them to use it for months.

“You’ll get to ride in it soon enough.” Tony said still chuckling, though his voice changed as he continued. He lost the comedic lilt and he sounded more serious, like his usual voice but Peter still heard a touch of concern thrown in there. After knowing the man for so long he came to realise Tony wasn’t quite as good at hiding his emotions as everyone thought he was, he could always tell when the man was worrying about something; especially when that something was him. “Is everything alright, kiddo?”

“Huh? Oh, uh, yeah I just uhm. I-I thought I’d check in, you know, make sure you guys left okay and to make sure you didn’t forget anything cause like- you know, if you did I could run it up to you, or like you could turn back-or something. It’s not like you hafta, I know you guys don’t need...I don’t know, is this a bad time? I’m sorry I know you said to call if it was an emergency I shouldn’t have-“

“No, I said to contact me if you needed anything.”

Tony cut him off. By the sounds of it Tony stood up and walked in another direction, assumedly away from his team members so that he could have a more private conversation with the clearly stressed boy. “Talk to me. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing I just-“

“Cut the crap. I know you and you’re a terrible liar. What’s wrong bubby?” Tony said sternly, though the use of his affectionate nickname lowered Peter’s defences.

Peter bit his lip considering what he should say. A big part of him wanted to come clean about everything , now that the man wasn’t in the building to go and directly confront anyone. But Peter wasn’t naive to think that Tony wouldn’t be able to do anything from a distance. If he explained the depths of his worries he had no doubt the man would just fly himself back to the compound and go right up to Wilson and possibly Scott to deliver a mouthful of abuse. Besides, Peter didn’t have any real experiences or evidence to give the man for a factual basis to his worries, up until that point he’d barely witnessed anything. Yeah, it was still weird but not exactly ‘freak your Dad out so he has to miss work to come and comfort you’ weird. Just uncomfortable. It could all be in his head anyway, he had yet to get a direct answer from Scott so maybe he was just over reacting. But he didn’t want to lie because he was awful at it and Tony would only worry about him more. Fuck, calling him was a mistake after all. “I just...it’s just..I don’t know.”

“Petey, what is it?” Tony lowered his voice again speaking as gently as Peter had ever heard him which made him pangs of guilt coarse through him for distracting the man whilst he was meant to be on a mission.

“I just miss you.” Peter said quickly. It wasn’t a lie and Peter knew that Tony wouldn’t react badly to the admission, if anything it made the man of iron feel a lot better about his own anxieties. And in all honesty Peter would take any comfort he could get right then; if he couldn’t get advice about what to do about the whole Scott situation, Tony always had a way of clearing his head.

“What happened to being fine for one night huh?” Tony chuckled but his tone was far from teasing.

“I...I don’t...mm..” Though he knew the man wasn’t being serious the comment only confirmed how pathetic Peter felt in his own head. It hadn’t even been five hours since he’d seen his dad and he was already calling him?

“Oh, Pete.” Tony muttered under his breath and sighed. “Why didn’t you tell me, huh? I knew it was going to be too much leaving you there overnight-“

“No-no! I’m fine, it’s stupid, I’m sorry I shouldn’t have called you just for that-“

“Hush. Peter it’s okay, I promise. I’m glad you did instead of sitting there and pretending you’re fine. You’re allowed to be upset, I’d be worried if you weren’t.” Tony soothed.

“Everything okay, T?” Peter heard someone- Clint- call in the background.

Then Tony pressed the phone against his chest as though Peter wouldn’t be able to hear him speak. “Yep. Just talking to Spider-Baby.”

“Dad!” Peter whined. He detested the nickname and Tony often saved it for moments he wanted to embarrass him most and Peter was sure he had used it to get a rise out of him, which worked. “I-I’ll be okay, it was just weird sitting alone at lunch..”

“Bullshit you didn’t eat.”

“Okay guilty-“

“You’re eating dinner. Steve told Bucky to drag you if need be.”

“But he doesn’t like going in there with all the people?”

“No, but he’ll it for you, kid, so no messing around alright? Don’t give the old man a hard time.” Tony said sternly.

“Alright, alright. And I did eat for your information.”

“Blue raspberry air heads don’t count- no Steven he’s not eating candy before dinner!” Tony sighed as he yelled back at the blond soldier who was fussing about Peter spoiling his appetite and the teen couldn’t help but snicker. “See the trouble you’re getting me into, kid?”

“Sorry.” Peter giggled but his voice fell quiet again and Tony somehow picked up on the silent shift.

“Pete?” Tony prompted gently.

“I’m sorry.” Peter said quietly and sniffed.

“Bud.” Tony sighed. ‘Shit, Pete why couldn’t you have done this before I left when I coulda hugged you, huh?’ He walked a little further away from the prying ears again, all the way to the back of the ship. “Do you need me to come back?”

“No, I’m fine I’m just being a baby I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” Peter sniffed again and ran his hand through his hair, trying to calm himself down before he started crying.

“Not a baby, my baby and if you need me I’ll be there.”

“Stop saying that you weirdo, you’re getting soft.” Peter chuckled. That was the second time Tony had used that phrase and it sounded so odd coming from him even if it did make Peter’s chest heat up when he said it. He had a feeling his Dad was counting on that kind of reaction to try and cheer Peter up and it worked.

“There’s nothing wrong with you. It’s okay to get overwhelmed.”

“But I was fine before it’s just, everything’s going wrong.” Peter said before he could catch himself. Crap, Tony had lowered his defences so he’d spill what was really going and he’d been naive enough to take the bait. Damnit.

“Like what, Pete?”

‘Think fast, Peter. If you don’t answer quick enough he won't believe you.’ What else was he worried about that he could tell his dad? Oh yeah. “MJ still hasn’t texted me back and I’ve texted her four times now. I know it’s a dumb thing to get upset over but I don’t know what her deal is, I didn’t even do anything this time.”

Tony sighed, seemingly in relief that it wasn’t something serious but also due to the fact he wasn’t sure how to help Peter without hinting to the fact that she had a crush on him. If he tried to give Peter advice regarding his ‘love life’ it was sure to end in the sensitive teen getting offended and he really didn’t want to add to his bad mood. “You want some honest life advice?”

“What..?”

“Just apologise. Even though you don’t know what you did wrong, trust me, apologise anyway.”

“You mean like you should’ve done with Pepper?” Peters deadpanned.

“Watch it.” Tony growled.

“Sorry- But I did say sorry and she still didn’t answer.”

“Give her some space, Pete. Who knows what’s going on in her head right now.”

Peter was silent for a moment. “I don’t understand girls.”

Tony couldn’t help but smile. “Neither do I bud, neither do I.”

Peter asked a few more questions about the mission they were on (to which he revived no straight forward answers, just as he’d suspected) when he groaned a little as he moved his head to fast, his head and eye pounding painfully with each heart beat that followed.

“You okay?”

“Oh yeah, just got a headache. I got punched in the face-“

“You WHAT?!”

“It was an accident!” Peter said quickly, regretting having mentioned it so casually without expressing that it wasn’t intentional in the first place. “I got distracted and I didn’t block a punch when we were sparring. I shouldn’t have told you I knew you’d freak out I just didn’t want you to come back and see bruises on my and panic or get mad that I didn’t say nothin’.”

“Anything Peter, didn’t say anything. Don’t use double negatives you’re smarter than that.” Tony chided, rubbing his temples with his unoccupied hand stressedly. “I’ve been gone for a couple hours and you manage to get yourself hurt?”

“I’m fine! I’ve just got a bit of a headache now.” Peter grimaced when he looked in the mirror, having not done so until that point. Johnson had been right it was a pretty shade of purple. He could only imagine what it must’ve looked like at the time considering his healing rate; he just hoped any remnants of his mistake would have dissipated by the time his family got back. Peter didn’t fail to hear the others fussing in the background once they heard about Peter’s minor injury but the chatter cheered him up especially once Tony began arguing with them to shut up some he was on the phone.

Peter stayed on call with Tony for as long as he could, only hanging up when he had to get back to his group. His dad managed to bring him back from the edge of a panic attack which he was grateful for, but he couldn’t help but still feel pathetic for having to ring him in the first place, no matter how much Tony told him otherwise. The pair made sure to make their goodbyes quick as possible as not to prolong the upset for either of them. Tony did say before he went though that Peter probably wouldn’t be able to contact him until after eight or so that night, which the teen took on the chin; Tony sweetened the deal by promising he’d tell him all about their mission that night after they’d completed it and he’d recant all the gory details. Peter didn’t want to make a fuss about it after he’d already proved himself to be a child enough that day. At least he’d be able to talk to his Dad before bed and then he’d see him in the morning, so no big deal right?

After he hung up Peter shot one last text to his female best friend and left his room, leaving his phone behind and heading to the bathroom before going to the lecture hall. He was dreading it, he didn’t want to have to sit next to Scott after the man had been avoiding him all day, but he conceded with himself that it would be fine. They weren’t meant to talk among themselves anyway so it would be easy to ignore him back. He made his way through the cafeteria, not stopping to look for Scott like he usually would and he ended up walking straight past him.

“Hey Pete-“ Scott started, but the kid didn’t stop. He marched past, not even offering him a glance. “Peter? Yo, wait up!”

But he didn’t. Peter carries on storming down the hallway, not gracing Scott with a response until the man jogged to get ahead of him, blocking his path. “Kid, what’s up with you?”

“Nothing.” Peter said quietly, moving to barge past the man but he put a hand on his chest to stop him.

“Hey, what’s gotten into you?”

“What’s gotten into you ?!” Peter bit back snappily. “You’re the one who’s been acting weird- not me! I try to talk to you and you brush me off and act like everything’s fine- but when you were gonna tell me Wilson conveniently called us in three minutes early- cause that’s not sketchy at all! And the-then you keep giving these weird looks to him and Miller and those- other two keep looking at you but you kept ignoring me and I got hit in the face cause you’re being weird and-“

“Peter- Peter! Calm down, dude, take a breath.” Scott grabbed Peter by the shoulders and shook him a little, trying to snap him out of his frantic, angry state. “Ouch your eye...I know this morning has been more than a little weird, I get that, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ignore you I just didn’t wanna draw more attention to ourselves.”

Peter crossed his arms over his chest. “What do you mean more attention?”

“Look, I can’t tell you, alright? I want to just so you’ll stop freaking out but I can’t. Just know that it’s being dealt with and you don’t-“

“I don’t have to worry, yeah yeah I get it. I’m just a stupid kid I can’t be trusted. Whatever.” Peter muttered sulkily and once again went to walk about but this time Scott spun him around, more forcefully this time.

“Uh uh. Stop that.” Scott used his stern dad voice again, making Peter squirm uncomfortably. “Quit with the moody teenager shit. It’s not that Pete, I’m just not having you get dragged into all this, it ain’t worth it. There was some stuff going on, some stuff I didn’t tell you. But I had my reasons, I don’t care if you like it or not you are just a kid. I’m not having a kid get into trouble over me.”

“Who said I’d get in trouble?”

“I did. You’d wanna try and fix everything but you can’t-“

“I don't need protecting Scott, if you hadn’t noticed I’m an agent too, just like you. We’re in the same boat here- you didn’t have to protect me from Wilson either-“

“No you’re right, I didn’t. I understand that now after I spoke to him.”

“Fine.” Peter huffed and walked away quicker than Scott could grab him, walking into the lecture hall and slamming himself down in his seat and crossing his arms. The man was being agononisngky cryptic to try and stop Peter from asking questions and it had worked. He became too utterly frustrated to continue the conversation any longer. If Scott wanted to shut him out, fine. Two could play at that game.

Scott followed closely behind. “You’re being really immature, you know that?”

Peter wanted to respond with a well articulated argument, highlighting how Scott had been treating him as a child so he had decided to act as such- but he didn’t waste his energy. He chose to make his point in a way that conveyed his point rather eloquently in his opinion. A much simpler, yet effective way to showcase his grievance with the situation. He stuck his tongue out at him with an accompanying fart noise.

“Oh-Peter come on!” Scott hissed, taking his own seat and staring incredulously at the boy.

“Settle down people!” Wilson barked, causing the room to fall silent as he begun that days lecture. It was more technical, talking about how to file case reports and evidence, the difference between the different types of forms, all the logistic stuff that Peter found quite interesting. It was very informative and as he had yet to be cleared for patrol or any other kind of official work, it was all new to him. He knew very little about the diplomatic side of their work and he was a little surprised to see how intricate some of the written work was. He highly doubted that Thor would have the patience to sit down and do write ups every time he went on call, but then again it occurred to Peter than there may be some exceptions to the rules. Plenty exceptions had been made for him after all. The only time he’d had a glimpse into that side of things was when he’d had to report to Fury after...well he didn’t want to think about that in that moment. Or ever really.

He’d sat in on briefings here and there and he’s seen the mountains of paperwork his team had to fill out every time they went somewhere on official business. Well Steve has to fill out, it was usually the blond tasked with filing everything since the other members of the Avengers seemed to palm all of the boring stuff on to him. He never complained but still, maybe now Peter could help him if he could only focus on the lecture; which was very difficult when Scott kept trying to communicate with him, in a similar way to Peter had during their PT. Much like their sparring lesson though, Peter ignored him in the same way and Dr. Pym’s proverbial protege didn’t like how the tables had turned on him.

“Peter stop being a brat and just look at me.”

“Kid I said I was sorry for not telling you I just- it’s complicated okay-“

The more Peter elected to ignore him the more persistent Scott got.

“I know you don’t need protecting, you’re a strong independent black woman and you don’t need no man I get it - can you just drop the attitude for five minutes and let me explain?!”

That last attempt got to Peter and he couldn’t resist retorting. “I’ve given you ample opportunity to explain what’s been going on, Scott and you made the executive decision not to tell me. So fine. Don’t tell me. I don’t care anymore and I’m done trying to convince you. But if you’re so buddy-buddy with Wilson now why don’t you spend your breaks with him from now on?”

“You are not being serious right now.” But Peter didn’t respond, going back to pretending he was deeply enthralled in Wilson’s lecture. “You are such a teenager, oh my god.”

The rest of the session went that way, Scott trying and failing to apologise to the teen and Peter getting more and more bitter each time he opened his mouth. As much as he wanted to give in Peter was too tired and cranky to back down, even though he wanted to. He didn’t want to argue with his only friend when every other member of his support system was miles away but he couldn’t stop now. He was proving a point. Though he wasn’t exactly sure what that point was…

That didn’t stop him from leaving the classroom as quickly as possible, running through to the dining area (much to the people whose paths he crossed displeasure, he half expected a teacher to appear saying “no running in the hallways!”) to his usual table before Scott had the chance to catch up with him, knowing full well that Scott wouldn’t be allowed to approach his table given the company he kept. He sat with his back towards Scott’s end of the room, grabbing a tray of whatever mush was on offer that evening and shovelling it into his mouth at an alarming rate in an attempt to leave the same room as him as quickly as possible. Shuri waved to him, giving him a quizzical look, possibly asking him where his family was or why he was eating like a starved wild animal but Peter simply waved back and resumed tearing into his food. He ended up almost making himself sick but he knew he had to eat. Peter knew Steve well enough to believe the threat of Bucky dragging him forcefully back to the canteen if he didn’t and he saw said Winter Soldier’s head pop around the door at his end of the hall.

Bucky made eye contact with him almost immediately and Peter couldn’t help but notice how flustered he looked. He’d only ever seen the man look serious and stoic, very refined and introverted at all times, barely cracking a smile other than when he was talking directly to Peter; but this time the man looked particularly disheveled, lines previously unnoticed in his face becoming very apparent, aging him at least ten years. His dark rimmed eyes were darting back and forth around the room and Peter recognised the pattern instantly; he was looking for exits, threats, every little noise was changing the direction of his gaze. And there were a lot of noises, Peter’s sensitive ears could attest to that. He was clearly uncomfortable and Peter wanted him to leave before he either ended up hurting someone else or had some kind of panic attack. Bucky looked at him and mouthed ‘you okay, kid?’

Peter nodded vigorously, mouthing back ‘I’m fine’ then made a hand motion that said ‘go, go.’ Bucky looked Peter up and down a few times, eyes bouncing between his face and his tray. Once he was satisfied that Peter was following instructions and didn’t seem to be in any immediate danger he nodded and slipped back out of view. The teen sighed in relief, both because he wanted to avoid Bucky getting stressed out but also because he didn’t want to have anything else to worry about that day.

He was starting to regret not letting Scott say his piece earlier, he should have given him one more chance. It wasn’t like the man was doing anything deliberately to upset him, in fact it was quite the opposite. He’d been trying to shelter him from something, what that something was Peter had no clue but he should have appreciated it all the same. It obviously was something not very nice and Scott had mentioned not getting him into trouble...Peter didn’t know many details about Scott’s early life but the man had mentioned he’d been in a lot of trouble himself- warning Peter to not google his name which the teen had promised not to, even though he promised Scott that he wouldn’t view him any differently. With that exchange in his mind Peter felt like a bit of a dick for shutting the man down all afternoon.

After he’d finished eating he looked back to see if Scott was still there but he wasn’t, much to Peter’s disappointment. He vowed that he’d make it up to the man in the morning as there wasn’t much else he could do that night. Not without going all the way back to the blue zone and he didn’t particularly want to risk facing Wilson or any of the other assholes he’d grown to know and hate with the mood he was in. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to contain himself.

So he slunk back to his room, trying his best to take his mind off of everything. He had planned on trying to call MJ but once he checked his phone he realised she still had no interest in speaking to him. Left on read, again. With a sigh he saw that while he hadn’t received a text from someone he wanted to hear from, he received a text he really didn’t want to see instead.

Mr. Stark: Hey kiddo. Something came up. You probably won’t be able to reach me tonight. If there’s an emergency contact Fury. I’ll see you in the morning.

Great. Just great. As if it didn’t sting enough that Tony had to be deliberately unaffectionate due to the fact that someone could stumble across their text conversations, but it also meant he wouldn’t be able to call his dad like he thought he’d be able to before bed. He’d been holding out hope that he’d hear his voice before he went to sleep and it was one of the only things stopping him from breaking down again. God, he had to get ahold of himself, what was with him? Since he’d been there his anxiety had been through the roof, worse than it had been in ages. The entire day he’d felt like he was biting back a panic attack and that’s when he realised something. He’d forgetting his anxiety meds at home. Ah. Well, that would explain some of it. He’d been off of it for about a week and a half now, so all remnants of the meds would have been dumped out of his system by then thanks to his metabolism. If Tony found out he would kill him.

So he was off of his meds, in an uncomfortable place away from his family, who had left him to go on some likely highly dangerous mission and he had no way to contact them; he’d also been punched in the face, had an argument with the only friend he’d made who was acting sketchy as all hell, as well as being in a stalemate with one of his only friends back home and that was all in one day. With all that anyone would be upset and Peter allowed himself to feel that way, for once cutting himself some slack. He did have one thing he could do though. He called one of the only people he could.

“Hey P!” The familiar smiley face popped up after the first Skype ring.

“Hi Ned.” Peter smiled softly but Ned saw through him in a heartbeat.

“Uh oh. That wasn’t a happy Peter hi. What’s up?”

Peter knew better than to lie to Ned and best friend made him feel better immediately, as did the conversation that followed. Ned had an amazing talent for listening- which sounded absurd but anyone who was in crisis who went to the boy to offload would agree that Ned was an incredible listener. Obviously Peter couldn’t give certain details due to the calls being monitored but his friend got the gist of what he was going through, enough to give some advice and offer support. For Peter, just knowing that he’d been able to tell convey all the thoughts running through his head was a weight off of his mind. A burden shared is a burden halved and Peter really did start to feel better. Ned stayed on call with him for as long as he could, they did some school work for a while, watched a couple of movies, discussed upcoming Lego projects, anything to take Peter’s mind off of everything.

Peter did have something that was plaguing his mind in particular though, something Ned might have some insight into. “Did you talk to MJ today?”

He half expected Ned to say the girl hadn’t been at school or seemed upset or something but the other teen gave him an odd look. “Yeah? She’s like, my only other friend dude.”

“Was she okay?”

“Well, she made fun of my mismatched socks and called Mrs. Clark a discount Wal-Mart Barbie to her face so yeah, no different to usual.” Peter huffed a half hearted laugh through his nose, trying to seem nonchalant but Ned, of course, picked up on it instantly. “Why d’you ask?”

“I don’t know man.” Peter rubbed the back of his neck and cast his eyes down and away from his screen. He didn’t want to say that she had been blatantly ignoring him, as he knew Ned would likely message the girl trying to fix the problem but ultimately make it worse. As much as he appreciated his friends protective nature and his need to try and fix all of Peter’s problems, he didn’t want Ned to go in all guns blazing and mess things up between them even more. He knew if he asked Ned not to he could trust his friend not to say anything but he also knew that he kept his heart on his sleeve. Even if he didn’t say anything directly Ned would likely act odd with the girl the next day if he knew she’d upset Peter and MJ would pick up on that immediately; it wouldn’t take a genius to connect the dots and realise that Peter had talked about her behind her back.

Ned sensed his hesitation. “I won’t say anything, P. Did something happen?”

“Nah, I was just gonna ask if she got back our assignment yet. I thought Mr. Hall was meant to give them back today.”

Ned knew he was lying, but after only just having cheered Peter up after the crappy day he was having he didn’t feel like drawing attention to it. He silently conceded to ask MJ what was up the next day at school. The duo stayed on call until eleven thirty, when Ned’s mom came in yelling at the teen to go to bed.

“EDWARD IF I HAVE TO TELL YOU ONE MORE- oh hi Peter, honey!”

“Hi Donna.” Peter chuckled. Suddenly the woman bore a strong resemblance to Molly Weasley from Harry Potter and Peter drew more comparisons as he watched Ned get smacked upside the head. Ned had a bunch of siblings, his parents practically adopted Peter and the couple consisted of a loud, sometimes overbearing but loving mother and an equally loving but scatterbrained dad; Peter even lived with his aunt, although she was such the anthesis version of Petunia it wasn't even funny. Hey...that makes him Harry! Sweet! And he could picture MJ as Hermionie, she was pretty smart- god he was such a dork. Why was he like this?

After he finished nerding out and said his goodnights to Ned and his mom, Peter decided to take himself to bed also. It was late and as much as he didn’t want to sleep he was tired after such an emotional day; that and he didn’t want to risk a repeat of the week before when he’d slept in, that was the last thing he needed. He begrudgingly went through his nightly routine, getting settled in his bunk and deliberately facing the wall instead of the rest of the room. That way he wouldn’t have to acknowledge the fact that he was utterly alone in said room. It was weird, after spending over a week sharing a room with Tony he’d become accustomed to all the little sounds that came along with that; him shuffling around the room, the man muttering to himself or sighing when he was answering emails, the snoring (though Tony was adamant that he didn’t). But the room was silent other than the occasional sounds of fabric rubbing together when Peter shifted uncomfortably in bed. He just couldn’t relax not in such a quiet room, so he did something he was pretty ashamed of and he would never admit to anyone. It was something a boy his age probably shouldn’t need to do but in that moment he didn’t care, he just wanted to sleep to make the time go by faster.

He pulled out his laptop and went onto YouTube, finding an old video of Tony giving a seminar on the various uses for Badassium. Peter had seen all of Tony’s lectures and interviews countless times before but that was one of his favourites. He let the video play, the sound of Tony’s voice managing to calm his nerves enough just so he could fall into a fitful sleep, lulling him like some sort of weird, arrogant lullaby. As ashamed as he felt at  least he wouldn’t have to be alone for much longer, or so he thought.

He woke up as usual, bright and early and desperate to pee. After running to the bathroom half asleep, he woke himself up by brushing his teeth; Tony would be back by then! He’d promised! But he hadn’t woken up in the night, he was a pretty light sleeper so it was unlikely Tony had managed to slip in without him noticing. With that thought in mind Peter rushed back to him room, where his suspicions had been confirmed. Tony’s bed was still made, his side of the room completely untouched since he had left the day before and there were no signs of the man having been there since. Peter sighed dejectedly, he should have known something else would go wrong. Of course Tony wouldn’t be back like he said he would. Of course he was going to have to face more time alone the one time he didn’t want space. His dad was always free and suffocating when he wanted to be left alone but now that he missed him and needed him he was busy. Ugh.

No, Peter knew better than to blame his dad, he was just upset. It wasn’t Tony’s fault, work was important and Peter didn’t expect him to drop everything and come and coddle a fifteen year old who was being clingy- even though he knew Tony would in a heartbeat if he asked him to. That knowledge made him feel slightly better but not by much. He grabbed his phone to see what Tony had to say about his absence, but to Peter’s dismay he had no texts. No missed calls. Only the last text Tony had sent him the day before. Alarm bells starting ringing in his head. That was not a good sign.

There was no way Tony would have gone that long without contacting him. Both because the man himself had terrible separation anxiety but he knew what Peter was like. He knew better than to tell Peter he’d be back by a certain time and then not show up without at least warning him, especially given their phone call the day before when Peter admitted to being upset about being left behind. Something had to be wrong.

Peter tried to calm himself, he really did. He told himself that something minor probably happened, a hiccup in their plans, nothing they couldn’t handle. There was nothing they couldn’t handle his family were the best superheroes in the world, they could take care of themselves. There might’ve been a problem where Tony couldn’t use his phone or whatever...but then again, even the worlds best superheroes had been known to make mistakes. And get themselves into trouble…

Peter quickly got dressed and made his way out of his room, but he didn’t head out to the track. He made his way to Steve and Bucky’s quarters. As much as he didn’t want to bother the latter, he felt justified that these were extenuating circumstances. Maybe someone had managed to contact him before- well before whatever happened to where Tony couldn’t call his own damn adopted child with extreme anxiety issues, to let said child know he was okay!

Peter hesitated for a moment. It was still very early, maybe he was overreacting...but then again Tony had said he’d be back before he woke up and the man knew how early his days started; and with no texts to imply he’d be late...either way it was before six o’clock in the morning and Peter didn’t want to wake Bucky up, not when he knew the soldier barely slept as it was. However as he was debating whether or not to knock he heard movement on the other side of the door. He didn’t even need to knock Bucky had sensed his presence the same way Peter had.

The dark haired man looked considerably less stressed than he had the night before, which Peter assumed was a good sign. If he wasn’t frantic about the Avengers going AWOL maybe he didn’t need to worry so much. “Hey kid.”

“Uh h-hi Mr. Barnes, sorry to bother you I uhm- I-I- uhm…” Peter tried to continue but the words were getting stuck in his throat. Bucky allowed him a minute or so to try and work through his stuttering, giving him ample time to catch up with himself before he interjected, which Peter greatly appreciated; so often people would get bored or frustrated waiting for him to speak so they’d either finish his sentence for him or walk away, or in some of the worst cases make fun of him or yell abuse. Even Tony had made the mistake of doing some of those things on occasion, so Bucky being patient with him meant a lot.

“You’re not a bother Peter and it’s Bucky, remember?” The man gave him a small smile. “Worried about the team?”

Peter nodded anxiously.

“I haven’t heard anything either, kid. But I ain’t worried. It’s not a very intense mission. It’s more likely they got lost than anything bad happened to ‘em.” Bucky said simply, knowing full well if he let on too much information Peter would only worry more. “If they call while you’re in training I’ll come and find ya, sound good?”

Peter nodded quickly again and scurried off after muttering his thanks. Though he was keeping up his mantra, repeating words of logic in his mind, his anxiety was working just as hard to keep him scared out of his wits; no matter how much he tried pictures of the worst scenarios possible kept appearing in his head, playing like a horror movie. He was definitely more than a little relieved to see Scott out on the track that morning and even more relieved that the man met him halfway, approaching each other with equal enthusiasm.

“I’m sorry!” They both said in unison then gave each other quizzical looks. “Why are you so- sorry you go firs- Quit it!”

Peter Shut his mouth and gestured for Scott to go first but the man shook his head initially. But Peter crosses his arms and for a moment the pair were in a Mexican standoff until Scott broke. “God! Okay- I hate awkward silence! I’m sorry about yesterday, kid.”

“Why are you sorry? I’m the one who was being a brat.”

“No it’s my fault. If I had just been upfront with you from the beginning, you wouldn’t have ended up getting upset like that and I understand-“

“You’re not obliged to tell me anything, though. I was just in a bad mood and I took it out on you. And I appreciate you trying to protect me this entire time and- and I promise I’ll stop asking about stuff you don’t want me to know about. I’m sorry for being pushy and being a brat...”

Scott paused for a second. He looked like he had more to say but thought better against it. “Can this stop being awkward now?”

“Please.” Peter sighed.

Now that he and Scott had patched things up Peter had resigned to himself to stop asking questions. Yes, he was still very wary of the entire situation, noted each and every weird look his friend exchanged with their colonel as well as those shared between three men who were known to be giving Scott a hard time, but he didn’t press the issue. He wanted to avoid having another rift between them, especially after the man had spent all morning consoling him about his missing teammates. He was still desperate to ask what was going on but it wasn’t worth it and he knew that, fighting his curious nature that had gotten him into this mess in the first place. Peter’s head was all in a mess as it was there was no point him shooting himself in the foot by losing Scott’s company too. Besides, they only had a matter of days left surely Scott could survive that long without getting himself into trouble, especially now that he and Wilson seemed to be on decent terms.

He was wrong. The moment of peace wouldn’t even last until lunch time.

They went on first break at the usual time, Scott trying to convince Peter not to go into the administration building to call Nick Fury.

“But Bucky said he’d come and find me if he heard anything a-and he hasn’t!”

Scott grabbed Peter by the shoulders and started steering him towards their designated break areas and away from the gate that separated them from the main building. “Well maybe Bucky’s caught up with something at the moment or they’re already back and he’s busy chatting with them-“

“Can’t I just go and che-“

“Nope.” Scott popped the P and continued pushing Peter to their usual spot in the yard. “Come on, kid, quit torturing yourself. I’m sure you’ll see them at lunch.”

“But what if-“

“Nope.”

“But I-“

“Nnnope! Come on hotshot!”

Somehow Scott managed to prevent Peter from running off to find the prosthetic limbed soldier, throughout their break but Peter got increasingly agitated the entire time. It was obvious how anxious he was becoming and to be honest Scott couldn’t blame him. Peter was a little... dependent on the adults for a boy his age. Not that there was anything wrong with that, Scott hoped that Cassie would be as close to him when she became a teenager but that was the problem. Peter wasn’t attached to his mentor in a professional way, it was obvious the boy viewed the man as a father figure which Scott found rather cute. So he was more than understanding as to why Peter was close to having a small mental break down all morning. Even if your dad was Iron Man you’d still be within your rights to get worried if you hadn’t heard from them in over twelve hours when they had explicitly stated they’d be back by a certain time. It made him think about his own daughter. He had promised her they’d go out for ice cream that night before he’d been taken into S.H.I.E.L.D custody. He could only imagine how his little girl felt not knowing where her daddy was or when he’d be back or even why he’d left...the thought alone made him feel sick, so his heart really went out to his younger counterpart.

And Scott was desperate to keep the boys spirits up and his mind off of things, even if that meant engaging in annoying the teen. “Come on, sidekick-“

“Sidekick? I ain’t no sidekick!”

“Uhhhh- Ant-Man and Spider-Man? It’s so derivative! You’re one hundred percent my sidekick!”

“I was bitten by a spider , I have spider powers! And I had my name picked out before I even knew you existed!” Peter huffed. “Anyway that logic you should be my sidekick! I’m higher up in the food chain!”

“Pfffft- you should see the size of my daughter’s pet ant, we’ll see who’s higher up in the food chain then.” Scott snorted before he took in Peter’s tilted head and the confused look plastered on his face. “Anyway- you’re so itty bitty! You’re sidekick sized!”

“You literally turn into a frickin’ microbe- I don’t wanna hear it! Size don’t matter!”

Scott opened his mouth to make a comment but deemed it too inappropriate in front of the innocent fifteen year old and closed his mouth again. As he was catching himself, Peter went to sneak off again taking the opportunity to slip away whilst he was distracted. “Hey-“

“I’m just going to the bathroom!” Peter held his hands up defensively. “Am I allowed to do that Colonel Wilson, Sir-“

“Hey!” Scott said sternly. “You said you’d drop it-“

“I did! I am I just- can I-“

“Yes, go, god you don’t have to ask for permission. But if I see you take a detour to that building I will tackle you.” Scott waved his hand gesturing for Peter to go. Peter cackled at the threat.

“I’d like to see you try and catch me old man!” He called back as he scampered off into the blue zone bunks. He wasn’t planning on heading back to find Bucky, he didn’t need to. He’d slipped his phone into his pocket when he left his room that morning. Of course he actually did need to use the bathroom by that point, which he did quickly but his main focus was checking his mobile for any calls or texts. He knew before he looked that he’d received nothing but it didn’t help the disappointment that fell on him any less soul crushing. ‘God, guys, where are you?’

Peter hung round in the bathroom for longer than needed. Much longer. He was gnawing his fingernails, till they almost bled and pacing around the cubical, ruminating about all the awful, horrific things that could be happening to his family right now. Just as he was beginning to work himself up into a full panic attack someone else came into the bathroom, pushing back the door full force so it slammed into the cement wall which made the teen nearly jump out of his skin. And drop his phone. Which fell in the toilet.

Great.

“Ugh! Gross!” He tried his best not to gag as he fished out his phone from the murky water but he couldn’t help but feel nauseated. Not only because of the bacteria now covering his left hand (which he scrubbed violently until the skin turned raw) but he’d now lost his only possible point of contact, not only with Tony but with Ned too- who, with the day he was having, he was likely going to need to call at some point to help ground him. Now he couldn’t even do that- fuck! The screen fizzed, flickered and turned white before it turned off completely, though he wasn’t surprised. It didn’t take someone with an apprenticeship under possibly the smartest man in the world to figure out that his phone was utterly busted. Oh good, as if he didn’t have enough things to worry about now the tears were coming. And he couldn’t stop them. Fantastic.

It was getting close to the end of break and Peter knew he had to pull himself together and go back outside. He couldn’t hide out in the bathroom all day or skip class again, it was bound to raise suspicion. He’d already spent way too long in there and Scott was waiting on him.

Wait, come to think of it, where was Scott? Peter realised with a start that the man should have been in to check on him long before then. Though it occurred to him, maybe the man had decided to give him a bit of privacy given the emotional state he was in but that didn’t seem like Scott. He was less than tactile at the best of times and he doubted the man trusted him enough not to sneak off and find Bucky like he’d been trying to do all morning. If he had wanted to Peter could have climbed out of the window of the c-wing dorm, which faced away from Scott’s current field of vision, so it would have been easy for him to run away if he’d wanted to. He knew Scott knew that too with his background in burglary, the man most definitely would have been aware of all possible exits. So, where was he?

Peter left the bathroom quickly after that, shoving his fried phone in his pocket and headed back out to where he’d left Scott. But the man wasn’t there. What the hell? Okay, now Peter was really starting to develop abandonment issues. He looked around the barren, concrete yard, his eyes scanning the perimeter of the ten foot tall wire fence and past them, onto the track and obstacle courses. Nothing. No sign of the man anywhere. The panic Peter was already experiencing in his chest about his housemates doubled as he desperately looked around. Maybe Scott had headed back into the main building without him, but that would be weird since they weren’t meant to go anywhere during training hours unescorted and the fact that Scott would not have left Peter unattended- he’d barely been allowed to go to the bathroom on his own.

Peter headed back inside the building to look around, again being greeted with nothing. No substantial evidence that Scott had even been through there. He checked the dorms and the bathrooms and the various offices and storage closets; he was running out of places and he was running out of time. The alarm that marked the end of break sounded but Peter didn’t head out immediately, he wasn’t going back to class without Scott, no way no how. It wasn’t until he went back outside and made a pass round the back of the building that he heard something.

“You fucking proud of what you did Lang, huh? You think that was a smart thing to do?” A deep voice growled and then there was the sound of two objects colliding that was sickeningly familiar, accompanied with grunts and groans. Someone was getting punched. “God I knew you were an idiot but I didn’t think you’d be so stupid to think you’d get away with that shit you pulled. We warned you didn’t we?”

Peter turned the corner and he found his ears had been right. Miller and Thomas had Scott pinned against a brick wall and Jacobs was punching the man in the gut, repeatedly. Where Scott’s shirt had been lifted slightly Peter could see old and fresh bruises scattered across the man’s torso, indicating that this wasn’t the first backyard beatdown the man had revived. He blinked a few times to take in the scene and make sure that it was really happening, not some kind of anxiety induced hallucination. But it wasn’t. It was real. And Peter saw red. Literally.

Quicker than he had time to think about what he was doing, his body snapped into action. He sprang forward, taking a standing leap of at least fifteen feet, the length of a car, and jumped onto Millers back. He simultaneously kicked the other two men in the face and swung himself around to face the largest man. Peter already knew Miller was out matched when it came to fighting from all of the training experience they had together, so he knew exactly where the man’s weak spots and shortcomings were and he made good use of them.

There was shouting, a lot of shouting, but Peter didn’t really take any of it in even though some of it was coming out of his mouth. It was like his brain had switched off completely, his head clear of all complex thought and reason, just emotion remained. One emotion in particular; Rage. Pure, unbridled rage and for once it felt good . Scarily good. He wasn’t thinking anymore, he didn’t have to listen to all the horrible things his brain had to tell him, all of the worries and anxieties were gone there was just anger. That anger fuelled his body and he was finally able to put some of his training into practise with almost worthy opponents. The bullies didn’t stand a chance against the boy whilst he was in that state but dear god, did they deserve it. Peter bounced between the three men, repeatedly kicking and punching them; hitting them and hitting them, over and over, not stopping. He didn’t want to stop. The release felt good, all of his pent up emotions were finally allowed to come out. All the fear and anxiety he’d felt in the last twenty-four hours was bubbling up and pouring out of him, running like electricity out of his chest and down his spine, into his limbs causing them to jerk and punch and kick- colliding with any body part they could reach.  He’d lost control of himself and he knew it but he didn’t stop. He...he couldn’t stop. Not now. He’d already gone too far, his body had taken over- it was like he was having an out of body experience. It frightened him, he was trying to stop himself but everytime he pulled away his fists just pulled back, harder, forcing themselves back into Miller's face repeatedly. He was scared. He wanted it to be over now. It wasn’t really happening surely. He was still in the bathroom having a panic attack, this was all some kind of fever dream. But it wasn’t a dream it was a waking nightmare and he couldn’t wake up. He couldn’t snap out of it. He’d never felt so- so-

“PETER STOP!” Scott bellowed finally snapping Peter out of his daze as he ripped the boy off of the unconscious man’s chest.

He hadn’t noticed but he was bawling. Sobbing uncontrollably as he’d repeatedly pummelled the three men with abandon. Scott grabbed him from behind pulling them both to the ground, wrapping his arms around Peter and he gently started rocking him. He was whispering frantically clearly freaking out just as much as Peter was. “It’s okay, it’s okay, it was an accident, you’re okay. Fuck- it- it’s alright, it’s alright.”

It was clear that he’d hurt them, badly, but not enough to cause any real significant damage. Well, no lasting damage, but concussions and broken bones for sure. There were a few teeth scattered around and the teen wasn’t sure which belonged to who. Considering how out of control he’d felt it was amazing how his body had known not to inflict fatal harm on the men despite the boy’s fury. The training that had been drilled into his head about necessary force had seemed to work, he’d only gone as far as to incapacitate the men, not kill them like he had initially wanted to. They'd been hurting Scott that made them bad right? But he’d hurt them back...he’d hurt people. Heroes weren’t meant to hurt people.

“I-I-I didn’t..I didn’t mean to.” Peter said though he didn’t even tell his mouth to move. He was switching off, going into autopilot.

“I know kid, I know you didn’t. It’s gonna be okay, just, just calm down. Everything’s gonna be okay.” Scott said gently and the pair heard footsteps running up behind them.

“Ah shit.” It was Wilson. Of course it was Wilson. But the man sounded oddly calm, more exasperated then shocked or upset. “Christ Parker, what have you done?”

Oh god, what had he done?

Chapter Text

“God I hope he’s okay. He’s going to be going out of his mind by the time we get back.” Tony said agitatedly. He was tapping his foot against the floor, annoying those around him, whilst staring off dispondantly at nothing at all. He meant his head against his hand, using his elbow and his arm rest to support himself.

“He’ll be fine, Tony. He’s tougher than you give him credit for.” Steve tried to soothe but even he didn’t sound very convinced by his own words.

“You didn’t hear him yesterday. He was so upset and I promised him I’d call him last night and that I’d be there this morning and now I can’t even tell him why we’re late!” Tony snapped, gradually building himself up into a panic attack of his own. Christ, where had the mission gone so wrong? It was meant to be easy, in and out. They’d greatly underestimated the complexity of the task at hand and didn’t do appropriate risk assessments beforehand. Tony blamed it on having to spend two weeks in that god awful facility, all the dumb shit he had to do had made his brain melt causing them all to make stupid, rookie mistakes that were beneath them. He just wanted to get back to his son.

They were all exhausted, grimy and in differing levels of both emotional and physical distress. Clint had gotten bruised up pretty badly so they’d had to leave him behind to get medical treatment. At first they’d though the man had broken his spine but it turned out to be only a few fractured vertebrae and a slipped disc; easily fixable given the tech and funds Tony had readily available, but excruciatingly painful all the same and he was most certainly not cleared for travel. Nat had insisted on staying behind with him so Bruce was on edge. The doctor himself had been forced to go green unexpectedly so he was in searing amounts of physical pain and emotional discomfort and was silently trying to hold himself together without his lover there to console him; hauled up under a blanket at the far corner of the control room, eating vast amounts of candy to try and self soothe. He was reserved as always, not allowing anyone to help him, or even touch him- he hadn’t spoken a word since he’d woken up, only answering questions by nodding or shaking his head. To add to the oodles of fun they were having with their two injured teammates- Thor and Steve had a blazing argument over some tactical errors that had caused the sudden break down of their mission, which lead to them having to cut comms and go dead for the remainder of the day. The two blamed each other when really Tony surmised that it had been both of their faults as they’d failed to communicate properly. However, that comment had only escalated the argument and now they were in a stalemate. The air in the quinjet was tense enough and to add to all that they were all worried about Peter, but no one more than Tony.

“He’ll be alright, Tony.” Thor tried to comfort by clapping a large hand on the man’s shoulder. “He has his friend in there as well as James, he’s in safe hands my friend.”

Tony nodded but Thor’s little pep talk didn’t exactly help at all if anything it made him more irritated. He wanted to snap the gods arm for invading his personal space but he knew that was just the old Tony talking, reverting back into his old, cold manner to try and protect himself from any more emotional upset. He’d changed in more ways than one since Peter had come around, changed for the better but whenever Tony was in work mode or upset about something, especially when he was away from Peter for an extended period of time, he turned back into Tony Stark the character. The front. It was a weird coping mechanism but he supposed it was least less destructive than his alcoholism and his long time friends definitely agreed. He not only missed Peter for the boys sake but his own as well; he just couldn’t seem to relax when the kid wasn’t around, the young man had such a calming influence on him even though Peter himself was always hyper. Knowing that happy hyper kid was probably sitting alone worrying about him made Tony feel sick and he just wanted to get back as soon as possible. Had the Iron Man suit not taken significant damage he would have flown himself back to the compound, it would have been much quicker. In the meantime he was stuck in a ship full of grumpy assholes who were trying their best to comfort him but were ultimately making him feel worse.

But Tony knew it wasn’t their fault. Besides, being short and snappy with his friends who were also concerned wouldn’t help him get back to his son any quicker. God he hoped he was okay. Yes, the boy was fifteen and perfectly capable of taking care of himself physically for a day and a half but it was his emotional state he was concerned with, especially given the teary phone call and broken promises. He hated feeling so helpless.

The second the ship touched the ground Tony was off of it, leaving Steve and Thor to help a weak and sore Bruce off of the jet. He rushed inside the administration building to sign back in but he stopped in his tracks the second he saw Nick Fury standing there. Their debrief from their almost failed mission wasn’t meant to be held until that afternoon so why was Nick already there? And why was Pepper giving him that look?

“What’s happened?” His heart was beating double time and his mouth went dry as his fatherly instincts kicked. Pepper looked upset, very upset, almost scared. He’d seen that look before more than once and Tony’s mind immediately started jumping to conclusions about what could possibly be happening. It had to be something to do with Peter.

Pepper opened her mouth to speak but Nick cut her off. “There’s been an incident.”

That’s not something any father wants to hear. “Oh my god- what? Where is he- is he okay- is he hurt?!”

Nick held his hands together in front of himself and sighed through his nose, almost like a laugh. “He ain’t hurt.”

‘Dear god, someone please tell me he didn’t have a panic attack or peed his pants or something.’ Tony groaned internally but ultimately he breathed a deep sigh of relief knowing Peter hadn’t managed to injure himself for the second time since he’d left him. “Then what kind of incident?”

“Miss Potts if you could escort Captain Rodgers to the interview room and fill him in whilst I take Mr. Stark to the hospital wing-“

“You just said he isn’t hurt!”

“Oh, he isn’t.” Nick said quietly. Pepper nodded curtly in response to the tall man’s request and gave Tony a sympathetic look. The two had spoken privately since the incident on their arrival at the compound and well...Tony was glad he wasn’t on her bad side at the time. One night whilst Peter was busy pretending to be asleep, Tony had gone to the woman’s quarters and to her spoken in great detail about everything that had happened in recent months; Pepper knew how Tony’s relationship with Peter had developed into something far more than professional.

“Fury I really think you should let Tony see him first-“ Pepper tried to reason, her blue eyes darting in between the two men.

“He’ll see him after I’ve gotten a chance to explain the situation.” Nick said finally, firmly but he kept the smile on his face. It seemed Pepper had already had this conversation and Fury was growing tired with reasoning with her.

“Let me see my son Nick.” Tony growled. He didn’t care what had happened he needed to see him and confirm that he was alright with his own eyes. It was nearing lunchtime, so much could have happened in the twenty four hours that he hadn’t seen his boy and he wasn’t about to let pirate Pete stop him from doing so. All the possible scenarios running through his head were making him feel physically ill.

“Tony for the kids sake I think it’s better if we have a little talk first. The last thing he needs is you screaming at him.” Fury barked, clearly losing his patience. “The longer you stand here and argue with me the longer this shit is gonna take. Now come on, Pepper and Steve will take good care of him.”

Peter had been sitting in a room on his own for two and a half hours. After he’d lost control and attacked those three other recruits he’d been shoved into an office with no windows by two scary soldiers, being told not to leave under any circumstances and he’d complied. He vaguely remembered a group having swarmed around the scene of the incident after Wilson had found Scott struggling to pull Peter back, recruits in different coloured uniforms gawking at him as the colonel helped pick the two up and dragged them through the crowd. It was a blurry memory and it felt like days ago for the teen having been segregated with nothing but his own thoughts for hours. In that time he’d had more than a few major panic attacks, thrown up in a trashcan twice and convinced himself that his life was over. He’d just assaulted three people, badly, for no reason. Well that wasn’t entirely true- they had been beating Scott up, but still he knew he should have handled it differently. He should have ran for help, or confronted them verbally or reported them. He should have told someone, he should have told Tony. Why didn’t he just tell Tony? He had the perfect opportunity to the night before but he didn’t. He should have made Scott tell him what was going on sooner and he should have told Tony what Wilson was doing sooner maybe then none of this would have happened but it was too late. The damage was done. He’d be kicked out of S.H.I.E.L.D, possibly sent to federal prison, if not he’d still never be able to become an agent. And he deserved it. He’d broken not only his own moral code but undoubtedly countless laws and rules in what he did; if he couldn’t keep his emotions in check during training he’d never have the emotional stamina to be a hero of any kind let alone a fucking Avenger. It was the same feeling he’d had that day he’d broken Flash’s nose only much, much worse. This time he hadn’t done the bare minimum to get someone away from him, or in this case Scott, he’d hurt them deliberately. It wasn’t like last time either; yeah he’d lost his cool that night at the party but he still controlled himself, like Tony had said- he hadn’t just kept hitting him, he stopped. But this time he didn’t, he just kept wailing on Miller specifically, until someone pulled him back, his dad was going to be so disappointed. Not just disappointed- Tony was going to kill him.

If Tony was even alive himself. Fuck. He still didn’t know if his team was okay or if anyone had heard from them. He didn’t know anything, he didn’t even know if Scott was alright, the man had been whisked away to medical too. Why had he been so fucking stupid?!

It was an endless loop of self hatred and anger and fear. A loop that was only broken when the locked door to the room Peter was in finally opened and he was met by a familiar though unexpected face. “Hi sweetie.”

“H-hi Miss. Potts.”

She smiled at him sadly, obviously taking in the emotional wreck of a teenager that was sitting in front of her. Why did everytime Peter met up with the woman he had to be in some kind of crisis? It would have been nice to meet his Dad’s ex-fiancé under better circumstances, not when he was desperate to pee or crying in a room that stank of puke and shame. As soon as she saw the state of the trashcan and Peter’s tearstained face she rushed forward. “Oh dear, sweetheart are you alright?”

Peter nodded and grimaced when he looked over at the remnants of his last meal. The woman didn’t look convinced, her lips pressing into a thin line, but it was obvious that she didn’t want to push him on the subject given his current condition.

“I’ve been sent to fetch you. You okay to stand up there?” She asked gently, stepping forward in case Peter passed out which he looked like he was going to.

The teen nodded his head in response to her question, not trusting himself to open his mouth. He stood up and walked shakily to the door that Pepper was propping open for him to walk through. As soon as the door was shut behind them, still smiling kindly. “How’re you doing hon?”

“G-good ma’am, you?” Peter mumbled quietly, answering robotically. It was hard to focus when he could hear his own heartbeat.

“Not bad. Now don’t worry, I’m just taking you to see someone who wants to ask you a few questions.”

“A-about what?” His asked automatically, the unpiloted response falling out of his mouth before he had a chance to realise what he was saying. Of course he knew what he was being questioned for.

She gave him a sympathetic look. It was obvious from her body language that she wanted to hug him to make him feel better, but given the circumstances and the fact that she didn’t know him very well yet (despite what Tony had told her about him, which was a lot), she knew it was unprofessional. She also didn’t know how well Peter would react to physical affection in that moment. “I think you know what, sweetie. It’s okay, you’re not in any trouble.”

“Tony’s mad isn’t he…” Peter said under his breath, mostly just thinking out loud he hadn’t expected a response.

“Just a little bit.” She gave him another sympathetic look and it was obvious she understood the dread Peter was feeling due to Tony’s explosive temper- something she knew about all too well. “But you won’t be seeing Tony just yet.”

Peter wanted to ask more questions but he couldn’t bring himself to, he just followed silently to an office where two people sat inside, neither of which looked particularly happy. But it wasn’t who he’d expected, it wasn’t two random officers or federal investigators. It was Bruce and Steve; the pair were still in their uniforms and covered in dirt and debris. Clearly they hadn’t had a chance to get showered after their mission thanks to Peter and the teen felt an overwhelming stab of guilt in his stomach as soon as he laid eyes on them. Bruce also looked particularly grey, with big bags under his eyes and he was sitting stiffly in his seat. He must have had to go Hulk during their escapades and now the poor man had to sit there and deal with his nonsense too? Way to mess things up for everyone Peter...

“Come and sit down Pete.” Steve said tiredly, gesturing to a seat opposite them. Peter wanted to decline the offer but the looks the pair were giving him were enough to silence any thoughts of disobeying their request so he sat down promptly, keeping his head down. He’d never been in trouble with them before, at least not seriously and he didn’t know what to expect.

He didn’t look up for a few minutes and there was a sickeningly awkward silence. When he finally built up the courage to look up Steve was making direct eye contact with him, sitting backwards on a chair. Any other time Peter would have laughed at the similarity to the man’s PSA videos, but nothing was funny in that moment.

“Wanna tell us what happened today, bud?” Steve asked bluntly. Peter couldn’t read the man’s expression or tone of voice and he wasn’t sure where to start. He knew he had to come clean about everything that had been happening but Tony had said not to tell Steve about Wilson, or even Scott though he supposed it didn’t matter now, since everything was going to be coming to an end, all because of one stupid mistake...

“I..I just..I..” Peter stammered and before he knew it he had tears running down his face. He started sobbing uncontrollably again, before his brain had a chance to register what was happening or he had a chance to compose himself. “I just had a really bad day, okay?”

Clearly neither of the two men seated in the room with him had expected that kind of response as their eyes went wide and they both rushed forward to comfort the boy. They’d anticipated Peter would either be completely switched off and emotionally withdrawn, overly apologetic or still furiously angry- both with them and the men he’d brutally beaten; hence why they had been asked to see the boy before Tony. But breaking down in tears certainly wasn’t what they had prepared for and if anything it was more worrying than the other possibilities they’d accounted for. Steve and Bruce exchanged worried looks as though they were asking one another what the hell they should do and it was the doctor who ended up taking initiative. They had, prior to Peter’s entry, discussed their good cop-bad cop interrogation strategy but all plans went out of the window as they both rushed forward to console the distraught teenager.

Bruce crouched down in front of Peter seat, which took a lot of effort considering he was still in pain from the shift, and tried to get the boy to make eye contact. “Pete, look at me. It’s okay, it’s all gonna be alright you just need to breathe with me, okay? Like we practiced.”

It took fifteen minutes of Bruce breathing with him and Steve gently rubbing the boys back for Peter to even begin to be able to speak. “I’m sorry- I’m so so sorry- I-I know I’ve messed everything up and I’m going away and I’m sorry-“

“Peter you’re not going anywhere, we just need to get to the bottom of what happened.” Bruce soothed looking back at Steve who was grimacing. Did the kid really think he was going to be sent away for a single fight? Yes, he was in trouble, deep trouble but this was by no means an offence punishable by exile. They’d all been in more than a few scraps in their years, some of which being among themselves so it wasn’t nearly as serious as being excommunicated- especially not for an isolated incident. But of course Peter would think that, the kid was so easily scared which made the whole affair even more perplexing to the adults. They had limited information but they’d never imagined in a million years that Peter would have gotten into such a brawl in their absence. Not their sweet, quiet, polite kid who made friends with everyone- it was so scarily out of character that’s why they had to find out what was going on. It wouldn’t have been as simple as Peter getting mad and lashing out, he just wasn’t that kind of kid.

“We can’t help if you don’t tell us anything.” Steve said gently. He’d never seen Peter in such a state and frankly it was scaring him; it made him want to back down completely and forget trying to interrogate him, but he resisted the urge. He knew it was too important but try telling his heart that when he was watching a fifteen year old break down in tears.

Peter tried to talk, he really did but everytime he tried to he ended up stammering so badly that he’d cry more and it was painful to watch, let alone painful for him to keep trying and failing. It was humiliating and it was getting to the point that both Steve and Bruce were worried Peter would pass from lack of oxygen. They had to calm him down before the teen became inconsolable and they had to get Tony to come and handle it- which would have rendered the whole ordeal pointless.

“Look, how about we give you all the information we know and you can fill in the blanks, does that sound easier?” Steve suggested. Maybe if Peter didn’t have to be the one to kick start the conversation it would take some of the pressure off, enough for them to open a dialogue at least.

Peter sniffed and nodded.

“Okay but first of all, what happened to your eye?” Bruce asked, peering at the fading but still prominent markings on the boys face. Peter recanted the story of how he got them and the doctor went through similar first aid that Johnson had at the time; that was part of the reason Bruce had elected to stay with Steve rather than heading back to his bunk to rest. If Peter had sustained any injuries himself he wanted to be the one to deal with them as he knew the teen wasn’t comfortable with any other doctors at that point (due to the possible discovery of his powers but also it made him extremely anxious); that and he knew Peter was likely to have a panic attack at some point. Of course Steve was more than capable of handling one of those, he had single handedly rehabilitated Bucky after all, Bruce had always connected with Peter during those moments. The doctor saw a lot of himself in the young boy, they had similar ways of thinking and similar issues surrounding their mental health. Bruce knew all too well what it felt like to lose control and Peter was likely to need comfort after what had happened, in more ways than one.

Bruce also used the bruising as an excuse to get Peter more relaxed. Distracting him either a separate conversation long enough for him to calm himself down. The diversion tactic worked and the teen was able to speak again without stuttering too badly and Bruce had worked to lower his defences a little bit, though Peter was obviously still on edge.

Once Peter had finished explaining the earlier accident that resulted in injury, it was time to move on to the latter one where he played a significantly different role. All three males were dreading it, albeit for different reasons. Peter, obviously because he’d have to relive the events which were causing him unbearable amounts of guilt and regret, then only to be grilled about all the terrible choices he’d made as though he wasn’t doing that enough himself. Steve and Bruce weren’t looking forward to it for a whole other reason; of course they didn’t want to see Peter upset all over again but they’d also been instructed to get his side of the story. They’d been given very little information on what had happened, Fury seeming to be deliberately vague and they understood why. They were meant to remain as impartial as they could given their closeness to the boy.

“S-so what did they tell you?” Peter sniffed, wiping his face with his sleeve before Bruce handed him a tissue, finally being ready to talk about what they were there for.

Steve was the one who took initiative then, taking the lead in their impromptu investigation. “That you were spotted heading around the blue building when you were supposed to be in line to head back to your training and when an officer went after you he found you attacking four people-“

“Four?!” Peter interrupted, his tone instantly going from reserved and apologetic to sharp and questioning. It was an improvement from him sobbing but the edge to his voice definitely put Steve back into interrogation mode.

The story Steve was weaving wasn’t what the pair of adults had been told at all. They’d been informed by Pepper that Peter was found having beaten up three people after stopping said trio from assaulting another recruit. It was the identity and the reasoning that they weren’t told about; that being Steve knew full well that Peter hadn’t hit four people and that he wouldn’t have done anything of the sort without a good reason, but he was trying to invoke a reaction. If Peter thought that lies were being told about the incident he'd be more likely to be forthcoming with the truth to counteract them. It worked. “Yes, four. There’s four people in the medbay right now-“

“I did not hit Scott! I would never! Is that what that fucktard said-“

“Don’t start cursing, but Scott who and who are you calling an f-tard?” Steve snapped but he instantly regretted it as Peter jumped in his seat as though he was flinching away from a punch. It broke Steve’s heart that Peter would ever think he’d react with physical violence towards him, even if it was a subconscious reaction. He chalked it up to Peter being already emotionally exhausted and frightened after the days events, but it didn’t do much to make him feel better about it. The blond’s reaction was to hug the child and say he was sorry for yelling to comfort him and make him feel secure that he wasn’t in trouble; but he couldn’t. He had to remain at a distance if they were going to get anywhere, he’d have to wait to coddle the teen after. But he did make the effort to move his chair back slightly, in hopes that would calm the shaking child a bit.

“...no one.” Peter said quietly after a moment in response to Steve’s question.

“Pete.” Steve started but Peter interjected quickly.

“I was told not to talk to you about him.”

“By who?” Steve eyed the teen suspiciously. Jesus how deep did all this go, what had Peter gotten himself into?

“D-Tony.”

Steve paused for a moment and looked over to Bruce, clearly perplexed. So Tony knew something about all this but the genius hadn’t mentioned anything of the sort to any of them. So this wasn’t an isolated incident as they had once assumed?

It was the doctor who spoke then. “Pete it’s a bit late for all that now, don’t you think?”

“I don’t..I don’t want to get anyone in trouble.” Peter sniffed.

“If you tell the truth now, we can help make sure that doesn’t happen.” Bruce looked to Steve to confirm the promises he was making and the blond nodded. He continued. “But you have to be honest with us and I’m sure Tony would agree.”

“Where is he?” Peter looked up, his eyes shining brightly with fresh tears at the mention of his father, especially given Bruce had used past tense; inadvertently of course, he was merely using such an inference because Tony wasn’t currently present but he should have chosen his words more carefully given the fragile emotional state Peter was in.

“Once we’re finished up here we’ll take you to see him, sport. We promise.” Steve bargained knowing full well that Peter would be more willing to answer their questions with that reward at the end of it.

“Is he okay?” Peter sniffed and the two elder men nodded but didn’t offer any more information. That wasn’t enough to quell his anxieties entirely but it calmed his nerves enough to answer their question in return.

“Corporal Wilson.” Peter said after a moment, keeping his eyes cast to the ground because he was unsure I’d Steve’s reaction. “Your old sidekick. He’s my group leader.”

Steve visibly sat back looking bewildered. That was the last name he had expected to hear out of the teens mouth. “Sam is your- how do you even know that?”

“It’s a long story-“

“Well we have all the time in the world Peter, you made sure of that. Now start talking.” Steve sounded angry and Peter winced.

“I-I told dad I didn’t know who he was, so it’s not his fault! B-but he said not to tell you that he was here I don’t know w-why!” Peter went on to explain all of what Scott had told him and the context in which the man had procured that information; though Peter kept reiterating how it wasn’t Scott’s fault, how he hadn’t meant to break the rules and he shouldn’t be punished for breaking data protection. He continued with the detailed synopsis of the fortnights events up until that point, how the man had treated him for the duration of his stay (including but not exclusive to the part where Peter almost wet himself and was forced to do push ups with the man on his back) and how Peter believed that Sam was behind the organised bullying he now thought Scott had been suffering; he explained why he thought this in great detail too, giving examples of the man’s mid conduct, how he had forced Scott to adhere to near inhumane living conditions by overworking him just to make an example to the rest of the group.

Where as it had taken so long to get the boy to start talking, once he had started his stream of consciousness it was difficult to get him to stop. Peter didn’t answer any of the questions that were thrown his way as he was too busy talking himself in circles, having rhetorical debates about what he’d witnessed going on between Scott and the other recruits. He expressed all his regrets about not telling Tony or reporting the incidents he had seen so someone; recanting the multiple instances in the mess hall and the time he caught the three men threatening Scott in the hallway. How he should have realised the degree of it all earlier, how it shouldn’t have gotten that far...how there was no way Wilson didn’t know what was going on and how Peter believed he’d taken a role in it.

Bruce and Steve sat back and listened to all of it, including Peter’s recently developed theory that Sam had orchestrated some kind of organised bullying ring to get back at Scott for breaking into his office and divulging private information but neither of them bought into the idea, knowing the kind of person Sam was. Of course Peter didn’t have that luxury, all he knew about Sam had come from a couple reports, some theories and a game of ‘rumours’. They didn’t blame Peter for his assumptions, from the kids point of view it made sense and he made a convincing argument but as adults and as a third party who could look at the situation objectively they knew it didn’t make sense.

“It’s his little fucking guard dogs who were started all of it I just finished it! It was three on one and Scott didn’t even do anything! Well...other than the whole shower thing- but still that’s not just cause to pin someone against a wall and beat the crap out of them! Now they’ve actually been caught Wilson wants to turn round and say I attacked people for no reason when he’s the one who-who- ugh!” Peter panted. Going back over everything that happened had made the anger he’d felt before come bubbling back up. The guilt subsided to make way for the waves of frustration and he was getting himself worked up again. Those bastards had been terrorising Scott for no reason all because he’d been rude to an officer- that didn’t make sense to him. Why would they take such offence to that when it didn’t directly affect them, unless they were getting something out of it? Unless Wilson was coaxing them, promising them something in return, bribing them because Scott had figured out who he was. In Peter’s mind that was the only thing that made sense- and he had verbalised this theory to the adults in the room.

“Well, did you?” Steve said after a moment.

“Did I…” Peter’s mouth dropped open and he stared at the blond man. “Are you fucking serious? After everything I just told you-“

“Well I don’t know, I wasn’t there.” Steve knew he was being unfair and it pained him to do so, but he was well versed in interrogation techniques. After being filled in on what had happened by Pepper she passed on the message that Fury had tasked him (and then Bruce) with getting Peter’s side of the story, knowing the boy would respond better to people he knew. Steve believed Peter, of course he did but he knew Sam. Sam would never have done that kind of thing, it didn’t add up. He knew that something had to have gone wrong somewhere, that Peter had gotten the wrong impression or that there was a lot more to the story that the teen didn’t realise- which he didn’t blame the boy for. What Steve couldn’t figure out was if Tony knew Sam was there why he hadn’t told him…

“The only one who was caught doing anything Peter was you. The men who you beat up gave statements. How Scott had lured them behind the building and you attacked them for no reason. It’s three against two Peter. Three who have impeccable records against two- a teenager and a criminal.” Steve goaded.

“That’s not fair! You were a war criminal up until last year for Christ sake! And what about Wilson, huh? Thanks to you I doubt he has an impeccable record, why does he have to say about all this huh?”

Steve tried to backtrack but it was obvious he’d pushed his bad cop role a little too far with the already emotionally fragile teenage boy; the added lie about the statements had obviously pushed him over the edge. He was about to retract that last part, admit that no statements had been taken as they were given the chance, thanks to Fury, to sort the matter internally (that and the fact that two of them were still unconscious from the concussions Peter had given them) but he didn’t get the chance. “Peter-“

But the teen wasn’t in the mood to listen. He wasn’t stupid, he knew full well what Steve was doing, Thant he was only trying to get more information but Peter had given that to him! He’s just spent half an hour explaining everything in detail, wasted all that energy just to be questioned more. Did Steve not understand how difficult it had been to say all of that in the first place? He wasn’t in the mood to deal with all this, he was tired and stressed and he just wanted his Dad- he didn’t need any of this. “No this is bullshit and you know it! I’ve told the truth I don’t know what else you want from me! What’s the point of me talking if you’re not even gonna believe me-“

“We do Pete, we do believe you.” Bruce was quick to interject as he could see the rising tensions in the room were getting them nowhere. “You understand why Steve is emotionally invested in this the same way you are with Scott so let’s just take a step back, guys, alright?”

“I wanna see Tony.” Peter said finally, running his hands through his hair and trying his best to take deep breaths, but he was slipping again. He could feel it the familiar pressure building up in his chest, making it difficult to breathe or even think.

Steve’s tone softened considerably as he tried his best to resume the normal warm, gentle voice he usually addressed Peter in, but the teen was in no mood to hear it. “In a bit, pal-“

“No, you lied to me! You said once I told you everything I could see him- I wanna see my dad!” Peter yelled and stood up, accidentally sending his chair hurtling across the room and into the wall, shattering the plastic base into pieces. It scared him. He was usually good at controlling his super strength but apparently he couldn’t control himself at all that day. His hands flew to his face to cover his mouth as he gawked at the now broken item of furniture, shaking slightly. Peter’s voice dropped from shouting to being barely above a whisper. “I-I didn’t mean to-“

“I know.” Steve stood and walked slowly over to the trembling teen and grabbed him, sitting him down manually in his own seat. He and Bruce exchanged another worried look, silently conceding that their interview was over, that they’d prolonged the torture enough it was time to get the boy’s father figure involved. He patted Peter’s shoulder comfortingly, to show that he wasn’t upset by his accidentally destructive outburst; it wasn’t like he or even Bruce had never broken something like that when they were upset and they had years of practise on Peter. “I know, kid. Just sit there I’ll go see what's going on, okay?”

Peter did as he was told, curling into a ball in the arm chair, hugging his knees close to his chest while Steve left to find out when he’d be able to see his dad.

“It’s gonna be okay Pete. You’re not in trouble.” Bruce said gently but retracted his statement when Peter gave him a dry look. “Well you are in trouble, just not as much as you think. You’re not gonna get sent away or kicked out of S.H.I.E.L.D or anything.”

“Tony is going to murder me, Bruce.” Peter mumbled under his breath. He was starting to regret asking to see the man once he realised that Tony was going to be less than happy to see him under the circumstances.

“Yeah, I have no doubt your dad’s gonna be pretty upset. But not murder, at least not in the first degree-“

“Not helping.”

“Fair enough.”

Steve came back not ten minutes later and Peter felt as though he was going to throw up again. The blond beckoned for the two remaining men to follow him and lead them down a few winding passages to an area of the campus Peter hadn’t been to before. He stopped right outside another office door, gesturing for Peter to go inside and that was when the boy realised he was going to have to face Tony alone first. Steve said goodbye to him and gave him some small motivational speech about taking his punishment on the chin and not taking what Tony said in anger to heart, but Peter didn’t hear him. He couldn’t hear anything over the screaming voices in his head.

Steve had to push him a little more than gently towards the door for Peter to get the courage to knock and go inside. “Come in.”

That wasn’t Tony’s voice. Shit.

He opened the door and stepped inside seeing that Tony was in fact there, but his ears hadn’t deceived him they weren’t alone. “Nice to see you again, Mr. Parker.”

Fury held out his hand to shake Peter’s which was cold and clammy but the older agent didn’t comment on that. He gave Peter a warm smile and continued addressing him. “We were just finishing up here, I’ll let you two have some privacy. Once he’s finished parenting, I’ll have a chat with you.”

Fury nodded to Tony before leaving, shutting the door behind him, leaving the pair alone. Tony was leaning casually against one wall with his arms crossed but his face showed Peter that there was nothing casual about the situation. Tony was staring at him with cold, angry eyes that bored right through him, making him want to run back out of the room and hide. Anything to get away from the man he had literally begged to see not fifteen minutes before.

Tony’s initial reaction was to run over and hug the kid he’d spent the last day worrying himself sick about, to tell him everything would be okay. But he couldn’t do that right? He had to make a point that Peter had done something wrong first, he couldn’t reward bad habits with affection and coddling- or was that just the Howard Stark in him talking? Peter looked awful and he knew his son; it was obvious the kid couldn’t feel worse about what had happened and he was likely beating himself up more than Tony ever could. No, he had to remain strong. Just for a little bit because he knew the second he broke and hugged his son that all authority and critical thinking would go out of the window. He had to make his point first, give his mad boss speech then he could give the mad dad speech and get to the part where he could comfort him. But how could he remain stern when Peter was standing there, his big brown eyes all bloodshot and sad, sniffling like he was waiting to get beaten.

“So, you wanna tell me why?” Tony adorned his signature Stark voice, one that Peter recognised from the early days in their relationship. The use of his old persona made the hard part of being strict and stoic a lot easier, though inside he still yearned to skip over the talking part and go straight to the hugging; not only for Peter’s sake but his own. He wanted some physical affection after the terrible day he’d just had.

“I didn’t mean to. I-I just lost it and they were-“ but Peter trailed off as Tony held his hand up to stop him.

“I don’t mean the fight, Peter. I couldn’t care less about that.” Tony meant that. He had zero tolerance for that kind of bullying, as much as he currently detested Scott, those assholes had definitely deserved it. Did he wish it was his son who had to take them down a peg? Of course, but only because he knew how adults Peter now felt afterwards. “I meant why did you lie to me?”

Peter blinked a few times having clearly not expecting that response and hadn’t prepared to answer such a direct question. “I..I..”

Tony moved from his spot leaning against the wall with his arms folded to the centre of the room, gesturing at the screens that lined one of the desks at the far side of it. “Me and Fury watched your whole confession so you don’t have to repeat the story. I heard what you said about why you did what you did and I understand. What I don’t understand is when I ever gave you the impression that it was okay to lie to me.”

“You- you didn’t.”

“Oh I didn’t? So do you care to explain how any of that was okay? How you lied to my face on multiple occasions to protect your little friend. If you had just come to me in the first place you would have-“

Peter shuffled where he stood, staring at the floor and fiddling with the cuffs of his shirt. “I know, I know I should have-“

“Quiet. I’m talking. Something you should have done a week ago.” Peter flinched at the sudden harshness of Tony’s voice which nearly weakened the man’s resolve but he remained focussed; also technically he had asked the child a question...but still- he was upset okay? “If you had told me then, this whole thing could have been avoided.”

“I’m sorry..”

“That’s not an answer Peter. I asked you a question and I expect an explanation. Why did you lie to me?”

“I...I don’t..” Peter started to say ‘I don’t know’ but it was obvious from both the look on Tony's face and the voice in his own head that the man was not about to take that as an answer. It also wasn’t true and he knew Tony knew that, his dad likely already knew why but he just wanted a verbal admission. “I didn’t want to get Scott into trouble..”

“Right. So let me get this straight.” Tony pushed off of the wall and started pacing around the room slowly, gesticulating as he spoke. “You met this guy, who you had met once before on your first day, where he openly admitted to you that he had committed a federal offence by breaking into an office and hacking filed on a computer. And rather than thinking, ‘Hm, this dude seems like trouble maybe I shouldn’t trust him or maybe I should tell my dad about that’ you proceeded to be friends with him. That in and of itself isn’t that bad, stupid, but still you’re a smart boy, or so I thought up until I listened to what you told Steve just now- a smart boy wouldn’t have let himself get dragged into this ridiculous conspiracy theory against one of his teams former associates-“

“Tha-“ Peter started but Tony shot him another look that made him close his mouth.

“Sorry but what about what I just said was incorrect?”

Peter but his lip before answering. He knew it probably wasn’t a good idea to oppose his already furious father but he had to defend himself. He was willing to hold his hands up and say he was in the wrong, he knew he was, but he deserved a chance to explain himself at least. Not even to defend his actions just to give reason for them. “I was just gonna say, that’s the point...he’s a former associate, which means he did something bad and that’s why he got demoted-“

Tony huffed a laugh with no humour behind it and shook his head. “That’s not why he was demoted, but you’d know that if you hadn’t jumped to conclusions along with your new little buddy and asked me. I could have looked into it for you and told you all about it-“

“Everytime I ask about Germany you avoid the question-“

“Uh uh! This is not a Germany issue, that’s still nothing to do with you.” Tony snapped. “And I have my reasons for keeping that from you- this very reason. You clearly aren’t mature enough yet to understand the diplomacy around all this-“

“You’ve never even tried! Maybe if you explained it to me sooner I would be able to understand and this-“

“This wouldn’t have happened?” Tony said quietly, making Peter instantly regret having even opened his mouth because he knew the next words that came out of Tony’s mouth wouldn’t be spoken. They would be yelled, and he was right. “So it’s my fault that you decided to get yourself involved in some random guys shit and it’s my fault you lied to me and got yourself into a fight over something you didn’t even understand in the first place?! Huh?!”

“N-no..it’s not-“

“Damn right it’s not! This is on you kid! You did this, take some fucking responsiblity!” Tony bellowed. He turned away from Peter for a second because knew he was close to losing his cool himself and he really didn’t want that to happen. As much as he agreed with the sentiment of what he just said, seeing Peter cower slightly was enough for him to catch himself. He didn’t need to add the shit pile by yelling at the kid, that wouldn’t do anyone any good. From his own childhood experience he knew that shaming Peter for something he already felt guilty about would only cause more issues down the line and in all honesty, he wasn’t just mad at Peter; he was mad at himself.

He agreed with what the boy had said, he should have explained things to him earlier. He should have been more approachable, made the teen feel more comfortable coming to him with what was going on. If he wasn’t so prone to overreacting to things Peter might have asked him about Sam sooner and he could have explained and the whole thing could have been avoided; or if he didn’t have a proclivity for blowing things out of proportion Peter might have confided in him about what was happening to Scott and he could have helped investigate that. Why hadn’t he pressed the boy when he came to him that time he left the lecture? He had known then Peter was lying to him about knowing the colonels past but he ignored his instincts. He’d trusted a teenager over his own gut; kids lie, they get in trouble, they make bad choices and bad friends. Scott fucking Lang. He was the adult in the situation, he should have known better than to involve a fifteen year old in his shit. It was his fault Peter was in this position in the first place. If he hadn’t spread half truths and obscured ‘facts’ that he’d appropriated illegally, based off of a single report to a teenager things wouldn’t have developed the way he did. He had known Scott was an idiot from what Dr. Pym had told him after the man broke into his facility, but this? This really took the cake. Well he’d picked the wrong kid to involve in his shenanigans, Tony’s kid. And he was going to pay dearly for that mistake, Tony would make sure of that.

But Scott could be dealt with later. Right now he was dealing with his son and he needed a clear head in order to do so. There was a tense silence for a moment while Tony collected himself. He couldn’t take his frustrations at himself and Scott out on the teen; yes, Peter needed to be reprimanded for his own behaviour that much was obvious; but not scolded to that degree. He was still his sweet, sensitive kid who cried when he watched The Lion King- he could only handle so much. After the day he’d had it was obvious Peter was way past his limit.

“I-I’m sorry dad..” Peter sniffled, breaking the silence whilst Tony was busy composing himself.

Tony sighed through his nose, feeling considerably calmer after his internal crisis. “Oh, I know you are. But if you think you’re sorry now you’re gonna be even more sorry once we go and talk to Sam.”

“Sam?! I don’t wanna talk to him!” Peter’s eyes widened. “I wanna talk to Scott first!”

“Oh, you’re talking to him. Scott too. I need to have a word with both of them anyway, so come on.” Tony opened the door and gestured for Peter to follow him through it but the teen stayed glued to the wall, shaking his head reverently.

“No Dad please I don’t wanna I just I don’t-“

“You’re not getting out of this bubs, I’m sorry. Fury wants this shit sorted out now and so do I. This needs to be done.”

“Why do I have to talk to him though?! Can’t you make Steve get the confession out of him-“

“Peter.” Tony snapped a little again. He was trying his best to be less harsh but Peter was pushing his luck with his already short temper. At the end of the day he was still Tony Stark and Tony Stark wasn’t renowned for his patience or his ability to function without copies amounts of caffeine- in which he had had zero that day. “I could stand here for an hour and try and explain it to you, but I’d rather let the man tell you himself, alright? I’m tired and sore and way over my emotional limit for today- I know you are too. All I wanna do is shower and go to bed so can you shut your mouth for five minutes and do as I say without argument for once, please?”

“Okay...m’sorry.” Peter hung his head, feeling even more guilty for Tony highlighting the inconveniences he’d caused through his carelessness and Tony sighed. So much for not making him feel worse, Anthony.

“I know.” Tony sighed and wrapped an arm around Peter’s shoulders, leading him back down into the labyrinth of corridors; finally allowing himself to be of some physical comfort to the boy and Peter instantly leaned into his touch. “Let’s just get this over and done with, huh?”

Once they reached yet another room (Peter was getting really sick of this building, god he couldn’t wait to go home- he was even missing JARVIS) Tony paused before knocking. “Do you need to go to the bathroom first?”

Peter shook his head, not even having the spare energy to be embarrassed at the question; his mind was too occupied with making him the walking, talking personification of generalised anxiety disorder.

“Okay.” Tony nodded and knocked against the door. He could see how bad Peter’s anxiety was but there wasn’t much he could do. There was no use in prolonging the inevitable and he knew should they wait longer it would only make it worse. Better just to get the whole ordeal over with so they could all just relax. After Tony ripped Scott and Sam a new one, of course- though maybe he’d wait until Peter was out of the room. Then again maybe not because the second he opened the door and laid eyes on the pair his knuckles were itching to make contact with their faces. Wait, Tony. Not yet.

The offending two were there, obviously, but so was Steve and Fury. Bruce had been forced to go and rest as he was no longer needed now that Tony was there to comfort Peter and Steve had taken the opportunity to talk to Sam about the whole thing. It was Sam himself who addressed the pair first, nodding to each of them. “Hi Peter. Tony.”

“Hi..” Peter said in a quiet voice, staying one step behind his father

“We have some things we need to set straight huh?” The colonel said gently. It was the same tone of voice he had used that day when he’d apologised to Peter but the teens head was swimming, telling him that that was the enemy, the bad guy he shouldn’t be talking to him. But Scott was standing right next to him and so was Steve. There was no way the both of them as well as Tony would let him be in the same room as the bad guy, surely?

“Uhm..Yeah I-I guess so..” Peter said, his eyes bouncing between the floor and Sam’s face. He couldn’t maintain eye contact now that he was second guessing himself. Had he still been angry and sure of his views of Sam as being the evil mastermind who was single handedly to blame for Scott getting the crap beaten out of him it would have been easy- he’d been practising his death glare. But now he wasn’t sure of anything as everyone was looking at him with a mixture of sympathetic and patronising looks. It was obvious everyone in the room knew something he didn’t and it was making him incredibly uneasy.

For a moment there was a really awkward silence, as everyone looked towards one another to start the conversation. Naturally, after a minute or so, all eyes fell to their prospective leader, Fury, who immediately rejected the responsibility with a hearty laugh. “Don’t look at me, I ain’t your momma. I’m here as a formality to make sure you bunch of amateurs set this shit straight so I don’t have to come back here again.”

The eye patched man illustrated his stance by deliberately feigning great interest in hands, mock checking his nails for dirt. There was another pause when eyes then respectively fell on Tony who also shrugged as if to agree with Fury.

Finally Sam spoke up, bumping Scott’s shoulder and looking pointedly towards Peter. “Scott, I think you should be the one to-“

“Yeah okay.” Scott took a step forward, rubbing the back of his head and cringing when he realised it was down to him to explain the complexities of the situation. He immediately began rambling which made the other three men roll their eyes with varying degrees of disdain. “Right so look, a lot has happened that I didn’t tell you about. Last night when I went to talk to Wi- Sam you said something must’ve happened for me to do that, remember? Well, you were right. Something did. I know you picked up on the other guys giving me a hard time and well.”

Scott cut himself off as he tried to think of the best way to word things. Peter extended the courtesy to help the man find his words by promoting him. “How bad..?”

The question only seemed to worsen the man’s dilemma though as he opened and shut his mouth a few more times before he made eye contact with Sam again, silently begging for help. The other male didn’t offer any words but gestured using his eyes and his shoulder towards Scott’s midriff and he sighed. Reluctantly Scott lifted his shirt slightly, revealing the mass of bruises that Peter had seen earlier which had sparked that primal rage that fueled his rampage. They varied in darkness and colour, spanning the entirety of his abdomen which was now a sickening rainbow of yellows, greens and purples. The room was silent to begin with but it somehow got quieter, as though its occupants thoughts stopped. The atmosphere shifted as Peter took in the sight.

“This bad. They avoided my face so no one would notice- mainly so you wouldn’t notice really. They knew you’d beat the shit out of them and they were right.” Scott chuckled towards the end of that statement to try and break the tension but it wasn’t well received. No one reciprocated the laughter of anything it made the sudden coldness in the room feel more prominent.

“Fuck.” Peter said under his breath and for once no one reprimanded him on his choice of language, not even Steve, as it seemed everyone reflected the sentiment. “Scott...why didn’t you tell me?”

“I’ve been to prison. I’ve been Ant-Man for two years. I can take a punch. I can handle pain, that wasn’t the problem.” Scott reasoned out loud. “But it got bad. Like, really bad. It wasn’t just the beating, it was the other shit. I could handle it in the beginning but..They took my mattress. They’d fuck my bed up every day so I’d get in trouble when our bunks were inspected. They stopped me eating, they..”

Scott trailed off for a moment when he looked at Peters face, which had gone scarily pale as well as his jaw was clenched. Scott’s eyes darted towards the teens hands which were balled up in fists, white knuckled. Upon seeing that he decided to cease his description. Peter has lost his cool once that day and he didn’t much feel like causing that to happen again, the kid didn’t need all the details to understand. “They did a bunch of shit. And I got to the end of my rope. Everytime I retaliated I’d get caught but they were smart enough to antagonise me where no one could see. Every day and I took it, way before training even started. It was nothing to do with me breaking into Wilson’s office- they just didn’t like entitled smart mouths.”

“Why didn’t you tell someone?” Peter asked though he had a feeling he knew the answer, it was the same reason he hadn’t told anyone either.

“No one was going to believe a convict who had skipped training.” Scott snorted. “Come on Pete, you know how those guys are with people who get things handed to ‘em. They already think I don't deserve to be here, imagine if I then dared to complain about this amazing opportunity I’d been given- even though I never asked for this shit to begin wi-“

Scott cut himself off when he saw Fury’s face. The man looked amused, as though he was daring Scott to question his decision to bring him there in the first place and the man had the brains to back down whilst he still had the sympathy vote. He audibly gulped before he cleared his throat and continued. “Anyway. It got worse once word got out about me breaking into Wilson’s office- like I told you. Then the day after you...well you know and I screamed at him it got even worse. But I took it, knowing it would be over in a couple weeks but after I stopped retaliating they didn’t like that. So, they started saying things to push my buttons until they finally got the reaction they wanted-“

“What kind of things?” Peter asked and Sam and Steve both looked away from him. “What?”

“You know how I said I was acting out in training to keep Wilson off your back?” Scott chuckled. Peter nodded slowly in response. “Well I wasn’t just worried about him. Miller and Jacobs specifically starting threatening you and since they were in your group-“

“You’re an idiot!” Peter cut him off suddenly yelling. “If they were threatening me you should have let them. Like they’d dare to fucking touch me when I’m the avengers pet dancing monkey!”

“I thought you were bitten by a spider-“

“Scott shut up, this is no time for your stupid jokes!” Peter snapped again and Scott abruptly shut his mouth. “I would have loved for them to have said something to me, then I could have ran and told Mr. Stark and they would have been dealt with- then once they got in trouble for that I could’ve told the higher ups what they were doing to you- god, why didn’t I just lie and say that in the first place?!”

The realisation hit Peter all too late but Scott was quick to counteract that idea. “Because it wouldn’t have meant anything without evidence. That’s why we didn’t say anything about Wilson either, remember? No one would have believed us Pete, not with people like that. You might have Tony Stark on your side and yeah that counts for a lot, but people like them, they’re smart. They know how to keep themselves out of trouble, how do you think they made it this far?”

Peter knew Scott was right, he couldn’t fault that logic. In hindsight with the knowledge they both had now they knew that maybe it would have counted for something, at the very least they could have avoided Peter getting into a fist fight if they had both been honest and forthright, but of course at the time in the midst of it all that hadn’t seemed like an option. Hindsight is twenty twenty after all. After a moment of silence for that information to wash over the teen Peter spoke again, getting back to the original point. “So, what happened for you to tell Wilson..?”

“I did what you did. I flipped out, tried fighting back.
I was just so sick of it, you know? I knew no one would help me and I couldn’t risk getting you dragged into it and I just- I flipped. I knew I didn’t stand a chance against all three of ‘em but in the heat of the moment, you know? Anyway, obviously it ended badly for me. So I went to Sam’s room. Gave him a mouthful of abuse accused him of sending them after me but it turned out he had no idea what they were doing. We talked shit out, he was only ever tough on me because of-“ looked at Tony “something that happened way back and because of Germany it was nothing to do with the whole office thing. That and I kept being a prick to try and get the attention off of you like I told you yesterday. But once I told him everything he was just as pissed as you were. So we came up with a plan. Like I said they’d always get me alone in places without cameras so we timed it for when Wilson would be on duty to catch them. But uh..you kinda caught them before he did.”

“Oh.” Was all Peter could say. How else was he meant to respond to all that?

“Yeah.” Scott said awkwardly, it seemed like he didn’t know how to respond either.

“Yeah” Tony joined in. Though his tone was a lot more mocking and sarcastic- he might as well have said ‘I told you so.’

After a minute of letting the weird plan the pair had come up with Peter found more words. “Scott why didn’t you just tell me?”

Scott scoffed. “Oh yeah and risk you getting beat up too? Or you popping off and beating them up- which happened anyway-“

“Exactly! If you’d told me in the first place I could have told T- Mr. Stark and he could’ve helped. Or at the very least you should have told me that morning and I wouldn’t have gotten in the way!”

“I don’t know if you remember kid but you were pretty upset about your team going missing- it didn’t exactly feel like the right time!” Scott snapped back, waving his arms around wildly.

Peter conceded that the man had a point, so he couldn’t exactly argue about that but he did have issues with one part of the narrative. “Okay so I get that you two are like- friends now or whatever and now you know why he was being mean to you but- why were you so mean to me the whole time?”

Peter turned his attention to Sam who up until that point had only offered supportive glances towards Scott to aid the difficult conversation. Though he seemed ready for the attention to be brought on to him as though he had prepared his speech much more than Scott had.

“I know it seemed that way and I’m sorry that’s how it came across.” Sam smiled sadly and exchanged a look with Steve, affirming Peter’s suspicious that the old friends had discussed the situation in length whilst Peter was being confronted by Tony. “I couldn’t show favouritism in front of the rest of the group. Everyone knows who you are, who both of you are, and like Scott said they were already going to give you a hard time for skipping all the official steps they had to go through to get here; Which I understand was through no fault of your own and you both went through your own tough times to get where you are today- but some of the other rookies were less than understanding of that. Bitterness and jealousy turn to hate as Scott found out first hand. I thought if I made it obvious that I was giving you guys an extra hard time that they’d feel as though they didn’t have to, that you were getting enough of a punishment for it from me, that if I was on their side- they’d give you less shit for it, you know? Maybe take pity on you a bit and let you off easy. Also the fact that everyone knew who you guys were affiliated with, what side we were all on during the Germany conflict. I had to play that role because of what the official report said, it would look fishy otherwise. I admit, I went too far with it- especially with you Scott and I’m sorry. I never meant for any of it to get so out of hand...And for you specifically Peter, I gave you a hard time because you should never have been put in with the newbies. Your skill level is way higher than any of theirs.”

Sam paused for a while to allow Peter to absorb the mass of information that had just been fed to him. It was a lot. It essentially challenged every experience he had in the weeks he had been in the compound and it was so much to take in. He was now second guessing every single look and gesture and moment between him and the corporal and he had to admit, it made a lot of sense. Things were starting to click into place now that he had the background information. Except for one thing…

“But..but the whole civil war thing..I don’t get it. You’re meant to hate us right? Like actually hate us, ‘cause we helped get you fired and Steve made you take the rap for him or something..?”

It was Tony who interjected, sighing dramatically and pinching the bridge of his nose. “Peter he never got in trouble for Germany. No one did. There was no animosity because of Germany, you should’ve known better than to listen to this idiot-“

Tony pointed angrily at Scott but Peter was quick to jump to his defence. “He’s not an idiot he has a masters in electrical engi-“

“He didn’t know what he was talking about. He read a file that Fury wrote so none of us got into shit for the diplomacy we had to pull to stop anyone going down for the whole thing. That file was complete horseshit-“

“How was I meant to know that when you never told me?!” Peter yelled and it looked as though Tony was about to yell back but Sam stepped in to fill in all the answers to the boys questions in a lot less hostile manner.

“I stepped down because my wife had my daughter and Steve knew that I wanted to get out- for awhile at least. It just so happened to coincide with the end of all the fighting and S.H.I.E.L.D were launching their investigation so me and Steve came up with a plan and Fury helped us orchestrate it. It was the perfect opportunity to get me out without having to live like Clint does, one food in each camp. I keep a stable government job, still live with my family full time and I can go back to the Avengers when and if I want to or if I’m ever needed. I get to train new recruits, stay in the loop so to speak and go on call and patrol as the Falcon every once in a while- but still get to see my baby girl grow up. In the process I became the scapegoat but me and Steve and Fury came to that decision together. No one made me take the rap for anything. And before you blame Tony for not telling you Peter, he didn’t know. No one knew, not all of it anyway, it was the best way to keep everyone from going down for it.”

“I didn’t know that until today but this is what happens when you communicate, Peter. I could’ve just jumped to conclusions too and made up a whole conspiracy theory like that jackass.” Tony pointed angrily to Scott. “But I didn’t. It took one conversation for Fury to tell me what had happened. Hell I thought Steve hated Sam’s guts until an hour ago, did you see me running up and punching him as soon as you told me who your commanding officer was? This is why adults talk things out and ask other people before they go jumping to conclusions- but clearly Scott here isn’t an adult. He’d rather perpetuate bullshit from one report as though it’s one of the Ten Commandments- tell me Lang, are you the kind of person that reads something on Facebook and then thinks it’s real-“

“Mr. Stark you’re being-“ Peter caught himself from saying anything too offensive given the company he was in. “- mean. You just heard about everything he had to go through with the other recruits can you blame him for thinking Wilson was behind all of it? I thought that too so it’s not his fault I didn’t tell you-“

Tony turned his anger back towards his son. He couldn’t believe after everything Scott had caused, Peter was still defending him. Taking Scott’s side in the whole thing instead of just admitting he should have told dad in the first place. In Tony's exhausted state he viewed that as some sort of betrayal- a betrayal that Peter was now displaying in front of both Steve and their boss. Well, at least he now knew where his sons loyalty lied. “You didn’t just not tell me, you lied to my face. You’ll be lucky if I ever trust you to be out of my sight for longer than a minute again. I’m really disappointed in you, Peter I thought you were more mature than this.”

Scott frowned as Peters head fell ashamedly towards the floor. He understood Tony being upset but he didn’t think it was right to chastise the kid in front of a room full of colleagues like that and god knows Scott really doesn't know when to keep quiet. Even Steve knew not to interject but Scott clearly did not. “Look lay off of him it’s not the kids fault-“

It seemed the very man who had, at least in Tony’s eyes, caused all this mess and turned Peter against him opening his mouth and challenging him in front of everyone was enough to push an already physically and mentally worn Tony over the edge. The man flew across the room suddenly quicker than anyone had the chance to react to and pinned Scott against the wall, one forearm pushing on the other man’s chest. All the anger and fear and hurt he’d felt that day all accumulating into one moment of pure rage- not unlike what had happened to Peter that very same morning. Unfortunately for Scott he was the target of said rage.

“Shut your mouth. You’re right it’s not his fault it’s yours.” Tony said lowly, through gritted teeth, with such a bite to his voice that Peter flinched. He hadn’t heard such ferocity come from the man in a long time and never over something so seemingly minor, at least in the grand scheme of things.

“Woah. Okay let’s everyone just cool down a little huh?” Sam said gently, moving to step in front of Peter and in between the two men but Tony wouldn’t let him. Steve got up from his seat, perched against a desk and pulled Peter backwards by his shoulders.

“You got my son involved in your shit!” Tony barked directly into Scott’s face, pushing against the man’s collar bones with each word. In the moment he didn’t even realise what he had said and once the words came out of his mouth the room fell extra silent like it had when Scott exposed his stomach.

“I never meant to I tried to keep him out of it but you know what he’s like-“ Scott blabbered before his brain caught up with his mouth and he realised what Tony has just referred to Peter as. “Did you just say-”

To everyone’s surprise Tony didn’t back down or even really react to his slip up, not outwardly at least. “You heard what I fucking said Lang! Now listen to this- stay the fuck away from him, unless you wanna go to federal afterall-”

“Dad-”

“Peter shut up, you’ve done enough! I don’t wanna hear a word out of you right now, understand?! I’ll deal with you later!”

But Peter pressed on, despite Steve squeezing his shoulder trying to get him to back down, as the blond knew Tony well enough by that point to know when not to test him. Peter however lacked that knowledge. “But it wasn’t like that! It wasn’t Scott’s fault-”

“Peter if you know what’s good for you shut the fuck up right now before I get your ass sent home and you can kiss goodbye to ever being Spider-Man again!” Tony practically screamed. He’d never yelled at Peter like that, it was a voice he only saved for people he was furious with. Through all of their arguments he’d never snapped quite so angrily but even in his livid state the way he jumped back in fear made Tony snap out of it. Even he was shocked by the harshness of his own tone, so he dialed it down a little, but not much. Just enough to stop Peter from flinching again. “You know what? Sam can you just take him to go and sit with-“

Despite now being suddenly paralysed in fear from Tony’s voice alone Peter managed to find the words to argue. He wasn’t about to let Scott go through even more turmoil to try and protect him. “No dad I’m not letting you blame everything on Scott it was my fault I didn’t tell you! He kept telling me to leave it and I wouldn’t! He didn’t do anything wrong!”

“He broke into an office and hacked a government computer, then proceeded to read through piles of classified information-“

“Because he didn’t know where he was or why or for how long! No one told him anything and he has a daughter! He wanted to know how long it was going to be until he could see her again- how would you feel if that was me?! And she’s his real kid!”

It was very brief, not even a millisecond but Peter saw it. He saw how Tony’s expression flickered when Peter said ‘real kid’ and the regret filled the boy’s stomach instantaneously. It was a very minor flicker of emotion but on a man like Tony, who had looked death in the face with a smile on numerous occasions, it was obvious just how much the comment had hurt him. “I didn’t mean tha-“

“I get it.” Tony said quickly and casually, not taking his eyes off of Scott, who’s chest he was still leaning on.

“No dad I didn’t-“

“Enough.” Tony said with finality. Had they been alone Peter wouldn’t have stopped apologising but in fear of hearing Tony scream at him again in front of their present company the teen bit his tongue, literally, vowing to make penance as soon as they had privacy. “Next time you want information, Scott, try asking someone- it’s a social skill I’m still trying to teach motormouth over there but you’re old enough to know better, especially since you have a real kid of your own. And don’t go spreading rumours to impressionable children. Especially not mine, understand?”

“Yes sir.” Scott nodded. He didn’t seem particularly intimidated but Peter figures he had practise keeping his face neutral during times like that given his proclivity for being threatened. That and the man’s mind was still reeling from the fact Tony had just called Peter his son.

“And tell Dr. Pym I said hi.” Tony pushed off of Scott’s chest and headed straight to the door, not sparing a glance towards anyone; though the lack of acknowledgement felt especially targeted towards the suddenly teary teenager which had caused such an abrupt end to their meeting. The genius slammed said door behind him, making everyone cringe and Peter cover his ears.

“Well that was awkward.” Fury smiled and clapped his hands after a moment of silence. “Anyway! Regarding your training- as long as shit ain’t gonna be weird between y’all now are you happy to finish out the week?”

The three men the question was directed to exchanged glances and nodded. Everyone was still in shock given the very weird end to that investigation and it had been an automatic response, especially on Peters part as he’d been awaiting an official punishment from Fury regarding the laws and codes of conduct he’d violated.

“Good! Saves me the paperwork! Now if y’all bitches ain’t gonna give me any more problems I’m going home!”

Just as Nick was also reaching the door a shell shocked Peter stopped him. “Wait! I’m- im not in trouble?”

“You wanna be?”

“N-no of course not I just-“

“Look. You have to deal with IronDad. That’s punishment enough kid and I’m sure Sam will come up with extra PT to make up for the three men he’s lost.” Sam smiled slightly at that and nodded, making Peter cringe. “It was one punch up, let it go, I know I have. See you around kid, Mr. Lang, Corporal, Cap.”

“Soooo…” Scott said awkwardly, swinging back and forth on his heels, looking around at the other people in the room. Steve was half leaning on the tank again with his arms folded staring at the floor, preparing himself for his own fight with a very angry Tony. Sam has a similar stance but he looked rather relieved as opposed to upset and Peter...well Peter looked as good as could be expected.

“I’m really sorry Mr. Wilson.”

“In light of the circumstances kid, call me Sam. And I owe you an apology too, you’re right I shouldn’t have made such an effort to be tough on you. That day after you run out of class, I should’ve pulled you aside then and explained. I wanted to but I changed my mind last minute, figuring Steve and Tony made the decision to keep it under wraps for a reason.”

“Yeah I didn’t get that part!” Scott chimed in and started talking to Steve directly. “So you guys stayed friends, but you didn’t know he was here. And Tony knew he was here but didn’t know you guys were friends? Like, I thought after the whole war thing last year you’d be better at communicating-“

“Yes, thank you Scott.” Steve snapped. It was obvious that he wasn’t in the mood to be questioned about his own bad decisions either, there had been plenty of that for one day and he already had to go through that whole argument with Tony. Sam smiled at his friend, seeming to have read his mind.

Steve excused himself then to go and mentally prepare for the mammoth task of explaining to Tony why he had lied to him, after seeing how well that went for Peter he didn’t feel confident in it- and he didn’t have the added benefit of being an adorable kid so he was really in for it.

Once the remaining members of G group were alone alter addressed another elephant in the room. “So I’m allowed to keep training..? In your group?”

“Well Fury had suggested moving you both earlier but I talked him out of it. Figured you were both comfortable with the routine and the people now and it’s only another few days, so.” Sam shrugged. “If you’re happy to stick with my group I’m more than happy to have you there, now that those bastards are finally out, thank god. They were driving me nuts and that was before all of this went down.”

Peter grimaced when he was reminded of the men he’d assaulted, the very reason this meeting was being held in the first place. “What about Miller, Jacobs and Thomas.? Are they..?”

“They’ll recover. Miller has similar regenerative abilities to you and Jacobs and Thomas only have minor injuries. And Peter don’t feel guilty about hurting those guys, they’re scumbags.” Sam said darkly. “I’d never condone that kind of thing, but seriously. They deserved what they got and more.”

That comment confused Peter given what he’d been told earlier. “But Steve said they had clean records?”

“Their records are clean but their hands aren’t. Trust me, I’ve heard stories. Blondy probably just told you that to get you riled up. They used Scott being disrespectful as an excuse to do what they did and it’s not the first time. They were in a focus catchment group back in February and the same shit happened them but I couldn’t pin them for it- they used loopholes in the system to get around punishment so my hands were tied. But I tricked them into thinking I was on their side, specifically asked for them to be put in G group once I saw their names on the orientation list and waited to catch them doing something shady. Until last night I figured they’d packed their old tricks in but then Scott comes bursting into my room hell bent on fighting me again.” Sam and Scott laughed at the last part.

“Again?” The curly haired kid tilted his head in confusion. What else had he missed? It was obvious they weren’t referencing Germany.

“Yeah, a lot has happened, Pete.” Scott laughed and for once Peter didn’t ask to hear the story, he was too tired. “So, were all pretty dumb then huh?”

“Yup.” Both Peter and Sam agreed which made Scott chuckle, though the latter winced as he did so, the injuries on his stomach clearly paining him.

“Communication is key boys.” Pepper said from the doorway, which made the trio jump as they hadn’t seen her appear there. “Come on, sweetie, I’ll lead you back to your room.”

Now that things had been resolved, Peter finally knew what was going on, that Scott was okay and that he hadn’t killed anyone; that his family also weren’t dead and that he wasn’t going to be thrown in jail for the rest of his life, Peter felt so much better. Like a physical weight had been lifted off of him and he’d never understood that expression fully until that moment. There was one thing left to take care of now that was still causing him to feel sick with nerves, but he hoped he’d be able to make up for that like he had with everything else. God he was so lucky with how things had turned out for him.

“Have fun trying to talk to Tony, Pete..” Scott grimaced with a small wave as ways of saying goodbye.

“Yeah..” Peter’s face reflected Scott’s and he gulped slightly.

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning kid, if you’re alive by then I mean.” Sam winked at him. Just as he went to follow Pepper the man added: “Y’all know I have to keep the mean guy act up though, right? Since words already getting around about what happened it would be too suspicious if I-“

“I’ll be out extra early for ‘punishment’ corporal wilson.” Peter chuckled softly.

“No hard feelings?”

“None whatsoever.”

Pepper lead Peter back to his room as promised and he was finally able to have a decent conversation with the woman, explaining in length how everyone had managed to upset one another by not communicating and she laughed; comparing his synopsis of the events to the ‘what did we learn today’ segment on a children's television programme. He was reluctant to stop talking to her when he got back to his bunk, mostly because he didn’t want to have to face a seething Tony but also because he found he really enjoyed the lady’s company. When they parted ways he expressed that he hoped to get to talk to her again which he reciprocated. But Peter wasn’t sure he’d ever talk to anyone again since Tony was likely to bite his head off as soon as he entered his room.

To his surprise the man didn’t. When he came in Tony was lying on his bed, in clean clothes facing the wall, but Peter could tell by the man’s breathing (well, lack of snoring to be more precise) that he wasn’t asleep.

“Dad?” He said apprehensively as he waited for the bomb to drop.

“Hm?” Tony hummed in response, not turning over.

“You okay?”

“Mhm.” Peter shifted uncomfortably for a second, wondering if he should just leave the man be but that was when Tony rolled over. “How did it go?”

“F-Fury, uh, Fury and Corporal Wilson said I can stay on training, in the same group and everything. A-and I’m not in any big trouble, just some extra PT and stuff like Scott had to do…”

“That’s good.” Tony said shortly. Peter hadn’t been expecting a long winded response but Tony wasn’t exactly making an effort to help carry the conversation and by that point, the day had gone on so long and it had been so exhausting in a multitude of ways that Peter was done beating around the bush; Pepper was right, today's lesson was about communication and Peter didn’t want to leave anything else unsaid. He wanted to get everything out on the table so it was done and it wouldn’t come back to bite him like things had for Peter, Scott, Sam, Steve and Tony alike.“Can’t you just tell say you’re mad at me and get it over with?”

“Okay.” It seems Tony had been waiting for the opportunity to say his piece and was feeling the same way as Peter was. He sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and took a deep breath through his nose before he started on his rant; though this time, much to Peter’s relief he didn’t raise his voice. “I’m mad at you. I’m mad at you for breaking my trust and being reckless. I’m mad at you for forgetting your training and lashing out because it put you in danger. You didn’t know what those men were capable of- Christ you didn’t know what Scott was capable of. The man’s a criminal Peter you were naive to take everything his said for gospel. But most of all I’m mad because of how much it hurt me. Having to see you go through something that was completely avoidable because you were stupid and didn’t talk to me in the first place to protect someone you barely knew. You trusted someone more than you trusted me-“

“I didn’t mean it like that-“

“I know. And that’s worse. You were inconsiderate. Immature. And you made me look like an idiot to our bosses as well as yourself. You think it wasn’t hard enough to get a teenager enlisted? You just had to go and prove everyone right that a child isn’t emotionally stable enough to be an agent, like it wasn’t difficult enough to get you here in the first place. The strings I had to pull- and Fury. Don’t you understand how fragile all this is? One more slip up like that and it’s not just bye bye being an avenger it’s bye bye everything. You could be taken away Peter. Not because of a fight, those happen. We’re all animals trapped in a cage in this place that’s part of the training, put a bunch of people who are highly trained in a small volatile environment- it’s a test to see if you’ll break or not. But getting involved in some stupid conspiracy, lying to me of all people- you do that out in the real world, out in our world, you could be putting countless lives at risk. You’ve really let me down. This isn’t like last time with all the Vulture business where you’d tried to tell me and I didn’t listen- you had a chance to tell me and you didn’t. You looked me in the eyes and told me you had no idea who Sam was. And fuck it I’m gonna say that old cliche- I’m not mad at you, not anymore because I understand why you did what you did. I mean it, I do understand- but I am very, very disappointed in you Peter.”

When Tony had finally finished, Peter sniffled, big fat baby tears running down his face. He had intended to stand there and take Tony’s words on the chin, like a man, to show that he was mature enough to take the consequences of his actions but his eyes betrayed him. He couldn’t help it, how could he not cry when the man he admired the most in the world just told him he’s disappointed in him? All Peter had ever wanted was to make Tony proud of him and he just messed it all up.

“There. You happy now?” Tony said snappily and Peter nodded, still crying. ‘Finally,’ Tony thought. ‘I can stop being mad now.’

“Now come here, god dammit you’re breaking my fucking heart.” Tony patted the bed beside him and held his arm out for Peter to duck under- which the teen did without hesitation, immediately burrowing into the man’s side and sobbing with abandon. The adult sighed in relief that he didn’t have to fight for a hug too.

“I’m sorry I’m so so sorry I’m such an idiot I-I I’m so-“ Peter blubbered into the man’s chest. There was the Peter Tony knew, the unreservedly apologetic mess of curly brown hair.

“It’s okay, baby. I’m here now, I’m sorry I left. This is my fault too. But just take this as a learning curve, okay? I can forgive this now everyone makes mistakes and lies to their parents it’s a part of growing up. But if this happens again or if I find out you’ve put yourself in danger there will be hell to pay, do you understand me?” Tony made his last point known, thankful to have the conversation finally end as he held the shaking boy tight as he nodded in agreement. “Good. Now come on, stop crying. We’ve both done enough of that.”

“Y-you were crying?”

“You don’t think I got upset last night when I realised I wasn’t gonna get back in time to see you? Or watching the footage Wilson got of you losing your shit like that? I knew how bad you were gonna feel-“

“Dad I’m a monster. I-I couldn’t stop I shouldn’t be allowed to be an agent if I can’t even-“

Tony was already prepared for that. Of course Peter was going to think that after one little break in control- it was Peter. He’d never give himself the benefit of the doubt. “Shh, Sh Shh. Enough Pete. Enough. You know that’s not true but we’re both too exhausted to talk about that on top of everything else right now. I know you didn’t get much sleep last night so come on. Let’s take a nap before we have to go and face the others and fill them in.”

“I’m so tired.” Peter sobbed and rubbed furiously at his eyes.

“I know bubby. Go take a shower, you’ll feel better then we can sleep for a couple hours, yeah?”

Peter nodded and took himself off to do just that, letting the hot water wash away a multitude of sins. So many emotions in such a short amount of time had reaped absolute havoc on the boys head and he was so unbelievably tired he could have just fallen asleep right in the shower, standing upright. He started to feel better before he opened his eyes, realised where he was and his brain decided to kick in full force again.

‘Please give me a break for five minutes.’ Peter thought miserably but by the time he had walked back to their room he was already crying again. “D-do you hate me?”

Tony looked over to the doorway where Peter was leaning with his hair still soaking wet in his pyjamas; which consisted of his ‘I survived my trip to NYC’ shirt and a pair of pants covered in a print of Steve’s shield- both of which the teen insisted he kept because they were comfy, not because the held any significant sentimental value.

“If I did my life would be a lot easier but no Peter. I still love you.” Tony chuckled and gestured for Peter to join him on his bunk again for another hug before he forced the teen to go to sleep.

“I love you too.” Peter sniffed, clinging to Tony like an abandoned Koala.

“You’re not sleeping in your own bed are you?”

“No.” Peter sniffled again, making Tony laugh.

“Okay but at least let me lock the door. We don’t need to explain that to anyone on top of everything else huh?” Peter relinquished his grip on the man’s shirt long enough for Tony to flip the lock and immediately cling to him again the second he got back into bed. “Can I have some room please?”

Peter sniffed slightly but not much, the pair becoming a mildly uncomfortable mass of limbs almost instantly, but neither cared. They were both just happy to be laying down, in the same place getting both physical and emotion comfort after the clusterfuck of a day they’d just had.

It was quiet for a moment. Too quiet apparently for Peter’s brain. Just as Tony started to drift off to sleep Peter whispered; “Are you sure you don’t hate me?”

Christ this child was going to be the death of him.“I’m sure.”

“Prove it.”

“How would you like me to do that?”

“I-I don’t know just prove it.”

“Oh come here you big baby.”

“I’m sorry I said real dad I didn’t mean it like that.” Peter started crying again, even harder than before. He hadn’t wanted to bring it up but it was eating at him. He couldn’t believe he had been so careless with his words and how much that must’ve upset his dad- Peter got upset enough when Tony had to refer to him as his intern when they were out in public, he could only imagine how much his slip of the tongue had felt.

“I know I know, look don’t worry about it right now, okay? Just snuggle in and get some rest. It’s been a really shitty day-“

“So bad.” Peter agreed.

“I know, Underoos. But it’s alright. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

“You’re not allowed to ever again and never when I can’t talk to you.”

“Okay. Understood.” After what had happened in the short period of time since Tony had left the boy, he agreed.

“I hated it.”

“Well that’s just another reason to finish your training the huh? We won’t have to leave you behind so much.” Despite his rocking and words of comfort Peter didn’t seem to be calming down any. “Come on bubby stop crying, you’re gonna make yourself sick.”

“I’m trying but it won’t s-Stop!” Peter coughed wetly, sounding as frustrated as Tony felt. “And I already d-d-did.”

“I know pepper told me, that’s why we gotta get you calmed down.”

But Peter was still busy berating himself, talking in circles. “I should’ve got in so much more trouble for what I did.”

“You’re gonna be in trouble, trust me. I ain’t letting you out of my sight for the rest of our stay here and when I can’t have eyes on you, Sam’s gonna report everything you do back to me. No electronics and you’re grounded indefinitely until I can come up with an appropriate punishment for your actions. Does that make you feel better?”

Peter stiffened for a moment before relaxing completely. “A little yeah.”

Really? The kid just wanted to be punished, that’s what it took to make him feel better? Tony supposed with Peter’s issues it made it easier for him, he didn’t have to beat himself up for stuff if he had a way to make up for what he had done...hey whatever works, Tony just wanted to sleep. “Good. Now can you close your eyes?”

“Yeah.”

‘Thank god.’ Tony sighed internally. “You want bear?”

“No. Just you.” Despite the warm fuzzy feeling that contented statement gave him, Tony knew the teen struggled to sleep for long periods of time without the childhood toy.

“You can have bear too we’re not mutually exclusive.” Tony chuckled and went to retried the stuffed animal anyway but Peter clung to him when he went to stand up.

“You’re not leaving again.” Woah, there was a lot of emotion behind that..

“Okay. Okay.” Tony said quickly, laying back down to avoid setting the sensitive child off again. Still, he couldn’t resist adding a sarcastic comment. “And I thought I had abandonment issues.”

“Shut up.”

“Can I get up to pee at least?”

Peter shook his head and sniffed angrily.“Hold it.”

Luckily Tony was well versed in falling asleep with a full bladder and he gave in to the exhaustion very quickly after that, as did Peter.

Chapter Text

Tony woke up a few hours later, alone in his bunk, assumedly having been woken up by Peter as he dashed out of the room to use the bathroom. He sat up and checked his phone seeing how long they had slept and deeming it an appropriate amount of time to nap and deciding, against his body’s protests, to get up. As much as he desperately wanted to go back to bed, he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep that night if he did and his sleep pattern was messed up enough as it was. That and his own bladder was screaming at him, making him thankful that he didn’t have to try and detangle himself from a wiggly teenager first thing after waking up, that was never fun; especially when the teen was being extra clingy like he had been when they laid down. Slowly as he woke up the days events came flooding back to him and he groaned; god, he hoped Peter would be in a better mood after his naphe wasn’t sure if he’d be able to deal with another round of tears. 

Fortunately when Peter reappeared he still seemed to be half asleep himself, not a tear in sight just looking a little bit dazed; his hair was sticking up in every direction possible thanks to falling asleep with it wet and his eyes were a lot less puffy from all the crying. 

“Hi there.” Tony chuckled gesturing for Peter to sit back down which the boy did, leaning against him. 

“Mm.” Peter mumbled in ways of a response as he rubbed his eyes tiredly. 

“Still sleepy?” Peter nodded and closed his eyes when Tony started messing with his hair; he was just trying to flatten some of the pieces that were sticking straight up but Peter melted into the touch, looking as though he was about to drift off again. Well, that information would come in handy next time Peter was fussy and fighting sleep, or during one of their late night, post night terror movie marathons. “I know bubs but we can’t sleep all day. You want some coffee?”

The teen seemed to perk up a bit at that. Considering he wouldn’t be going back to training until the next day Tony assumed it would be safe to allow the teen some caffeine as they wouldn’t have to worry about his overactive bladder causing problems. 

“Put some people clothes on then.” Tony laughed gesturing to the cacophony of pattern and colour the teen was currently wearing and rather than retort Peter just stuck his tongue out at the man. Tony left the room to finally use the bathroom himself (thank god, his kidneys were starting to ache) but by the time he returned the mood in the room had dramatically shifted, not that he expected any less. Peter didn’t even need to say anything for Tony to realise that the kid was upset again. He had gotten himself changed back into normal clothes, as opposed to his grey uniform and he was sitting on the bottom of his own bunk, leaning his elbows on his knees and had his head down staring at the floor. 

Before Tony got to ask if he was okay Peter spoke. “I don’t think I wanna be an agent anymore.”

“What?” Tony asked, genuinely shocked. He sat down opposite the boy; what had happened in less than three minutes for the boy to come to that conclusion? He knew there was a lot going on under that mass of wild brown hair but that declaration was very dramatic- even by Peter standards. “What are you talking about?”

“I-I shouldn’t be allowed to be an agent. I couldn’t control myself and I hurt people.” The teen didn’t sound on the brink of tears, or angry, nothing like he had hours before. His voice was low, and cold almost hollow sounding and to be honest it made a shiver run up Tony’s spine. He sounded so sure of himself but Tony knew that wasn’t his Peter talking, it was the mean voice in the back of his head that constantly plagued the teens waking hours, just this time it had gained control of his mouth whilst he was in a vulnerable state. Tony was somewhat prepared for that, knowing how Peter’s mind worked, but he was still emotionally drained himself and running off of only a few hours sleep. 

“Peter that’s kind of part of the job-“

Peter’s eyes snapped up from the floor up to Tony’s face as he cut him off. “I’m serious, Tony, please don’t make light of this. You tell me to talk to you about how I feel and that’s what I’m doing.”

There was almost a begging edge to the teens tone and it made the older man back off a little bit. It was true and though Tony didn’t want to hear any more angst that day he knew it was better if they talked it out then and there rather than risk another build up of emotion with a possibly explosive conclusion like that happened that morning. If Peter was actually talking to him, like he had chastised him for not doing, he ought to listen, despite how tired he was. “You’re right. I’m sorry, go ahead.”

“It was so scary. I could see what I was doing, I could feel it, but I couldn’t stop. I wanted to b-but I just couldn’t. It wasn’t like what happened with Flash, I-I...I’m dangerous.” It was obvious that there was more Peter wanted to say, but he couldn’t find the words. He often struggled to express himself in these moments; when there’s a thousand words running through his head all at once it’s hard to pick out the right ones, prioritise and make sense of them all. It was suffocating but luckily Tony knew that. He didn’t have to be a mind reader to know what Peter was thinking in that moment- it wasn’t anything he hadn’t heard before after all and the boy did tend to fall back to the same points each time something bad happened; it was always either he was a worthless piece of shit who didn’t deserve anything good happening to him, Tony was going to end up hating and or abandoning him or that he was dangerous- at this point Toy was considering writing cue cards to use any time one of those ideas came up. It was the same speech every time but he didn’t really mind; the teen needed a lot of reassurance and praise, yes it got wearing at times (especially times like that when Tony was over his emotional limit) but if that’s what he needed the man was more than happy to fulfill that role. 

Tony thought for a moment before he answered, trying to think of the best way to broach the subject without sugarcoating it. “You’re supposed to be. You’re essentially a sentient weapon. That's the whole point of being an agent s-“

“I don’t want to be a weapon. And I wasn’t sentient not in that moment, my body took over and I was powerless to stop it. I wasn’t thinking at all I was just acting- I don’t want to be a weapon, you’ve seen the iron giant I don’t wanna be that- I don’t want to.” Peter shook his head as he spoke, not realising how he had repeated himself. 

“Okay, I worded that badly.” Tony admitted and crossed the room to sit next to Peter on the other bed. He took a longer pause to consider his words before he spoke again, not wanting to say something that would trigger another bad response. “Your..your body is a tool. A suit- think of it like piloting the iron man suit, right? Or even your spidey suit. You make the decisions, you’re the one operating, but at the end of the day it’s the tech that is doing the brunt of the work. You’re telling it what to do most of the time but there’s also back up programmes for times when you’re incapacitated. Like instant kill mode- if you get knocked out, or hurt, or overwhelmed, Karen will step in and fight for you, to get you out of wherever you’re at; the suit will take over in times where you can’t. It’s the same with your training; when your mind fails you, your body is there as a backup, it falls back onto your training and reacts accordingly. That’s the whole point, otherwise we’d all be too preoccupied thinking of what we’re gonna do next consciously to be able to focus on the bigger picture. That’s all that happened. You saw something that upset you and your body reacted to the threat accordingly.”

The analogy seemed to have struck a chord in the boy’s head as he nodded briefly, before he continued with his original point. “I hurt people Tony. I don’t wanna do that..”

“You did but it wasn’t out of the blue. It wasn’t unprovoked. You saw three people attacking one person who had no chance of fighting back, hell anyone would have flipped their shit at that. You stopped when Scott pulled you back-“

“But only because he was there to stop me. I didn’t stop myself that’s what I’m saying-“

“I know, but don’t you think that still counts for something? Peter you can lift a bus without breaking a sweat do you really think Scott would have been able to pull you back that easily if part of you wasn’t still manning the controls? There’s no way he would have been able to stop you if you didn’t want to stop.”

Peter hadn’t thought about it like that, but Tony was right. If his body had taken over completely it would have been easy to throw Scott off and continue punching Miller in the face. Part of him must have wanted to stop, or at least knew when to stop, and just used Scott as an excuse to do so. “...I guess.”

“You lost your cool, it was a mistake, it happens. One little incident doesn’t make you the next Hulk, Bruce will tell you. You’re not a monster, I know that’s how you feel but every time you feel like that look at all of the good things you’ve done, alright? Would a monster have pulled his arch nemesis out from under a pile of rubble to save his life?”

“No I just threw him in jail and ruined his family's life.” Peter said coldly and his eyes lost their brightness again, falling back down towards the floor. Okay Tony, bad example; maybe don’t bring up the Vulture next time. Still a little raw. 

“Uh uh, bubs stay with me, don’t switch off I know it’s been a long day but just stay with me here.” Tony wrapped an arm around the boy and shook him gently, trying to keep him present. Peter was getting that distant look in his eyes again and Tony knew he wouldn’t be able to deal with that, not after everything else that day. “A lesser man would have gone with the old style of justice and let him die but you didn’t. A lesser man would’ve instantly killed those three recruits; You were perfectly capable of going in and snapping Miller, Thomas and Jacobs necks but you didn’t. You could have hurt them, really hurt them, killed them if you wanted to; but even after you lost your shit you still didn’t take it to the nth degree. Instead you disarmed them, taught them a lesson they won’t soon forget and you stopped when Scott pulled you back; like Wilson said they needed to be taken down a peg. You did stop yourself, even if it didn’t feel like it. So please don’t torture yourself with this, alright? It’s not a big deal- and I’m not trying to belittle your feelings, really, I’m not. But trust me on this. If Fury thought you were a menace or a danger to society he would have whisked you off and put you in a metal box somewhere before anyone had the chance to say Flerken.”

Peter opened his mouth to argue further but the last word was foreign him and he tilted his head like a confused puppy. “What does that mean?” 

Oops- but hey it distracted the teen long enough to get him to snap out of his self hatred- “It was from that Swedish clock show remember? Come on let’s go get some coffee. Thor is probably beside himself because he had to wait for us to wake up before he could say hi.”

Peter nodded and stood up to follow the man out of the room but he froze. There was still something he hadn’t mentioned, something he knew Tony would get mad about…but he had to tell him. “W-Wait! I-I need to tell you something…”

“Oh god, what now?” Tony chuckled at first but when he turned around and saw Peters panicked face his smile dropped. “What else haven’t you told me, Peter?”

“It..I don’t..” dang it he should have mentioned it earlier..if he told Tony about forgetting his meds now- after everything else, he’d be in trouble. God, why didn’t he just say something earlier when he was admitting to everything else he lied about? If he added that on top his dad would think he had even more secrets he was keeping..then again if he left it any longer he’d be in more trouble later down the line-

“Peter. Spit it out.” Tony said seriously snapping the boy out of his internal debate over the dilemma. He had to give the man something, he was taking too long to answer and Tony was making his angry face-

“I broke my phone.” Peter said quickly. He had neglected to tell the man earlier and he was also worried about getting in trouble for that- so at least the admission bought him some time. Maybe he could wait until they got home, tell Tony then; he’d been off of his meds too long anyway a couple more days couldn’t hurt, right? That way he’d be more likely to believe him that it was accidental. He had learned his lesson about lying but then again he also didn’t feel like getting yelled at anymore. 

Tony breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought it was something serious from the look Peter had given him and he didn’t want to deal with any more drama, he’d had more than his fill for one day. “Hand it over.”

Peter fished the phone out of the pocket of his uniform he had discarded on the floor, only to see that the thing wasn’t just water damaged; the entire screen was shattered, some of the glass almost piercing the boy’s skin as he gripped it. 

“Jesus, what did you do to this thing?” Tony made a face as he turned the thing over in his hand, using his thumb nail to flick open the back and fish out the SIM card. 

“I don’t remember how the screen broke, probably during the fight; but I dropped it in the toilet before that.”

Tony’s expression soured and he shot the teen an exasperated look. “You couldn’t have told me that before you put it in my hand?”

“Sorry.” Peter chuckled sheepishly and went to wash his own hands again.

Tony sighed and dove into his bag, pulling out another phone, a newer upgraded version of the one Peter had destroyed. The man then plugged the chip into the new one and it came to life instantly, already having updated all of Peter’s information on to it if his screen saver was anything to go off of; a picture of him and Ned at comic-con immediately popping up on the screen. Tony rolled his eyes at the photo, part of him thought it was cute, he’d always admired the pairs little bromance but he also couldn’t help but feel the teensiest bit jealous that Peter hadn’t picked one of the many selfies the boy had forced him to take with him to be his lock screen. Since when did he care about such unimportant things? He put it down to being tired. “I always have a spare just in case. You needed an upgrade anyway.”

“I was saving up for a new one, you didn’t have to-“

“Peter this old thing still has snake on it.” He wasn’t wrong, the phone was ancient, at least by his standards. The boy had had the same phone for as long as Tony had known him and he seriously doubted it was brand new when he bought it. Not that there was anything wrong with that, Peter didn’t care much for physical possessions which Tony admired, but come on; there was no need for his intern to be walking around with a phone that got overheated and switched off if you played fruit ninja for more than two minutes. He’d offered, no insisted, on getting the kid a new one for ages- now he had the perfect opportunity to get rid of the offending piece of tech. 

“I downloaded that! I like that game-“

“You needed a new one. I could fix it but why bother? It’s not worth the parts. But don’t see this as a reward for wrecking this one. I don’t want you making a habit of it.” Tony said in a mock serious tone, waggling an accusing finger in the boy’s direction. Unfortunately the joke wasn’t well received. 

“It was an accident..” Peter hung his head ashamedly making Tony sigh.

He should have known better, really. Peter was bound to be overly sensitive, even more so than usual given the circumstances; but come on. Like he’d ever seriously imply that the teen had deliberately broken anything. Part of Tony wanted to voice that sentiment, but seeing Peter’s eyes turn sad again washed away any urge to call the kid out on his ridiculousness. It was a small, stupid thing to Tony but to Peter it was clearly a big deal. God he was tired. “And I was joking. Come on curly fry.”

It was obvious that Peter was still struggling with his self image, viewing himself as some kind of psychopath with murderous tendencies; but Tony figured that he just needed to stop thinking about it for a while, maybe some distraction would do him good, get him out of his own head. If they kept talking in circles they’d both go crazy and if Peter got to spend some time being himself around his family again it might help reinforce the truth- that he wasn’t some cold hearted killing machine waiting to be activated at any given moment; that and he really, really needed some coffee himself. Tony wasn’t sure he had the energy to have another long drawn out talk, not that day. It was a little selfish but he’d spent the past day just wanting to see his happy goofy little teenager, not a teary self hating one. He just wanted a couple hours of normalcy; as normal as he could get that far from home anyway. Oh and he was going to kill Steve, that was also on his list of to-do’s, he needed energy for that. He needed caffeine for that. 

Tony hadn’t been wrong about Thor being over excited to see their youngest team member. As soon as the pair walked through the doorway into the common area between their bunks, the big burly blond was out of his seat and picking Peter up in a bear hug. “SPIDERLING!” 

“Ow- Thor- ribs-!” Peter laughed as the air was getting squeezed out of him. 

Thor abruptly put him down but he was still beaming. “Oops sorry young one! You missed a very exciting mission I must say!”

“Yeah?” Peter chuckled, all of them going to sit down other than Tony who made a beeline for the coffee machine. 

“Yes indeed but more about that later. Now who are these bastards who-“

“Thor! No! We talked about this!” Steve cut the god off much to his obvious displeasure. Clearly they had warned him not to bring up the whole fight thing but as per usual Thor wasn’t the best at biting his tongue; even after Steve and Bruce had spent the past few hours trying to convince the god not to go and visit the injured recruits in the infirmary. 

It was visible on Thor's face that he was having an internal debate about continuing to ask questions, despite the threats of great physical violence from Steve and Hulk, but it was the look on Peter’s face that finally got him to shut his mouth. “Grrruh- Fine! But I want to know who dared to upset my-“ 

“We get it, just not now big guy, alright? We all need a break. Just talk about something else, please.” Bruce begged weakly. He looked considerably brighter than he had that morning but it was clear he still wasn’t one hundred percent if the bags under his eyes were anything to go off of. That was when Peter remembered he’d brought the doctor a packet of sour patch kids from his personal stash, in ways of an apology for stopping the man resting sooner, and threw them to him; which he accepted gratefully with a thankful nod and immediately ripped open the bag like some kind of crazed drug addict. 

“Where’s Clint and Nat?” Peter asked as he looked around the room. No one had mentioned them since they got back and their lack of presence in the room suddenly made him feel uneasy. As did the looks on his team's faces, which all dropped as their eyes turned to Tony. 

“You didn’t tell him?” Steve asked accusingly to the man who was already on his third cup of watery coffee. 

Tony sneered, downing the rest of his paper cup before throwing it in the trash can with more than a necessary amount of force. It seemed Steve talking to him directly was the cue he had been waiting for and his brown eyes immediately grew dark and hot with anger. “No Steven, I didn’t exactly have a chance to tell him because I was cleaning up your mess-“

“My mess?!” Steve rose from his seat. 

“Yes, your mess! Why didn’t you tell me you and Sam were on good terms?! I would have told you last week when I found out he was here! I’ve been worried about him taking shit out on Peter because of yo-“

“You knew he was here for a week and you didn’t say anything- but that’s my fault?!”

“Don’t turn this round on m-“

Peter had had enough of yelling for one day and he had yet to have his question about their missing teammates answered. All the accumulating anxiety was too much for him to handle so he interjected before the situation escalated once again. “GUYS! What happened to Clint and Nat?!”

“Oh, Barton broke his back and Nat stayed behind with him.” Tony said somewhat flippantly, before turning his attention back to the soldier he was currently arguing with. “Steve this is not my fault and you know it. If I knew you weren’t gonna try and kill him I might have-“

“BROKE HIS BACK?!” Peter yelled again and that seemed to grab everyone’s attention in turn making Tony realise that maybe he should have told Peter that sooner and in a different way (yeah you think?). “That's not the kind of thing you just skip over Tony! What the hell happened?! Is he okay?! Does his wife know- is Nat okay?!”

Tony gripped his temples with one hand and sighed. He was too tired for all this. “Bruce can you fill the kid in please while me and captain shithead sort this?”

“Certainly.” Bruce said lightly. Whilst Steve and Tony resumed their screaming match Bruce recounted the story; of how Clint had taken a dive off of a six story building, slamming the centre of his back on the railing of a fire escape on his way down and Peter sat back with his mouth agape in horror the entire time. 

“It’s rather impressive that he didn’t sustain lasting damage, but that can be put down to the shock absorbency of the armour he was wearing-“

“You don’t think a broken back is lasting damage?! Is he gonna be alright?!”

“He’s gonna be fine, he didn’t even need surgery. Just some nanotech to fix the internal inflammation, patch up the torn ligaments and such; and pain management of course. With some time off and physio he’ll be fine.”

“Jesus Christ..” Peter blinked slowly. Everyone was being so casual about something that sounded so serious, though he supposed it wasn’t the worst injury they’d seen. And Peter himself had seen in parts and been told about how Tony’s tech helped rehabilitate Rhodey after his accident, so it wasn’t outside the realms of possibility that Clint would be fine. Still a broken back for Christ sakes, surely that warranted a little bit of panic...“What about Nat?”

“She’s fine she just stayed behind to keep him out of trouble.” Bruce winked. “He kept trying to get up and walk around apparently, she had to put him in a choke hold to knock him out long enough for them to put him on a stretcher.” 

Whilst Tony and Steve continued their debate about who was more to blame, Bruce and Thor kept the teen occupied, relaying the events of their mission finally telling Peter what it was about; they gave him all the backstory too and by the time they were finished, Tony and Steve and resigned themselves to sitting at opposite ends of the room facing away from each other. Well, that was better than them yelling, at least for Peter’s poor ears. And it really did make everything feel more like normal. 

Once the yelling had died down, Thor took the opportunity now that Steve and Tony were sulking, to talk to Peter about his own experiences over the past twenty four hours. He plopped himself down on the couch next to the boy and leaned in close to him. “Now Spiderling, Bruce and Steve informed me of your little scrap-“

But Tony wasn’t stupid, he knew what the god was up to. “Thor, I just got him to stop thinking about it can you not-“

“No no, now hold on- I have an anecdote from my childhood that may help.” Thor held his hands up defensively and all the other adults stifled their groans, giving him a chance to say his piece. They were all more than versed in Thor’s horrific tales from his youth as the god seemed to have one he found applicable for almost every situation- even though they usually had nothing to do with what was going on and were more often than not terribly violent. “As you know my brother and I have always had a tumultuous relationship, but as young children, when we were first coming into ourselves respectively, the bickering became even worse. He stopped being my little brother and started being a little pain in the ass, always going on about how he was more qualified to become the next ruler of Asgard- blah blah blah- a lot of talk!”

Thor added to his story using very dramatic hand gestures and varying tones of voice which made Peter giggle slightly; upon hearing that he ramped it up even more. “He was constantly playing practical jokes on me, which of course was to be expected given his talents, but they were no longer funny. He continuously pushed me and pushed me until one day; I believe it was the time that he tried to get one of the twins to kill the blind one...anyway, no matter! I had had enough of his trickery and took matters into my own hands.”

“What did you do?”

“I stabbed him.” All the adults groaned and stared at him. 

Tony put his head in his hands and yelled across the room. “Thor, for fuck sake-“

Steve mirrored that sentiment. “Is that really the kind of message you want to-“

“No, no, no! What I’m saying is, I did the same thing the young one did! I lost my temper and ended up hurting someone when usually I wouldn’t have done such a thing!” Thor cried indignantly. He was just trying to relate to the boy! 

“You wouldn’t have stabbed someone?” Tony quirked an eyebrow knowing full well that violence wasn’t out of character for the god. 

“No, I much prefer blunt force than stabbing, you know that! Besides I wouldn’t have stabbed my own brother. I would have poisoned him.” Another round of groans from the elders in the room but Peter found the man’s obliviousness hysterical; maybe he was just over tired but either way it definitely cheered him up. “Stabbing was his preferred method, but I always went with something more subtle so I wouldn’t get caught by our father.”

“Jesus Christ.” Bruce shook his head but he was laughing and so was Peter. 

The teen clapped a hand on the gods shoulder to show that he wasn’t nearly as disturbed by the story as his older counterparts; mostly because he didn’t want him to feel bad, he was trying to help after all, but also because he needed a good laugh. “Thanks Thor. That did help.”

Conversation flowed freely after that, the ice having been broken now that the elephant in the room had been addressed; it was clear Thor felt better having been finally allowed to talk to Peter about the fight, trying to keep his mouth shut for any extended period of time came with great difficulty for him. Though there was still tension between Tony and Steve- but that was a given at that point. It was hardly unusual for the two to be angry at each other so Peter didn’t pay much mind to it. He was starting to feel a little better, both Thor and Bruce giving examples about times they’d overreacted or gone too far, though they were considerably better than the first story Thor had told; Bruce’s especially as they weren’t all Hulk related. Just as Peter was starting to relax he was reminded that he wasn’t completely off the hook. He went to leave the room to grab his phone, making use of the time he had to use the device when he usually wouldn’t have had the chance to- but Tony stopped him before he was even fully out of his seat. 

“And where do you think you’re off to?” The man asked, not even looking up from his own device. 

“I was gonna check my phone-“

“Nope. Sit.” Peter frowned but did as he was told. “No electronics remember?”

“But what about homework-“

“Not an excuse. I’m logged into your email so I’ll know if Ned sends you anything-“

“You can’t do that! There might be private stuff on there!” Peter felt a blush rise to his cheeks. He couldn’t think of anything particularly incriminating on the account but it was still an invasion of privacy and Tony didn’t know that- he could have had all kinds of stuff hidden away, he was a teenage boy for crying out loud. 

“Oh can’t I?” Tony said coolly, still not looking up, snickering through his phone with a blank expression. “Well you should have thought about that before you lied to me, huh?”

“B-but Tony-“

“Don’t you ‘but Tony’ me mister man. You were the one who wanted consequences for your actions and now you’re getting them.” Tony smirked. 

Peter couldn't argue with that, he knew the man was right, he had practically begged for it. But what he could do was pout so he did, very dramatically. He hadn’t believed Tony would go through with his threat to take away all of his electronics, but part of him was happy that Tony was going through with it; he needed that structure, especially when everything else around him was seeming to dissolve into chaos. As grateful as he was for the strict parenting, the teenage side of him was still grumpy about not being able to mess with his phone to pass the time; he was bored. And idle hands lead to a busy mind and the last thing Peter wanted right then was to think, he’d done plenty of that and his brain was starting to short circuit. Eventually Tony gave in and let him play Candy Crush on his phone, even though Steve shot the man a look for doing so. “What? It’s my phone not his, I didn’t break my own rule. Would you rather him start tinkering with the coffee maker?”

“Can I?!”

“No!”

The rest of the afternoon consisted of them all hanging around and talking, taking some much needed respite time. It was a fight to get Bruce out of his seat and into the canteen when it was time for dinner as the Doctor was content to spend the evening with his candy hoard, but other than that the remainder of the day went smoothly, much to Tony’s relief. No major tantrums or crying fits just a small one when Peter ran out of lives in that stupid mobile game. 

When they were in the mess hall he didn’t fail to notice Peter looking back at Scott’s table, attempting to make eye contact and he tried his best not to react to it. At first. But after having to repeat something to the boy for the third time he grew impatient and manually moved the boy’s head back to face the table as opposed to looking behind him, twisting his head around which Peter reacted to with as much theatrics as he could muster. 

“Ow! You almost broke my neck!”

“You’re lucky I don’t after everything you’ve put me through today. Quit trying to talk to your delinquent friend and eat your damn food.” Tony snapped irritably. Peter made a face at him which earned him another look of disdain but he stopped trying to mouth things to Scott. 

“You need to say sorry to him.” Peter said simply after a moment and somehow he managed to avoid flinching when Tony slammed his fist down on the table. He kept his composure and continued to eat his meal, not looking up at the angry man, pretending to be completely unphased by Tony’s shift in attitude.

“Like hell I d-“

“Uh uh! You were mean and at the very least you have to say sorry for pushing him against the wall!”

“No! After he got you into all that he deserves-“

“Okay first off let’s get one thing straight: He didn’t get me into anything. Yeah he shouldn’t have told me about the report in the first place, that’s a given and I’m not condoning that- but he was trying to give me the heads up about Wilson because he thought he was gonna be a dick to me- and Sam was at first, he admitted it. Now I know he was just pretending to hate me, but it still sucked. And Scott deliberately lied to me about how bad things were with Miller and the others so I wouldn’t get involved and he kept making Wilson mad to try and protect me. Besides, you saw those bruises. Don’t you think he’s been through enough?“

“Alright! I get it!” Tony relented. He had to admit once Peter set out all the good things Scott had done on the table  he was left with little argument; Peter’s small rant was very persuasive. Maybe he had overreacted slightly and maybe that was part of the reason Peter hadn’t told him in the first place...ugh he hated it when Peter was right- it wasn’t like he paid the boy to think! Wait a minute...“I’ll talk to him but I’m not saying sorry.”

“Tony-“  

“Don’t push your luck, being cute can only get you so far.” The teen then had the audacity to flutter his eyelashes and smile when Tony called him cute, and Tony didn’t fail to notice the amused look T’Challa shot him across the table for using the word. Shit. “I said I’ll talk to him before we leave, alright? I don’t wanna hear another word about it, stop being a pain in the ass.”

Peter seemed content with that promise; though he would have preferred his dad just get it over with, he understood why it may take Tony Stark a few days to come to terms with the fact that he was wrong, in any way shape or form. 

Once dinner was finished, Tony sent Peter straight back to the room where he joined him, highlighting the fact he was now technically grounded and he wouldn’t be allowed the courtesy of spending any alone time for the duration of their trip. That meant no more sneaking off to the blue building in the evenings, no more free time to talk to his friends and worst of all he couldn’t even go on YouTube or anything. Peter was really starting to regret pushing his dad to give him some real repercussions for his actions.

So, Peter was stuck with nothing to do all evening, resigning himself to his fate for the next few days. He tried his usual tactics of distraction, writing stories, planning out potential future essays- but for once trying to apply his usually active brain to academics wasn’t as therapeutic as it should have been. Under normal circumstances he could have spent hours doing such activities but after such a long mentally exhausting day he didn’t have the patience. He just wanted to stick on some music, or an old comfort movie, or a podcast and just zone out for a while. After rereading the same paragraph from the opening to Percy Jackson and The Battle Of The Labyrinth for the fourth time, he gave up trying to focus. God he was bored. He tried to stick within the punishment parameters, he really did, but when he heard his phone vibrate across the room on Tony’s dresser where the man had confiscated it, Peter couldn’t contain himself. He had to know who had texted him, he didn’t even care if it was junk mail he just needed some kind of visual stimulation that he didn’t have to put effort in to, some kind of premade entertainment. 

Tony’s back was turned for a split second as he rummaged for something in his bag and the teen seized his opportunity; Peter managed to shoot a web across the room, retract it and hide the evidence in the pockets of his jeans, covering the movement with a cough when Tony whipped his head around. The genius eyed him suspiciously for a second but before he got a chance to question why Peter was smiling oh so innocently at him, his own phone rang. 

“Talk to me.” Tony answered the phone to some unknown associate on the other end but made a point of pointing to his eyes with his middle and forefinger, and jabbed them in Peter’s direction; a gesture that essentially said ‘I’m watching you, don’t try and pull any shit.’ To which the teen held his hands up defensively and climbed on to the top bunk, facing towards the wall and sneaking his phone out of his pocket. 

He couldn’t believe what was on his screen. Finally after two days MJ has texted him back, though her reply was equally as cryptic as her behaviour had been. 

MJ: can we talk?

Now she wanted to talk to him? God way to pick your moments girl; you couldn’t have done that the night before? Or even that morning when Peter needed someone to help him not go crazy? Despite his slight resentment Peter couldn’t help but feel extremely happy to finally have a response, but Peter could hardly talk to the girl when he was currently in quarantine, on a contraband phone. Shit. Well he wasn’t about to leave her on read the way she had done to him. 

Peter: I don’t know if nows a good time, Tony’s kind of mad at me for something. 

MJ: it’s cool. You can just say you don’t want to you don’t have to lie.

Ugh for Christ’s sakes- the one time he wasn’t lying about the trip! 

Peter: I’m not lying I swear. It’s been a bad day.

After she read that message the girl took a minute longer than usual to respond, as though she was deciding whether or not she wanted to pick a fight in that particular moment. Luckily for both of them she decided against it, not yet at least. 

MJ: are you okay?

Peter: give me five minutes I’ll see if I can sneak off.

The boy slipped his phone back into his pocket, the right one, his side that would be facing away from Tony as he left the room. His dad was still on a call himself so Peter figured that would be the best time to make a break for it; surely Tony wouldn’t make a big song and dance out of it when he was talking business with someone. That assumption was wrong.

“One second, Cho.” Tony muted the call and held his phone to his chest no sooner than Peter’s feet hit the ground. “Where are you going?” 

“To the bathroom?” Unfortunately that statement came out as more of a question and the inflection made it painfully obvious that the teen was lying. 

“With your phone?” Dang, So Tony had caught him. Why didn’t he say something earlier then? How rude of him to let Peter think he had gotten away with snatching it..well, how naive of Peter to think that he’d ever get away with anything. 

“Well yeah, you don’t exactly see people taking newspapers in there anymore- hey!” As Peter was making his point Tony reached forward and snatched the device out of back pocket before the boy had a chance to react. “Come on!”

“Be back here in five minutes or I’m taking the chip backt.” Tony said flippantly as he put Peter’s phone back into his own pocket. 

The teen could have screamed. Couldn’t he catch a break for once? “You’re putting a time limit on me using the bathroom now?”

“If you need any longer than that you need more fibre in your diet.”

“Ew, don’t be gross, ugh!” Peter stormed out of the room before Tony could say anything else embarrassing. Of course Tony knew what he was up to and had purely made the comment for affect but did he really have to be so crude? He had just wanted to call MJ in private for goodness sake, was that so much to ask?

The disgruntled teen took the opportunity to use the facilities anyway, then decided to just get ready for bed since his plans of reconciling with his friend had been thwarted and the energy he’d gained from his nap had all but dissipated. When Peter came back into the room he threw himself back into his bunk without saying a word, but even so Tony couldn’t resist teasing him just a little bit. Even though that was probably an awful idea considering, you know, everything they’d been through that day. But it was just so easy to wind the kid up.

Tony waited a moment to lull the boy into a false sense of security, also as he tried to bite his tongue, but he couldn’t. As soon as Peter had picked his book up again Tony muttered. “It’s okay Pete, you can talk to your little girlfriend on Monday-“

Peter rolled his eyes and groaned before he fully realised what Tony had said. “She’s not my girlfrien- DID YOU READ THROUGH MY MESSAGES?!”

“No I didn’t. Not on purpose anyway. It went off I couldn’t help but see it and it would have been awfully rude to leave her without a reply-“

Peter jumped down from his bunk, his eyes going wide. “What did you say to her?!”

“I said-“ Tony balanced his glasses on his nose preparing to give a dramatic reading when Peter lunged at him, but he rolled into his side, tucking the device under him before he got the chance to snatch it. 

“Give me that-“

“Uh uh! Stand back- You can see the screen from there with your spidey eyes you don’t need to hold the phone. No touchy.” Tony said seriously, pointing to an invisible line that Peter had to scootch back to stand behind before he’d reveal the screen. Once Peter was behind the barrier Tony held up the phone, out of arm's reach and further away than anyone without superhuman sight would be able to read. 

Peter: Sorry MJ, Peter can’t come to the phone right now. He’s grounded so you probably won’t hear from him until Monday. 

MJ: P that really is a lame excuse. Even for you.

Then Tony had sent a video. A fucking video. To prove that it wasn’t Peter trying to avoid talking to her- some might say that did him a favour, so at least the girl wouldn’t think he was being petty and ignoring her in return; though most would say he was just trying to embarrass Peter as much as possible as payback for all the emotional turmoil, with the added benefit of it being fun and ridiculous easy. Both of those assumptions were correct. “He is pretty lame. So lame in fact that he won’t be getting his phone back until Monday. So don’t be offended if you don’t hear from him, he’s busy sitting in the naughty corner.”

Then MJ had replied: Fair enough. Thanks for letting me know Mr. Stark. Enjoy the rest of your business trip. 

Peter didn’t say anything for a moment. He just stood there, shaking slighting with his jaw clenched as he debated whether or not hitting Tony would be an appropriate response. He ultimately decided he’d be justified in doing so but he’d had enough violence for one day, though he did consider making one last attempt to grab the phone; again he decided against it, silently conceding to get Tony back for this. He’d make the world’s best thought out and planned revenge ever but for now he’d settle with verbalising his discontent. “I hate you.”

Tony just smiled and went back to scrolling through his own phone. “I know.”

“Why would you embarrass me like that?” Peter huffed and stomped his foot. And no, he didn’t care how babyish it made him look.

The older man tilted his head to the side as though he was in deep thought and hummed to himself. “Because it’s funny and I’m pretty sure that’s part of my job as a parent, no?” 

Peter couldn’t think of another response to that, knowing that a, Tony was right it was an integral part of being a parent if Ned’s mom and dad were anything to go off of and b, he didn’t have the brain power to think of an articulate and witty response; even if he did, on his best days Tony could shoot any retorts down in flames. He decided not to give Tony the satisfaction and just threw himself silently onto the bottom bunk, rolling away from him and sighing. 

“You tired?” Tony hummed again.

“Yes.” Peter said shortly and god, Tony knew he should stop. He really shouldn’t push the boy, he was asking for trouble. But it was just so easy .

“You wanna go to sleep?” Tony deliberately drew out each syllable like he was talking to a small child and popped the P at the end. 

Peter whipped his head around to shoot him a dirty look and he didn’t fail to notice how pink his cheeks were. “Yes. That’s why I’m laying down.”

Once Peter settled again, drawing the blanket up over his ears (a sure sign that he was actually trying to sleep, for some reason his little weirdo couldn’t sleep without his ears being covered) Tony waited before saying anything else. One last thing and he’d leave him alone. Maybe. Depending on how angry he got. 

“So I don’t get a hug goodnight or-“

“You lost your hug privileges!” Peter screamed and Tony failed to hold back a laugh. “Shut up! You don’t even like hugs!”

Tony faux frowned at the comment and held a hand over his arc as though the accusation really hurt him. “I do too like hugs, just not as much as you-“

“Well, you weren’t complaining earlier.” 

“I wasn’t complaining because you finally stopped crying-“

Peter let out a frustrated noise and threw a pillow directly at Tony’s head. “Don’t make fun of me for crying!”

“I’m not! I’m not.” Okay, maybe that was a sign he’d gone a little bit too far. Reel it in Stark. “Want me to leave you alone?”

Peter didn’t say anything, so Tony guess that was his answer. 

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” The teen grumbled, somewhat reluctantly but after having spent a good part of the last twenty four hours convincing himself that Tony was dead he wasn’t about to go to sleep without reciprocating the sentiment. 

“I’m sorry.”

“Shut up...and give me my hip pillow back.”

“Hip pillow? How old are you?” Tony snorted and Peter let out a small scream into the pillow residing closest to his head. 

“Being this flexible comes at a price- and I’m not talking to you!”

“Goodnight bubby.” Tony chuckled as he threw the designated ‘hip pillow’ back. 

“Hmph!”

Tony was still getting ‘the silent treatment’ the next morning, which from Peter meant he still communicated with him, just with short snappy comebacks and dirty looks; but was it better than the sad, forlorn looks from the night before? Definitely. Other than being grumpy with his dad the boy was in a considerably better mood. 

Now that everything had been straightened out with Corporal Wilson Peter wasn’t dreading going to training and he’d actually be able to focus; rather than having a thousand thoughts running through the back of his mind about the who what when where and whys with Scott.  It was nice  to know where he stood for the first time since he arrived and have everything out in the open. He got up extra early and headed out to the track as he’d promised Sam the night before. Peter was surprised though, to see several other recruits out there that early- too early for there to be no discernible reason, so it seemed that he wasn’t the only one to get in trouble the day before. Peter didn’t fail to notice how everyone gave him a wide berth when he joined them on the track but he couldn’t exactly blame them. Word had traveled around quickly about what he did but for once he didn’t let it bother him; a good night's rest, finally understanding everything that went on and talking through everything with his family had really helped to sort his head out. He wasn’t about to let a few weird looks from people he was likely never going to see again after the weekend phase him; he knew the whys and wheres about what happened and they didn’t- let ‘em judge. Like Scott said, only a few more days. Besides, if people were a little scared of him at least they'd leave him alone. Just a couple more days and he'd be home.

That got him to thinking though, he hoped he’d still get to talk to Scott once they each returned to their respective homes- Shuri too. He wasn’t sure if he would be allowed to, the way Tony had told him not to talk to anyone outside of their family group had made it seem as though there were some kind of rules around it, maybe because he wasn’t a full agent yet? He wasn’t sure. Though even if he was allowed to from a S.H.I.E.L.D perspective, he very much doubted his dad would let him talk to Scott in a casual sense ever again. That thought definitely put a damper on his mood, but there was still time. Maybe he’d be able to convince Tony otherwise, the man did say he’d talk to Scott before they left after all. Surely after talking to him he’d realise he wasn’t a bad guy. Annoying yes, bad no. 

The annoying man in question came out to the track at the normal time along with the rest of the group, which Peter was surprised at. From the beating he’d taken, if the bruises were anything to go by, he surely had some kind of internal bleeding so he really shouldn’t have been working out. Then again he had been doing extra PT all week with similar if not worse injuries and managed to conceal them from everyone. It would also look extra suspicious if Wilson let up on Scott now given the rumours about the fight, it was bad enough that he and Peter were allowed to continue training and in the same group. Sam had warned how they’d both be more likely to deal with targeted attacks from other recruits but Peter wasn’t phased. 

He was so unphased he forgot that he was meant to be acting upset but luckily Sam was there to remind him. “What the hell you looking so happy about, Parker? You wanna spend another night in seg?” 

“No sir.” 

“That’s what I thought. Get your ass running.” The man barked, though when the coast was clear he gave Peter a wink. 

“Morning.” Peter said breathlessly as he jogged over to the breakfast table, Sam really had him working extra hard that morning, he was exhausted already. 

“Hiya Sport.” Steve yawned, practically unintelligibly. The blonds eyes weren’t even open as he spoke, leaning his head on one elbow looking dangerously close to slipping and smacking his head. 

“Uh, sorry can I have that in English?” Peter chuckled and reached over to pat the man’s shoulder. “You alright, dude?”

“Hmm?” 

“Steve, you need to get some sleep, man.” 

“I’m fine Peter. I’ll get some sleep tomorrow.” Steve yawned again. 

“Why tomorrow?”

“After we get home.” The man’s eyes started closing again and Peter exchanged a weird look with Thor. 

“Uhh, tomorrow is Saturday. We leave on Monday, remember..?”

“Mm what’s that kiddo?” 

“Uh, nothin’.” Peter shot another disturbed look at Thor since he seemed to be the only one mirroring any concern and the other blond decided to be proactive. 

“Come on my friend, I know you’re not a fan of the stuff but it may be time for you to try drinking one of those red bulls, Hm?” Thor clapped the sleep deprived soldier on the shoulder and beckoned for him to drag himself over to one of the vending machines; for once he didn’t protest. 

Peter watched as Thor helped Steve stumble towards the machine, gnawing his lip. How had the man survived that long with so little sleep? He was ready to have a nervous breakdown after one night with less than eight hours.

“He’s fine, Pete.” Tony said flippantly seeing the concerned look on the teens face but all he received in response was a glare. “Still not talking to me?”

“No.”

“What was that, then?” Tony smirked and Peter growled at him. 

“And why aren’t we talking to Tony today?” Bruce asked casually, smiling to himself. It was rather comedic how every time there was some kind of argument going on within the household, Tony was always involved, if not being the direct cause of said argument he was always somehow in the centre of it. “I have no doubt he deserves it but I’d like to stay up to date with the latest drama. Nat says I have to keep her in the loop with the gossip.”

“Kids mad that I texted his friend for him.”

“But you didn’t just text her did you Tony?!” 

“I’m gonna need a little more context than that.” The doctor chuckled and Peter took that as his chance to get someone of his side about the whole affair- launching into the story of how Tony had deliberately, single handedly ruined his social life and the pair immediately started bickering back and forth; Peter getting angry and Tony finding said anger amusing. 

“I think you’re exaggerating slightly-“

“No I’m not! There was no need to do that! My emails was one thing but that was just- ugh!” With that Peter slammed his tray down and stood up. “I’m going back early.”

“Sure thing kiddo, have fun.” Tony chuckled as Peter stormed off, though he stopped when he looked up to see Bruce staring at him. “What?” 

“You read through all of his texts?”

“Yep.” Tony popped the P and sat back, looking impressed with himself. 

Bruce sighed in frustration. It was obvious Tony felt justified for doing what he did and he could see both points of view, but he definitely leant towards Peter’s side. “Don’t you think that’s a little invasive?”

“Oh it's a lot invasive. But he’s proven this last week that I can’t trust him to tell me when somethings going on with him. I’d rather be controlling that let another situation like that happen. Needs must.” Tony shrugged. As confident as he felt he was glad that Steve was half comatosed, head down on the table, barely conscious as he knew the blond would have plenty to say on the subject. At least with Bruce it wouldn’t end in an argument, though the disappointed look the doctor was giving him made him feel uneasy. 

“Tony if you don’t trust him you’re just gonna end up pushing him-“

“Thank you Doc, I know. I don’t care but thank you for the advice.”

“T come on-“

“Bruce. You’re not gonna win this one, best you quit now while you’re ahead buddy.” Tony winked patronisingly and rose from his seat, clapping a hand on his friend's shoulder who sighed. Of course he knew he went overboard but Peter would forgive him. He felt comfortable in that and a little teenage angst never hurt anyone. 

Peter did end up forgiving him, breaking the ‘not so silent, silent treatment’ thing by lunchtime when he got over excited about the S.W.A.T team drill they got to do with pepper spray and everything. Did Tony apologise? No. Did Peter expect him to? Also no. But if he had learnt anything in the past couple days it was he didn’t have the energy for drama and he certainly didn’t want there to be any animosity between him and his dad. He just hoped that MJ wouldn’t use that little video as blackmail material at every given opportunity but he seriously doubted she’d pass up such an embarrassing gem. It was hard to be angry too when Steve was being so...weird. 

Like, the soldier was bouncing, practically vibrating the entire bench, talking a mile a minute; acting like Peter after one cup of coffee. The boy had never seen him so animated. 

Tony leaned in and whispered to him. “He’s had two cans of red bull, you’d think we’d given him speed. He can’t handle his caffeine.”

The comment made Peter laugh and Tony smirked. “You know when you laugh that means I win, right?”

The next two days came and went very smoothly- almost too smoothly, to the point that everyone was waiting for something to happen. Peter found himself actually enjoying training again, like he had before everything became so utterly complicated. It went back to being fun; pushing his limits, learning new techniques and getting to put them into practise. With the added benefit of people not wanting to mess with him or Scott, there was also a few people in Peter’s subgroup of superhumans who either wanted revenge or to prove themselves by beating the crap out of him, so there was no holding back during sparring sessions and he loved it. There were a few times where Sam looked like he wanted to step in and stop them but Peter could handle himself. 

He still wasn’t allowed his phone, but in all honesty he was happy with that. It meant he had more time to emotionally prepare for the teasing that would come along with talking to his friends again as he had no doubt that MJ showed Ned the video of Tony embarrassing him. The only thing he struggled with was falling asleep without background noise but Tony was nice enough to play some kind of music or video-

“Just none of that ASMR shit, I can’t stand those videos.”

“It’s sensory! It helps my anxiety, don’t judge me.”

“How is hearing people chew sensory?”

“I don’t like those ones! I like the slime and soap cutting ones- just not to watch, ‘cause the knife freaks me out. It always looks like they’re gonna slice their hand-“

“Peter. Go to sleep.”

Finally it was their last day and everyone, bar Peter, couldn’t be happier about it. The teen, of course, was excited to go home but he was going miss the odd amount of freedom he felt; yeah, he was told when and where and what to do constantly, but at the same time he treated like an adult and he was respected. No one there babied him like his team did if anything they did the opposite, he just hoped given recent developments that his housemates would see that and give him a longer leash once they returned home. But going home also meant, hopefully, that he’d be able to avoid his father some. The man was like a shadow, other than when he had to leave his side for training the man was constantly present and it was suffocating. He loved his dad but he couldn’t wait to gain some independence back and some alone time . And possibly if he was lucky; some agent duties. 

It was still up in the air at that point what level within the agency Peter would actually be going home with; it had been a debate amongst the team whether or not he’d be allowed to patrol officially now that he had enrolled. Steve seemed to think they’d have to wait until he’d done several more training courses, whether or not they were done at another facility like the one they were in or in house, but Tony seemed to think they’d be able to bend the rules a little given the circumstances. Peter had already been allowed on official business on more than one occasion, so he was going to see if they could start Peter on patrol on a trial basis, passing it off as part of his training- like work experience. 

It was obvious neither of the adults wanted Peter to start patrolling or going on missions, they both thought he was too young, but he’d proved to them and the higher ups that he was more than capable and physically ready to do so, though given the fight there may be some doubts- but Fury had said that he’d keep the whole thing private, since it had worked out in everyone’s favour. The boy had been training with the Avengers for well over a year and Peter had his fair share of experience before that, fighting the Vulture on his own and all; besides, it was getting to the point where Tony was worried about him sneaking out and fighting crime vigilante style like he used to before the genius caught him in the act, and he’d much prefer sending the boy out on his terms. If Peter was going to go out, he wanted to be in control, knowing where he was and who he’d be fighting. It was the safer option, lesser of two evils and if at the same time he managed to convince Peter that he had more freedom than he actually did that was a bonus. He’d let his son take the easy jobs, the safer ones where he’d be able to keep track of him and be within range to help him should anything go wrong; but at the same time letting him feel as though he was running with the big dogs. It was a win win situation. If he could convince Fury that is.

Peter had been nagging him all day to ask someone about his training and the man was starting to get a headache. “Did you ask yet?”

“No, kid. Not yet.”

“But we’re going home in less than fourteen hours!” The boy was right, they planned to leave fairly early the next day. That’s why he’d already taken the time to say his goodbyes to everyone he deemed important, having gotten a big hug from Shuri when she and her brother left that morning. She’d even slipped her phone number on a piece of paper into his pocket, confirming the idea that they weren’t meant to have contact but also confirming that she wanted to talk to him just as much as he wanted to talk to her. Same thing with Scott, though their goodbye had been a little more emotional. 

“I know. I’ll let you know as soon as I do, we’ve got a lot of other things we need to get sorted before then. Just sit tight-“

“I have been! You said you’d ask Fury yesterday!”

“I’ve-“ Tony was about to justify why he hadn't talked to his boss yet about the boy’s standing within the company, but then he realised he didn’t have to. He was the adult he didn’t have to reason with a teenager. “Look. I said I’ll talk to him and I will.”

“You said that about Scott too and you haven’t-“

“Can it.” Tony said warningly. “And how do you know I haven’t spoken to him, huh?”

“Well he hasn’t told me-“

“Did it ever occur to you that I asked him to keep his big mouth shut for once and he listened- again for once?”

“...no- but you haven’t left me alone for like three days so when did you-“

“You’re not as light of a sleeper as you think you are. Now zip it.”

Peter frowned at that. He was too a light sleeper, even if he did sometimes sleep through his alarm- “But Tony-“

“Look.” Tony sighed, growing increasingly frustrated. “I know you’re excited about possibly getting back out into the field, but even if I got the ok from Fury right this very second, you wouldn’t be able to start the minute we got home anyway. There’s paperwork and legislation and-“

“That’s why I wanna get it out of the way now! The sooner we get past all the boring stuff the sooner I can-“ 

“You won’t be able to do anything if you don’t shut up. Did you forget you’re still grounded? You’re lucky if you get lab time when we get home let alone Spider stuff. If it wasn’t for all the work we had to catch up on you'd be banned for another two weeks.” Tony gave Peter a pointed look that made him shut his mouth and pout. “Eat.” 

Reluctantly Peter did, though he was still itching to push his dad more. He just wanted definitive answers- time frames, was that so much to ask?

He was about to pester Tony some more when he noticed someone approaching their table, it was agent Johnson. Oh crap, what had he done now?

But she didn’t look upset or in any particular mood at all, she didn’t even look at Peter. She made her way across the dining hall and headed straight up to Tony, who turned around just as she stuck her hand out to greet him. “Sorry to interrupt. Mr. Stark, I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you yet-”

Tony stared at her hand for a moment before looking back up, making eye contact. “Oh no, but I know you Miss Johnson. It was you who attempted to hack my security system back in two thousand and twelve, wasn’t it?” 

The woman smiled awkwardly and dropped her hand. Despite the accusation she kept her tone friendly. “Yes sir, it was.”

Tony took a sharp inhale through his nose and stood up. The two adults stared at each other for a tense moment before Tony held out his own hand. “That was some pretty impressive stuff. I understand some of the genetic testing they’ve run on you has helped in aiding some of Dr. Banner’s work.”

“I believe so. Yes.” Daisy spoke unsuredly and raised an eyebrow but shook Tony’s hand anyway, eyeing the man suspiciously clearly wondering where his line of questioning was going.

“This lady helped in developing your super strength drugs, kid.” Tony turned around to look over his shoulder at Peter, gesturing to the agent in front of him. Peter froze at the sudden attention being drawn to him, not expecting it. Had he been he would’ve slurped the noodles off of his chin beforehand. He did so quickly (and messily), offering the woman he was now being formally introduced to a weak smile and small wave. It’s not like he’d just spent two weeks in her class or anything. Tony smirked at his sons awkwardness and turned back towards Skye. “What can I do you for?”

“Fury called. Wanted me to have a word with you regarding a certain project.”

Tony took another sharp inhale through his nose and nodded. His face changed, Peter couldn’t put his finger on the expression, but it was odd. Clearly Tony knew what project she was referring to as he didn’t ask any follow up questions. He simply nodded curtly to the woman, indicating that he’d follow her but before he did he turned back to Peter. 

“Can I trust you alone?” 

The teen pouted and opened his mouth to verbally protest Tony suggesting that he couldn’t be trusted alone for five minutes- he’d been good for the past few days dangit! He hadn’t even tried to swipe his phone back! But before Peter could dig himself into a hole in front of their present company Bucky chimed in, much to the pairs surprise as they hadn’t noticed him appear. The canteen was considerably less crowded as a majority of its usual occupants (at least at their end of the room) had all but left, so Bucky looked a little more at ease in their surroundings. 

“I’ll watch him, been a while since me and the little guy had a proper catch up anyway.”

“Thanks Bucky.” Tony’s eye twitched as he spoke but it was obvious he didn’t have much of a choice. He simply nodded to Bucky and gave Peter a meaningful glare as he turned to follow Johnson out of the room. 

Peter sighed in embarrassment but he supposed given the circumstances it could’ve been worse. He knew what he had signed up for when Tony grounded him and it was worth it if it meant he could have just a little while away from the man. Of course Bucky would report back but he was still more lenient than his dad and Peter didn’t plan on getting into trouble anyway. Everyone else was off doing- well whatever, so he just sat around with Bucky waiting for the man to come back. He always enjoyed listening to the soldiers old war stories and he was so engrossed in them that he didn’t notice that Tony was gone for two whole hours. Bucky had even lead him back to Bruce’s room, where they all seemed to congregate, to continue his story telling where the rest of the Avengers joined them. Tony didn’t return until gone eight and when he did he had a weird, unreadable look on his face that for some reason made Peter feel very uneasy. He’d never seen Tony look so- blank? But stressed at the same time. Had something gone wrong during the meeting? 

Of course when he asked he received a vague, open ended response that was designed to tell him to stop asking questions. So Peter did, albeit reluctantly, though he didn’t fail to notice that his father seemed a lot more withdrawn and distracted for the remainder of the evening; he barely contributed to any conversation, even when Steve fell asleep and Thor was trying to convince Peter to help him draw obscene things on his face with a sharpie. 

“Uhm, hello, Iron Man? You okay with this?” Bruce finally asked after confiscating the pens and spending ten minutes trying to stop Thor putting the man’s hand in warm water. 

“Hm?”

The doctor sighed and put his hands on his hips jokingly. “Can you help me control the kids?” 

The word kids made Tony look up from his phone for the first time in an hour, his eyes falling directly on Peter. “What did you do now?” 

“Hey! It wasn’t me!” Peter cried indignantly but started snickering when behind where Bruce was gesturing Bucky was nodding his head at Thor and giving him the thumbs up, encouraging him to submerge Steve hand in the Lukewarm tap water. 

“Tony do something.” Bruce yawned, having had enough of trying to contain the hyper gods mischief alone for an entire evening. 

Tony looked around boredly for a moment, surveying the chaos and shrugged. “Go ahead Thor. That old trick has been debunked anyway, it doesn’t work“

“It so does work.” Peter chuckled but stopped abruptly when everyone looked at him. “What?”

“Kid I know you love Mythbusters. They’ve tested it. It doesn’t work.”

“Yeah and as the resident physician here, I can confirm the science doesn’t back it up.” Bruce shrugged and gave Peter an odd, amused look. 

“Then how come I- nevermind.” Peter closed his mouth, his face turning a nice shade of pink as his eyes darted around the room looking for an excuse to change the conversation. 

“No no, Pete. Finish your story.” Tony smirked. 

Peter shook his head adamantly. “I said nevermind- Thor maybe you should leave Steve alone.”

“That’s what I thought.” Tony winked to Bruce and returned his focus back to whatever it was he was doing on his phone that was so important. 

“But it’s for science!” Thor whined as Bruce snatched the bowl away. 

“It’s mean.” Bruce sighed. 

“Well we won’t know it’s mean if we don’t test it to see if it works or not!”

Tony couldn't resist butting in. “Well apparently Peter has more experience with-“ 

“Shut up!”

That was when a very drowsy Steve lifted his head up and pointed accusingly at Peter. Then slurred as he yelled; “Hey! Language!”

“Okay I think it’s time we all go to bed. It’s a long drive tomorrow.” Bruce said, forever trying to be the peacekeeper.

Tony nodded in agreement which prompted Bucky and Thor to go over and help Steve up, preparing to drag him to his room but the blond woke up fully, looking startled. He brushed them off insisting he was okay and to go ahead without him. Instead Thor took the liberty of picking Peter up under one arm despite the boy’s shrieks of protest and took him out at the same time, sensing that Steve was hanging back for a reason; probably as he wanted to talk to Tony and Bruce in private. “Come on Spiderling time to go to bed!”

“Quit manhandling me! AH- That tickles!” Peter screamed as he was hoisted over Thor’s shoulder upside down. 

“So what’s the car situation for tomorrow? Just so I can emotionally prepare.” Bruce asked once everyone else was out of earshot.