Work Text:
Peter drags his feet as he steps off the elevator and into the penthouse, barely putting effort into throwing his backpack toward the stairs. He was too upset to actually climb them so he could properly put his things away in his bedroom. The teen had a bad day. A really bad one. Every moment spent outside a class, especially at lunch time, bullies had picked on him. Tripping him, throwing food at him, stuffing him in the tall lockers...if they could think it, they did it. Of course there was never a single faculty member in sight when it all happened so Peter had to endure it like he always did.
He really needed one of his parents right now.
When he turned into the living room though, he didn't see either of them. Just Natasha, Steve, Bucky, and Vision. The android and Bucky were reading, the captain drawing, and Natasha had a tv show on that she was half paying attention to as she spoke quietly with Steve. Peter could have easily picked up their conversation from where he was standing, but that took effort that he didn't want to use.
"Where's Mom and Dad?" Peter asks hoarsely and clears his throat.
Steve looks up at him and frowns at the poorly hidden look of distress on the teen's face. "Tony was dragged away by Pepper for something SI related, and Stephen had some Sorcerer Supreme business to attend to."
Peter visibly slumps at the words and Bucky sits up from his resting spot against the arm of the couch. "What's wrong kid?"
"Nothing. I'm fine."
The teen turns when he feels tears threatening to spill over, and then stiffens when he hears someone stand and approach him. Peter did not want to deal with anyone hovering. He childishly wanted the comfort of one of his parents, but neither were available. It made him even more upset. Sixteen years old and he was looking to his parents when he had a bad day at school? He didn't think he could get any more pathetic.
"Baby spider." Natasha says softly and makes him turn back so she can pull him into a tight embrace. "Bad day?"
Peter could only nod as his tears finally slipped free. It was no use trying to hide anything from the assassin because she would see though his lie in a heartbeat, so he just accepted the little bit of comfort she offered. Natasha wasn't nearly as cuddly as Stephen, but she led him back over to the couch she had been occupying earlier so she can sit down and pull him down with her so he could lay down and lay his head in her lap. Steve and Bucky kindly returned to what they were doing before to keep Peter from any further embarrassment (though Bucky periodically looked at him with a protective gleam in his eyes), and Vision had lain a blanket over him after getting a glass of water from the kitchen. He sets the glass on the coffee table in front of the teen as Natasha combs his hair with her fingers, and Peter releases a half-content sigh before closing his eyes.
The comfort wasn't from his parents, but it would do. Natasha's smell of leather and gunpowder threw the teen off since he was so accustomed to Stephen's smell, that he couldn't fully relax. Yes, Nat was safe, but she wasn't home. Stephen had a gentle smell that enveloped him whenever they cuddled, and Tony had strong hands that knew just where to kneed away stiff muscles. Either way, Peter relaxed enough to fall into a light doze, but with Nat he could at least relax and enjoy the fingers in his hair.
Peter focused on the scratching of a pencil against paper, the periodic sounds of a page turning, and whatever tv show Natasha had on. He didn't care enough to focus on it to figure out what it was.
"Nat..." Steve suddenly whispers and Peter picks up a growl from Bucky.
The captain must have pointed because Natasha's hand moved from his hair down to his chin to gently tilt it. "Mama Bear is not going to be happy." She says. "Who gave you this bruise ребенок паук?"
"Doesn't matter." Peter mumbles.
Natasha left it alone. She wasn't happy about the bruise either, but she couldn't force the teen to tell her who had done it. Even if he did, there wasn't much she could do about it.
"Perhaps some ice will help?" Vision questions but the teen keeps his eyes closed as he waves in the android's general direction.
"Its okay Vis. It'll heal in a few hours. Thanks though."
Everyone kept quiet after that, save for a protective growl here and there whenever (Peter assumed) Bucky looked back at the bruise. It was a good thing the rest of the bruises he got today were hidden by his clothes because Peter was pretty sure the soldier was one more bruise away from looking for the one responsible and wiping the floor with them. Bucky was like a protective older brother at times, which was a little weird in Peter's mind because Steve and Nat were like an aunt and uncle. Everyone was a collection of aunt's and uncle's, but Bucky and Wanda? They somehow were placed in the older siblings category. Bucky was very briefly an uncle but at some point Peter changed it, but he couldn't say when. It just happened.
Vision was different. He was just Vision. Not quite uncle material but not exactly sibling material either.
A couple more hours pass, and Peter was feeling a little better when he heard the unmistakable sound of a magic portal opening. Stephen's natural smell immediately settles over the teen when the sorcerer steps into the living room and closes the portal behind him, and Peter finally relaxed fully. He didn't bother opening his eyes until the man walked over to Peter and Natasha, and that was only when a gentle trembling hand brushes a loose strand of hair away from the teen's face.
"Bullies?" Stephen asks in his low baritone and Peter gives him a single nod. "Make room."
The vigilante lifts his head from Natasha's lap and sits up while Levi leaves Stephen's shoulders so he can sit where Peter's feet had been. Once the doctor settles, Peter instantly snuggles into his arms and tucks his head under Stephen's chin and Levi drapes over him, completely covering him and hiding him from sight. Natasha rolls her eyes when the sorcerer stretches his legs out over her lap, but says nothing as she returns her attention to her show and sets her own feet up on the coffee table.
It only took Peter a few minutes to drop off to sleep, his light snores a clear indication.
"He came home upset." Steve elaborates after a couple of minutes and Stephen glances at him.
"I could tell something was wrong the moment I got here."
Bucky snorts. "Mama Bear senses were tingling?"
Stephen sighs. "Barnes, if you start that--"
Natasha looks up from texting on her phone. "Oh...so I shouldn't have sent a group text about it?"
"I hate you."
Tony had arrived minutes later and made a beeline to the couch when he saw Stephen on it with a very identifiable lump on top of him. Whenever Levi was hiding the teen completely, it always meant Peter had been in distress. It didn't happen very often, not even during sensory overloads (when the cloak only covered him a little bit) because it was more of an emotional tactic. It was the teen's way of blocking out the world and seeking comfort from whoever he was curled against. He always managed to make himself smaller during those times.
"He's still clinging?" Tony asks as he carefully moves the cloak away to check on their sleeping son. He then glares at Levi when it smacks his hand away and covers the teen again. "Was that really necessary Stephanie?"
Stephen chuckles softly. "That wasn't me. The cloak is sentient." He then motions toward Natasha. "Natasha was coddling him until about ten minutes ago when I got home."
"Nat doesn't mother hen. She's too cold hearted." Tony grins when the woman smacks his leg in retaliation.
"I'd threaten not to bother trying to help your kid next time but I like Peter too much. He's the baby." Natasha says with an indignant sniff.
"Any chance I can add to that cuddle pile? I've been in meetings all day and could go for some snuggling myself."
Tony shrugs off his blazer and throws it at Steve's face, who gives him an unimpressed glance as the billionaire sits on the couch when the sorcerer carefully makes room for him, and then sneaks a hand under Levi to massage the tight muscles in Peter's back. The cloak at first moved as if it were going to slap Tony away, but then it stopped and settled again when Stephen gave it a look. The doctor telepathically telling it to calm down. Levi liked Tony, but it liked Peter more and never had a problem with smacking everyone away to protect Peter. It had tried that once with its master and Stephen had punished it by locking it in the closet. Levi never tried that again. It actually looked sullen when the sorcerer finally let it out, and now Stephen was trying a more gentle approach regarding its behavior with Tony. It only lashed out at the engineer when it came to something emotionally serious. Levi thankfully stayed back when Peter was physically hurt because it knew it would be in the way. Unless it was asked to help of course.
"Is the glass of water still on the table?" The teen asks from under the cloak, and both parents roll their eyes when Levi grabs the water and gives it to Peter. "Thanks Levi."
Steve bursts into laughter when the cloak gently pats Peter's head as the teen drinks his water, and presses his fist into his mouth to stifle it as Levi returns the empty glass to the table. Even Bucky looked close to losing it himself, but was doing a good job of keeping it together. Vision and Natasha were unaffected. In fact, Vision didn't pay them any mind. He had also been one to keep an eye on Peter when the teen first got home and settled on Natasha's lap, but once Stephen got home, he put his full attention back on his book. If he was needed, they would let him know, but otherwise Peter was in good hands.
"Do you have homework cub?" Stephen asks as he gently cards his fingers through brown waves.
"Just some math."
"You wanna talk about what happened today?" The engineer inquires.
"No. There's no point talking to the school again either." The teen says when Tony opens his mouth.
Tony sighs instead. "If they draw blood again, I'm going in."
"...fine."
Bucky moves to his feet and hovers near the covered teen, knowing not to try and touch him with the way the cloak was reacting. "How do cookies sound kid?"
"Great. If you keep the peppermint out."
"I think I can manage something." The ex-soldier says with a smile and stalks off into the kitchen with Nat getting up to follow. She always liked eating the cookie dough.
"Feeling better?" The doctor asks.
"No." Peter wraps his arms around Stephen. "I'm comfy."
"I am too Underoos. Who cares about Mom."
Stephen glares up at Tony and pinches his thigh, only for Peter to yelp. "Sorry Spiderling. I thought that was your father."