Archive of Our Own

“I don’t like spiders.”

“What do you mean you don’t like spiders? Are you crazy? Are you just messing with me?”

“No, I’m being completely sincere here. I don’t like spiders. They’re creepy and their legs look like they’re just sticks poking out of their body. I don’t even know how they manage to move them. It’s disgusting.”

“I can’t believe you don’t like spiders. It’s like I’d say I don’t like ironing my clothes.”

“Do you like ironing your clothes?”

“No, but that’s beside the point.”

Tony looked at the kid from his spot beside him on the edge of a rooftop and took in the image of the childlike superhero. Spider-man’s legs were dangling over the edge with no known rhythms. His masked face was pointed in the direction of the city below them. It was honestly a beautiful evening. The Sun was already gone and the sky was dark and covered in passing clouds. Nothing major. The lights coming from the buildings and offices all over the city looked like stars – probably – and frankly, Tony enjoyed the view.

It was a slow week. Nothing major happening and nothing interesting to report. The Avengers were scattered on their own missions, having the time of their life while all Tony had to do was build stuff and help Pepper with the company he appointed to her. Sure, the company was still his, but it was never something he cared much about. Pepper was there to take care of everything that Tony was too stubborn to do. She was the one running the company for years now… Tony was just the man at the top who’s name was on every product. Or was it his father’s name? Ugh, whatever.

So it was a boring week, but the highlights of it all were his time spent with Pepper alone and the conversations with Spidey. Actually, Spidey and Tony hadn’t met until the beginning of the week. Spider-man was still kind of new in the streets of New York. His appearances were random and the criminals he took down were mainly regular people who just decided to rob banks or start a shooting at a random café. So Tony wasn’t too interested in the guy until Spider-man showed up at the Tower. Well, actually he was sticking to one of the widows of Tony’s living room, which made the man jump so high in alarm that FRIDAY asked if one of his suits should get to him.

Seeing as Spider-man was a stranger and someone Tony knew close to nothing about, he let him into his home without a second thought. Naturally. The vigilante crawled in through the now open window and immediately started apologizing about coming in like that to Tony’s home. The only thing Tony got from all of that, though, was that the guy behind the mask was a kid. Because NO ONE has such a high-pitched voice as an adult. Maybe. Probably. Hopefully?

It turned out all the kid wanted was to make more web fluids because he ran out of webs in the middle of his patrol and his home, where he kept his own material, was too far away. Spider-man wasn’t sure whether Tony would actually let him use his labs for something like that, it was obvious by the way his shoulders relaxed at Tony’s agreement. Honestly, Tony couldn’t just leave this kid with no way of going back home. Besides, maybe he wanted to see what the webs were made of. And maybe he wanted to learn more about the kid behind the mask.

He didn’t tell all of that to Spider-man. It wasn’t important. He just led the kid to his lab and watched as Spider-man worked with the chemicals he needed. He noticed the kid glancing his way from time to time, as if asking permission to touch, work or create things in Tony’s personal space. But it was very unnecessary, seeing as Tony was beyond impressed by the kid’s work.

Seeing as the kid had a lot of work ahead of him, Tony used the time to inspect Spider-man’s web-shooters. The devices were small and clearly poorly made from scraps. They were good and genius, don’t get him wrong. But they could be better. A lot better. Studying the tech, Tony made mental notes about what he would have done better. What he would have changed.

So, naturally, the next day Tony found Spider-man sitting on a rooftop, relaxed. He wasn’t planning on staying long. He only wanted to give Spider-man the new web-shooters he had created all night. They were made of nanotechnology so the kid could wear them without them looking out of place. Spider-man’s reaction to them was… Tony had no words. The kid bounced with excitement at the sight of his gift. He tested them around Tony for a while, giving Tony some extra notes about bugs the tech had, but other than that, they worked perfectly. And then the kid managed to drag Tony into a long conversation about nanotechnology until sirens sounded from a few blocks away and Spider-man thanked him once more and left the mechanic all by himself.

Tony met Spider-man every day since then. He improved the web-shooters and let the kid test them out. He even invited Spidey to his lab again so they could work on the web fluids. Tony wasn’t an expert when it came to chemistry, but he knew well enough to be able to have a couple of ideas for the webs. The kid was hesitant at first about coming to Avengers Tower again, but he caved in pretty quickly. Apparently geeking over science with Tony Stark was more important than pretty much everything else.

And now, a week later, they were sitting on the same rooftop, talking about how Spider-man hated spiders. It was so ridiculous, it made Tony feel content. The kid was still secretive around him, but it was okay. Tony didn’t mind the kid’s secret identity that much. He wasn’t close enough to care. Honestly, Tony could do with a little ridiculous right now.

The image of Spider-man playing with a bunch of spiders popped to his mind and he had to hide his amusement before the kid noticed it. Spidey’s eyes scanned the city before he turned to look at Tony. The man wished he could tell what the vigilante was thinking about, but it was impossible with the mask intact. Not that he was about to scold the kid for keeping a secret identity. It made sense. Tony was just impulsive and self-centered. Keeping a secret like being Iron-man was something he simply couldn’t do. Not for over ten minutes, at least. Spidey was better at that, though.

“I don’t think you remember what your point was, Mr. Stark.” The kid said, voice mocking. He was probably smirking under that red mask of him, the little pest.

Tony simply rolled his eyes and sniffed. “How come you don’t like spiders? Why would you choose them as your theme if you don’t like them? Is that, like, reverse psychology or something? Are you trying to see whether you’ll get over your fear of them that way? ‘Cause it sounds stupid to me, no offence.”

Spidey huffed. “Offence taken.” He put a hand against his chest and glared at Tony with his black lenses. God, they were horrible. “And it’s not reverse psychology. A spider was just the thing that turned me into this.” He shrugged.

Hold up.

“You never told me how you got your powers, now that I think about it.”

He could practically HEAR Spider-man’s wide smile. “You never asked.” And just like that he stood up, saluted with two fingers, and swinged away and towards some kind of lame danger in the distance. Tony watched him from his place before frowning. Alright, he would have to ask him about it next time, then. Maybe the kid will actually explain things.

After Tony stopped drinking alcohol every five seconds Pepper came with the idea of coffee. He liked her homemade coffees even if sometimes they were too bitter or sweet. But at some point she got tired of making him coffees at least three times a day and sent him out to look for a good enough coffee shop.

Honestly, Tony would have been upset had it not been for the café he’d found. It was the eighth one he’d tried and, to be honest, the coffee wasn’t the best either. But the moment he stepped into the shop the first thing he worried about was being swarmed by fans or haters again. And because of that fear he realized the café had barely three other costumers. Great. So he would only have to deal with the waiter.

And then this reality came crumbling down as well when Tony stepped towards the counter and found himself face to face with a child. Well, it was a teenager, but he was so young, he couldn’t have been older than, maybe, sixteen. Which… yeah, he was pretty sure it was illegal.

When the kid’s eyes landed on Tony the only indication of realization was the widening of his eyes. Then the kid schooled his expression into a relaxed smile that was so sincere it took Tony off guard. He was used to people plastering on fake smiles during their jobs, but… maybe it was because the child was young. Whatever it was, he was genuine.

“How may I help you, sir?” He asked, his brown eyes glinting in the dimmed lights of the shop. He typed in Tony’s order quickly, not asking for an autograph or about Iron-man’s last appearance. Instead he questioned whether Tony wanted the coffee to go or not. To Tony’s surprise, he answered that he wanted to drink it there. There was just something about this kid… the same kid who grinned at him and nodded before looking back down at the screen in front of him. “Name? For the order, sir?” He stared back up at Tony and something in the way he looked at him made Tony realize he was doing this on purpose.

People around were still busy with their own stuff but calling for Tony Stark to pick up his coffee would make them all look up and notice him. Huh… who knew kids could be smart like that?

So Tony thought about it for one moment. “Thomas Addison.”

The kid blinked up at him before rolling his eyes, smile indicating he was amused. “Right, Mr. Addison. Your order will be right up. Why don’t you take a seat while you wait? There’s a quiet table right there. Just be sure to stand up if you need anything ‘cause it’s right out of sight.”

Tony was about tell the kid he could choose his own table, thank you very much, but then he glanced back at the table he was referring to and he found that it was just out of sight from the rest of the shop, hidden behind huge plants. It was perfect for Tony.

He smirked. “Thanks, kid.” And just like that he disappeared in his quiet little corner. Soon enough, the kid showed up with Tony’s coffee. He put it on the table in front of the man and caught his eyes before making sure Tony didn’t need anything else. Tony feared the kid would still come to him too many times, but he didn’t. He stayed away when he wasn’t needed and only came to check up on Tony once.

When the kid came again to make sure Tony was fine the mechanic read the name written on the tag attached to the kid’s green uniform. Danny Pan. “What, like Peter Pan?” He teased and the kid stared at him in alarm for one moment before he seemed to realize what Tony was referring to. He chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck.

“It’s… yeah, it is exactly like that, actually.” He nodded, shy smile intact. Then he stumbled backwards. “I’m gonna go check on the others, then. Enjoy your coffee, Mr. Addison, sir.”

Tony lifted one eyebrow at that. The kid knew that the coffee was long gone – he suggested bringing a glass of water to Tony once the man refused to go away just yet – and that Tony wasn’t actually called Thomas Addison. So what the heck was he doing? Actually, maybe it was a sign for Tony to leave. So he put a fifty-dollar bill on the table and left, thinking that the coffee wasn’t good enough for him to come back, and yet knowing he would still return to this specific café because he wanted to know more about the young child.

He knew Danny Pan was too young to work. He knew the owner of the place shouldn’t have even employed him, but the kid was charming and Tony realized after a while that most of the regulars of the place came to see the kid. He was always so sweet and welcoming, people felt like they could relax around the shop. Honestly, Tony felt that way too.

After Tony showed up at the café once when the kid didn’t have his shift, he made sure to check when the kid’s shifts were. He didn’t go to the little place for the coffee, after all. He confronted Danny about his young age only once and the kid simply denied him being underage. He didn’t tell Tony how old he was, though. He only moved on to a different subject.

Every time Tony came into the shop he gave Danny a different name. Steve Jobs, George Bush, Harold Shipman…

“Harold Shipman?” Danny questioned him when Tony threw the name in his face without thinking. And… yeah. It wasn’t the greatest idea, going by the name of a serial killer. “Should I be worried, sir?” He tipped his head to the side and Tony shrugged.

“The only thing you should be worried about, kid, is the coffee in this place. I think I’m beginning to have allergic reactions to it. I’m serious. It’s horrible.”

Danny laughed at that and shook his head from side to side, his curls moving along. “Why do you keep on coming, then?”

And Tony didn’t have an answer to that, so he just rolled his eyes and went back to his table; a place where he could spy on others, mainly Danny Pan, and others couldn’t see him.

At some point he found out Danny was smart. Like… SMART. Genius, Tony might even say. Heck, he would probably end up being better than Tony himself and for once Tony didn’t mind being outdone by a teenager. Or another person. Danny just came up to him to ask if he wanted anything when Tony had some equation on the table, demanding his attention. The kid took one look at it before he pointed at the problem Tony was too tired to notice. And from that moment Tony kept on pestering him about science. Danny didn’t even seem to mind. He just rolled with it. Sometimes he even sat down next to Tony to have a full-on conversation with the man, but this happened only when the café was completely empty.

One time Tony found Danny talking to some other kid excitedly when he entered the shop. There wasn’t anyone else around but the two of them and himself. He thought the other kid was just another costumer who got along with Danny, but the way they interacted made it obvious they knew each other.

So naturally, Tony strolled up to the counter and cleared his throat. The two teenagers turned to him. Danny smiled at him, already comfortable around him after admitting to internally freak out at Tony’s Stark’s appearance during his first time the café. The other kid’s mouth dropped to the floor, though. He blinked at Tony before looking at his friend and then back at the billionaire.

“You’re Tony Stark.” He blurted out, bluntly.

Tony quirked on eyebrow while Danny squeaked. “Ned!”

His friend, Ned, turned to Danny with wide eyes, his finger pointing at Tony as if the man couldn’t see it. “That’s Tony Stark, dude!” He exclaimed, louder this time around. “How come you’re not freaking out?! I thought you said he was, like, your favorite Avenger.”

Well, THAT was interesting alright. Tony smirked in Danny’s way but the kid only buried his burning face in both hands, grumbling to himself before looking over his fingers at his friend, his eyes glaring daggers.

“First of all, he’s a regular here, which you should know because I told you about it, like, a month ago. And second of all, I don’t like Iron-man. I like Tony Stark. You know, science’s awesome.” He almost whispered the second part of the sentence, but Tony could hear it.

He took a sit on one of the stools in front of the counter, next to Ned and stared at Danny with narrowed eyes. “Alright, I’m flattered, but what do you mean you don’t like Iron-man??”

Danny gave a helpless shrug. “I just really don’t like violence… and you kind of started this whole thing by killing someone. So…” He chuckled awkwardly and then looked back at his friend as if begging for help. When the kid didn’t do anything, Danny sighed. “Mr. Stark, meet my best friend, Ned. Ned, this is Tony Stark.”

They shook hand and Tony pretended not to hear Ned’s excited squeak. Or the way he whispered to Danny about how he was never going to wash his hand ever again. It was actually kind of amusing how Danny kept on apologizing for his friend’s behavior after Ned left them alone.

So… yeah. Tony liked the coffee shop because of Danny Pan. Can you blame him?

The coffee shop was empty when Tony stepped inside, coat covering his shoulders. It was almost snowing outside and he actually regretted not going out in his suit that kept him warm. But showing up in Queens with the Iron-man suit was probably a terrible idea.

Warmth embraced him the moment he stepped inside, making him feel so much better. He breathed a sigh of relief and went towards the counter. Danny was the only one present and he looked up at Tony with a welcoming smile. On the counter in front of him was a notebook he wrote in. Tony managed to read a couple of equations before Danny slammed it shut.

“Doing homework?” Tony teased and the kid’s ears burned bright as he shoved the notebook away from him.

Clearing his throat and putting on his most innocent look, Danny stared at Tony with wide, doe eyed. “Are you implying that I managed to hack the system and created myself a new identity only so I’d be able to work at a café that doesn’t pay much?” He stretched his smile and leaned on the counter. “Actually, if I was as young as you think, say… fifteen? That would have actually been kind of impressive.”

Fifteen? The kid looked no more than twelve. Ugh, whatever. Tony just lifted his hands and surrendered. “Whatever you say, kid. Just give me some coffee and maybe a couple of cookies and I might just forget about you teasing a respectable, loyal costumer.”

Danny laughed and typed quickly the order. “Name?”

“Spider-man.” Tony replied and when Danny glanced up at him with a quirked eyebrow the man only shrugged. “What? Because Harold Shipman is better?” Apparently the kid didn’t have anything to say to that, so he just took an empty cup and scribbled Spider-man on the side before turning away to make the coffee. Tony used the time to check the notebook again. It was a chemistry notebook with some impressive equations right next to what clearly were the kid’s homework. So… some of the stuff inside was a part of Danny’s education and the rest were the kid’s own skills. Tony wasn’t the best at chemistry but even he could tell it was impressive. More than impressive.

A yelp alerted Tony’s senses and he found himself tearing his eyes from the notebook before jumping over the counter to get to Danny’s side. His nanotech glove was already formed around his hand and he pointed it forward, ready to blast whatever or whoever it was to pieces… but there was nobody there. He narrowed his eyes and turned to look at Danny who’s eyes were still focused on the wall before him, right above the coffee machine. He didn’t say a word, just pointed his finger at a little dot on the wall and when Tony stepped towards it he found himself dumbfounded.

There were no aliens. No robbers. Not even old ladies with sticks. There was only a small spider on the wall, walking aimlessly on his little, thin legs. Tony dropped his hand and blinked at the spider before turning to look at Danny. The kid was pale and shivering, his hands balled into fists and his eyes wide and terrified. The first thing that popped into Tony’s mind was an anxiety attack because that was what Tony looked like when he had one.

Turning back towards the spider, Tony took a napkin and used it to move the spider. He waited patiently for the spider to climb onto the napkin before walking out the door of the shop, throwing the napkin in a trash can, and walking back in. Danny was still staring at the water but now his left hand rubbed the back of his right one as if there was something there, something he tried wiping off.

Carefully, Tony jumped over the counter again and put his hand on the kid’s shoulder, making him startle for a moment before relaxing under the touch and shaking his head. “Hey, are you okay, kiddo?”

Slowly, Danny nodded. “Y-yeah. Sorry.” He blinked a couple of times and then turned to look at Tony, cheeks red with embarrassment and hands fidgeting. “I just don’t like spiders.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” Tony snorted. He led Danny towards a chair and let the kid slump down in defeat. His limbs seemed numb and lifeless as he just stared up at Tony like a little child, not sure what to do next. “Plenty of people have some sort of phobia regarding spiders. Totally normal and fine.”

Danny nodded along with his words. “Sorry.” He muttered again. “A spider bit me once. It was terrible. I was sick for almost a week. Terrible fever. Everything hurt like crazy… my aunt is a nurse so she took care of me even though my uncle wanted to take me to hospital. It was… I don’t remember much of it. Mostly just the pain.” He shook his head, as if trying to push the memory away.

Tony had no idea what a spider bite felt like, but it sounded goddamn awful. He was intrigued about the kid’s family. He wanted to ask FRIDAY to search everything about him, but he was pretty sure the kid wouldn’t be thrilled about it. Besides, it was none of his business.

On the other hand, sitting in an empty coffee shop with an alarmed teenager and trying to calm them down wasn’t a thing he normally bothered himself with as well. So maybe knowing who the kid really was wasn’t such a terrible idea after all?

He sat with Danny and talked to him for a couple of hours. For some reason the kid thanked Tony for not killing the spider, “I don’t like violence” The kid claimed with a shrug. The shop was surprisingly empty most of the time and when a costumer did show up Danny managed to mumble his responses pretty easily until they left Tony and him alone. When Tony left the kid’s shift was already over so they left together. Tony suggested driving the kid back to his house but Danny refused. “I’m not telling you where I live. Besides, I was told not to trust strangers, Mr. Spider-man, sir.” The kid teased with a wide smile before setting off. So Tony just rolled his eyes and made his way back towards Avengers Tower.

Banner was in his room, asleep. Rogers was reading some old book about the war, as if he hadn’t had enough just yet. Romanoff was lounging in the living room on the sofa, watching some Russian movie. Really, that was it. Pepper was in Tokyo, in some business trip, and the rest were on their own little missions or whatever. Tony didn’t bother to check. He just sat beside Romanoff and enjoyed the film. Or… tried. It was in Russian, after all.

Half an hour after she started the second movie in a row a loud knock made Tony look up. Romanoff didn’t even flinch. Looking around, Tony’s eyes fell on the bright figure clinging to his window, mask in place. He frowned before standing up and telling FRIDAY to open the window. Spider-man jumped inside right away, walking up to Tony. It was strange because the vigilante stayed away from the Tower most of the time. Tony tried dragging him up here, but Spidey refused, claiming he had other things to do and didn’t have the time.

Well… he must have finally made some space in his oh-so-tight schedule.

Without letting Tony say even one word, Spidey shoved a printed picture of a man with black hair and dark eyes. It was somewhat blurry, as if taken in a rush, but the face was clear enough. “I need you to find him, Stark.”

Alright, something was wrong. Something was very wrong. Even Romanoff noticed it because she paused the movie and glanced over at the two of them with something akin to curiosity in her eyes. What caught Tony off guard was the vigilante’s voice. It was tense and low and almost sounded like a growl. He sounded beyond upset. Mad. Angry. Pissed off.

Tony took the picture and examined it, trying to come up with something to say to the kid. He didn’t know what was going on. He didn’t know what to say or do. But the kid seemed distressed or… or something. He wished he could see his face to observe his actual expression but it was impossible.

He cleared his throat. “Hello to you too, Spidey.” He said lightly. The kid’s only reaction was a groan of irritation. Geez, what was wrong with him? “And who exactly is that? Since when do you ask for help?”

“Since the moment I realized I don’t have any time to waste. Can you find him or not? If not just say so and I’d go.” His lenses were focused on Tony’s face before he sighed and walked towards the window again. “Forget it. I knew it was a waste of time.” And before Tony could tell him to wait, the kid jumped out the window and out of sight.

Tony turned to look at Romanoff. “That was weird, right? That wasn’t just me seeing thing.”

The woman only shrugged and turned back to her movie.

The next time Tony saw Spider-man was six days later, during one of the kid’s patrols. He was swinging around Queens without resting even once so Tony understood he couldn’t just wait for him on their roof. He had to actually fly to the vigilante and make him hear him out.

Frankly, the kid seemed off. He snapped at Tony when the man tried to make him sit down for one moment and looked tense and closed off for some reason. Tony decided to forgive him, though, seeing as he had plenty of questions to ask Spidey and he wanted answers pretty badly. So he drummed his fingers carefully, quietly observing the irritated kid.

When Spidey started snapping at him again – something about wasting his time when he had a job to do – Tony pulled the picture the kid gave him last time and showed it to Spider-man, assessing his reaction. The kid shut up and stared at the piece of paper before turning his attention back to Tony.

“Thomas Raid. Forty-three-year-old. Lives in Queens. He’s divorced and has a criminal record that got him arrested twice for a few years. Nothing major.” At that the kid’s shoulders rose in what Tony assumed was defiance. “No one’s seen him in about a week now.”

Spider-man took the picture of the Raid from Tony’s hand and tore it to pieces without saying a word. Then he balled it all to a ball and stood up. “Thanks.” He mumbled.

Tony tugged on his hand, though, pulling the kid back down. Spider-man landed on the edge with a thump, huffing and glaring at Tony through his terrible black lenses. Goggles. Whatever. It was a monstrosity. But Tony didn’t mind because he wanted to understand. The kid never seemed so… adamant about anything. He was always light-headed and cheerful. Now he seemed sour and bitter. Something was going on behind the scenes and Tony didn’t like it.

Maybe Tony’s own mood had something to do with Danny Pan. The kid hadn’t showed up ever since that thing with the spider on the wall. When Tony asked the kid’s boss about it he was told there was some family emergency going on and that the kid quit the job. That was it. When Tony wanted to find out what was going on he realized he still didn’t have the kid’s actual name so he used FRIDAY to hack into the system and then looked for kids from New York, probably Queens, who would answer Tony’s description. FRIDAY showed him pictures until he found a match.

Peter Benjamin Parker. Fifteen; his birthday was two weeks ago. His parents died in a plane crash when he was barely five years old and he moved to live with aunt and uncle. It was all going on fine with him – his grades were excellent, his Decathlon team won nationals and he was smart enough to create himself a new personality to get a job – until his guardians were found dead. There were gun holes indicating someone had murdered them. It happened in the street, outside their apartment building. The day Danny- PETER freaked out about the spider.

Tony couldn’t imagine walking home from work only to find your only family members dead out on the street. The police didn’t know what happened because when they got to the scene Peter Parker was the only person around and he told them he knew nothing about the person who had shot his aunt and uncle.

From there Peter got into the system. He was currently in some group home, waiting to turn eighteen and get himself a life. Tony wanted to go and visit him but Pepper made him rethink the whole thing. Maybe the kid didn’t want to see him now? Maybe he wanted to start anew with nothing holding him back from the past? Maybe he was still in too much pain?

“Hold up, kid.” Tony returned Spider-man’s stare without any hesitation. A kid couldn’t scare him away. Not just like that, anyway. “Why did you want the information? What’s so special about Raid?”

Spidey freed his hand from Tony’s hold and looked away. “None of your business, Stark.” He answered and before Tony could grab a hold of him once again, he jumped onto his feet. “It’s personal.” His voice sounded dangerously low. “And his going to pay.”

“That sounds a lot like – “ Tony didn’t get to finish his sentence before Spider-man swinged away and out of sight, leaving Tony confused and worried. The mechanic sighed and looked down at the screen of his phone. Well, at least now he had a tracker on the kid just in case. “Revenge.” Tony mumbled under his breath and flew back to the Tower.

“There’s a kid at the lobby, Boss.” FRIDAY informed Tony suddenly. It had been only one day since his terribly short conversation with Spider-man on that roof and, honestly, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. That didn’t mean Tony simply forgot about Peter Parker. He asked FRIDAY to alert him every time a kid around his age showed up at the Tower. It happened so many times, Tony actually wanted to tell her to stop. Apparently parents who worked for him liked bringing their hormonal kids to his Tower. Go figure.

But, as always, Tony told FRIDAY to display the footage from the lobby. He was desperate for any sort of information about the kid. He was mostly worried because he knew how hard it was to lose your only family members just like that at such a young age, and Peter seemed like such a good kid… he wanted to make sure he was alright. But he figured, the best he could actually do for the kid was to let him come to him if he actually needed anything. In hopes that the kid knew he could trust Tony with whatever.

He scanned the footage once and sighed. No Peter Parker in sight. There were plenty of business men, secretaries and guests but no familiar brown curls. He was about to dismiss the feed when his eyes fell on the teenager FRIDAY spotted. He was standing awkwardly in the middle of the lobby, looking everywhere with wonder in his eyes and a backpack on his back. He seemed lost and yet comfortable in the lobby of Avengers Tower to the point where Tony wondered if people were going to actually move him out of there anytime soon.

But overall, he was familiar. He remembered excited chatter, a handshake, adoration. That was Peter’s friend. What was his name again? He quickly asked FRIDAY to bring up everything she had about the kid and his eyes scanned the lines of information quickly. Ned Leeds. Goes to Midtown, Peter’s school. His grades were amazing – not as great as Peter’s, but certainly good enough to be called remarkable. The only thing not written in there was how close he was to Peter Parker, and that was something Tony could tell for himself.

So, obviously, he asked FRIDAY to lead the kid to him. He had to wait a couple of minutes before the elevator dinged and a bewildered Ned stumbled out, his eyes trained on Tony with so much enthusiasm, he looked like he was going to combust. But then his face turned grim and he ran towards Tony, his backpack tilting back and forth.

“Mr. Stark, sir?” He whizzed. “You probably don’t remember me, but – “

“Mr. Leeds. Parker’s friend. How may I help you? If you want an internship I’m sad to inform you that we don’t take high-schoolers. You should wait till college before filling an application.”

Ned blinked up at him. “Awesome.” He mumbled and then shook his head and bounced on his legs anxiously. Honestly, it gave Tony a headache jus tot watch. “No, it’s about Peter, actually. I think he’s in trouble.”

That made the man frown. Ned blinked and then shook his head again before waving his hands like a mad man.

“No, like… he’s not going to get hurt. I think he’s just… I think he might try and kill someone.” The boy winced. For some reason Tony felt even worse, hearing those words. It shouldn’t have worked this way since he could still recall Peter’s genuine smiles and contagious laughter, but… something nagged at the back of his brain, insisting on telling Tony to remember that Peter COULD kill someone easily. It made no sense. It was like his brain figured something out that Tony wasn’t aware of just yet.

Brains, right?

Ned fidgeted with his hands restlessly, looking at Tony’s workshop like it was some kind of a secret, magical cave. Honestly, Tony couldn’t care less. He was too hung up on the fact that this kid, who was according to Peter himself the teenager’s best friend, said Peter was going to kill someone. Even without actually grasping the idea Tony knew who the kid had in mind. Someone just murdered his aunt and uncle, right? So Peter would be after him. But the reports claimed no one knew who killed them. There were no witnesses. Peter was too late in the scene.

Or maybe… maybe that wasn’t exactly the case. Tony turned his back on Ned and pulled up everything he had about the murder. Ben and May Parker were the victims. Ben Parker was the brother of Richard Parker, Peter’s father. They were both raising Peter for years now because the kid had no one else but them in the world, which… yeah, it was rather depressing.

Police reports confirmed that the only people found on the scene of the crime were Ben, May and Peter Parker. The officer who wrote the official report mentioned Peter was in a state of shock the whole time and could barely answer any questions, but once he regained his ability to think somewhat clearly Peter told him he showed up after the murder had occurred.

That didn’t mean the kid wasn’t lying, though. If Tony was in his place, with his family dead and the knowledge of the identity of the man who killed them in mind, he would have kept it to himself. Especially if he wanted to get revenge. Maybe Peter did show up at the scene in time to see the murder. Maybe he saw the face of the one who shot his aunt and uncle.

But that wasn’t enough. To actually be able to do anything with that he would have to know more than just the man’s face. Tony frowned and scanned the information carefully again. The reports. Peter’s exact words at the interrogation. Pictures from the scene of the crime. Anything that could be of use. His eyes lingered on the suspicion of some of the officers at the scene. Since there were no eye witnesses there was a theory that claimed maybe Peter himself was behind the whole thing. They thought Peter shot his family. Tony wanted to laugh because this was absurd!

He probably gave Ned a fright when a startled, somewhat hysterical laugh escaped his lips and shook his entire body. The boy stepped forward, finally getting over himself, and examined the information on the holograms as well, his eyes filled with worry for his friend. Tony couldn’t deny the fact that it was obvious Ned cared about Peter deeply. At least the kid had a great friend to watch his back.

It must have been hours before Ned opened his mouth, his fingers pointing at a paper resting on the floor, long forgotten. “Hey, what’s that?”

Tony looked at it and exhaled, frustrated. “Just something Spider-man gave me a few days ago. He wanted some info about the guy. Dunno why, he didn’t bother telling me even though I did what he asked, so… that was just plain rude.” Tony grumbled and went back to searching for anything important he must have missed. That couldn’t be it. Peter Parker was a teenager. A smart teenager, but a teenager. That couldn’t be it. There must have been some clues about whatever he had planned.

Something… anything…

“Hey, I recognize this place.” Ned said, lifting the paper slightly to grab Tony’s attention. The man groaned.

“Look, I get it, that you can’t focus on one thing at a time, but I’m TRYING to find out what your friend has in store for us. Do you mind? If you can’t be useful, just leave so I can concentrate.” Tony snapped. He didn’t mean to be so mean to the kid – he was doing his best, really – but Tony didn’t want to figure it all out too late. He felt useless being stuck in his lab with no idea what to do about Peter’s situation. He needed more information. This puzzle had too many pieces missing in it and Tony wasn’t ready to just give up and let it slide. The kid needed him. He needed someone on his side.

Ned winced but then waved the paper again, making Tony glare his way. “I think this might be a clue, though.” He said, sounding thrilled. “You said Spidey gave this to you, right? This only makes more sense. Take a look at that. Can you get a picture of the corner of the street next to Peter’s house?”

Curious, Tony made FRIDAY show the requested photo. Meanwhile, he took the picture from Ned and examined it further. It was the same picture he was given by Spider-man concerning that Thomas Raid guy. Nothing too big. He glanced up to see the picture FRIDAY managed to find and then frowned. He moved his eyes from the picture in his hand to the one FRIDAY showed to the both of them and his mouth tightened into a thin line. The street in Raid’s photo matched the one next to Peter’s apartment. It was the same place, but why would Spider-man have…

And the coin finally fell.

Spider-man had a picture of Raid because he saw the man running away from the scene where May and Ben Parker found their death. He snapped a picture of him because he wanted Tony to tell him who he was and, maybe, where to find him. He wanted to find him because he said it was personal, and it was personal because… because Spider-man WAS Peter Parker, the kid who’s aunt and uncle were killed.

Suddenly everything made sense. Spider-man got along with Tony immediately because Peter already knew Tony in person from the coffee shop back then. He trusted Tony and Tony trusted Spider-man because he radiated the same safety aura that surrounded Peter in the shop all the time. Peter’s understanding of Tony’s situation, where the man wanted to keep a low profile… it made sense now because if Peter was Spider-man, then he knew better than most people how to keep his head down. That’s why he helped Tony and never called him in on his bullshit. And the last time he saw Peter he was freaking out because of a spider right after Spider-man told Tony he was afraid of spiders. Peter said he got bit by a spider a while back and was sick for a long time. Maybe that was how the kid got his powers in the first place? Even though it was some crazy, unbelievable back story.

A headache made Tony stumble backwards, towards the nearest chair. Then he held his head between his hands and groaned. Peter- no, Spider-man was on a mission to find Thomas Raid and kill him. And Tony only hoped he wasn’t too late. He straightened his back and narrowed his eyes at Ned. The kid watched him with worried eyes and hunched shoulders.

“I’m going out to look for him. Stay here in case FRIDAY tells you he’s here, alright?” Tony summoned his suit, not bothering to make sure Ned was on board with the plan because he just wanted to get out there and search the kid. He heard something that sounded like an agreement coming from Ned’s side and that was enough for him. With the Iron-man suit intact, Tony flew out of there, letting FRIDAY scan the streets below him. He had to find Peter. Had to find Peter. Had to find Peter.

He found the kid after searching for him for almost two hours. He was in an abandoned warehouse near the outskirts of the city. The place was isolated but FRIDAY detected two people inside and so Tony flew over to check it out only to find Spider-man, mask and suit on, pointing a gun at a very scared, uncomfortable and frightened Thomas Raid. Where the hell the kid got a gun from was beyond him, but Tony didn’t really care that much at the moment. What he did care about was the mistake the kid was about to make.

It was clear Peter was heaving heavily because his whole body rose and deflated with every breath he took. His hand, the one holding the gun, trembled like crazy but was still focused on the target before him. Of course it was – he was Spider-man. He didn’t need to learn how to aim because he was perfect at that already. Tony’s seen his previous fights. The kid was impressive. For the first time, though, Tony wished the kid would miss.

Raid himself was tied to a metal chair, his hands chained behind his back and his eyes wide and terrified as he stared at the gun pointed his way. He didn’t look like the kid beat him up before bringing him here, which actually made Tony feel relief coursing through his brain because Peter told him he hated violence and he was pretty sure that included beating up the guy who murdered his family.

“P-please, I swear it was an accident. I didn’t mean to use the gun. It’s not even mine.” Raid cried hysterically, shuddering and shivering. “The guys I’m working for made me take it with me but I never meant to actually fire it. I-I’m sorry!”

Spidey exhaled shakily. “Yeah, I don’t care.” His voice made a shiver run down Tony’s spine and he wasn’t even the one who’s life was at stakes. He was just watching form his place, hidden behind a couple of wooden boxes. He retracted the suit before stepping inside because he knew that would immediately attract attention to him, even though he knew the kid would notice him simply because of his heightened senses. And yet it seemed he was completely engrossed in what was going on that he wasn’t aware of Tony’s presence.

Raid whimpered. “I didn’t mean to – “

“But you did.” The kid bit out, anger taking over his voice like a full-on tsunami. “You shot two people and you keep on blaming other people or the gun. What next? You’ll tell me it was the weather’s fault?” He mocked, though his usual playful tone wasn’t evident in his voice at all. That was all wrong. This wasn’t Spider-man. It was a hormonal teen, pushed beyond his limits. It was an enhanced person not knowing what to do with the frustration and anger he had building up in him for who know how long.

“I was just – “

“You work for bad people who sell drugs and corners people to get their wallets. You’re not exactly a saint, sir.” It would have been amusing, hearing Peter talk like that to someone and yet calling them ‘sir’ like a polite person would do. But Tony didn’t laugh. “And your gun didn’t misfire, in case you were wondering. I saw you pulling the trigger myself. Maybe you did it on instinct, but it was still on you. Do you even know who were killed that day?”

Raid didn’t even answer this time. He just whimpered and closed his eyes, unable to shut out the voice of Spidey. Tony, meanwhile, was busy trying to come up with a plan to get the Spider-kid away from his helpless target. Well, helpless and guilty target.

Peter’s hand got even more shaky. “Of course you don’t. Why would you?” He drawled out. “But whatever, right? You just ended two people’s lives and ruined mine. No big deal or anything like that.”

Okay, Tony needed to do something because he realized the kid was about to shoot anytime now. So, without any plan, he jumped out of his hiding place, hands up in surrender, and caught Peter’s attention. For one moment the kid seemed hesitant and taken aback by his presence. The gun lowered slightly as he eyed Tony carefully.

“Hey Underoos. Fancy seeing you here.”

The kid tensed. “What are you doing here?”

Tony looked sideways to watch Raid. The guy watched the both of them with blurry eyes and was probably assuming Tony was helping Spider-man because he seemed even more scared if that was even possible. His lower lip trembled and he was paler than the wall behind him.

Turning back to Spidey, Tony found the kid moving his masked face from him to Raid and back, as if trying to figure out whether Tony would stop him or be any trouble. Yeah, maybe coming in without his suit wasn’t the best idea. Normally Peter nor Spider-man posed a threat to Tony, but right now the kid was hurting and in a world of pain. He was angry and upset and grieving. He was going through a full mental breakdown in a matter of days and Tony didn’t know what to expect from anymore.

“Oh, you know… stretching my legs, breathing some fresh air. Would you like to join me, perhaps?” It was a really lousy shot and by the still frame of Spidey he could tell it wasn’t even close to successful. “Or we could chill in here. We can totally do that.” He breathed in, trying to look enthusiastic. “Yup. Nothing like the dusty air of a place that’s been closed for over three months and has just been collecting dust for a while. Really healthy, nothing better. Hey, so where did you get the gun?”

The kid looked down at his hand still holding onto the gun like his life depended on it and his shoulders hunched. “None of your business.” He bit out, voice sharp.

Alright, no more beating around the bush, then. “Kid, give me the gun.”

He didn’t. Great. Just what Tony needed to deal with today – a moody teenager with superpowers. And he couldn’t even call for his suit in time because he knew the kid was faster than him. He was standing here with nothing more than his brain and clothes clinging to his body from sweat because hell, this kid was even scaring him a little.

“So what, you’re going to stoop to his level now and get even? Is that what this is all about?” Tony watched as Spider-man looked away, towards Raid, the gun still trembling between his clutched fingers.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Tony frowned. “Oh, don’t I? Because I’m pretty sure the full picture is in my mind right now. You know, your friend came to my Tower because he was worried about you making something stupid like, oh… I don’t know… try and shoot someone to death.” That made Spidey’s face to snap in his direction and Tony returned his glare with his own.

The kid just breathed for a few moments before looking down at the gun again. “You murdered at least one person.” Spidey said, voice laced with anger and defiance. “And no one cares. Are you going to stop me?”

Well, that was the question. Tony felt like a hypocrite coming here to try and persuade the kid to free Raid and hand him to the police, but he was right. Tony wasn’t holding back as Iron-man. If he had an enemy he had to take down to protect people or to end an out-of-control argument, he was willing to kill them because that’s just what he did. Now he came here to give a lecture to Spider-man about not hurting people simply because they did some bad things?

But it was Peter Parker behind that mask. Peter Parker who told him Iron-man wasn’t his favorite because science was his passion while Iron-man used violence as the ultimate answer. What if the kid went down the same path Tony did? Would it change him? It probably would. Tony worked as the CEO of a company that sold weapons all over the globe before he realized he was wrong about plenty of things. Peter was working at a small café, serving people with a wide smile and nasty cups of coffees.

Tony sighed. “No. It’s up to you in the end. I just want you to be aware of what you’re getting yourself into before you jump into it, kid.” He pointed at Raid who winced and whimpered. Spidey followed his finger and his body tensed again. “He did something bad, something horrible. You’re right about that. I get it. I’ve been there. And I know you want to tear him apart limb by limb,” Raid turned even paler. “But doing so will also take a toll on you. You can’t ruin someone’s life without getting affected by it, Spidey.” He searched the masked eyes but so nothing but black holes staring right back at him. He had no idea whether he was actually making the kid rethink this or not, but it was worth a try. “Just… if you choose this path remember there will be consequences.”

The kid waited a moment before he probably realized Tony was done talking. Then he turned his back to him to face Raid again. He didn’t let go of the gun. He pointed it back at the man without saying a word and Tony sighed.

“Alright, I’m going. Can’t watch this. Just… know that whatever you choose, there’s always a room for you in the Tower if you need somewhere to hide away or stay at. No limits. No conditions.”

When Spidey didn’t reply Tony just headed out, got into his suit and flew the hell out of there, hoping to not hear the sound of the gun firing.

Away.

Away.

Away!

FRIDAY alerted Tony the moment Peter entered the building. He wasn’t surprised when the kid showed up in his day-to-day clothes, his head cast down and his hair messier than ever. He didn’t say a word, either. Just came up to Tony and stood there, his eyes trained on the tiles of the floor as if their pattern was nothing less than amazing.

It wasn’t. They were tiles.

Tony wanted to ask Peter what his choice was in the end. He wanted to know what was going through the kid’s mind. He wanted so many answers, but seeing the kid standing like that, miserable and exhausted, made him shut his mouth and he simply led Peter towards the spare room he cleared next to his own after meeting Spider-man for the first time. It was a hunch, probably.

Peter stepped inside, not bothering to look around before sitting on the edge of the bed, facing Tony, still not looking up at him. His hands fidgeted with the straps of his torn-up backpack and there were clear trails of tears on his cheeks that he didn’t bother to clear. Eventually Peter put his backpack down and clenched and unclenched his fingers, his eyes following the movements. Not sure about what he was supposed to do, Tony took a careful step closer to the bed, looking out for any resentment on Peter’s face, but he found none, so he just moved on and sat beside Peter, wrapping his hand around the kid’s shoulder.

One moment the kid’s shoulders tensed up at the touch, but then he melted into it and his arms sent to hug Tony back, his face burying itself in Tony’s chest. Even without hearing the kid’s choked breaths Tony could tell he was crying from the wetness on his shirt. But he didn’t mind. He didn’t mind one bit. He just rubbed soothing circles on the kid’s back and held him tight, refusing to let go any time soon.

Peter didn’t seem to mind that. In fact, the kid fell asleep a couple of minutes later. Tony tucked him under the blanket carefully, hoping the kid won’t wake up, and then took a step back. It was so strange, seeing the relaxed and peaceful expression on the kid’s face after such a day. Sleep did some crazy things to people.

Tony landed on the rooftop, exited his suit and sat down near the edge, right next to Peter. The kid’s mask was off but the Iron-Spider suit was still covering the rest of his body. He seemed peaceful and content, just sitting there, enjoying the view and letting the light breeze ruffle his hair.

“I didn’t pass my curfew yet.” He announced and Tony internally smirked. “I told Karen to alert me when I needed to head back to the Tower. So… I’m pretty sure I’m not in trouble, right?”

Chuckling, the man shook his head. “You’re not in trouble.” He confirmed and Peter sighed with relief. “I just had some news. Do you want to hear them now?” He knew the kid would understand the question. There was only one topic Tony didn’t like bringing up to Peter and the kid knew it.

For a moment Peter remained quiet, but then he nodded, letting Tony know he can say whatever it was he had to say. Still, Tony hesitated. It’s only been two months. The kid was still getting used to the new reality where Tony Stark was his guardian. That was actually happened only because the social workers wanted to take Peter out of New York. Now, Tony simply couldn’t let the kid disappear, right? So he pulled whatever strings he had until Peter was in his custody. Peter didn’t seem to mind. He actually sounded relieved when Tony told him about his plan.

Who knew Tony could work things out with kids, huh?

“Raid’s trial ended. He’s going to jail for twenty years. Ten for each person.” He observed Peter carefully. “You alright?”

Peter simply nodded. Something in his eyes changed. He seemed… more relaxed, somehow. Like a burden lifted off his shoulders and finally set him free. “Yeah. I’m fine.” He nodded, and for the first time in a long time, Tony believed him. Peter looked over the city before his eyes turned to look at Tony, a smile tugging at his lips. “You know, you still don’t know how I got my powers, Mr. Stark.”

Damn kids with their efficient ways of making young people like Tony Stark feel old. “Sure I do. A spider bit you. You got sick. Bam, you got superpowers. End of story, drop mic.”

The kid flinched. “Please don’t say that ever again. It’s not cool. Don’t take your ideas from old movies. You’ll only sound like a broken record.” He shuddered. “Alright, do you know what my webs are made of?”

Tony sneered, ignoring Peter’s first comment. “Kid, it took me half an hour in my lab to take apart this thing and rebuild it from scratch.” He smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. “You can’t really think you have any secrets left hidden from me, kiddo. I know everything about you. Or at least FRIDAY does and she tells me everything I need to know about.”

For a few moments Peter remained quiet, seemingly deep in thought, and then the widest grin appeared on his face and his eyes twinkled with this wicked way that told Tony he was going to wish he’d never messed with the kid in the first place.

“Have I ever told you about the time some dude in a wingsuit dropped a building on me?”

Tony froze before he glared at the kid who stood up and stretched his arms as if he didn’t just tell Tony he got buried under a building once. “WHAT?!” Tony snapped. “When did this happen? Peter Parker, where do you think you’re going?? Come back here and tell me what the hell happened!!!”

But the kid was already swinging away. “Sorry, duty calls. I’ll see you back home for dinner. Don’t eat all my Doritos!” And his laughter ringed in Tony’s ears as the man walked towards his suit, grumbling under his breath.

All in all, things were looking up.